Postseason push in the cards for Jags baseball

By KYLE PARMLEY

The Spain Park High School baseball team appears to be hitting its stride at the perfect time.

The Jags parlayed the momentum from some pivotal wins in March into a strong start to Class 7A, Area 6 play, locking up a playoff spot by mid-April.

“Going into the season, we knew we had a lot of experienced guys back, a lot of veteran guys back, some of which had been on varsity for two and three years,” Spain Park head coach Will Smith said. “We really purposefully tried to make our schedule as difficult as possible.”

Following a loss to Vestavia Hills on March, the Jags won 12 of their next 14 games, with half of those coming in games won by two runs or less. Winning those tight games has been a big boost for Spain Park.

“It gets contagious from a psychological standpoint,” Smith said. “You beat good teams and play close games. From our standout, it’s been very beneficial. Being in those things and being successful and finding the right ingredients in kids that can play and perform under pressure was very valuable for us.”

Smith said the Jags have been playing great defensively after shuffling things around. Evan Smallwood is now at third base, Aiden Berke has moved into the shortstop spot, James Battersby has moved over to second base and Cole Edwards is playing first.

Spain Park’s bats have also been performing at a high level.

“One through six in our order has carried us and it’s been a different guy each night that gets the big hit,” Smith said. “Having Evan, Cole, [Jacob] Tobias and Clay [Spencer] at the top of the order, then add Matthew Widra and Battersby, that has been very good all year long.”

Smith said the bottom third of the order has also been coming through in pivotal moments, and those guys continuing to do so will help in a big way.

The Jags’ pitching staff has benefited from the offense’s success and is having success in its own right. Lucas Thornton has thrown the first games of the area series, with CJ Gross starting games as well. JR Thompson has been an effective closer, and Smith mentioned guys like Tobias and Blake Patrick that will provide critical innings down the stretch.

“The ability to throw a lot of strikes and play

If you’re ready to take the next step in your wellness journey, scan the QR code to schedule an appointment at a clinic near good defense behind is a good recipe and allows you to be successful,” Smith said.

There is an opportunity for Spain Park to make a run down the stretch, as the Jags have been a top-five team in 7A as of the middle of April.

“I’ve always thought it’s a special group,”

Smith said. “It’s a group that’s got an opportunity to do something special.”

Knowing the quality of all the 7A teams across the Birmingham area, there’s always a thin line between making a deep run in the playoffs or facing a premature ending to the season. Smith is not putting any specific goals on his team’s back for the month of May. But he hopes to get the chance to coach them for several more weeks.

“There’s a lot of high character, a lot of valuable intangibles in the group, as well as a lot of ability, too,” he said. “Obviously, I hope we have an opportunity to play postseason baseball for several weeks.” www.therapysouth.com

Ethan has a passion for mixed martial arts, both in the ring and on-screen. He was featured as a stuntman in the Netflix series, Cobra Kai, which unfortunately caused him to put professional MMA fighting.

Following his surgery, Ethan was referred to TherapySouth Riverchase for physical therapy. After a successful recovery, he was discharged and finally made his professional debut— taking home the win after a 47-second knockout. Ethan has continued to work with his therapist on strengthening his neck, training to prevent injury and staying healthy for his upcoming fights.

The game we play is pretty rough on the body, so any injuries I have keep me coming back. I continue to see Chris in the weeks leading up to my fights for full body adjustments, wellness checks and dry needling. Any bumps, bruises, or flare ups—I come see him and he takes care of me!

But one day, she told her mother she wanted to dance.

“She found the closest studio and put me in a ballet class,” Gutowski said.

But it wasn’t love at first position or first plié. She didn’t like it — at all.

“After my first class, I told my mom I didn’t want to dance anymore, but she had already paid for the whole year,” Gutowski said.

And as it turns out, her mom’s desire to instill some stick-to-itiveness has reaped some big and unexpected rewards. For one, now Gutowski loves dance.

“It’s an escape from reality,” she said. “You can do so much with it, and I like the way it makes me feel. I just love it so much.”

Not only that — she’s exceptionally good at it, Sayle said.

She said Gutowski is “definitely a talent on the rise.”

“It’s very difficult to get into this program,” Sayle said of the Royal Ballet School. “I’ve had my studio for 27 years and never had a student I thought would even get in to do the audition, but I thought she had a good shot.”

Gutowski joined Sayle’s studio four years ago, and Sayle knew immediately she was different.

“She was blessed with a lot of natural ability as far as flexibility and what in the industry people look for as far as feet turnout and body type,” she said. “But that’s not enough; you have to back it up with your work and your training. She works incredibly hard, and it pays off.”

People who want to dance professionally train six days a week for five hours a day, at least, Sayle said.

“It’s very difficult for them to juggle school with training,” she said. “Meghan is starting virtual school next year so she can train more hours.”

In addition to training, Gutowski spends a lot of time at serious competitions where scouts are looking for the future professionals of the world, Sayle said.

Gutowski recently advanced past the regionals of the American Dance Competi tion International Ballet Competition and was invited to the finals in Florida. On March 22, Gutowski performed as one of the top 12 at the gala and placed 10th out of 150 girls at the finals.

“It’s a major accomplishment, a huge deal for her,” Sayle said, noting that she’s never had a student invited to perform at the final round of but they only have a day for this one. All the coaches and students scramble to find studio space so the coaches can work with their students even for an hour to give them last-minute tips.”

But Gutowski “went out and did a beautiful job,” Sayle said.

All that work comes with a payoff, too, she said. Ballet students win scholarships at performances such as these. Gutowski has racked up about 15 so far.

At this competition, she was awarded scholarships to Next Generation Ballet in Florida, the Pittsburgh Ballet, Cary Ballet Conservatory in North Carolina and the Colorado Ballet. Some scholarships are for this summer, some next summer and some can be used as short stays during the academic school year, Sayle said.

Last year at the Universal Ballet Competition, Gutowski won a scholarship for an intensive in Kansas City, which she participated in recently during spring break, and she has another at a ballet academy in Houston soon. This summer, in addition to her month at the Royal Ballet School, she will spend time at the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle.

Gutowski said she loves the intensives.

“Every place is different, and there’s a lot of different teachers and dancers to learn from,” she said.

That all helps toward her goal of dancing professionally one day.

“I just really want to dance in Europe, any place in Europe,” Gutowski said. “It’s been a dream of mine.”

At the end of April, Gutowski had the lead role as the Queen of Hearts in Alabama Dance Academy’s spring production of “Alice in Wonderland.”

Gutowski’s mother, Rachel, said it’s moving for her to watch her daughter perform and know

FOOD

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While homeless people can get meals at shelters and food pantries, they’re not always able to get to those places when the meals are served, Greene said. Many lack transportation, and sometimes it’s hard to get out of makeshift shelters if it’s cold or stormy, she said. if they can’t get to the shelter kitchen at the right time, they go without food, she said.

“I thought if we could take the food to where they are, then it would help to ensure they won’t miss,” Greene said.

She and Joe spent months investigating what it would take to bring the idea to fruition and by April 2019 had secured 501(c)3 nonprofit status and begun raising money.

Initially, she thought they would be cooking food in the food truck to give out to people, but she quickly learned after talking to friends with restaurants and catering companies that there is so much food already out there that is going to waste that she didn’t need to make more.

Instead, Greene and her nonprofit, called Food For Our Journey, partner with restaurants, catering companies, grocery stores, churches and individuals to collect leftover food and other donated food for distribution.

That meant she didn’t need a vehicle equipped with a full kitchen. Instead, she and her nonprofit were able to obtain a cargo van equipped for catering purposes. McSweeney Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Pell City gave the nonprofit a discount, so they only had to come up with $10,000 for it, she said. “It was a huge blessing.”

400 Meals A Day

In the beginning, Food For Our Journey had about 10 regular food providers, such as Vecchia Pizzeria and Mercato in The Preserve, the Redmont Hotel, Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa, Black Market Bar & Grill and Dave’s Pizza. They were serving 40-50 people a day, Greene said.

Now, four years later, there are about 20 regular food providers and many more that provide food occasionally, Greene said. The nonprofit serves about 250 people a day, giving out about 400 meals during breakfast and lunch, she said. In 2022, Food For Our Journey served 144,760 meals to homeless and hungry people, according to the nonprofit’s website.

The Food For Our Journey van goes out seven days a week, starting to make rounds about 9 a.m. and going til about 3:30 p.m. each day, Greene said. The nonprofit targets areas where homeless people stay and has several specific stops it makes at the same time and place every day, she said. The service area is downtown Birmingham, from Lakeview to Interstate 65 and from the Vulcan statue to the Interstate 20/59 area, she said.

Greene, who is the nonprofit’s executive director, typically mans the van herself on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, while her assistant director, Christine Golab, goes out on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Part-time drivers cover weekend deliveries, and there is almost always a second volunteer in the van, Greene said.

There are about 25 regular volunteers and about 150 other occasional volunteers every year, she said. Volunteers can sign up to serve on the nonprofit’s website. “We get new people every day.”

However, drivers are fully trained and know where to go and what to do, Greene said. The training is not difficult, but no volunteer is ever sent out without a trained leader, she said.

Catherine Moore, a retired teacher who lives in Hoover on Shades Crest Road and who has known Greene since their college days, has been volunteering with Food For Our Journey for about three years.

She said she didn’t have any idea what she was getting into when she started, but the experience has been life changing. Homeless people can be somewhat invisible to a lot of people, but serving with Food For Our Journey has really opened her eyes to see them. “It’s like taking a film off a window,” she said.

She feels honored and privileged to be able to see into their lives and hear their stories, she said. “There are so many different reasons why someone might wind up on the streets,” she said.

And while some people might view her volunteer work as her helping them, she sees it as them helping her, too, she said.

“It’s increased my world,” Moore said. “They’re beautiful people, and they’re so grateful and thankful. … They are grateful to be alive. It just makes you reassess your priorities. … It makes some of what we fuss about seem really inadequate.”

Volunteers come from all over, but many are affiliated with churches such as Prince of Peace, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church of the Highlands, Independent Presbyterian Church, Temple Emanuel and Temple Beth-El, Greene said.

WHAT KIND OF FOOD?

Before the food can be delivered, it must be picked up. There is a wide variety of providers, from places such as Arby’s, Jack’s, Dave’s Pizza, Flying Biscuit Cafe, Shiki, Shipley Do-Nuts and The Heavenly Donut Co. to Vecchia and Moss Rock Tacos & Tequila.

Benard Tamburello, the owner of the latter two restaurants, has been a strong supporter of Food For Our Journey since its inception,

Greene said. Some days, he’ll provide leftover meatballs marinara; other days it might be basil marinara or chicken alfredo and garlic bread knots, she said.

Restaurants are not the only providers. Publix provides 40 chicken salad sandwich bags once a month, in addition to other items, Greene said. Also, many catering companies, churches, businesses and community groups will call with leftover food from events, parties, corporate meetings, weddings and other get-togethers, she said.

And there are a slew of churches and individuals that prepare food especially for Food For Our Journey. Each Sunday, a different Catholic church prepares a big, hot meal. Prince of Peace takes two Sundays each month, while Our Lady of Sorrows takes two and St. Peter’s Catholic Church takes the fifth Sunday when there is one. The Sunday dinner always involves greater portions — just like many families often have bigger Sunday dinners, Greene said.

Two individual volunteers — Nancy Heck of Homewood and Priscilla Davis of Birmingham — also each Sunday get together and prepare 40 bag lunches for distribution by Food for Our Journey on Mondays. Each bag contains a ham and cheese sandwich, chips and/or crackers, yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit, snack cakes or cookies for dessert, chocolate milk or Gatorade, napkins, hand wipes and mints.

A few people give them items to put in the bags so it doesn’t all come out of their pockets, Heck said. But for them, it’s not a burden, she said. They just love serving the poor and doing for other people like they would do for Jesus, she said. “We’re trying to live the gospel.”

Community Effort

In November, the Vulcan Park Foundation gave Greene its Servant Leadership Award for her work with Food For Our Journey.

Greene is quick to point out that she does not do the work alone. While she is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit, Golab is out on the streets just as much as anyone, she said. Their husbands serve as chairman and vice chairman of the nonprofit’s board of directors, and the entire board plays a vital role, she said.

There is an army of volunteers, donors and food providers and a multitude of agencies and community groups who partner with Food for Our Journey to help people on the streets, so it’s truly a community effort, Greene said. Before Greene launched the nonprofit, she asked Golab to give up her 16-year teaching career and join her. Golab, who lives in the Wine Ridge community off Caldwell Mill Road, said she knew immediately it was her calling, too.

Not Just Food

Food For Our Journey doesn’t just serve food. Greene, Golab and the other volunteers hand out personal hygiene items and clothing and help connect people on the street to agencies that can help them in other ways.

It may be one of the shelters in town, or it may be Community on the Rise (which helps people get ID cards and birth certificates and move out of homelessness). It might be the Jefferson, Blount Shelby Mental Health Authority, Alabama Regional Medical Services or Recovery Resources (which helps people battling addictions).

People who are homeless have a lot of needs, but sometimes it’s hard for them to figure out what to do about it when they’re hungry, Greene said. Food For Our Journey wants to address that basic human need for food and build bridges with people to address the other needs in their lives, she said.

“We want to minister to the whole person — physically, emotionally and spiritually, and we want to value the person within,” Greene said. “When you’re alone and in trouble and it seems you have no one to help and to work with you and assist with these problems, we want to be that group.”

Food For Our Journey wants to not just do something for people, but walk with people, Greene said.

Taevon Smith, a man who lived on the streets for a while until he was able to move in with his aunt in downtown Birmingham, said he has benefited from Food For Our Journey for a long time and still gets food from the group.

“I think it’s great. It’s a blessing,” Smith said while getting some lunch near St. Paul’s Cathedral recently. “They could be at home doing other things, but they take the time to feed all these people who live on the streets and people in the community. They’re some good people.”

Anthony Burrell, another man who has been living out of his Chevrolet Trailblazer since he fell on hard times, said Food For Our Journey had been helping him for four to six months, and he very much appreciates the generosity.

“If it wasn’t for them, there ain’t no telling,” Burrell said. “The crime rate would be going up if they weren’t out here.”

People would be committing crimes to get food or money for food, he said. He just wishes there were more places to take a bath or change clothes, he said.

Karen Turnbow, a retired child psychologist who volunteers with Food For Our Journey, said Greene is an absolute angel when it comes to helping homeless people.

“She brings tears to my eyes,” Turnbow said. “She treats every single person with dignity and respect.”

Greene said it’s humbling to have people who are going through scary times trust you enough to share their stories with you. There are many reasons why people become homeless and hungry, and you can never know what might be in store for yourself in the future, she said.

“All of us are walking this journey together. We might be in different places or facing different circumstances, but we’re called to be there for one another, to love one another. We’re called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, providing not just physical food, but spiritual food. We’re here to provide whatever nutrients you need, whether that’s a plate of food, an ear [to listen], a hug or a shoulder to cry on.”

Golab said the ministry work sometimes can be a test of patience. She’s a planner and a structured person, and she sometimes panics trying to figure out how to get everything to work. But God always delivers what they need to help people, and he always does it in a big way, she said.

“To be out there in it, not every day is a fantastic day full of rainbows and lollipops, but every day, you get to be a part in the hope for those who are seeking hope and those who have lost hope,” Golab said.

Greene said she doesn’t think the problem of homelessness will ever be eradicated, but she plans to keep Food For Our Journey going until God calls her elsewhere.

“As long as there are people who need our help and we’re in a position to do that, it’s such a blessing, and it’s such an honor,” she said. “We feel we are called to help our brothers and sisters in any way we can. … As long as we can make a difference, we’ll continue to do so.”

To find out more about Food For Our Journey and how to volunteer or donate, go to their website foodforourjourney.org.