Mrs. McGrath Goes to Japan -- Donations Welcome. No, Really :)

Elizabeth and Jim

I am proud to announce that my wife Elizabeth,
shown on the right, will be serving as a citizen
delegate for Sister Cities of Newport News next
month. Where the designation is an honor, it
is also quite expensive. (Comparing point of
note -- did you know that Olympians families
have to raise their own funds to go see their
son/daughter compete?) I've given until it hurts (still) and now I'm happy to ask on her behalf. Of course, Elizabeth has a link and a statement. The 
link is below. Please read and feel free to support her cause.

http://www.gofundme.com/c8jx1w

Hi, everyone! I am departing on October 15. I could really use some support, as I am preparing to purchase my ticket and meeting my host family in Neyagawa, Japan. I am looking forward to this adventure. I will represent not only the City of Newport News but also Juvenile Services Education. For those in the Southeast Virginia region, I plan to sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts to help with expenses as well. 

Please spread the word for this worthwhile cause on your social media pages. Thanks in advance for your support. 

Love, Mrs. McGrath

John Harvey Starts Rev City Sports

My friend John Harvey, former sports editor of the Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg (VA), has started a new venture, and indeed it is a bold one. A couple of months ago, he made the decision to launch Rev City Sports, (revcitysports.com), a website dedicated to the coverage of youth, high school, amateur -- basically, all sports offerings in the greater Williamsburg area. 

An operation which started from a Blogger.com platform has since found its own web home (thanks to Williamsburg Web Works), and some early sponsorship assistance. Of course, as noted in John's introduction below, he is in search of site advertisers, as well as story ideas.

"RevCitySports.com is the premiere online site or sports news in greater Williamsburg. If a sporting event is happening in the area, you can find the results here. From youth sports to middle school sports, to high school and college athletics, you can find it here. John Harvey is a veteran sports writer in the area with 15 years experience covering everything from Pickleball to football. If folks have a story idea or if a company would like to advertise on the site, have them contact me at jharvey@revcitysports.com or via Twitter @RevCitySports."

Fortunately, John has a lot of juice behind the operation. As a reporter, he was recognized by the Virginia Press Association as one of the top writers in the state, garnering 22 VPA awards for sports writing, as well as photography, page design, headline writing and multi-media production. Fans of Rev City are quick to note the video footage which accompanies several of the articles, as well as the sharp use of graphics and sleek two-column design for stories.

Readership is on the upswing, so be the first on your block (especially if your block is on the Historic Triangle!) to give an eyeful to Rev City Sports.

"Life Treats You the Way You Treat It" - Book Update

Labor Day has rolled past, and it is time to assess where D'Shawn and I are with the book project.
At our current rate, we'll be ready for the holidays. The publicity pictures have been taken and a working cover has been designed.

The photo day was interesting. D'Shawn poses for pictures all the time between the bodybuilding routines and other photo shoots. Me, not so much.

That's not a problem. Fortunately, I'm the organizer of the story and not its main subject. It would be odd for me to end up standing out in any picture of us. As I always joke -- a line I stole from 1980's comedian Steve Mittleman -- Let me tell you about my modeling career. I used to model socks  --- on the radio <rim shot!>

The working book cover looks great!

I hope that this ends up being the cover we go with. Some Facebook comments have noted that it looks too much like an evangelist looking toward the heavens. I think it fits the topic. D'Shawn says a lot of things about belief and confidence and looking for inspiration. In my frame of mind, this picture is a great metaphor for the message.

Right now, I'm figuring that we are at roughly 75 pages. Keep in mind -- we're not setting out to rewrite "War and Peace." Our aim starts with the minimum of 150 pages. The goal is to provide the type of book that someone could carry around in a purse or gym bag. I'd like to push closer to 200, but realize it will be a lot of work. But there will be some pictures of Body By D events, and perhaps some excerpts from other writings about D'Shawn, the gym clients, trainers, and surely the BBD movement in general.

Lex Gillette

We have found a worthy candidate to write the forward. Lex Gillette is one of the most amazing people you will ever encounter. Blind since the age of 7, he has become renowned for his feats in the long jump, clearing about 22 feet as a world class Paralympic athlete. He also writes music, plays instruments, and does a number of other things that one might not expect from a person who is sight impaired. However, he lives daily by his own creed - "No need for sight when you have a vision!" Travis Masters, my editor at TrackNation magazine, found Lex's story a couple of years ago and gave me the assignment. Our article can be found at this link http://tracknation.com/trackside2/ on page 19.

As it stands now, we are on target to have the book ready toward the middle of November, and just in time for the Holidays! Plan ahead and get ready for our drop date.

Peninsula Catholic's McKenna Prepares for Next Run as Auburn Tiger

After a record setting senior year with Peninsula Catholic,
Molly McKenna has made a huge jump in competition,
now competing for Auburn University of the SEC.

On the heels of the most successful outdoor  track season for any female distance runner in Peninsula (VA) history, Peninsula Catholic’s Molly McKenna found herself in a unique and unusual position. Just the year before, she had been overshadowed by teammates such as Martine Hunnicutt, who won the Daily Press cross-country female runner of the year, but established herself as the solid #2 or #3 harrier on a team which won the VISAA Division II crown in 2012, beating teams such as Walsingham Academy and Wakefield School — solid squads, but like the Knights, ones which represented schools with under 500 students.

Even at the previous week’s State Catholic meet, the largest team Peninsula Catholic faced was Fairfax’s Paul VI high school, a member of the prestigious Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, but still, a school which would qualify as Group 4A (out of six) under the newest Virginia High School League (VHSL) conferencing alignment.

But in spite of her regular doses of small school competition, between these schools and the TCIS (Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools) meets which her Newport News school competed in, McKenna broke out in a big way during her senior year, setting 1600 (5:00) and 3200-meter (10:47) records for the Virginia Peninsula, marks which rivaled those of the public school standouts in the southern half of the state. 

By the end of the 2014 outdoor track season, McKenna was a full-fledged blue chip recruit, but one who had peaked too late for many schools to notice, much less hold scholarships for. 

Fortunately, late appearances at the MileStat.com Elite Track Classic and New Balance Nationals helped her star shine as graduation neared.

PC girls cross-country coach Susan Bender recalls the move that inspired her star runner’s leap of faith into college, marked by a jump from the TCIS and VISAA conferences of private school Virginia straight into the SEC as the newest cross-country and track runner for Auburn University.

“I believe they contacted her and had her come visit the campus.  She really liked the school and the coaches and the few runners she met.”

Even McKenna saw the unfolding of events as something beyond the ordinary.

“I actually can't remember exactly why I applied to Auburn, but did so pretty late in the game and kind of out of the blue. I knew very little about the school, but I guess it was just meant to be.”

In fact, her two day official visit to Auburn also marked her first excursion to Alabama. But McKenna’s first impression was her lasting one.

“It just had the right feel to it. (There’s) no other way to put it.”

Her start as a political science major has been an auspicious one so far. McKenna made the trip south on August 6th, and reports that  “Aside from some homesickness, the transition has been very easy, thanks to the great team and coaching staff here. It truly is like moving in with a second family. After one week, I already feel at home. And I'm really enjoying this level of training."

Any worry about her new SEC competition, which includes nationally ranked Arkansas (#7) and Vanderbilt (#23), as well as Florida and Alabama?

“The pressure is on, but it's a good pressure. I can feel the potential for great things down here.” 

She also added that her “classes are great! I'm loving being able to focus on subjects that really interest me.”

Somewhat surprisingly, a look into the 2014 Auburn cross-country media guide shows that McKenna also sports the fastest 1600 and 3200 times among her five person incoming class. But the 18-year olds goals remain modest and have nothing to do with breaking a certain time barrier.

“I have several goals, but my main ones are to stay healthy, drop time, and score for the team.”

At this point, there is no benchmark. The college women run many of their races at the 6 kilometer distance, one which McKenna admits she does not have a time for. But there is one other goal, and for that, she makes note of the September 26th entry on the Auburn schedule, the Panorama Farms meet, hosted by the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville.

Thinking back to the VISAA meets at the scenic Woodberry Forest campus in nearby Orange, VA, she adds, “I'm really hoping to travel for that race. It would be nice to see Virginia in the fall.”

Newport News (VA) to Host Inaugural "One City" Marathon in March 2015

Although it shouldn’t be viewed as a move to secede from the Hampton Roads (VA) region, the founders of its newest marathon have opted to call the race which will begin and finish in Newport News, Virginia, the “One City Marathon.”

Surprisingly, fitting a marathon into this one city isn’t that hard of a feat. Starting at the far north end of town in Newport News Park, the race course makes some diversions into local neighborhoods, but still manages to follow a mostly north to south course which covers all 26.2 miles of the race. This becomes more understandable when one learns that the narrow city of Newport News measures about 24 miles from top to bottom.

Along with the self-identifying race title, the inaugural marathon has also been scheduled for March 15, 2015, exactly one week before the annual Shamrock Marathon in neighboring Virginia Beach.

Ironically, one person who may be vexed by this scheduling impasse is also one of the most visible spokespersons. Last year, Desiree Williams, the  representing the state as Miss Virginia 2013, completed her first marathon on the flat Shamrock oceanfront course. This year, as a Newport News resident, doctoral student at nearby Hampton University, avid runner and professional yoga instructor, and public figure, she was asked to help promote the One City race.

Asked whether she was planning on running the race itself, Williams wants to keep her options open. 

“I will be running an event as well as presenting at the Health & Wellness Expo, but I have not yet determined whether I will run the marathon or the 8K,” said Williams.

Desiree Williams will be involved with
the One City Marathon, as a
spokesperson, and runner, although her
race has not been decided yet.

I’m looking forward to the event. Although 33 years have passed since the last time I ran a marathon, it is inspiring to see an event which has the opportunity to enhance community pride, while encouraging physical fitness and spirited competition. One of my favorite memories of completing the Marine Corps Marathon three times was seeing the swarms of people who lined the course from Rte. 110 in Arlington, through Crystal City, over the Key Bridge into Georgetown, around the Capitol, into West Potomac Park, around Hains Point, back over the 14th St. Bridge and toward the finish at the Iwo Jima Memorial. Tens of thousands of people showed up and made the day for the thousands more competitors.

The One City Marathon has the chance to bring the community together, for this year, and hopefully many more to come. Stay tuned here for more race updates.

Yorktown's Burden Wins FINA World Championship in Masters Diving

Just received word from Jim Burden, one of my former article/post subjects, that he won the gold medal for 1-meter diving at the recent FINA world event in Montreal. For the record, Jim is the diver who found his way back into the sport after a 38-year absence. Now 61, Burden also placed third in the 3-meter competition. As he told me,"I can't believe it really happened!" Coming off of 2nd place finishes in the U.S. meet, it is quite a feat. Congratulations Jim, and I look forward to covering this in more detail in the very near future.

Southeastern Virginia Swimming's "Magnificent Seven" 13-14 Year Olds Break U.S.A. Top 200 Rankings

Most of article is shown as published in the Hampton, Newport News and York County Town Square sections of the DAILY PRESS on Thursday, July 17, 2014

The pride of SEVA Swimming -
Danika Katzer, Jenna Thompson, Morgan Miller,
 Jacqueline Tinneny,Skyler Dewall, Kathryn Nunez,
 Andrea Ducar

In organized sports, coaches, athletes and fans are known to long for the fairy tale season involving their favorite team.

This summer, Jeff Kincaid, coach of the Southeastern Virginia Seahawks swim team, has been living through the experience, both literally and figuratively.

That’s because seven of his 13 year old age group female swimmers have pierced through the plateau of the Top 200 IM Xtreme national rankings established by USA Swimming, Inc. The rankings, which Kincaid says are “a motivating factor” to all of his swimmers, is based on a point system for key races starting at 100 meters, including the freestyle and individual medley.

Two of the Seahawks, Danika Katzer and Jacqueline Tinneny, both of Yorktown, have even made it into the Top 20. Katzer has scored in 14 different events, the most of any individual  in Virginia, while Tinneny’s strength comes from being the highest ranked in the breaststroke.

Joining the pair in the rankings are fellow Seahawk teammates Morgan Miller (highest rank 35th), Jenna Thompson (#81), Skyler Dewall (#112), Andrea Ducar (#129) and Kathryn Nunez (#189).

For Kincaid, the success of his 13 year olds all part of a group effort, one which has earned a nickname from their coach, a moniker that associates more with Walt Disney than Mark Spitz.

“They’re like the Seven Dwarfs,” says Kincaid, now in his third year at the helm of the Seahawks. “Each one brings unique personalities to the pool.”

And while the Dwarfs reference may sound demeaning, it engages the larger effort involved with youth swimming, an effort that requires six days a week of summer workouts, which on a recent Tuesday at the Midtown Aquatic Center in Newport News, began at 5:45 AM.

“We try to do fun things to keep the swimmers happy,” adds Kincaid. “If this were easy, every child would be up at 5 AM to go to practice.”

Katzer and Tinneny are no strangers to the early morning regimen. Both have been swimmers for at least six years, and Tinneny in particular has a master plan to keep her summer schedule as regular as possible.

“It’s exhausting,” says the rising ninth grader, who will enter Grafton High School this fall. “I have to go home after practice and take a nap,” a comment which drew a knowing nod from Katzer.

The hard work is paying dividends.

Last month, at the CGBD (Coast Guard Blue Dolphins) Summer Madness meet at the Midtown Center, the younger swimmers were able to match up with older competitors in “Super Finals” races, which were open to all age groups. Both Katzer and Tinneny matched up well with more accomplished swimmers, such as Peyton Baldwin and Nicole Piercy from Hampton Roads Academy. In one memorable race, the 200-meter freestyle, Katzer held her own against former Menchville star and current University of Tennessee standout Amanda carnet, keeping up for several laps before fading behind by 1.7 seconds, still good enough for a respectable second place finish.

“Danica really pushed her (Carner) to the limit,” said Kincaid. Katzer looked at the opportunity as “really fun.”

Next up for the Seahawks was the non-scoring Summer Awards meet, the Senior Champs, and finally, the Age Group Championships, which was held at the Christianburg Aquatic Center in southwest Virginia. At the Age Group Championships, SEVA collected enough points to win the girls 13-14 age group title for Midsize team, while Katzer won high points award for the age group. 

However, the Seahawks alignment with Katzer will be ending soon as her military family will be relocating to Northern Virginia before the beginning of next season.

Is Derek Jeter The Last of The Cooperstown One-Teamers?

If you choose to believe the utterances of a few baseball analysts, last Monday may have signaled the recognition of a crossroads in the game. On this evening, soon-to-retire Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter passed Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski for seventh place on the all-time hits list. In true Jeter fashion, the Captain needed two hits going into the contest against the Texas Rangers and belted out three against Yu Darvish to tie, then break Yaz’s standard of 3,419.

Although Boston’s Number Eight won baseball’s Triple Crown in 1967, neither player is viewed as a stat monster, but rather as models of consistency for their respective organizations. Despite their high career ranking on the hit parade, neither Jeter nor Yastrzemski is the greatest ballplayer in their franchise’s history. Yaz takes second place to Ted Williams, while a strong argument can be made that Jeter is only the fifth greatest Yankee to wear the pinstripes, unless one truly believes that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle were lesser talents.

So why were the talking heads of the diamond rumbling on Tuesday morning? Because, the case is being made that Jeter, along with Robin Yount, George Brett and Cal Ripken Jr., are the last of a dying breed – players who cobbled out a Hall of Fame career without ever switching team uniforms.

After Albert Pujois chose to forego an offer from his St. Louis Cardinals several years ago, and take the money hiding in the shadow of Disneyland with the Anaheim Angels, several assumed that it would be a long time before any star player spent his whole career with the same team.

I hope they’re wrong, and would like to introduce several potential Hall of Famers as examples of the new wave of one team – one career.

The first one is Pujois’ teammate with the Angels, Mike Trout. Even at 21, Trout has become not just the game’s most dominant young player, but one of its most dominant overall. His team has already taken notice, signing the outfielder to a six year, $144.5 million deal, which keeps Trout near L.A. until 2019. Given his employer’s initial show of good faith, there’s a good chance that he will stay in sunny Southern California for the duration.

Close by, the Dodgers inked two-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw for seven years for $180 million. Given that his predecessors at Chavez Ravine include Hall of Famers such as Koufax and Drysdale, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the young fireballer stay near the fun and sun while earning his way to Cooperstown.

It’s not just a West Coast thing. In New York, the Mets recently signed David Wright to a long term deal (with $19.3 million in 2014) in the hopes of developing a face for their franchise. While Wright’s numbers may elude HoF status, especially with the recent decision to reduce Hall eligibility to ten years, with a .299 career batting average, 1,668 hits and 230 home runs at age 31, he’s still capable of making the cut.

Heading toward the Nation’s Capital, the O’s of Baltimore may have found its Ripken incarnate in the form of young Manny Machado. The early returns are optimistic for the third baseman, still just 22 years old. But the Birds are getting only spending $519,000 for Machado’s services this season, and will have to buckle down (and pay up) to keep his talent within the confines of Camden Yards.

Finally, from the banks of the Anacostia River, the Washington Nationals have a trio of ballplayers who could fit the Old Faithful Mold for Old DC. One, Ryan Zimmerman, has already been identified as the future of Nats baseball. While a cursory look at his stats so far (184 HR, over 700 RBI at age 29) doesn’t say Hall of Fame, one could argue that 6-8 consecutive seasons of 25 HR, 90 RBI starting in 2015 could have Zimm in sight of 400 homers and 1500 ribbies by age 35 – much more respectable in the eyes of Hall voters. But he'll have to at least beat Ron Santo’s career numbers (342 HR, 1331 RBI) to have any shot.

The other two candidates should come as no surprise – Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper. Both entered the show with high hopes and a mountain of press clippings. The Nationals are spending a shade over $6 million to keep both players. The reasonable assumption is that one will eventually be traded, and with “only” 36 wins (against 28 losses) at age 25, plus previous Tommy John surgery, my guess would be that Strasburg will be dealt after his current contract expires. The trade wheels could start turning following his likely arbitration hearing after this season.

Why keep Harper? Aside from putting butts in the seats, he’s still a major talent waiting to happen. If not for Trout, and now Machado, Harper would continue to be considered the game’s next bright light. And last night, he became the eighth youngest player in MLB history to record 300 hits. We tend to forget that he’s still only 21.

From TrackNation Magazine - Bahamas' Demetrius Pinder Owns the Fast Track

From the latest TrackNation magazine, which can be found at (issue6.tracknation.com). 

For Demetrius Pinder, the rise to the top of the track world and fall from grace was swift and sudden. But with a new training partner, and a renewed sense of urgency, the Bahamian 400-meter sensation should be ready to contend for a pair of medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

At 25, Pinder's best days may be coming
in the not too distant future

If Pinder makes it to the podium in Brazil, it won’t be his first trip. Just two summers ago, in London, he teamed with Chris Brown, Michael Mathieu and Ramon Miller to shock a favored American squad in the 4x400 relay, and win the coveted Olympic gold. Their time of 2:56.72 was almost unheard of, considering the best one-lap times for each individual runner.

Winning a gold medal at the age of 23 turned into a blessing and a curse for Pinder. With his newfound fame came new contacts. Through the power of social media, he found one of the demigods of his event, the 400-meters, two-time Olympic champion Lashawn Merritt.

“He invited me to come out and train with them,” recalls Pinder, who accepted the offer and made the trip to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Pinder was not new to the States, having starred at Texas A&M while majoring in liberal arts and theater at College Station.  At A&M, he broke the Bahamas national indoor 400 record, held by Brown, with a 45.33 winning time at the 2011 NCAA Division I Championships.

He was also accustomed to success on the world stage, having placed second in the 400 at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul.

Training with Merritt during the summer of 2013, under Coach Loren Seagrave, Pinder’s confidence grew quickly. Although his best time of 44.77 in the 400 was a second slower than his new training partner, the pair matched up well in workouts, a point noted as other athletes left the group.

The excited Bahamian quartet after shocking the world to
capture Olympic gold in the 4x400 relay

“We started out with a few guys early in the season,” says Pinder. “But after a while, it was just us.” With a home meet in the Bahamas on tap for later that summer, and with Merritt in the field, the stage was set for a major 400 win.

“I was feeling good, at home, with some good people in the race. At practice, I had the same foot speed as him (Merritt) and I was ready for a good time drop. In my mind, I thought – anything can happen.”

As the gun went off in his hometown of Freeport, Pinder took off. From Lane 4, it didn’t take long to make up the stagger to Merritt in Lane 5. But there was a problem.

To read the rest of this article, please go to page 27 at issue6.tracknation.com. 

Then and Now - The Pride of Trinidad and Tobago Track -- Ato Boldon!!

I was happy to have the recent opportunity to interview former track star and current NBC sports Emmy-nominated analyst Ato Boldon a few weeks ago. We were having a tough time linking up, and once I realized that he'd be staying in Florida for an 18 hour window, I was happy to conduct the interview from my car right after ordering dinner. Fortunately, I made it back before the food arrived!

This excerpt was from the article introduction. For the actual Q&A, please visit the latest issue of TrackNation magazine at issue6.tracknation.com. I am happy to report that our Facebook page now has over 89,000 likes!

Boldon in his racing prime, running for Trinidad and Tobago

It’s not surprising that a man who has run the 100-meters in 9.86 is hard to catch. But even 15 years after his personal best time in Lausanne, Switzerland, Ato Boldon remains a man on the move, and tough to track down. TrackNation managed to spend a few minutes with the 4-time Olympic medal winner on a recent Monday afternoon. He was home in Florida just the day after arriving from New York, where he had served as the lead analyst for the IAAF Diamond League Adidas Grand Prix meet as part of the NBC Sports broadcasting team, which includes Leigh Diffey, Lewis Johnson, and fellow Olympian Dwight Stones. 

These days, Boldon is earning his
professional reputation in front of the camera,
even earning an Emmy nomination
for his sports coverage with NBC.

But the visit home was a brief one. The following day, the native of Trinidad and Tobago was readying to board a plane to Guyana, to work with 1988 Jamaican track Olympic silver medalist Grace Jackson, giving several lectures in a national sports management workshop held by the Guyanese government.

Along with his broadcasting duties, which last year earned him an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Sports Personality, Boldon also serves as a sprint coach for NFL hopefuls, a pilot, speaker, filmmaker, talk show host, former politician, and ambassador for the IAAF.

Boldon’s emergence on the track started at a young age. In 1992, at 18, he found his way on to the world spotlight after two double gold medal winning performances (100 and 200 meters) at the CAC Junior Championships, and the World Junior Championships. This earned him a spot on the Trinidad and Tobago Olympic team which competed in Barcelona. Later, he won two NCAA titles with UCLA, the second one breaking a collegiate record in the 100 meters with a 9.92. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he earned the first two of his medals, scoring bronze in the open sprints. The following year saw a world championship, in the 200 at the Athens World Championships. In 1997, Boldon also clocked his best mark in the 200, with a blazing 19.77 performance in Stuttgart, Germany. He followed with more gold in 1998 at the Commonwealth (100-meter) and Goodwill (200-meter) Games.

After several more world and Olympic medals, Bolton completed his track career at the age of 30, soon after helping his home country to its first-ever Olympic finals in the 4x100 relay at the 2004 Athens Games. Since retiring, his professional life has been a whirlwind of activity.

A year away from competition, he wrote, produced and directed the film “Once In A Lifetime: Boldon in Bahrain,” a documentary which followed the sprinter and country mates to Bahrain to follow their soccer team in its attempt to qualify for first FIFA World Cup, which it did,  becoming the smallest nation to ever qualify.

His broadcasting career, in particular, has been receiving notice at all levels. In 2014, he was teamed with Cris Collinsworth (who beat him out for last year’s Outstanding Sports Personality Emmy), and Mary Carillo for Winter Olympic coverage.  Said the New York Times (in 2008), “Boldon has emerged as one of NBC’s best analysts, a blend of athletic smarts, charisma, precise analysis and brashness.”

Most recently, Boldon received another honor, being selected to work with the Doha Goals forum, a 10-member committee which hosted a “Ministers of Sport Summit” last December. Joining him on the committee were such sports legends as Nadia Comaneci, Boris Becker, Bart Conner, and fellow track world champions Wilson Kipketer and Jonathan Edwards.

To read the interview -- click here

Yorktown (VA) Father and Son - Two DiMaggio's Earn Black Belts Together

As published in the Newport News, Hampton, and York County/Poquoson DAILY PRESS Town Square sections on July 3, 2014.

As six-year old Jimmy DiMaggio walked into his first Taekwondo class in 2010, his father Jim couldn’t help but feel a sense of passing on the torch. After all, back in the 1980’s when he was all of 12, the older DiMaggio didn’t know much about martial arts, but wanted to learn to defend himself against the middle school bullies. So he joined the local school and began practicing.

James and Jimmy DiMaggio during their black belt
ceremony at World Martial Arts in Yorktown, VA

As a martial art, taekwondo is a Korean form of karate which combines combat and self-defense, placing its emphasis on a system of blocks, kicks, punches and strikes, as well as footwork and joint manipulation. By its definition “tae,” which means “to strike or break with the foot,” and “kwon,” which means breaking with the fist, the sport has gained popularity around the world because of the speed and technicality which is shown in its meticulous movements. In fact, several of the requirements for belt advancement deal with the enhanced ability to perform more complicated versions of “forms,” which are patterns of movements.

For years, Jim moved through several different programs and styles, but never really showed any measurable progress, in new forms or new belts. Although he still dreamed of becoming a true martial artist, it looked to be left behind when life and family responsibilities started taking over. Watching his son begin his first class, it looked like young Jimmy would be alone in finishing the work that his father started.

But, as it has been said, something happened along the way.

A number of belts representing all skills were presented
during the ceremony at WMA

“I was standing there that day watching the class, and thought, I ought to be doing that with him!” exclaimed Jim, minutes after exiting the belt ceremony at the World Martial Arts school dojo in Yorktown, where both father and son earned their black belts on June 21^st.

And so the journey began.

Jimmy had an advantage. Because of the after school program offered by WMA, he was able to sometimes practice five days a week, while Dad made it to a few sessions each week,

The group of belt winners shortly after the ceremony.

  “depending on what else was going on.”

However, the years progressed and the changing of belts became more common. From the initial white came yellow, orange, green, and purple, followed by three more of the standard colors (regular and high level), all the way to boblack, which is recognized locally, then finally the coveted black belt, which is recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation.

In all, the effort took both father and son “about four years.” They both were able to express the true meaning of the black belt to them in a short speech, which each of the 20 or so honorees gave upon presentation of their new belt.

Jimmy went first. He noted the discipline and respect learned at Grandmaster Ko’s school, as well as his improved physical condition.

“I didn’t enjoy it in the beginning because I got tired easy, but now since I’ve been practicing for a while, I enjoy the training,” said the younger DiMaggio in his speech.

Dad reminisced about the togetherness which taekwondo has brought the pair. “What was once simply a martial art to defend myself with has become a wonderful father-son activity and something that my son and I will share for years to come.”

"Redskins" Team Name Might Be Wrong, But Is The Motive Behind Name Change Correct?

“Fourth and one, from the 42. We know where this play is going. Theismann takes the snap, hands off to Riggins, he’s got the first down…he’s GONE, he’s GONE… Touchdown, Washington Redskins!!!”

This logo and name has become very unpopular
in the court of public opinion, at least if you believe what
Congress people and a few select others have to say

There’s a bit of paraphrasing in this play recall from Super Bowl XVII, so I apologize to longtime DC broadcaster Frank Herzog. But for many years, from the 1970’s to the 1990’s, his call on a Washington football score was always punctuated with the all too familiar “Touchdown, Washington Redskins!”

For many of us who grew up in the DMV (District, Maryland, Virginia) region as fans of the Burgundy and Gold, Herzog’s touchdown call was part of our lexicon, just as much as the fight song, “Hail to the Redskins,” the Hogettes, and the Redskinette cheerleaders. The Redskins were the one constant in the D.C. area, the one element that brought Republicans and Democrats, blacks and whites, Virginians and Marylanders, together. Sundays in the fall were almost holidays inside the Beltway as hundreds of thousands of fans waved their Washington banners and conglomerated in homes and local taverns to cheer for Sonny or Billy, Chris Hanburger, Darrell Green, Charlie Taylor, Dave Butz, and all the other Redskins. RFK was our sacred ground.

For most of my lifetime, that wasn’t a problem.

Then about five years ago, somebody found a problem with the team name.

While a number of Native Americans have stood against
the team name for the Washington football club, a lot of
dissenters seem to have found their voice just in time to
ride the media wave associated with this cause.

The reasoning wasn’t out of the ordinary. Several colleges, such as Marquette, William and Mary and St. John’s had changed their team names from Warriors, Indians and Red Men to Golden Eagles, Tribe, and Red Flash.

Still, the professional teams are mostly privately owned entities, so the change didn’t hit the big leagues. In fact, it still hasn’t. The Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves still roam their fields of dreams, while the Golden State Warriors take to the hardwood 82 times each winter. Ironically, the only exception came when Abe Pollin personally opted to change his basketball teams name from the Bullets to one of five choices which eventually became the Wizards. But Pollin’s choice was made because of his personal discomfort with the team name in such a crime infested city.

Times have certainly changed. While Pollin used his conscience to make a decision, there are now hundreds of individual citizens and small groups out there looking to force Redskin owner Daniel Snyder to change the name of his team, all in the name of political correctness. Sadly, one of these small groups is the United States Congress, which apparently has nothing better to do, although this might make sense since valuable legislative pieces from Capitol Hill are few and far between. Gotta fill in those time gaps between the shriek shows on CNN and Fox.

Here’s my problem. While I may now agree that the term “Redskins” could be seen as offensive, it wasn’t meant that way at the team’s inception. More importantly, I question the heart and underlying objective of most of these “concerned citizens” who seemingly had no problem with the Washington team name during the second half of the last century. In our growing 24-hour news cycle, it has become much easier to shine a spotlight on oneself by finding a cause and screaming to the heavens in favor or opposition. My primary worry is that more of these people are obsessed with personal promotion as opposed to tribal preservation. If I’m a Congressman, it would be easy to utter the phrase “I’m against the name Washington Redskins because it is offensive, and I’m all for human rights.” It brings news cameras to the office, and people will see me on TV touting a cause which sounds good, but really has nothing to do with my elected job.

I truly believe that Dan Snyder will continue fighting to keep his team’s name for two reasons. First, as a lifelong fan, he, like many of us, remember the winning tradition of the team headed by George Allen and Joe Gibbs. The Redskin name is synonymous with success (since a lot of us don’t recall the losing teams of the 50’s and 60’s), three Super Bowl trophies, and the Fight for Old D.C. Second, he is clearly a stubborn man. I don’t think that many people become billionaires by kowtowing to public opinion, even if it’s politically correct. They certainly didn’t become rich by doing what others tell them to do. 

And Snyder could be losing money defending his team’s name. A good marketing expert could tell you the financial windfall which could be gained by changing the team name, then selling old Redskin gear at a premium price while introducing a large new line of team swag. Of course the same expert might theorize that all publicity is good publicity, and Snyder should fight on to keep his own product in the news.

I think that the team name will change before the turn of the next decade. As with any other  company in the free enterprise system, the negativity arising from the court of public opinion will begin to hurt Snyder in his deep pockets. People will start boycotting home games, advertisers will disappear, broadcasters might stop using the team name, and there will be no choice left but to cave to public pressure and change the moniker. But I admire Snyder for sticking to his principle here. The name Redskin surely is offensive to a segment of the Indian population, much like the N-word is to African-Americans. I get that. But why are we only hearing about it now?

In any case, when the name does change, I’m casting my vote for Bravehearts. You wouldn’t have to alter the team logo or mascot too much, and the fight song can stay the same. Hail to the Bravehearts! Hail Victory! Braves on the Warpath! Fight for old D.C.!!

Is Braves still OK, or will some other media whore grab a hold of that cause? Hmmm… Land of the Free...Home of the ...OK, I think we’re good.

Taylor Harrison Wins National Junior Olympics Gymnastics Title

As published in Newport News, Hampton and York County/Poquoson issues of Daily Press Town Square - June 19, 2014

As 18-year old Taylor Harrison ventured on to the mat at Mississippi’s Jackson Convention Complex last month to compete in her final gymnastic match as a Junior Olympian, she did so with a sense of calmness.

True, the World Class Gym team veteran had come close to winning the national title once in the past, placing third for her age group in 2010. Also true was the fact that she had qualified for the Junior Olympic national meet every year since then without matching her initial bronze medal performance.

But times had changed. Harrison felt content with the fact that she had made a five consecutive year run to the final match, which is no small feat in itself, as only 56 gymnasts from among eight regions of America make the cut.  And though this portion of her career was about to close, she had accomplished one major goal, earning a full athletic scholarship to continue her gymnastics career at Ohio State University.

In reflection, Harrison admits that she took a realistic, yet safe approach to this event.

“Before the competition, I didn’t think I could win.  I really wanted to have fun and place in the top ten.”

The reasoning behind her thought process made sense.

“When I’m relaxed, I do better.”

Tami Harrison, her World Class Gym team coach and mother, saw things somewhat differently.

“Taylor’s a real competitor. She’s a pleaser, and wants to please her teammates.”

As a coach, Harrison spoke from experience, having won numerous All-American honors, as well as competing in the 1984 Olympic Trials as a gymnast at Cal-State Fullerton. She knew that only a few minor mistakes had kept her athlete from winning at the Junior Olympics in the past.

And in the final analysis, the coach’s expertise made for a better prediction as her Buckeye bound athlete dropped a 9.8 on the final vault to capture the all-around Junior Olympic national crown with a 38.475 score.

Surprisingly, Coach Harrison wasn’t immediately aware that Taylor was among the top competitors.

“They had projectors in the corners where the results were posted. But after the first two rotations, I didn’t think to go over and look.”

However, she did go after the third and came to a realization.

“Wow, she can do this.”

As it turned out, Taylor had placed second in both the uneven bars (9.675) and balance beam (9.525), putting her in the lead. A tenth place finish in the floor routine (9.475) knocked the gymnast out of the top spot with one rotation to go, but she remained in contention for the title.

As the mathematicians among the World Class group started calculating scenarios to determine the path to victory, one thing remained clear. Taylor would have to nail her vault in the last rotation.

“I wanted her to go 4 for 4,” said Tami.

With a gold medal on the line, Taylor came through, literally vaulting back into first place with her run, leap and spin off the pommel horse.

After a brief celebration, Taylor’s euphoria almost came to a grinding halt.

I went to check my place, and another girl turned to me and said, “I got it. I won.”

However, the frustration was temporary as both mother and daughter soon realized that the gymnast speaking was from a different age group.

While Taylor remained in the gym to view the nail biting conclusion, Tami, knowing that her coaching duties were complete, went back into mother mode.

 “It was the most nerve wracking 10-15 minutes ever. I couldn’t watch it anymore. I went to the back gym.”

But Taylor gritted it out, sitting through four more rotations of seven gymnasts with their eye on her prize.

At the very end, the second place gymnast needed a 9.575 in the vault to tie Harrison and a 9.6 to win the group. Although “she had a really good routine,” her final score of 9.5 was just short of first place.

Now a national champion, Harrison will enjoy some time off before heading to Columbus in August. She looks forward to competing in the Big Ten conference, where she will see former World Class teammates such as Nebraska’s Ashley Lambert. Harrison, who looks to major in sports broadcasting or communication, has lofty collegiate goals, with the All-American team, and NCAA Championships in her sights.

As she puts it in simple terms, “I can’t wait!”

Testing Students for Drugs - A Case For Those Opposed - Trinidad School District No. 1 v. Lopez, 963 P. 2d 1095 (Col. 1998)

Last week, we looked at a case which favored testing students for drugs. Here's one for the flip side.

In one of several cases that relied on the Vernonia ruling as a precedent, the Supreme Court of Colorado held that the school policy of Trinidad violated the Fourth Amendment. This occurred after an instance where a student who was a member of the high school marching band, was suspended for failing to submit to a suspicionless drug test. The policy in question also applied to students participating in non-athletic activities. In this ruling, the Colorado court applied the balancing test used by the Supreme Court in Vernonia, which has two guidelines, 1) that high school marching band members had a higher privacy expectation than student athletes because they did not share communal undressing situations rehired of athletes, and their activity was tied to a for-credit, graded school class, and 2) the over-inclusive testing program was not an “efficacious means of dealing with the district’s drug problem.”

Testing Students for Drugs - A Case For Those in Favor (New Jersey v. T.L.O.)

As mentioned last week, the one aspect of testing students for drugs that amazed me is how many case decisions fall on either side of the argument. Here's one for the pros -- next week - we'll look at one for the cons..

New Jersey v. T.L.O., 469 U.S. 325 (1985) - In a far reaching case, a decision which upheld the Fourth Amendment was rendered. A lower court had ruled that the Fourth Amendment prohibited unreasonable searches and seizures in public schools. However, in a 6-3 decision delivered by Justice White, this decision was overturned in the Supreme Court. This case began when two female New Jersey students were caught smoking in the bathroom. Since one young woman denied her involvement, a search ensued, and during this search, marijuana was found. The TLO decision was unique in that it conceived a two-part test to be used when evaluating the legality of a search. As quoted in the court’s brief, “First, one must consider whether the… action was justified at its inception; second, one must determine whether the search as actually conducted was reasonably related in scope to the circumstances which justified the interference in the first place.” As defined by T.L.O. (the students initials), a search may begin when educators have a reasonable suspicion that conducting a search will uncover evidence showing that a student has violated the law.