Published July 22, 2012 in the days leading up to London Summer Olympics.
If in the upcoming days you spot Chantae McMillan, an Olympian from
Rolla, you might be surprised about her favorite treat: A heaping
portion of pie supplied by a local bakery, A Slice of Pie.
Besides,
to get the world-class physique of the 2006 Rolla High School graduate,
one probably shouldn’t be spending too much time in the small pastry
shop on Kingshighway Street.
However,
McMillan had one request for her parents, Badger and Peggy, before they
drove to visit her in Ohio ahead of the Olympic Games.
“If
my parents know me at all,” McMillan wrote on her Twitter account,
“they will bring me a slice of my favorite pie when they come!”
McMillan will be competing in the London Olympics and representing the United States in the heptathlon.
At
the U.S. Olympic Trials last month in Eugene, Ore., McMillan qualified
as the third of three to make the team in the heptathlon, which combines
the 200- and 800-meter runs, 100-meter hurdles, shot put, javelin, high
jump and long jump.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Olympians help Willard shine bright: Town was well-represented at 1996 Summer Games
Published July 22, 2012 a few days before the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics.
Only 646 athletes represented the United States in the 1996 Summer Olympics as the modern games celebrated its 100th anniversary in Atlanta.
Two were from Willard, a small Greene County town which had about 3,000 residents at the time.
Both elite athletes acknowledged the coincidence this week, and said, with the London games approaching this week, the memories are in the forefront of their minds.
And like many former Olympians, Lori Endicott-Vandersnick and Jason Pyrah are doing their part to keep the Olympics, and overall fitness, in the forefront of the national psyche.
Only 646 athletes represented the United States in the 1996 Summer Olympics as the modern games celebrated its 100th anniversary in Atlanta.
Two were from Willard, a small Greene County town which had about 3,000 residents at the time.
Both elite athletes acknowledged the coincidence this week, and said, with the London games approaching this week, the memories are in the forefront of their minds.
And like many former Olympians, Lori Endicott-Vandersnick and Jason Pyrah are doing their part to keep the Olympics, and overall fitness, in the forefront of the national psyche.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Game of his life: Glendale baseball coach Howard Bell is fighting ALS
Story on high school baseball coach fighting ALS from May 6, 2012.
When they heard he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, 19 of Howard Bell's friends each threw $100 into a card and delivered it to his Springfield house — to show their buddy that they would be there for him.
Dozens of times since that December day, strangers and friends of the Glendale High School baseball coach have contributed to help Bell fight this deadly disease, ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
It's a disease that gives anybody a moment of pause — a neurological disorder, and incurable.
But gifts like the one he received this past Tuesday mean just as much to Bell.
At Glendale, a sophomore gave the coach an envelope from her mother. In it, he found a letter and a coin.
The note detailed how Bell's guidance had changed the girl's life, how his assurances and other positive messages made a difference.
The gold coin was meant to be passed to someone who has inspired you and made a difference in your life.
"I've never met this woman in my life," Bell said Wednesday, "and she gave it to me."
Then, the teenage girl and the 48-year-old baseball lifer hugged and cried together in the middle of a crowded school cafeteria.
But if anyone assumes that Bell is letting ALS brush him back in life without a fight, think again.
The coach is spending these days being positive, showing strength and giving hope.
When they heard he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, 19 of Howard Bell's friends each threw $100 into a card and delivered it to his Springfield house — to show their buddy that they would be there for him.
Dozens of times since that December day, strangers and friends of the Glendale High School baseball coach have contributed to help Bell fight this deadly disease, ALS, short for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
It's a disease that gives anybody a moment of pause — a neurological disorder, and incurable.
But gifts like the one he received this past Tuesday mean just as much to Bell.
At Glendale, a sophomore gave the coach an envelope from her mother. In it, he found a letter and a coin.
The note detailed how Bell's guidance had changed the girl's life, how his assurances and other positive messages made a difference.
The gold coin was meant to be passed to someone who has inspired you and made a difference in your life.
"I've never met this woman in my life," Bell said Wednesday, "and she gave it to me."
Then, the teenage girl and the 48-year-old baseball lifer hugged and cried together in the middle of a crowded school cafeteria.
But if anyone assumes that Bell is letting ALS brush him back in life without a fight, think again.
The coach is spending these days being positive, showing strength and giving hope.
Once-in-a-lifetime talent in DGB
Yearly Athlete of the Year story on Dorial Green-Beckham from June 10, 2012.
Dorial Green-Beckham posed in front of his expansive, yet inadequate, trophy case last week for another photo shoot.
This time, the former Hillcrest High School megastar was being recognized by the News-Leader as our Male Athlete of the Year, our annual award for southwest Missouri's best senior high school athlete.
But as the 19-year-old mugged in front of awards such as the Ken Hall Trophy, awarded by the U.S. Army to the best high school football player in the land, the local award seemed a little overshadowed.
Though inevitable, Green-Beckham is indeed our selection for the award and could've been the winner for three years now if non-seniors were eligible. It's just another one for the overflowing trophy case, which is not big enough to contain Green-Beckham's honors.
Dorial Green-Beckham posed in front of his expansive, yet inadequate, trophy case last week for another photo shoot.
This time, the former Hillcrest High School megastar was being recognized by the News-Leader as our Male Athlete of the Year, our annual award for southwest Missouri's best senior high school athlete.
But as the 19-year-old mugged in front of awards such as the Ken Hall Trophy, awarded by the U.S. Army to the best high school football player in the land, the local award seemed a little overshadowed.
Though inevitable, Green-Beckham is indeed our selection for the award and could've been the winner for three years now if non-seniors were eligible. It's just another one for the overflowing trophy case, which is not big enough to contain Green-Beckham's honors.
A coach's story: Gary Murphy has nearly 600 wins, no team to coach
Mainbar for April 29, 2012 package of stories about high school coaches in the Ozarks getting fired.
Remembering a phone call he received about four years ago, former Nixa High School girls' basketball coach Randy Towe recently phoned a former rival when he heard the successful coach had been fired.
Because, when Towe was let go by the Nixa school board in 2008 after another nice season in a long and successful career, Marshfield's Gary Murphy had been one of the first to call.
When Murphy was sacked last month by the Marshfield School District after almost 600 career victories, it was time for Towe to return the favor.
"We started talking and we started finding out, that (the situation was) identical; it really was," Towe said. "Sometimes you wonder, what do they really want? Gary's whole coaching career ... With his intensity, his style; why is it the wrong way now?"
A staggering amount of coaching upheaval has struck the Ozarks prep sports scene this spring, alarming coaches and parents of players past and present.
Chain of command differs by district
Accompanying sidebar for "A coach's story," from April 29, 2012.
As a high school coach, there is very little recourse in fighting for your job.
You play out your season, get evaluated by your administrators and annually face a school board vote that determines whether you will be welcomed back.
In smaller towns like Marshfield and Crane, the tightrope clearly is more daunting.
"In smaller communities, a lot of the decisions are made just by school boards," said Bill Brown, who has coached Parkview's boys' basketball team for 10 seasons after two years at Class 2 Richland. "One of the biggest positives, with (Springfield Public Schools), your immediate supervisors have a lot more say (in a coach's evaluation).
"I can honestly say I haven't met all of our school board members."
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Column: Never another like DGB
Published March 12, 2012.
Dorial Green-Beckham wouldn't say for sure if he represented Hillcrest High School for the final time on Saturday night in the Class 4 boys' basketball state championship game at Mizzou Arena.
But after the 55-42 loss to Soldan International Studies, it sure seemed like it. And he certainly does not have much to gain or prove in winning a few more state track and field medals.
"It might be my last time representing Hillcrest," the senior said after rattling the rim a couple times and doing the best he could to deliver another state title to Springfield.
Dorial Green-Beckham wouldn't say for sure if he represented Hillcrest High School for the final time on Saturday night in the Class 4 boys' basketball state championship game at Mizzou Arena.
But after the 55-42 loss to Soldan International Studies, it sure seemed like it. And he certainly does not have much to gain or prove in winning a few more state track and field medals.
"It might be my last time representing Hillcrest," the senior said after rattling the rim a couple times and doing the best he could to deliver another state title to Springfield.
The Decision: Star likes being 'close to home'
Published Feb. 2, 2012.
After a tumultuous upbringing, which included foster homes and an adoption a little over 13 months ago, relationships are important to Dorial Green-Beckham.
That partly explains why the No. 1 football recruit in the nation stayed close to home Wednesday, announcing that he will attend the University of Missouri.
Green-Beckham, in a packed gymnasium at Hillcrest High School and on live television nationally on ESPNU, picked the Tigers over finalists Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
"Just to be home," Green-Beckham said about important factors in his decision. "To be close to family members and have everyone come out to support me."
After a tumultuous upbringing, which included foster homes and an adoption a little over 13 months ago, relationships are important to Dorial Green-Beckham.
That partly explains why the No. 1 football recruit in the nation stayed close to home Wednesday, announcing that he will attend the University of Missouri.
Green-Beckham, in a packed gymnasium at Hillcrest High School and on live television nationally on ESPNU, picked the Tigers over finalists Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
"Just to be home," Green-Beckham said about important factors in his decision. "To be close to family members and have everyone come out to support me."
Coach's legacy touches many
Story published on July 10, 2011.
There are scores of reasons why Stephanie Phillips' fight with cancer resonated with so many. The tree of her basketball playing and coaching career branched out throughout the area and state, crossing nearly every path in the current hoops community.
And the story of Phillips' fight and, ultimately, a young life taken too soon, touched thousands she never met.
Although the fight inspired and she was mourned by many, it's those closest to the former Kickapoo High School girls' basketball coach who still deal with the loss front and center every day.
Phillips died from colon cancer a year ago today after a nearly three-year fight.
There are scores of reasons why Stephanie Phillips' fight with cancer resonated with so many. The tree of her basketball playing and coaching career branched out throughout the area and state, crossing nearly every path in the current hoops community.
And the story of Phillips' fight and, ultimately, a young life taken too soon, touched thousands she never met.
Although the fight inspired and she was mourned by many, it's those closest to the former Kickapoo High School girls' basketball coach who still deal with the loss front and center every day.
Phillips died from colon cancer a year ago today after a nearly three-year fight.
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