August 9, 2007

sports

There is love at the church of t-ball

By Jimmy Chesire

My friend Gary takes me to Temple Israel on a Friday night and the cantor’s singing is magical, marvelous.

My friend Cheryl’s funeral is at the Central Chapel AME Church and I hear the Reverend Dr. John E. Freeman (Pastor John) preach — with humor; majestically; and down to earth at the same time; with love, with power, with goodness galore.

My student-friend Sunni invites me to the Hindu Community Organization Temple and Lord Krishna’s love and kindness radiates from the shimmering, golden curtain, filling my heart.

My Muslim friend Abdul, e-mails greetings and prayers — “O Merciful One! Heal and love my family, my friends, my enemies” — bringing me peace.

My Ojibwa teacher friend Doug loves his grandchild with a holy patience and leads me to the Great Spirit in the Glen, in the Emporium, in the street.

My Buddhist artist-friend Ken frames my pictures and teaches me radical compassion: “We become the deer. We become you. We are One.”

My Taoist brother, he is gone now, we called him Tennessee, he shows me the Way of the Tao, this loving mysterious force at work in nature, in the universe, leading, healing, guiding, allowing everyone and everything.

My principled atheist friend Tom, believing in truth, beauty and goodness, in liberty, justice and equality, shows me how miraculous is the mind, how limitless the human spirit, how sacred the imagination.

And I go not to church nor temple nor mountain top, but to t-ball at Gaunt Park where a 9-year-old Emma says, “Let’s have a final run, an end of season run,” and we do, and it’s the perfect way to end a near-perfect season; where my grown daughter, Adrienne, surprises me, showing up all glamorous, just from a wedding of a former t-ball dad, and it, too, is perfect and loving; where a 3-year-old Devyn comes up to me and says, “Thank you for a great season;” where Luka’s parents, and Eamonn’s parents, and Rachel and Sara’s parents, and Joseph and Eliza’s parents, and Ian’s parents, and Laura, Mary, James and Edward’s parents, and Callie’s parents, and Nathan and Lisa’s parents, and Nathan and Aiden’s parents, and Liam’s parents, and Hannah’s parents, and Kylie and Caden’s parents, and Ameer, Ahmad, Amani and Aamil’s parents, and Lake and Skyler’s parents, and Maxwell and Sloane’s parents, and Stephanie and Peter’s parents, and Riley and Matthew’s parents, and Aidan J. and Liam P’s parents; and Emily and Ethan’s parents, and Rylee’s parents, and Deena’s parents, and Sophie’s parents, and Sarah and Dylan’s parents, and Keldan’s parents, and Anneliese and Dominick’s parents, and Malaya and Malik’s parents, and Eliza and Miles’s parents, and Camryn’s parents, and Russell’s parents, and Samuel’s parents, and Tyson’s parents, and Sean’s parents, and David’s parents, and Jorrie and Galen’s parents, and Jay’s parents, and Jasmine’s parents, and Sara’s parents, and Cedar’s parents, and Parker and Jackson’s parents, and Austin and Logan’s parents, and Lucy and Sam’s parents, and Devin’s parents, and Emma, Eric and Krista’s parents and Austin’s parents — they give as generously as they get, saying, “Thank you,” “Thank you,” “Thank you.” “Good season.” “See ya next year.”

I go not to church nor temple nor mountain top. I go to t-ball.
And there is love.

I go not to church nor temple nor mountain top. I go to t-ball. And there is spirit.

I go not to church nor temple nor mountain top. I go to t-ball. And it is good. It is rich. It is perfectly wonderful. Making my heart soar.

I cannot thank you enough.

And that’s the Perry League, Yellow Springs’ amazing t-ball program for all the community’s children ages 2–9 regardless of race, color or creed. We’ve just wrapped up another fine season and hope to see you next summer -— in the meantime, if your child didn’t get his or her trophy, call me, Jimmy Chesire, at 767-7300. We got trophies for all the kids and we deliver (“Deliver! Are you mad?” No, not at all. Just think of how grateful a 4-year-old child can be when you come knocking on his or her door with a trophy just for them? Pretty darn grateful, let me tell you.)

Thanks again, everybody. Thanks a lot. We’ve just done a very wonderful thing. And if you’ve got that Perry League spirit, then you know that that is exactly what we ought to have done. Thanks, y’all. See ya next summer.

Seadogs sink without key swimmers

By Ali Thomas

The Yellow Springs Seadogs were handed their swimsuits by the Clinton County girls team in the rain-shortened meet at Gaunt Park on July 17. While the boys held their own, the girls could do little against an onslaught in all the swimming strokes, in all the age groups. Some rays of sunshine in the otherwise stormy evening were the three individual first places by both Megan Carlson and Jesse Jewell. The end result was Yellow Springs girls, 44, to Clinton County girls, 144; and Seadog boys, 69, to Clinton County boys, 90. The total was Yellow Springs, 113, CC, 234.

On July 24, at the Gaunt Park pool, Yellow Springs met the Waynesville Blue Dolphins for the second time this season. Missing a few key swimmers, the seadogs lost the close meet during the relays where the winning team gets seven points and second place gets zip. Nathan Gillman-Baggett, with three individual firsts, led the Seadog boys to narrow victory over the Blue Dolphins. Taylor Massie, who also won each of her individual events, led the girls scoring. The final: Yellow Springs girls, 138, Waynesville, 189, Seadog boys, 146, Blue Dolphins, 145. The total was Yellow Spring, 284, Waynesville Blue Dolphins, 334.

The results for the July 17, match against Clinton County were as follows:
Girls: 6 and under, Maleah Gillman-Baggett, 1st, 25 backstroke;
8 and under, Julie Roberts, 3rd, 25 butterfly;
9–10, Danielle Williamson, 3rd, 50 freestyle, 100 individual medley;
11–12, Megan Carlson, 1st, 50 butterfly, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 100 individual medley; Mary Lewis, 2nd, 50 backstroke; Hannah Baise, 3rd, 50 backstroke;
15–18, Taylor Massie, 1st, 100 freestyle, 2nd, 50 butterfly; Jordan Reynolds, 3rd, 50 butterfly; Maria Pettit, 2nd, 50 backstroke; Miriam Barcus, 3rd, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke; Barcus, Massie, Pettit, Sanders, 1st, 200 medley relay.

Boys: 6 and under, Elliot Wiggins, 1st, 25 backstroke; Jacob Woodburn, 2nd, 25 backstroke;
8 and under, Nathan Gillman-Baggett, 2nd, 25 butterfly;
9–10, Theron Orme, 1st, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 25 butterfly, 3rd, 100 individual medley; Fielding Lewis, 1st, 25 backstroke, 2nd, 100 individual medley; Aman Ngqakayi, 2nd, 50 freestyle, 3rd, 25 backstroke; Gabriel Day, 3rd, 25 butterfly; Lewis, Ngqakayi, Orme, Elcessor, 1st, 100 medley relay.
11–12, Eli Biggs, 3rd, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 50 backstroke;
13–14, Jesse Jewell, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 50 backstroke; Zeb Reichert, 3rd, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke.
15–18, Danny Powderly, 1st, 100 freestyle; Zane Reichert, 2nd, 50 backstroke, 3rd, 100 freestyle.

The results for the July 24, meet against the Waynesville Blue Dolphins were as follows:
Girls: 6 and under, Emma Reed, 1st, 25 backstroke, 25 freestyle; Maleah Gillman-Baggett, 2nd, 25 freestyle, 3rd, 25 backstroke;
8 and under, Julie Roberts, 1st, 25 butterfly, 2nd, 25 freestyle, 3rd, 25 breaststroke; Annie Welsh, 2nd, 25 butterfly; Aza Hurwitz, 3rd, 25 backstroke; Roberts, Davidson, Hurwitz, Welsh, 1st, 100 medley relay, 100 free relay;
9–10; Sophia Davidson, 1st, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 25 butterfly, 100 medley relay; Charlotte Walkey, 1st, 25 freestyle, 3rd, 25 backstroke, 25 breaststroke; Zoey McKinley, 2nd, 50 freestyle, 25 breaststroke;
11–12, Paloma Wiggins, 2nd, 50 breaststroke; Hannah Baise, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke;
13–14, Mercedes Mesa, 2nd, 50 freestyle, 3rd, 50 breaststroke;
15–18, Taylor Massie, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 butterfly, 50 breaststroke; Miriam Barcus, 1st, 50 backstroke, 2nd, 100 freestyle; Barbara Jewell, 1st 100 individual medley, 2nd, 50 butterfly, 3rd, 50 breaststroke; Chloe Ramsay, 1st, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 50 breaststroke; Rachel Biggs, 2nd, 50 backstroke; Barcus, Biggs, Jewell, Ramsay, 1st, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay.

Boys: 6 and under, Elliot Wiggins, 2nd, 25 backstroke, 25 freestyle; Jacob Woodburn, 3rd, 25 backstroke, 25 freestyle;
8 and under, Nathan Gillman-Baggett, 1st, 25 butterfly, 25 breaststroke, 25 freestyle; Jeff Crawford, 1st, 25 backstroke, 2nd, 25 breaststroke, 3rd, 25 freestyle; Cameron Haught, 2nd, 25 backstroke; Fisher Lewis, 3rd, 25 backstroke; Gillman-Baggett, Lewis, Crawford, Youssef Reed, 1st, 100 medley relay, 100 free relay;
9–10, Aman Ngqakayi, 1st, 50 freestyle, 25 breaststroke, 2nd, 25 backstroke; Fielding Lewis, 3rd, 50 freestyle; Joseph Elcessor, 3rd, 25 backstroke, 100 individual medley; Lewis, Elcessor, Ngqakayi, Liam Weigand, 1st, 100 free relay;
11–12, Chris Brown, 2nd, 100 freestyle, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 50 butterfly; Eli Biggs, 3rd, 50 backstroke; Nkosi Ngqakayi, 3rd, 50 freestyle;
13–14, Jesse Jewell, 1st, 100 freestyle, 100 individual medley, 3rd, 50 butterfly; Kevin Brown, 1st, 50 butterfly, 50 freestyle, 2nd, 100 freestyle; Zeb Reichert, 1st, 50 backstroke, 3rd, 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle;
15–18, Danny Powderly, 1st, 50 butterfly, 100 individual medley, 50 breaststroke; Zane Reichert, 1st, 100 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 50 freestyle.

YSHS alumni soccer game

The annual Yellow Springs High School alumni soccer games will be held on Saturday, Aug. 18, with the girls game kicking off at 5 p.m., followed by the boys game at 7 p.m. Any alumni who played soccer for YSHS is invited to participate, and should come dressed to play wearing a dark blue uniform. For additional information, contact Bill or Lynn Hardman at 767-8433.

YSHS golf team to begin practices

The Yellow Springs High School golf team will begin the season with practices scheduled at Locust Hills, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., Aug. 10, 14, 15, 21, 22, 27, 28.

The match schedule for August is:
Aug. 13, Locust Hills*, 4:30 p.m.;
Aug. 16, at Greeneview, 4:30 p.m.;
Aug. 17, at Northridge, 9 a.m.;
Aug. 20, at Miami Valley, TBD;
Aug. 23, TBD, 4:30 p.m.;
Aug. 29, Locust Hills*, 4:30 p.m.;

*home matches

For more information, contact YSHS Golf Coach Mike Reichert at 767-1073.