A Tribute To A Gritty and Determined Young Woman

Our granddaughter, Talli, ran Cross Country for Azusa Pacific University this past Fall.  Their season culminated on November 10 taking first place at the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championship Meet in Cedarville, Ohio.

Talli (center in above photo) came in third on her winning team and 20th overall in a time of 19 minutes flat.  But that only tells you part of the story.

She ran the entire race in pain, thinking she had shin splints.  "It seemed go get a little better as I ran," she said gamely while home for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Well, she's been in the APU trainer's office quite a bit since then, and finally, after recent MRIs, it was determined that she has a STRESS FRACTURE in both of her legs!  Such fractures are extremely hard to diagnose and often take a long time to do so.

So not only did she run one of the best races in her life, but she was 20th in the country with two stress fractures -- to me a virtually impossible accomplishment.  To say that we are proud of this young lady would be the understatement of the century. 

The photo above, taken a few days ago with some friends on a hill above the APU campus, shows Talli (far right) wearing a boot on one of her legs.  That was before she learned yesterday that she had factures in both legs.  We're now wondering if she's going to have to wear a boot on both legs!

As an aside, sorry it's been so long in posting.  I've simply been busy with other pressures.  I'll try to do better in the days ahead, but this story was too important to overlook.

A Visit to the Seattle Seahawks Training Camp

"Quarterback competition" has been the key word in the Seattle Seahawks training camp which has been going on for two weeks now.  Kay Lynne and I visited the training facility yesterday morning accompanied by son Doug who planned and organized the outing.  Many thanks, Doug; it was a most enjoyable time.

Newly signed Matt Flynn (from Green Bay), rookie Russell Wilson (U of Wisconsin) and veteran Tavaris Jackson (last year's starter) are all vying to be the starting quarter back for 2012.  As of today, it looks like Matt Flynn is in the lead, named to start Saturday's game and play the first half.  Wilson will get the nod in the second half.  Same as the first game.  TJack, unfortunately, is rumored to be on the trading block.

I took a few photos, and above are Flynn (15) and Wilson (3) getting ready for a passing drill with several of the top receivers -- Sydney Rice (long hair), Doug Baldwin (89), Deon Butler (11), Golden Tate (81) and Braylon Edwards (17).

Above, in a quarterback drill, Russell Wilson hands off to rookie running back Robert Turbin from Utah State.  He's a tank who can squeeze through small holes with blinding speed.  He should be fun to watch this year.

Above, line coach Tom Cable works with the versatile 300-lb behemoths who make up Seattle's offensive line.  These guys are not only big, but they can move like cats.  Cable teaches each one to play any line position (except center) so he has ultimate versatility and substitution capabilities.  Seattle is expected to give the 49ers a run for the NFC West title -- which may be a daunting task.  We shall see.  Btw, click on any photo to make a larger image.

Talli Makes State Meet For 6th Time in H.S. Track and Cross-Country Career; Comes In 2nd in District in 3,000 Meters To Qualify

Our high school granddaughter, Talli, a Senior, qualified yesterday for the High School State Track Meet of Oregon in Eugene May 25 & 26, by running a 10:49 race in the 3,000 meters, coming in second in the District by only two seconds.

In posted times for the year, Talli is actually first in her District with her 10:43 PR time a few weeks ago at the Centennial Invitational.  In the photo above taken by her dad, she (left, in blue) is approaching the finish line in yesterday’s run already having established second place but was just not quite able to overtake first place.  She ran a fabulous race.

At the State meet, she is tentatively scheduled to run, pending final adjustments, just before noon next Friday, May 25, at the famed Hayward Field (think Steve Prefontaine) on the University of Oregon Campus.

Congratulations, Talli, on an incredible high school Track and Cross Country career! She has made the State meet SIX TIMES during her four years of high school.  This is her second time at the State meet in Track, and she made State all four years in Cross country.  I’m not sure how many varsity letters Talli has, but I think it’s in double digits. 

Now I’m wondering if she’ll like the feel of the track at Azusa Pacific well enough to run in college?  But I think I also may have overheard her say, “Show me the scholarship money first!”  Smart girl.

Talli Beats Five Boys and Wins 3,000 Women’s Run in Hillsborough

Our HS senior granddaughter, Talli, yesterday tied her own personal best in the varsity track 3,000-meter run and won the women’s race in just under 11 minutes in a dual meet with Century High School in Hillsborough, Oregon.  With the guys running with the gals (to reduce heats) Talli beat four of the nine Newberg guys in the race.

I’d say that’s mighty good!

She’s been working hard lately, and it is paying off for her.  The photo above shows her ahead of two boys and heading for the finish line.  Based on analysis of her time in this race, she may qualify to run in the fast heat at the Centennial Invitational a week from Saturday.  Go Talli!

As long as we’re on the subject of grandkids, it’s been a while since I’ve posted their photos…..

 

Above are their Easter photos taken a week ago Sunday.  That’s Talli, Aubrey and Hayley in the top pic and Ally and NJ in the bottom pic.  Are they special, or what?

Three Ancient Jocks Attempt to Conquer Spring Training in Phoenix – Post #3

We Actually Saw Some Baseball


Amidst the disorientation, forgetfulness, old-men-driving-in-a-strange-town-antics, and just general tomfoolery that all went on during our time in Arizona, we actually saw some baseball!

In fact, all three games that we took in were good baseball games other than the scores, which in two cases at least, could have been different. The first game we saw featured the Giants hosting the Cubs in Scottsdale. The good guys (Giants, of course) scored first but ended up losing the game, 8-6.

We sat behind a boisterous group of Cub fans who were enjoying the 85-degree temps with us, and who normally would be happy to be away from the friendly confines at this time of the year, but the temps in Chicago were not far behind – very abnormally in the 60’s. A gal, who obviously knew her baseball and who also was not afraid to speak her mind, began raving about the Cubs reorganization and their new president, youthful phenom Theo Epstein.

Unfortunately, the Cubs, again this year, are not figured to go anywhere in the NL Central – not with St. Louis, Milwaukee and even Cincinnati in that same division. The gal yakked on and on about Epstein, so finally I asked her, “What’s so good about him so far?” (the Cubs haven’t made many changes in the time he’s been with them).

Her answer: “He’s cute.”

About then the Cubbies rallied for a few runs and all the Cub fans came to life. I was born in Chicago, so I’m not exactly a Cub-hater. But the best part of this game, for me, was that I think sitting in the hot sun for several hours put the nail in the coffin of the bad chest cold I had had for a couple of weeks previous.

The second game we saw was against the Cleveland Indians, again in Scottsdale. But this time our seats were down the right field line – Giants territory. In spite of that, we happened to sit behind a young couple who were from the Cleveland area but who had recently moved to Kentucky so the man could attend seminary. They were Cleveland fans.

He was a married Roman Catholic who was planning to enter the Diaconate (new to me) of the Church and eventually assist a priest in a local parish. He was a knowledgeable baseball fan as well as a smart seminary student, and so he, Joe and I had a wonderful discussion about the church, his mission – and baseball.

He may be one of the most interesting young men – if not one of the most dedicated – I’ve ever encountered. Dwight and his wife talked family dynamics (wives serve equally in the Diaconate) and kids (they had two young children). Another excellent game, which, incidentally, ended up tied at 6. They don’t go into extra innings in Spring Training.

The final game – Giants against my hometown Seattle Mariners in the Mariners stadium in Peoria – turned out to be the best game of all (pic above shows M's stretching and warming up before the game -- #20 is hard hitting Mike Carp). Giants bats finally came to life in this one, and they pretty much sewed up the game early, although the M’s came on late to get within a couple runs. Final score, if I remember correctly, was 8-6 Giants.

But the interesting thing was how beautiful the Mariners stadium complex was in comparison to the Giants’. The M’s are in a farther-out suburb of Phoenix and share the complex with the San Diego Padres; however, there is a beautiful new stadium, ample parking and a slew of restaurants and shopping across the street.

The Giants, on the other hand, play in downtown Scottsdale in an older park with uncomfortable seating and totally inadequate parking (see first post). The Giants facility is fine overall, but it’s obvious the newer complexes have many fan advantages.

I’d have a photo of the three of us normally in this post. Dwight had a lady take one on his FILM camera (he’s techno-challenged) but she somehow didn’t click the shutter correctly. So when he got home and developed the film, nothing was there but the shots he took.

He told me yesterday he’s looking at an iPhone. Guaranteed more interesting stories if he gets one. :-)  

Three Ancient Jocks Attempt to Conquer Spring Training in Phoenix – Post #2

My Smart Phone Saves Our Bacon

When three old codgers, once proficient baseball team mates, rendezvous in Phoenix some 50 years after their prime to take in several Spring Training games – well, strange things can happen.

Cell phones can vanish. Deteriorating brain cells can short out and cause the loss of all sense of direction. Meticulously laid plans can unravel. And it all happened the first day we were there (see previous post).

Of the three of us, Joe is probably the least tech savvy, but I’m not around him enough to really know. He’s a retired high school teacher, as is Dwight, and they obviously had to have enough skills to navigate the school system – of 10 years ago. However, Joe had given his cell phone to his daughter recently and came on the trip without one.

As we learned after the fact, Dwight’s cell had fallen out of the pocket of his loosely fitted pants onto the floor of his car on the way to his departing airport, and he arrived in Arizona without one as well. As for myself, I’m an age-appropriate tech junkie, so my phone was strapped securely to my belt.

Why is this important? My smart phone (an i-phone4) saved our bacon. Many times.

Of course the phone has built-in GPS, and so we were able to easily navigate out of the airport and quickly head in the right direction to the ballpark of the first game we were going to see. Dwight drove the rental car, I sat in the right seat as navigator, and Joe periodically – no, often – shouted what he perceived as warnings from the back seat – which were usually ignored.

The phone GPS system does not talk to you sweetly with directions. However, it is a good mapping device, and shows your location, so you can navigate better than if you had a paper map. And it’s search feature was primarily the element which saved the hides of these old, directionally handicapped friends.

For example, after the first game in Scottsdale on Tuesday, I just plugged in the name of our hotel in Mesa (we got by far the best deal there), and my trusty phone pointed the way without error. When we got hungry later in the evening, the i-phone suggested three great restaurants, all less than a mile away.

And so it went. When Joe needed to text his daughter, it was a snap. When we needed to find the Giants’ minor league practice facility (photo above) – no problem. And when we needed to find the best way to drive 60 miles to the Mariners’ game in Peoria on Thursday, the i-phone came through again.

I wonder how bad-off these three old friends would have been without a smart phone. Not sure I want to think much about that.

Hayley Experiences First High School Drama As Freshman

Our granddaughter Hayley, a high school freshman in Newberg Oregon, is this weekend and next taking part in her first high school drama, the musical comedy Once upon A Mattress, and Kay Lynne and I were privileged to see her performance last night.  Above, as Lady Emily (center), she reacts with other Ladies of the Court to antics by the devious Queen Aggravain.

Originally written as an adaptation of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea (where true love wins out), the play was expanded and played on Broadway in the early 1960’s.  It has become a popular work for high schools and community theater groups.

We thought the Newberg High School peformance was an especially good one.  The acting was stellar, the vocals were wonderful, and the chorus and orchestra were all in top form.  As one of the Ladies of the Court, Hayley was also a member of the chorus.  Photo at right was taken after the show as the cast mingled with the crowd.  These are the events that grandparents live for.

Also yesterday, Hayley’s sister, Talli, a senior, ran her best time for the State Cross Country Meet in Eugene, Oregon, at 20:13.  Talli went to the State meet all four years in High School.  She led the Newberg High varsity ladies to a 10th place team finish, a tremendous accomplishment, as the girls were seeded 12th.  According to Run-Down, a sports tracking site, Newberg ladies outperformed their predicted finish greater than any team at the meet.  Congratulations, Talli, on another (and final) Cross Country Season!   

Talli Qualifies For State X-C Meet Fourth Straight Year

Our eldest granddaughter, Talli, (right, above) now a senior at Newberg High School in Oregon, came in fourth overall last Thursday in the varsity women’s event at the 6A Pacific Conference District Cross-Country Meet in Oregon City.
 
This qualifies her for the State Cross-Country Meet this coming Saturday in Eugene for the fourth straight year.  

The photo above was taken almost half-way through the race just after she established her fourth place position, which she held to the finish.  For the first time in many years, the entire Newberg team will go to State, as they finished second as a team at District.  Talli led the team with consistent, competitive performances this year, and now the team will enjoy the State Meet experience together. 

Congratulations, Talli, for a wonderful Senior Year in Cross-Country!

Btw, sorry for the long spell bwtween posts.  Have been very busy but will try to do better in the future.  

Talli Qualifies For Second State Meet This School Year

Our granddaughter Talli, a high school junior (and pictured at right, above), will go to the State Track Meet of Oregon a week from today in Eugene to run the 3,000 meters. This is a remarkable accomplishment for her as last Fall she qualified for the State Cross Country meet as well.

The girls varsity team at her school, Newberg High, won the District Track meet yesterday in McMinnville, where Talli came in second in the 3,000, making her eligible for the State Meet. Her time was 11:09, a scant 10 seconds or so off of her personal best.

Of course, as proud grandparents, we offer her our sincere congratulations and wish her the best next week. Wish we could be there to see her run, but we’ll enjoy the pics I’m sure her dad will take at the meet.

Talli’s 3K Time Places Her First in Her District This Year, And Hayley’s Band Wows in Oregon State Univ. Competition

We were in Oregon this weekend to watch our granddaughter run in the Centennial High School Invitational Track Meet in Gresham on Saturday and then to spend this Easter Sunday with our son Gregg’s family worshipping at their church, Newberg Friends (Gregg's sermon was spot on) and then enjoying a wonderful day together.

Talli, a Junior, ran the 3,000 meters in a time of 11:08, which is only seconds off of her personal record. Though she came in third in her heat (among contestants from all over Oregon and Washington), her time was good enough to place her first among all varsity 3K runners in the 6A Pacific Conference of which her school is a member – a fabulous achievement.

In the photo above, I caught her (at left) in the last turn before the final stretch of her race. At that point she was slightly in the lead, but strong kicks by the two gals with her just nipped her at the wire. Click on the pic for a larger image – you can see the intensity of competition. Both the boys’ and the girls’ track teams in her school, Newberg High, placed second overall at the Invitational, where over 50 high schools participated.

Granddaughter Hayley, an eighth grader, traveled to Oregon State University for a day last week where her Middle School’s Advanced Band received an “excellent” rating – the highest you can achieve – in a competition among schools from all over the State . Hayley is the first chair clarinet player and performed at least one solo, if not two, if I recall correctly. A pretty good week for granddaughters.

Of course our third-grade granddaughter, Aubrey, is a happy, super-good student and has been occupying her time with horseback riding lessons and piano lessons. Sure was great to catch up on all the kids’ doings and to have some quality time with Gregg and Elaine.

And a Happy Easter to all! Christ is risen. Allelujah!

A "Beastly" Win for the Seahawks

Marshawn Lynch's "Beastly Mode" 67-yard touchdown run highlighted today's 41-36 NFL Playoff win over the defending NFL champion New Orleans Saints by the Seattle Seahawks. QuarterbackMatt Hasselbeck threw four TD passes. Not a bad performance for the first losing season record (7 -9) Division winner.

“Ragtag” Giants Win World Series

Fifty six years have gone by since I’ve celebrated a Giants World Series win. And now it has finally happened again. Above is games one and five winning pitcher Tim Lincecum celebrating the series victory.

In a post-season run that embraced the many clichés of baseball (great pitching will beat great hitting, for instance) the 2010 San Francisco Giants – called “makeshift and ragtag” by their own manager – are the best in the world right now.

A deserving Edgar Renteria won the MVP award, but a core of homegrown Giants pitchers was the primary reason they have become World Champions. Starters Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez and rookie Madison Bumgarner proved too much for the best hitting team in baseball who also had one great pitcher, Cliff Lee.

The Giants were no respecter of pitchers all through the post-season. They beat the best arms that Atlanta, Philadelphia and Texas threw at them -- all while their own staff was virtually unhittable.

Congratulations, 2010 San Francisco Giants – World Series Champions of Major League Baseball.

Giants To Play in World Series

In one of the more unlikely scenarios in Major League Baseball, the San Francisco Giants -- my favorite team since 1951 -- have made it into the 2010 World Series.

At left is NLCS MVP Cody Ross, a Florida cast-off and late season Giants' pick-up off of waivers, holding his trophy following the gut-wrenching 3-2 win earlier tonight in Philadelphia.

The win was an absolute total team effort and is the first World Series appearance for the Giants since 2002, when they lost to the Angels in seven games.

The Giants have not won the World Series since they moved west in 1958. Their last World Series win was in 1954 when they were still in New York and swept the Cleveland Indians, spurred by Willie Mays' famous first game "catch" off the bat of Vic Wertz in deep center field in the Polo Grounds.

Now it's time to create some fresh history.

Talli Wins Champoeg X-C Invitational

Our high school junior granddaughter Talli won her third cross country race outright yesterday. But this time it was a large race, the Champoeg Invitational, that attracted a big field from over a dozen high schools. Photo above shows her all alone nearing the finish line.

Just added (10/12): Click here to read the local newspaper story in The Newberg Graphic.

Talli’s winning time was 19:46 for 5,000 meters; it was the second time, I think, that she has broken 20 minutes. I was so happy she did so well, I just wanted to get it on the blog.

Pic above is Talli receiving her blue ribbon. What a great performance!

Here Comes #3…

Seven-year-old Aubrey, the youngest of our three granddaughters, has started in organized sports. She had her first tee-ball game this week.

From the pic above, it’s not clear if it’s pitching in her future – or the outfield. Whatever the case, she’s got the moves. Looks like a fun time on the diamond for the next couple of months. Can’t wait to see her play.

Granddaughters Are Athletes!

Granddaughters Hayley (13) and Aubrey (7) are both very busy with Spring sports in Oregon. Seventh grader Hayley had her first track meet yesterday in Forest Grove, and Aubrey has a new baseball glove and is practicing for her first T-ball game.


Pic above shows Hayley running the hurdles yesterday (the girl is athletic – she also long jumps).

Above is Aubrey with her appropriately colored mitt (it’s Aubrey).

Now, if we can just figure out a day or two when all three of them are playing or running, we might be able to catch them all in action on one trip. Talli (15) is on her high school track team as well.

A First & A Second For Talli In Track Inaugural

Our high school sophomore granddaughter, Talli, took first place in the 3K run (and beat several boys in the process – note pic) and a second in the 1500 meters on Thursday in a dual meet at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon, just east of Portland.

What a great start for Talli’s 2010 varsity track season. She ran an 11.36.02 in the 3K and a 5.19.88 in the 1500, getting nosed out by less than 2 seconds. Both are excellent “first race” times, especially when run within an hour of each other. I get tired just thinking about it!

I didn’t know girls ran directly against boys in high school track, but perhaps in a dual meet, when there aren’t that many competitors, they can gain some event efficiencies by doing so. I’m going to ask Talli about it when I see her in a day or so.

Congratulations, Talli. You’re off to a great start for the season!

Talli’s Finish in the State H.S. X-C Meet

Well, our high school sophomore granddaughter, Talli, has accomplished something in our family that I don’t believe anyone else has. She competed in a State meet and performed very well.

The sport happened to be Cross-Country, and the meet was held this afternoon at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. Talli’s time was 20:25, a fine accomplishment for a STATE meet that was held on a cold, windy and wet day. She was just two seconds behind her friend and teammate, Emily, a senior.

Excellent run, Talli. You’ve had a remarkable season!

Still Under Effects of the Flu, Talli Guts Out Qualifying Run For State

We keep observing that our grandchildren are exceptional, and they keep doing things to warrant it.

This afternoon our high school sophomore granddaughter, Talli, qualified to run in the varsity State Cross Country meet a week from Saturday at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon.

But the remarkable thing about what she did was the fact that last Sunday she was still running quite a high fever that finally left on Monday and was feeling the staggering effects of the flu (who knows which variety) that continued through the race today.

So, without any training for almost a week, and weakened by the dreaded bugs going around, Talli still ran a 20:06 time for 5K, which was enough to qualify her for State. Her dad told us after the race that she was “disappointed” with her time. Yikes, girl, how much do you expect of yourself? Seriously, Talli almost always feels she “could have done better”. She’s just made that way.

Congratulations, Talli! You are something very special!

Outright Win For Talli Is Her First In X-C

Our granddaughter, Talli, won her first varsity Cross-Country event on Wednesday, taking first place in the 5,000-meter run in a dual meet at Tigard. She is just a high school sophomore, but this is her second year already of varsity competition.

Her winning time was 20:07, at that some 35 seconds off of her personal best this year. This course was a bit tougher, however, than the one on which she did her PR. Click here to read about her win in a news story currently running in the Newberg Graphic.

The pic above is from the race in which she set her personal record (Talli is at left), as I’ve so far not been able to get my hands on a photo of her win. If one does become available, I’ll try to post it.

Congratulations, Talli, on your first varsity win!!