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DISTANCE
PULLING DOUBLE DUTY
RIPSLINGER
NEW LONDON
AND
PLAYING FAST
GOING THE
LOOSEBoone’s Chandler Austin (left) and Albert Meier celebrate as they near the finish of the Class 3A 1,600-meter run at the Iowa state track and field meet. Photo by Tork Mason
STATEPG 10-13
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John Streets
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Tork Mason
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4 DES MOINES EAST READY TO ROLLThe Scarlets are loaded and ready to chase a championship.
6 FUN, FAST AND FOCUSEDThe New London softball team plays loose with a young lineup, but they also keep their eyes on the prize.
14 HY-VEE HORIZON ATHLETES OF THE MONTHTop performers from each week last month.
17 GET TO KNOW IGNITIgnit Sports is the place to go for sport-specific training.
Editor’s Note: In this issue, we take a long look at the 2014 state track and field meet, highlighting some of the state’s top performers. Davenport Assumption’s Rose Ripslinger is a star on the oval and the pitch; read how she balances and excels in both track and soccer. The distance races saw several athletes take turns rewriting the record books; read about perhaps the greatest collection of distance running talent the state has ever seen. Get a look at two of the top teams in baseball and softball, Des Moines East and New London, as they look to rebound from disappointing season-ending losses a year ago and drive for championships. C
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4 SportsSpotlight.comVolume 2 Issue 9
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DES MOINES EAST READY FOR TITLE CHASEThe exterior of the Des Moines East
dugout is coated in varying hues of the school’s scarlet color. Patches of fresh paint have replaced the original weatherworn shade. These newly painted strips are well-deserved.
Scrawled out in hand-drawn black paint the length of the dugout is a litany of single season and career East High baseball records. Over the last two years, many of those records have been rewritten, a byproduct of the school’s baseball renaissance. Names like Carmichael and Ziegler have replaced their Scarlet predecessors.
Class 4A was put on notice when Des Moines East made a run to last year’s state tournament, where they eventually bowed out in the semifinals. The appearance went a long way toward revitalizing the program; East had last made the state tournament in 1998 and they last won a state title in 1980.
In 1999, Brian Luft took over the Des Moines East baseball program after coming to the school from Roland-Story. During his career, Luft has won 465 games. Even after all the years and wins, this year’s squad may be among the most special he’s coached.
“Our senior class is terrific,” Luft said. “We have good pitching, power, speed, a strong defense and a lot of leadership returning.”
Last year’s team had promise, but was still largely new to the spotlight.
“I don’t know that we had any expectations heading into last year; nobody really knew we were coming,” Luft said. “This year, people have expectations for us, so we’re in a different situation after finishing third.”
The outside expectations for the Scarlets may have changed, but the attitude in dugout has largely
remained the same.“Some people think we might be
the top dog now, but we still think we’re the underdog,” senior Colby Carmichael said. “If we keep that mindset, if we can go into every game like we have something to prove, then we can be good.”
Powering the newfound glory is a top crop of seniors who have been playing together since they were in elementary school.
“We grew up playing on teams, sometimes with each other and sometimes as rivals, but we’ve pretty much always gone to school together and really meshed in about eighth grade,” senior Alex Underwood said.
Growing up and playing baseball together has not only forged a strong bond between the players, but has made a positive impact on the community as a whole. While the CIML and metro sport scene has been controlled by suburban schools, the East High baseball team has taken to carrying the banner for the city schools.
“The CIML has been dominated by the suburban schools,” Underwood said. “I think the city schools tend to get overlooked, so coming out last year and performing as well as we did was very surprising to a lot of people. It seems like a lot of people don’t expect a lot from the east side, so to come out and prove what we could do last year excited this part of the town.”
Their success in the summer of 2013 ignited a spark for not just the players, parents and coaches, but also captured the attention of a broad array of East High and baseball supporters. Their postseason tilt against Johnston in the semifinal game is still fresh in the players’ minds and serves as motivation for them to reach that stage again.
“Playing at Principal Park last year and how full those stands were, that was amazing; that gets us hyped,” Carmichael said. “The fans have really come out in force and supported us.”
But now the team is looking at what 2014 can bring. The experienced and deep roster has seen what a trip to the state semifinals can do, but the focus is now climbing that ladder one step at a time and going one step further.
“We need to focus on those first 25 games that influence substate seedings and getting those wins, and then hopefully we can get rolling from there,” senior Robert Hansen said. “We can’t get caught up on the past or what anyone thinks of us. We have the talent, we have the bond as a team and we just need to play our game.”
Carmichael, Underwood and Hansen are among the 12 seniors set to guide the Scarlets. Carmichael was 11-1 in 12 starts during his junior campaign. In 70 innings of work, the all-stater fanned 98 batters and tallied a 1.30 ERA.
The team is equally ferocious at the plate. Hansen and junior Chino Alcala, the team’s regular three and four hitters, led all of Class 4A in home runs in 2013. Both players notched 10 home runs and 54 RBI.
It’s not just power that’s rattled opposing pitchers, but speed, too. The order is headlined by speedster Malique Ziegler.
Ziegler became one of the most prolific leadoff hitters in the state with a skill set built on speed. Ziegler led Class 4A with 63 runs, his 55 stolen bases were 21 more than the next best season total, and he tallied the highest slugging percentage of any hitter with 40 or more at bats.
From top to bottom, the order was riddled with talent. As a unit, they stood second in all classes in home runs and triples, third in hits and RBIs and fourth in runs.
Even so, the players feel their greatest strides can be made at the plate — a frightening thought for opposing pitchers.
The Scarlets are loaded for bear and set on bouncing back from an upset loss in last year’s state tournamentDarrin Cline | Contributor
Des Moines East’s Colby Carmichael reacts after hitting an RBI double against Davenport Central in the 2013 state tournament. (Photo by Tork Mason)
5SportsSpotlight.com Volume 2 Issue 8
SpotlightIn the
Youth
This page presented to you by:
Each month we publish youth action photos from around the state. We would love to get yours! Send us your photos at [email protected]
Photos were taken at various youth sporting events last month.
Photo courtesy of Tom Cooney
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Phot
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6 Volume 2 Issue 9 SportsSpotlight.com
For first-year co-head coaches Paula Bliven and Duane Blint, there was never a doubt that their new team had the ability to achieve something special. Never mind that the New London softball team was coming off of a mediocre 2012 season and was light on upperclassmen; those weren’t the things that caught their attention, and they made sure the players knew it.
“We knew it all along, and that was the philosophy that we brought into the program because we’d seen them play before,” Blint said. “We established that early on about the potential that they had. We continued, and continued and continued to tell them that.
“It was just a matter of getting them to believe it. They’ve always had the talent; it was just about getting them there, getting them to believe in themselves.”
Senior outfielder Sami Koontz said the previous coaching staff didn’t often keep the players positive or offer much in the way of praise. But the team drew confidence from the new coaches’ encouragement and having then-freshman Morgan Christner, who emerged as one of the state’s elite
pitchers, in the circle. And they had faith that everyone knew what they were doing.
“We just really learned to trust each other,” Koontz said. “We learned that everybody who was in their spots was there for a reason. Morgan expected us to make plays and we did; we expected her to pitch and she did.”
The coaching staff didn’t stop at potential, though. They knew the players had a lot of talent, but they needed to dedicate themselves to getting all the details right if they were going to live up to that potential.
Whether it was getting a bunt down, hitting a cutoff or getting the sure out on a questionable double play ball, the team learned the importance of doing the little things right and taking each game one step at a time.
“As any coach will tell you, it’s the little things that turn into the big things,” Bliven said. “So one of our mantras was that we have to win every inning. If you win every inning, you’re going to win the game. And we just really broke the season down and kept from getting ahead of ourselves.”
The confidence and attention to detail the coaches and players developed led a lineup that featured
six freshmen and sophomores to the 2013 state tournament.
In over their headsNo one on the roster had ever
played in the state tournament before, and the Tigers were tasked with taking on Martensdale-St. Marys, the defending state champions. They met that challenge and took a 3-2 victory, and followed that up with an extra-inning, 1-0 thriller against Newell-Fonda in the state semifinals.
The team showed remarkable poise for having such a young collection of players and seemed to thrive in high-pressure situations. Bliven gave credit to the players’ relaxed approach in the face of big moments and games.
“They are extremely loose, and we attributed a lot of that to youth last year,” Bliven said. “They had fun last season. And they do focus — they’re some of the most competitive kids I’ve ever had. But they just took it all in stride. So I’m hoping we can continue to play that loose game, where they’re having fun in the dugout and being teenage kids, don’t get caught up in the limelight and the pressure.”
Blint said the players might have simply been too young to truly
comprehend the gravity of certain situations, and with that came a sort of freedom. Christner said the team’s status as an underdog and the players’ willingness to trust each other were both major factors in their success in close games on the state’s biggest stage.
“Everyone was nervous; it’s a really big deal [to reach the state tournament],” Christner said. “But we were also really excited. We went up there and we didn’t really expect to do anything; we just played our game, and I think that’s what helped us the most.
“We’re all so close as a team that we know if one person makes a mistake or has a bad inning, we know we can come back the next inning or someone will make a play to help the person who’s struggling.”
The team was at the top of its game for most of the week, right up through the fourth inning of the state championship game against Akron-Westfield, when the Tigers held a 4-0 lead and looked poised to cruise to a title. But a late-inning collapse ended in a 5-4 loss and left a bitter taste in the mouths of each player.
The Tigers’ youth showed for the
PLAYING FAST AND LOOSENew London reached last year’s state title bout with a young lineup thanks to a relaxed playing style, youthful ignorance and a newfound confidence; now the Tigers are set to wear the target on their backs
New London’s Morgan Christner was stellar in her first full year in the circle. She dominated hitters all season and was among state leaders in both earned run average and strikeouts. (Photo by Tork Mason)
HigH ScHool
Right fielder Sami Koontz was one of New London’s top players a year ago and credited the team’s emer-gence to improved chemistry and attention to detail. (Photo by Tork Mason)
Tork Mason | Editor-in-Chief
7Volume 2 Issue 9SportsSpotlight.com
HigH ScHool
first time in those last three innings, but no one could quite pinpoint where everything went wrong. Koontz felt the team “shut down” after a couple calls they felt were questionable went against them, instead of finding a way to bounce back. Christner said one of the team’s biggest strengths — its ability to play loose — went a bit too far and backfired.
“We just got too relaxed; we were comfortable,” Christner said. “At state, even though we were ahead, teams are good enough to come back. And I think we just relaxed a little too much and got too comfortable instead of staying on them and pushing forward.”
The hunter now the huntedAs this season gets underway,
the Tigers are now one of the top contenders for the crown. Bliven said, given a choice, she’d prefer to be the unknown and possibly underrated squad again. But she knows that’s not going to be the case and said that with the experience gained last year, this team may be better equipped to handle the weight of expectations.
The Tigers are also using their non-conference schedule to prepare them for the postseason, playing some Class 4A and Class 5A teams at times, and give them a better sense of the level at which they have to play to win a championship.
“It’s a different level when you get to the state tournament,” Bliven said. “So we try to beef up our schedule, play bigger schools and have the girls understand that this is the kind of pitching [they’ll see] and this is the defensive intensity they need to bring.
“Morgan will get hit [at Fort Dodge] and we’ve got to get our defense geared up for that. We have a great defense behind Morgan that doesn’t always get to show off; it’s nice to play schools that are going to put the ball in play and let our defensive players go to work.”
Junior catcher Emily Parks said the important thing is for her and her teammates to avoid letting recognition and expectations go to their heads, and stick to playing with the same mentality they had last year. They can’t afford to overlook teams now that every school will be taking their best shot at them.
“We know we’re going to have a target on our back, but we’re going to play our game and hopefully it works out for us,” Parks said.
Bliven said, on the field, continuing to improve offensively is the main emphasis for the players. She said the team needs to get better at getting runners into scoring position and then bringing in those one or two runs that were the difference in several losses a year ago. That’s especially important now that the
Tigers are without former second baseman Caitlin Chiri, who excelled in those areas as the team’s lone senior last summer.
Making those improvements requires focus and hard work, and Bliven said while the team still practices and plays loose, she knows she and Blint can reel them back in if they go beyond that by reminding the players of what happened the last time they lost focus in Fort Dodge.
“We’ve always got that carrot to hang in front of them, because they know how close we can be and how much it hurts to have it taken away,”
Bliven said.Christner echoed her coach,
but she said she didn’t think she would need to be reminded of that experience.
“It was awesome we made it to the championship and got second, but that feeling of knowing we were that close to being the champion really helped us [prepare for this season],” she said. “When you’re doing a drill and you really don’t want to be there, I just think about that feeling — and I don’t want to feel like that again.”
Catcher Emily Parks carrys a big stick in the Tigers’ lineup. The junior led the team with a .427 batting average while driving in 41 runs as a sophomore. (Photo by Tork Mason)
AthleteMONTHStudent
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SportsSpotlight.com
Kaley CiluffoPleasant Valley High School, Class of 2015, 3.2 GPA
Sports: Track and Field
Athletic Achievements/Honors: Drake Relays Champion, 800-meter run (2014), 4x400 relay (2013-14); AAU national champion, 800-meter run (2011, 2013); USATF national champion, 800-meter run (2012); state champion, 4x400 relay (2013); USATF national runner-up, 1500-meter run (2012)
College or post-high school plans: I’m hoping to have the opportunity to compete collegiately at the Division-I level.
CLICK IT OR TICKET
What’s your favorite sport to play? Why?Track, because there’s always an opportunity to better yourself and you can never become complacent.
What’s your favorite sports memory?I really enjoyed this year’s Drake Relays. It’s always a quality weekend when you can come away with a few PR’s, and I enjoyed celebrating a great weekend with my teammates.
Do you have any fun pre-game “rituals” that prepare you for an event?I don’t know if you’d call this fun, but I usually throw up. When I do, I know I’m going to have an excellent race!
Who inspires you? Why?Ajee’ Wilson inspires me because she’s extremely humble. She signed with Adidas out of high school and, despite being very young, carries herself like a veteran.
What’s your favorite subject in school? Why?I really enjoy chemistry! It’s never repetitive and the subject itself is very cut and dry. The periodic table is really interesting, and I enjoy working in the lab.
What is your dream job?To run professionally and major in chemistry or broadcast journalism.
Achievements
Photo by Tork Mason
of t
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Two schedules. Two uniforms. Two mindsets. Two teams.For Rose Ripslinger, a recent graduate from Davenport Assumption High School, it’s not
about taking one thing at a time. It’s about staying healthy, making memories, claiming titles and maintaining sanity all while balancing two sports in one season. And from an outsider’s perspective, she makes it look effortless.
“Two sports is extremely frustrating and extremely stressful for a player, but Rose knows that she’s capable of doing both things, so that’s why she does it,” said Jonathan Dreasler, Assumption’s head soccer coach.
Ripslinger has been a standout athlete on the track and the soccer field since day one. Four straight years of being named Gatorade Player of the Year in Iowa for soccer and four
consecutive appearances at the state track meet have proven her poise, talent and athleticism surpass any scheduling struggles Ripslinger may face.
But a stressful freshman year almost forced her to give up one of the sports she loves. Despite negotiated schedules from both coaching staffs, adjusting to the rigor and intensity of simultaneous seasons took a toll on Ripslinger.
“I was planning to do soccer and track, but I got really ill freshman year and I wasn’t sure if having track on top of soccer was going to be a detriment or not,” Ripslinger said.
The tension that accompanied Ripslinger’s first two-sport season did not go unnoticed, so her coaches took it into their own hands.
“Freshman year definitely wasn’t easy,” said Tim O’Neill, Assumption’s head track coach. “It got to the point where I just took it upon myself to create a weekly schedule. Myself and
our head soccer coach, we thought it was important, along with our administration, that we took the decision [scheduling conflicts between the two sports] out of the kids’ and the parents’ hands. We handled this as professionals and everyone else could follow suit.”
From there, with adjustments and continued communication between the coaches, parents and teammates, Ripslinger was able to adapt to a rigorous schedule and put her talents to good use. In her last four years, Ripslinger has been viewed as one of Assumption’s best athletes, and for good reason. Since joining the team as a freshman, Ripslinger and the Knights have won the Class 1A soccer state championship three years in a row and are prepared to make a return to the tournament this season. Not only that, but Ripslinger’s frequent appearances at the state track meet have also made headlines.
“I think that she’s relentless in the pursuit to get what she wants,” O’Neill said. “Every great athlete has a fear of failure, it doesn’t matter who you are, and just learning to understand that and overcome those types of things, she’s done of fantastic job throughout the years with that.”
Over the years, Ripslinger has embraced the chaos and has come into her own as an athlete, a teammate and a leader. According to her coaches, her growth in confidence and her constant humility have allowed her step up and stand out. Whether she’s asking her teammates for help, leading by example or encouraging her teammates to work hard, her personality and her charisma help make her the great athlete that she is.
“When it comes to how she acts and takes in the compliments and gets all the attention that she does, I guess in one word it would definitely have to be humility,” Dreasler said. “You’d never
DOUBLE PULLING A
RIPSLINGER A MULTI-SPORT STAR
ROSE
RIPSLINGER
2014 GIRLS STATE TRACK
Elizabeth Robinson | Managing Editor
ROSE RIPSLINGERSOCCER TRACK
• Gatorade Player of the Year (4x)• Class 3A State Champion (3x)*• 103 career goals scored*• 49 career assists*• 255 career points*
• State medalist (16x)• State champion (8x)• State runner-up (6x)• State meet record, 100-meter
dash (12.20 seconds)• State meet record, 200-meter
dash (24.85 seconds)*As of May 28
know if you met her on the street that she’s as good as she is, and it’s hands down her best attribute.”
Despite her humility and kind attitude, Ripslinger is a tough competitor. Last month, she flew past her peers at the state track meet with two first-place finishes and two state records in the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She also took second place in the 400-meter dash.
“When you set state records and you get second place out of a slower heat in another event, I don’t know that she could’ve had a better weekend to be honest with you,” O’Neill said of Ripslinger’s recent success at the state track meet. “It was a great exclamation point on her high school track career.”
But there’s not much time for celebration. Now, Ripslinger is on to the next thing – preparing for the upcoming run to the soccer state tournament. With her uninterrupted return to the soccer team for the remainder of the season, there’s a lot of polishing and preparation to be done. According to Ripslinger, though, the hard work she put in during the off-season and her training on the track help her prepare for the chaos of back-to-back state appearances.
2014 GIRLS STATE TRACK“It’s nice because you’re getting the strength and the speed
training for track, but it also helps you for soccer because you’re in shape, you’re really fit and your speed is just at top notch,” she said. “I’m just fortunate to have such great success in both sports. They both push you on to the next event and help you strive to want to keep doing better in both.”
Ripslinger’s high school athletic career is one to be admired, and it’s not over yet. Whatever may come in the next few weeks, whether it be a fourth-straight soccer championship title or not, Ripslinger’s hard work and success have left a mark on Iowa high school girls athletics.
“It has been an honest-to-God privilege just to be a part of the Rose Ripslinger ride over the last four years,” Dreasler said. “Being able to see where Rose has come from and where we’ve come to as a program by directly having Rose a part of it, it’s just been a fantastic ride and something in a coaching career that you see once. It’s just been amazing to be a part of it.”
Imagine the feeling of sensing someone’s presence; knowing someone is watching, but not seeing anyone around. The boys in this year’s Iowa high school track distance events know that feeling all too well. This year’s top distance runners – including Linn-Mar’s Josh Evans, Monticello’s Michael Melchert, Gilbert’s Thomas Pollard and Boone’s Albert Meier and Chandler Austin – are some of the best runners the state has ever seen. And although they didn’t compete against each other on a regular basis, they were constantly aware of their competitors’ presence.
“I knew at some point I would have to run against all of those guys and I knew if I wasn’t prepared they could kick my butt, so I used that as motivation,” Evans said.
This year, Evans, Melchert, Pollard, Meier and Austin put on a show for the state of Iowa at the Drake Relays and at the state track meet last month. Leading up to the state meet, each had their own successes, but they were nothing like the excitement that took place at Drake Stadium.
Last year’s achievements left high expectations for the boys distance crew, and the boys didn’t disappoint. Evans started off the excitement in the Class 4A 3,200-meter race. With the second all-time fastest time in the 3200-meter race, behind Meier, Evans got off to a quick start, which carried him through the entire race in front of the pack. Evans finished the race with a new state meet record of 9:00.97, and he was just as successful in his other events throughout the weekend.
“The four races that Josh Evans put together may never be surpassed,” said Mike Jay, a professional announcer and the voice of the Drake Relays and the state track meet. “Nine minutes for the 3,200 [-meter run], two 800’s under 1:51 and a 4:06 in the 1,600 [-meter run] all on the same weekend – that puts him with all of the national leaders. We may never see
that again.”Melchert added to the thrills with a first-place finish in the Class 2A 3,200-meter
run. After gradually making his was to the front throughout the first lap, Melchert maintained his first place position until the end of the race. Northeast’s Eli Kaczinski followed close behind throughout the first half of the race, but with three laps to go, Melchert broke away to take a big lead and finished with a personal best and a Class
2A meet record time of 9:17.69.According to Melchert, who placed fourth in the 3,200-meter run at the Drake Relays
behind Meier, Evans and Pollard, the intense competition he faced from them helped him prepare for the state meet.
“It adds a lot of confidence,” he said. “You go to the Drake Relays and it’s just everyone, then you come down to the state meet and there’s hardly any pressure at all compared to the Drake Relays.”
But Meier, Austin and Pollard could still feel the pressure. Boone’s distance duo, Meier and Austin, were the talk of the state meet last season. The pair finished in first and second place, respectively, in the Class 3A 3,200-meter run after finishing in reversed roles at the Drake Relays, just weeks before the state meet. Pollard finished close in third place, with only three seconds separating each of the top three finishers. At this year’s state meet, though, roles were
THOMAS
POLLARD
DISTANCEGOING THE:
LONG-TRACK RUNNERS SHINE
“
“
We are all average
guys but when you put
us together it makes us
elite athletes being able
to work together.
-Chandler Austin
2014 BOYS STATE TRACK
Elizabeth Robinson | Managing Editor
2014 BOYS STATE TRACKshuffled once again.
“Albert and I only see Pollard a couple times a year, so every time we do that, we’re going in thinking it’s going to be really, really hard and it’s going to be really fun,” Austin said.
At the sound of the gun, Pollard started out fast and strong to set a hot pace and take an immediate lead and control of the Class 3A 3,200-meter race. Meier and Austin followed in second and third, both alternating positions along the way. As they rounded the last curve with under 200-meters to go, Austin picked up the pace, just nearly catching Pollard. Pollard pushed and continued to extend his lead while all three front-runners ran on pace to beat a 35-year-old meet record. Pollard won the race with the second fastest 3200-meter time in the nation – 8:50.43 – and broke the Iowa all-time record in the event that stood for 40 years. All three runners finished faster than the previously held meet record of 9:07.06.“[Meier and Austin have] just been great competitors all of high school and I just looked up to them and their talent, and it’s just nice to finally beat them because they’ve had my number,” Pollard said.The record-breaking performances in the boys distance events were propelled by competitive spirits and the motivation that the competitors inadvertently instilled in each other. Although
Evans, Melchert, Pollard, Meier and Austin only faced off a select few times in their careers, they’ve helped each other grow, excel and accomplish what no one else has done.
“They’ve been relentless in pushing the pace,” Jay said. “I think they’re driven by each other. They seem to be a group of guys that knows each other well, cheers for each other and sincerely wants to see the others succeed.”
And they’ve done just that. The accomplishments and accolades that this year’s group of distance runners has garnered are second to none. With Pollard, a soon-to-be senior, leading the pack next year, the records could very well continue to fall. According to Jay, “Distance running is Iowa is alive and well.” But the success that Evans, Melchert, Meier and Austin, all recent graduates, have brought to distance running is unmatched.
“We’re all average guys but when you put us together, it makes us become elite athletes being able to work together,” Austin said. “I couldn’t do this by myself. It’s everyone around me – the competition pushing you to get to the next level. So I really appreciate that and all these guys.”
Senior | Boone
Junior | Hudson
Sophomore | Linn-M
arSenior | CB A
braham Lincoln
Stephanie JenksAlbert MeierPhoto by Tork Mason
Photo courtesy of The Des Moines Register
Photo by Tork Mason
Gafford capped a brilliant season on the oval with a stellar performance at the state track meet. The senior took home championships in the Class 4A 100- and 200-meter dashes to wrap up his high school career.
Jenks crushed Katie Flood’s Drake Relays record in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:26.87, beating the field by more than 30 seconds. She followed that up with a win in the 1,500-meter run, missing out on breaking Flood’s record in that event by just .43 seconds. She also took second place in the 800-meter run.
Bolton was fifth in Class 3A with 16 goals scored, second in the state with 16 assists and third with 48 points as of May 27. The senior was the driving force behind the Lynx’s 12-4 regular season record.
In this year’s Drake Relays boys 3,200-meter run, Meier fought his way to the front of a loaded field and won the race in 8:58.46, which was a Relays record and made Meier the first prep athlete to complete the event in under nine minutes. He also finished third in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:13.30.
Senior | Dow
ling Catholic
Senior | Camanche
Derek Harksen
Maddie BellPhoto by Tork Mason
Photo courtesy of Camanche High School
Bell was one of Class 2A’s best speedsters this spring and showcased her talents at the state track meet. She posted third place finishes in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, and won the 100-meter dash in 12.57 seconds. She also anchored the Pirates’ 800-meter medley relay that took first place in 1:47.75.
Harksen kept a vice grip on the sprinting events in Class 2A this spring. He took titles in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes at the state track meet and led the Indians to a sixth-place finish in the team race.
Rico GaffordPhoto courtesty of Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln
Delaney Bolton
Junior |Pleasant ValleyAddie Royer
Photo courtesy of Pleasant Valley High School
Royer has been the key for the Spartans’ attack on the pitch this season. The junior had tallied 17 goals scored, led the state with 18 assists and was among state leaders with 52 points as of May 27.
Senior | Columbus Com
munity
Alex CruzCruz is one of Class 1A’s most balanced offensive players. The senior was among state leaders in goals scored (24), assists (13) and points (61) as of May 27, and is a major reason for the Wildcats’ 8-3-1 record.
SpotlightIn the
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Photos were taken during the 2014 state track meet at Drake Stadium from May 22-24. All photos taken by Tork Mason
Each month we publish high school action photos from around the state. We would love to get yours! Send us your photos at [email protected]
Spotlight
The best a man can get.
Volume 2 Issue 9 17SportsSpotlight.com
HealtH and FitneSS
Since this is our first article, we thought a brief introduction would be important. We are Brian and Chad O’Meara, brothers who have been active in sports and fitness for our entire lives. Our fitness experiences (both good and bad) include playing many different sports, working out or training regularly, coaching at various levels and raising kids who have been very active in sports.
These experiences led us to a passion of helping, teaching and providing youth and their families a place to develop and achieve their sports and fitness objectives. Our business is called Ignit Sports & Fitness. This passion has also lead us here to share some of our thoughts, learning and opinions with others through a series of articles. Below are many benefits of youth sports & fitness along with things that detract from the overall experience. We hope this gives you some background and framework. We will explore many of these topics deeper in future articles.
Why are youth sports and fitness so important to us? It is good for your health and well-being or it should be! Done in the right way can be very fun, bring satisfaction and add self-confidence. It can help develop a strong work ethic, discipline and balance that can be used throughout your entire life. Playing sports can introduce you to teamwork, leadership and taking direction and feedback from a coach. Also, with the right approach, anyone can set and achieve objectives and measure progress. We feel there is as much or more benefit and joy from
practice and working out as there is in competing. If there are so many benefits to exercise and
sports, then why does it seem like so many kids are being left out or not enjoying it to its fullest? The reality is that society is asking more and more from our children at an earlier and earlier age, whether it is through the pressures of game competition or being asked to run a timed mile in front of the entire P.E. class at their grade school. Are they really prepared for all that is being asked of them?
Fitness and sports are focused too much on “winning now” versus individual development and best interest. Many times we have a bad experience with the way we get exposed to the fitness activity or sport. How many of those kids who are forced to run that timed mile in school really want to run again? Some kids are forced too early to make a choice on which sport to play or are labeled as a bad player or a superstar. A coach or parent yells at a child for making a mistake or worse yet takes them out of the competition. Many kids are asked to compete over and over again without proper instruction on techniques and training methods, risking undue pressure of failure or risking injury.
So what can be done? We believe very strongly that each child needs an individualized, age-appropriate fitness and sports program that supports their objectives and compliments their competitive team play. This allows them to holistically develop, building core strength, agility and speed to keep them healthy and optimize performance. It should
also include a comprehensive program on sport specific fundamentals and techniques at their pace of development.
To find out more, got to Ignitsport.com or contact us at either [email protected] or (515) 333-7714.
GET TO KNOW IGNITBy Brian and Chad O’Meara
18 SportsSpotlight.comVolume 2 Issue 9
Spring has finally sprung and it’s time to dust off the softball equipment, get out the basketball goal and start throwing the football around. These activities frequently result in a “jammed finger”. The most common joint injured is the middle joint of your finger. We’ve all had one, but when do you need to worry about it and see a doctor?
Well, just because “you can move it” doesn’t mean there isn’t a significant injury. There is never any harm in waiting a couple of days and if your pain goes away, then don’t worry. If it is still swollen and sore, then you should get it checked out. Some injuries to the middle joint are significant and, if left untreated, can result in permanent stiffness and arthritis.
A great place to go is the Urgent Injury Clinic at
DMOS. It specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of bone and joint injuries. Many times, buddy taping is all you need but if there is a more significant injury, a hand surgeon will be consulted to guide you through your treatment and return to your favorite sporting activity.
Information provided by Dr. Jeffrey Rodgers, Hand, Wrist and Elbow Surgeon, Des Moines Orthopaedic Surgeons (DMOS), 6001 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, (515) 224-5215.
DANG THAT HURT! WHAT TO DO ABOUT A JAMMED FINGER?HealtH and FitneSS
