Sports Talk: What is an athlete?

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Apr. 2 , 2014.  
There are many ways to define an athlete and there are many types of athletes when you think of them in terms of sports, but at the heart of it, what is an athlete? I learned my own lesson in this last weekend when I participated in the Run The Bluegrass event in Lexington.

The fairly new half marathon event is a celebration of spring in Kentucky and my sister is the assistant race director so my husband and I decided this year we would partake in the event by simply doing the seven mile run they offer. I wanted to do the race for a couple of reasons:
   (1) To get myself back into running shape after having had my first baby. 
   (2) To support my sister first hand and see the end result of her hard work.
 
Unfortunately, with this winter's weather (and now having a babe to keep up with) my training did not exactly go according to plan and even the seven miles was a lot more than my body was technically ready to handle.
 
On top of being unprepared for the mileage, Saturday's poor weather was a major disappointment. However, waiting in our corral to get to the start line and very cold from the intense wind and the spitting rain (still unsure I could even complete the 7 miles!), I realized I was really unphased by the weather. I'd seen worse. Much worse. And it wasn't like there was an option to bail.
 
As an athlete you know that when it's time to compete, the things you can't control--like weather--might as well be a side note. It could be worse--and everyone around you, whether you see them as competition or teammates, is dealing with the same conditions. On top of that, you have prepared accomplish the particular feat and a little rain and cold will not stop you.
 
What is an athlete? Someone who doesn't back down from the challenge they have prepared themselves for, despite the conditions.

 So even though I got over the wet and cold, I still was unsure of how I could do seven miles I had not trained for; but I am blessed to have spent 11 years of my life training and competing and even more than that running in general. My legs were able to find their easy pace, settle in and stick it out. I remember even in my earliest track practices as a 6th grader running around the CCMS gym, if we were doing a 10 minute run for a cool down, I never walked. I found a way to keep going.
 
What is an athlete? Someone who battles through the obstacles to complete the task they set out for.

But my own accomplishments on Saturday were nothing compared to many of those racing that day. Especially one of Casey's finest, Amy Barlow.
 

photo courtesy of Amy Barlow

My memories of Amy go way back to being a youngster who admired the Lady Rebel star. Not did I look up to her for her skills as a basketball player who led the team to its first 12th Region Championship, but for the kind, humble, soft-spoken role model she was to those of us up and coming in Casey sports. She encouraged us and helped people like myself get on our own track to becoming true athletes. I remember later watching Amy play at Centre College during her collegiate career.
 
It's an understatement to say Amy's had her setbacks as an athlete. (And she is the first to praise God for the miracles and blessings he has showered her and her family with through the past several years.) Yet, Saturday I truly came to appreciate that the athlete in Amy cannot be extinguished.
 
My husband happened to spot Amy before the race began on Saturday so we joined the fellow Casey County crew--Marty Shackleford, Ellen Allen and Ashley Estes--for some pre race pep talk and commiseration over the poor weather. Amy and the others were running the full 13.1 miles. (Yeah, we felt like slackers...)
 
I have seen Amy at most of the local 5Ks I have covered over the last few years but on Saturday she completed a half marathon--something only a select group of people can lay claim to. Heck--I've been a runner for most of my life and I have only done one half marathon.
 
While I have always known Amy to be a very hard working and dedicated individual, I realized something else after she completed Saturday's run--in the wind, rain and cold. (And I will note that the weather turned worse around the time I finished my seven miles, so Amy was running in the worst of it.) Amy is an athlete through and through. When her basketball playing days ended, most people in Amy's shoes would have been ecstatic to simply be alive. And don't get me wrong. I know Amy is that, but she has found a way to let that athlete in her live on. She may no longer compete on a court where there is a scoreboard and she's attempting to outdo the opponent. The competition of a runner is oneself and sometimes facing that opponent is even tougher.
 
I learned long ago that Amy was someone to admire for the person she was, but many of us also admired her for the athlete she was. All of us still admire her for the person she is and what she has endured, but last weekend I realized the athlete in Amy is still thriving and is still worthy of much admiration. Young or old, any athlete should aspire to her level of dedication and work ethic in order to compete at their best and come out on top.

What is an athlete? Someone who loves to put in the work that it takes to be a competitor--even if the competition is oneself.

Sports Talk: "Thanks for the workout, Coach."

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published June 5, 2013. 

I attended three sports banquets last week, as the spring sports have now concluded. During the boys’ tennis banquet, Coach Williams was telling a story about one of his athletes taking time at different points to thank him—for help, advice, whatever the case may be.

It brought back a phrase I, myself, made a habit of saying at the end of my practices as an athlete at Bellarmine University.

“Thanks for the workout, Coach.”

I probably started saying it my junior year at the end of each practice—maybe even my sophomore year. Most of us on the team said it. And that is because our coach had always said it to us.

It was always odd to me as a freshman when we would be concluding a tough workout—or even an easier one—and Coach Washington would smile, and his quiet, Washington-way, say, “Well, thank you for the workout, ladies.”

I wasn’t sure what it meant. We had not given him a workout. He stood there the whole time and was definitely not as exhausted as us. Was he thanking us for working out? But we were on a team… on scholarship… we had to be there, so why did he feel the need to thank us for doing what we were supposed to do?

But with our small workout group, I began to realize what his thanks meant. He was our coach, but he saw what we did together every day as an all-in effort. He was there for us and we were there for him and seeing the effort we put into a practice—sweat and pain and pushing through pain—he never failed to tell us thank you for that. He knew we could just as easily show up and not give any effort.

In the same light, I came to see that his dedication to being there deserved my thanks as well. He could show up and not care what we did, not pay attention, never do anything new. But, instead, he masterfully planned each workout with the intent of making us better athletes. He spent his time with us—and away from us—thinking of ways to help us become better athletes. He didn’t have to put that kind of effort into it, but he did. And for that, it only seemed right to end each practice saying, “Thanks for the workout, Coach.”

Athletics become a different ball game (no pun intended) when you begin to realize that making yourself the best possible is something others are investing time and dedication into as well. It changes when you realize that you have a coach or family or friends or teammates, that are going to put work and care into your improvements, not simply because it is their job or because they are being paid, but because they genuinely want you to succeed.

It can easily seem “expected” that the athletes show up and work hard at practice or that the coach shows up and have a workout planned. But remember the special relationship you share and the silent promise you are making to each other every day you show up to practice is something special and different than the effort you put into actual competition. Practice is where you show each other your dedication to becoming the best.

With summer here, most sports are now “optional” as the high school seasons are not active. The time put into athletics for both athletes and coaches is the proof of the level of dedication to success for both. So, especially during the summer, it won’t hurt to walk away saying, “Thanks for the workout, Coach.” My guess is your coach is thankful for the hour or two (or three!) of work you just put in as well.

Congrats Class of 2013--especially you student athletes!

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published May 15, 2013. 

Graduation is always a bittersweet time for everyone connected to a senior student—teachers, administrators, coaches, friends, family, and, of course, the seniors themselves.

Every student who is closing out their time at Casey County High School has accomplished major feats and some may be more obvious than others, so never assume that those finishing at the top of the class have accomplished more than others. You just never know what it took for any one person to be where they are.

Having said that, I do feel the student athletes deserve an extra pat on the back. Now, I’ll be honest and say that when I was a student athlete, in many ways I found being heavily involved in a sport bettered my work ethic when it came to the books. This was mainly because my schedule was so booked up with games, travel and practices, I had no choice but to squeeze in studying during the windows in between, rather than putting off your studies because you could do it any time.

Then again, working like this became my norm and probably does for any student athlete. You don’t have the convenience of “free time”. If you aren’t practicing, playing or studying, you are probably sleeping—because you can’t get enough of it!

Despite what became the norm for me as an athlete, you have accomplished something special.

First off, we all know that in order for them to even compete in athletics, their grades must reach a certain standard; therefore, all of Casey’s senior athletes were making time for school.

Second, being a part of a team is a learning experience in and of itself. The classrooms teach you the facts, how-to and prep you for college or a career, but sports teach you lessons you can carry through life about the kind of person you want to be; the way you dedicate yourself to something; the way you handle problems or defeat and the way you work with others. 

No matter if you were a four-year athlete or you came out to a sport for the first time as a senior, you’ve accomplished something special. Regardless of whether you plan to continue your athletic career at a collegiate level or not, I can guarantee you nothing will be the same as what you experienced while being a part of a high school team.

Be glad and proud that you took the opportunity to participate in one or multiple sports while you were at CCHS. Whether you were a starter, benchwarmer, record setter or MVP does not matter. You took the opportunity to be a part of something you may never get the opportunity to try or do again.

Congrats to all of the graduating Rebel and Lady Rebel athletes!

Sports Talk: Full cycle on the Casey County sports circuit

As a correspondent sports writer for The Casey County News, I write an weekly editorial column for the publication. Published Dec. 5, 2012.

Technically the end of January will mark the end of my first year of returning as a sports correspondent with The Casey County News, but with the beginning of boys and girls basketball season, I feel like I’ve finally come full circle.

And I couldn’t be happier about that!

There a multiple reasons for this.

First, while my full-time job keeps me actively writing marketing content, I have been away from my journalistic tone since my 2008 Bellarmine graduation. It’s good to be brushing up.

Second, it’s been a great way to reconnect with the county. With my job being in Louisville and making that trip two days of the week, if it were not for my sports writing duties, I would likely not very proactive about attending the local sporting events; therefore I would not have the opportunity to run into so many familiar faces on a regular basis.

Third, I can finally feel like I know a thing or two about our sports team! By beginning my writing mid-basketball season last year, I often times felt very lost as to what was going on with our teams and players. Having been away from the area for seven years, I was completely disconnected from the teams and athletes, minus the occasional glance through my parent’s copies of The Casey County News when visiting home.

Who were our top athletes? What kinds of records did we see in recent seasons? What coaches were new? What kinds of injuries or records had athletes experienced? How did we fair in the district? What teams are in our district??

I got used to covering college sports where a simple Google search or visit to a school’s website could give you all of the athletic information you can imagine. Rosters, game states, school records, season records, and, oftentimes, a press release regarding every individual game.

High school sports are not necessarily like this. Way to go Casey County for having our online edition of the newspaper with complete high school sports coverage. You might be surprised how difficult it can be to find out information on many of the state’s other teams both before and after games.

Finally, a year has passed and I’ve been through one season with all of our sports teams. I know names and faces and, sometimes even preferred jersey numbers.

It adds a new level of excitement to be covering a team I actually feel like I have a history with and know the troubles and triumphs of last year and the hopes and expectations of a fresh season.

I can remember, from my days as an athlete, the bittersweet end to any season—good or bad. The long months of the off season ahead were a blessing in that it was a time for improvement, but a curse in that you had such a long wait until a chance to out-do yourself again. If only there was just another week or another month or another game… If only you could get the next season started sooner rather than later.

I’m excited to now be able to share in the anticipation and hopes our teams have as new seasons begin and ensue.

Congrats Rebels and Lady Rebels on great starts. Two wins right off the bat for the boys and, what good news to hear Jasmine Johnson has not been sentenced to a senior season riding the bench after the knee scare! I feel like I can legitimately call myself a true Rebel fan once again.

Knight Pride

I don't think I can truly convey the love I have for my alma mater, Bellarmine University. It seems that on a regular basis something else is making me proud to remind those around me that THAT is MY school.

I look forward to every quarter when my Alumni Magazine arrives in the mail. Jon and I--both alums-- sat in silence for a good 30 minutes last time one arrived. Not only is the quality wonderful, but I love seeing features on professors I loved or changes being made to the grounds or the cool opportunities students are taking advantage of now.

I love when I get the chance to attend an alumni event. I did it much more regularly when I lived in Louisville. I was highly disappointed to miss homecoming this past year and the chance to see so many great faces.

Just like any Knight should be, I've been extremely proud of our men's basketball team the past two seasons. An NCAA championship is something I don't think I even considered during my time at BU...and now the team is shooting for back to back titles?

I love seeing the school become a more nationally recognized institution, especially since we are, by far, more than just a school for athletics. Actually, we're really anything but that. I'd say we're the biggest bunch of nerds ever. You'll find the library jam packed on any given night of the week. The best part is you'll find those same study nuts up having a heck of a good time til 4am as soon as that big project is done.

The recently released fan-made (ie, student/alum-made) video, "We're Back" has gotten a ton of attention from many media sources including NBC Sports (so much so Louisville's WLKY brought them in for an interview). The three stars of the video were track freshman my senior year and seeing them pull this off does not surprise me at all. The man behind the music I've also known through many Bellarmine involvements and having many mutual BU musician friends. What I love most about the video is it reflects the quality of those associated with Bellarmine. Not only are we original and creative, but seeing that they asked President J-J McG to make an appearance reflects the student-administration relationship as well.

We might be a bunch of nerds...but we know how to have fun!

Equally if not more exciting (for me at least) is the women's track team claiming the GLVC indoor title! Through my years on the team it was always a dream to one day win the conference. It's crazy to me where the team has gone in the past 4 years since graduating, even more so in the past 8 years since I was a freshman.

We probably had about 20 girls or so on the team TOTAL... mainly distance runners...maybe 3 or 4 jumpers... a couple of us were strictly sprint/mid-distance runners... a few throwers... a couple of pole vaulters.  We rode the "Bellar-Vans," as we called them, to meets rather than charter buses. We didn't have a track to practice on. (Our coaches were experts at impromptu work outs using hills, stairs, parking lots and parks.) We had a few stand-out athletes.

Spring 2006 (Sophomore year) - Centre College Invitation Champs

 By my junior and senior years we'd moved up in ranks and were shooting to finish at the top of the conference each year but we always ended up in a tight mix of teams competing for places 4-8. My senior year in outdoor we managed to place 5th... 8 points behind 4th and 2 points ahead of 6th. (For anyone unfamiliar with track scoring, a team can pick up anywhere from 1 to 10 points on any given event. With 15-20 events in all and teams putting multiple contenders in a single event, points can add up quickly. To have 5 teams within 20 points of each other is tight competition.)

Spring 2007 (Junior Year) - At the end of the outdoor GLVC conference meet.
Our team grew tremendously this year with a very large freshman class.

It was clear my senior year that major improvements were on the horizon for our team: another very large freshman crew with diverse skills that was extremely athletic and competitive along with a brand-spankin'-new stadium! (I admit, practicing on the track EVERY DAY was foreign to me at that point! I kind of missed the hills and parking lots!)

GLVC Indoor Champs 2012!

I've kept up with the team via Facebook since graduating as well as followed a former Casey County High School teammate who became a running Knight herself the year after my departure. Despite whether I was a stand-out on Bellarmine's team or if the team during my years was even that good, there is still a sense of pride in seeing the team's success now. We were a part of today's team's foundation. If those of us from eight years ago hadn't woken up early to ride in those stinkin' vans and done countless hill workouts in Joe Creason Park or on the (old) golf course...where would they be now?