I know that there are three football teams, one volleyball team, one cross country team plus one runner still alive in the fall prep sports season.
So let me first take this time to wish the best of luck to Highland’s football team and its runner (DJ Taylor), to Madison-Grant’s football and volleyball teams, Lapel’s football team and Pendleton Heights’ cross country team as they compete Friday and Saturday.
But also please allow me to get fired up a bit as we draw ever nearer to the high school basketball seasons.
In fact, Sunday I will meet with the Madison Country girls basketball coaches to prepare previews for the upcoming season. It is a meeting that I have circled on my calender several weeks ahead of time.
This year there is only one new face in the group, Highland’s Chad Cook. There are also new area faces at Madison-Grant (Brad Fugett) and Daleville (Jeff Wickersham).
Early indications from a few of them seem to indicate that numbers are up to the point where the unpleasant task of cuts will certainly need to be instituted. The girls began practice on Monday and games can first be played on Nov. 9.
Of course this also means that boys basketball isn’t too far off either as we turn the page on October, turn the clocks back on Sunday and head full steam toward Thanksgiving.
Certainly basketball isn’t the only winter high school sport in the preparation stage now either.
The season for wrestling plus boys and girls swimming is also nearly upon us.
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A couple of weeks back I wrote a story about Anderson’s Brooks Townsend and how he helped design a bobsled that might make the Winter Olympics. Early results of the trials indicate that most certainly is a possibility.
The first competition was on Oct. 14 at Lake Placid, N.Y. In races that are usually decided by hundredths of a second, this sled won by an average of .69 seconds a heat.
The next race was held on Oct. 23 in Parker City, Utah, and Townsend’s team won by a comfortable margin again.
As a result of those successes, they have earned a spot on the U.S. World Cup Team.
They are currently involved in a two-week training session at the Olympic track in Whistler, British Columbia.
Next up will be more U.S. races the second week of November followed by more in Italy in December. The U.S. Olympic Team will be announced on Jan. 23.
“I cannot express to you how surprised and happy we are after these two races,” said Townsend. “We always had hopes, but this has exceeded our expectations. We are definitely the two-man team to beat in the World Cup series and the Olympic unless something strange happens.”
I wish them nothing but the best on this path to the Olympics.
Contact Rick Teverbaugh: 640-4886, rick.teverbaugh@heraldbulletin.com.
