Sports Talk: The 3 Week Home Game Frenzy

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Mar. 5, 2014.  
 
The last two weeks of CCHS basketball action has been a real treat and I am sorry to all of you Rebel and Lady Rebel fans who failed to make it to any games--especially since they've all been at our home gym, which was kind of the icing on the cake.

The best part all of these home games was the atmosphere that came with them. Having been to plenty of games over the last few years, I've seen plenty of nights where the stands are rather vacant. Even some of the nights when the student section has a crowd, they don't necessarily get "into" the games and the whole feel of the gym is pretty stagnant.
 
The electric atmosphere at CCHS started three weeks ago. First the boys' took a major victory over Green County the same night as the schools' Basketball Sweetheart ceremony, as well as seeing the two 2013 track and field state champions honored, Micah Smith and Shelby Stringer. The following night parents, players and alumni had a special night of honoring Coach Salyers.
 
Then, the final game of the season for both teams came the next Friday: a doubleheader hosting neighbor rival Lincoln County. It was a record crowd for a regular season game this year.
 
On top of being a great rival (particularly for the Lady Rebels) and Lincoln being close enough to send a respectable number of their own fans, Casey's crowd was aided by numerous before and between game events. Coach Salyer's was honored with the court being dedicated to him (a surprise for him) and unveiled at the beginning of the night. This was followed by a Marshall Forbes giving a spectacular performance of our national anthem. Then between games the senior ball players, cheerleaders and dance team members were recognized. After that the Casey County Bank did a $10,000 giveaway in which Principal Josh Blevins, a Rebel basketball alum himself, was randomly selected from a drawing to attempt making the necessary baskets to claim the prize... Much to his, and spectators' dismay, he came up short. The bank also honored players of the month during this break and Lakken Miller was officially welcomed into the Lady Rebel 1,000 Point Club after having hit the milestone earlier in the week.
 
All of this activity was just the side show to the main events: two basketball games. While the boys' took a pretty rough defeat, the Lady Rebs gave a stellar performance in which they took down the Lady Patriots, avenging their back-to-back 12th Region championship game losses from the past two years.
 
This night--the games, the crowd, the atmosphere--were the perfect prelude to the 47th District Tournament which Casey hosted. If you attended the doubleheader, it made you want to be there for the tournament games; if you missed the doubleheader and heard about it, you didn't want to miss out again.
 
Tournament time always brings a special buzz to the air--everyone knowing anything can happen and when it comes down to it, records are wiped clean and how you did all season does not matter--it's now down to earning one win at a time, one game at a time.
 
Casey's hosting of the tournament did not disappoint. The gym was packed night after night and saw plenty of excitement--at least for the Casey fans. Perhaps the Lady Rebel games weren't exactly nailbiters, but when you are on the winning side of a game, fans are always excited--especially when one of those wins makes history. Not only did the girls' earn the district title, but it's the first 'three-peat' in the program's history. As if that weren't enough, it gave Coach Salyers his first district title on his home court--now named after him.
 
Then you had the Rebels. You could not ask for a more fun game than what we saw last Thursday when the boys' took on Somerset and won by four points. The Rebels gave us everything you want in a tournament game: a comeback from behind (going down by 12 at one point), a second half that saw constant lead exchanges, a final 90 seconds that had you so nervous you could hardly stay in your seat, and a finish that made you proud to be a Rebel. They may not have come out on top in the championship game, but their second half performance gave Pulaski a run for their money and the young team fought to the end and proudly earned our school the runner-up trophy.
 
The home game excitement is officially over for this season, but thankfully the play is not. With both teams competing in the 12th Region tournament, the excitement only continues and if you have been to any regional games in the past, you know the electric atmosphere that exists. The boys are playing at Pulaski County High School and the girls will be at Lincoln County High School. Both teams play Wayne County. Obviously weather is keeping a lot of us at home this week but tune in on the radio if nothing else. These two teams and their coaches have given us a heck of a season and I for one don't want to see it end.
 
The Lady Rebels play today at 6 p.m. and the Rebels are scheduled to play Saturday at 7:45 p.m.

Sports Talk: A Bittersweet farewell to Casey County's Finest

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Feb. 19, 2014.  
In his second to last regular season home game last Saturday, parents, players, alums, fans and friends celebrated the career of 19-year Lady Rebel Coach Randy Salyers. For those who missed it, I encourage you to be there this Friday in his final regular season home game.

Photo Credit: Carpe-Imago/Chris Zollner

It just so works out that Coach Salyers gets a couple extra (hopefully two!) games in the Rebel gymnasium since CCHS is the host of this year's district tournament.
 
For me, Coach Salyers has been everything from a coach to a middle school P.E. teacher to a friend, and, like many, I have never really known Lady Rebel basketball without him.
 
My relationship with Coach Salyers began around 1998. As a sixth grader, many of my peers and I stepped up to the play with the middle school basketball team. While Coach was already working at the high school level, it was obvious he had great interest in the up and coming Lady Rebs and developing them. (I also ran track for the first time this year and, for those who don't know, he was the track Coach in those days and oversaw numerous state contenders and even state champions.)

Presenting Coach with a quilt made of
Lady Rebel Tshirts from throughout his career.

I was too young to think a lot about the fact Coach Salyers was showing such interest in the youth of the Casey County girls' basketball program, but looking back, it's obvious he was already in it for the long haul. The summer after sixth grade he was already encouraging us to attend his open gym practices and working with the middle school coaches, including Coach Darryl Barlow. He was the eighth grade coach at the time and now sits proudly alongside Coach Salyers on the high school level and has for a number of years.

1998 would have only been two years into Coach Salyers' career with the Lady Rebs, but that detail was unbeknownst to a youngster like me. By the time I was in eighth grade, several of my classmates were dressing on his varsity squad that won the 12th Region tournament and competed in the KHSAA Sweet Sixteen. I had no idea I was riding in on the building of something historical for Casey County sports. I'm not talking about the program's first trip to the state tournament, but Coach Salyers' career that would see so many accomplishments and make Casey County a regular top contender in the 12th Region.
 
I did not finish my high school career as a basketball player for Coach. I gave it up my junior year to focus my efforts on running, but having dedicated so many years--summers included--to the basketball life, I could not so easily walk away. You see, Coach Salyers has a way of creating a family out of his basketball team and leaving that was impossible for me, so I stayed on as a manager for the next two years and happily saw my classmates capture back-to-back district titles in 2003 and 2004.

It's a rare exception that a parent is completely OK with someone besides themselves yelling at their daughter and it's a rare exception that a young lady can handle a grown man yelling at her, but, again, Coach Salyers has a way of making his team a family. In a family you genuinely care about each other and have a special understandings and every player under Coach Salyers understood how much he wanted to see us thrive on the court. We've all seen Coach Salyers yell at his players pretty intensely during games (that or we've experienced it first hand AS one of those players!) But Coach also always has his players' backs. He is the kind of coach that made you want to work your tail off for him, and when you did that, he would go to battle for you. If you were at last Saturday's Mercer County game, you saw that first hand.

Aside from being my coach, in both track and basketball, Coach Salyers has been a dear friend in my years since graduation, and like many I will sorely miss his presence in the county when he is gone, but could not be happier for him during this change in his life.

Two of my good friends whom I played ball with under Coach.

I have to add a fun fact to this article. I am sure many wonder why in the world my by-line includes "Peat" and I will not go into where the nickname originated. Honestly I don't even know, as I have had it since before I can remember and it began as simply a family nickname used by my parents and relatives. Coach Salyers, however, having heard my dad call me "Peat" at sporting events was the first person outside of my family to publicly call me "Peat" (embarrassing the dickens out of me!), but from there I began to embrace the name and more and more people called me "Rita Peat". By the time I was in high school few people did not know the nickname and some even confused "Peat" as my last name. If it were not for Coach Salyers, my by-line may only read "Rita Harris".

I still have not wrapped my head around a season of Lady Rebel basketball without Coach Salyers. The girls playing today were not even alive when his career began 19 years ago. But, without a doubt, girls' ball at CCHS will continue and it will likely continue to thrive on the foundation Coach Salyers spent so much of his life building.For that, he will never, ever be forgotten in Casey County. I like to think that one day my daughter, born only four months ago, will also know of Coach Randy Salyers' reign over the Lady Rebels and the name he brought to the program across the 12th Region.

Sports Talk: Extra Soft High School Rivalry Pranks

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Feb. 12, 2014.  
What are high school sports without some rivalry fun involved?

For as long as I remember the Russell County Lakers have been Casey's biggest rival--and I cannot even tell you why, other than they are a short trip down 127. I'm sure somebody knows...
 
Last week our boys basketball team hosted the Lakers. Unfortunately, in recent years Russell has dominated the basketball court when the teams face off. That, in addition to the fact I was more or less out of the loop when it came to Casey sports during my seven year tenure in Louisville, means I had completely forgotten about the traditional "Toilet Bowl" game when a team's first points resulted in the students streaming the court with rolls of toilet paper.
 
I was probably in the seventh grade the first time I attended one of these games and saw it in all of it's glory. I remember it happening at both home and away games when the two boys teams faced one another.
 
This past Thursday night when I was perched in my standard seat in the upper section across from the student section, I had not even wondered whether I would be seeing any toilet paper fly until I saw Athletic Director Victor Black stepping out of the midst of the students carrying a giant garbage bag filled with TP. You could see disappointment in many student faces that their "fun" was being busted and suddenly the memories of the Toilet Bowl came flooding back.
 
I couldn't help but smile as what I was seeing simply rehashed very, very similar experiences of my own. Mr. Black, after seeming to have confiscated a LOT of Charmin (and hopefully some off brands--surely students are smart enough to save a little change since the stuff wasn't being used for its intended purpose!), I saw him return to the stands and leave with another partial bag. Surely he'd thoroughly searched and disarmed the students. But then, when Casey scored it's first basket less than a minute into play, the rolls magically appeared and began hitting the court. Oh yes, I thought, that's right... somehow, no matter how many times the school administrators came through the stands and how many bags were emptied and puffy jackets were searched, students always managed to keep some TP hidden that would magically appear when the moment was right.
 
I know pranks between schools should not be condoned. There are good reasons for the TP confiscation and one has to hope that it won't end up being a close game with the Rebs on the losing end considering it leads to technical foul shots for Russell County. You also have to feel a little funny about the prank when your team ends up losing by nearly 20 points.
 
Having said that, though, as a parent, fan or school administrator, on some level you have to be grateful that THIS is the prank our schools choose to make a tradition. I mean, how much less damage can one do than to throw toilet paper--something made to be extra soft to the touch! We could have students vandalizing one another's school property, stealing things, etc. Instead the game gets interrupted for a few minutes.
 
For the students, I think the fun of this prank is not even about doing it to spite the Lakers; (especially considering the odds of the winner have been heavily tipped in Russell's direction for a number of years). It's more about proving you weren't the group that let tradition slip. The TP came out slowly but surely when Collin Miller put in two points on a fast break. It wasn't a beautiful raining down of streaming toilet paper. When the final rolls got tossed to the court and still no one was cleaning it up, you eventually saw school officials come to the student section and next thing you knew it was students who were cleaning up the mess they'd just made. 

I can't speak for the students to know what they were thinking or feeling, but as an alum who once sat in the section where the TP flew from, I feel like the real accomplishment for the students is simply proving they can still find ways to make it happen no matter how many bags the administration fills when they file through the stands emptying bags and jackets. Having to eat their pride after the fact and pick up the mess they made doesn't seem so bad.
 
A prank is a prank and as administrators you have to try and nip them in the bud, but there is something to be said for tradition--especially when it's as harmless as tossing cushy rolls of paper in the air. There are much, much worse rivalry pranks we could be shaming our students for partaking in. So this alum had to simply smile to not only see the tradition of the toilet paper flying live on, but the complete tradition--which includes plenty of rolls leaving the stands in garbage bags!

Sports Talk: The New and Exciting Young Rebel Basketball Team

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Dec. 11, 2013.   
I've always enjoyed basketball and I've especially always enjoyed Casey County basketball. I suppose it's kind of a natural thing when you grow up playing for a team and cheering for them, that even in their weakest moments and seasons, you find yourself the optimist and rooting them on and finding the highlights.

However, I want to stress to all Casey County fans (and even those who maybe are not fans but love basketball) that it's time to get out of the house--even if that means facing some cold--and check out this year's teams.
 
I cannot actually speak for the Lady Rebels just yet, as I have yet to watch them play live... But considering where they left off last year and who they've returned (and what I've gathered from following them for my articles) they are no disappointment from what one would expect this year.
 
The Rebels, however, I have watched play, twice now. While the win over Washington County was of course fun, it was actually our loss to Marion County that got me so excited about this team. I was disappointed no one in my family had attended the game to share the excitement with me after the two-point loss that came in the final seconds of regulation time.
 
This year's boys' basketball team is truly an exciting group to watch. First of all, I get a great sense of "team" from these boys simply in the way they interact in warm ups and before games and during time outs. You see slaps on the bottom, high fives, arms around each other constantly. Every time a player comes out of the game, the bench stands and gives them five for their work on the court whether that player is having a stand out game or things just aren't going his way.
 
On the court... now that is something to see. This team is fast, fun and unselfish. Their hustle never stops. Multiple times Marion County got an 8-10 point lead on the Rebels last week, but we always bounced back. That's impressive for a team with only two seniors and starts three freshmen. Ninety percent of the time, these young guys are going to be facing primarily juniors and seniors--which usually makes a big difference and can cause some intimidation. You see none of that with these young men.
 
In addition to their nonstop hustle up and down the court, I love the way this team moves the ball. They read each other well and stealing the show for themselves is the last thing on any players mind. There have been times they've even fooled me into thinking they had turned the ball over, but before I knew it, we'd scored. Instead of a turnover, it had been a crazy fast pass to another open Rebel I had not even spotted. I'd much rather watch that kind of play any day than some one man magic show.
 
And on a side note, I'll mention this team loves us, the Casey County community. Before their game Saturday, they started their day off by volunteering for the Salvation Army and ringing bells in Liberty. They also attended the Pictures with Santa fundraiser taking place at the high school to raise money for Braydon Taylor's battle against.
 
Kudos to Coach Stallworth for what your doing for these young men both on and off the court.
 
The Marion County game, the season kick-off for this team, was the kind of game any basketball fan wants to watch. I suggest you get to the CCHS gymnasium sometime soon before you're stuck hearing about another amazing game instead of getting to see it live.

Sports Talk: Soid Finale to Casey County Fall Sports

 As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Nov. 6, 2013.
Casey County athletics may not be a sports powerhouse recognized across the Bluegrass, but the beauty in that is the excitement we can all have over the week to week and season to season victories. Last week, three of Casey's sports teams had those victories that continue to make me proud to be a Rebel. 

Cross Country: The girls' team qualified for the state meet, something nobody saw coming at the start of the year. The "team" was really only an individual runner last year, but thanks to Kelsey Arthur sticking with it and the motivational efforts of new coach Jon Vaughn, not only did the girls grow by enough to have a full team (at least five runners), but they had eight runners who steadily improved their times throughout the season. Coming from the girl who ran cross country solo before Casey had a team, I'm so proud of these young ladies and their coach and the direction of this program.
 
Football: Never count out this program. It's so easy to look at the Rebels' record or some of the game scores and write them off, but that's because we forget just how hard our district is and that we must compete in tough games that are not mandatory for other teams in other districts. While we definitely had some games we all wish had been "W's" (Taylor County... Metcalfe County...), the team's win over Adair County last week in their last regular season game showed just how this team is improving and that their record is not a reflection of their capabilities. Adair was a 4-5 team going into the game and hoping to be 5-5. Beating the 1-8 Rebels probably seemed like a cake walk to the Indians, but instead we dominated from start to finish. I love the positive attitude coach Sam Marple continues to instill in his team, knowing the future is bright.
 
Volleyball: After falling in the district championship game in a less than stellar performance, it was nice that the VolleyRebs still had the opportunity to continue on to the 12th Region tournament and end their season on a high--and that they did. Sure, they ended on a loss--all but one team will--but there is a major difference in ending on a game your proud of as opposed to one you yearn to redo. The eight dedicated seniors led this team through a fantastic season right to the end when they fell to Wayne County, who went on to be the regional champions. It was a semifinal game, the furthest than the VolleyRebs have made it in the regional tournament since moving from the 45th District to the 47th District. It was a great season for the team and it's hard to imagine them hitting the court next year without those eight talented girls.

Sports Talk: Rebel sports coverage back on local radio station

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Sept. 11, 2013.   
 
Have you made it out to Rebel field for a game this season? Maybe yes, maybe no. Schedules don’t always work out with how busy we all are these days. Here’s the good news, though, if you weren't aware: you can always tune into live Rebel action, thanks to WKDO.

I was extremely excited to find out that our local radio station was going to again be following the team to both home and away games to give all fans the opportunity to cheer Casey on from their homes or  work or even while on the road. 

Since I have only been living in Casey County again for the past two and a half years, I am not sure when radio broadcasts for some of our sport teams ceased, but I remember it being a regular part of my high school career.  I made it to a lot of events as a student but, especially during basketball season, I missed a lot of the men’s games due to having my own busy schedule managing the girls’ team. It was nice to have the option to tune into the games from home and hear my friends’ names being announced and be in on the big moments and close games.

I know Classic Country cannot carry all of our sports teams, but I am very glad they are bringing back football and basketball. I am actually due with our first child in October, meaning life is bound to get more hectic and traveling to Rebel sporting events is only going to get more complicated. Hearing the news that more of them would be broadcast on the radio was extra exciting.

Let’s not overlook the fact this happening is not thanks to WKDO alone. A lot of our local businesses are the ones making this possible by sponsoring the broadcasts: Casey County Bank, Don Franklin Motors, Sweet Beans n' Things, Tri-County Feeds, Save-A-Lot of Liberty, Long's Automotive & Truck Service, the Monticello Banking Company, Whited's 1547 Auto Sales and the Bread of Life Café. (This was the list posted to WKDO’s Facebook page as of Aug. 22. Apologies if there are any new sponsors I did not include.)

Be sure extend your thanks to these businesses which are helping bring Rebel sports back to the radio. This is my way of thanking the radio and all of the businesses supporting Rebel sports. And while I’m at it, I’ll say nice work to Dan Johnson and Steven Brown for their football announcing and commentary. I’m loving it and it’s even worth listening to while watching live!

Sports Talk: A fan-worthy game for the Rebel Home Opener

 As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Sept. 4 2013.
Fall really seemed to come to life this past weekend, at least for me, despite the continued hot days. September is officially here and college football is underway. On top of that, Casey had its first home football game and nothing makes me happier than seeing the crowd of columbia blue and red in the stands and along the fence line of our home field. Well, I guess a win to go with it would have made me happier.

Whether you were at the game, heard or read about it afterwards or tuned in on the radio, (Thank you WKDO for carrying the games again this year), you know what a heartbreaker it was. A one-point loss always is, but add that to having led the entire game, a questionable touchdown that gave Taylor the edge in the last minute, and the real kicker: a fabulous effort on behalf of the Rebels.

I hope the athletes and coaches know what a great showing they made last Friday, despite the “L” that stands next to the final score.  From start to finish the game was engaging and exciting for anyone spectating. I was actually supposed to leave for Ohio on Friday evening, but opted to stay home to cover the game live and leave Saturday morning instead and the Rebels definitely made that decision more than worth it.

Yes, there were mistakes and moments when I’d cringe or shout or clench my fists, but seeing both upper and lower classmen make big plays and the team bounce back from mistakes seemed to reveal a spark in Rebel football that I was so hopeful for this season.

The end result may have been a loss but I saw so many wins throughout the night that were a turn around from last season. It’s exciting to see the progress of the program and I hope the spark and momentum of the team’s home opener only builds. Casey, no doubt has a tough schedule ahead, but I am optimistic that despite the competition and win/loss results, the team will not lose that spark they showed developing last Friday.

A loss, but Congratulations to Coach Marple, his staff and the team on a great home opener nonetheless, You gave this Rebel fan, and many others I’m sure, a reason to be excited for this coming Friday and the rest of the fall. Keep it up!

Sports Talk: Summer and The Sandlot

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published July 3, 2013.  

I could not help but noticed how timely it seemed that I had the opportunity to interview with former St. Louis Cardinal and Casey County graduate, Don Durham.

It’s hard for me to believe that it was twenty years ago that one of my generation’s favorite childhood movies first came to the big screen: The Sandlot. The coming-of-age film is the story of a young group of baseball players during the summer of 1962.

A ragtag bunch of kids, for the most part, they all know everything there is to know about America’s greatest pastime and they all dream of playing in the big leagues. They meet up daily and almost always it’s at their neighborhood ball field. The end of the film tells you that one of those boys went on to play major league baseball.

A great summer movie, The Sandlot was my first trip to the drive-in theater—another great summer activity from yesteryear that carries a sense of romance. For that reason, the movie has always brought back to me a sense of summer fun and freedom you only find in your youth.

Hearing Don’s story recently brought that fictional story to life. I attended Middleburg Elementary as a youngster in Casey County and I remember the old, fairly unused baseball fields in the area. We never really used them for the sport during my elementary years and I never thought much of these fields. I wasn’t sure if anyone used them and why they were even there.

But these fields were exactly the special places The Sandlot, as a movie had to create in order to bring forth a sense of summer fun and childhood dreams. The difference is the fields I looked upon, empty, in my childhood, were the real fields where stories like The Sandlot truly took place—and Don Durham is living proof of those stories.

In addition to Don’s story, the Fourth of July tends to make me think of this classic movie also. I spent three college summers working for the Governor’s Scholars Program at Bellarmine Unviersity. With over 300 students on campus, it was quite costly to transport the entire group off campus. It was always a disappointment for students to find out they would be missing out on any firework shows for Independence Day, but it just did not fit the budget.

Instead, the program would have a big-screen showing of The Sandlot for the Fourth. Not only was it a great summer movie, but one scene includes a great firework show, so in some sense, the students got their fireworks for the holiday.

For those in school, summer is already half over. It may not be 1962 anymore, but be sure to get outside and enjoy all that makes summer, summer: swimming, carnivals, baseball, fireworks, drive-in movies and most importantly fun with friends.

If you need any inspiration, try watching The Sandlot. If you’ve never seen it, you may finally understand when someone says to you, “You’re killin’ me, Smalls!”

Sports Talk: The Underdog District

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published May 29, 2013. 

Every athlete is always reminded that anything can happen in the post season and we have all seen it happen, but the excitement of when it does (as long as you are the underdog, that is) never gets old.

What an unpredictable outcome for the 47^th District softball tournament last week! Not only did the top two seeds not even make it to the championship game, but the only team to not pick up a single regular season district win, won the tournament title: Rockcastle County.

The upsets began with our very own Lady Rebels taking on the number two team of Pulaski County. This was a team they lost to twice during the regular season: 0-2 and 2-9. Those girls did not just defeat Pulaski in their tournament game, they creamed them. As in, 12-2 so they did not even have to play all seven innings.

I’m not sure if Rockcastle was motivated by our own Lady Rebels, but they followed their lead in the next game and jumped out on the number one team of Somerset to take a the win 12-5.

Unfortunately for our girls, the underdog trend continued into the championship game where they were overthrown by the least likely team to take home the championship trophy. As opposed to the two opening tournament games, though, Casey put up a solid fight for the title and only lost by one run and the game came down to the last out. Just one more hit and Casey could have easily scored to tie the game.

Seeing the tears from our players after accepting their runner-up trophy showed exactly where their hearts were in their post-season efforts. They believed and played as though they could win no matter what had happened in the regular season. The risky part about having that belief is that when you fall short of your goal it hurts that much more.

I will admit to have never expected the season these girls have had when it began back in March. The team saw only three wins last year and the first one did not happen until May. When they got a win four games into the season I should have known this team would be different. The past would not dictate who the Lady Rebels were this season or even from one game to the next. They proved that game after game. Sure, they saw their fair share of losses and games that they would quickly take a do-over if possible, but every team or athlete experiences that.

To the four seniors especially, be proud of what you helped your team accomplish in your final season. You have left what could easily be the beginning of the turning point in this program. You gave the leadership necessary to a team that could have gone through a season expecting very little of themselves. Instead you led them to accomplishing something not done in nearly a decade.

I also want to give credit to the coaches, although I know they both give all credit to their team. I have no doubt your belief in your girls never failed and was necessary in getting them over some of the mental hurdles after tough games.

Way to go Lady Rebels! You’ve given us a glimpse of what potential is in your future!

Sports Talk: Storybook endings to track and field careers

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published May 22, 2013. 

The ending of Micah Smith’s high school career brought back memories of my own “storybook ending,” as I once called it. He not only won the title but his very last high school meet saw his best performance ever.

A lot of pressure can build up in that final meet after putting so much into your athletic career. The last thing you want is it to finish feeling like you fell short in your final performance.

From Danville Advocate Messenger

 While many people pushed me to focus on the 400, and I love-love-loved the competitive nature of the meet-ending 1600-meter relay, the 800 was what I loved most.

After running a great time at region—but not my personal best—I wanted nothing more than to finish out my CCHS track career at state—back then it was on U.K.’s fancy blue track—knowing I had run my best race ever.

God has an interesting way of working sometimes and he decided to play a little trick on me that particular day. In regular meets my dad or someone would always call out my first lap split so I knew whether I was on pace or not. At state I could simply look at the large finish line clock as I passed by on my first lap.

My heart sank to my gut when I saw that my time was about four or five seconds off on my first lap. What was worse is that I had been gunning for a fast first lap in order to better my chances at a P.R.

The fear of living with a less than satisfying final race outweighed my fear of dying or the pain my legs or lungs were feeling. I pushed harder through that second lap, in attempt to make up for the slow first lap.

I finished in fourth, a much higher finish than I’d been ranked going into the day but saw a time that was even slower than my regional time. Despite my place, I could not help but feeling disappointed, so I was rather confused by the excited greetings and congratulations I was receiving once I exited the track.

It turns out the display clock had been showing a time that was about five seconds off the real timer. Not only had my first lap actually been extremely fast, but my overall time was a personal best and the new school record. Had the clock incident not happened, I may not have run my second lap as well and finished with the time that I did.

I still remember that feeling of capturing the perfect race on my final day as a high school athlete. My excitement to know Micah had not only won his event but had the perfect day to end his career brought back those memories and feelings and makes me that much happier for his hard work and accomplishments.

Then there is Shelby Stringer, who has blown everyone from her coaches and fans to her competition away with her stellar performances this year. State was no exception with her 10’ vault and tying the state record. For Shelby, she has an entire season left to raise the bar that much higher—literally and figuratively!

From Danville Advocate Messenger

 But any experienced athlete in Shelby’s shoes knows there is nothing to be taken for granted and her achievements this year do not guarantee a cakewalk next year.

The thing about track and field is that you simply never know from season to season who is going to come into the mix of competition and just what kind of day you are going to have when it matters most. Unlike team sports, if you have a bad day, there is no one else for you to look to for picking up the slack.

I was overjoyed with another area title achieved last Friday when my cousin, Clint Hellyer, took the gold in the 300-meter hurdles. While I wanted nothing more than to see him accomplish this, I could not help but see the other side of this situation. This was Clint’s first year on Boyle County’s track team. 

From Danville Advocate Messenger

This means he was not only not in the mix of 300-hurdle competition last year, but he never was. No matter how well other athletes did in the past, they had no way of predicting Clint would be a state contender until this season arrived. There were guys gunning for that state title this year who have been hurdlers for years, yet Clint came out and captured it with one season under his belt.

I saw the same thing happen to friends and teammates back when I was running for Casey. The important thing is to relish the moment while it is I here and be proud of what you accomplished and take the time to live in this particular moment. Whether it’s your first season or last season, a state title or a personal record, celebrate.

As for Shelby’s final season as a CCHS vaulter, I am stoked to see the milestones in her future. Plus, I have seen her compete enough in all of her sports to know the dedicated competitor that she is. There is no doubt in my mind she is going to do everything in her power to seal back-to-back state titles—and claim the state record for herself.

Way to keep it classy, Ladies--both on and off the tennis courts

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published May 8, 2013. 

Living in the basketball-centric state that we do, it is always exciting when Casey County has a successful basketball team. District titles are always a major celebration and even runner-up is an accomplishment. Regional titles are a whole other ball game of excitement.

Sometimes our other sports teams’ and programs’ accomplishments get overlooked due to the fact they are simply not basketball. As someone whose primary sport while attending CCHS was track and field I know this. Regional titles got (get) some recognition and a pat on the back. Other state qualifiers may get noted in an article in the paper. Those who place at state are known by some and those who earn runner-up and state champion titles are celebrated but often time lost in the late school year hub-bub.

But despite the sport, regional titles and state berths are huge and I hope even those who do not closely follow the boys and girls tennis programs (or are not necessarily tennis fans) recognize this with what they’ve accomplished this season. Casey County, year in and year out, has stand-out tennis teams from the boys and girls side of the house. Repetitively do they have winning records and are ranked top in the 12^th Region.

The boys’ team earned the regional runner-up title after only sending a single player to state last year—and that player having graduated.

The girls, made school history with Casey’s very first regional title. What an amazing accomplishment. To top it off, all six girls who competed made it to the semifinal round of the tournament, earning an outright bid to compete in the state tournament.

That team of girls has worked hard for two solid seasons to earn their first regional title. Having not lost a single player after the 2012 season ended, they built off of the regional runner-up title they earned last year after going 11-2 during the season.

I have also been told that the young ladies who make up the tennis team are not only stellar at how they perform on the court with a racket, but they are also superb with how they perform in the classroom with the books. The entire team—not just the regional team—is made up of students with 3.5 or better GPAs. Both seniors, Tylyn Leigh and Allie Tinsley, carry over a 4.0 GPA.

Congrats to the entire team on being phenomenal all around and best of luck to you at sectionals, state, and the road ahead!

Memories of a Championship

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Mar. 6, 2013. The Casey County Lady Rebel basketball team captured the 47th District title the week before.

I found myself slightly surprised when I heard the piece of news that came with the Lady Rebels’ win over Somerset Saturday night that gave them the 47^th District title…. It is only the second time in school history for the team to have achieved back-to-back titles.

“Really?” I thought.

Then I paused for a moment and realized it was my junior and senior years at Casey the Lady Rebels took back-to-back titles.

Well, no wonder my thoughts on Casey’s ability to claim titles is a bit exaggerated… I have experienced some great luck around the team, so in my mind winning is the only option, right?

We won in 2003, my junior year.

We won in 2004, my senior year.

I was M.I.A. from Casey County and Lady Rebel basketball for the next seven years while living in Louisville.

I returned and began writing in 2012 to see us win.

Now we win in 2013.

From my perspective, it’s been FOUR straight district titles for the Lady Rebels.

So my initial thought of not being able to believe that back-to-back titles were so rare was not out of a sense of arrogance for our team (although, we always have rocked…let’s be honest), but just out of the fact I couldn’t believe that the only two times it had happened were in my most recent Lady Reb experiences.

The ’03 and ’04 wins came within the 45^th District, as Casey County did not migrate to the 47^th District until ’06.

The 2003 victory was 58-44 win over Boyle County. It was led by a lone senior, Amanda Wethington, along with a strong class of juniors.

In 2004, when those juniors became seniors, Meagan (Murphy) Davidson, Kelli (Warner) Gould, Beth (Patterson) Littlejohn and Tabitha (Yaden) Wesley led the team in a triumph over Danville, 57-46.

Seeing the joy and true sense of accomplishment and victory in the faces of this year’s Lady Rebel team brought back the flood of memories from my on ’03 and ’04 experiences.

While I chose to give up my uniform after my sophomore year, I did stay on the Lady Rebel squad to travel as a manager, as my heart was still in the center of the special team composed of most of my best friends. I was on the bench when the final buzzer rang and were officially champs. I even found a piece of my 2004 net while reminiscing this weekend.

While I got in my car for a quiet drive home with my husband on Saturday evening, I wondered about the special bus ride home the Lady Rebels were having.

Did they have a caravan of cars behind them and in front of them?

Were they singing, laughing and acting a fool? It’s funny how something so simple like that made the night that much more special… Coach didn’t care how crazy we were. For that night, the team earned it. 

Once in city limits, the bus would take us on a lap around the town for congratulations, hootin’ and a hollerin’ from parents, fans, classmates and friends. Back at Casey’s gym we’d continue to celebrate.

Usually by then we had picked out whose house (whichever parent would have us) we would head to for closing out the night. Usually other friends would join us here as well and it would be a late, late night

I’m not quite up on the current traditions for celebrating a district title, but whatever they may be, I hope those girls had a blast on Saturday night with each other, with their coaches and parents, and with all of their best friends and fans.

I can guarantee you that no matter how long basketball stays in your life or how close in touch you keep with those teammates in the future, the memories of celebrating this accomplishment will stay with you.

Now, I just hope my good luck streak with the Lady Rebels and district titles continues…and I have not just jinxed it instead!

Sports Talk: Small Towns... Where Public Prayer is OK

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Feb. 6, 2013.­­

I wanted to write on this topic last week after the Lady Rebels’ home game against Russell County on Jan 28; however, I couldn’t exactly postpone running the Super Bowl predictions until after the Super Bowl. It kind of loses it’s point…

After living away from Casey County for several years and being exposed to the regular and popular belief of keeping things “politically correct” and not crossing lines  that could possibly offend people of differing beliefs, it’s a breath of fresh air to be in a place where following and acting out your beliefs is never questioned.

The reminder came with the opening of the girls’ varsity game when eighth grader and middle school football stand-out Noah Laman was recognized and shown support from the community in his battle against cancer. A prayer was delivered by Darryl Barlow as those present stood and bowed their heads and listened to Coach Barlow ask our God to give strength, understanding and patience to Noah and his family and friend during this tough time.

When I was attending high school I probably wouldn’t have thought as much about the meaning in this act. It was a prayer when a prayer was called for, which makes enough sense.

But it’s not normal—not in a public school.

I remember when I was a Lady Rebel we would close every game—win or loss—by inviting the other team and anyone else in the gym to join us at center court to join hands and pray. This was normal for me too. I was glad to have a team who remembered God’s place in our athletic abilities and opportunities. 

Many high school kids throughout our nation are not given the same open door to including God in their athletics. Perhaps it’s not that coaches and administrators elsewhere do not believe themselves, but they fear the repercussions of a parent or student who complains that religion is being forced upon them. So these coaches and administrators play it safe and stick to the strict line that keeps religion out of their schools and athletics.

Instead we live in a community where we do not only rally behind a young person who needs our support during a struggle, but we bring him prayer and God’s support.

 Big cities and big schools definitely have their perks, but the sense of community behind our programs, students and athletes is something very special; especially because we are not afraid to keep God in our community.

Sports Talk: Student Fans are the Best Fans

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Jan. 23, 2013.

Casey County sporting events may not draw the massive crowds of some high schools in the Bluegrass State, but I have thoroughly enjoyed some of the recent home basketball games, and not only for the games themselves, but the student body in general as well.

I know I didn’t graduate a really long time ago, but there are already distinct differences in the high school experience of today as compared to what I remember it to be and technology is one of the biggest proponents of the changes.

Cell phones were just on the rise when I was in high school. Most of us had them but texting was a seldom used feature—if you even had the ability to do so. A smartphone was non-existent, as was Facebook and social media was hardly a term.

With these things a regular part of life for high schoolers today, students are so much more connected than we used to be; constantly connected. Having a constant connection to what your friends are doing and where they are going to be in a given moment means the need to center your social life around events and activities is less pertinent.

Knowing this, I love seeing students fill up the pep section of the bleachers on game nights, knowing this is still where the heart of the high school experience exists. I have always been a fan of theme dressing. It adds a new level of fun and involvement from fans, so seeing everything from the neon wear to the country/hillbilly dress from the students is great fun.

The cheerleaders are as loud and powerful as ever from the stage and then on the floor in no time during any pause in play to pump up the crowd.

I have to admit that I probably admire Rowdy more than most do. The guy goes and goes and goes all through the game, cutting up and interacting with everyone from the ball players and coaches to kids and parents.

The dance team varies the routines regularly and using Rowdy is a great bonus of fun. I love their encouragement, at times, of the crowd to join them on the floor for Cotton Eye Joe and such.  

Then there is the pep band. Sure, hit music over the sound system is always fun tfor dancing around with your friends in the bleachers, but there is something about hearing the pep band in the gymnasium. That makes it a sporting event. I am always thrilled to have them present.

All of these elements—cheerleaders, dance team, Rowdy Rebel, the fans and the band members—they make these sporting events what they should be.  And note that all of these are students themselves.

The athletes play because they love their sport, but when the big-timers take time to “thank the fans,” I truly think they mean it. A true athlete is always going to be a competitor and play hard, but fans have a way of unlocking a special type of adrenaline in an athlete.

I commend the Casey County student body for their involvement in the entities that help make a successful sports program. It is about the athletes, but those athletes—your friends—do need you there and love your enthusiasm. (And so does a Rebel alum like me!)

There may be plenty of options today for how you can spend your time with friends; maybe going to a game isn’t the only way you can find them and make plans and communicate. But relish your opportunity to be the heart and soul of Casey County sports.

Don’t forget: Feedback for Rita Peat:

We have our Super Bowl teams! Or, should I say, the Harbaugh Bowl? The San Francisco 49ers will face the Baltimore Ravens. Tell me your game predictions!  (Don’t care about the teams but plan to watch? Which commercial are you looking forward to? Or the halftime show??)

Send your responses to: rita_peat@hotmail.com or Twitter @RitaPeata.