Four Corners Sports December 2015

3Four Corners SPORTSDECEMBER 2015

content| 4 | Winter

sportspreview

Year two of the new district alignment

and teams have made the adjustment to

new and renewed district rivalries.

| 8 | Interactivemountainbike maps

Bureau of land Management Director

Neil Kornze attended one of the nation’s

most important mountain bike events to

introduce a new access tool for trail rid-

ers all across the country.

| 24 | Compete with class

| 28 | Teresa BrevikHer father, Phil was a longtime member of

the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associa-

tion.

| 16 | Durango DoubleIt is the morning of the Durango Double

running race and more than 200

runners are fighting off the cool autumn

temperatures.

| 12 | Stephanie JacquezFarmington High School Golf Coach

Stephanie Jacquez ended the 2015 golf

season tied for eighth place as the top

women’s golfer in the state.

| 25 | NASCAR Sundays

| 32 | NASCAR Nellie

| 20 | Editorial Columnistby Rick Hoerner

| 30 | The First Teeby Tom Yost

| 9 | 10 Questionswith Rick Hoerner

| 22 | Catching upwith the county

| 11 | Fishing Report

Don Vaughan

PuBlISHER

Cindy Cowan Thiele

EDITOR

Rick Hoerner

Tom Yost

Dorothy Nobis

Ben Brashear

Debra Mayeux

CONTRIBuTING WRITERS

Josh Bishop

Curtis Ray Benally

Ben Brashear

CONTRIBuTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Suzanne Thurman

DESIGNER

Clint Alexander

SAlES STAFF

lacey Waite

ADMINISTRATION

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Call 505.516.1230

www.fourcornerssports.com

Four Corners Sports magazine is published once amonth by Majestic Media. Material herein may not bereprinted without expressed written consent of the pub-lisher. Opinions expressed by the contributing writersare not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or FourCorners Sports magazine. Every effort has been madeto ensure the accuracy of this publication. However thepublisher cannot assume responsibility for errors oromissions. © 2015 Four Corners Sports magazine.

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100 W. Apache Street

Farmington, NM 87401

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STORY IDEAS and PHOTOS

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Please send to

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Curtis Ray Benally

4 Four Corners SPOrTS DECEMBER 2015

Year two of the new district alignment and teams have

made the adjustment to new and renewed district rival-

ries. The changes were most prevalent in basketball. With

the Gallup schools joining 1aaaaa, the Gallup Bengals took

over the basketball district. The girls were as dominant as

always and the boys joined their female counterparts with

both playing for the state championship. In wrestling, the

more they changed the more they stayed the same. Piedra

Vista was still dominant and the new additions did little to

change the power structure.

In District 1aaaa, the change renewed a classic rivalry

between Shiprock and Kirtland Central. When both teams

are good, there is not a more electric atmosphere for bas-

ketball in the state. last season the Chieftains remained

strong and the Broncos seemed more at ease dropping a

class, but the story of basketball in the district was Bloom-

field.

The Bobcats qualified both their teams for the state

tournament. Devon Manning’s boys finished 21-8 and won

the district tournament while Coach adair’s girls finished

15-13 and received a no. 10 seed. In wrestling it begins and

ends with Bloomfield.

Girls Basketball

Most of the dominant players in the district were under-

classmen last year. So this year’s preview may look a little

familiar. The consensus seems to be that Gallup will once

again rise to the top. na’asia McIntosh and Deerae

Torreza will lead the Bengals, but their first five is in-

credibly solid. Farmington returns both Meeya Yazzie and

Shayna Crowell from a team that finished second

in the district. Coach Danny Secrest likes the

experience with which his team enters the

Teams adjust to district alignment;

Gallup takes over 1aaaaa basketball

Story by Rick Hoerner Photos by Curtis Ray Benally

Winter sports previeW

elenaKRESLaZTeC HIGH SCHOOl

5Four Corners sPORTsDECEMBER 2015

season. aztec surprised some by jumping

over PV in last year’s district standings.

Coach mcCaskill didn’t have to look far for

some scoring for his Tigers.

myra and makayla mcCaskill will lead the

Tigers attack, but for Coach mcCaskill, the

senior leadership of elena Kresl will make

the difference for aztec. For joe Reed’s

Piedra Vista Panthers, nikki Benally leads

an interesting mix of young talent and vet-

eran experience. Outside of mcintosh from

Gallup, Benally may be the best player in

the district. Last year four teams from this

district made the state bracket. That

should make for an interesting district

where most teams have their best players

back.

While the expectations at shiprock and

Kirtland Central are always high, Bloom-

field has now joined the ranks of high ex-

pectations for District 1aaaa. Last year

Coach adair’s team finished just behind the

perennial favorites at 15-12 overall and a

no. 10 seed at the state tournament. The

Bobcats return 11 players from last year’s

squad including all-district player Destiny

Walter who led them in scoring at 16 points

per game.

Kirtland Central looked to their own hall-

ways for their new head coach tabbing for-

mer boys coach john Zecca. Coach Zecca

will have to merge a talented group who

are now on their third coach since the

tragic death of Kevin Holman less than two

years ago. seniors Orquidea Reyes, Deion-

dra smith and shamika Benally will lead

the Lady Broncos. shiprock returns a

strong squad that finished 25-6 last year

led by Tanisha Begay and Lacey Howe.

Rainy Crisp and the navajo Prep eagles

should again be right in the thick of it come

state tournament time. The eagles and Tex-

ico have had a constant rivalry in basket-

ball and volleyball and that could be the

case again this season. We’ll see at the end

of December when Prep travels to the Tex-

ico tournament and a showdown with the

Rangers. again the Lady eagles will have a

strong outside shooting presence and will

lean on the overall strong play of jasmine

Coleman. The 3a eagles play one of the toughest non-district sched-

ules in the state playing 5a tournament participants Piedra Vista and

Farmington as well as state runners-up Gallup and Kirtand Central.

Wrestling

The 5a wrestling standings have to begin with Piedra Vista. The

Panthers have been dominated on the mats about as long as the

Obama administration has been in office. Last February the Panthers

made it five in a row and return with enough firepower to make an-

other run. as on the softball field, the Panthers’ dominance has

stepped up the competition state-wide as the gap has significantly

closed, but in the end the Panthers should once again be right there

come tournament time.

jasmineCOLEMANnaVajO PReP eaGLes

6 Four Corners sPorTs DECEMBER 2015

The Panthers look not to rebuild but just reload. Coach bejar sees fierce

competion for the spots that have opened by the departure of a strong class

of 2015. Wes rayburn, Dylan Greenhaus, nick rino, Taylor Atencio, and Al-

berto Marquez will lead this year’s team that always has high expectations.

In Aztec, Coach Maxwell needs quick maturation from his young team that

finished tenth in state last season with six eighth graders and two freshmen.

Austin Littlefield returns after finishing third at state last year while Dominic

Dufur came in fifth for the Tigers. Francisco Alvarez and Kameron schrock

will pace Farmington.

.

While Kirtland Central is home to the only returning state champion in

District 1AAAA in Aiden Cockrell, bloomfield again looks to be the team to

beat. Coach shoemaker’s squad will have strong senior leadership and an

experienced coaching staff. JD robinson, Levi Whitley, Avery scott, and David

DeHerrera well need strong seasons for the bobcats to continue to excel at

state. As with most teams, bloomfield looks to stay healthy and peak at the

right time.

boys basketball

Just as Gallup came in and dominated the girls’ district, the Gallup bengal

boys were the top squad in last year’s district. The bengals reached the fi-

nals last year and return Colton Lowley. The bengals had a strong challenge

last season from Farmington in the state quarterfinals where the scorpions

let a lead slip away.

Coach Corley likes who he has returning this season with 12 of the 14

players that suited up at the Pit last year returning. Farmington has a wealth

of experience at the guard position led by Clayton Corley, berett bentley and

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Tyren King. in the middle the Scorps have 6’7 david Riley. Piedra vista

seems to be in a state of flux for the upcoming season. The Panthers

have lost players to injury and transfer.

Pv will need strong play from their athletic guards, Senior Keegan

acosta and Sophomore Jarrett Graham. aztec starts the year with new

coach Jeremy archuleta at the helm. aztec will be a bit of an unknown

this season, but does return Preston daugherty who Coach archuleta

calls, “the full package.” The Tigers will also need solid play from Lind-

say Larabee and Canyon Goimerac.

district 1aaaa was one of the toughest districts in the state last year

with the highly improved Bloomfield squad, the recent dominant

Shiprock Chieftains and a very strong Kirtland Central team that is

loaded with returnees. Broncos were the regular season district

champs and return senior point guard Ty Yellowman and shooting

guard Bernel Miller as well as all-district players Riley Hamblin and

Bryson dowdy.

Bloomfield returns nearly all of their rotation from last year’s squad.

The Bobcats will turn to adriano Stevenson and Malachi Pablo for the

bulk of their scoring. Shiprock returns co-district player of the year

andre Joe.

Navajo Prep will start the year like they have in five of the previous

six seasons, with another new head coach. The Eagles welcome back

Nachae Nez who had to sit out last season with a knee injury, and return

top scorer isaiah Chavez at shooting guard. if transfer dylan Begay can

add some inside punch, this may be a strong year at Prep.

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davidRILEYFaRMiNGTON HiGH SCHOOL

Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze attended

one of the nation’s most important mountain bike events to

introduce a new access tool for trail riders all across the

country.

Developed by the BLM in partnership with the International

Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) and the MtB project, the

mobile-friendly online tool features interactive maps for 20 of

the nation’s most popular trails on public lands. the maps

are available at www.blm.gov/mountainbike.

the new suite of online maps will improve a visitor’s expe-

rience by providing helpful information and eye-catching vi-

sual images of mountain biking recreation sites and trails.

By making this information accessible to the public, the

BLM aims to encourage more Americans to get outside and

explore their public lands. through the BLM website, riders

can also access more detailed trail data from IMBA and the

MtB project.

“the BLM is proud to manage some of the world’s best mountain bike

trails,” said Director Kornze.

“this new, mobile-friendly tool will help the public get a glimpse of these

amazing places and plan their rides.”

Director Kornze also noted that outdoor recreation also makes good eco-

nomic sense.

Based on figures from the outdoor Industry Foundation, outdoor recre-

ation activities contribute approximately $730 billion to the nation’s economy

and support nearly 6.5 million jobs.

“BLM's willingness to connect with our product and share it with their

communities shows the quality of our work and provides a model of what

our organizations can accomplish together," said Leslie Kehmeier, Mapping

Manager at IMBA.

More than one million visitors used mountain bike trails located on BLM

public lands last year.

Now, for the first time, the mountain biking community will be able to pull

information about specific BLM mountain biking areas through a centralized

online tool while they’re on the go.

this effort builds on the June release of the BLM’s recreation maps that

provide interactive navigability for some of the nation's most beloved conser-

vation areas.

these maps can be accessed at

www.blm.gov/conservationlandswo/st/en/prog/nlcs.html.

BLM Director unveils new maps outerbike 2015

InteractIve mountaIn bIke maps

8 Four Corners SportS DECEMBER 2015

What are your favorite things to do in Farmington?1 Favorite Sports team?7

rick Hoerner moved to Farmington out of college and spent the next 25 years of

his life teaching and coaching in the Farmington Municipal School District. After a

long career at Mesa Verde Elementary School, Farmington High School and piedra

Vista High School, Hoerner had been enjoying his well- deserved retirement life

when the opportunity to coach at Navajo prep came along

Not that Farmington is the Mecca for nightlife, but I do like to

go out with my wife for a quiet meal, and I love going to the

movies.

I’m a sucker for hard luck cases. Been a kansas City Chiefs

fan since 1969, mostly to aggravate my Bronco loving Dad.

Love the phoenix Suns, Wyoming Cowboys and St. Louis Car-

dinals.

Favorite Basketball player

of All time and why?

8

Julius Erving. As a kid growing up in Wyoming we got ABA

games instead of NBA games, so I grew up with Erving, David

thompson and Artis Gilmore and not the Lakers and Celtics. I

loved Erving’s style and smooth game. My family bought me

an autographed Nets jersey for Christmas last year, probably

the best present I’ve gotten, maybe ever.

Who had the most influence

on you as a basketball coach?

9

I’ve been really blessed to be around some great coaches. In

high school I played for Wyoming Hall of Fame coach Jerry

Dalton at Natrona County High in Casper, and was around

Casper College head coach Swede Erickson, who at the time

was 2nd in all-time wins in NJCAA as a young player and in

college. then I had the honor of assisting Marv Sanders at

Farmington High. Great coaches who get smarter every day.

What is the biggest challenge

as a coach in 2015?

10

Without a doubt it’s year ’round expectations of sport. With

parents investing money for camps and team travel all year

’round, they want a return on the investment – meaning they

expect wins and playing time. this has put an unrealistic ex-

pectation on sports in general. there is no honor in being a

varsity athlete representing your school and community

when there is now an expectation of pay to play.

the politically correct answer would be my last family

vacation to orlando for our 25th wedding anniversary, but

my favorite trip would have to be to the Cardinals-Eagles NFC

championship game in 2008. A great time with friends at a

great event. It was impossible not to high five people you

would normally cross the street to avoid

I miss the kids. Despite what the public thinks – those who

are always empathetic to teachers – about the kids, it’s re-

ally the adults that are the hardest part to work with. For

the most part, the kids are great, and being a part of athlet-

ics and activities allows you to see them at their very best.

rICk

HOERNER

What is the best trip you have ever taken and why?2

tell us something you miss about teaching.3

Definitely the drop in my stress. the blood pressure drops,

and the time to work on projects around the house – or just

do nothing – is always a possibility.

What is the greatest aspect of retirement?4

packers game at Lambeau Field below 32 degrees; Duke-

North Carolina basketball game at Cameron Indoor Arena;

semester in Europe just getting around to see everything;

visit every major league ballpark to catch a game; be totally

debt free.

Five things on your “Bucket List”?5

Likely none, but I am putting a little pressure on a former

player of mine, Josh rankin, who is a season ticket holder in

Green Bay. Feel free to pressure him for me.

Which “Bucket List” items will get accomplished in the next

three years?

6

9Four Corners SportSDECEMBER 2015

11Four Corners SpORTSDECEMBER 2015

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Fishing on the San Juan

River below Navajo Lake has

been very good. The current

flows are 400cfs. Fishing has

been best from 8 a.m. to 1

p.m. Most fish are being

caught in the morning on

nymphs with dry fly fishing

picking up in the afternoon

hours.

Here are a few hot nymph rigs to try:

Size 20 yellow egg pattern

Size 22 red midge larvae

Size 24 black and gray midge pupae

Size 24 olive and black midge pupae

Size 22 gray RS2

Here are a few hot dry flies

to try:

Size 22 Griffiths knot

Size 24 parachute Adams

Size 22 CDC Baetis

Fishing below the quality

waters has been fair. Try using red salmon

eggs and night crawlers.

Have fun and keep a tight line!

FishingFishingREPORTREPORT

FishingREPORT

T.J. Massey

San Juan River Outfitters

www.sanjuanriveroutfitters.com

505.486.5347

12 Four Corners SporTS DECEMBER 2015

Farmington High School Golf Coach

Stephanie Jacquez ended the 2015 golf season

tied for eighth place as the top women’s golfer

in the state.

The ranking came from the Sun Country Am-

ateur Golf Association, or SCAGA, which was

founded in 1976 as a representative of the

United States Golf Association in New Mexico

and West Texas.

SCAGA’s purpose is to “promote mutual

trust and friendly relationships among mem-

bers by encouraging and promoting successful

golf operations,” according to its Website,

www.suncountrygolf.org.

It offers tournaments, educational pro-

grams, and a handicap system for members,

and maintenance and care of courses and

clubs.

STEPHANIE JACQUEZ ONE OF STATE’S TOP GOLFERS

Story by Debra Mayeux

FHS golf coach wins SCAGA New Mexico-West Texas Mid-Amateur Championship


14 Four Corners SPORTS DECEMBER 2015

Jacquez, of Farmington, won first place in the SCAGA New Mexico-

West Texas Mid-Amateur Championship Oct. 3-4 at Pinon Hills Golf

Course. She took the championship by one stroke with a 12 handicap.

Jacquez began playing golf 14 years ago. The former Farmington

High School Softball star was aggressive on the ball field, but also

was tired of beating herself up to play. A couple of her friends sug-

gested she give golf a try, and the sport stuck.

“I told the (softball) team I wasn’t planning on coming back, and I

haven’t picked up a ball or bat since then,” Jacquez said.

The FHS graduate is a member of Farmington High’s faculty as an

English/language arts educator and the head coach for girl’s golf.

She began coaching the split-season sport four years ago, and loves

it.

There were 16 boys and six girls on the team this year. “It’s hard to

get girls,” Jacquez said. The numbers fluctuate. Golf, however, could

be lucrative sport for young women willing to give it a try.

Eighty percent of the golf scholarships for girls go unclaimed.

“There’s free money out there. They just have to play,” Jacquez said.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association offers thousands of

scholarships to female golfers each year. Recruiters have a small

field from which to select, because fewer girls are playing the game,

according to Katharine Dyson, of travelgolf.com.

In addition the possibility of being awarded money for college,

15Four Corners SPorTSDECEMBER 2015

Jacquez said the sport also provides them with skills they can

use in their daily lives.

“Golf teaches maturity,” Jacquez said. “You have to be self-dis-

ciplined and selfmotivated.”

Golf helps with anger management, because golfers learn to

control themselves. They also learn to play with people they might

not actually like. “You play with different people all of the time,”

Jacquez said.

The coach is working on the social-emotional part of golf. “I

have the mechanics down,” she said. At one time her handicap

was 11.1, but currently it’s 13.

Jacquez enjoys golf because it is a multi-layered sport that

consists of the mind and body working together.

“You get to know yourself through golf,” Jacquez said. The

sport helps with patience and balance. Golfers also enjoy nature,

because they are playing in it. “It’s a different course every time.”

Jacquez feels most comfortable at Piñon Hills, where she plays

up to 100 rounds of golf in a year. “I collect my golf cards like pen-

nies,” she said.

Jacquez added that golf has been a rewarding sport for her,

and she would like to see more girls and women involved in the

sport.


Durango

Double:

The


It is the morning of the Durango Double run-

ning race and more than 200 runners are

fighting off the cool autumn temperatures. A

woman in running tights and arm warmers

paces back and forth, her teeth chattering.

Shaun Burke, a Durango runner clad only in

American Flag running shorts, rocks back and

forth as he hugs himself to keep warm. Other

runners repeat wind sprints through the fallen

leaves and stretch cold muscles with anticipa-

tion of the challenging 13 miles of trail running

that lay ahead.

The Durango Double, founded in 2012 as a

charity benefit for the Durango Women’s Re-

source Center, or WRC, has become much im-

proved and with greater community appeal,

according to several at the starting line.

Race director Brendan Trimboli is in his sec-

ond year of organizing the event, which, in its

latest iteration, is a two-day event — the first

day, a trail half marathon and the second day,

a road half marathon. This year also saw the

addition of the Gena Rych Memorial 5K race

that honors the life of Gena Rych and serves to

raise funds for the WRC.

The WRC, under the direction of Liz Mora, is

a non-profit group serving to educate and Double:

Story and photos by Ben Brashear

A running race, exemplary generosity

empower women through counseling, legal advice, and business

grants in La plata County and the surrounding area.

the race, in conjunction with Animas Surgical Hospital and the Gena

rych memorial 5K, raised $30,000 dollars for the center this year. trim-

boli said he owes much of the event’s success to the appeal of the chal-

lenging course, the strong community of runners, over 100 volunteers,

and the beautiful views overlooking Durango.

participants of the Durango Double have the option to run both

races – also known as running “the double” – or they can choose to

run either the trail or the road race separately. the trail race follows

along smooth flowing and technical single-track through the Horse

Gulch trail system.

one runner, Brent Winebarger of Durango, said that he had focused

his training on steep climbs and endurance, whereas with this race he

contends that he should have focused more on his speed-work. “It was

a really fast course. I wasn’t prepared to run at such a quick pace,” he

said.

the road race, too, is a fast winding course that makes its way

around the Animas river trail paralleling the Animas river and the sce-

nic changing leaves of the cottonwoods. It climbs its way toward Fort

Lewis College and then returns back to the river trail for the finish at

Animas Surgical Hospital. Anthony Kunkel of Golden, Colorado, ran the

road course this year with a blinding pace of 1:16:09 for a first-place

finish. Dakota Jones of Durango continues to hold the course record of

1:12:52 set in 2014.

It is 9 a.m. and trimboli calls the mass of anxious runners to the

starting line of the trail race. runners begin to bounce in place and

swing arms up overhead. the mass of bodies begins to surge and

press forward, seemingly against an invisible wall that holds them

back.

that is, they are held in place until trimboli yells “Go,” and the timer

begins to count upward coaxing the runners into a fast pace as they

sprint toward HWY 3 and the Horse Gulch trail network.

Kunkel held a 7:41 pace for the win with a time of 1:40:48 and the over-

all win of the Double. For most runners, though, it was not the fast na-

ture of the course that presented the greatest challenge but the very

steep climb up pautsky’s point that lay roughly mid-way through the

course.

It is a steep technical climb up 500 feet of sandstone and loose “ball

bearing pebbles.” Many racers described the section with a tongue in

cheek manner as being “cruel” and “sadistic.”

For Drew Gunn, an ultra marathon runner and course marshal at

pautsky’s point, it was a great way to see how each runner deals with

such a challenge.

“It never gets old watching the look of determination or despair on

people’s faces as they approach such a steep climb halfway through

the trail race,” he said.



Overall, the event was a hit, according to Trimboli. “As a runner myself, I firmly be-

lieve in giving back to the running community which has given me so much over the

past decade. It was with the collective contribution of the community volunteers and

over 25 supporting groups – including Animas Surgical Hospital, Ska Brewing, the

Women’s Resource Center and the Durango Running Club – that made this event such

a success,” he said.


For the first time this year there will be high

school students who were not even born when

September 11, 2001, happened. These students

will never be part of a country that was not to-

tally dominated by its fear, especially of the un-

known.

They will most likely go through life al-

ways knowing airport screening and hav-

ing their Fourth Amendment rights

encroached upon without ever knowing

what it was once like to have a near ab-

solute preponderance of innocence.

Of course for some just their demeanor

or hue has always put that notion into

question. The media that once was the

most important part of attaining knowl-

edge on world events gave way to selling

product based on our fears after that momen-

tous day.

The proof is obvious. Anything the media be-

lieves will scare us sells and gives them the

all-important ratings points. Watching the

news one would believe crime is up, drugs are

more prevalent than ever, abductions occur

every day and iSiS is coming to get you.

Politicians have fed on these fears for your

votes. Businesses have fed on your fears for

profit, especially when it comes to your chil-

dren. This is where the sports world is taking a

hit, especially when it comes to football.

Watching the news it seems as though we

have an epidemic of high school football play-

ers dying during practices or games’ or after-

wards trying to recover from massive hits.

But is this really of epidemic proportions; or

are we playing to our fears that our kids are

involved in something dangerous that is out of

our parental control? in reality there has been,

on average, a dozen football deaths a year. Of

course these incidents are tragic beyond belief

for any parent, and they have my greatest em-

pathy for a situation i cannot even begin to

comprehend.

Sports by nature have an inherent danger.

And just like any other situation, the pros and

cons have to be measured. Football is danger-

ous. it’s not a contact sport; it’s a collision

sport.

However, many sports have obvious inherent

dangers and some that may not look so per-

ilous, can be, as well. Obviously, boxing is in-

trinsically dangerous. The premise is two

individuals literally trying to hit each other

while using skill to avoid getting hit.

Auto racing is another obvious one. Automo-

biles traveling that fast and that close obvi-

ously are a recipe for potential disaster. Bull

riding, wrestling, hockey – even cheerleading –

all are inherently dangerous.

That’s right, cheerleading. According to a

National center for catastrophic injuries re-

port in 2011, cheerleading was second to foot-

ball in what they deemed catastrophic injury,

and was not that far behind.

As a matter of fact, it is considered more

dangerous, as falling to the floor after a stunt

causes a greater force than getting hit in foot-

ball. So why the focus on football? Simple. it’s

the No. 1 watched sport in America.

Football’s history has quite the violent past

just like many sports mentioned above. in the

early 1900s football seemed to be on its way

out. The game had gotten to be little more than

an all out scrum containing as many as 25

players on the field at one time, with essen-

tially no rules.

Plays like the wedge formation led to mas-

sive numbers of injury. in 1905, after a year

that saw 18 deaths and 159 near fatal injuries,

President Theodore Roosevelt was under

pressure to end the game and was

forced to intervene.

The rough and tumble Roosevelt was a

fan of the game, once telling an audience,

“i believe in rough games and in rough,

manly sports. i do not feel any particular

sympathy for the person who gets bat-

tered about a good deal so long as it is

not fatal.” But football was getting fatal.

Roosevelt convinced colleges to issue

statements of curbing the violence, keeping

the game clean and “setting an example of fair

play for the rest of the country.”

He had far better luck mediating the Japan-

ese-Russo War. At that time, 1905 was nearly as

bad as the previous year as many schools

abandoned their programs altogether. New

rules – such as the forward pass, the line of

scrimmage and the outlawing of massive for-

mations – eventually cleaned up the game.

All things considered, football has made

great strides. Helmets and equipment have

gotten significantly better, and so have the ath-

letes playing the game. The issue shouldn’t be

its safety.

While the issue of safety should be para-

mount, a greater focus should be education of

the risks involved, measuring those risks, and

weighing the options of playing or not playing.

Now here is where there is a problem. if the

NFL or the NcAA is hiding the information, that

changes the risk assessment, or if coaches are

so hell bent on winning that they hide injuries

or shame players who have them, the risk as-

sessment drastically changes.

i honestly believe that every sport tries to

make it as safe as possible for its participants.

RickHOERNEREditorial columnist

The sum of all fearsAnything the media believes will scare us sells


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However, the higher in the ranks a player rises and the more pressure

there is to perform at a high level and win games, the more likely the

chance that the risk/reward assessment gets thrown out the window.

Tragedy has often led to changes in sports.

After Dale Earnhardt died, the drivers’ equipment changed. NASCAR re-

sponded with the mandatory use of the HANS head restraint device which

most likely would have saved Earnhardt’s life, and probably saved the sport

itself.

In baseball, batting helmets were introduced. Hockey and football began

adding more and more protection to the uniform. Even bull riding expects

their riders to wear a helmet – grandfathered in, of course.

Are sports more dangerous now? I would argue no. We have just become

a more cautious and – I would argue –fearful society.

It wasn’t long ago that playgrounds had slides and merry-go-rounds and

other now dangerous

apparatus. My child’s

car seat was mom’s

forearm across the

chest. I rode a bike

without a helmet and

accepted that at times

I would crash and

burn.

I’m in no way say-

ing we should go back

to no child seats or

helmets or having

school playgrounds

that are lawsuits wait-

ing to happen. Just

because a generation

lived through it

doesn’t necessarily

mean it was better –

except when it comes

to music.

Generationally, we have always balanced risk vs. reward. But now the

lawsuit has changed the risk and in some cases ended the reward. Those

choices should still be individual ones.

Yes, kids are getting hurt in sports, but not at the rate that a news broad-

cast would lead you to believe. And yes, it is incredibly tragic when sport

takes someone’s life.

However, it seems quite hypocritical that while there is constant babble

about making football safer – which they can and should do – the rising

spectator sport is two guys or gals getting into an octagonal arena to have

a skilled, organized bar fight which likely will be a pay per view bonanza.

Fear, sometimes justifiably so, has crept into our daily lives and sport.

Once a Roosevelt saved football from itself. Maybe it’s time another one

saved us from ourselves. For perhaps “The only thing we have to fear, is

fear itself.”


The 2015 World Series had a bit of a local flair. Kansas City’s playoff

hero Eric Hosmer played for the Midland Redskins in 2007-2008. If Hos-

mer keeps up the October heroics, another banner in the rafters will

one day join the others in the Hall of Fame.

Looking to join him will be fellow Midland Redskin Matt Harvey who

played for Midland with Hosmer in 2007 and now will always be tied to

Hosmer after returning to pitch in the 9th inning of Game No. 5 and giv-

ing up the double to Hosmer that got the Royals back in the game and

onto a 4-1 Series win.

FOOTBALL

4A Bobcats, Navajo Prep

end season on topIn 4A, Bloomfield and Kirtland competed for the

district title with the Bobcats coming out on top.

Navajo Prep won their 4th straight district title

going undefeated in the district season.

VOLLEYBALL

PV, Navajo Prep

cruise to district titlesVolleyball was once again dominated by Piedra Vista and Navajo Prep,

both of whom cruised to their district titles.

BASKETBALL

Games to Watch . . .It’s all about tournaments in the early season with a few key non-dis-

trict matchups sprinkled in. Here’s what to look for from the beginning

of basketball to Christmas Break

Boys Basketball

Navajo Prep Eagles Classic, December 3 through 5

Shiprock Invitational Tournament, December 3 through 5

Marv Sanders Invitational, December 10 through

12 at Farmington High School with Las Cruces,

Piedra Vista, Durango, San Juan Blanding, Fabens,

Texas, Kirtland Central, Cleveland and Farmington

Girls Basketball

Piedra Vista at Navajo Prep on November 19, Open-

ing night includes a matchup of two of the top play-

ers in the county in PV’s Nikki Benally and Prep’s

Jasmine Coleman

Tourney to watch

Shiprock Invitational Tournament December 3 through 5

Gallup at Kirtland Central on December 8 pits two of the most deco-

rated programs in the state in a must-see matchup

WRESTLINGGallup Dual in the Dunes on December 5

includes Kirtland Central and Bloomfield

Panther Classic at Piedra Vista on December 19

features the best squads from all over the state

Catching Up with the County

KC Royals’ hero Eric Hosmer

played for Midland Redskins


FOOTBALL

PV wins first district title since 2006 football season

In football, Piedra Vista clinched its first district title in 2006.

The Panthers had an undefeated district season and an impres-

sive non-district win over perennial powerhouse Roswell Goddard.

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This fall the Piedra Vista Lady Panthers vol-

leyball team received the new Mexico activities

association’s Compete with Class award for

the month of September. This year the nMaa

has implemented the Compete with Class pro-

gram “with the purpose of restoring the place-

ment of interscholastic activities in an

educational perspective and providing our

state with a sportsmanship program that

would be embraced and called our own”.

Compete with Class was developed through

school administrators and athletic directors

with coaches and local communities looking to

promote and establish a culture of sportsman-

ship based on the values of the Pursuing Vic-

tory with honor program.

Local lead volleyball official Cathy Chavez

nominated the Lady Panthers for showing hon-

est and integrity on two specific calls during

the Piedra Vista Volleyball Tournament. In her

nomination letter to the nMaa Chavez stated, “I

wanted to make sure that the Piedra Vista vol-

leyball team was recognized for the great ex-

ample they set for younger players and fans in

the stands by their honesty during the match.

They showed true sportsmanship and did the

right thing, even though it would have been

easy to say nothing, and no one would have

known. That’s how we define character, isn’t

it? Doing the right thing, even when no one is

watching, was very refreshing to see.”

Three calls that went

PV’s way were reversed by

the official after the play-

ers were honest about

which way the calls should

have gone including one

that swung the tournament

championship in a pivotal

moment against St.

Michaels.

Even some of the fans were against the Pan-

thers being honest about the calls, but for

head coach Ron Becker there was never a

doubt about what his girls did. “It says a lot

about the character of our girls. We would

much rather win the match on points than a

call that should have gone the other way.”

any sports fan recognizes that it is a rare in-

cident at any level that players take the time to

admit the error of a call. Just watch any game

on any weekend and watch how many players

and coaches look for the official to give them

an advantageous call, not always the right one.

The Panthers will accepted their award at

the state volleyball championships in Rio Ran-

cho in november.

COMPETE WITH CLASSPiedra Vista volleyball team awarded for good sportsmanship

hannahROBINSONPIEDRa VISTa hIGh SChOOL

25Four Corners SPoRTSDECEMBER 2015

At 21 years of age, sporting a sparse mus-

tache to make him look older, Jeff Gordon drove

onto the NASCAR track with a huge amount of tal-

ent, a youthful attitude and a desire to win cham-

pionships.

Hand-picked in 1992 by Rick Hendrick, owner

of Hendrick Motor Sports, Gordon drove a car

sponsored by DuPont that had a paint scheme

with every color of the rainbow on it. Gordon’s

success in the sport was assisted by his pit

crew, known as the Rainbow Warriors.

Now 44 years old and not needing the mus-

tache to make him look older, Gordon is ending

his career as a racecar driver. With four NASCAR

championships to his credit, Gordon is retiring

and will begin a new career with Fox Sports as a

NASCAR analyst.

Roger Sheak, DeeAnn Durbin, Julie Hank, and

Sandy Chapman are longtime NASCAR fans.

Sheak is a Farmington businessman, Durbin is

an account executive with iHeartMedia in Farm-

ington, Hank is a former Aztec resident who is

now a nurse in Albuquerque, and Chapman is a

former Bloomfield Police Department dispatcher

who currently lives in Long Lake, South Dekota.

Gordon will leave a lasting legacy in the sport

he helped define and make prime time televi-

sion, the four fans believe.

Sheak has been a Jeff Gordon fan for as long

as he’s been a fan of NASCAR. “He’s a true gentle-

man, family man and professional at driving a

race car,” Sheak said. “He has always put every-

thing into the sport. He’s been very grateful to

his family, his car owner and his team for giving

him the support he needs.”

“Jeff Gordon is a world class talent and how

can anyone think of classic NASCAR without re-

membering that classic rainbow car,” Durbin

said. “I love seeing how happy he was with his

wins (this year) and being able to share it with

his wife and his two adorable children.”

“I’m excited that he is retiring to spend time

with them and to enjoy the next part of their

lives,” Durbin added.

Hank was one of Gordon’s biggest fans when

he started his career in NASCAR. “I can remem-

ber his first race and I have a shirt I ordered out

of a Wheaties box,” she said. “It says ‘The Kid and

The Champ,’ and it has Dale Earnhardt Sr. and

Jeff Gordon on it.”

Gordon will leave a strong legacy behind,

Hank said. “I love how he prays before he races,”

she said. “He was one of the first to do that. I be-

lieve he will leave behind an era of great-

ness, one that even in all of his wins

Jimmie Johnson (Gordon’s team

mate at Hendrick Motor

Sports) will never

touch. Jeff’s

not just a

driver,

but a deep thinker. He shows respect to those he

races against and in return, I think he expects

it.”

Chapman is a Jimmie Johnson fan, but enjoys

Gordon’s excitement when he wins. “Every time

Jeff Gordon wins a race, his surprise and excite-

ment are over the top,” she said. “He’s very emo-

tional and he’s like a kid on Christmas morning.”

Chase Elliott, son of former NASCAR champion

Bill Elliott, will take over Gordon’s 24 car in 2016.

Following in the footsteps of a famous father

isn’t easy, Hank said.

“Much like Dale (Earnhardt) Junior, Chase has

a lot to live up to,” Hank said. “I think the kid can

drive. I think he’ll win a race in his first year in

the Cup Series. He’ll be a contender and I’m glad

it will be Chase in the 24 (car), because he will

do it justice.”

“We (NASCAR fans) have to remember Chase

is not his father and should not be compared to

him,” Hank added.

NASCAR SuNdAyS

Rising stars, a huge retirement and local talent

keep area fans glued to their TVs

Story by Dorothy Nobis


Durbin, Chapman and Sheak all be-

lieve Chase Elliott has big racing

shoes to fill, but while Chapman does-

n’t think he’ll achieve the success in

NASCAR as Gordon has, Durbin and

Sheak have faith in the young driver.

“I feel Chase will start off as a

backseat contender, but if he’s truly

as dedicated as Jeff was he’ll become

a top contender,” Sheak said.

Durbin agreed. “Chase Elliott has

some big shoes to fill but I’m sure if

he was picked by Rick Hendrick, he

has what it takes to be great,” she

said.

The 2015 season brought plenty of

drama, including an incident during

the NASCAR race at Martinsville, which

is located in North Carolina. Former

champion Matt Kenseth deliberately

drove into the back of Joey Logano’s

car, wrecking both cars. Kenseth was

nine laps down at the time and

Logano was fighting to make it into

the race for the championship.

The crash was a payback from

Kenseth to Logano, who wrecked

Kenseth at the track in Kansas, taking

Kenseth out of the championship race.

Kenseth was suspended for an un-

precedented two races and Logano

missed the cut to move into the final

races for the 2015 championship.

Our NASCAR fans are divided on

whether the wreck was justified or

not.

“”Matt seems like the quiet type

that you have to watch out for,” Durbin

said. “Joey is showing his stripes

more and more as a dirty driver. . . but it might

be ‘just racing.’ I grew up watching The Intimida-

tor (Dale Earnhardt Sr.), and he said ‘that’s just

racing’ a lot!”

“I think Joey deserved it,” Hank said. “I believe

he should not have wrecked Matt in Kansas. I

watched the replays of the races – the bumping,

the rubbing – all of it. Matt had enough and put

his foot down. I agree with Matt and I’m not a

huge Matt fan.”

“Intentional cheap shots at each other make

me wonder how much they are paid to develop

the love/hate relationships at races,” Chapman

chimed in. “People love a good fight, but person-

ally, I think it shows a lack of professionalism in

the sport.”

Every NASCAR fan has a favorite driver, and

Chapman, Sheak, Durbin and Hank aren’t excep-

tions. Sheak is a die-hard Jeff Gordon fan, Chap-

man roots for Jimmie Johnson, and Durbin and

Hank are part of (Dale Earnhardt) Junior Nation.

“Jimmie Johnson is a good driver,” Chapman

said. “He knows how to talk to people. I love all he

does for communities and kids.” There’s another

reason Chapman roots for the Lowe’s driver,

however.

“Jimmie is also married to Chandra

Janway Johnson, who is a cousin on my

mother’s side,” she said proudly.

Hank said her loyalty to Dale Earnhardt

Jr. has nothing to do with the love him or

hate him notoriety of his late father. “I

don’t think he got his big break due to his

name,” Hank said of Junior. “If anything, I

believe his father, who I also admired and

loved, made it much harder on him.”

“Dale Jr. has so much class. He doesn’t

go out and wreck the other drivers. He

drives good ole fashioned racing. He has

skill and drive and he is the most consis-

tent driver in NASCAR,” Hank said. “He is

awesome at the super speedways and

endures the most criticism because of

who he is.”

“Of course my favorite driver is Dale

Jr.,” Durbin said. “My family has been a

NASCAR fan forever so we were Dale Sr.

fans. We’ve watched Junior since he

started, and his dad long before that.

Dale Sr. was the best and I can’t wait for

the day that Junior gets a championship

of his own.”

If they have favorite drivers, they also

have drivers they never, ever root for.

Kyle Bush doesn’t win the loyalty of

Durbin or Sheak because of his poor

sportsmanship and his arrogance. Chap-

man will never cheer for Brad Ke-

selowski because of “his arrogant

attitude and the negativity he relays

through the media.”

Hank is totally honest – she doesn’t

like anyone who messes with Dale Earn-

hardt Jr. However, there is one driver

who gets Hank riled. “I had the chance to

meet Danica Patrick at the Kansas speed-

way,” she said. “There was a boy there about 11

years old, who had waited a long time to get her

autograph. She turned the boy away (and would-

n’t give the autograph). And she whines a lot.”

There are rising stars in NASCAR, however, and

our NASCAR fans are excited about some of them.

Sheak thinks Kyle Larson (who drives the number

42 Target car) will be a star. “He is young and is

very impressive behind the wheel,” Sheak said.

“He’s consistent and runs in the top 10 most

weeks. He’s a true gentleman and isn’t out just to

wreck someone. And he’s a new father and very

much a family man.”


Hank agrees with Sheak about Larson – how-

ever, she thinks if Larson moved to the Richard

Childress Racing team from the Roger Penske

team, “he would be amazing!”

Chapman is a fan of Joey Logano as the next

big deal in NASCAR, but Hank thinks Chase Elliott

will make news. “That kid can drive,” Hank said

of Elliott. “In the Xfinity car (the Xfinity series is

similar to the minor league in baseball), he

amazes me. I think he’ll do great things in the

Cup series.”

And there’s one more rising star all four sup-

port and cheer for.

Alex Kennedy is a 2010 graduate of Aztec High

School and has competed in NASCAR races for

several years. He made his first Sprint Cup se-

ries appearance in 2013, the first New Mexico

native to compete in a Sprint Cup race since Al

Unser Jr., of Albuquerque, qualified for the 1993

Daytona 500.

Kennedy, the son of Michelle and Terry

Kennedy, is currently ranked 40th in the Sprint

Cup Series standings. He qualified for the No-

vember 1 race at Martinsville, where he started

43rd and finished 34th. In the Watkins Glen

race, Kennedy started 35th and finished 28th.

Our NASCAR fans offered their support and

advice for Kennedy.

“Stay grounded and remember, it takes time

to pay your dues in the sport,” Chapman said.

“The camera is always on, watching your every

move, on and off the track.”

“I don’t have any advice for Alex,” Durbin said.

“I think he is doing great and I enjoy rooting for

that 33 (car) in any race he’s in!”

“My advice to Alex is to follow your dreams

and make them yours. You are in control of your

destiny and it’s yours to take,” Hank said “If rac-

ing is what you want, then don’t go in and do it

with half your heart. Give it your all and suc-

ceed. If, at the end of the day, you can look back

and say, ‘I gave it my all,’ then you know you

have done just that.”

Hank summed up what so many NASCAR fans

feel about their favorite sport.

“Racing is like family,” she said. “I grew up at

Aztec Speedway. I was a trophy girl there. I

watched my father, John Hank, win everything –

he had true talent and a lot of luck. Growing up

at a dirt track, I watched NASCAR from the time I

was ten. I remember Richard Petty, Cale

Yarbrough and watching the Daytona 500. I

loved it and always have.”

“Racing is something that has to be in our

blood and not everyone gets it. I often hear ‘You

watch cars go round and round and I don’t get

it.’ I just smile and tell them it’s in the blood,”

Hank added. “My Sundays and some Saturdays

are reserved for my racing. I’ve been to Kansas

and Phoenix and the fans are nice. The drivers

come up before the race and talk to the fans (un-

less you’re Danica Patrick). It’s a different type of

sport that shows respect, integrity and good old-

fashioned manners – most of the time.”

“I’ll watch NASCAR until I can’t anymore.”

NASCAR Sprint Cup fans will enjoy Cham-

pion’s Week in Las Vegas Dec. 2 to 4, when the

2015 champion will be officially crowned and

recognized.

NASCAR will begin its 2016 season with the

Daytona 500 – referred to as the Super Bowl of

NASCAR – on February 21, 2016, at Daytona In-

ternational Raceway.

28 Four Corners SPoRTS DECEMBER 2015

Teresa Brevik was born on a horse.

Her father, Phil, was a longtime member

of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associa-

tion and the family often traveled with him

when he competed. Awed by her dad and the

talenthe had in the rodeo arena, Brevik

wanted to do what her daddy did and – at the

age of eight – she caught her first calf at her

first rodeo.

“I’ve been hooked ever since,” Brevik

said with a laugh.

Watching and learning from her dad,

Brevik loved rodeo and all the work, time and

talent it required. Her perfect world was

shattered, however, when she learned she

had cancer.

At 16, Brevik was a healthy teen. A visit

to a doctor when she was feeling ill left Bre-

vik with a horrible reaction to amoxicillin.

“They thought I had mono (mononucleo-

sis),” Brevik said. “I went to seven different

doctors, who were all looking at my thyroid.

Finally, my mother took me to a surgeon and

asked him to take out a lymph node.”

A Positron Emission Tomography, or PET

scan, showed Brevik had stage 4 Hodgkin

Lymphoma.

“I had no idea what they were talking

about until I heard the doctor say the side ef-

fects included losing your hair,” Brevik said

with a slight shake of her head.

Brevik started her chemotherapy treat-

ments, but felt her doctors weren’t treating

her to live, but treating her cancer as life

ending.

“It was scary,” Brevik said of the diagno-

sis and the treatment. “But I was saved dur-

ing that journey. Everything happens for a

reason. You look at life a little differently

when you look at death in the face.”

Four months later, on March 12, her

birthday, Brevik was declared cancer free.

“It was the best birthday present ever,”

she said, adding, “there are people who be-

lieve in miracles and I’m one of them.”

If the cancer and the treatment took

some of the energy out of Brevik, they didn’t

take away her love of rodeo.

“I was in high school rodeo and I actually

won a lot,” Brevik remembered. “Rodeo was

a stress reliever for me. It made me feel like I

was still normal and that I could still do what

other high school kids did.”

Story by Dorothy Nobis | Courtesy photos

TERESA BREVIK TAKESNOTHING FOR GRANTED

Beating cancer gave rodeo champ new sense of self worth

Her determination to survive cancer and her love of rodeo

brought Brevik many wins in the arena. the cancer also changed

her, she admitted.

“It made me my own person,” she said. “I wasn’t just a daugh-

ter or a sister or another Brevik. I was teresa Brevik and I had a

story. It gave me my own perspective on life.”

Brevik’s story continues today. At 28, she is a champion in the

rodeo arena and rodeo continues to be her passion. the dollars

won in the arena often equal the dollars spent to get there. How-

ever, “rodeo granted me tuition for college,” Brevik said with pride.

For seven months out of each year, most weekends find Brevik

behind the wheel of her truck, towing a horse trailer with her

horses, headed to a rodeo. “Some weekends, I’ll compete in three

rodeos a day – and they’re different rodeos in different places.”

While Brevik puts many miles on her truck and money into the

tank, as well as entry fees and food her horse trailer has sleeping

quarters, she said it’s the joy of winning that keeps her in the sad-

dle and behind the wheel.

“rodeo is a great family sport,” she said. “Your rodeo family is

more than blood – it’s help when you need it, wherever you are.

there’s a camaraderie that makes you cheer the very person you

just competed against. You want everyone to do well.”

“Doing well” is something Brevik has down pat. recently she

was named All Around Cowgirl and 2015 Breakaway roper Cham-

pion by the New Mexico rodeo Association. While Brevik excels at

many rodeo events, she especially loves breakaway. partly, she ad-

mitted, “because I’m good at it,” she said with a laugh. “It’s an indi-

vidual sport, but it’s also a team effort.”

Breakaway does not require the rider to get off the horse and

tie a calf down. A piece of nylon string ties the end of the rope to

the saddle horn. When the calf is caught, it breaks the rope from

the saddle horn, declaring a time. And that’s how the event got its

name, Brevik explained. “It’s a very fast event,” she added. “I once

had a time of 1.9 seconds.”

Brevik is good enough to win at most rodeos in which she

competes in. However, it is her “real” job that allows her to enjoy

the sport she loves. “I work to play,” she said of her position as

Special projects Manager at the city of Bloomfield. “I have to work

to afford my bad habit. I’d have a lot more money if I didn’t rodeo,

but I wouldn’t have nearly as many stories or friends.”

While rodeo is her primary passion, Brevik is also an advanced

open water scuba diver. “I’m pretty proud of that,” she admitted.

rodeo cowgirl, scuba diver, project manager and good friend –

all of those were instrumental in making teresa Brevik the woman

she is today. “I don’t take things for granted anymore,” Brevik said.

“And I know God is very real.”


The offseason is officially upon us with

cool (and getting colder) days and sub-freez-

ing nights to ease us into the winter months.

I know most of you have traded in golf clubs

for ski poles, which is a fantastic way to keep

in shape for the upcoming golf season (legs,

butt muscles, rotational movements that are

all in sequence with your golf swing). I would

highly encourage golfers to stay in shape this

winter so that you will be ready to go when

the weather breaks in early 2016.

offseason conditioning is a wonderful way

to keep golf-specific muscle groups in shape

during the winter months.

As most of us stay indoors this winter, with

massive “food and beverage” holiday oppor-

tunities, the tendency is to become lethargic

and to pack on a few pounds. Then when the

weather breaks, we try to catch up with our

conditioning and weight loss before the golf

season is upon us.

It is a great time to start the pro-active na-

ture of golf-specific conditioning before old

man Winter influences your behavior.

As a golfer you want to work large muscle

groupings that include: gluteal muscles

(butt), legs, core, and back. It is also impor-

tant to note that when working these large

golf-specific areas, to add in flexibility as well

as rotational exercises to keep your body in

the best “golf-shape” possible in the offsea-

son.

multi-movement exercises are a wonderful

way for golfers to work different muscle

groups while gaining flexibility and stability.

A great example of this would be a forward

lunge with a turn, which not only works the

large muscle groups discussed above, but

also adds rotation, stability and flexibility to

a standard movement.

It is not well known to many golfers, but

physical inadequacies are the number one

30 Four Corners SporTS DECEMBER 2015

TomYOSTThe First Tee

OFFSEASON TRAININGKeeping golf-specific muscle groups

in shape during the winter months

31Four Corners SPorTSDECEMBER 2015

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factor hindering your ability to play better golf. That is why a

physical assessment by a trained professional might be one of

the best investments you could make for your golf game this off-

season.

Players who are unable to perform squats, touch their toes,

rotate their torso and shoulders adequately – or even balance

on one leg – are most likely not able to maximize their perform-

ance on the golf course. A golf professional can give you golf in-

struction, but if your body is unable to perform that instruction,

you will never get any better.

The Titleist Performance Institute has partnered with physical

trainers, sports medicine doctors and golf professionals to de-

velop a physical assessment form for golfers of all abilities. This

physical assessment is performed to create a baseline for the

athlete/golfer.

Numerous studies and cases have been performed at all lev-

els proving that improvements in these physical assessment

areas lead golfers to be able to maximize their golf swing ability.

TPI is gaining popularity throughout the country and comes

highly recommended by this golf professional, who has partici-

pated in their Level 1 training.

So the message I leave you with in 2015 is this: Enjoy the holi-

day season with family and friends and keep active this winter

so you are ready to go as soon as Mother Nature gives you a

break from the monotony of winter.

32 Four Corners SpoRTS DECEMBER 2015

As NASCAR Nellie is writing this, with one

final race left in the season, she finds

herself pondering all the crazy nutso

things that have happened since last Feb-

ruary.

Generally, when NN “ponders” it’s because

her parole officer, judge, law enforcement offi-

cer, a security guard and someone’s mother

are convinced NN should “ponder” her actions,

her words, and/or her past – and they really

truly think, bless their hearts, that if NN “pon-

ders” enough, she’ll emerge from her “ponder-

ing” a changed woman. NN, herownself,

doesn’t think she’s the one who needs the pon-

dering or the changing.

NN thinks if the security guard would mind

his own business, if the law enforcement offi-

cer went after someone who would make said

officer a star like Columbo or Barney Fife or

Wonder Woman, if the judge would take that

gavel and hit someone else on the head with it,

if the parole officer would – just once – look

the other way when NN crosses the state line

into a state that has a NASCAR race and not no-

tify all the law enforcement people and judges

and parole officers in said new state, everyone

would be a lot happier, especially NN. For reals.

Anyway, NN has “pondered” this season of

NASCAR and has tried to figure out who were

the good drivers and who were the bad driv-

ers, who should have been in the final four and

why couldn’t it have been the final 7, so Dale

Earnhardt Jr., the sports most popular driver

could have taken the championship and made

the bottom part of his fire suit that NN “found”

after a race in Vegas one year after she just

“happened” to wander into his motor home

and discovered an entire fire suit actually on

fire and she saved it, only to have half of it

ripped out of her saving hands by some dude

who looked like Guido the Great and called NN

some not-nice names when she threw her

hooker heel at him, which hit him right in the

left nostril and he hadda have it surgically re-

moved. Whatever. NN was just trying to do the

right thing by taking said fire suit outside and

into her very own vehicle so other people in

the ‘nother motor homes would not be in dan-

ger. And when Guido the Great yelled at NN

when she took off in her very own vehicle, leav-

ing him with a hooker heel in his left nostril,

and a flock of vehicles that looked like a Na-

tional Guard SWAT team took after NN, she was

forced to ditch her very own vehicle and her

one hooker heel and run like a gazelle into

the Vegas crowd, where everyone

looks like they’re running from

a parole officer. If Junior

had won the champi-

onship this year,

that bot-

tom

half of his fire suit woulda brought a

pretty penny and some glorious dollars

to NN on Cbay. But nooooo – those

NASCAR officials thought it would be “fun”

to have the “final” race with just four driv-

ers, none of whom NN was able to save a fire

suit from a “suspicious” fire. Whatever.

This season had more story lines than are

included in NN’s “file” the FBI, IRS, and Mickey

Mouse Club consider “hot.” Jeff Gordon is retir-

ing after this final race, giving up his 24 car to

that cute Chase Elliott (who NN has an eye on

for the bottom half of his fire suit some day

after Guido the Great forgets what NN looks

like.

It’s not hard to recognize GtG – the surgery

to remove the hooker heel from his left nostril

left him with just half a nose – and it wasn’t

his “good” half, just so’s ya know). Jeff is trad-

ing in his very own fire suit (all of it, not just

the bottom half) for a tie, a makeup artist and

a hairdresser to he can be in “the booth” and

“call” races next year.

At every single track Gordon has raced at

this year, he has been honored and glorified

NELLIE PONDERS BEST,WORST DRIVERS

Will put her money on Dale Earnhardt Jr. in last race of the season


and gifted with nice presents. Not that JGneeds any more nice presents (except for thetwo ponies that have been house trained sothey can be house pets for his cute kids), onaccounta NN is pretty sure Jeff and his familyhave just about every present they might everwant and need, but the gifts have been lovelyand Jeff has been gracious and grateful aboutall of ‘em and acted like each gift was the verybest one he ever received.

NN is happy for JG and since he’s in thefinal four to win another championship, NN willroot for him on accounta one of NN’s BFFs,Roger Sheak, LOVES Jeff and waited 87 hoursin the rain in Phoenix so he could cheer JG on.RS is a die-hard JG fan and NN is a little wor-ried about who he’ll root for next year, butshe’s pretty certain it will be Dale EarnhardtJr., the sports most popular driver.

Then there was Kyle Busch, who broke aleg during the first Xfinity race and hadda sitout eleventeen Cup races, which convincedeveryone he was a loser and wouldn’t makethe Final Four in the Chase for the Champi-onship.

NN has never been a huge KB fan, on ac-counta he stole the M&M sponsorship fromNN’s Sweet Baboo Elliott Sadler, which made ESdump NN for some cute young thing on ac-counta he thought he wasn’t good enough forNN.

However, even NN recognizes talent andgood looks and it’s a good thing KB has talent.Just sayin. . . . .

So KB managed to win races and kick buttand have his cute little wife and even cuter lit-tle baby boy at almost every race, which em-phasized the “family” part of NASCAR and thatfame and money trumps good looks almostevery time. KB deserves to be in the final four,NN admits, although she will not root for him.NN carries her NASCAR grudges for a very longtime.

Then there’s the “incident” between MattKenseth and Joey Logano, when MK took outLittle Joey Logano at Martinsville. MK, still madat LJL for wrecking him during the Kansasrace, smacked the back end of LJL’s car, send-ing it into the wall and MK to the NASCARhauler after the race.

It was pretty exciting to watch and when MKgot outta his car after the wreck, he enjoyedbeing the sports most popular driver for a cou-pla hours. MK got suspended for two racesand LJL lost like a gazillion points, pretty muchtaking him outta the Race Chase. MK showedno remorse for his actions and LJL no longersends tweets or LOL’s or I Heart You to MK’scell phone. Whatever.

Jimmie Johnson had one of those “please

let me wake up and find this season is a horri-ble, awful, miserable nightmare” years. JJmanaged to win some races, but NN thinks thebromance between JJ and his crew chief ChadKnaus is losing its bloom.

CK married a former Miss Sprint in Augustand JJ isn’t the most important person in CK’slife anymore.

There was bickering on the radio betweenJJ and CK and the magic just didn’t seem towork this season. JJ has won NASCAR’s bigprize six times and while NN guesses the tro-phy and the gazillion dollars that come with itdon’t ever get old, she also suspects that atsome point, CK wanted to kiss and hug onsomething that had an actual beating heartand didn’t come with sponsor obligations. Any-way, NN is certain Six Time JJ and newlywedCK will bounce back next year and Lowe’s willgive both of ‘em all the paint and hand toolsthey need to build an addition to their six mil-lion dollar homes.

And Martin Truex Jr., whose girlfriend hasbeen fighting cancer, is driving for a single carteam outta Denver. MTJr is in the Race Chaseand is the “dark horse” to take the champi-onship, the money, the trophy back to RockyMountain High in Colorado (which is prob’ly alot higher now than it usetabe on accountamarijuana is served as a first course at mostfast food restaurants). NN hopes MTJr wins thefinal race in Homestead. NN likes MTJr, who isa BFF of Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sports mostpopular driver.

Junior won the race at Phoenix, where itnever rains on Sunday – or Monday, Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday –and it was a deserved win.

Junior Nation survived a six hour rain delay,ate soggy hot dogs and watered down beer,and stood shoulder to shoulder in triumphwhen Junior accepted the checkered flag inVictory Lane, after the race was finally calledwhen the rain decided to stay for the winter.

Junior Nation recognizes its general, in spiteof the fact that, in Phoenix, they discoveredJunior doesn’t actually walk on water. What-ever.

The bookies who accept bets (althoughnot NN’s anymore on accounta she was unableto fulfill her obligation to pay her bookie a cou-pla times in Vegas.

When NN discovered the bookies wouldn’ttake her Safeway card or her library card orher faux diamond studded hooker heels or herMonopoly money instead of the 60-thou theysaid she owed ‘em, she hadda borrow Elvis’spink Caddy to get out of town, which made thepeople at “Elvis Lives and Loves at the HoundDog Chapel” a little cranky.

Whatever, they are putting their money onHarvick to win at Homestead. NN, herownself,

34 Four Corners SpoRTS DECEMBER 2015

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will put her money on Junior, whowill leave all those Race Chasersin the dust.

For reals.

‘K -- So Junior didn't win thechase, even though, technically, hereally wasn't IN the race. Justdon't tell that to Junior Nation,who believes its General winsevery race, no matter where hefinishes.

JN is loyal to its general and thegazillion of us who belong to Jun-ior Nation will always considerJunior the best driver as well asthe sports most popular driver.

Having said that, Kyle Buschbeat out Jeff Gordon, Kevin Har-vick and Martin Truex Junior forthe trophy, which is really nothingcompared to the mirror ball tro-phy the winners of Dancing Withthe Stars take home. Whatever.

To his credit, KB (who NN hasforever called Boo-hoo Busch butcan't anymore on accounta hedoesn't boo hoo because he has alovely little wife and a cute littlebaby. We can all be thankful the

baby got more of his mother’sgenes than he did his dad’s. KB isa phenomenal NASCAR driver, buthe shouldn't give up his day/nightjob for a career that depends ongood looks. Just sayin . . .

KB deserved the win because

he's one heckofadriver and NNwasn't totally sorry to see himwin, although NN truly believedJunior should win that big ole tro-phy or at least Martin Truex Jun-ior should win. Those“Juniors”stick with each otherand EJr. and TJr. are like best

buds.

Jeff Gordon was one of the firstpeople to congratulate KB, whichNN loved, on accounta JG really,really wanted that championshipsince it was his last race and hislast opportunity to win anothergawdy trophy.

The season is over and NN willprobably remodel her camptrailer five times before Daytonakicks off the 2016 season.

NN’s camp trailer has to be re-modeled on a regular basis toavoid being “spotted” and “undersurveillance” and "tailed" by thoselaw enforcement people andGuido the Not-so-Great, who thinkNN is a “threat” and a “hazard”and a “ne’er do well” to any andall NASCAR drivers.

Well not all of ‘em. NN has no in-terest whatsoever in Joey Loganoor Brad Keselowski oranyone/everyone not named DaleEarnhardt Jr., the sports mostpopular driver AND the 2016Champion.

Just sayin. . . .

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Four Corners Sports December 2015

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