October 2010

www.midtnsportsmag.com • October 2010 • Middle Tennessee sporTs Magazine 1

October 2010 Volume 1 • No. 6

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GreatExpectations

2 Middle Tennessee sporTs Magazine • October 2010 • www.midtnsportsmag.com


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Publisher/Editor Jane Hutson

Managing Editor Jim Muir

Account Executives Janet Collins Jane Hutson Becky Sweeney Jon Williams Photographers Kevin Pieper Joel Smith Kenn Stilger

Contributing WritersJim HarwellRudy KalisRoger LipeDr. James Lohse Jim MuirGreg SageKathy Steakley

For more information regarding Middle Tennessee Sports Magazine contact Jane Hutson at 615-485-7640 or email [email protected], Janet Collins at [email protected], Becky Sweeney at 615-260-4751 or email [email protected], Jon Williams at 615-480-6455 or email [email protected].

The LineUp

A Word from the Publisher .........6

FCA.................................................8

Shut Up and Serve .................... 11

Ask the Jock Doc .......................16

Points to Ponder ........................17

Sports Mom Spotlight .............. 42

Ask the Certified Athletic Trainer .......................... 44

Rudy Kalis Looks Between the Lines .........46


That old and accurate saying comes to mind when viewing the outpouring of love for Ravenwood High School tennis coach A.W. Speake, who passed away suddenly on August 26 from an apparent heart attack.

Speake died at a place where he enjoyed so much success – on the tennis courts instructing youngsters in the finer points of the game he lived and loved.

As a tribute to the many lives he touched shortly after his death a memorial of flowers, cards and homemade signs began adorning the fences surrounding the tennis courts at RHS. It was a fitting tribute to a man who dedicated much of his life teaching and coaching tennis

Speake, only a few months removed from winning the TSSAA 2010 Class AAA state tennis title, was also named the Midstate Girls Coach of the Year in 2009. During his long and illustrious career he was also se-lected as the USTPA Tennis Professional of the Year in Tennessee and the person who has done the most to promote the sport of tennis in Tennessee.

While the outpouring of love from players and students was on display with the personal tributes surround-ing the tennis courts RHS Principal Dr. Pam Vaden noted on the school’s webpage that the feeling was quite mutual.

Dr. Vaden’s comments read in part:

…“Our hearts are heavy once again. We will all miss Coach Speake very much. He loved his athletes and was so very proud of them.”

The staff at MTSM joins the Ravenwood High School community in mourning the loss of a great coach and an even better person. -- Jim Muir --

RIPA.W. Speake

February 11, 1953 --- August 26, 2010

A picture, as we’re often told, is worth a thousand words.


A Word from the

Publisher

ASK THE AD Tennessee State U

ASK THE AD Belmont University

October is here with cooler temperatures just as fall sports seasons are heat-

ing up. We’re in the thick of some great rivalries soon to culminate into state tournaments. It’s a fa-vorite time of year for sports fans everywhere.

This issue of MTSM is a spe-cial one for me as I’ve taken what may be called ‘publisher’s privi-lege’ by including a feature on Ravenwood high school’s volley-ball team. Yes, both our daugh-ters play for Ravenwood, but after talking with our managing editor, Jim Muir, who convinced me we should run the piece, I smiled and said ‘let’s roll.’ The expectations are high for this team as they fin-ished second in the state tourna-ment last year and return several starters this year. Players, coach-es, parents, and fans all have the same vision – to get to the state tournament in October and take the prize. Thanks for indulging a publisher/mom.

We’ve included some great stories of traditions in this issue. One of those traditions is at Dav-id Lipscomb High School where dads gather before home games to not only paint the field, but fel-lowship and pray for their Mus-tangs and their competitors. It’s a rich tradition that grew out of love for a program and a special coach.

Another tradition we have fea-tured is one that is being broken as we speak. In a small town in Macon County, Red Boiling Springs’ football team listed a 0-61 record when Coach Kyle Shoulders was hired in 2009. Six years without a win, a new tradi-tion has been started and the dif-ference this coaching staff has made is something you’ll want to read about. Life lessons at its best.

We’re also tossing in some ed-ucation on officiating this month. While there are five striped shirts on the football field, many of us don’t know exactly what their re-sponsibilities are on Friday night. You’ll get a glimpse of what they do and why they do it.

Tennessee is a hotbed for pro-fessional athletes and this month we’re featuring John Henderson of the Oakland Raiders. John’s high school coach and mentor, Maurice Fitzgerald, are in the spotlight in Jim Harwell’s story about believing you can make a difference, one kid at a time.

From the pros to middle school – we’ll introduce you to a crack-er-jack kicker from Sunset Mid-dle School. This kid is one you’ll want to keep an eye on. Thanks to a reader who called me with this story lead after seeing Trace Halpern kick a 41-yard field goal.

MTSM also honors a fallen coach who passed suddenly while doing what he loved – coaching tennis. A.W. Speake has coached hundreds of Middle Tennessee athletes and his legacy will last for years. You’ll see the impact he had on players, parents, and friends.

I’m proud to announce a new look and feel of MTSM coming in November – like dropping the “M” from MTSM. We’ll be Tennes-see Sports Magazine starting with November’s issue. We’re excited about some cool changes we’re making to the magazine. TSM is maintaining the same high stand-ards of quality and content, but upgrading our format. Same writ-ers, publisher, editor, and pho-tographers, just a new look. Our website will have a facelift too so be sure to check us out online. We’re growing fast, developing, and evolving with content, adver-tisers, and graphics. New look, new traditions, but still a focus on the good things about sports in Tennessee.

As always, thanks for picking us up and reading. I look forward to your feedback, story leads, and recommendations at [email protected] or 615-485-7640.

All the best,

jane


2725 Clifton AvenueNashville, TN 37209

615-329-4418

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Nashville, TN 37215615-942-5480

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Catering available for

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Attention Teams and Coaches:2 batting cages available with Atec Pitching Machines. Each cage is big enough to allow for live pitch training.

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The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it perfect for any committed individual regardless of experience. Our program delivers a fitness

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Pick Up Your Copy ofMiddle Tennessee Sports Magazine

at the following locations: Blue Coast Burrito locations • SportClips

A-Game Sportsplex • Centennial SportsplexYMCA’s • Hibbett Sports • Dick’s Sporting Goods

Star Physical Therapy locations • Sam’s GrilleBar-b-Cutie • Swett’s Restaurants

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NAC, MAC, & FACBorder’s • Loveless Café

Corner Pub in BellevueHendersonville, Gallatin, and Brentwood Public Libraries

Academy Sports Cool SpringsTrevecca Nazarene University

86 High Schools in 10 county area of Middle Tennessee

or visit us on-line at www.midtnsportsmag.com

8 Middle Tennessee sporTs Magazine • October 2010 • www.midtnsportsmag.com www.midtnsportsmag.com • October 2010 • Middle Tennessee sporTs Magazine 9

CERTIFIED ATHLETIC TRAINERASK THE

t r i s ta rhea lth . com

I do my brothers, sisters, my mother, father and my son. These total more than a hundred times as many relationships which have been lost to my pursuit of Christ’s call. My brothers and sisters speak Spanish and Chinese, Vietnamese, Patois, Farsi, German and French, Portuguese, Hindi, Thai, Swahili and many speak English with a wide variety of marvelous dia-lects and lovely accents. One lady who is as dear to me as a mother speaks Afrikaans and my thousands of children (in Christ) are scattered across the USA and abroad having come through 16 years of Saluki football, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, volleyball and more. I have received of the Lord an immense, global family.

The remaining item which gives me sober pause is that I have yet to be visited by significant persecution. At most, I have been inconvenienced, misunderstood or resisted. Persecution has yet to cost me even a drop of blood (though it almost did in San Pedro Sula, Honduras in 1994). The Lord’s faithfulness to the promises of multiplied possessions and relationships must be also applied to the sure-to-come persecu-tions. I trust that, upon their arrival, they will be seen as less than nothing as compared to the gracious gifts which the Lord Jesus has lavished on me over just this last decade.

I challenged the interns to charge strongly into their futures, casting caution to the wind and trusting Christ to fulfill His promises. I would challenge you and the man I shave each morning to do the same.

After the last 10 years of travel abroad invest-ing in the sport chaplain and sport mentor commu-nity, I better understand this promise. The disciples were about to embark on exciting, perilous journeys and would follow Jesus’ instructions about how to travel, where to stay and how to receive hospitality (Matthew 10). They each, no doubt, wound up with homes all over their world as they carried the gospel of Christ from house to house, city to city, nation to nation. They, no doubt, found multiplied hundreds of people whose relationships with them were as dear as mothers, brothers, sisters and children. They, no doubt, also encountered persecutions which eventu-ally took their very lives.

My wife and I live very modestly in a house in Car-bondale, Illinois. We have two cars with over 100,000 miles on each one. My wardrobe is the subject of af-fectionate teasing as most everything has a logo on it (FCA or SIU), meaning I didn’t pay for it. Many of my contemporaries seem obsessed with the accumula-tion of wealth or at least the stuff which makes one appear to be wealthy. A few of them are truly wealthy and they have found that the wealth brings along a new set of stresses and problems.

As I sat at a picnic table in the early morning mountain breeze I realized that I have received gra-cious hospitality and have found homes in Teguci-galpa and San Pedro Sula, Honduras. I have a home with my friends in Kingston, Jamaica. I have been welcomed, like I was home, in numerous states of the USA. In Melbourne, Australia I was made to feel as if I owned the place. The same has been true in Cuba, Singapore, Thailand, Greece, London, Wales and now in Italy. I am the richest person I know!

As I have traveled internationally these last 10 years, I have developed relationships with people on six continents and I cherish them as dearly as

Fellowship oF ChrisTian

aThleTes

While preparing to deliver a talk on leader-ship for a set of interns studying and work-ing in international sports ministry, I was

struck right between the eyes by a new angle on a scripture which I have read for decades. As I talked with the interns over those summer days I was struck by how free they are. Many had gone to college and had completed their degrees without a dollar of debt due to their athletic scholarships and they are now contemplating a life of service to Christ in countries which they could not spell just a month earlier. I was inspired by their liberty and took some time for per-sonal reflection about my own pilgrimage over the last decade.

Mark 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.”

Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or moth-er or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Peter and the disciples had all left their businesses and much more to follow Jesus. Until yesterday, I had heard Jesus’ reply to Peter’s statement with little un-derstanding or personal impact. That changed right away. I focused in on Jesus’ assertion that the disci-ples would receive these sacrificed items 100 times over in this present age (and persecutions as well), plus eternal life in the next.

The Richest Man I Know

Faith on the Field



t r i s ta rhea lth . com

I do my brothers, sisters, my mother, father and my son. These total more than a hundred times as many relationships which have been lost to my pursuit of Christ’s call. My brothers and sisters speak Spanish and Chinese, Vietnamese, Patois, Farsi, German and French, Portuguese, Hindi, Thai, Swahili and many speak English with a wide variety of marvelous dia-lects and lovely accents. One lady who is as dear to me as a mother speaks Afrikaans and my thousands of children (in Christ) are scattered across the USA and abroad having come through 16 years of Saluki football, basketball, baseball, softball, track and field, volleyball and more. I have received of the Lord an immense, global family.

The remaining item which gives me sober pause is that I have yet to be visited by significant persecution. At most, I have been inconvenienced, misunderstood or resisted. Persecution has yet to cost me even a drop of blood (though it almost did in San Pedro Sula, Honduras in 1994). The Lord’s faithfulness to the promises of multiplied possessions and relationships must be also applied to the sure-to-come persecu-tions. I trust that, upon their arrival, they will be seen as less than nothing as compared to the gracious gifts which the Lord Jesus has lavished on me over just this last decade.

I challenged the interns to charge strongly into their futures, casting caution to the wind and trusting Christ to fulfill His promises. I would challenge you and the man I shave each morning to do the same.

After the last 10 years of travel abroad invest-ing in the sport chaplain and sport mentor commu-nity, I better understand this promise. The disciples were about to embark on exciting, perilous journeys and would follow Jesus’ instructions about how to travel, where to stay and how to receive hospitality (Matthew 10). They each, no doubt, wound up with homes all over their world as they carried the gospel of Christ from house to house, city to city, nation to nation. They, no doubt, found multiplied hundreds of people whose relationships with them were as dear as mothers, brothers, sisters and children. They, no doubt, also encountered persecutions which eventu-ally took their very lives.

My wife and I live very modestly in a house in Car-bondale, Illinois. We have two cars with over 100,000 miles on each one. My wardrobe is the subject of af-fectionate teasing as most everything has a logo on it (FCA or SIU), meaning I didn’t pay for it. Many of my contemporaries seem obsessed with the accumula-tion of wealth or at least the stuff which makes one appear to be wealthy. A few of them are truly wealthy and they have found that the wealth brings along a new set of stresses and problems.

As I sat at a picnic table in the early morning mountain breeze I realized that I have received gra-cious hospitality and have found homes in Teguci-galpa and San Pedro Sula, Honduras. I have a home with my friends in Kingston, Jamaica. I have been welcomed, like I was home, in numerous states of the USA. In Melbourne, Australia I was made to feel as if I owned the place. The same has been true in Cuba, Singapore, Thailand, Greece, London, Wales and now in Italy. I am the richest person I know!

As I have traveled internationally these last 10 years, I have developed relationships with people on six continents and I cherish them as dearly as

Fellowship oF ChrisTian

aThleTes

While preparing to deliver a talk on leader-ship for a set of interns studying and work-ing in international sports ministry, I was

struck right between the eyes by a new angle on a scripture which I have read for decades. As I talked with the interns over those summer days I was struck by how free they are. Many had gone to college and had completed their degrees without a dollar of debt due to their athletic scholarships and they are now contemplating a life of service to Christ in countries which they could not spell just a month earlier. I was inspired by their liberty and took some time for per-sonal reflection about my own pilgrimage over the last decade.

Mark 10:28-31

Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.”

Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or moth-er or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Peter and the disciples had all left their businesses and much more to follow Jesus. Until yesterday, I had heard Jesus’ reply to Peter’s statement with little un-derstanding or personal impact. That changed right away. I focused in on Jesus’ assertion that the disci-ples would receive these sacrificed items 100 times over in this present age (and persecutions as well), plus eternal life in the next.

The Richest Man I Know

Faith on the Field



of a challenge or making a friend … and she does it all with a smile.”

Robert Towns, Kelsey’s father

“I would describe Kelsey as a com-petitor. Regardless of the situation, on the court or in a hospital, Kelsey has a can-do attitude and takes on life’s challenges (good or bad) with a competitive spirit and a positive out-look.”

Lea Ann Towns, Kelsey’s moth-er

“When Kelsey walks in the room she brings a bright light that everyone notices. She’s so positive, cheerful, and is a beautiful young lady.”

Kathy Roulac, TSU head coach

“Kelsey is such a fine example of what youth are all about, even through this most challenging expe-rience, her spirit and resolve shines through.”

Brandon Rosenthal, David Lipscomb University head coach

“Kelsey is a brave, beautiful prin-cess who never ceases to smile and inspire every person she comes in contact with.”

Madelyn Hutson, Ravenwood outside hitter

“Kelsey has accepted her diag-nosis with a typical Towns’ approach. She is strong and loving. There is no time for sorrow – only a positive ap-proach that affects those who love her more than herself. When we feel frustrated and hurt for all of the fam-ily, we look to her for support. What a strange twist?”

Tucked in the hills of Tennessee are some of the finest stars in volleyball. I have the privilege

of highlighting one of our great play-ers. Her name is Kelsey Towns and she has been the starting setter for Father Ryan Academy. But instead of having the opportunity to help lead her team to another state champion-ship, she is undergoing heavy doses of chemotherapy and radiation at Vanderbilt Children’s hospital. This last June she was unexpectedly di-agnosed with Synovial Sarcoma, an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer that attacks less than one in a million kids under the age of 20. Here is a letter for Kelsey that I would like to share with her and all of you.

Dear Kelsey,

As I write this letter I know you are undergoing chemotherapy and radia-tion. I can’t imagine what that must be like especially during your senior year of High School. When times get chal-lenging please remember how many of us admire your courage, love and passion.

This is a letter compiled by sev-eral of your biggest fans and we pray it gives you some encouragement. I simply asked “How would you de-scribe Kelsey Towns?” Without hesi-tation this is what they said:

“One word for “MY GIRL” would be “FEARLESS.” She always has this fearless calm about her. In faith and life she never lets fear get in her way

Jinx Cockerham, Father Ryan head coach

“Kelsey Towns is one of the most passionate, hardworking, and a ‘nev-er-quit types’ who always strives to do her best.”

Ellen Mullins, former Father Ryan teammate, currently playing for UT

“She is amazing and courageous, the essence of a true team player.”

Tracey Berry, Ravenwood High School coach

“She is the best friend everyone wants and the hero everyone needs.” Micaela Bailey, Ravenwood High School, libero

“Everyone loves Kelsey because of her sweet spirit and determination in spite of her difficult circumstances.”

Scott Rhein, Junior National Volleyball team player

“Kelsey is the person everyone wants to be around, always laughing, making jokes and has such a conta-gious personality that everyone loves through good times and bad.”

Lydia Wright, Ravenwood High School setter

Kelsey, you are setting the pace for all of us in love and courage. Thank you for allowing us a front row seat in the making of a true champion. Keep on fighting and we will keep on pray-ing for a good report in December after you have undergone your treat-ment!

Kelsey Towns “Fearless”

Points to Ponder

Roger Lipe

DreamsEvery year I look at the schedule

during pre-season and start to calcu-late wins and losses. “We can beat them. We’ll probably lose there. This one is a toss up. We’d better beat them!” I’m sure all of us lie on our beds at night and dream about cham-pionships and M.V.P. awards. What’s exciting to me is that God can do im-measurably more than even those things.

In Paul’s letter to his friends in Ephesus at chapter 3 and verse 20 he writes, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His pow-er that is at work within us...” How big can you ask or imagine? How large are your dreams? God’s reality is even bigger!!

Could it be that God’s plans for me are even greater than I could possibly dream of? Can I trust God to make provision for my life in ways I can’t even conceive? Absolutely. The text says that He is able to do immeasur-ably more than I can even ask or im-agine. That’s how great God’s power is in our lives. He is at work in ways we can’t even fathom with our simple minds. His reality is even bigger than our dreams.

In today’s game, let the confidence that comes from security make you the player you’ve always dreamed of being. Step into the reality of God’s plans and you’ll find life that eclipses your wildest dreams.

Patience, Kindness, Goodness

We are again talking about in-

wardly held character qualities with outward expression. This time

they’re relational in nature... dealing with how we relate to our teammates, coaches and friends.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians at chapter 5 and verse 22 he writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good-ness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” How would fruit be evi-dent on your life’s branches?

Check your relationships to see if these kinds of fruit are hanging there:

· Patience - bearing with the un-bearable. Do you know anyone like that?

· Kindness - Giving the best to the undeserving. To whom do show kindness?

· Goodness - Emulating God’s character of moral purity. Is that evi-dent in your relationships?

In today’s game, be patient with each other’s failings. Show kindness to each other, sacrifice to give your best to the undeserving. Be good. Express yourself with purity of motive and intention. These qualities make for great relationships and for great teams. Be one today!

Practice

Why do we have to practice all the time? Why do we continually run these same drills on fundamentals? Haven’t we attained enough experi-ence to do away with all this repeti-tion? The Holy Scripture communi-cates strongly a value for these kinds of activities.

In the Old Testament book of Ec-clesiastes, at chapter 10 and verse 10 Solomon wrote, “If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” Obviously he is not just talking about cutting down trees. The

key phrase is, “skill will bring suc-cess.”

You have taken years of your life to sharpen your skills. Your investment of time and hard work to improve your techniques, strength, quickness, shooting, etc... will surely bring suc-cess.

It’s always good to do some evalu-ation and to check the sharpness of your skills. How sharp am I today? With a dull set of skills, we must ap-ply a whole lot more muscle and extra effort. Trust the words of Solomon, sharpen your skills and meet suc-cess.

Pray for a sharp set of tools for today’s game. Watch how easily things work when your skills are finely honed and applied to your game. Be sure to thank God for your tools and their sharpness.

Love, Joy, PeaceWhat are the characteristics of

your life that show your true nature? Do your actions accurately reflect the condition of your heart? Let’s focus our minds on some inward qualities with outward expressions. Let’s turn our attention on some transforming character qualities that will lead to victories on and off the field of com-petition.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians at chapter 5 and verse 22 he writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good-ness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” As apples are the fruit



of a challenge or making a friend … and she does it all with a smile.”

Robert Towns, Kelsey’s father

“I would describe Kelsey as a com-petitor. Regardless of the situation, on the court or in a hospital, Kelsey has a can-do attitude and takes on life’s challenges (good or bad) with a competitive spirit and a positive out-look.”

Lea Ann Towns, Kelsey’s moth-er

“When Kelsey walks in the room she brings a bright light that everyone notices. She’s so positive, cheerful, and is a beautiful young lady.”

Kathy Roulac, TSU head coach

“Kelsey is such a fine example of what youth are all about, even through this most challenging expe-rience, her spirit and resolve shines through.”

Brandon Rosenthal, David Lipscomb University head coach

“Kelsey is a brave, beautiful prin-cess who never ceases to smile and inspire every person she comes in contact with.”

Madelyn Hutson, Ravenwood outside hitter

“Kelsey has accepted her diag-nosis with a typical Towns’ approach. She is strong and loving. There is no time for sorrow – only a positive ap-proach that affects those who love her more than herself. When we feel frustrated and hurt for all of the fam-ily, we look to her for support. What a strange twist?”

Tucked in the hills of Tennessee are some of the finest stars in volleyball. I have the privilege

of highlighting one of our great play-ers. Her name is Kelsey Towns and she has been the starting setter for Father Ryan Academy. But instead of having the opportunity to help lead her team to another state champion-ship, she is undergoing heavy doses of chemotherapy and radiation at Vanderbilt Children’s hospital. This last June she was unexpectedly di-agnosed with Synovial Sarcoma, an extremely rare and aggressive form of cancer that attacks less than one in a million kids under the age of 20. Here is a letter for Kelsey that I would like to share with her and all of you.

Dear Kelsey,

As I write this letter I know you are undergoing chemotherapy and radia-tion. I can’t imagine what that must be like especially during your senior year of High School. When times get chal-lenging please remember how many of us admire your courage, love and passion.

This is a letter compiled by sev-eral of your biggest fans and we pray it gives you some encouragement. I simply asked “How would you de-scribe Kelsey Towns?” Without hesi-tation this is what they said:

“One word for “MY GIRL” would be “FEARLESS.” She always has this fearless calm about her. In faith and life she never lets fear get in her way

Jinx Cockerham, Father Ryan head coach

“Kelsey Towns is one of the most passionate, hardworking, and a ‘nev-er-quit types’ who always strives to do her best.”

Ellen Mullins, former Father Ryan teammate, currently playing for UT

“She is amazing and courageous, the essence of a true team player.”

Tracey Berry, Ravenwood High School coach

“She is the best friend everyone wants and the hero everyone needs.” Micaela Bailey, Ravenwood High School, libero

“Everyone loves Kelsey because of her sweet spirit and determination in spite of her difficult circumstances.”

Scott Rhein, Junior National Volleyball team player

“Kelsey is the person everyone wants to be around, always laughing, making jokes and has such a conta-gious personality that everyone loves through good times and bad.”

Lydia Wright, Ravenwood High School setter

Kelsey, you are setting the pace for all of us in love and courage. Thank you for allowing us a front row seat in the making of a true champion. Keep on fighting and we will keep on pray-ing for a good report in December after you have undergone your treat-ment!

Kelsey Towns “Fearless”

Points to Ponder

Roger Lipe

DreamsEvery year I look at the schedule

during pre-season and start to calcu-late wins and losses. “We can beat them. We’ll probably lose there. This one is a toss up. We’d better beat them!” I’m sure all of us lie on our beds at night and dream about cham-pionships and M.V.P. awards. What’s exciting to me is that God can do im-measurably more than even those things.

In Paul’s letter to his friends in Ephesus at chapter 3 and verse 20 he writes, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His pow-er that is at work within us...” How big can you ask or imagine? How large are your dreams? God’s reality is even bigger!!

Could it be that God’s plans for me are even greater than I could possibly dream of? Can I trust God to make provision for my life in ways I can’t even conceive? Absolutely. The text says that He is able to do immeasur-ably more than I can even ask or im-agine. That’s how great God’s power is in our lives. He is at work in ways we can’t even fathom with our simple minds. His reality is even bigger than our dreams.

In today’s game, let the confidence that comes from security make you the player you’ve always dreamed of being. Step into the reality of God’s plans and you’ll find life that eclipses your wildest dreams.

Patience, Kindness, Goodness

We are again talking about in-

wardly held character qualities with outward expression. This time

they’re relational in nature... dealing with how we relate to our teammates, coaches and friends.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians at chapter 5 and verse 22 he writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good-ness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” How would fruit be evi-dent on your life’s branches?

Check your relationships to see if these kinds of fruit are hanging there:

· Patience - bearing with the un-bearable. Do you know anyone like that?

· Kindness - Giving the best to the undeserving. To whom do show kindness?

· Goodness - Emulating God’s character of moral purity. Is that evi-dent in your relationships?

In today’s game, be patient with each other’s failings. Show kindness to each other, sacrifice to give your best to the undeserving. Be good. Express yourself with purity of motive and intention. These qualities make for great relationships and for great teams. Be one today!

Practice

Why do we have to practice all the time? Why do we continually run these same drills on fundamentals? Haven’t we attained enough experi-ence to do away with all this repeti-tion? The Holy Scripture communi-cates strongly a value for these kinds of activities.

In the Old Testament book of Ec-clesiastes, at chapter 10 and verse 10 Solomon wrote, “If the axe is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.” Obviously he is not just talking about cutting down trees. The

key phrase is, “skill will bring suc-cess.”

You have taken years of your life to sharpen your skills. Your investment of time and hard work to improve your techniques, strength, quickness, shooting, etc... will surely bring suc-cess.

It’s always good to do some evalu-ation and to check the sharpness of your skills. How sharp am I today? With a dull set of skills, we must ap-ply a whole lot more muscle and extra effort. Trust the words of Solomon, sharpen your skills and meet suc-cess.

Pray for a sharp set of tools for today’s game. Watch how easily things work when your skills are finely honed and applied to your game. Be sure to thank God for your tools and their sharpness.

Love, Joy, PeaceWhat are the characteristics of

your life that show your true nature? Do your actions accurately reflect the condition of your heart? Let’s focus our minds on some inward qualities with outward expressions. Let’s turn our attention on some transforming character qualities that will lead to victories on and off the field of com-petition.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians at chapter 5 and verse 22 he writes, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good-ness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” As apples are the fruit


of an apple tree, these qualities are the fruit of a lover of God.

These qualities that are held inside a person’s character are expressed in one’s speech and conduct:

· Love - giving sacrificially to oth-ers without expectation of return.

· Joy - Emotional stability in tur-bulent times.

· Peace - Clear minded thinking in the middle of chaos.

In today’s game, employ love for your teammates in sacrificially giving all you have to achieve a win. Ex-

hibit joy in overcoming the emotional roller coaster that rides through the day. Rest in the peace that comes with trusting God through the chaos of competition. Bear some fruit in today’s game, everyone will see the source and they’ll honor your God.

Mitch Warren1191 W. Main St. Hendersonville, TN 37075615-822-FARM (3276)www.mitchwarren.com

Celeste Middleton803 N. Thompson Ln, Ste B102Murfreesboro, TN 37129Phone: 615-895-2700www.celestemiddleton.com

Dejuan Buford246 Wilson Pike Circle, Suite CBrentwood, TN 37027-2745Phone: (615) 371-1234www.dejuanbuford.com

Belmont closed out the Nevada Invitational with a five-set win over Weber State to move to

3-4 on the season. The win also gave head Coach Deane Webb his 300th career win.

The Bruins needed a fifth set to knock off the Wildcats after drop-ping the fourth set, 23-25. Belmont entered set four with a 2-1 lead and ultimately took the deciding set 15-4 behind strong performances by its upperclassmen. Junior Mag-gie Johnson (Naperville, Ill.), led the Bruins with 19 kills. She also added 12 digs and three service aces. Sen-ior Kayla Albritton (Gainesville, Fla.) added a season and career high 18 kills, plus four blocks and a service ace to go along with her team high .378 hitting percentage, while fellow senior Tara Blood (Boise, Idaho) led the Bruins with five blocks and also added 11 kills.

“Kayla was incredible this week-end,” Webb said. “She led the tour-ney in kills per game and was second in hitting percentage. She’s trans-formed herself from a very average freshman to an outstanding player as a senior. Truly a tribute to the hard work she puts in every spring and summer in the weight room. She de-serves anything good that comes her way.”

Overall, the Nevada Invitational provided Webb and his staff addi-tional opportunities to evaluate their team and mark areas for improve-ment, especially against tough com-petition from teams like Notre Dame and Nevada. Both teams were ag-gressive and athletic, something Webb hopes will help his team when the conference season rolls around.

The success the Bruins had against difficult competition showed they have what it takes to compete with good teams.

“It was a very interesting week-end, to say the least,” Webb said. “We’ve done a good job being prepared mentally and e m o t i o n a l l y to play good teams this season, but we’ve lacked focus and intensity when play-ing teams that weren’t considered as strong. That’s something I need to improve on as a coach, and hope-fully we’ll address that very soon. With glimpses of potential come an understanding of expectations and being accountable for our actions. If the glimpses of potential we showed this weekend can become our stand-ard level of play, I’m excited for what we can become.”

Webb now has a career record of 300-166. Already the winningest coach in school history, Webb has amassed 138 wins as the head coach of the Bruins, including five consecu-tive 20-win seasons from 2004 to 2008. Twice named the Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year (2004 and 2006), Webb has led Belmont to two A-Sun Championships and two NCAA Tour-nament appearances. When asked about his success and reaching the career milestone, Webb attributed his

3 0 0 career wins to the players and assistant coaches who helped make them possible.

“There’s a coaching saying that I agree with that says ‘Good players make good coaches’, and seeing a 300th win as a college coach reminds me how fortunate I’ve been to coach all the wonderful players that earned all of these victories,” Webb said. “Along with the players, I’m thankful for the assistant coaches that have coached our teams to these victories. Whether it’s Jeff Wismer, who just started here and has coached our team to three wins, to Embrey Bran-non who has been here four years and is doing a great job with our play-ers, to Tony Howell and Ken Carver, coaches that worked alongside me for years and each coached teams to over a hundred wins, they’re as much responsible for those successes as anyone.”

Belmont Tops Weber State,

Webb Gets Win No. 300The Bruins knock off the Wildcats in Five Sets to Give Head Coach Deane Webb Career Win 300

Kayla Albritton


of an apple tree, these qualities are the fruit of a lover of God.

These qualities that are held inside a person’s character are expressed in one’s speech and conduct:

· Love - giving sacrificially to oth-ers without expectation of return.

· Joy - Emotional stability in tur-bulent times.

· Peace - Clear minded thinking in the middle of chaos.

In today’s game, employ love for your teammates in sacrificially giving all you have to achieve a win. Ex-

hibit joy in overcoming the emotional roller coaster that rides through the day. Rest in the peace that comes with trusting God through the chaos of competition. Bear some fruit in today’s game, everyone will see the source and they’ll honor your God.

Mitch Warren1191 W. Main St. Hendersonville, TN 37075615-822-FARM (3276)www.mitchwarren.com

Celeste Middleton803 N. Thompson Ln, Ste B102Murfreesboro, TN 37129Phone: 615-895-2700www.celestemiddleton.com

Dejuan Buford246 Wilson Pike Circle, Suite CBrentwood, TN 37027-2745Phone: (615) 371-1234www.dejuanbuford.com

Belmont closed out the Nevada Invitational with a five-set win over Weber State to move to

3-4 on the season. The win also gave head Coach Deane Webb his 300th career win.

The Bruins needed a fifth set to knock off the Wildcats after drop-ping the fourth set, 23-25. Belmont entered set four with a 2-1 lead and ultimately took the deciding set 15-4 behind strong performances by its upperclassmen. Junior Mag-gie Johnson (Naperville, Ill.), led the Bruins with 19 kills. She also added 12 digs and three service aces. Sen-ior Kayla Albritton (Gainesville, Fla.) added a season and career high 18 kills, plus four blocks and a service ace to go along with her team high .378 hitting percentage, while fellow senior Tara Blood (Boise, Idaho) led the Bruins with five blocks and also added 11 kills.

“Kayla was incredible this week-end,” Webb said. “She led the tour-ney in kills per game and was second in hitting percentage. She’s trans-formed herself from a very average freshman to an outstanding player as a senior. Truly a tribute to the hard work she puts in every spring and summer in the weight room. She de-serves anything good that comes her way.”

Overall, the Nevada Invitational provided Webb and his staff addi-tional opportunities to evaluate their team and mark areas for improve-ment, especially against tough com-petition from teams like Notre Dame and Nevada. Both teams were ag-gressive and athletic, something Webb hopes will help his team when the conference season rolls around.

The success the Bruins had against difficult competition showed they have what it takes to compete with good teams.

“It was a very interesting week-end, to say the least,” Webb said. “We’ve done a good job being prepared mentally and e m o t i o n a l l y to play good teams this season, but we’ve lacked focus and intensity when play-ing teams that weren’t considered as strong. That’s something I need to improve on as a coach, and hope-fully we’ll address that very soon. With glimpses of potential come an understanding of expectations and being accountable for our actions. If the glimpses of potential we showed this weekend can become our stand-ard level of play, I’m excited for what we can become.”

Webb now has a career record of 300-166. Already the winningest coach in school history, Webb has amassed 138 wins as the head coach of the Bruins, including five consecu-tive 20-win seasons from 2004 to 2008. Twice named the Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year (2004 and 2006), Webb has led Belmont to two A-Sun Championships and two NCAA Tour-nament appearances. When asked about his success and reaching the career milestone, Webb attributed his

3 0 0 career wins to the players and assistant coaches who helped make them possible.

“There’s a coaching saying that I agree with that says ‘Good players make good coaches’, and seeing a 300th win as a college coach reminds me how fortunate I’ve been to coach all the wonderful players that earned all of these victories,” Webb said. “Along with the players, I’m thankful for the assistant coaches that have coached our teams to these victories. Whether it’s Jeff Wismer, who just started here and has coached our team to three wins, to Embrey Bran-non who has been here four years and is doing a great job with our play-ers, to Tony Howell and Ken Carver, coaches that worked alongside me for years and each coached teams to over a hundred wins, they’re as much responsible for those successes as anyone.”

Belmont Tops Weber State,

Webb Gets Win No. 300The Bruins knock off the Wildcats in Five Sets to Give Head Coach Deane Webb Career Win 300

Kayla Albritton


sons will be available if we are watching for them. An example took place recently in a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, who are locked in a battle for their Division title. During the seventh inning, Tampa Bay pitcher Chad Qualls threw a ball that hit the very end of Derek Jeter’s bat. Jeter imme-diately grabbed his left elbow and appeared to be in a great deal of pain. The umpire, believing Jeter had been hit by the ball awarded him first base. But Jeter knew he had not been struck by the ball. In fact, video replays showed Jeter smiling while Tampa Bay players and coaching staff argued that the ball hit the bat and after the game quickly and easily admitted that the ball hit his bat saying, “That’s part of the game.” He took the base and later scored.

He intentionally tricked the of-ficial. Is this wrong? Is it cheat-

ing? Are there occasions to fool authorities (parents, teachers, police, voters)? Is it fair to accept undeserved rewards? Who is re-sponsible for upholding fairness?

After a few days, the media had finished with this story. Consen-sus among sports commentators was that it was not wrong nor was it cheating. ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian declared Jeter was right to fake he had been hit by the pitch, rea-soning, “This kind of thing has happened in all sports forever and no one should think anything of it.” Former NFL lineman Mike Golic implored, “show me the rule against it.” Dan Patrick, of NBC and SportsIllustrated.com, stated, “I have no problem with it” al-though 56 percent of respondents to an online poll on Patrick’s web-page did.

We like to believe that sports offer a simple view of the world: there are rules, there is a score-

board, at the end of the game there is one winner… alas, sports are not so straightforward. So take advantage of the great month of sports viewing we have right now. Come together with family, friends, or strangers at the stadium and watch competitions on the field, and have discussions – meaningful discussions – about what is happening. How do these events inform us about ourselves and what we want to be? What do these games mean to us? And why is this so?

Sports fans like to support their teams that “leave it all on the field,” possibly fans should fol-low this same edict and take with them from that field as much as they can.

(Michael Sullivan, Ph. D. is the President of AHEAD Performance Consulting in Nashville, TN. AHEAD Performance assists coaches and athletes at all levels of competition improve their performance in and enjoyment of their sport. For more information about his work, go to www.aheadperformance.com)

AHEADPERFORMANCETHINK. PLAY. WIN.

By Michael Sullivan, Ph. D.

October is the greatest month of the year for sports fans! At this time of

year there is something for eve-ryone: Football is going strong. Basketball and hockey are start-ing. Golfers just completed the Ryder Cup, racers have the Sprint Series Chase and soccer fans are looking toward the playoffs. And if this is not enough, just as there is a chill in the air, the World Series will conclude the baseball season. All is right in the World of Sports… or is it?

Very often we justify our interest in sporting events – both as spec-tators and participants – by how it improves our lives and society as a whole. Sports are not merely en-tertainment or distractions, sports are more than physical exercise or a way to connect with others socially. Sports are credited with bringing people together. Sports are credited with teaching genera-tion after generation “life lessons” that build “character.”

Building “character” is a de-velopmental process. In outlining his model of moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg noted that de-velopment in this arena happens

in a stage-wise manner and oc-curs when the need arises. That is, children do not typically ponder hypothetical ethical questions, rather they learn by dealing with real problems that come up in their real experiences. Their de-cision making process gradually becomes more complex when two conditions apply: (1) they must reconcile a discrepancy between their views and others’ conclu-sions, and (2) they are introduced to another way to consider the problem. That is, just like moving from a bike with training-wheels to a two-wheeler, thinking ma-tures when children are taught a new, more complex, better way of doing what they know how to do. Psychology and education re-searchers examining Kohlberg’s model have further outlined how “character” can be taught.

In sports we find heroes and we find “goats” and supposedly we learn lessons from them both. Young athletes are encouraged to emulate the characteristics that lead to winning: Cal Ripken’s consistency, Peyton Manning’s preparation, or Lance Armstrong’s tenacity. And parents and com-mentators explicitly warn the next generation to learn from the mis-

takes of “today’s athletes.” This year, that list has likely included Ben Roethlisberger, Roger Cle-mens, Tiger Woods, or Reggie Bush. Yet, often young athletes’ moral reasoning does not improve after being presented with such examples. Researchers have found that high school and college athletes demonstrate significantly less mature moral reasoning than their non-athlete peers. Contrary to what we’ve been told about the benefits of sport, scientific evi-dence has shown sport participa-tion may be impeding character development.

Unfortunately, however, con-versations about morality and sport tend to focus on the ath-letes rather than the sport itself. Higher-order moral reasoning is not necessary to understand how accusations of cheating (e.g., Cle-mens, Bush) can lead to negative consequences. In fact, defining right and wrong by what is pun-ished characterizes behavior the lowest level in Kohlberg’s three stages.

At this time of year, it should be easy for parents to find op-portunities to focus their children on these lessons. With so many sporting events happening, les-

Watch and Learn: Using Sports to Develop Character


sons will be available if we are watching for them. An example took place recently in a game between the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, who are locked in a battle for their Division title. During the seventh inning, Tampa Bay pitcher Chad Qualls threw a ball that hit the very end of Derek Jeter’s bat. Jeter imme-diately grabbed his left elbow and appeared to be in a great deal of pain. The umpire, believing Jeter had been hit by the ball awarded him first base. But Jeter knew he had not been struck by the ball. In fact, video replays showed Jeter smiling while Tampa Bay players and coaching staff argued that the ball hit the bat and after the game quickly and easily admitted that the ball hit his bat saying, “That’s part of the game.” He took the base and later scored.

He intentionally tricked the of-ficial. Is this wrong? Is it cheat-

ing? Are there occasions to fool authorities (parents, teachers, police, voters)? Is it fair to accept undeserved rewards? Who is re-sponsible for upholding fairness?

After a few days, the media had finished with this story. Consen-sus among sports commentators was that it was not wrong nor was it cheating. ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian declared Jeter was right to fake he had been hit by the pitch, rea-soning, “This kind of thing has happened in all sports forever and no one should think anything of it.” Former NFL lineman Mike Golic implored, “show me the rule against it.” Dan Patrick, of NBC and SportsIllustrated.com, stated, “I have no problem with it” al-though 56 percent of respondents to an online poll on Patrick’s web-page did.

We like to believe that sports offer a simple view of the world: there are rules, there is a score-

board, at the end of the game there is one winner… alas, sports are not so straightforward. So take advantage of the great month of sports viewing we have right now. Come together with family, friends, or strangers at the stadium and watch competitions on the field, and have discussions – meaningful discussions – about what is happening. How do these events inform us about ourselves and what we want to be? What do these games mean to us? And why is this so?

Sports fans like to support their teams that “leave it all on the field,” possibly fans should fol-low this same edict and take with them from that field as much as they can.

(Michael Sullivan, Ph. D. is the President of AHEAD Performance Consulting in Nashville, TN. AHEAD Performance assists coaches and athletes at all levels of competition improve their performance in and enjoyment of their sport. For more information about his work, go to www.aheadperformance.com)

AHEADPERFORMANCETHINK. PLAY. WIN.

By Michael Sullivan, Ph. D.

October is the greatest month of the year for sports fans! At this time of

year there is something for eve-ryone: Football is going strong. Basketball and hockey are start-ing. Golfers just completed the Ryder Cup, racers have the Sprint Series Chase and soccer fans are looking toward the playoffs. And if this is not enough, just as there is a chill in the air, the World Series will conclude the baseball season. All is right in the World of Sports… or is it?

Very often we justify our interest in sporting events – both as spec-tators and participants – by how it improves our lives and society as a whole. Sports are not merely en-tertainment or distractions, sports are more than physical exercise or a way to connect with others socially. Sports are credited with bringing people together. Sports are credited with teaching genera-tion after generation “life lessons” that build “character.”

Building “character” is a de-velopmental process. In outlining his model of moral development, Lawrence Kohlberg noted that de-velopment in this arena happens

in a stage-wise manner and oc-curs when the need arises. That is, children do not typically ponder hypothetical ethical questions, rather they learn by dealing with real problems that come up in their real experiences. Their de-cision making process gradually becomes more complex when two conditions apply: (1) they must reconcile a discrepancy between their views and others’ conclu-sions, and (2) they are introduced to another way to consider the problem. That is, just like moving from a bike with training-wheels to a two-wheeler, thinking ma-tures when children are taught a new, more complex, better way of doing what they know how to do. Psychology and education re-searchers examining Kohlberg’s model have further outlined how “character” can be taught.

In sports we find heroes and we find “goats” and supposedly we learn lessons from them both. Young athletes are encouraged to emulate the characteristics that lead to winning: Cal Ripken’s consistency, Peyton Manning’s preparation, or Lance Armstrong’s tenacity. And parents and com-mentators explicitly warn the next generation to learn from the mis-

takes of “today’s athletes.” This year, that list has likely included Ben Roethlisberger, Roger Cle-mens, Tiger Woods, or Reggie Bush. Yet, often young athletes’ moral reasoning does not improve after being presented with such examples. Researchers have found that high school and college athletes demonstrate significantly less mature moral reasoning than their non-athlete peers. Contrary to what we’ve been told about the benefits of sport, scientific evi-dence has shown sport participa-tion may be impeding character development.

Unfortunately, however, con-versations about morality and sport tend to focus on the ath-letes rather than the sport itself. Higher-order moral reasoning is not necessary to understand how accusations of cheating (e.g., Cle-mens, Bush) can lead to negative consequences. In fact, defining right and wrong by what is pun-ished characterizes behavior the lowest level in Kohlberg’s three stages.

At this time of year, it should be easy for parents to find op-portunities to focus their children on these lessons. With so many sporting events happening, les-

Watch and Learn: Using Sports to Develop Character


805 Old Fort PkwyMurfreesboro, TN 37130

615.217.8883

8283 Tridon DrSmyrna, TN 37167

615.355.1237

326 Harding PlNashville, Tn 37211

615.332.7585

www.bar-b-cutie.com

Our Convenient Locations:

Points to Ponder

Roger Lipe

James J. Lohse, MD, CAQSM

Coughing with Exercise: Needs EvaluationExercise induced bronchoconstriction in competitive athletes

Anyone who plays sports or is a spectator at a sporting event has heard

at one time an athlete cough while playing their sport. You may say to yourself, how can this athlete continue to cough while they are playing? Are they sick? Is this cough chronic? Or does this cough only occur when they play sports? Each of these questions is correct to evaluate this athlete but the last one is usually not addressed until performance is compromised or someone on the team is “sick” of them coughing at every game! This athlete may be suffering from exercise induced bronchoconstriction and he or she needs a physician evaluation.

So, what is Exercised Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB)?

EIB is defined as a temporary narrowing of the lower airways of the lungs that occurs during vigor-ous exercise in a competitive ath-lete, any individuals who engage in strenuous aerobic activity at any level from grade school age and older.

When does EIB present during exercise?

Athletes with EIB typically ex-perience symptoms within the first 6-8 minutes of nonstop exercise, peaking at 15-30 minutes, and complete resolution of symptoms up to 60 to 90 minutes from ces-sation of that exercise or sport.

What are the symptoms for EIB?Most common symptoms in

children are:

Cough Chest tightness or painShortness of Breath

Followed by:Wheezing – heavy whistling

sound while you are trying to breath

Excessive mucus productionFeeling of being out of shape

What are the causes for EIB?One major theory for develop-

ing EIB is the rapid breathing of air that is cooler and drier than the air in the lungs during vigorous exercise or sport. For example, a hockey player is entering the ice rink during the summer months; he or she leaves the warm ambi-ent temperature to a cold and dry ice skating surface, which may provide an environment for EIB.

Are there any triggers besides exercise?

Other common triggers are pollen, allergens, pollutants, and temperature changes which can cause rapid exacerbation of EIB symptoms.

Are there differences between athletes who play sports outside and those who play inside?

Athletes who compete in dif-ferent environmental conditions such as a grass field, tennis court, or swimming pool may be

more susceptible to EIB. Studies have shown those athletes who play sports in the winter months, in cold environments; swimmers exposed to pool chemicals out-side the pool, during high pollen counts, or exposed to pollutants in the air are more likely to suffer from exercise induced bronchoc-onstriction.

How can my doctor tell that I have EIB?

Your doctor will ask you ques-tions about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. If your doctor thinks you might have EIB, he or she may start treating you with a medication and change your routine of diet or exercise. Self reported symptoms alone are not reliable for diagnosis of EIB. An exercise challenge in your physician’s office or during your sport is the preferred method for a diagnosis.

What medication is used for treatment?

The most effective medication used to treat EIB for symptoms and prevention is albuterol, which is an inhaler commonly used for asthmatics. An athlete will need to use their albuterol inhaler 15-20 minutes prior to exercise or sport and when symptoms present dur-ing or after.

What are the nonpharmalogical therapies used to prevent EIB?

These therapies are to be used in addition to albuterol for preven-

tion of EIB and never used solely for the treatment.

Physical adjuncts to pharmaco-logical therapy:

Pre-exercise warm-up – 15 minutes before starting exer-cise

Post-exercise cool-down – 15 minutes after finishing exer-cise

Breathing through nose – warms air entering your lungs

Covering the mouth particularly in cold, dry weather – stops warm air from leaving your lungs

Dietary adjuncts to pharmaco-logical therapy:

Low sodium dietFish Oil – Omega 3 fatty acids Vitamin C supplementation

My daughter has asthma and I was told she has Exercise Induced Asthma (EIA). Is EIB the same as EIA?

EIB may appear with or without asthma. The term exercise in-duced asthma (EIA) should not be used because exercise does not induce asthma but rather is a trig-ger of bronchoconstriction. The occurrence of bronchoconstriction especially with symptoms dur-ing or following exercise is one of the most common characteristics of asthma, but also occurs in the absence of asthma. In asthmat-ics, EIB itself is a marker of poor control and suggest the need to initiate or step up therapy.

Is there any truth to using caf-feine to prevent EIB?

Although caffeine is a derivative of the respiratory medication of theophylline rarely used for asth-

matics, we do not recommend either caffeine or theophylline for the treatment of EIB. Caffeine is needed in large amounts (ap-proximately 9-10 cups of strong coffee) to show any effect which will lead to adverse effects of a racing heart beat, palpitations, headaches, muscle aches, and chest pain.

Dr James J. Lohse is a board certified primary care sports medicine physician whose of-fice will be moving on October 25, 2010 to the Tristar Medical Plaza Brentwood at the inter-section of Concord Road and Nolensville Road in Brentwood, TN under the new name, TriS-tar Medical Group - Brentwood East Family & Sports Medicine.


805 Old Fort PkwyMurfreesboro, TN 37130

615.217.8883

8283 Tridon DrSmyrna, TN 37167

615.355.1237

326 Harding PlNashville, Tn 37211

615.332.7585

www.bar-b-cutie.com

Our Convenient Locations:

Points to Ponder

Roger Lipe

James J. Lohse, MD, CAQSM

Coughing with Exercise: Needs EvaluationExercise induced bronchoconstriction in competitive athletes

Anyone who plays sports or is a spectator at a sporting event has heard

at one time an athlete cough while playing their sport. You may say to yourself, how can this athlete continue to cough while they are playing? Are they sick? Is this cough chronic? Or does this cough only occur when they play sports? Each of these questions is correct to evaluate this athlete but the last one is usually not addressed until performance is compromised or someone on the team is “sick” of them coughing at every game! This athlete may be suffering from exercise induced bronchoconstriction and he or she needs a physician evaluation.

So, what is Exercised Induced Bronchoconstriction (EIB)?

EIB is defined as a temporary narrowing of the lower airways of the lungs that occurs during vigor-ous exercise in a competitive ath-lete, any individuals who engage in strenuous aerobic activity at any level from grade school age and older.

When does EIB present during exercise?

Athletes with EIB typically ex-perience symptoms within the first 6-8 minutes of nonstop exercise, peaking at 15-30 minutes, and complete resolution of symptoms up to 60 to 90 minutes from ces-sation of that exercise or sport.

What are the symptoms for EIB?Most common symptoms in

children are:

Cough Chest tightness or painShortness of Breath

Followed by:Wheezing – heavy whistling

sound while you are trying to breath

Excessive mucus productionFeeling of being out of shape

What are the causes for EIB?One major theory for develop-

ing EIB is the rapid breathing of air that is cooler and drier than the air in the lungs during vigorous exercise or sport. For example, a hockey player is entering the ice rink during the summer months; he or she leaves the warm ambi-ent temperature to a cold and dry ice skating surface, which may provide an environment for EIB.

Are there any triggers besides exercise?

Other common triggers are pollen, allergens, pollutants, and temperature changes which can cause rapid exacerbation of EIB symptoms.

Are there differences between athletes who play sports outside and those who play inside?

Athletes who compete in dif-ferent environmental conditions such as a grass field, tennis court, or swimming pool may be

more susceptible to EIB. Studies have shown those athletes who play sports in the winter months, in cold environments; swimmers exposed to pool chemicals out-side the pool, during high pollen counts, or exposed to pollutants in the air are more likely to suffer from exercise induced bronchoc-onstriction.

How can my doctor tell that I have EIB?

Your doctor will ask you ques-tions about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. If your doctor thinks you might have EIB, he or she may start treating you with a medication and change your routine of diet or exercise. Self reported symptoms alone are not reliable for diagnosis of EIB. An exercise challenge in your physician’s office or during your sport is the preferred method for a diagnosis.

What medication is used for treatment?

The most effective medication used to treat EIB for symptoms and prevention is albuterol, which is an inhaler commonly used for asthmatics. An athlete will need to use their albuterol inhaler 15-20 minutes prior to exercise or sport and when symptoms present dur-ing or after.

What are the nonpharmalogical therapies used to prevent EIB?

These therapies are to be used in addition to albuterol for preven-

tion of EIB and never used solely for the treatment.

Physical adjuncts to pharmaco-logical therapy:

Pre-exercise warm-up – 15 minutes before starting exer-cise

Post-exercise cool-down – 15 minutes after finishing exer-cise

Breathing through nose – warms air entering your lungs

Covering the mouth particularly in cold, dry weather – stops warm air from leaving your lungs

Dietary adjuncts to pharmaco-logical therapy:

Low sodium dietFish Oil – Omega 3 fatty acids Vitamin C supplementation

My daughter has asthma and I was told she has Exercise Induced Asthma (EIA). Is EIB the same as EIA?

EIB may appear with or without asthma. The term exercise in-duced asthma (EIA) should not be used because exercise does not induce asthma but rather is a trig-ger of bronchoconstriction. The occurrence of bronchoconstriction especially with symptoms dur-ing or following exercise is one of the most common characteristics of asthma, but also occurs in the absence of asthma. In asthmat-ics, EIB itself is a marker of poor control and suggest the need to initiate or step up therapy.

Is there any truth to using caf-feine to prevent EIB?

Although caffeine is a derivative of the respiratory medication of theophylline rarely used for asth-

matics, we do not recommend either caffeine or theophylline for the treatment of EIB. Caffeine is needed in large amounts (ap-proximately 9-10 cups of strong coffee) to show any effect which will lead to adverse effects of a racing heart beat, palpitations, headaches, muscle aches, and chest pain.

Dr James J. Lohse is a board certified primary care sports medicine physician whose of-fice will be moving on October 25, 2010 to the Tristar Medical Plaza Brentwood at the inter-section of Concord Road and Nolensville Road in Brentwood, TN under the new name, TriS-tar Medical Group - Brentwood East Family & Sports Medicine.


Tennes-see State University

will induct a new class into their Sports Hall of Fame in Novem-ber. Between 10 and 15 persons will join the 124 individuals and two athletics

teams into the storied hall of TSU athletic honorees.The first class of inductees in 1983 consisted of 68

individuals and one team. Some notable members of the first class were Wilma Rudolph, Madeline Manning, Mae Faggs, Wyomia Tyus and Barbara Jones (women’s track). Ralph Boston and John Moon (men’s track), Richard Barnett, John Barnhill, Ted McClain, Lloyd Neal and Leon-ard Robinson (men’s basketball). Joe Gilliam, Jr., Eldridge Dickey, Claude Humphrey and Nolan Smith (football). The

Tennessee State Set To Induct New Sports Hall of Fame Members

1956 men’s basketball team was inducted for its three back-to-back national NAIA championships. Some notable coaches inducted in the inaugural class included John B. McLendon (men’s basketball), John Merritt, Howard Gen-try and Henry Arthur Kean (football), Ed Temple (women’s

track) and Willie Stevens (men’s track). Administrators in-cluded Dr. Walter Davis (president), Howard Gentry, Henry Arthur Kean and Samuel Whitmon (athletic director) and Luther Carmichael (sports information).

The last class of inductees was named in 1996, includ-ed twelve individuals (eight athletes, three coaches and one administrator). Notable athletes included Willye White and Cynthia Thompson (women’s track), Joe “Turkey” Jones (football) and Bruce Bradford (swimming). Coaches included Joe Gilliam, Sr, and Alvin Coleman (football) with Carrie Gentry named as the long-time director of the Ten-nessee State Majorettes.

Profile of one of the top Tennessee State University Sports Hall of Famers – Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) became the first American woman runner to win three gold medals in the Olympic games. She made history in the 1960 Summer Olympic games in Rome, Italy, when she became the first Ameri-can woman to win three gold medals in the track and field competition. Rudolph’s brilliant accomplishments were all the more remarkable because she came from modest circumstances and endured a childhood of sickness and disability.

Rudolph’s confidence may have flagged at times in her childhood, when it seemed she might spend a lifetime in leg braces or even a wheelchair. At the age of four, Wilma

contracted polio. The disease weakened her and made her vulnerable to pneumonia and scarlet fever. She sur-vived the illnesses, but she lost the use of her left leg. Dr. Wallace Dooley, a specialist at Nashville’s Meharry Medi-cal College’s Hubbard Hospital, recommended a therapy routine of massage for the limb, which Mrs. Rudolph learned and taught it to some of the older children. Thus, Wilma’s legs were massaged a number of times each day, helping her to regain strength.

Once a week – on her day off – Blanche Rudolph would drive her daughter 45 miles to Nashville for physical therapy. After five years of treatment, Wilma stunned her doctors when she removed her leg braces and walked by herself. She had been practicing for quite some time with the help of her brothers and sisters. Soon she was able to walk even better with the help of a supportive shoe. This she wore until she was eleven. After that, she not only left braces and orthopedic shoes behind, she confounded every prediction that she would be a disabled adult. Soon she was joining her brothers and sisters in basketball games in the Rudolph backyard and running street races against other children her age. “By the time I was 12, I was challenging every boy in our neighborhood at running, jumping, everything.”

Rudolph soon blossomed into a fine basketball player. As a sophomore she scored 803 points in 25 games, a state record for girls’ basketball. She also started run-ning in track meets and found that her greatest strengths lay in the sprint. She was only 14 when she attracted the attention of Ed Temple, the women’s track coach at TSU. Temple told her she had the potential to become a great runner, and during the summer recesses from high school she trained with him and the students at TSU. The Olym-pic Games were a far-off dream to a young black woman in Tennessee. She was a teenager before she even learned what the Olympics were. Rudolph caught on fast, though. In four seasons of high school track meets, she never lost a race. At the tender age of sixteen, she quali-fied for the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and came home with a bronze medal.

At the 1960 Olympics, Rudolph won all three of her gold medals in very dramatic fashion. In both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, she finished at least three yards in front of her closest competitor. She tied the world record in the 100-meter and set a new Olympic record in the 200. Rudolph also brought her 400-meter relay team from behind to win the gold.

She retired from amateur athletics in 1963, finished her college work, and became a school teacher and athletic coach. She also became a mother, raising four children. “Graduating from Tennessee State University was the second greatest moment of my life.” Rudolph said.

On November 12, 1994, Rudolph died at her home in Brentwood, Tennessee of a malignant brain tumor. She is survived by two sons, two daughters, six sisters, and two brothers.


Tennes-see State University

will induct a new class into their Sports Hall of Fame in Novem-ber. Between 10 and 15 persons will join the 124 individuals and two athletics

teams into the storied hall of TSU athletic honorees.The first class of inductees in 1983 consisted of 68

individuals and one team. Some notable members of the first class were Wilma Rudolph, Madeline Manning, Mae Faggs, Wyomia Tyus and Barbara Jones (women’s track). Ralph Boston and John Moon (men’s track), Richard Barnett, John Barnhill, Ted McClain, Lloyd Neal and Leon-ard Robinson (men’s basketball). Joe Gilliam, Jr., Eldridge Dickey, Claude Humphrey and Nolan Smith (football). The

Tennessee State Set To Induct New Sports Hall of Fame Members

1956 men’s basketball team was inducted for its three back-to-back national NAIA championships. Some notable coaches inducted in the inaugural class included John B. McLendon (men’s basketball), John Merritt, Howard Gen-try and Henry Arthur Kean (football), Ed Temple (women’s

track) and Willie Stevens (men’s track). Administrators in-cluded Dr. Walter Davis (president), Howard Gentry, Henry Arthur Kean and Samuel Whitmon (athletic director) and Luther Carmichael (sports information).

The last class of inductees was named in 1996, includ-ed twelve individuals (eight athletes, three coaches and one administrator). Notable athletes included Willye White and Cynthia Thompson (women’s track), Joe “Turkey” Jones (football) and Bruce Bradford (swimming). Coaches included Joe Gilliam, Sr, and Alvin Coleman (football) with Carrie Gentry named as the long-time director of the Ten-nessee State Majorettes.

Profile of one of the top Tennessee State University Sports Hall of Famers – Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) became the first American woman runner to win three gold medals in the Olympic games. She made history in the 1960 Summer Olympic games in Rome, Italy, when she became the first Ameri-can woman to win three gold medals in the track and field competition. Rudolph’s brilliant accomplishments were all the more remarkable because she came from modest circumstances and endured a childhood of sickness and disability.

Rudolph’s confidence may have flagged at times in her childhood, when it seemed she might spend a lifetime in leg braces or even a wheelchair. At the age of four, Wilma

contracted polio. The disease weakened her and made her vulnerable to pneumonia and scarlet fever. She sur-vived the illnesses, but she lost the use of her left leg. Dr. Wallace Dooley, a specialist at Nashville’s Meharry Medi-cal College’s Hubbard Hospital, recommended a therapy routine of massage for the limb, which Mrs. Rudolph learned and taught it to some of the older children. Thus, Wilma’s legs were massaged a number of times each day, helping her to regain strength.

Once a week – on her day off – Blanche Rudolph would drive her daughter 45 miles to Nashville for physical therapy. After five years of treatment, Wilma stunned her doctors when she removed her leg braces and walked by herself. She had been practicing for quite some time with the help of her brothers and sisters. Soon she was able to walk even better with the help of a supportive shoe. This she wore until she was eleven. After that, she not only left braces and orthopedic shoes behind, she confounded every prediction that she would be a disabled adult. Soon she was joining her brothers and sisters in basketball games in the Rudolph backyard and running street races against other children her age. “By the time I was 12, I was challenging every boy in our neighborhood at running, jumping, everything.”

Rudolph soon blossomed into a fine basketball player. As a sophomore she scored 803 points in 25 games, a state record for girls’ basketball. She also started run-ning in track meets and found that her greatest strengths lay in the sprint. She was only 14 when she attracted the attention of Ed Temple, the women’s track coach at TSU. Temple told her she had the potential to become a great runner, and during the summer recesses from high school she trained with him and the students at TSU. The Olym-pic Games were a far-off dream to a young black woman in Tennessee. She was a teenager before she even learned what the Olympics were. Rudolph caught on fast, though. In four seasons of high school track meets, she never lost a race. At the tender age of sixteen, she quali-fied for the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, and came home with a bronze medal.

At the 1960 Olympics, Rudolph won all three of her gold medals in very dramatic fashion. In both the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash, she finished at least three yards in front of her closest competitor. She tied the world record in the 100-meter and set a new Olympic record in the 200. Rudolph also brought her 400-meter relay team from behind to win the gold.

She retired from amateur athletics in 1963, finished her college work, and became a school teacher and athletic coach. She also became a mother, raising four children. “Graduating from Tennessee State University was the second greatest moment of my life.” Rudolph said.

On November 12, 1994, Rudolph died at her home in Brentwood, Tennessee of a malignant brain tumor. She is survived by two sons, two daughters, six sisters, and two brothers.


By Jim Harwell

Urban school districts often face academic challenges and Nashville is no excep-

tion. However, in the midst of the city’s scholastic struggles, one Metro Schools’ coach and leader is making a big difference.

The non-profit In Full Motion,

begun by Metro Schools coach Maurice Fitzgerald and his wife Cynthia, provides young people a host of programs and services including academic tutoring. The program helps students develop into productive citizens and aids them in critical areas like stand-ardized test-taking.

Head football coach at Pearl-

Cohn for 16 years, Fitzgerald developed the Firebirds into a powerhouse program. They won the state in 1996 and 1997, the school’s only state football cham-pionships. He is now athletics director at Smithson-Craighead Middle.

Fitzgerald is one of Nashville’s most respected youth leaders. He

is a member of Mayor Karl Dean’s Children and Youth Task Force. Originally from Nashville, he was a stu-dent-athlete at TSU under one of his mentors, the leg-endary Joe Gilliam.

Fitzgerald believes ath-letics can be a platform to reach and impact young

FindingBalance

That’s the goal of In Full Motion, a program started by Maurice and Cynthia Fitzgerald and geared to help students develop into productive citizens.


By Jim Harwell

Urban school districts often face academic challenges and Nashville is no excep-

tion. However, in the midst of the city’s scholastic struggles, one Metro Schools’ coach and leader is making a big difference.

The non-profit In Full Motion,

begun by Metro Schools coach Maurice Fitzgerald and his wife Cynthia, provides young people a host of programs and services including academic tutoring. The program helps students develop into productive citizens and aids them in critical areas like stand-ardized test-taking.

Head football coach at Pearl-

Cohn for 16 years, Fitzgerald developed the Firebirds into a powerhouse program. They won the state in 1996 and 1997, the school’s only state football cham-pionships. He is now athletics director at Smithson-Craighead Middle.

Fitzgerald is one of Nashville’s most respected youth leaders. He

is a member of Mayor Karl Dean’s Children and Youth Task Force. Originally from Nashville, he was a stu-dent-athlete at TSU under one of his mentors, the leg-endary Joe Gilliam.

Fitzgerald believes ath-letics can be a platform to reach and impact young

FindingBalance

That’s the goal of In Full Motion, a program started by Maurice and Cynthia Fitzgerald and geared to help students develop into productive citizens.


people.“I feel coaches are more like

life skills coaches than coaches of a sport,” he said during a hectic Monday at school. “It’s about guid-ing kids to maturity, and sports are a way to reach them. We try to teach balance.”

Fitzgerald and his coaches’ top priority has always been develop-ing character in young people. For years, they and volunteers have

helped Nashville teens improve SAT/ACT test scores, helping through tutoring and test prepa-ration. Over 1,000 students have benefitted from their program. This academic training is one of the many programs of In Full Mo-tion.

A key member of the team is Mary Lee Bunch, whose Brent-wood firm specializes in edu-cational tutoring and consulting (MaryLeeBunch.com). In Full Mo-tion’s free ACT/SAT preparation classes are offered at six Metro schools. The group also pays for students to take the ACT exam

as many times as they need to. Funding is a key component in the economically-challenged schools.

Fitzgerald’s strong impact on students through the years is evi-dent. His former students dot the Nashville landscape in numer-ous fields and vocations, includ-ing- coaching. Just to name a few, some of his protégés include NFL star John Henderson, current Nashville high school coaches/administrators Tony Soyell, Ty-rone Wilson and Roger Jones and many others. His own two boys, both in Nashville, are success-ful in their fields and find time to coach sports as well.

Just recently, In Full Motion’s academic training has helped numerous Nashville athletes prepare for college. For exam-ple, current college football play-ers James Stone (Maplewood/Tennessee) and Tavares Jeffer-son (Ensworth/MTSU) are just a few who have benefitted from the program.

At Smithson-Craighead Mid-dle, order is the norm. The entire school wears uniforms (with no complaints), and the 8th graders wear dress clothing- boys wear ties.

Fitzgerald communicates openly with students. In the mornings before school, they have reflection time, when stu-dents can communicate to

teachers and other students con-cerns and other personal matters. Maurice is a gentle giant among the students, a coach and teach-er, but also a friend and confidant.

Growing up in Nashville, Fit-zgerald attended Hume-Fogg High. He was heavily influenced by his family and also by mentors, especially after his own father passed away when Maurice was only 12 years old.

Two men who have had a major influence on Fitzgerald are James Jenkins, a fellow church member at St. Luke Primitive Baptist, and legendary TSU coach Joe Gil-liam. Jenkins’ sister was also one of Maurice’s teachers at Hume-Fogg.

“James helped teach us the importance of work, respect and so many important things,” said Fitzgerald. “He continues to be a great friend.” Gilliam also is a great influence in Fitzgerald’s life and has had a major influence on generations of TSU players.

“Looking back, I realize now that the things Coach Gilliam

taught us were actually about life, not just football,” said Fitzgerald. “He told us that just like football, you have to play the hand that’s dealt to you.”

Fitzgerald seems like a natural leader. Among his many former students is John Henderson, NFL star player for the Jaguars and now Raiders. “Joe”- as they al-ways called him- is close friends with Fitzgerald’s son Buck, who played for UT in football along with Henderson.

Fitzgerald is certainly proud of Henderson, a superstar now in his ninth year in the NFL. Hender-son is one of the greatest football players ever to come out of Nash-ville. Fitzgerald knows Joe as well as anyone, from Henderson’s days in the J.C. Napier Homes, at St. Pius Middle, then Pearl-Cohn and beyond. Back then and now, the Fitzgerald house was and is a gathering place for friends and family.

Fitzgerald also coached the championship AAU Music City Player teams, when Joe became

“I feel coaches are more like life skills coaches than coaches of a sport. It’s about guiding kids to maturity, and sports are a way to reach them. We try to teach balance.”

– Maurice Fitzgerald, co-founder of In Full Motion –

known as “Baby Shaq,” dominat-ing the national tournaments.

The public sees one side of Henderson, but Fitzgerald knows the complete story, describing Henderson as a “kind-hearted young man” who actually was shy and introverted as a youngster.

“His heart is here in Nashville,” said Fitzgerald. “He’s a kind-hearted young man who is com-mitted to helping his family and others. He’s helped out a lot at Pearl-Cohn and in Nashville dur-ing his pro career.” Henderson was just one of the guys back in the day.

“He was actually very shy and introverted when he was young-er,” said Fitzgerald. “I think he probably enjoyed high school more than college and the pro life, because it was simple, a simpler time. There’s always pressure and demands when you move up to the higher levels.”

While coaching championship football and basketball teams in the 90’s and 2000’s, Fitzgerald began helping student-athletes re-ceive tutoring to improve their all-important college entrance exam test-taking abilities and scores. In addition, through those years, the graduation rates of the players on his teams were exceptional; virtu-

ally all of them graduated, while the overall school dropout rates in Metro Nashville remained at nor-mal levels.

Students and athletes begin exam prep training as early as junior high, with tutoring and test fees paid for by In Full Motion. Students can stay in the program as long as they need to. Over 10 groups, schools, churches and other organizations are partners, including TSU, Fisk and the Pres-ton Taylor Boys & Girls Club.

Hundreds of student have par-ticipated and reaped the benefits. Overall, the program has helped over 1,000 young people. In the past few years, local star athletes like James Stone (Maplewood/UT), Tavares Jefferson (Ens-worth/MTSU), Antonio Richard-son have all improved their test scores through the program.

Through it all, Fitzgerald is a steady and lasting influence in young peoples’ lives, in academ-ics, athletics and many more area- a friend, a coach and often a father-figure.

“I don’t hesitate to tell them I love them,” said Fitzgerald. “Sometimes we keep that ‘I love you’ hid away. The more you say it the easier it becomes.


people.“I feel coaches are more like

life skills coaches than coaches of a sport,” he said during a hectic Monday at school. “It’s about guid-ing kids to maturity, and sports are a way to reach them. We try to teach balance.”

Fitzgerald and his coaches’ top priority has always been develop-ing character in young people. For years, they and volunteers have

helped Nashville teens improve SAT/ACT test scores, helping through tutoring and test prepa-ration. Over 1,000 students have benefitted from their program. This academic training is one of the many programs of In Full Mo-tion.

A key member of the team is Mary Lee Bunch, whose Brent-wood firm specializes in edu-cational tutoring and consulting (MaryLeeBunch.com). In Full Mo-tion’s free ACT/SAT preparation classes are offered at six Metro schools. The group also pays for students to take the ACT exam

as many times as they need to. Funding is a key component in the economically-challenged schools.

Fitzgerald’s strong impact on students through the years is evi-dent. His former students dot the Nashville landscape in numer-ous fields and vocations, includ-ing- coaching. Just to name a few, some of his protégés include NFL star John Henderson, current Nashville high school coaches/administrators Tony Soyell, Ty-rone Wilson and Roger Jones and many others. His own two boys, both in Nashville, are success-ful in their fields and find time to coach sports as well.

Just recently, In Full Motion’s academic training has helped numerous Nashville athletes prepare for college. For exam-ple, current college football play-ers James Stone (Maplewood/Tennessee) and Tavares Jeffer-son (Ensworth/MTSU) are just a few who have benefitted from the program.

At Smithson-Craighead Mid-dle, order is the norm. The entire school wears uniforms (with no complaints), and the 8th graders wear dress clothing- boys wear ties.

Fitzgerald communicates openly with students. In the mornings before school, they have reflection time, when stu-dents can communicate to

teachers and other students con-cerns and other personal matters. Maurice is a gentle giant among the students, a coach and teach-er, but also a friend and confidant.

Growing up in Nashville, Fit-zgerald attended Hume-Fogg High. He was heavily influenced by his family and also by mentors, especially after his own father passed away when Maurice was only 12 years old.

Two men who have had a major influence on Fitzgerald are James Jenkins, a fellow church member at St. Luke Primitive Baptist, and legendary TSU coach Joe Gil-liam. Jenkins’ sister was also one of Maurice’s teachers at Hume-Fogg.

“James helped teach us the importance of work, respect and so many important things,” said Fitzgerald. “He continues to be a great friend.” Gilliam also is a great influence in Fitzgerald’s life and has had a major influence on generations of TSU players.

“Looking back, I realize now that the things Coach Gilliam

taught us were actually about life, not just football,” said Fitzgerald. “He told us that just like football, you have to play the hand that’s dealt to you.”

Fitzgerald seems like a natural leader. Among his many former students is John Henderson, NFL star player for the Jaguars and now Raiders. “Joe”- as they al-ways called him- is close friends with Fitzgerald’s son Buck, who played for UT in football along with Henderson.

Fitzgerald is certainly proud of Henderson, a superstar now in his ninth year in the NFL. Hender-son is one of the greatest football players ever to come out of Nash-ville. Fitzgerald knows Joe as well as anyone, from Henderson’s days in the J.C. Napier Homes, at St. Pius Middle, then Pearl-Cohn and beyond. Back then and now, the Fitzgerald house was and is a gathering place for friends and family.

Fitzgerald also coached the championship AAU Music City Player teams, when Joe became

“I feel coaches are more like life skills coaches than coaches of a sport. It’s about guiding kids to maturity, and sports are a way to reach them. We try to teach balance.”

– Maurice Fitzgerald, co-founder of In Full Motion –

known as “Baby Shaq,” dominat-ing the national tournaments.

The public sees one side of Henderson, but Fitzgerald knows the complete story, describing Henderson as a “kind-hearted young man” who actually was shy and introverted as a youngster.

“His heart is here in Nashville,” said Fitzgerald. “He’s a kind-hearted young man who is com-mitted to helping his family and others. He’s helped out a lot at Pearl-Cohn and in Nashville dur-ing his pro career.” Henderson was just one of the guys back in the day.

“He was actually very shy and introverted when he was young-er,” said Fitzgerald. “I think he probably enjoyed high school more than college and the pro life, because it was simple, a simpler time. There’s always pressure and demands when you move up to the higher levels.”

While coaching championship football and basketball teams in the 90’s and 2000’s, Fitzgerald began helping student-athletes re-ceive tutoring to improve their all-important college entrance exam test-taking abilities and scores. In addition, through those years, the graduation rates of the players on his teams were exceptional; virtu-

ally all of them graduated, while the overall school dropout rates in Metro Nashville remained at nor-mal levels.

Students and athletes begin exam prep training as early as junior high, with tutoring and test fees paid for by In Full Motion. Students can stay in the program as long as they need to. Over 10 groups, schools, churches and other organizations are partners, including TSU, Fisk and the Pres-ton Taylor Boys & Girls Club.

Hundreds of student have par-ticipated and reaped the benefits. Overall, the program has helped over 1,000 young people. In the past few years, local star athletes like James Stone (Maplewood/UT), Tavares Jefferson (Ens-worth/MTSU), Antonio Richard-son have all improved their test scores through the program.

Through it all, Fitzgerald is a steady and lasting influence in young peoples’ lives, in academ-ics, athletics and many more area- a friend, a coach and often a father-figure.

“I don’t hesitate to tell them I love them,” said Fitzgerald. “Sometimes we keep that ‘I love you’ hid away. The more you say it the easier it becomes.


By Jim Muir

Being 6-feet-5-inches tall like Ravenwood senior Madelyn Hutson, does not neces-sarily equate to being a top-notch volleyball

player. But, when you take Hutson’s imposing frame and

then add in a large portion of athletic ability, a heap-ing amount of determination and desire and then top it off with an off-the-chart work ethic and a drive to compete what you come up with is a bona fide All-American and one of the top volleyball players in the nation.

Given her height even as a youngster (she was 6-feet in the 7th grade) Hutson played both basket-ball and volleyball each year until her sophomore year of high school when she decided to concen-trate solely on volleyball. And despite all of Hutson’s individual success in athletics she chose volleyball because of the team concept.

“I think volleyball is the ultimate team sport,” she said. “If you don’t have everyone working together then you can’t win. It is just more enjoyable to me. There is more time to celebrate between points. I just enjoy it more than basketball.”

Hutson will attend the University of Texas, one of the top Division I volleyball programs in the na-tion, next year. She said once she visited the Texas campus the decision was easy.

“It’s going to be a lot of work when I get there but I’ve excited about the opportunity,” said Hutson. “I fell in love with Austin and I love the team and the coaches and the chemistry just feels right to me.”

Hutson noted that the opportunities she has been afforded did not come without a sacrifice on the part of her parents John and Jane.

“They have always been very supportive and they have never been negative and we’ve never heard negative things from them,” she said. “They’ve always been very positive and always been there cheering their little hearts out.”

She did add a humorous twist about her deci-sion to play volleyball, saying that both parents had played other sports but neither had played volley-ball.

“There wasn’t any opportunity for them to tweak my performance because they didn’t know what needed to be tweaked,” she laughed. “They would say, ‘well, why don’t you try this’ … and I would just interrupt them and say ‘no, that’s not how we’re supposed to be doing it.’”

Hutson has starred at the high school, club, national and international level but doesn’t hesitate when saying that there is one more goal she would

like to accomplish before heading to Texas. As a junior Hutson’s Ravenwood team was defeated in the Class AAA state title game, a loss that still lin-gers with her and one that she would like to avenge this year.

“I came into this season with the goal of finishing what we started last year,” said Hutson. “Anything short of that will be a disappointment to me.”

Hutson’s volleyball resume makes it easy to un-derstand why she was one of the most sought after recruits in the United States.

Madelyn Hutson Position: Middle BlockerHeight: 6-5Hometown: Brentwood, TNBirth Date: Aug. 20, 1992Club Team: Impact Volleyball Club (Nashville, TN)High School/Grad Year: Raven-wood High School (Franklin, TN) / 2011College Status: Verbal commitment to University of Texas

INTERNATIONAL HIGH-LIGHTS: 2008 – NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship (Gold).

USA VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHTS: 2009 – Selected to the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team. 2008 – Part of gold-medal winning team which won the gold medal at the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship, which qualified the U.S. into the 2009 FIVB World Championship. Scored nine points (8 kills, 1 block) at the NORCECA Cham-pionship…Attended USA Volleyball Holiday Camp at Chula Vista, Calif. 2007 – Helped lead team to gold medal at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championship and was named All-Tournament Team.

CLUB/PREP HIGHLIGHTS: 2008 – Selected All-District and All-Tournament while playing for Ravenwood High School. 2007 – Selected All-District and All-Tournament while playing for Ravenwood High School. 2004 – Began playing club vol-leyball with Impact 141.

PERSONAL: Born Madelyn Leslie Hutson on Aug. 20, 1992, in Nashville, Tenn… Parents are John and Jane Hut-son…Sister is Kathryn Hutson (1996)…Hobbies are read-ing, working out, spending time with friends. Favorite food is sushi…Favorite book is Twilight…Favorite musical category is anything except blue grass and classical…Favorite musical group is The Fray…Favorite professional team is the Pitts-burgh Steelers…Favorite athlete is Troy Polamalu…Most ad-mired person is Clyde Avant because “he is the most inspiring person I know. He makes you want to work harder and become better.”

(Information provided by Volleyball USA)

GreatExpectations

By Jim Muir

Time, as the saying goes, heals all wounds. Of course the author of that little ditty was talking about love and not volleyball.

Nearly a year has passed since the Raven-wood volleyball team lost the Class AAA state championship game to perennial powerhouse Dobyns-Bennett and that heartbreaking loss and the disappointment of leaving a goal unmet are very much a part of the makeup and the mindset for the Raptors as they roll through the current season.

In fact, with a strong nucleus of returning play-ers and the addition of some talented underclass-men, Coach Tracey Berry doesn’t flinch or mince words when asked if anything short of a state

After losing in the TSSAA Class AAA state champion-ship volleyball game last year Ravenwood High School Coach Tracey Berry and her team set their sights on a return trip to the state tournament – with a different outcome.


By Jim Muir

Being 6-feet-5-inches tall like Ravenwood senior Madelyn Hutson, does not neces-sarily equate to being a top-notch volleyball

player. But, when you take Hutson’s imposing frame and

then add in a large portion of athletic ability, a heap-ing amount of determination and desire and then top it off with an off-the-chart work ethic and a drive to compete what you come up with is a bona fide All-American and one of the top volleyball players in the nation.

Given her height even as a youngster (she was 6-feet in the 7th grade) Hutson played both basket-ball and volleyball each year until her sophomore year of high school when she decided to concen-trate solely on volleyball. And despite all of Hutson’s individual success in athletics she chose volleyball because of the team concept.

“I think volleyball is the ultimate team sport,” she said. “If you don’t have everyone working together then you can’t win. It is just more enjoyable to me. There is more time to celebrate between points. I just enjoy it more than basketball.”

Hutson will attend the University of Texas, one of the top Division I volleyball programs in the na-tion, next year. She said once she visited the Texas campus the decision was easy.

“It’s going to be a lot of work when I get there but I’ve excited about the opportunity,” said Hutson. “I fell in love with Austin and I love the team and the coaches and the chemistry just feels right to me.”

Hutson noted that the opportunities she has been afforded did not come without a sacrifice on the part of her parents John and Jane.

“They have always been very supportive and they have never been negative and we’ve never heard negative things from them,” she said. “They’ve always been very positive and always been there cheering their little hearts out.”

She did add a humorous twist about her deci-sion to play volleyball, saying that both parents had played other sports but neither had played volley-ball.

“There wasn’t any opportunity for them to tweak my performance because they didn’t know what needed to be tweaked,” she laughed. “They would say, ‘well, why don’t you try this’ … and I would just interrupt them and say ‘no, that’s not how we’re supposed to be doing it.’”

Hutson has starred at the high school, club, national and international level but doesn’t hesitate when saying that there is one more goal she would

like to accomplish before heading to Texas. As a junior Hutson’s Ravenwood team was defeated in the Class AAA state title game, a loss that still lin-gers with her and one that she would like to avenge this year.


Hutson’s volleyball resume makes it easy to un-derstand why she was one of the most sought after recruits in the United States.

Madelyn Hutson Position: Middle BlockerHeight: 6-5Hometown: Brentwood, TNBirth Date: Aug. 20, 1992Club Team: Impact Volleyball Club (Nashville, TN)High School/Grad Year: Raven-wood High School (Franklin, TN) / 2011College Status: Verbal commitment to University of Texas

INTERNATIONAL HIGH-LIGHTS: 2008 – NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship (Gold).

USA VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHTS: 2009 – Selected to the U.S. Girls’ Youth National Training Team. 2008 – Part of gold-medal winning team which won the gold medal at the NORCECA Girls’ Youth Continental Championship, which qualified the U.S. into the 2009 FIVB World Championship. Scored nine points (8 kills, 1 block) at the NORCECA Cham-pionship…Attended USA Volleyball Holiday Camp at Chula Vista, Calif. 2007 – Helped lead team to gold medal at the USA Volleyball High Performance Championship and was named All-Tournament Team.

CLUB/PREP HIGHLIGHTS: 2008 – Selected All-District and All-Tournament while playing for Ravenwood High School. 2007 – Selected All-District and All-Tournament while playing for Ravenwood High School. 2004 – Began playing club vol-leyball with Impact 141.

PERSONAL: Born Madelyn Leslie Hutson on Aug. 20, 1992, in Nashville, Tenn… Parents are John and Jane Hut-son…Sister is Kathryn Hutson (1996)…Hobbies are read-ing, working out, spending time with friends. Favorite food is sushi…Favorite book is Twilight…Favorite musical category is anything except blue grass and classical…Favorite musical group is The Fray…Favorite professional team is the Pitts-burgh Steelers…Favorite athlete is Troy Polamalu…Most ad-mired person is Clyde Avant because “he is the most inspiring person I know. He makes you want to work harder and become better.”

(Information provided by Volleyball USA)

GreatExpectations

By Jim Muir

Time, as the saying goes, heals all wounds. Of course the author of that little ditty was talking about love and not volleyball.

Nearly a year has passed since the Raven-wood volleyball team lost the Class AAA state championship game to perennial powerhouse Dobyns-Bennett and that heartbreaking loss and the disappointment of leaving a goal unmet are very much a part of the makeup and the mindset for the Raptors as they roll through the current season.

In fact, with a strong nucleus of returning play-ers and the addition of some talented underclass-men, Coach Tracey Berry doesn’t flinch or mince words when asked if anything short of a state

After losing in the TSSAA Class AAA state champion-ship volleyball game last year Ravenwood High School Coach Tracey Berry and her team set their sights on a return trip to the state tournament – with a different outcome.


championship will be considered a disappointing season.

“For this group and for the tal-ent and desire they have, yeah, it would be a disappointment,” said Berry. “It’s a very tough district and we have great respect for every team we face but the fact that we got there last year and we have as much talent this year as we did last year … this group will not be happy with anything short of a state title.”

And winning state titles is something Berry knows more than a little about. Berry has won five state championships in vol-leyball including four straight at Page High School beginning in 2000.

“I never won a state title as a player but I know what it feels like as a coach and that’s something I want these girls to experience,” said Berry. “I always remember Magic Johnson saying that win-ning a high school state champi-onship still remains his greatest joy because he did it with the kids he grew up and went to school with.”

A native of Flint, Michigan where she was a three-sport athlete Berry described herself as ‘more of a competitor than a

great athlete’ during her playing days. She said sports have been a constant in her life since she was a child.

“I was a daddy’s girl and my dad took me to every kind of sporting event there was,” said Berry. “So when I got old enough I played three sports, I was never the best player on the team but I was always a team captain and a leader on every team.”

Despite her age (Berry is 49 years old) she has coached at the varsity level for three dec-ades, beginning her volleyball coaching career at the ripe old age of 19.

“I knew right then what I wanted to do the rest of my life,” said Berry. “I fell in love with coaching right then and all I’ve ever wanted to do since that first year is coach.”

She said the changes from playing and then coaching volley-ball in the 1970s to present has been “nothing short of remark-able” noting that the sport is now a year-around event.

“When I started playing in 1975 we played for eight minutes or 15 points, whichever came first,” said Berry. “But with rally and 3-out-of-5, players competing

year-around and the speed of the game it is just totally different.”

Recalling her championship run at Page, Berry said she has talked with her 2010 team virtu-ally every practice and game em-phasizing that last year’s success marked them for the 2010 cam-paign and made them ‘the team to beat’ for every opponent.

“I let the girls know that there is a bull’s eye on our back every time we take the floor,” said Berry. “We sort of went through that last year even though we had never been to the state tournament but just because of the talent we had on that team. I could downplay it last year by saying ‘what have you done’ but this year coming off a second place finish at state we know that everybody will give us their best game.”

After 30 years of coaching high school volleyball Berry points out that talent does not always trans-late to championships.

“There is a lot of talent on this team but talent alone will not win championships – leadership and playing together as a team is what it will take,” said Berry. “We talk repeatedly about the goals – long term goals and short term

goals – that they have. We want to have the small picture in sight during the season but we also want to keep the big picture in focus.”

Berry said the regular season is important but in reality it is also a dress rehearsal and prepara-tion for the post season.

“We have our goals to win each match and other regular season goals,” said Berry. “But I always tell my team when the post season begins that it doesn’t matter what we’ve done to that point – it matters what we do from this moment on.”

This year’s edition of the Rap-tors is a blend of size, speed and perhaps the most important ingredient – experience.

With nine returning players from last years’ team Ravenwood is anchored by 6-feet-5-inch Madelyn Hutson, a high school All-American and a four-year var-sity starter. Hutson has made a verbal commitment to attend the University of Texas after gradu-ation. Berry said Hutson’s size brings an imposing presence but quickly added that the talented senior adds much more than height to the Ravenwood team.

“Along with the height Madelyn

also brings great experience and a strong desire to win that cham-pionship,” said Berry. “Madelyn is a great influence, she’s a great athlete and she has so much ex-perience from playing in so many big games at the club level.”

However, Berry quickly em-phasized that the success of this year’s team will not rest solely on Hutson’s shoulders.

“And that’s what I love about this team, while Madelyn is a great player we have some outstanding players around her,” said Berry. “There are so many girls that contribute, I regularly play nine girls in the lineup – that’s a lot – and everybody knows what their rotation is. We really pick each other up as a team and I think that’s our strong-est asset. We’re talented enough that if one person has a bad night we can still be successful.”

Last year’s Ravenwood team finished with a 52-4 record with three of the four losses coming against Dobyns-Bennett including the 25-22, 25-21 and 25-18 state championship defeat.

Hutson, who will take her considerable athletic talent and continue her volleyball career at the University of Texas next year,

said the season-ending loss is still fresh in her mind.

“I was really disappointed after the loss in the state champion-ship game, actually I was mad,” said Hutson. “Looking back I’m proud of what we accomplished last year but I still think we had the potential to win it all. And I’m still unhappy that we came in second place. We should have finished and we didn’t.”

Hutson said one of her per-sonal goals and also a team goal is to avenge the state title loss.


Lydia Wright, a setter on the state runner-up team from last year said the loss, while disap-pointing, provided extra motiva-tion for her senior season and final volleyball run at Ravenwood.

“I was very disappointed after the loss in the state champion-ship game,” said Wright. “But I was really excited to get started again this year, so I think it pro-vided some motivation for all of us.”

Wright, who is also a basket-ball standout at Ravenwood, said


championship will be considered a disappointing season.

“For this group and for the tal-ent and desire they have, yeah, it would be a disappointment,” said Berry. “It’s a very tough district and we have great respect for every team we face but the fact that we got there last year and we have as much talent this year as we did last year … this group will not be happy with anything short of a state title.”

And winning state titles is something Berry knows more than a little about. Berry has won five state championships in vol-leyball including four straight at Page High School beginning in 2000.

“I never won a state title as a player but I know what it feels like as a coach and that’s something I want these girls to experience,” said Berry. “I always remember Magic Johnson saying that win-ning a high school state champi-onship still remains his greatest joy because he did it with the kids he grew up and went to school with.”

A native of Flint, Michigan where she was a three-sport athlete Berry described herself as ‘more of a competitor than a

great athlete’ during her playing days. She said sports have been a constant in her life since she was a child.

“I was a daddy’s girl and my dad took me to every kind of sporting event there was,” said Berry. “So when I got old enough I played three sports, I was never the best player on the team but I was always a team captain and a leader on every team.”

Despite her age (Berry is 49 years old) she has coached at the varsity level for three dec-ades, beginning her volleyball coaching career at the ripe old age of 19.

“I knew right then what I wanted to do the rest of my life,” said Berry. “I fell in love with coaching right then and all I’ve ever wanted to do since that first year is coach.”

She said the changes from playing and then coaching volley-ball in the 1970s to present has been “nothing short of remark-able” noting that the sport is now a year-around event.

“When I started playing in 1975 we played for eight minutes or 15 points, whichever came first,” said Berry. “But with rally and 3-out-of-5, players competing

year-around and the speed of the game it is just totally different.”

Recalling her championship run at Page, Berry said she has talked with her 2010 team virtu-ally every practice and game em-phasizing that last year’s success marked them for the 2010 cam-paign and made them ‘the team to beat’ for every opponent.

“I let the girls know that there is a bull’s eye on our back every time we take the floor,” said Berry. “We sort of went through that last year even though we had never been to the state tournament but just because of the talent we had on that team. I could downplay it last year by saying ‘what have you done’ but this year coming off a second place finish at state we know that everybody will give us their best game.”

After 30 years of coaching high school volleyball Berry points out that talent does not always trans-late to championships.

“There is a lot of talent on this team but talent alone will not win championships – leadership and playing together as a team is what it will take,” said Berry. “We talk repeatedly about the goals – long term goals and short term

goals – that they have. We want to have the small picture in sight during the season but we also want to keep the big picture in focus.”

Berry said the regular season is important but in reality it is also a dress rehearsal and prepara-tion for the post season.

“We have our goals to win each match and other regular season goals,” said Berry. “But I always tell my team when the post season begins that it doesn’t matter what we’ve done to that point – it matters what we do from this moment on.”

This year’s edition of the Rap-tors is a blend of size, speed and perhaps the most important ingredient – experience.

With nine returning players from last years’ team Ravenwood is anchored by 6-feet-5-inch Madelyn Hutson, a high school All-American and a four-year var-sity starter. Hutson has made a verbal commitment to attend the University of Texas after gradu-ation. Berry said Hutson’s size brings an imposing presence but quickly added that the talented senior adds much more than height to the Ravenwood team.

“Along with the height Madelyn

also brings great experience and a strong desire to win that cham-pionship,” said Berry. “Madelyn is a great influence, she’s a great athlete and she has so much ex-perience from playing in so many big games at the club level.”

However, Berry quickly em-phasized that the success of this year’s team will not rest solely on Hutson’s shoulders.

“And that’s what I love about this team, while Madelyn is a great player we have some outstanding players around her,” said Berry. “There are so many girls that contribute, I regularly play nine girls in the lineup – that’s a lot – and everybody knows what their rotation is. We really pick each other up as a team and I think that’s our strong-est asset. We’re talented enough that if one person has a bad night we can still be successful.”

Last year’s Ravenwood team finished with a 52-4 record with three of the four losses coming against Dobyns-Bennett including the 25-22, 25-21 and 25-18 state championship defeat.

Hutson, who will take her considerable athletic talent and continue her volleyball career at the University of Texas next year,

said the season-ending loss is still fresh in her mind.

“I was really disappointed after the loss in the state champion-ship game, actually I was mad,” said Hutson. “Looking back I’m proud of what we accomplished last year but I still think we had the potential to win it all. And I’m still unhappy that we came in second place. We should have finished and we didn’t.”

Hutson said one of her per-sonal goals and also a team goal is to avenge the state title loss.


Lydia Wright, a setter on the state runner-up team from last year said the loss, while disap-pointing, provided extra motiva-tion for her senior season and final volleyball run at Ravenwood.

“I was very disappointed after the loss in the state champion-ship game,” said Wright. “But I was really excited to get started again this year, so I think it pro-vided some motivation for all of us.”

Wright, who is also a basket-ball standout at Ravenwood, said


her goal is also a return trip to the state tournament but took a philosophical approach.

“It would be very disappointing if we didn’t make it back to the state tournament this year,” she said. “But, really all we can do is work hard as a team, give it all we got and then see what hap-pens.”

Along with Hutson and Wright other players from last year’s state-runner up include junior Alyssa Ivey, Stephanie Cerino, Jazzy Oates, Micaela Bailey, Sarah Sutherland and Jaime Cooper.

Berry said each player knows their respective role, a key ingre-dient to success.

“Alyssa is a phenomenal setter and this year she needed to be an outside hitter for me, Micaela is my libero and does a great job,” said Berry. “Stephanie is a lefty that plays the right side and is just a great athlete and Jazzy

Oates is our other middle and also does a great job. Lydia is another senior on the team, she’s a great server and has great leadership skills. Jaime and Sa-rah are our defensive specialists and both do a great job and that’s what they are best at.”

Berry said another player named ‘Hutson’ has also added a new dimension to this years’ team. Kathryn Hutson, a 6-feet-2-inch freshman and the younger sister of Madelyn, has made her impact felt at the varsity level despite her youth.

“We have all these return-ing players and then you add in somebody like Kathryn who is 6-feet-2 and has all this experi-ence,” said Berry. “We tease her a lot about being a freshman but she sure doesn’t play like a fresh-man. She has just added a lot to our team this year.”

Berry said she believes this year’s team controls its own

destiny.“Volleyball is more unique than

other sports because it is the ultimate team sport where every-body has to play together and do their job,” said Berry. “We’ve set our goals high but with the talent and desire we have we should be setting our goals high.”

As Middle Tennessee recently put the wraps on another successful weekend which featured victories

over Sun Belt West Division favorite Den-ver, defending Colonial Athletic champion VCU and 24th-ranked Long Beach State, it had become abundantly clear – the Blue Raiders appear to be on track for another outstanding season.

And has been the case in each of the past three years, one of the main cogs for the Blue Raider machine is senior Izabela Kozon, who is among the most honored athletes in Middle Tennessee history.

At the beginning of the week, the acco-lades continued to pour in as the senior earned her second consecutive Sun Belt Player of the Week award. It was her fifth such honor, a school record. But the rec-ognition didn’t stop there as both College Volleyball Update and the American Vol-leyball Scouting Report named the War-saw, Poland, native their National Player of the Week.

Following play on Sept. 18, Kozon was 19 kills shy of ascending to second on the all-time kills list with 1,438. She also sat at eighth all-time in digs with 983, leaving her 17 short of becoming just the fourth Blue Raider to record at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.

Kozon took the time to talk about a va-


her goal is also a return trip to the state tournament but took a philosophical approach.

“It would be very disappointing if we didn’t make it back to the state tournament this year,” she said. “But, really all we can do is work hard as a team, give it all we got and then see what hap-pens.”

Along with Hutson and Wright other players from last year’s state-runner up include junior Alyssa Ivey, Stephanie Cerino, Jazzy Oates, Micaela Bailey, Sarah Sutherland and Jaime Cooper.

Berry said each player knows their respective role, a key ingre-dient to success.

“Alyssa is a phenomenal setter and this year she needed to be an outside hitter for me, Micaela is my libero and does a great job,” said Berry. “Stephanie is a lefty that plays the right side and is just a great athlete and Jazzy

Oates is our other middle and also does a great job. Lydia is another senior on the team, she’s a great server and has great leadership skills. Jaime and Sa-rah are our defensive specialists and both do a great job and that’s what they are best at.”

Berry said another player named ‘Hutson’ has also added a new dimension to this years’ team. Kathryn Hutson, a 6-feet-2-inch freshman and the younger sister of Madelyn, has made her impact felt at the varsity level despite her youth.

“We have all these return-ing players and then you add in somebody like Kathryn who is 6-feet-2 and has all this experi-ence,” said Berry. “We tease her a lot about being a freshman but she sure doesn’t play like a fresh-man. She has just added a lot to our team this year.”

Berry said she believes this year’s team controls its own

destiny.“Volleyball is more unique than

other sports because it is the ultimate team sport where every-body has to play together and do their job,” said Berry. “We’ve set our goals high but with the talent and desire we have we should be setting our goals high.”

As Middle Tennessee recently put the wraps on another successful weekend which featured victories

over Sun Belt West Division favorite Den-ver, defending Colonial Athletic champion VCU and 24th-ranked Long Beach State, it had become abundantly clear – the Blue Raiders appear to be on track for another outstanding season.

And has been the case in each of the past three years, one of the main cogs for the Blue Raider machine is senior Izabela Kozon, who is among the most honored athletes in Middle Tennessee history.

At the beginning of the week, the acco-lades continued to pour in as the senior earned her second consecutive Sun Belt Player of the Week award. It was her fifth such honor, a school record. But the rec-ognition didn’t stop there as both College Volleyball Update and the American Vol-leyball Scouting Report named the War-saw, Poland, native their National Player of the Week.

Following play on Sept. 18, Kozon was 19 kills shy of ascending to second on the all-time kills list with 1,438. She also sat at eighth all-time in digs with 983, leaving her 17 short of becoming just the fourth Blue Raider to record at least 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.

Kozon took the time to talk about a va-


sew p: 615/479.2727 e: [email protected] w: sewblinggifts.com

embellishment

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you pick!

means different things to different people. For those of you who love bling and glimmer, you’ll might love our rhinestone transfers patches!

Of course, we will talk with you about your design and create it to meet your heart’s desire. Whether the item is for you or for that special gift for a loved one, we will help you design the perfect gift.

Try our bling shirts, hoodies and gear for your next fundraising campaign! You will be so successful and reach your desired goal much more quickly with a new and different product.

We look forward to blinging your world!

www.bluecoastburrito.com

Head to the Coast!FEATURING GREAT “BUILd YOUR OWN” MISSION-STYLE BURRITOS & Tacos

Proudly supporting Middle Tennessee

athletes!

Live the dream. Catch the wave. Enjoy the ride.Live the dream. Catch the wave. Enjoy the ride.

call521-0184

for details!

Wow your crowd withBlue Coast Catering!

Bring a bit of the surf to your next team or sporting event! We offer

the freshest and most flavorful menuto put the “fun” in your function!

riety of things including her career at MTSU, her future and what memories she will take with her when her collegiate career comes to an end.

With the team on a bit of a roll right now, what have you been most proud of up to this point in the season?

Right now, the best part was beating Long Beach because they’re a top 25 team. It was hard at the be-ginning of the season, and I was saying that we have a really young team and we’ll get better . In order to beat good teams, we have to put together a whole game. In beating them in five, I think we showed that we have learned how to do it. Even when a team pushes back like Long Beach did to us, we’ve shown that we’ll push back and not let up.

If we played them at the beginning of the season, that might be a lost game for us. For example, look at the Illinois game. We beat them in the first set be-cause we fought so hard, but winning one set doesn’t mean we’ll win the whole match. Now, we’ve learned that. I think if we played Illinois now, we’d have a better chance because we’ve grown.

You’ve now won Sun Belt player of the Week a school-record five times, how does it feel to know you garner that type of respect from the confer-ence?

It feels amazing, but volleyball is a team sport, and the most important thing is that the team is winning. It’s always good to be recognized as a good player, but as long as we win a Sun Belt championship, I am fine with whatever. Awards for individual players are nice, but it’s about the team. I love getting recognized, of course, but that’s not what volleyball is about to me.

Over the course of your career, you’ve shown a propensity for “double-doubles.”Aside from win-ning, is that your goal for every match?

Of course, because I try to be an all-around player, so I try to have more than one goal for a match. When I play at the net, I think “if I do this and this,” I’ll be suc-cessful. Then when I’m on the back row, I think “if I do that and this,” I’ll be successful. If I can meet those goals, and record a double-double, I think our team will be successful as well.

With a lot of new faces on the court, how have you adjusted over the course of the season?

The beginning was hard. We all knew that we were really good individually, but we didn’t know how we were as a team. It’s not that there are really too many new people, but some of the returning players didn’t have the experience. We still have some misconnects in the match, but we’re still learning, and it gets better each day. Now I think we know what we can expect out of everyone. We don’t say we are a team with a lot of new faces anymore because by now I feel like I’ve played with them forever. The beginning was hard, but I think we’ve gotten over it by now.

You’ve been a significant part of the last three NCAA Tournament teams, now that this season has gotten underway, how does this team stack up to some of those of the past?

Honestly, right now, I really like this team. I wasn’t really certain about some things towards the beginning of the season, and I didn’t know how good we were go-ing to be. But this past weekend really proved that we can be very successful. I think we are as good as the team from my freshman year that went to the Sweet 16, and I think that we can be even better by the end of the season.

What is your most fond Middle Tennessee mem-ory?

The best was beating Hawaii in 2007. But, I think that beating Long Beach is pretty close because we hadn’t beaten a team that good yet this season. We worked really hard, and we were very excited. It was really fun, but I don’t think it beats the Hawaii game. I’m waiting for one at the end of this season to be even better than the Hawaii game.

By this point, your Polish background has been well-documented, but how do you think life in Murfreesboro compares to Warsaw?

Warsaw is the capital, so it’s a huge city, and Murfreesboro is a small city for me. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here, but I like it. When I’m at home, it’s more crowded, and people don’t really know who I am. In Murfreesboro, especially by my fourth year, I stick out from the crowd a bit. It’s a bit differ-ent, but I like both places. When I am at home, I miss Murfreesboro, and when I’m in Murfreesboro, I miss home. Basically, you can say I’m never happy or that I’m always happy because I love both.

What are your plans after you finish at Middle Tennessee?

When I’m done, I want to play professional volleyball in Europe. Maybe not in Poland, but I know that I’ll play volleyball after I graduate. When I am done with vol-leyball, I want to be a sports psychologist, and I plan on coming back to America and going to graduate school. I don’t really know how that will happen though because I want to play volleyball for as long as possible. This could all change later, but for right now, that’s my plan.

What will you miss most about Middle Tennes-see?

Oh my gosh, I don’t even want to think about this be-cause every time I think about leaving Middle Tennes-see, it just makes me sad. I’ll miss the people for sure, AMG, the coaches, and the town. I love everything. I’ll miss all my friends, the college atmosphere, and even just being recognized as an athlete while at school. It’s just hard to think about going on to real life as an adult.


sew p: 615/479.2727 e: [email protected] w: sewblinggifts.com

embellishment

fundraising

you pick!

means different things to different people. For those of you who love bling and glimmer, you’ll might love our rhinestone transfers patches!

Of course, we will talk with you about your design and create it to meet your heart’s desire. Whether the item is for you or for that special gift for a loved one, we will help you design the perfect gift.

Try our bling shirts, hoodies and gear for your next fundraising campaign! You will be so successful and reach your desired goal much more quickly with a new and different product.

We look forward to blinging your world!

www.bluecoastburrito.com

Head to the Coast!FEATURING GREAT “BUILd YOUR OWN” MISSION-STYLE BURRITOS & Tacos

Proudly supporting Middle Tennessee

athletes!

Live the dream. Catch the wave. Enjoy the ride.Live the dream. Catch the wave. Enjoy the ride.

call521-0184

for details!

Wow your crowd withBlue Coast Catering!

Bring a bit of the surf to your next team or sporting event! We offer

the freshest and most flavorful menuto put the “fun” in your function!

riety of things including her career at MTSU, her future and what memories she will take with her when her collegiate career comes to an end.

With the team on a bit of a roll right now, what have you been most proud of up to this point in the season?

Right now, the best part was beating Long Beach because they’re a top 25 team. It was hard at the be-ginning of the season, and I was saying that we have a really young team and we’ll get better . In order to beat good teams, we have to put together a whole game. In beating them in five, I think we showed that we have learned how to do it. Even when a team pushes back like Long Beach did to us, we’ve shown that we’ll push back and not let up.

If we played them at the beginning of the season, that might be a lost game for us. For example, look at the Illinois game. We beat them in the first set be-cause we fought so hard, but winning one set doesn’t mean we’ll win the whole match. Now, we’ve learned that. I think if we played Illinois now, we’d have a better chance because we’ve grown.

You’ve now won Sun Belt player of the Week a school-record five times, how does it feel to know you garner that type of respect from the confer-ence?

It feels amazing, but volleyball is a team sport, and the most important thing is that the team is winning. It’s always good to be recognized as a good player, but as long as we win a Sun Belt championship, I am fine with whatever. Awards for individual players are nice, but it’s about the team. I love getting recognized, of course, but that’s not what volleyball is about to me.

Over the course of your career, you’ve shown a propensity for “double-doubles.”Aside from win-ning, is that your goal for every match?

Of course, because I try to be an all-around player, so I try to have more than one goal for a match. When I play at the net, I think “if I do this and this,” I’ll be suc-cessful. Then when I’m on the back row, I think “if I do that and this,” I’ll be successful. If I can meet those goals, and record a double-double, I think our team will be successful as well.

With a lot of new faces on the court, how have you adjusted over the course of the season?

The beginning was hard. We all knew that we were really good individually, but we didn’t know how we were as a team. It’s not that there are really too many new people, but some of the returning players didn’t have the experience. We still have some misconnects in the match, but we’re still learning, and it gets better each day. Now I think we know what we can expect out of everyone. We don’t say we are a team with a lot of new faces anymore because by now I feel like I’ve played with them forever. The beginning was hard, but I think we’ve gotten over it by now.

You’ve been a significant part of the last three NCAA Tournament teams, now that this season has gotten underway, how does this team stack up to some of those of the past?

Honestly, right now, I really like this team. I wasn’t really certain about some things towards the beginning of the season, and I didn’t know how good we were go-ing to be. But this past weekend really proved that we can be very successful. I think we are as good as the team from my freshman year that went to the Sweet 16, and I think that we can be even better by the end of the season.

What is your most fond Middle Tennessee mem-ory?

The best was beating Hawaii in 2007. But, I think that beating Long Beach is pretty close because we hadn’t beaten a team that good yet this season. We worked really hard, and we were very excited. It was really fun, but I don’t think it beats the Hawaii game. I’m waiting for one at the end of this season to be even better than the Hawaii game.

By this point, your Polish background has been well-documented, but how do you think life in Murfreesboro compares to Warsaw?

Warsaw is the capital, so it’s a huge city, and Murfreesboro is a small city for me. I didn’t know what to expect when I came here, but I like it. When I’m at home, it’s more crowded, and people don’t really know who I am. In Murfreesboro, especially by my fourth year, I stick out from the crowd a bit. It’s a bit differ-ent, but I like both places. When I am at home, I miss Murfreesboro, and when I’m in Murfreesboro, I miss home. Basically, you can say I’m never happy or that I’m always happy because I love both.

What are your plans after you finish at Middle Tennessee?

When I’m done, I want to play professional volleyball in Europe. Maybe not in Poland, but I know that I’ll play volleyball after I graduate. When I am done with vol-leyball, I want to be a sports psychologist, and I plan on coming back to America and going to graduate school. I don’t really know how that will happen though because I want to play volleyball for as long as possible. This could all change later, but for right now, that’s my plan.

What will you miss most about Middle Tennes-see?

Oh my gosh, I don’t even want to think about this be-cause every time I think about leaving Middle Tennes-see, it just makes me sad. I’ll miss the people for sure, AMG, the coaches, and the town. I love everything. I’ll miss all my friends, the college atmosphere, and even just being recognized as an athlete while at school. It’s just hard to think about going on to real life as an adult.

34 Middle Tennessee sporTs Magazine • September 2010 • www.midtnsportsmag.com www.midtnsportsmag.com • September 2010 • Middle Tennessee sporTs Magazine 35

By Jim Harwell

A group of local high school broadcasting and journalism depart-

ments are on the cutting edge of media these days and as a result, several Williamson County resi-dents and products of these de-partments are on the media fast track.

The Production/Communica-tions Departments at Brentwood High and Ravenwood High are state-of-the-art and prepare stu-dents to enter their chosen fields immediately.

Courtney Lyle, Brentwood High graduate and current junior at UT, is one of only 90 students selected this past year for a pres-tigious paid summer internship at ESPN. Over 10,000 students ap-plied. During the school year, Lyle already performs significant roles on the Lady Vol Radio Network, the Pat Summit show and the Vol Network on Sportsouth.

She just finished her sum-mer in Bristol, Connecticut, one of only three students selected

Brentwood High grad Courtney Lyle lands prestigious internship at ESPN

Fast Track

Media

“To be here, it’s something you dream about. It’s an amazing place. But then you meet the people and work with them, and everyone is really nice. They are so helpful, and they want you to learn.”– Courtney Lyle, Brentwood grad and current junior at UT –

for the production department at ESPN. She worked on events such as the World Cup, the Bel-mont Stakes for ABC (which owns ESPN) and more. She admits it is “a dream come true.”

“To be here, it’s something you dream about. It’s an amazing place,” said Lyle during a tele-phone interview from Bristol after another busy day. “But then you meet the people and work with them, and everyone is really nice. They are so helpful, and they want you to learn.”

She said the ESPN Campus is in about 13 or 14 buildings. She added: “They treat you like an em-

ployee, not a trainee.”In addition to Media classes at

BHS, the school also offers stu-dents the program as part of a Career and Technical Path. This past year, the program had 105 students.

The BHS Media Production program and its students have garnered over 100 state, regional and national awards over the past decade in annual awards com-petitions, film festivals and video competitions around the country.

Several BHS graduates are on the same path as Lyle. One of Lyle’s colleagues on the Vol Net-work is fellow BHS grad Eric Pe-terson.

Brent Boyens and Zach Chris-topher, recent Western Kentucky grads, have worked in produc-tion during college for ESPN and Comcast/CSS, shooting major sporting events and more.

Jason White, BHS ’09, has been named State Photographer of the Year two years in a row. Dallas Wilson, also BHS ’09, al-ready makes music videos that are good enough for major net-


By Jim Harwell

A group of local high school broadcasting and journalism depart-

ments are on the cutting edge of media these days and as a result, several Williamson County resi-dents and products of these de-partments are on the media fast track.

The Production/Communica-tions Departments at Brentwood High and Ravenwood High are state-of-the-art and prepare stu-dents to enter their chosen fields immediately.

Courtney Lyle, Brentwood High graduate and current junior at UT, is one of only 90 students selected this past year for a pres-tigious paid summer internship at ESPN. Over 10,000 students ap-plied. During the school year, Lyle already performs significant roles on the Lady Vol Radio Network, the Pat Summit show and the Vol Network on Sportsouth.

She just finished her sum-mer in Bristol, Connecticut, one of only three students selected

Brentwood High grad Courtney Lyle lands prestigious internship at ESPN

Fast Track

Media

“To be here, it’s something you dream about. It’s an amazing place. But then you meet the people and work with them, and everyone is really nice. They are so helpful, and they want you to learn.”– Courtney Lyle, Brentwood grad and current junior at UT –

for the production department at ESPN. She worked on events such as the World Cup, the Bel-mont Stakes for ABC (which owns ESPN) and more. She admits it is “a dream come true.”

“To be here, it’s something you dream about. It’s an amazing place,” said Lyle during a tele-phone interview from Bristol after another busy day. “But then you meet the people and work with them, and everyone is really nice. They are so helpful, and they want you to learn.”

She said the ESPN Campus is in about 13 or 14 buildings. She added: “They treat you like an em-

ployee, not a trainee.”In addition to Media classes at

BHS, the school also offers stu-dents the program as part of a Career and Technical Path. This past year, the program had 105 students.

The BHS Media Production program and its students have garnered over 100 state, regional and national awards over the past decade in annual awards com-petitions, film festivals and video competitions around the country.

Several BHS graduates are on the same path as Lyle. One of Lyle’s colleagues on the Vol Net-work is fellow BHS grad Eric Pe-terson.

Brent Boyens and Zach Chris-topher, recent Western Kentucky grads, have worked in produc-tion during college for ESPN and Comcast/CSS, shooting major sporting events and more.

Jason White, BHS ’09, has been named State Photographer of the Year two years in a row. Dallas Wilson, also BHS ’09, al-ready makes music videos that are good enough for major net-


On-Air Legacy – WBHS9

In 1999, the City of Brentwood allocated Channel 9 to Brentwood High School from local cable com-pany, Comcast. At first, the chan-nel served as a billboard for high school activities. One computer and a school secretary served as the total operating system for the channel.

In the spring of 2001, BHS instructor, Mark Madison and the television classes assumed the responsibility of the channel and began the process of developing a full-time station with coverage for the northern half of Williamson County. Armed with little more than three old cameras and one linear editing system, five interns and four classes of high school students set out to make Channel 9 the top educational access channel in the state.

In March, 2008, Mark Madison died but left a legacy that has influenced career aspirations for a number of BHS students. The Mark Madison Award is given each year to the top television station at the Tennessee High School Press Association Awards. Brentwood continued the legacy by winning the 2009 Mark Madison Award for Best Television Station.

Today, thanks to the vision, com-mitment and dedication of Mark Madison and the students of BHS, WBHS9 continues to thrive and has established itself as a leader in local sports programming, school events, and community activities.

To Purchase Your UT and/or Vandy printvisit www.rockytopsplaying.com

18x24 Print $34.99Original’s and Giclee’s available contact

[email protected]

Art-By-Nancy

works like CMT. Both of them will attend Western, where they begin hands-on work right away.

Other Williamson County schools have strong media and communications programs as well. Ravenwood’s program is young but is already producing some young people in the fields.

P.J.Shenkel, Jessica Cherry, Daniel Destrade and Clint Alwab are all pursuing media/production in various forms. Shenkel recently finished at Western, while the oth-er three attend or recently gradu-ated from the Missouri School of Journalism.

Logan Watson (Alabama) and

James Thayer (Kentucky) are in the media/communications field as well. At Ravenwood, Watson won the prestigious National Student Television Arts and En-tertainment Award and scholar-ship of $40,000. Thayer was one of 10 runners-up for the award. Watson gets the award in annual increments. Watson has won nu-merous awards during his young career, including the NATAS Re-gional Award for Craft Achieve-ment while in high school.

“They were both excellent me-dia students,” said Ravenwood Media teacher Sara Sweitzer, “and were very focused on mak-

ing it in their career.”Matt Binford and Michelle Potts are pursuing media

at MTSU. Jessica Trevett attends SCAD, the Savan-nah College of Art and Design, a cutting-edge fine arts school.

At Brentwood High, it all started for Lyle and her classmates in Mr. Mark Madison’s Broadcasting and Journalism Department and on the TV station WBHS9. Through Madison’s guidance and vision, the BHS pro-gram set the standard for journalism training and con-tinues to do the same today.

The program, called TV Pro (for production), pro-vides students with cutting-edge production experience and training. They actually run the Williamson County public access station WBHS9, serving 39,000 homes. Yes, that’s right- a television station. And they do every-thing- film, edit, produce, write, host, IT and more.

For example, as many as 17-18 students work to-gether to broadcast BHS sporting events with six high-quality cameras, pregame shows, digital graphics, three replay angles, slow motion and more.

From humble beginnings in 2001, the department has grown and now has state-of-the-art production equipment. They actively seek to mentor and train oth-ers as well. For example, they have installed five in-house television stations in elementary schools in Wil-liamson County.

However, things changed dramatically during Lyle’s senior year, 2007. Tragically and suddenly, Mark Madi-son passed away from a stroke. Lyle and her class-mates were devastated at the loss of their mentor and friend. They pulled together to complete the school year.

“He was much more than a teacher or a boss,” said Lyle. “He trusted us. He was a friend. He became a father figure to many of us. He was so important to us, I really can’t put it into words.”

Lyle and her classmates finished the school year without their mentor. But his influence lives on in the students he taught- and in the program he started.

The pioneering work that Madison did continues to-day. This past year, the department had 105 students, under the direction of Ronnie Adcock, who before be-coming director of the department worked for 24 years as a top-level news producer for three TV networks in Nashville.

The BHS and RHS programs are certainly setting the standard for high school media and visual communica-tions programs. The five Williamson County programs are all top-notch and actually sometimes compete with themselves in statewide and local awards com-petitions. The departments at Brentwood, Centennial, Franklin, Page and Ravenwood are certainly producing the next generation of media leaders.

January 7, 2008

Greetings:

Courtney Lyle is IT.

“It” in this case means: self-driven to success, skilled in time management, well versed

in linear and non-linear editing, wonderful writing skills, respected and admired by her

peers, competent to wire virtually anything broadcast-wise, and experienced beyond any

other high school student in the nation.

Speaking of awards please be aware that Ms. Lyle has received numerous recognitions

from the Tennessee High School Press Association, Journalism Education Association,

Western Kentucky Film Festival, and the Williamson County Regional Film Festival. Her

work is well known locally on our access channel, WBHS9, and on the state and national

level.Courtney’s ability and hard work, coupled with her experiences have brought her to

this point. From announcing live sports broadcast to covering President Bush when he

visited Nashville, she has taken advantage of every opportunity to improve her skills. She

has also worked with the ESPN and Vanderbilt broadcast field units covering Vanderbilt

football games.Courtney has completed four years of broadcasting classes, plus an internship at

WBHS9, working 20 hours per week in addition to her regular classes. She serves as

the intern manager and oversees 11 other employees who produce 15 hours of original

programs per week. She is also active in the Habitat for Humanity organization, and is a

member of the National Honor Society as well as the National Technical Honor Society.

Aside from her many abilities as a producer, director, writer, announcer, and editor, Ms.

Lyle has learned how to set an example and assist others in a way that promotes friend-

ship, cooperation, and the successful completion of tasks. These skills have lifted her to

the position “go-to person” whenever

routine assistance or crises management is needed. Her peers respect her and follow

her example of management and problem solving.

Courtney is so focused. She knows her objectives and mission in life. She has never

faltered in their pursuit. If you look directly into her eyes you can see that burning desire,

and if you follow her actions, you will see the result of that desire.

Courtney is an extraordinary young woman. She has broken through several traditional

barriers with her success in the technical field and had great success in being an accom-

plished leader among her own peers. She is the real deal; she is truly “IT”.

Sincerely,

Mark MadisonBroadcast Instructor: Brentwood High School

Station Manager: WBHS9


On-Air Legacy – WBHS9

In 1999, the City of Brentwood allocated Channel 9 to Brentwood High School from local cable com-pany, Comcast. At first, the chan-nel served as a billboard for high school activities. One computer and a school secretary served as the total operating system for the channel.

In the spring of 2001, BHS instructor, Mark Madison and the television classes assumed the responsibility of the channel and began the process of developing a full-time station with coverage for the northern half of Williamson County. Armed with little more than three old cameras and one linear editing system, five interns and four classes of high school students set out to make Channel 9 the top educational access channel in the state.

In March, 2008, Mark Madison died but left a legacy that has influenced career aspirations for a number of BHS students. The Mark Madison Award is given each year to the top television station at the Tennessee High School Press Association Awards. Brentwood continued the legacy by winning the 2009 Mark Madison Award for Best Television Station.

Today, thanks to the vision, com-mitment and dedication of Mark Madison and the students of BHS, WBHS9 continues to thrive and has established itself as a leader in local sports programming, school events, and community activities.



[email protected]

Art-By-Nancy

works like CMT. Both of them will attend Western, where they begin hands-on work right away.

Other Williamson County schools have strong media and communications programs as well. Ravenwood’s program is young but is already producing some young people in the fields.

P.J.Shenkel, Jessica Cherry, Daniel Destrade and Clint Alwab are all pursuing media/production in various forms. Shenkel recently finished at Western, while the oth-er three attend or recently gradu-ated from the Missouri School of Journalism.

Logan Watson (Alabama) and

James Thayer (Kentucky) are in the media/communications field as well. At Ravenwood, Watson won the prestigious National Student Television Arts and En-tertainment Award and scholar-ship of $40,000. Thayer was one of 10 runners-up for the award. Watson gets the award in annual increments. Watson has won nu-merous awards during his young career, including the NATAS Re-gional Award for Craft Achieve-ment while in high school.

“They were both excellent me-dia students,” said Ravenwood Media teacher Sara Sweitzer, “and were very focused on mak-

ing it in their career.”Matt Binford and Michelle Potts are pursuing media

at MTSU. Jessica Trevett attends SCAD, the Savan-nah College of Art and Design, a cutting-edge fine arts school.

At Brentwood High, it all started for Lyle and her classmates in Mr. Mark Madison’s Broadcasting and Journalism Department and on the TV station WBHS9. Through Madison’s guidance and vision, the BHS pro-gram set the standard for journalism training and con-tinues to do the same today.

The program, called TV Pro (for production), pro-vides students with cutting-edge production experience and training. They actually run the Williamson County public access station WBHS9, serving 39,000 homes. Yes, that’s right- a television station. And they do every-thing- film, edit, produce, write, host, IT and more.

For example, as many as 17-18 students work to-gether to broadcast BHS sporting events with six high-quality cameras, pregame shows, digital graphics, three replay angles, slow motion and more.

From humble beginnings in 2001, the department has grown and now has state-of-the-art production equipment. They actively seek to mentor and train oth-ers as well. For example, they have installed five in-house television stations in elementary schools in Wil-liamson County.

However, things changed dramatically during Lyle’s senior year, 2007. Tragically and suddenly, Mark Madi-son passed away from a stroke. Lyle and her class-mates were devastated at the loss of their mentor and friend. They pulled together to complete the school year.

“He was much more than a teacher or a boss,” said Lyle. “He trusted us. He was a friend. He became a father figure to many of us. He was so important to us, I really can’t put it into words.”

Lyle and her classmates finished the school year without their mentor. But his influence lives on in the students he taught- and in the program he started.

The pioneering work that Madison did continues to-day. This past year, the department had 105 students, under the direction of Ronnie Adcock, who before be-coming director of the department worked for 24 years as a top-level news producer for three TV networks in Nashville.

The BHS and RHS programs are certainly setting the standard for high school media and visual communica-tions programs. The five Williamson County programs are all top-notch and actually sometimes compete with themselves in statewide and local awards com-petitions. The departments at Brentwood, Centennial, Franklin, Page and Ravenwood are certainly producing the next generation of media leaders.

January 7, 2008

Greetings:

Courtney Lyle is IT.

“It” in this case means: self-driven to success, skilled in time management, well versed

in linear and non-linear editing, wonderful writing skills, respected and admired by her

peers, competent to wire virtually anything broadcast-wise, and experienced beyond any

other high school student in the nation.

Speaking of awards please be aware that Ms. Lyle has received numerous recognitions

from the Tennessee High School Press Association, Journalism Education Association,

Western Kentucky Film Festival, and the Williamson County Regional Film Festival. Her

work is well known locally on our access channel, WBHS9, and on the state and national

level.Courtney’s ability and hard work, coupled with her experiences have brought her to

this point. From announcing live sports broadcast to covering President Bush when he

visited Nashville, she has taken advantage of every opportunity to improve her skills. She

has also worked with the ESPN and Vanderbilt broadcast field units covering Vanderbilt

football games.Courtney has completed four years of broadcasting classes, plus an internship at

WBHS9, working 20 hours per week in addition to her regular classes. She serves as

the intern manager and oversees 11 other employees who produce 15 hours of original

programs per week. She is also active in the Habitat for Humanity organization, and is a

member of the National Honor Society as well as the National Technical Honor Society.

Aside from her many abilities as a producer, director, writer, announcer, and editor, Ms.

Lyle has learned how to set an example and assist others in a way that promotes friend-

ship, cooperation, and the successful completion of tasks. These skills have lifted her to

the position “go-to person” whenever

routine assistance or crises management is needed. Her peers respect her and follow

her example of management and problem solving.

Courtney is so focused. She knows her objectives and mission in life. She has never

faltered in their pursuit. If you look directly into her eyes you can see that burning desire,

and if you follow her actions, you will see the result of that desire.

Courtney is an extraordinary young woman. She has broken through several traditional

barriers with her success in the technical field and had great success in being an accom-

plished leader among her own peers. She is the real deal; she is truly “IT”.

Sincerely,

Mark MadisonBroadcast Instructor: Brentwood High School

Station Manager: WBHS9


but he is a scholar who is very competitive in his education and school work,” said his dad, Scott Halpern.

In addition, Trace is a nationally recognized dog handler, bringing his own dog, Champion Foxboro Thor’s Thunder, to his title. It is not often one finds such a talented 8th grader, but Trace is the excep-tion to the rule. This athlete and scholar moved to Brentwood with his parents at the start of fourth grade in 2006. Not only can he make field goals from 40 yards out, he is also a 1st Degree Black Belt who started his training at the age of three. He has continued his martial arts training, working on his second degree Black Belt at David Deaton Karate Studio in Brentwood.

Last year, Trace was the only seventh grader to place in track and field for Williamson County, placing third in the 440 individual and was part of a second-place finish in the 4 X $ relay team.

Coach Mayes described Trace as “very compas-sionate and well liked by his peers and teammates”. Coach Mayes says Trace’s teammates respect his abilities and attitude and listen to him when he speaks.

Trace has set his future goals high, saying that he wants to play football as a kicker in college – hope-fully for Vanderbilt, he says – and with the possibility of playing in the NFL.



[email protected]

Art-By-Nancy

By Jillian Davis

Trace Halpern doesn’t sell pop-corn at halftime

at Sunset Middle School sporting events – but giv-en the workload that the talented eighth grader is carrying in the classroom and on the playing field it’s a given that he could fit it into his schedule with ease.

And to say that Trace is getting a ‘kick’ out of the entire experience would be an understatement.

Trace is currently the only kicker from Ten-nessee who is nation-ally ranked and to add an exclamation point to his athletic prowess he has also attended NFL Hall of Famer, Ray Guy’s (former-ly of the Oakland Raid-ers) kicking camp, where he received professional

Despite his relative youth Sunset Middle School’s Trace Halpern has established himself as one of the nation’s premiere place kickers

evaluation and training and now ranks 21st nationally according to prokicker.com – considered to be the most comprehensive kicking, punting and long-snapping camp in the nation.

Trace did not start out as a kicker. From the age of four, he was the starting goalie for his soccer team in Florida. It took some “having fun and practice” in Crockett Park one Sunday about a year ago for Trace and his parents to discover this not-so-hidden talent. A park visitor recognized Trace’s kicking talent and suggested to him and his father that Trace pursue kicking and to obtain a kicking coach.

“My dad asked if he knew of one and the man said to try Charlie West,” said Trace. “I have been kicking ever since.”

Trace has not always played football. He began his football ca-reer two years ago in sixth grade when he tried out for the Brent-wood Blaze football program.

“During the evaluation period

for the Brentwood Blaze, they decided I would be on the single A team and would be the kicker, receiver, and safety,” said Trace.

Trace plays on both sides of the ball, starting at wide receiver, corner back, plays safety and is the kicker for Sunset Middle School.

Coach Clay Mayes praises Trace’s dedication to being an athlete as well as a student.

“He has a heavy load in the classroom with high school credit classes,” said Coach Mayes. “He also helps with the film of games. He is a diligent worker and doesn’t quit until the job is done and done well.”

Trace, who was born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he lived until he was eight years old, is more than just a kicker for his middle school football team. The multitalented 13-year-old also excels in track and field, martial arts, wrestling, and his multitude of honors classes.

“Trace is not only an athlete

Just

for

Kicks


but he is a scholar who is very competitive in his education and school work,” said his dad, Scott Halpern.

In addition, Trace is a nationally recognized dog handler, bringing his own dog, Champion Foxboro Thor’s Thunder, to his title. It is not often one finds such a talented 8th grader, but Trace is the excep-tion to the rule. This athlete and scholar moved to Brentwood with his parents at the start of fourth grade in 2006. Not only can he make field goals from 40 yards out, he is also a 1st Degree Black Belt who started his training at the age of three. He has continued his martial arts training, working on his second degree Black Belt at David Deaton Karate Studio in Brentwood.

Last year, Trace was the only seventh grader to place in track and field for Williamson County, placing third in the 440 individual and was part of a second-place finish in the 4 X $ relay team.

Coach Mayes described Trace as “very compas-sionate and well liked by his peers and teammates”. Coach Mayes says Trace’s teammates respect his abilities and attitude and listen to him when he speaks.

Trace has set his future goals high, saying that he wants to play football as a kicker in college – hope-fully for Vanderbilt, he says – and with the possibility of playing in the NFL.



[email protected]

Art-By-Nancy

By Jillian Davis

Trace Halpern doesn’t sell pop-corn at halftime

at Sunset Middle School sporting events – but giv-en the workload that the talented eighth grader is carrying in the classroom and on the playing field it’s a given that he could fit it into his schedule with ease.

And to say that Trace is getting a ‘kick’ out of the entire experience would be an understatement.

Trace is currently the only kicker from Ten-nessee who is nation-ally ranked and to add an exclamation point to his athletic prowess he has also attended NFL Hall of Famer, Ray Guy’s (former-ly of the Oakland Raid-ers) kicking camp, where he received professional

Despite his relative youth Sunset Middle School’s Trace Halpern has established himself as one of the nation’s premiere place kickers

evaluation and training and now ranks 21st nationally according to prokicker.com – considered to be the most comprehensive kicking, punting and long-snapping camp in the nation.

Trace did not start out as a kicker. From the age of four, he was the starting goalie for his soccer team in Florida. It took some “having fun and practice” in Crockett Park one Sunday about a year ago for Trace and his parents to discover this not-so-hidden talent. A park visitor recognized Trace’s kicking talent and suggested to him and his father that Trace pursue kicking and to obtain a kicking coach.

“My dad asked if he knew of one and the man said to try Charlie West,” said Trace. “I have been kicking ever since.”

Trace has not always played football. He began his football ca-reer two years ago in sixth grade when he tried out for the Brent-wood Blaze football program.

“During the evaluation period

for the Brentwood Blaze, they decided I would be on the single A team and would be the kicker, receiver, and safety,” said Trace.

Trace plays on both sides of the ball, starting at wide receiver, corner back, plays safety and is the kicker for Sunset Middle School.

Coach Clay Mayes praises Trace’s dedication to being an athlete as well as a student.

“He has a heavy load in the classroom with high school credit classes,” said Coach Mayes. “He also helps with the film of games. He is a diligent worker and doesn’t quit until the job is done and done well.”

Trace, who was born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he lived until he was eight years old, is more than just a kicker for his middle school football team. The multitalented 13-year-old also excels in track and field, martial arts, wrestling, and his multitude of honors classes.

“Trace is not only an athlete

Just

for

Kicks


club teams. One of the first local gestures took place when Inde-pendence High School hosted a tourney. Their theme was Team Kelsey. Everyone wore pink wrist bands, including all other teams and their parents. At this point in her chemo, Kelsey was not able to be near people and so could not attend. But at the end of the day, she and her family were outside as people left, saw their support, and many stopped by to say hello. How appropriate, Kelsey began to think, that she now had an entire team of family, friends and the volleyball commu-nity to help her through this major competition.

Father Ryan’s volleyball team held a “Kram the Kourt for Kel-sey.” Her family was introduced and given roses. Even people that don’t normally come to their games showed that night for her. Kelsey was able to sit on the

bench and help coach. This was huge for her. She was so excited to put on her uniform! She had a ball. Since then, the support has not stopped. Franklin High School had their students sign banners to present to Kelsey. Baylor in Chattanooga has sent things up. She met the University of Montana team, who gave her a T-shirt and signed volleyball. The University of Kentucky gave her a signed poster and a lovely note, indicating they are thinking of her and praying for her. Lipscomb University’s team made bracelets that say “Passionate KT.”

For Lea Ann, this support is huge. Because of the continual support and encouragement, the time is flying by. Even on physi-cally bad days, Kelsey is still mentally tough. She is positive and the people around her are positive. She draws from that.

I suspect much of that

strength, too, comes from her mom. She does not dwell in a place of bitterness that her daughter’s senior year looks completely different than what they had planned. “This may be God’s way of saying she did not need to play her senior season – she would have gotten hurt. He knows, we don’t’ and we may never know.”

And for her, that’s OK. It just helps to know that between God, their family and this amazing community, they are not alone.

Sports Mom

by Kathy Steakley

When Kelsey Town started playing volley-ball at age 10, she and

her family could never have imag-ined the impact that the volleyball community would one day have on her life. But more than that, they could never have imagined the impact Kelsey would have on countless people, some she had never even met.

Even though Kelsey had played multiple, sports, she fell in love with volleyball. She earned the position of setter for Father Ryan High School, and also played travel. Last year, Kelsey made the All-State team, and was beginning to look at small colleg-es to play. At one of the last travel tournaments last year, however, she suffered a major concus-sion. After much discussion with her physician, she decided the risks to play college and chance another head injury that could ultimately have ramifications for the rest of her life would just not be worth the gamble. That choice made her senior year all the more important to Kelsey.

Then one weekend, Kelsey noticed a lump in her inner thigh. A few days later, she had surgery to remove what doctors believed was a benign, fluid filled mass. The main reason for scheduling the surgery so soon was her de-sire to get it out of the way, rehab through the 4 to 6 week recovery period and be back in time for

her high school season. Not one to sit idly by, Kelsey immediately began to rehab. Two weeks later, on July 12, she and her mom, Lea Ann, went back to get the stitches removed. It was then they found out the potato-sized mass was actually synovial cell sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. They were blown away. Kelsey’s first question: can I still play vol-leyball?

Playing her senior year meant everything to Kelsey. Now it was ending early. This took a couple of days to digest. A week later, according to Lea Ann, they real-ized, “That was important once. That’s not important any more.” What she saw emerging be-fore her was an amazing young woman., ready for battle.

“Kelsey has attacked this total-ly by her preparation and training for sports. To her, this is a com-petition that she is going to beat. It does not stand a chance!”

Lea Ann feels strongly that her tough coaches, both mentally and physically demanding, good health and mental strength have been the key to Kelsey’s determi-nation. Through years of volley-ball, she has seen her daughter grow into a leader, playing well under pressure because of all the prep her coaches do.

If this news were not tough enough to hear, the Towns were then faced with a difficult deci-sion. Because this particular

type of cancer is so rare, there is no exact treatment plan. Her medical team could make recom-mendations, but nothing hard and fast. The family had to decide basically between plan A, B or C. One of the options was no chemo! This held quite an appeal for both Kelsey and her mom. Taking that route, however, would mean hoping and praying for the rest of her life that there were no lingering cancer cells. They decided to treat this aggressively, following a St. Jude protocol. Most children respond better than adults to chemo. Kelsey, accord-ing to her doctors, has responded 90 percent better than everyone else because of her attitude.

She will have seven cycles of chemo. This means every three weeks she checks in the hospi-tal for 4 days of IV chemo, then recovers at home for two weeks, then goes back in. How did Kel-sey handle round one? She went out and hiked a mountain – liter-ally.

There is another element to Kelsey’s competition against cancer. Lea Ann has been over-whelmed at the support she has seen for her daughter, and has shed tears over that. When local volleyball teams learned Kelsey’s news, they immediately rallied around her. She knows so many players having either played against them or alongside them between her high school and


club teams. One of the first local gestures took place when Inde-pendence High School hosted a tourney. Their theme was Team Kelsey. Everyone wore pink wrist bands, including all other teams and their parents. At this point in her chemo, Kelsey was not able to be near people and so could not attend. But at the end of the day, she and her family were outside as people left, saw their support, and many stopped by to say hello. How appropriate, Kelsey began to think, that she now had an entire team of family, friends and the volleyball commu-nity to help her through this major competition.

Father Ryan’s volleyball team held a “Kram the Kourt for Kel-sey.” Her family was introduced and given roses. Even people that don’t normally come to their games showed that night for her. Kelsey was able to sit on the

bench and help coach. This was huge for her. She was so excited to put on her uniform! She had a ball. Since then, the support has not stopped. Franklin High School had their students sign banners to present to Kelsey. Baylor in Chattanooga has sent things up. She met the University of Montana team, who gave her a T-shirt and signed volleyball. The University of Kentucky gave her a signed poster and a lovely note, indicating they are thinking of her and praying for her. Lipscomb University’s team made bracelets that say “Passionate KT.”

For Lea Ann, this support is huge. Because of the continual support and encouragement, the time is flying by. Even on physi-cally bad days, Kelsey is still mentally tough. She is positive and the people around her are positive. She draws from that.

I suspect much of that

strength, too, comes from her mom. She does not dwell in a place of bitterness that her daughter’s senior year looks completely different than what they had planned. “This may be God’s way of saying she did not need to play her senior season – she would have gotten hurt. He knows, we don’t’ and we may never know.”

And for her, that’s OK. It just helps to know that between God, their family and this amazing community, they are not alone.

Sports Mom

by Kathy Steakley

When Kelsey Town started playing volley-ball at age 10, she and

her family could never have imag-ined the impact that the volleyball community would one day have on her life. But more than that, they could never have imagined the impact Kelsey would have on countless people, some she had never even met.

Even though Kelsey had played multiple, sports, she fell in love with volleyball. She earned the position of setter for Father Ryan High School, and also played travel. Last year, Kelsey made the All-State team, and was beginning to look at small colleg-es to play. At one of the last travel tournaments last year, however, she suffered a major concus-sion. After much discussion with her physician, she decided the risks to play college and chance another head injury that could ultimately have ramifications for the rest of her life would just not be worth the gamble. That choice made her senior year all the more important to Kelsey.

Then one weekend, Kelsey noticed a lump in her inner thigh. A few days later, she had surgery to remove what doctors believed was a benign, fluid filled mass. The main reason for scheduling the surgery so soon was her de-sire to get it out of the way, rehab through the 4 to 6 week recovery period and be back in time for

her high school season. Not one to sit idly by, Kelsey immediately began to rehab. Two weeks later, on July 12, she and her mom, Lea Ann, went back to get the stitches removed. It was then they found out the potato-sized mass was actually synovial cell sarcoma, a rare form of cancer. They were blown away. Kelsey’s first question: can I still play vol-leyball?

Playing her senior year meant everything to Kelsey. Now it was ending early. This took a couple of days to digest. A week later, according to Lea Ann, they real-ized, “That was important once. That’s not important any more.” What she saw emerging be-fore her was an amazing young woman., ready for battle.

“Kelsey has attacked this total-ly by her preparation and training for sports. To her, this is a com-petition that she is going to beat. It does not stand a chance!”

Lea Ann feels strongly that her tough coaches, both mentally and physically demanding, good health and mental strength have been the key to Kelsey’s determi-nation. Through years of volley-ball, she has seen her daughter grow into a leader, playing well under pressure because of all the prep her coaches do.

If this news were not tough enough to hear, the Towns were then faced with a difficult deci-sion. Because this particular

type of cancer is so rare, there is no exact treatment plan. Her medical team could make recom-mendations, but nothing hard and fast. The family had to decide basically between plan A, B or C. One of the options was no chemo! This held quite an appeal for both Kelsey and her mom. Taking that route, however, would mean hoping and praying for the rest of her life that there were no lingering cancer cells. They decided to treat this aggressively, following a St. Jude protocol. Most children respond better than adults to chemo. Kelsey, accord-ing to her doctors, has responded 90 percent better than everyone else because of her attitude.

She will have seven cycles of chemo. This means every three weeks she checks in the hospi-tal for 4 days of IV chemo, then recovers at home for two weeks, then goes back in. How did Kel-sey handle round one? She went out and hiked a mountain – liter-ally.

There is another element to Kelsey’s competition against cancer. Lea Ann has been over-whelmed at the support she has seen for her daughter, and has shed tears over that. When local volleyball teams learned Kelsey’s news, they immediately rallied around her. She knows so many players having either played against them or alongside them between her high school and


practices and games” (Official Statement). “Keep cuts and abrasions, especially if they have pus or are draining, clean, covered, and dry with bandages until healed” (MRSA Infections).

3. Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or band-ages.

4. Avoid sharing personal items: towels, wash cloths, razors, solid deodorants soap, and clothing. Athletes should also avoid sharing any athletic gear such as uniforms, pads, helmets, chin straps, shin guards.

5. Wash all game and practice clothing, athletic gear, and towels daily (Official Statement). Per the CDC, laundry procedures can follow the guidelines given on clothing labels for use of bleach, and water and drying temperatures. “Infected materials may be laundered separately, but this is not absolutely necessary” (MRSA Infections).

6. The proper use cleaners or detergents and disin-fectants by reading their user labels. Many of them instruct you to leave it on a surface for a certain period of time in order to actually kill any contami-nants such as MRSA. Most retail and grocery stores carry common cleaners and detergents that will do the job. “Focus on surfaces that touch people’s bare skin everyday and any surfaces that could come in contact with uncovered infections such as benches in locker rooms and weight rooms, large surfaces such as floors and walls. Shared equipment should be cleaned after each use and allowed to dry” (MRSA Infections).

7. Showering immediately after practices and compe-titions (Official Statement).

8. Weight benches, bars, and handles should be sani-tized after being used by each person.

“MRSA Infections” www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html Center Of Dis-ease Control and Prevention n.d. Web. 11 Sept 2010.

“Official Statement from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association on Community-Acquired MRSA Infections (CA-MRSA) www.nata.org/officialstatements National Athletic Trainers’ Association 1 March 2005 Web 11 Sept 2010.

Holly Taylor is a 1996 graduate of Wilmington College in Ohio and has been a Licensed and Certified Athletic Trainer for 14 years. Holly has spent the last 8 years in Tennessee work-ing with STAR Physical Therapy and has served as ATC/L at White House Heritage, East Robertson and Springfield High Schools. To learn more about STAR Physical Therapy, please visit www.starptusa.com.


By Holly Taylor, ATC/L

We have all heard in recent years of the explosion of staph infec-tions in our athletic populations. The very nature and environment of sports can create a breed-ing ground for staph to thrive. Educating school personnel, coaches, parents and athletes about the causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention can greatly reduce the occurrences and spread of these infections.

What is Staph?Staph is short for Staphylococcus Aureus. It is a type of bacteria commonly found on the skin and in the noses of healthy individu-als. It is the cause of a range of skin and soft tissue infections such as boils, furuncles, and cellulitis. Some people can be colonized, that is to be carriers of staph, and pass it on to other individuals, but never get sick themselves.

MRSA

MRSA is the acronym for Methi-cillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-tion (CDC), “MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics such as methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin. It is found on people and not naturally in the environ-ment. MRSA can get on objects or surfaces outside of the body

if someone touches infected skin or certain areas of the body where these bacteria live, and then touches the object or surface. Items can also be con-taminated with staph and MRSA if they have direct contact with a person’s skin infection.”

CA-MRSA refers to those MRSA infections of the skin acquired in community settings: athletic facilities, locker rooms, gyms, dormitories, military barracks, correctional facilities, and daycare centers. Factors affecting the spread of CA-MRSA infections include: close skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin, contact with contaminated surfaces and items, and poor hygiene.” (MRSA Infections)

Signs & Symptoms

Per the CDC, “MRSA skin infec-tions often can resemble spider bites, bumps, boils, or pustules that are red, swollen, and painful. It may appear to be a fluid-filled cavity, yellow or white center, a central point or “head” that is draining pus. They are often found at areas of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abra-sions, and sites on the body covered by hair.”

Treatment of MRSA Infections

People should NEVER try to treat a skin infection by themselves, especially if they suspect it may be staph and/or MRSA; doing so could worsen or spread it to

other individuals. DO NOT pop, drain, or use disinfectants on the suspected area. If you think you may have an infection, keep the affected area covered, wash your hands, and contact your health-care provider” (“MRSA Infections

Prevention, Cleaning & Disinfecting

Per the CDC, repeat infections with MRSA are common; people do not become immune to MRSA like you can with say the chicken pox. Therefore practicing good personal hygiene is crucial for everyone in preventing MRSA infections. The CDC and the National Athletic Trainers’ As-sociation recommend protecting yourself by:

1. HAND WASHING: keeping your hands clean with thorough washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand gel or liquid routinely.

2. All new skin lesions should be properly diagnosed, cleared to compete, and covered before

MRSA Staph Infections


practices and games” (Official Statement). “Keep cuts and abrasions, especially if they have pus or are draining, clean, covered, and dry with bandages until healed” (MRSA Infections).

3. Avoid contact with other people’s wounds or band-ages.

4. Avoid sharing personal items: towels, wash cloths, razors, solid deodorants soap, and clothing. Athletes should also avoid sharing any athletic gear such as uniforms, pads, helmets, chin straps, shin guards.

5. Wash all game and practice clothing, athletic gear, and towels daily (Official Statement). Per the CDC, laundry procedures can follow the guidelines given on clothing labels for use of bleach, and water and drying temperatures. “Infected materials may be laundered separately, but this is not absolutely necessary” (MRSA Infections).

6. The proper use cleaners or detergents and disin-fectants by reading their user labels. Many of them instruct you to leave it on a surface for a certain period of time in order to actually kill any contami-nants such as MRSA. Most retail and grocery stores carry common cleaners and detergents that will do the job. “Focus on surfaces that touch people’s bare skin everyday and any surfaces that could come in contact with uncovered infections such as benches in locker rooms and weight rooms, large surfaces such as floors and walls. Shared equipment should be cleaned after each use and allowed to dry” (MRSA Infections).

7. Showering immediately after practices and compe-titions (Official Statement).

8. Weight benches, bars, and handles should be sani-tized after being used by each person.

“MRSA Infections” www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html Center Of Dis-ease Control and Prevention n.d. Web. 11 Sept 2010.

“Official Statement from the National Athletic Trainers’ Association on Community-Acquired MRSA Infections (CA-MRSA) www.nata.org/officialstatements National Athletic Trainers’ Association 1 March 2005 Web 11 Sept 2010.

Holly Taylor is a 1996 graduate of Wilmington College in Ohio and has been a Licensed and Certified Athletic Trainer for 14 years. Holly has spent the last 8 years in Tennessee work-ing with STAR Physical Therapy and has served as ATC/L at White House Heritage, East Robertson and Springfield High Schools. To learn more about STAR Physical Therapy, please visit www.starptusa.com.


By Holly Taylor, ATC/L

We have all heard in recent years of the explosion of staph infec-tions in our athletic populations. The very nature and environment of sports can create a breed-ing ground for staph to thrive. Educating school personnel, coaches, parents and athletes about the causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention can greatly reduce the occurrences and spread of these infections.

What is Staph?Staph is short for Staphylococcus Aureus. It is a type of bacteria commonly found on the skin and in the noses of healthy individu-als. It is the cause of a range of skin and soft tissue infections such as boils, furuncles, and cellulitis. Some people can be colonized, that is to be carriers of staph, and pass it on to other individuals, but never get sick themselves.

MRSA

MRSA is the acronym for Methi-cillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-tion (CDC), “MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics such as methicillin and other more common antibiotics such as oxacillin, penicillin, and amoxicillin. It is found on people and not naturally in the environ-ment. MRSA can get on objects or surfaces outside of the body

if someone touches infected skin or certain areas of the body where these bacteria live, and then touches the object or surface. Items can also be con-taminated with staph and MRSA if they have direct contact with a person’s skin infection.”

CA-MRSA refers to those MRSA infections of the skin acquired in community settings: athletic facilities, locker rooms, gyms, dormitories, military barracks, correctional facilities, and daycare centers. Factors affecting the spread of CA-MRSA infections include: close skin-to-skin contact, openings in the skin, contact with contaminated surfaces and items, and poor hygiene.” (MRSA Infections)

Signs & Symptoms

Per the CDC, “MRSA skin infec-tions often can resemble spider bites, bumps, boils, or pustules that are red, swollen, and painful. It may appear to be a fluid-filled cavity, yellow or white center, a central point or “head” that is draining pus. They are often found at areas of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abra-sions, and sites on the body covered by hair.”

Treatment of MRSA Infections

People should NEVER try to treat a skin infection by themselves, especially if they suspect it may be staph and/or MRSA; doing so could worsen or spread it to

other individuals. DO NOT pop, drain, or use disinfectants on the suspected area. If you think you may have an infection, keep the affected area covered, wash your hands, and contact your health-care provider” (“MRSA Infections

Prevention, Cleaning & Disinfecting

Per the CDC, repeat infections with MRSA are common; people do not become immune to MRSA like you can with say the chicken pox. Therefore practicing good personal hygiene is crucial for everyone in preventing MRSA infections. The CDC and the National Athletic Trainers’ As-sociation recommend protecting yourself by:

1. HAND WASHING: keeping your hands clean with thorough washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or using an alcohol-based hand gel or liquid routinely.

2. All new skin lesions should be properly diagnosed, cleared to compete, and covered before

MRSA Staph Infections


ASK THE AD Lipscomb University

I’ve been gnawing on this Derek Jeter, hit-by-the-pitch, hoax. You’ve probably seen

it by now, where the inside pitch looked as if it hit him in the hand, but the replay showed clearly that the ball simply hit the butt of the bat.

Jeter jumped around in agony. The trainer came out to look at the injury. He was awarded first base and afterwards admit-ted, with a smile on his face, that he’d pulled a fast one.

Hey, it’s just part of the game. You do what you have to do to help your team win. That’s what all the broadcasters and players that I heard said about it.

But that still gnaws at me, mainly because it was Derek Jeter. I’ve never met him, but in this world of self serving, egotisti- cal athlete’s Derek Jeter seemed to be the real deal – a man of character.

So where do you draw the line on that?

We all think character is im-portant in your personal life, with the way you treat people. We all

want to be respected and I’ve heard good things about Jeter in that respect.

But hey, business is business. You gotta do what you gotta to do to win, right? Who can blame y o u for cheat-

ing,

just a little? In racing, they say if you’re

not cheating you’re not win-ning, and laugh about it. I did, on a newscast one night when a crew chief was busted for leaving an innocent looking, but lead-filled sunglass case in his car during inspection. It weighed 20 pounds and his plan was to chuck it after the car passed

inspection and be 20 pounds lighter than everybody else when the race started. The trouble was that I got a number of calls from people who reminded me that I talk about integrity a lot and here I was laughing about a guy breaking the rules. It wasn’t a national disaster, but it did make me think.

Maybe Jeter was honest, to an extent, because he admitted he’d conned the ump afterwards, but then again, he knew they had

replays that showed the truth so maybe that’s why he did it.

But what if, when it hap-pened, he’d told the umpire that as bad as it looked, the ball had actually hit the bat and not his hand. And that it was a foul ball.

His reputation would have skyrocketed. News reports would have flashed nationwide. Parents would have told

their kids to be just like Derek Jeter.

I know how I would have felt about him.

You can spend a life-time building

a reputation, but you can put

a crack in that im-age in just the blink of an eye.

Never underestimate the power of honesty.

“Never Underestimate the Power of Honesty”


ASK THE AD Lipscomb University

I’ve been gnawing on this Derek Jeter, hit-by-the-pitch, hoax. You’ve probably seen

it by now, where the inside pitch looked as if it hit him in the hand, but the replay showed clearly that the ball simply hit the butt of the bat.

Jeter jumped around in agony. The trainer came out to look at the injury. He was awarded first base and afterwards admit-ted, with a smile on his face, that he’d pulled a fast one.

Hey, it’s just part of the game. You do what you have to do to help your team win. That’s what all the broadcasters and players that I heard said about it.

But that still gnaws at me, mainly because it was Derek Jeter. I’ve never met him, but in this world of self serving, egotisti- cal athlete’s Derek Jeter seemed to be the real deal – a man of character.

So where do you draw the line on that?

We all think character is im-portant in your personal life, with the way you treat people. We all

want to be respected and I’ve heard good things about Jeter in that respect.

But hey, business is business. You gotta do what you gotta to do to win, right? Who can blame y o u for cheat-

ing,

just a little? In racing, they say if you’re

not cheating you’re not win-ning, and laugh about it. I did, on a newscast one night when a crew chief was busted for leaving an innocent looking, but lead-filled sunglass case in his car during inspection. It weighed 20 pounds and his plan was to chuck it after the car passed

inspection and be 20 pounds lighter than everybody else when the race started. The trouble was that I got a number of calls from people who reminded me that I talk about integrity a lot and here I was laughing about a guy breaking the rules. It wasn’t a national disaster, but it did make me think.

Maybe Jeter was honest, to an extent, because he admitted he’d conned the ump afterwards, but then again, he knew they had

replays that showed the truth so maybe that’s why he did it.

But what if, when it hap-pened, he’d told the umpire that as bad as it looked, the ball had actually hit the bat and not his hand. And that it was a foul ball.

His reputation would have skyrocketed. News reports would have flashed nationwide. Parents would have told

their kids to be just like Derek Jeter.

I know how I would have felt about him.

You can spend a life-time building

a reputation, but you can put

a crack in that im-age in just the blink of an eye.

Never underestimate the power of honesty.

“Never Underestimate the Power of Honesty”


Documents

October 2010