Yorktown's Prata Wins National Preps Wrestling Title

Capping a season that saw him join the group of elite lightweight high school wrestlers in the United States, St. Christopher’s Joey Prata captured the 106-lb. title at the National Preps championship, held last month at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA.

Prata on the podium at the National Preps wrestling
tournament, held recently at Lehigh University.

With the win, Prata, a resident of Yorktown, earned the Richmond school’s first ever individual National Prep title, and helped the Saints to a 10th place finish (out of 134 teams), best among Virginia schools.

Entering the tournament as a #2 seed, Prata, who placed fifth in the Prep tournament last year, had to overcome four opponents to earn a berth in the championship bout. He got off to an auspicious start, pinning both Hans Forland (Green Farms Academy) and Mike McCabe (John Carroll) to advance to the quarterfinals.

But to make the top four in the semis, he had to beat an old opponent – one who had gotten the better of him twice, Michael Doetsch of the Severn (MD) School.

“I wrestled him a couple of times in middle school,” said the sophomore. “But he had beaten me both times.”

However, one of Prata’s greatest strengths is his penchant to size up an opponent who has beaten him in the past, make the necessary adjustments, and come back to defeat the same wrestler later. It is an asset that served him well as a middle school champion with the Virginia Predators, and one which helped again as he dominated Doetsch in the quarters, scoring from all positions while earning a decisive 7-0 victory.

Assured of at least a top-four finish, Prata refused to let up, throttling St. Benedict (NJ) senior Chris Cuccolo 9-3, to set up the championship match against Zach Sherman of the renowned Blair Academy (NJ) program, one which had made a habit of winning the National Prep team title. In fact, the Blair squad had won at Lehigh for 33 years in a row before Wyoming Seminary ended the longest team title streak in American high school sports history, earning 299.5 points and the championship this year.

Were there extra nerves about competing against a wrestler from such a prestigious program?

“Not really,” admitted Prata, who went on to add, “I felt pretty confident going in, and after that first takedown, I knew I could take him.”

Leaving no room for doubt, the Saint grappler added a second takedown against Sherman en route to an easy 7-2 win in the finals. The five wins for the tournament gave Prata a 42-5 record for the season and earned him a second National Prep All-American honor, and third overall (he also won the USA National Greco Roman title in July 2013).

Although Prata bypassed the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) tournament, held at the end of March in Virginia Beach, this year, his season is not over yet. He is currently practicing freestyle wrestling in preparation for regional and national championships, the latter of which will be held in Akron, OH at the end of May. He will also defend his Greco Roman national title later this summer in Fargo, ND.

Through two seasons at St. Christopher’s, Prata sports a career record of 92-16.

The Doctor Is Still In - Retired Sprinter Patton Not Done With Track

Cover story from the Spring 2014 issue of TrackNation magazine. For more information on TrackNation, visit http://www.tracknation.com

Even though Doc Patton retired from competitive racing in November 2013, he is certainly not done with track.

The sprinter, who earned two World Championship gold medals in the 400-meter relay, as well as a pair of Olympic silvers in the same event, was still making noise on the straightaway in 2013 at the

Darvis "Doc" Patton gets ready to hit the tape first. Since
recently retiring, he will now run track clinics and head up
the new TrackNation Dallas venture, the first city of the
TN movement.

advanced (by track standards) age of  35. His 6.50 winning time for the 60-meter dash at the Millrose Games earned Patton a world record in the event for athletes over 35. Months later, his 9.75 (wind-aided) time in the Texas Relays 100-meters would serve as the sixth fastest clocking for the event under any conditions.

But, after an unsatisfying 2012 campaign, Patton had decided that 2013 would be his final year of competition. He also made the decision to rededicate himself to the sport which had served as his livelihood for the past ten years.

Reflecting on his final season, Patton admits, “it was very, very bittersweet. And more bitter than sweet.”

As far as sprinting again, he says, “as far as I know, I’m done.”

But he’s not done with track yet.

(continued)

To view the rest of this article,  turn to page 22 of this TrackNation magazine cover story at  http://tracknation.com/trackside5

              (above) At 35 years old, Patton blazes a 9.75 in the 100 meters at the Texas Relays in 2013

Kingdom of the Cardinals: Former Hurdling Legend Lands NFL Coaching Gig

It is always fun to interview someone who was a superstar and budding legend at the same time I was competing. During my college days, or at least soon after, I knew full well who Roger Kingdom was. He held the world record in the high hurdles for four years, which meant his time was better than Renaldo Nehemiah and Greg Foster, two other guys that I knew of very well. It's very cool to see that his new path has led to the NFL. Congrats to the newest Arizona Cardinals coach..thank goodness they are not in the same division as the Redskins anymore!




In his high hurdling heyday, Roger Kingdom was the baddest man on the planet. The Georgia native was drawn to the University of Pittsburgh on a football scholarship, but found more success on the Panther track team, earning two NCAA hurdle titles. According to the bio on his website,

Kingdom during his college days at Pitt

www.rogerkingdom.com, it was “after winning his first title (110-meter highs in 1983 outdoor championship) that he knew his future would be with the high hurdles.” Kingdom redshirted from football after his sophomore year in 1983 to concentrate on making the Olympic team. After winning the gold medal in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, it was obvious that his choice to commit fully to track was the correct one.

Kingdom followed his gold medal performance of 1984 with another Olympic championship four years later in Seoul, South Korea. In the process, Kingdom became the first Olympian to eclipse the 13 second mark, with a 12.98. Three years later, he set the world record in his event, running a 12.92 at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland, a record that would stand for four years. Kingdom also won five U.S. National Championships, as well as gold medals in the World Cup (1989), World University Games (1989), Pan-American Games (1983 and 1995), and World Indoor Championships (1989). 

Kingdom (c) with Buddy Morris (r), coaching mentor
and head strength and conditioning coach for the
NFL's Arizona Cardinals

Kingdom graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and also holds a Masters degree in Sport Management from California University of Pennsylvania, a Division II school where he also served as the head cross-country and track coach during his ten years with the school. Since finishing his hurdling career, the 51-year old has also founded “Kingdom’s Elite,” a company dedicated to the development of speed training for all ages and athletic levels.

In March 2014, Kingdom’s love of football and speed training came full circle as he was hired as the assistant strength and conditioning coach of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals.

To read the full interview, please visit page 28 at Tracknation magazine, which can be found at this link: http://tracknation.com/trackside5/

(Above) Roger Kingdom winning the 1988 Olympic high hurdles in a then Games record time of 12.98.

Halifax Correctional Unit #23 Graduates 13 GED Students

My press release noting our graduation at Halifax C.U. #23 last weekend, which coincided with my last day at the facility. I was very proud of our students that worked hard and finished their GED. It's all about continuing to make progress, no matter what mistakes you have made or what your situation in life is at any given time. As I said to the graduates last Friday, it is a step, and hopefully one of many. But it is a step and it's going in the right direction. The question is, what is your next step going to be?

There are critics out there who speak of offenders and say.."we should just lock them up and throw away the key." When it comes to people who commit the most unthinkable and heinous crimes, I understand what they mean. But one thing I have learned during my time teaching with the Department of Corrections is that some of the people behind bars realize what they did to get there, are

willing to serve their time, and just want to move on with their life while making the best of the time they have to serve with the state. Now I'm not overly empathetic by anybody's definition of the term, but even I can figure this one out. If the system suppresses, abuses, and doesn't attempt to rehabilitate the offenders within the correctional system, how do you think the offender is going to act when he/she is released and moving back on to YOUR street? People tend to forget that almost all offenders get released back into society. Just something to think about while I get off the soapbox.


Thirteen men who earned their GED (General Education Development) diplomas were recognized on Friday, March 21st, as Halifax Correctional Unit #23 hosted its annual graduation ceremony at the DOC’s Division of Education School building on its grounds.

The GED certificate is nationally recognized as the equivalent of a high school diploma. For the Virginia Department of Corrections, education is the key to reducing recidivism among offenders. Virginia currently ranks second in the nation for lowest recidivism rate, in comparison with data compiled by other states.

To earn the GED diploma, a student must complete six levels of adult basic education, which is measured by the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) exam. Upon earning a passing score on the highest level of the TABE exam, the student then qualifies for the GED examination by passing an Official Practice Test (OPT). 

On January 1, 2014, the GED Testing Service initiated a new system which changed the content and format of the test. While the Department of Corrections received a temporary “waiver” because of the number of changes required to implement the new GED examination in a prison setting, they are in the process of transitioning from the old 2002 test to a computerized 2014 version. 

Of the thirteen graduates, eight were present for the ceremony. The guest speaker was Mr. Andrew Beamon, new principal for the Nottoway region, which includes the Halifax #23 unit. Other distinguished guests from the Department of Corrections central office in Richmond were also in attendance.

50's Warwick High Track Legend Snead Passes

One of the greatest scholastic track athletes in Newport News history quietly passed away last month. Donald Snead, a multiple state record holder in the hurdles for Warwick High in the late 1950’s, died on January 8th at the age of 74.

Snead’s legacy as a track athlete was revolutionary for his time. In 1958, the Raider athlete won all four state hurdle championships, which included the 70-yard low and high hurdles indoors, as well as the 120 and 180 highs outdoors, a feat he also accomplished as a junior. His 70 (8.0) and 180 (19.8) high hurdle times were both state records at the time.

Older brother Dean remembers his brother as an original multi-event talent, one who shined on the track and field before the likes of athletes such as Newport News’ Doug Dickinson won multiple state titles in various events. “Don would enter five events in every meet. He ran the hurdles, he did the high jump, and usually was the fourth guy (anchor leg) on the relays.”

In spite of his family’s success at other sports (cousin Norm threw for 199 TD’s as an NFL quarterback with several teams), Dean recalls that Don “was kind of good in football. he also played basketball and baseball, but track was really the one thing he was good at.”

In fact, his speed translated into his greatest play on the gridiron.

“I remember that Warwick was playing Newport News High, back when Julie Conn was their coach. On one play, they (the Typhoon) were on about their 25-yard line and their quarterback went back to pass. Donald was rushing the quarterback, who threw a pass which was caught by the wide receiver.”

“Now Donald started out about fifteen yards behind the ball carrier, but he started running by all those guys like they were standing still! He ended up catching their guy at about the 20.”

The feat did not go unnoticed by the legendary Typhoon coach.

Recalls Dean, “Oh yeah, there was one night when Julie Conn came by our house to get Don out for Newport News.”

But Snead went in a different direction, eventually graduating from Fork Union Military Academy, which he attended on a track scholarship. Eventually, his family settled down in Carrollton.

In 1958, Snead was recognized by the Peninsula Sports Club as a member of the All-Peninsula Track team for his exploits in the hurdles and high jump.

Pinning2Win in Hampton

Capitalizing on the wave which has sparked the growth of youth wrestling on the Peninsula and surrounding parts was easy for the Pin2Win club in Hampton. After all, they were around in the beginning of the movement.

Just ask Janet Williams.

Williams, a fixture at the annual Virginia Duals (she is the secretary of the Peninsula Wrestling Association and the meet), has been with the club since its formation almost 20 years ago.

“In the past, there were a lot of kids and parents who saw wrestling as WWE (professional wrestling), and it was unfortunate.”

For the 35 or so young athletes, aged four to 15, who spend two or three nights a week developing their skills in the wrestling room at Bethel High, the mission to be followed is probably not as flashy as a Ric Flair soundbite, but certainly more meaningful.

Reading from their own statement, the goal of Pin2Win is to “nurture the balanced student-athlete through the personal growth of each wrestler.”

Says Williams,“our philosophy is - the more mat time you’re getting, the better.”
To that end, the club, whose season runs from December to April, is in preparation for one of its two yearly fundraisers. On Saturday, March 1st, the team will host its sixth annual Rookie Open at Bethel High.

“It’s for first and second year wrestlers only and we’re excited about the event,” says Williams. “Last year, we had close to 300 wrestlers compete.”

It’s the personal touch that works best for the Pin2Win group. On a recent holiday Monday, 16 young grapplers filed into practice and began training under the watchful eye of several coaches, led by former Hampton High coach Ron McRae.

For McRae, the decision to take a break from the high school ranks was not too difficult.

“I wanted to spend more time with my family. My son has been wrestling for a few years. I wanted to have time to work specifically with him on the sport. I’m certainly not done with (coaching) high school, but I’d like to be with him until about 7th or 8th grade.”

There is precedent behind McRae’s plan. Head assistant coach Chris Vargo has a son on the team. Also, McRae succeeded John Swartz, who coached the Pin2Win squad until last year before making a full transition to Smithfield High as head coach, a team that also included his son.

Although in Swartz’s case, the move was incidental.

“In all honesty, my son was an incoming freshman and between (us), he was looking forward to wrestling for someone other than his dad as he’d done since he was three years old.  Unfortunately for him, I was his JV coach in eighth grade and now his varsity coach in ninth. So much for those plans!”

But it’s the family aspect that keeps Pin2Win successful. In spite of their historical lineage, which includes having future Division I college All-Americans, such as ODU’s Chris Brown, on their roster, a perfect practice would include a group of wrestlers of all ages and genders practicing with near one-to-one instruction.

Adds Williams, “there was one day recently where we had 16 out here with nine parents participating – basically one for each pair. We encourage our parents to get involved.”

The Pin2Win team practices from 6-8 PM at Bethel High. The novice team practices on Tuesday and Thursday, while the advanced wrestlers meet on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. For more information, the Pin2Win website can be found at http://www.leaguelineup.com/pin2winva.

Yarisley Silva Rodriguez wins IAAF World Championship Pole Vault: The Sky is the Limit

Kudos to newly crowned IAAF world champion Yarisley Silva Rodriguez, who won the women's pole vault at the IAAF World Championships, held this weekend in Sopot, Poland. Her vault of 4.70 m. tied with Russia 's Anzhelika Sidorova and Jirina Svobodova of  the Czech Republic, but Silva took the crown by virtue of fewest misses.

In light of her championship, I am updating an article from last spring, in the hopes of further enlightening some folks about this immense talent from Cuba. I am scheduled to talk with Miss Silva next month for the summer issue (#6) of Trackside magazine, due sometime around June. Issue #5 should be hitting the public by the end of March. More to come.


Last spring, I had the pleasure of conducting a series of interviews with world class sprinter Justin Gatlin. Fortunately, Justin is an active participant in the TrackNation movement; in fact, he’s probably the most recognizable face of the organization. 

While talking with Gatlin, on a whim and while we were discussing the topic of being a track fans, I mentioned that I had seen a Cuban pole vaulter on TV the previous Saturday. Her name was Yarisley Silva, and I felt she may become the “next big thing” in track.

Since Justin watches many other events besides the ones he runs (the 100, 200 or 400 relay), he had a lot to offer with regard to Silva and the women’s pole vault. “It’s unbelievable what’s happening there. When I was coming up, Stacy Dragila (2000 Olympic gold medalist and world record holder on numerous occasions) was the big name. Now, the women are just pushing the bar up.”

At last year’s Drake Relays, which coincided with our interviews, Silva, a silver medalist at the 2012 London Games, took it to American vaulting ace Jenn Suhr. In the process, she cleared 15’10.75” (4.85 m.) a remarkable height which just edged Dragila’s best (keep in mind that Dragila was like Wayne Gretzky, just WAY ahead of her competition), and also set the Cuban, Caribbean and Central American records. She has since bumped her best mark up to 4.90 m.

After clearing the winning height in Iowa, Silva called it a day, and opted to not make attempts at a higher standard.

In my continuing quest to become an “ace” reporter, I figured that she could be a potential interview, and got to work on this endeavor at 10 PM on a Saturday night. With nowhere else to turn, I did a cursory search on Facebook. And there she was, with a fan page.

I sent a message to the page. Ten minutes later, I received a friend request from her friend Lilian Cid. Just noticing that the request was from Cuba was enough to tell me that I had made a connection. As it turned out, we ended up chatting for 30-45 minutes.

About ten minutes into our chat, a message notice popped up. It was Yarisley. She had typed a short note mentioning that I should talk with her friend, who helped her out with “media stuff” and that when she knows what I’m looking for, we could be in contact. Actually, it was more of a “how can we help you?” type of note. Lilian, in particular, was gracious and ready to answer all of my questions. Problem was, I didn’t have any yet!

Here’s the tale of the tape. Yarisley Silva is just 26. She has been vaulting for eight years, but couldn’t find many quality track meets until she could meet the qualifying standards for high level meets outside of Cuba, where her main competition is the bar itself. Case in point, she has improved from 4.40 to 4.90 in the past five years, and is just entering her peak ages. 

The sky remains the limit for Miss Silva. Keep an eye out for her as this outdoor season progresses and the 2016 Olympics in Rio take place. She's got it going on.

Inside Schools: A Matter of Workable Space

Two articles, “The Effects of School Facilities on Student Learning,” and “School Architecture as a Subject of Inquiry,” both by Cynthia L. Uline, shed light and provide important insight on the importance of the classroom as an aesthetic unit, one which is important to learning and student development. School leaders need to pay close attention to Uline’s points.

“School Architecture” looks at the issue from the aesthetic view. Drawing heavily on the theories of John Dewey, the article, as noted in the abstract, serves as “a philosophical foundation.” As Uline points out early in the writing, a General Accounting Office report claimed that one-third of the schools in the U.S. were in need of extensive repairs, while others need to be entirely replaced. Working from that frame, she views the condition of our schools against Dewey’s visual of the “Utopian” school – one which he described in a 1930’s New York Times essay.

Dewey’s utopian school takes many factors into careful consideration, but looks at the school as a thing of beauty, and one which concerns human emotions and sensations. Barnard’s quote rings true here, that “every school should be a temple,” and Uline reinforces the belief, through Dewey’s ideas, that a school which achieves its sense of beauty will benefit both students and adults alike, because the adult will find the building to be a pleasant place to work, resulting in an environment which will also benefit the child learner. As quoted, “when children can “read” a building, they feel independent and self-assured.

Coupled with the findings of Ortiz (1994), the belief is that the work which goes into the building of the school will direct the business of that school long after the construction is completed.

Uline’s hope is that school administrators, many of whom will have to deal with a renovation or renewal of their building, will challenge existing spatial routines and not disregard the significance of place in their planning process.

On the other hand, “Effects of School Facilities on Student Learning” examines the issue from the data collection point of view, serving as a summary of research on this topic. This Uline article aims to answer the question, “How does a new school facility impact a child’s learning?”

The evidence is strong. Mirroring her ideas from Dewey from the other article, Uline takes the concept of aesthetics and lists important factors as they relate to a school building. Some of these include – ability to move within a classroom (citing her daughter’s 480 square foot room against the 900 recommended), sound within the room, beauty, paint color of the room, space for storage, and room lighting (soft preferred over bright).

As physical examples of her aesthetically beautiful school, the author cites Columbine (CO) elementary school as an example of a pleasant, non-crowded and beautiful establishment. At Columbine, open windows allow pine forest scents to emanate through the classrooms while two activity rooms allow teachers to work on team teaching skills and non-traditional educational methods not allowed in a more cramped setting.

Uline theorizes that certain architectural features do affect behavior and that improved behavior enhances the opportunity to learn. She uses data driven evidence to back her theory. In the first case, she notes that in the Washington D.C. public schools, a study showed that the school building’s physical condition had a direct correlation with its students academic achievement. In the second study, two rural Tennessee elementary schools, the oldest and newest in the district, had their test scores compared and found that students in the new school outscored those from the old school.

Other notable points from the article were the description of the Z-shaped classroom as a design that enhances student centered instruction because of: desk area, computer center, science center, reading nook and media wall. Finally, Uline looks at brain-based research and finds that architects recommend that schools possess 12 elements, including, places for group learning, corridors and public places, personalized space for self-expression and places for the community to learn and interact.

The Principal as Political Leader

My posts have almost totally swerved over to the athletic environment over the past two months. I wanted to take a left turn and delve into some more academic and educational topics, even if only in brief spurts. Here's a review from an article I recently read for a Principalship course. As outsiders looking into a school, many people view the principal as the leader, the decision maker, the number cruncher and the disciplinarian. How about the principal as a politician. It might sound odd, but a larger part of the principal's job deals with the political slant of the job. 

One of the most overlooked challenges facing a new or experienced principal is having the ability to work as a politician. In essence, a large part of the school leader’s job requires knowing how to work among and get along with a wide range of people with a varying degree of interests, much like the knowledge of an elected official who represents a constituency.

By virtue of the title, the principal is the head of a large conglomerate, which includes students, faculty, staff, parents, and members of the neighboring community. Thousands of people are capable of having a meaningful conversation with the principal, and he or she needs to know how to communicate with each of them, regardless of age, education level, issue, or purpose. Many of the people who vie for the principal’s attention are looking for a favor, working from an agenda, or just looking for a sympathetic ear. It is the political gift of a principal to work through these meaningful conversations and make each person feel as if their concern has been given careful consideration and his voice has been heard.

In their article, “The Principal as Political Leader,” taken from the Political Leadership section of The High School Magazine publication, Mary Lee Howe and Rene Townsend examine this nuance of the school leader’s job requirements and do an admirable job explaining its importance.

After detailing an early morning (“before 7:30 AM”) scenario which could happen with any principal at any school, the authors state their main point, namely that principals “are caught up in the web of influences created by community pressures and relentless community politics.” A characteristic of paramount importance for the principal to possess is the ability to listen and be empathetic, and it is around this focus that Howe and Townsend compose the article.

They begin by explaining the guidelines of the First Amendment and how the principal should be equipped with an understanding of the framework behind it. The authors recommend five tenets of awareness, being 1) diversity of issues, 2) ability to respond appropriately, 3) an understanding of the positive and negative effects surrounding special interest groups, 4) knowledge of special interest challenges, and 5) skills in problem analysis, judgment and sensitivity.

They move to the focus on skills, noting how “the skills of problem analysis, judgment and sensitivity are inextricably woven together when dealing with special interest groups’ demands.”
Drawing on an earlier article from Townsend, the authors determine effective problem analysis through a series of six questions which center on knowing the importance of a problem, its definition and meaning to the community, fact gathering, involving the necessary people in the decision making process, examining all sides of the issue and considering alternative measures. Their judgment skills also are gauged through questions on self-awareness, whether a problem is real or perceived, the reliability and validity of sources, knowing when more information is needed, omitting emotions and biases from the judgment process, deciding to act or not to act and staying firm with the final decision.

By comparison, the sensitivity questions deal more with listening ability, understanding and exhibiting emotional intelligence, avoidance of bias and stereotyping, and exhibiting respectful action.

And like a good politician would do, the article makes mention on the importance of acting in a proactive manner; in other words, how a principal remains well informed about important issues, understands how they are important to communal values, and addresses concerns before a problem is allowed to develop. As Howe and Townsend write, “the politically astute principal learns about extremist groups and their strategies to influence the schools and community decision makers and understands they may have a goal of undermining and destroying public education.” Religious concerns are given as a good example of an important issue which may be disputed among the members of the school community.

In the Democracy and Public Education box at the top of page 16, the writers dictate five beliefs of public education, namely, that public schools belong to the public, principals have the responsibility to listen to all viewpoints, but not always react, that principals must act on the guarantees of the First Amendment as well as civic obligations, people have a right to disagree, religion should not be a deciding factor of any issue, and that principals should use their position of high public trust to build support for the school, district, and public education in general. This is followed by eight solid hints and tips focusing on knowledge, respect, objectivity and empathy.

In its entirety, I find the Howe and Townsend article, as well as the accompanying political awareness inventory of 30 items, to be a useful tool for the new or seasoned principal. While many principals may be skilled as verbal communicators, the ability to listen effectively is an acquired skill and one which is only developed effectively after making a conscious effort to improve.

NFL's Top 10 Quarterbacks Ever

At the beginning of this month, we were treated to another Super Bowl blowout, this one, a 43-8 drubbing of the Denver Broncos by Seattle. One of the larger subplots leading up to the Big Game was the legacy of Peyton Manning, and how his place among the best ever would be raised or lowered depending on the outcome.

I don't really think he moved too far down on my list on Monday, February 3rd. But it made me start thinking about a personal top 10 list of signal callers. 

This thought was bolstered by two events this morning. First, my wife Elizabeth asked me who my Mount Rushmore of football would be. Let's see - Halas, Unitas, Jim Brown and Lombardi. But it still needs a defender -- oh, how I hate this exercise!

Secondly, today, the NFL Network is showing a 24 -hour run of Top Ten lists. I have yet to see the one on quarterbacks, so allow me to post this list. Agree or disagree???

Joe Montana - the best QB ever?

1) Joe Montana - 4 Super Bowl wins, 40,551 passing yards, 117-47 record as starter, plus 17-6 in playoffs. And who else can claim to have thrown "The Catch?"

2) Johnny Unitas - reinvented the position. Also passed for over 40,000 yards (first to do so), and held most QB records at the time of his retirement, including TD passes (290). Won the greatest game ever, 23-17 in the 1958 NFL championship.

3) Otto Graham - played for the NFL championship in each of his ten seasons (1946-55), and won seven! His team, the Browns, went 114-20-4, including 9-3 in the playoffs during Graham's time on Lake Erie. Highest winning percentage for a QB ever.

4) Tom Brady - my feeling is that Manning and he would have switched places if the Broncos had won two weeks ago, but Brady holds his place for now. Three championships, and some gaudy passing numbers (359 TD's vs. 134 picks). Career record of 148-43 and 18-7 in the playoffs is best winning percentage since Graham.

5) John Elway - known as a great talent who couldn't win the "Big One" early in his career, Elway won the championship in his final two years to end up with two rings out of five tries. Finished his career with 51,475 passing yards and 300 TD's.

6) Peyton Manning - absent from a second championship, keeps Manning down a bit. But his final numbers will rival for the best ever. Currently, number 18 sits at 64,964 yards and 491 TD passes -- never mind having arguably the greatest passing season ever in 2013. 55 TD passes? Enough said.

7) Brett Favre - in spite of a lot of interceptions and only one ring, Favre has to be in the mix. His 71,838 throwing yards will hold for at least ten more years if Manning doesn't pass the standard and he holds the TD record with 508.

8) Dan Marino - if only he had won a ring or two. But, Marino was the best pure passer of his generation and held the season TD record of 48 for almost thirty years.

9) Fran Tarkenton - the maniacal Vikings (and Giants)QB was a threat with his arm and feet. A living human highlight reel who could turn a 60 yard dash into a two yard gain.

10) Bart Starr - As a rule, I automatically ruled out any QB with more career interceptions than TD's, which amazingly eliminates Ken Stabler, Joe Namath, Sammy Baugh, and almost Terry Bradshaw, who threw for 212 scores against 210 interceptions. Starr ended up with 152 TD's and 138 INT's, but he won more championships than the others, even Bradshaw, so he gets the edge here.



Honorable mention - Warren Moon, Sonny Jurgensen, Drew Brees, Baugh and Bradshaw. Ah heck, I'll add Staubach to the list too.

Apprentice School Opens New Athletic Center in Hopes of Revitalizing Downtown Growth in Newport News

Ironically, I was watching an older episode of NCIS this afternoon on the CLOO channel. In the episode, Gibbs and Company end up having to travel to Newport News to thwart an Al-Qaeda member who is about to shoot a missile toward a crowded dock of military families awaiting the arrival of  several Navy vessels across the water in Norfolk. Upon further review, the warehouse with the terrorist and his missile on the roof, was located between 35th and 36th Street off of Washington Ave. (next to Dry Dock restaurant). Basically, it's in the Shipyard, but amazingly is also the exact spot of the new Apprentice School featured below..

The new Apprentice School in Newport News, VA, which
houses the athletic center, which opened on Martin
Luther King weekend

In what served as a crown jewel event marking its recent construction, the Apprentice School officially christened its new athletic facility last month with the 2014 Martin Luther King Classic. Both the men’s and women’s Builder basketball teams took part in this tournament, which featured a myriad of events surrounding the completion of the new arena.

The Lady Builders took the court first at 5:30 pm, facing Bennett College, while the followed at 8 pm against Lindenwood University-Belleville (Mo.). Both teams won handily.

Speaking to the hubbub of activity leading to the weekend, Builder athletic director Keisha Pexton admitted that the preparations were “about to wear me out.”

To kick off the celebration and formally dedicate the new gym, there were a number of events 

accompanying the games. Between contests on Friday night, the school held a banner raising ceremony, which honored the best athletes from the school’s 95 year athletic history. Honorees whose banners were lifted to the rafters included the six Builder national championship winning teams, as well as individual national champion wrestlers and golfers.

Before the first game on Saturday,  the Apprentice Alumni association kicked off a triad of events, hosting a reception in the second floor student lounge. The lounge also welcomed the Apprentice Athletic Club that evening at 5 pm, before the men’s team squared off against Williamson Trade. Capping the lounge festivities was a student social on Sunday for all active apprentices and a guest.

But Pexton, along with the members of her staff, are inspired by the possibilities which will be presented with the opening of the new center.

“We’re excited by this and still in a little bit of shock. You see it coming together from the ground breaking ceremony. But now that the people are here, there’s a feeling of wow, this is our new home.”

The Apprentice Athletic Center is located within the new school at 3101 Washington Avenue in downtown Newport News, and is one of many new buildings, including several housing complexes, which showcase the recent movement of a portion of the Apprentice School plant to within the Huntington Ingalls shipyard. It is hoped that the new construction will spurn other downtown development and spearhead a transformative growth of the surrounding neighborhood.

Along with the gymnasium, the center also houses a full concession area, administrative and sports medicine offices, a cardio workout area, three locker rooms, two officials’ rooms and a second floor viewing area overlooking the north end of the basketball floor.

The football and wrestling teams will continue to use their field and facilities at the former Apprentice Athletics center on Marshall Avenue.

“We’re hoping to inspire community involvement,” adds Pexton, a former standout Builder athlete who is now in her sixth year as Athletic Director at the school, and in the second year of her additional role as Manager of Strategic Projects. “There hasn’t been anything athletic related in this area since the days of old,” noted Pexton, who cited legendary coach Julie Conn and the old Newport News High School as her example. “Our hope is that people will come down here, eat dinner in the neighborhood, and come out to our games.”

The Liberty Apartments, which will house many of the 850 Apprentice students, but are available for non-students, began leasing the units last June, while the school held its grand opening ceremony last month, and started holding class last Monday.

Hampton Univ. Star Power Adds Spark to Indoor Track Invitational

Reprinted in its original form from an article in the DAILY PRESS sports section of Sunday, January 12, 2014. 

This year’s 2014 Hampton Indoor Invitational, hosted by Hampton University, served as a viable homecoming for many local track athletes, but may have also represented the highest caliber indoor invitational track meet to be held on the Peninsula in at least five years.

Hampton University graduates,
such as Olympic gold medalist
Francena McCorory (above),
Pan-Am and Millrose Games
champion Yvette Lewis (left), and
Olympian Lavonne Idlette (below) added
glamour and glitz to the recent
Hampton Indoor Invitational.

While the infusion of star power stepping on to the Boo Williams Sportsplex’s red rubber track on Saturday certainly benefitted the quality of the meet, the day resembled a meeting among the “Who’s Who” of Peninsula track in the 21^st century. Adding to the carnival like flavor of the meet was the addition of track giveaways, impromptu trivia contests between races, and raffles, coupled with the connection of high school and college coaches within the track infield, many of whom have bumped heads in various competitions for decades.

(R - video) Yvette Lewis defeats
2012 Olympic hurdle gold
medalist Sally Pearson

Serving as the first indoor meet hosted by Hampton University since 2009, competitors came from near and far to represent their schools, and in some cases, their countries as well. “We have the right number of colleges and professional athletes together,” said Hampton track coach Maurice Pierce, who will be renewing this meet as an annual event. His plan is to gradually add schools to the lineup by “one or two a year, but we want to open it up to everybody.”

Pamela Richardson, assistant director of marketing and promotions for HU, also spoke to the importance of hosting a high caliber track meet on the Peninsula.

“We are pleased to host an event of this magnitude, and I’m glad that we could bring athletes of this ability to the area.”

Area schools were well represented with Norfolk State, VCU, Virginia State and Virginia Wesleyan joining Hampton in attendance. They had the opportunity to compete side by side with professional athletes, giving a unique dynamic to the meet.

Speaking to the importance of the meet, Pierce quickly made reference to the large high school invitational and state championships which regularly take place at venues such as Boo Williams and CNU’s Freeman Center. But he added, “it’s probably the biggest one (so far) for college and pro.”

The addition of professional athletes to the lineup led to races such as the featured women’s 300 meters, highlighted by the Hampton Roads return of 2012 Olympic gold medalist Francena McCorory, who had not raced locally since 2009. Next to her was Jernail Hayes, who competed on the USA 1600-meter relay team that won a silver medal at the IAAF 2012 World Indoor Championships.

McCorory placed first in 37.02, but had to wait almost two hours to officially win the race, as her heat was the first race of the meet, while the other heats ran at their scheduled time.

Afterwards, last year’s fifth ranked female 400-meter runner in the world spoke of the day.

“It’s always exciting to run in front of a home crowd. I haven’t run here since I was in college. Looking ahead to the 2014 season, the Bethel HS graduate spoke of goals that are specifically defined.

“I want to drop my 400 time (McCorory is the current American record holder for the indoor 400 with a time of 50.54) and work on my form. And of course, I want to make the World team.” Asked about the possibility of collaborating with her old Olympic 1600-meter relay teammates for an indoor World championship run, she noted that “it’s always up in the air, especially for indoor.”

Not to be outdone, Pan-American hurdle champion and Hampton graduate Yvette Lewis, who will be competing for Panama, squared off in a 60-meter hurdles final against former fellow Lady Pirate star Lavonne Idlette, herself a 2012 Olympian, who was representing her home country of the Dominican Republic.

Lewis won the battle, edging Idlette by .15 seconds.

“Things are going alright,” said Lewis, who recently switched sponsorships from Brooks to Nike.

Many of the professionals came from Pierce’s own stable of athletes. But the Pirate coach, who was recently selected as the Head Men’s Coach of the Under-23 U.S. Track and Field National team for the 2014 NACAC championships, to be held in Australia in August, enjoyed a rare treat yesterday. For once, he was able to coach his professional and collegiate athletes at the same meet.

Asked how often that opportunity arises, he admitted, “almost never.”

Hoova Taylor got the day off to a flying start, literally. Taylor, a former Division II national high jump champion from Virginia State, cleared 2.21 meters (a shade over 7’3”) to win the men’s high jump. Other key performances from local athletes included VCU’s (and formerly Tabb) Kiara Porter, who won the Division I women’s 300 in 38.57, Jeff Artis-Gray, a 2009 graduate of Western Branch, who won the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.25 meters (23 feet 9.5 inches), and Chidi Okezie of Hampton U., who won the men’s 400 in 48.89.

And in truly an ironic twist, the children’s 60-meter dash was won by nine year old Peyton Wright, who happens to be the niece of Pierce.

Youth Wrestling Gaining Momentum on Virginia Peninsula

Originally printed in Saturday, January 11, 2014 DAILY PRESS sports section, during Virginia Duals weekend.


Two years ago, New Kent (HS) wrestling coach Mike Faus received an interesting phone call leading up to the Virginia Duals.

A team had dropped out of the National High School Division bracket. Would he be willing to put his Trojan team into the open slot?

Where other coaches might have shied away from the prospect of being embarrassed, Faus willingly accepted the challenge.

Amazingly, the Trojans won their first match, a 37-23 decision over a powerful Nazareth (PA) team.

“They were a beat up Nazareth team, and we might have had our best squad ever,” admits Faus,

However, in the next round, New Kent was brought back to earth, as South Plainfield blanked the Trojans 73-0.

In spite of the reality check, Faus is now willingly entering his team in the most elite high school division at the annual Duals.

“My theory is that we want to go into post-season competition with losing (individual) records. It shows that we are battle tested, and that we’ve been through a tough grind, but are ready for the postseason.”

Competing at prestigious meets such as the War at the Shore and the NRAL tournament in Raleigh have helped the Trojans earn quality mat time as they prepare for a key dual meet against rival Poquoson (on Jan. 28) and postseason competition in the 3A classification.

But the biggest difference in New Kent’s improvement, reflects a trend that is sweeping across Hampton Roads.

“One of the biggest things we’ve done is start the middle school group,” admits Faus.

At New Kent, the middle school team sprouted off of a consistent youth program. Originally founded by Andy Hintz (“the Godfather of New Kent wrestling,” says Faus), the kids team generally sees 30-40 kids from ages 5-12 compete each year.

The youth movement has spread like wildfire. In Newport News, Oliver Walmon has seen his Warrior team grow from 40 to 94 wrestlers in one year. Former Hampton High wrestling coach Ron McRae left his post to take over the growing Pin2Win youth program there. McRae replaced John Swartz, who moved on to become the head coach at Smithfield High, but who had overseen their Smithfield Youth Wrestling Club from 2000-2006.

The difference is showing, especially to coaches who are working to continue the trend.

“We don’t have a high transition between our youth program and here,” says Gloucester coach Ricky Pierce. “The problem is that we don’t have a middle school program. The kids are falling a bit behind, and the first time some of them wrestle is right after I pull them out of the hallway at Gloucester.”

To Pierce’s credit, he remains undeterred, and also entered his Dukes in the National Division. When asked why he chose the toughest bracket, Pierce was unapologetic. “Why wouldn’t you want to wrestle in the National Division?”

“I don’t need to pad my stats or my record as a coach. I don’t look at the score the way that others do. My job is to do the best I can to give these kids the opportunity to get noticed. They can come here, wrestle in the National Division and be seen by college coaches.”

To prove his point, Pierce referred to his 145-lb wrestler A.J. Ransom as an example.

“(Ransom) had a good match today. Unfortunately, he lost. But he wrestled some tough kids; in fact, one of them was nationally ranked. The good thing is, we saw some areas where we’ll need to make adjustments which will make him better later.”

“If they wrestle kids who are less (talented), they might get away with things that will hurt them later. We want our kids to rise to the occasion. It’s something I call leveling off.”

Thanks to the youth movement, at this year’s Duals, local wrestlers won’t have to rely on leveling off with moves learned in the ninth grade.