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Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Nurse Lizabeth Hernandez teaches a clinical class at St. Mary’s Hospital.
A passion ignited
GROWING SPORT
Lizabeth Hernandez knew early on nursing was her true calling NICOLE HARBOUR For the Herald & Review
Photos by Aren Dow, Herald & Review
Bobby Harrison, of Decatur, tees off on the hole No. 2 at the disc golf course at Nelson Park.
Golf with a twist New sport's popularity taking flight with two courses AREN DOW H&R Staff Writer
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ECATUR – After seeing a friend post on Facebook how much he enjoyed playing disc golf, Chris Wentworth decided to give it a try. He found out there was a course at Nelson Park where the golf course used to be, but after the first time he was lukewarm on the idea. But then he played with someone who had experience, and his whole perspective changed. "I was in awe of how far you could throw," Wentworth said. "All the different things you could make them do, the variables with wind, there's a lot more to it than just throwing a Frisbee; there's a lot of science. I was hooked. I bought a bag, 10 discs, and I was out here five days a week." It transformed from a hobby to a workout plan that fueled his competitive side. "I don't know how many miles you walk, but I lost 50 pounds that first summer," he said. "I mean, it's great exercise, and you don't even feel it: You're Chris Wentworth, disc golfer just having fun." He's seen a sport he loves undergo its own transformation since another course was put in Forsyth Park this past summer. When he started, there were other people who came out to play, but the additional course has infused a new set of players into the sport. "I think there are more kids out in Forsyth at the park; I think it's more visible than it is here," he said. "I think there's been a lot more people start playing because of Forsyth, and they're using both courses." Wentworth said it's an attractive sport for families. Once the initial investment of a disc, or Frisbee, is made, playing is free. And when the peak times to play are during the summer when kids are out of school, those two dovetail together. But beyond giving the public another recreation outlet, the addition of another course to
"I don't know how many miles you walk, but I lost 50 pounds that first summer. I mean, it's great exercise, and you don't even feel it: You're just having fun."
Brandon Zerfowski lines up his putt at the disc golf course at Nelson Park.
With the addition of a course at Forsyth Park to the one at Nelson Park, above, there are two options for a growing sport in the Decatur area. the area gives the Decatur a chance to host tournaments that bring in players from Illinois and surrounding states. While most golf tournaments use the same course with different hole positions between rounds, disc golf typically uses multiple courses for one tournament. Having two courses in close vicinity makes a difference. The purses of the tournaments aren't comparable to golf. The largest purse ever for a disc golf tournament was in Peoria last year. That $117,453 purse was right around last year's
$110,000 Decatur-Forsyth Open held at Hickory Point Golf Course. Despite the gap in prizes, there are still a significant number of players. Many such as Wentworth have turned a hobby in a competitive outlet, while still having a family. That Peoria tournament hosted 682 players – the 326 professional players played three days, and the 356 amateur players played two – bringing plenty of competitors in to fill hotel rooms and frequent restaurants. This May, the Forsyth course is hosting a B Tier, a class of tournament that typically brings in about 100 people. And there is talk of hosting a larger-caliber tournament down the road. "People are traveling. They're taking weekends off and traveling hundreds of miles to play in tournaments," Wentworth said. "That's good for Decatur and Forsyth." But while the courses may be able to hold tournaments, they're also a cheap option to stay active and be outside. While some play constantly in the hopes of improving, there are plenty who play just for fun. "My 11-year old comes out and plays," Bobby Harrison said. "Just to keep him interested in it with his short attention span, he loves coming out here and play." "You can play in an hour, and you can play several courses in a day," Wentworth added. "You don't need a tee time to play, you don't need to keep buying golf balls. You can play with one disc and have a good time." adow@herald-review.com| (217) 421-6978
Some struggle with deciding on a career path, but Lizabeth Hernandez felt a calling to care for others from an early age. “I always wanted to go into health professions,” said Hernandez, 30, a Woodstock native. “When I was in high school (in Marengo, Ill.), I was part of a health professions group and I was also the unofficial sports trainer for our football, softball and basketball teams, so I wrapped ankles and prepared ice packs. So nursing was a natural transition for me; I knew I wanted to help people.” Hernandez’s desire to care for others propelled her through college at Millikin University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 2008 and graduated with her master’s in nursing education in 2013. But her teachers and classes at Millikin didn’t just prepare her for the nursing field and teaching nursing students; they also helped ignite her passion for psychiatric nursing. “Like many nurses in undergrad, I wasn’t exactly sure what (area of nursing) I wanted to go into,” Hernandez explained, “but when I finished (in 2008), looking back, I absolutely knew I loved psychiatric nursing the most.” That love grew as Hernandez worked on the psychiatric floors of St. John’s Hospital in Springfield and St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur, and as director of assisted living at Imboden Creek Gardens. And last fall, that love and passion - which she has been imparting to nursing students at Richland Community College the past two years - was formally recognized when Hernandez was honored as one of the 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders in Illinois. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) of Illinois, the award – sponsored by the ANA of Illinois and the Illinois Healthcare Action Coalition (IHAC) – honors 40 nurses under the age of 40 who have shown dedication in their service to the population, the profession and to leadership for the advancement of nursing in Illinois. The award recognizes nurses in the areas of innovation/new knowledge/research, visionary transformational leadership, professional development, exemplary professional practice, community engagement and policy development. Nominated by her fellow Richland nursing instructor Karen Vercellino, Hernandez, who teaches a psychiatric nursing class for Richland’s Associate Degree of Nursing program, was “shocked” when she learned of her nomination and subsequent award. “I guess I’ve always done what I do and I don’t necessarily feel like I deserve any recognition for doing what I love, so I was just totally taken aback,” she explained. “I couldn’t believe they (her co-workers, the ANA of Illinois and the IHAC) felt so strongly that I was doing so good at what I was doing and that I’d made such an impact in the nursing field.” Attending the inaugural 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders awards banquet last September at Rush University in Chicago, Hernandez - who serves on the board of the Greater Illinois Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in Macon County, as well as the Heritage Behavioral Health Center board – was honored for her leadership in the Decatur community, as well as in nursing. Vercellino said she couldn’t think of a more deserving candidate for the 40 Under 40 award. “Liz brings a lot of enthusiasm and knowledge of mental health to our students,” said Vercellino, who has worked with Hernandez for three years. “She’s such a good role model for them, and the fact
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Photos by Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Dominators track club coach Bobby Jelks has converted his basement into a workout room for his team to use when other facilities are not available.
Wider perspective Jelks runs Decatur Dominators toward greater goals AREN DOW
"That's where life ends for most of my kids. A lot of them hadn't been in hotels DECATUR – Bobby Jelks before." remembers the early days, It's been 18 years since the doing odd jobs to try to cobstart, and Jelks has had plenble money together for a trip ty of time to see where many to Seattle. of his kids have ended up. Eighteen years later, Jelks And while the Dominators said he still has the same program is designed to help vision for his Decatur Domiathletes gain scholarships, he nators: trying to broaden was proud hearing how a foryoung kids' vision of what's mer runner joined the Army. possible. "When you do that, you "The biggest thing for me know you do something right. is showing kids there's more to life than the violence that's A lot of the times you don't know if you're doing somearound here," Jelks said. thing right, but when people "People getcome back ting shot, and tell you drugs. If you what you did got a talent for them -and you can that's the keep your goal," Jelks grades and said. you stay out Jelks said of trouble, he rides his you got a real athletes hard shot of gettoward sucting out of cess, partially here and because he going to knows that's school." what made Jelks him successknows about ful. success. The "A lot of it 1986 was because MacArthur of my pargraduate won Jelks has his team members ents. They the 200 practice their starts off the were strict, meters in a blocks in his workout room. they were then-record rough. A lot time of 21.27 of the stuff they did, I hated seconds at state while taking it," he said. "But had they not third in the 100, helping the been that way, I wouldn't Generals take second place have made it." as a team. It catapulted him "I used to be, when I first to a scholarship with Nebrasstarted, this real excited guy," ka. Jelks said. "Always screamIn '98, he and his brother ing and yelling, and I scream Chris formed the Dominators, a little bit now, but my dad a track and field club team was real low-key. But the designed to push athletes to older I've gotten, the last five scholarships on their own. years, I'm real low-key now. And he wanted to expand Jelks is still relentless with their scope of the U.S. determination. Pushing an So in the first year of his athlete to where they can betprogram, Jelks said they cut ter their lives is the ultimate grass, washed cars and paintgoal. ed garages to drum up "Everybody's not going to enough money to go to Seatget a scholarship, but the way tle. And while it was a chance I coach, my mentality is anyto broaden exposure, Jelks one I coach is going to get said he took them to the top one, even if that's not realisof the Space Needle to broadtic thinking," he said. "That's en their perspective. just how I think, though." "Most of them hadn't been past the mall," he said. adow@herald-review.com| (217) 421-6978 H&R staff writer
PASSION Continued from page 9 that she went to Millikin (University) and is now teaching at Richland is such a good thing. It shows the students that there’s so much to offer here in Macon County.” Hernandez’s students agree. “Teaching and nursing is Mrs. Hernandez’s life and her passion, and she conveyed that in class and in clinicals,” said second-year Richland nursing student Jacob Brooks, who had Hernandez for a psychiatric nursing class last fall. “I’ve never met anyone so empathetic toward her patients and her students as she is.” Brooks, 22, who hopes to go into emergency room medicine or flight nursing, believes Hernandez’s class taught him life-long lessons. “I don’t think anyone left her class without taking something to heart from her,” he said. “If anything, just that everyone is a person and that mental illness is no different than having a broken bone – you can’t see the mental illness, but it’s real. Despite the challenging stigmas associated with mental health, Hernandez – who has been married to her husband Marco since 2010, and is mother to their six-year-old daughter, Nora - can’t imagine doing anything else and hopes to one day obtain her doctorate in nursing practice.
Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Instructor Lizabeth Hernandez comments on a video while showing it to students in her Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing class at Richland Community College. “I would never trade in my years on the (psychiatric floor) for anything because they gave me my knowledge and background,” said Hernandez, “but being able to impart what I’ve learned to students is beyond measure.And while some days are harder than others, Hernandez knows she is making a difference. “Nursing isn’t just about caring; it also requires some intense critical thinking, some intense prioritizing and multi-tasking skills,” she said. “But it is the most rewarding career that you can go into, and it might not always feel like that every single day, but we are truly changing people’s lives.”
Photos by Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Culinary arts students Hannah Cunningham, left, and Ember Workman prepare a lunch in the Bistro Five Thirty Seven kitchen at Richland Community College.
Bongiorno, Italia! Immersion trip takes culinary arts students to Italy CHRIS LUSVARDI
the students in China, but they understood what was going on as they watched,” DECATUR — Nate BroTucker said. “Food is part of hard is among the Richland a shared international expeCommunity College Culinary rience.” Arts Institute students lookThe students return to the ing forward to eating and U.S. after the trips and seeing how authentic Italian relate their experiences with food is prepared. other students and share Brohard has a goal to open what they learned through an Italian restaurant with events such as a recent pizza baked in a brick oven. scholarship dinner the stuA spring trip with 18 students organized, Tucker said. dents to Italy will be an The scholarship dinner feaexperience that brings back tured a 10-course meal based memories for Brohard, who on cuisine spent time as from Malaysia a child there and SingaI F YO U G O and in other pore, includcountries. Fundraiser dinners for the ing shrimp “You really Richland Culinary Arts Instinoodles and can't make a tute trip to Italy will be held at pork restaurant 6 p.m. Fridays, April 1 and dumplings authentic May 6, in the Shilling Center. along with unless you Funds raised from the events chicken and experience it,” featuring a 5-course meal will rice. said Brohard, enable the students to experiTucker said who now lives ence one of the world's top the group will in Warrensrestaurants while in Italy. start in Urbaburg. “We The cost for each dinner is nia, then travdon't have $50 per person. Call (217) el to the Emilmany gourmet 875-7211 ext. 537. ia-Romagna authentic region to learn pizza places.” about prosciutto, Parmesan The immersion trip May cheese and balsamic vinegar. 28-June 12 in partnership “They will pass on what with Millikin University is they learned at next year's just one of the many experischolarship dinner,” Tucker ences Richland offers its said. “It makes the students culinary arts students, said more well-rounded. They've Chef Brian Tucker, Culinary experienced a different cuiArts Institute director. It has sine. It will be life changing more than 60 students particfor some students, some who ipating in the program, he have never flown before.” said. Ember Workman of Richland has offered simiMoweaqua is one of the stular trips in the past, includdents who has never left the ing two to China and one last country. She's eager to expeyear to Malaysia and Singarience the Italian culture and pore, Tucker said. will hold a sponsor dinner “We had a translator for H&R Staff Writer
Culinary Arts Institute director Brian Tucker is working on fundraisers to allow his students to travel to Italy. for those who have supported her studies based on what she learned sometime after the group returns. “They throw us into it,” said Workman, who works at the Bistro Five Thirty Seven student-operated restaurant along with the Coffee House at Richland. “The whole experience is hands-on. The more I do something, the better I get at it.”
Workman is hoping to go into catering once she finishes culinary classes. Tucker said running Bistro Five Thirty Seven is beneficial for the students, who learn all aspects of operating a restaurant from food preparation to service. He said the restaurant puts everything they learn throughout the program together.
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Note-worthy cause Symphony guild, public schools get kids instruments By VALERIE WELLS H&R Staff Writer
DECATUR – Girls who play drums are in astonishingly short supply. So when Bionca Neylon decided to sign up for band and had to choose an instrument, she followed her heart instead of the crowd, and she chose to be a drummer. “I wanted something about school to be fun for me,” said Bionca, an eighth-grader at Stephen Decatur Middle School. For many kids, band is their second family, the place they find their friends and express their creative side, but for a lot of kids in Decatur's public schools, buying or renting an instrument is too expensive for their family's budget. Decatur schools' instrumental music program owes much of its existence to the Symphony Orchestra Guild of Decatur. With about 75 percent of students classified as low-income, and musical instruments so expensive, a lot of children would not be able to learn an instrument without it. Robert Lark, who teaches band at Stephen Decatur, said most of his stuAshleigh Palmer enjoys a light dents would have moment during band class at to give up band if Stephen Decatur Middle School. not for the loaner instruments. He made rebuilding the band his mission, and it's working. “They had good ears, but they struggled with reading music,” he said. One of his ideas was to offer extra chances to perform. Some are mandatory and some are optional, and he's pleased at the number of young musicians who participate in the optional performances. He started a jazz band and a pep band. Marilyn Mertz, a member of the Symphony Guild board, said the instrument library really began with Hope Academy. All the elementary schools had a few loaner instruments for kids who didn't have their own and couldn't afford to buy or rent one, but when Hope opened, the Symphony Guild gathered more than 40 instruments for kids there to use. Music teacher Jim Walker came out of retirement
Photos by Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Desiree Eskridge observes as Alex Hobbs rehearses on the tuba during band class at Stephen Decatur Middle School. to teach them to give the school more time to find a permanent teacher. The guild also provided a fund for keeping the instruments in good repair. “Our goal is to provide economically deprived children the opportunity to learn to play an instrument,” Mertz said. “We're saving the instrumental music program in Decatur.” Typically, rental of a musical instrument can be $40 or more a month, and buying an instrument, even used, is hundreds of dollars. Low-income families just can't afford to do that, and the guild didn't want those children to miss out on music. The guild formed a partnership with the Decatur Public Schools Foundation and even provides a person to assist foundation Executive Director Zach Shields in keeping track of the instruments, the applications to use one and the repairs. Parents or guardian must sign an agreement to see to it that the child takes care of the instrument, and children must be recommended by a classroom teacher and keep up their grades, practice assignments, rehearsals and performances. The music teacher can end the child's use of the instrument if the child is not fulfilling their responsibility. Recently, the Amherst F. Hardy Foundation provided a grant to buy 54 new instruments for the library, which raised the total to about 300. Only low-income families are eligible to use the library, and Lark said if a child sticks with music into middle school and high school, and their families see
Degree of separation High school students gain edge with Richland Transfer Academy THERESA CHURCHILL H&R Senior Writer
CERRO GORDO – Sometimes, parents can spot a good thing quicker than their children. That was certainly the case for Jennifer Thoms of Decatur, who didn't give her son a choice about enrolling in a new Transfer Academy at Richland Community College during his senior year at Cerro Gordo High School. Kybric Lamb, now 20 and a junior at Millikin University, was simply going to do it. “A lot of times, high school students don't have any idea what to expect from college classes, so this seemed like a good way to get him ready,” Thoms said. “His dad and I also saved a lot of money on each class he took.” And that's not all. Lamb, who is majoring in accounting, said he saved time on general education requirements he otherwise would have had to satisfy after enrolling at Millikin. “I was able to take business classes a lot quicker,” he said. “It's a really good program.” Cerro Gordo Superintendent Brett Robinson also thought so when Richland approached area school superintendents about starting the academy with the 2012-13 academic year. Marcy Bialeschi, high school guidance counselor, said 19 students have taken advantage of the opportunity so far, including 11 juniors
Photos by Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Kerrigan Thoms takes notes in a theater appreciation class at Richland Community College as part of her Transfer Academy work through Cerro Gordo High School.
Thoms participates in a discussion during her class. and seniors currently enrolled. “It's like jumping from your sophomore year in high school to your freshman year in college, so we've gotten more particular about which juniors we accept,” Bialeschi said. “Because we don't have advanced placement or honors classes, it's a great chance for students to get a head start on college.” Cathy Sebok, director of admissions and recruitment at Richland, said Cerro Gordo High School was one of three schools that enrolled students during the Transfer Academy's first year and has been one of its strongest partners.
Among nine high schools to use the academy so far, Cerro Gordo is also one of the smallest that feeds into Richland. Other high schools with students currently enrolled are Argenta-Oreana, Central A&M, Decatur public schools, Lutheran School Association and Mount Zion. “Students spend half their day at Richland, taking three courses worth between nine and 11 credit hours,” Sebok said. “Then they spend the other half-day at their high school.” Among current students is Lamb's sister Kerrigan Thoms, 17, a Cerro Gordo senior who after four semesters of dual credit will come close to earning an associate degree before graduating high school. “It opened up a wider variety of classes, and as far as I know, all of them are going to transfer,” Kerrigan said. She, like her brother, plans to go directly to Millikin but will enroll this fall as a sophomore. She plans to study nursing. “The professors at Richland are helpful with transfer students, so the classes were something I could handle,” Kerrigan said. tchurchill@herald-review.com| (217)421-7978
Kegan Mahon practices with fellow band classmates at Stephen Decatur Middle School. that they're serious about it, they usually find a way to provide the child with their own instrument by then. “Most years, they're all in demand,” Shields said. “In some years, one instrument is more in demand than another. I think we help provide good communications with the schools. We can manage the check-in and check-out process. People can donate to the foundation and receive benefits taxwise. “The symphony guild is the driving force, and this wouldn't be possible without them.” vwells@herald-review.com|(217) 421-7982
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READERS RESPOND My mom adopted me from a specialized Russian orphanage when I was 15 months old. My mom tells me that in the U.S. I have a much better life with more opportunities and freedoms, and I have a family that loves me. Despite the challenges in my early life, my biggest challenge has been to start third grade at a new school. Little did I, or my family, know that I had entered the perfect storm consisting of a classroom bully and a school principal who was not competent in addressing the problem. I tried to speak up about the bullying. The school said they would help, but they were ineffective because the bullying did not stop. After reading about and trying to understand bullying, I realized that it was not my fault. It was only the bully’s problem. I stretched my boundaries by understanding what bullying is and why a person bullies. I tried to speak up to help other kids who have to deal with bullying instead of keeping silent. I used school assignments to learn about, write about, and give class presentations about bullying. I displayed my writing at school for others to read. I entered writing competitions to get my anti-bullying book published. I also published a letter in the Herald & Review to speak up against bullying. Besides speaking up, I have done community service projects through my church group, volunteered to visit elderly in nursing homes, and I became a Boy Scout. I want to live by the Scout oath and slogan “to help other people at all times” and “do a good turn daily.” Despite my background and difficult start to life, I hope to do positive things in my community and to help other people. Zack Wolf, 13 years old
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COMPETITIVE AND DRIVEN
More than a pretty face Decatur resident to compete in Miss Black USA By HUEY FREEMAN H&R Staff Writer Photos by Ryan Voyles, Herald & Review
Mary Edwards, manager of the ROSIE online ordering service, scans a box of donuts at the County Market in Mattoon. The grocery chain has begun to test idea of allowing customers to order items online for later day pickup.
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ECATUR – Brittanie Nicole Brooks, a recent transplant to Decatur, is Miss Black Illinois 2016. She will compete for the title of Miss Black USA this summer in Washington D.C.
Online (grocery) shopping With a little help from 'Rosie,' dinner is almost served RYAN VOYLES
A producer at WAND-TV since August, Brooks, 24, began competing in pageants while attending high school in Carol Stream, a western Chicago suburb. She is using her platform to inspire young people to read and achieve. A driven athlete as a young woman, she has battled a serious medical problem since high school, but has not let it hold her back from succeeding in her education, career and the pageant circuit. In 2009, Brooks received a letter in the mail about the Miss Teen Illinois USA contest, to be held at McCormick Place, near downtown Chicago. She responded and was accepted as a contestant. “I was always interested in being in the entertainment industry,” said Brooks, an accomplished pianist. “I always wanted to be onstage.” She prepared for her first pageant by Googling “pageants.” She did her own hair and makeup. “I just wanted to see if I could do it, if I could go onstage in a swimsuit in front of a bunch of people, seeing if I could go onstage other than for recitals,” she said. There were 101 young women in the competition. Because they were teens, they wore one-piece swimsuits, in addition to evening gowns. “I stayed at the hotel with other contestants. We had pajama parties, ice cream parties. It was three days and two nights of just pageant fever,” she recalled. Brooks enjoyed being around other women who were also goal-oriented. “I didn't place, but I did enjoy competing,” she said. “By doing that pageant it gave me the opportunity to be onstage and perform. I didn't win my first pageant so I had to do it again.” As a freshman at Eastern Illinois University, where she worked as a reporter and editor at WEIU-TV, she competed for the title of Miss Illinois Intercontinental. She placed as second runner-up in the pageant while winning Miss Congeniality and an award for most community service. “Competing is a lot of fun,” said Brooks, who experienced the joy of winning as a track star at Glenbard North High School, where she qualified for the state tournament in the 200 meter sprint as a senior. During her college years, Brooks, who was born on the South Side of Chicago and still spends time with her family there, competed twice for the Miss Chicago title. During the 2014 pageant, she played “My Heart Will Go On” on the piano. “That's my main talent,” Brooks said. “That is a big part of who I am.” To step up her pageantry game, she hired two coaches for the Miss Illinois United States contest in March 2015, a highly regarded interview coach with whom she consulted via Skype, and a stage presentation coach. “We met every weekend,” Brooks said. “Then I really understood what pageantry is all about. It's more than wearing a crown and sash. It's holding a title and having that responsibility.” Brooks, who was living in Springfield while working as a statehouse reporter
READERS RESPOND Decatur-Macon County, our community, our people, yes! When reading about the history of this community, it amazes me that very few people know about it. Abraham Lincoln’s family chose this community as their home. History is alive here, and I’m very proud of that fact. So we need to promote it and let it be known we were and are history in the making. One thing that I’m proud of is that this community is known throughout Illinois and beyond as the most giving and caring community anywhere. Volunteers all over this area are prepared and willing to help in any way needed. Yes, we have our problems. All communities do. With all us working and pulling together as one, we can shine brighter and bigger than before. Doing it together is the important part of this success Louise Haun, Decatur
H&R Staff Writer
Photos by Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Miss Black Illinois 2016 Brittanie Nicole Brooks will compete for Miss Black USA in Washington DC. this summer. Brooks earned her master’s degree at the age of 23.
Brooks is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University with a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs. for National Public Radio, fell short of placing at that pageant. But the judges offered her the honor of coming back in 2016 as Miss Springfield. The plan was for her to represent the city this year and inaugurate the pageant in that city in 2017. But Brooks declined the offer, after she decided to compete instead for Miss Black Illinois. “When I found out there were black pageants, I thought it would better highlight my beauty and what I could bring to the table,” Brooks said. “I thought it would be a better accomplishment.” It was a unique competition this year. Because there was no state director in place in Illinois, the national board in Washington of the Miss Black USA pageant held an essay contest. Brooks wrote about her platforms, children's literacy and ovarian cancer. Both causes are close to her heart. She
beat out 15 other contestants. “I have an ovarian cyst, a benign tumor on my right ovary,” Brooks said, adding that this recurring problem impacted her athletic career as a student. She had to have her cyst surgically removed before her senior year in high school, and could not fully exert herself after that. She could not even walk for six weeks, could not use her abdominal muscles and had to restrain herself from laughing. “I couldn't do anything physical,” she recalled. A cyst began growing back almost immediately, but she wasn't aware of it until more than two years later. “It got so big, people asked me if I was pregnant. I looked like I was six months pregnant. It's serious pain.” One of Brooks's missions is to raise awareness of ovarian cysts and cancer. “With ovarian cancer, early diagnosis is key, early detection is important. By the time somebody gets diagnosed, it's probably too late.” Her other platform reflects sunnier experiences. As a child she read voraciously, and to this day she enjoys reading to children. “Reading is very important at a young age,” Brooks said. “When I was a kid, I would skip recess to go to the library. I would say: There are more places to go in the library than in the playground. I had more fun reading than going outside.” As Miss Black Illinois, and possibly Miss Black USA, Brooks wants to show children that reading can open doors for them, in their lives and careers. “I want to make sure they are reading and not just on the Internet, on electronics all day,” Brooks said. hfreeman@herald-review.com|(217)421-6985
MATTOON -- Mary Edwards has earned herself a new nickname among her co-workers: the official online shopper. As an employee at the County Market in Mattoon, it’s not the most unusual name for the line of work. What makes it different though is that Edwards is not shopping for herself. Instead, Edwards is the store manager of Rosie, the online and mobile shopping application that allows customers to shop from home and pick up it up later. Niemann Foods, the parent company of County Market, launched a ‘Click & Go’ service earlier this year at its Charleston and Mattoon locations, allowing customers to go online and fill out their grocery lists. Once ordered, an employee takes a cart and fills out the list, and the selected items are made available for pick-up at a designated time. Andrew Taber, assistant manager of the Mattoon County Market, said he was on-board when he learned their store had been chosen as part of the pilot program. “You’re seeing the industry going this way,” he said. “Like horses went to trains which went to cars, it’s just the way things change.” Since its official launch in January, Edwards said the program has developed some regulars, as well as those intrigued by the system. Among those who have given the program a turn is Mike Hickman. A resident of Gays, Hickman said mobility has been an issue for him since he Edwards loads groceries into Mike Hickrecently underwent man's vehicle at the County Market in triple-bypass surMattoon. gery. The idea of moving through the aisles of the grocery store concerned him, so he decided to try out the online pick-up service. After two times doing it, Hickman said the convenience made it a no-brainer. “It’s simple for me and it’s convenient to just drive in, get your stuff, and get back home,” he said. While County Market has begun testing the idea in Central Illinois, it’s something that other grocers have been trending toward across the country. Kroger has tested a similar program at nearly 200 locations across the country, mainly focused on stores in its homebase of Cincinnati and in major cities such as Denver and Portland. Both Walmart and Target have announced in the last few months plans to invest up to $1 billion toward developing digital and online shopping programs. The drive for online not only comes from an opportunity to develop goodwill and convenience for customers, but to cut into some of the online market that has come to be dominated by tech giants such as Amazon, whose home delivery service have become popular alternatives for more urban residents. But for rural municipalities across Central Illinois, the idea of online shopping is a more novel concept. Edwards said they get an average of five to seven customers a week who use the online service. The customers range from newbies intrigued by the idea of in-store pick-up and more regular customers, who Edwards said are often mothers who prefer the pick-up option over the alternative. “The idea of going through the store for an hour with a few children is not preferred by some,” she said with a laugh. “They can just come through the drive-through, pickup dinner and be home in half that time and without the trouble that comes with shopping with kids.” It remains to be seen whether Niemann Foods will expand the program to other stores in Central Illinois, Taber said he could see online orders and pick-up and possibly even delivery becoming the norm. “We’re still probably years down the road from that happening, but it’s still a good start what we’re doing here,” said Taber.
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High-tech training New technology helps athletes stretch their performance
READERS RESPOND
SHARON BARRICKLOW For the Herald & Review
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HELBYVILLE – Shelbyville High School Athletic Director Tony Pullen remembers a fall Saturday morning ritual in the pre-technology sports era. “The high school principals would take their VHS tapes of the games on Friday and drive to meet the coach of next week’s team so they could exchange tapes,” Pullen said. “I remember my coach doing that. It was pretty time-consuming.” Today coaches save game video online and can easily check out not only their opponents but their opponents’ opponents. Online scouting is just one of the many ways coaches are using technology to improve not only athletic importance but athletic safety. “Developing the concussion protocol is probably the single biggest overall thing we’ve done to enhance safety,” Pullen said. “It goes across sports and it’s an important part of working to keep kids safe.” Athletic technology isn’t just about safety. It can also help athletes improve performance. At St. Teresa, Athletic Director Todd Vohland uses the computerized Freelap system to help athletes improve speed. “It’s been a tool to help us figure out how to improve speed,” he said. Coaches also use smartphones and iPads to record athletic performance and document improvement or areas of weakness. At Mount Zion, junior high track coach and assistant football coach Jeff Shumate said expanding technology in education includes Chromebook computers for all students and using cloud based applications to share information. “Technology is moving everything forward,” he said. Shumate uses computer programs to exchange game video with other football programs and video programs that provide frame by frame analysis for football, basketball and track and field. “It improves our training,” he said. “If the athletes can see what they’re doing, they can make adjustments and do better.” Vohland, Shumate and the Shelbyville program also use a new physical training called “athletic activation” to enhance performance. The technique involves applying pressure at specific body points to ‘activate’ muscle groups leading to speed and jumping improvement. Some area coaches and trainers not only perform the activation but have trained athletes to activate themselves. “It’s hard to explain if you haven’t actually done it but we’ve really embraced it,” Vohland said. “It really does work to improve performance and safety. More and more kids are using it and they’re seeing the bene-
READERS RESPOND I treasure a community that’s welcoming, affordable, accessible and philanthropic. One with safe streets, educational opportunities, and plenty of things to do in the spare time. One that offers opportunities for individuals to dig in, get involved, and make an impact in the lives of others. A community that possesses unique, natural assets that don’t come with a blueprint to be replicated elsewhere. I treasure a community where I can enjoy a waterfront, biking and walking trails, a children’s museum, art galleries, and a zoo. Locally owned restaurants and cafes. A community with faith in a higher power, and in one another. Collaboration, connectivity, and innovation inspiring our global companies, startups, and family businesses that span more than 160 years. A community rich with history, and plentiful resources. A community that stretches the boundaries. And I found it when I moved here a decade ago. A success story in the making every day. This is Decatur and Macon County, and we are Limitless. Nicole Bateman Decatur
Photos by Lisa Morrison, Herald & Review
Shelbyville student Bryden Lyon uses the Freelap system to measure his time off the blocks as track season begins. The system uses a start button, a timing belt and a sensor to give instant and trackable results to athletes and coaches.
Food choices enhance athletic performance
The Freelap system gives instant information to Shelbyville middle school track coach Chris Mosley as Kentrell Beck gives him the numbers from the timing device on a belt. fit.” “You can see the difference it makes,” Shumate agreed. “We keep data on the different outcomes the athletes have and activation helps them improve their time, jump or whatever they’re doing.” The technology and training to use it gives junior high school and high school athletes advantages that were once limited to professional or elite college programs. Vohland said the while the science has enabled athletes in all sports to improve their performance, he hoped more students would also use the technology to try new things. “Athletics has become very specialized,” he said. “We’re moving away from multisport athletes and I think that’s a shame. Being able to be better because of the technology is good, but they can also try more things and that would be good, too.”
Freelap is set off by first pressing and then releasing a button which starts the timer.
In addition to new training methods that use technology, some coaches are using food choices to help their athletes achieve maximum performance. Kevin Kramer, who coaches Shelbyville High School cross country and track said food helped propel his boys team to a second place state finish this year. “Whatever they put in their bodies is going to show up in their performances,” he said. Kramer said his teams focus on complex carbohydrates in the week leading up to an important contest. After a week of mostly fruits, vegetables and brown rice with nuts and legumes for protein, the team turns to red meat for the final meal. “Having a steak helps them get a big amount of protein and even fat. Plus, when we’re at state meets, the pasta places are usually packed and we are the only team eating steak the night before,” he said. St. Teresa Athletic Director Todd Vohlen said Shelbyville’s success shows the plan works. “I would like to get more of our kids to buy into that kind of eating program,” he said. “It does make a difference.” Kramer said he uses a car analogy when talking to team members about speed. “You want to empower them and educate them,” he said “The highest quality fuel is best for a car engine. If you put a bag of sugar in the tank? The engine would shut down and not be able to run.” — SHARON BARRICKLOW
When I was 10 years old, I told my dad I wanted to go to town to visit Grandpa and Grandma. He said “strike out.” I told my mother I was going into town to visit her parents. She said she would have to think about that. I was heading out while she was thinking about it. After all, it was only three-and-a-half miles to town. Being with my grandfather opened up a whole new world for me. He took me around and told me about every fruit tree he had planted when he was a Stark Nursery agent. He then took me into a woods and showed me how to identify each kind of tree by looking at leaves. He took his knife and carved me a whistle from an elm tree branch. He found a sassafras tree and dug up some of its roots to make tea. He showed me how and where to find morel mushrooms. My grandfather died during the summer of 1954, the year of the great draught. It was in the middle of July. The temperature was 115 degrees. He was 80 years old. I was 18. When I was 20, I told my dad I wanted to buy a car. I had to drop out of college to work, as I was one of 12 children, so my parents were not able to help me financially. He said, “You don’t need one. You can drive the family car.” I said, “That’s all right, I’ll buy one myself in two months.” He said, “How are you going to do that?” I answered that I had a job at the state, and I would be 21 in two months. The next day, a black 1949 Ford was sitting in the driveway when I arrived home. Now, I could really stretch my boundaries. Dad said, “You owe me $300.” I will be 80 years old in March, the same age as my grandfather when he passed. I have eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Some of them are on the East Coast, one is on the West Coast, four are in New Orleans and one is in Northern Illinois. It is much more difficult for my grandchildren to “strike out” to visit Grandpa than it was in my day. Dale Fitzpatrick Effingham
‘King’ Ludwick brings in new lifeblood to event Decatur Celebration welcomes next wave of volunteers TIM CAIN H&R Entertainment Editor
DECATUR – The new generation of volunteers for Decatur Celebration is not defined strictly by age. With Decatur Celebration into its fourth generation, a number of its workers were infants or not yet born when the event launched in 1986. But Jeff Ludwick is older than Celebration, and his first volunteer step was huge. “I always enjoyed it,” the 51-yearold said. “I liked the event a lot. (Longtime Celebration volunteer) Wayne Allen is a friend of MORE INFO mine, and I always WHO: Jeff Ludwick told him if AGE: 51 they needGRADUATE: Warrensed any burg-Latham High School help, I'd BUSINESS: Financial replove to be resentative, Country a part of Financial it. “Fred (Puglia, Celebration founder and producer) was in his last year, and the two guys who'd done logistics with him for a long time (Don Pistorius and Steve Bowman) were retiring from their jobs and wanted to leave Celebration. Those guys did a lot of years. They stayed one more year to help me.” Ludwick is the head of stage logis-
tics at Decatur Celebration. He makes sure all stored items needed make their way downtown and organizes setup the first weekend of August each year. “He seemed unsure if he could handle it,” Decatur Celebration producer Lori Sturgill said. “He thought he might need more help. And if you've ever seen him down there, you could never believe he thought that.” Ludwick shares the credit. For setup, he said, “I have the Mount Zion Swingsations and their parents out there helping set up, hauling things around and running forklifts.” He's even found a way to get the treat many of the occupied volunteers are unable to do. He can sneak peeks at acts he wants to see. “I've got to pick and choose,” he said. “But there's lots of help there during the event. The late Mike Queary, and now his son Spike and his crew, they're invaluable. “And Country Financial (Ludwick's business) has a tent, so I need to be there when I can.” Ludwick's decision to join Celebration's volunteers was a combination of service and finding something to do. “It just seemed like somebody needed to do it,” he said. “I had a pretty successful DJ business, but I wanted to stay home more. I got tired of Saturday wedding receptions. “With all that time as a DJ, I know
Jim Bowling, Herald & Review
Decatur Celebration logistics director Jeff Ludwick is also a financial representative for Country Insurance and Financial Services. what people like. My ultimate goal was to try to help decide what acts come in, and I wanted to see the other side, see how the event was created.” Ludwick is proud to have joined an organization with history and stability. “It's amazing that this thing gets pulled off year after year,” he said. “No town I've heard of has been able to carry something like that on.” Ludwick also holds a piece of the
event's history. “I was the first king of Celebration,” he said, “so I always have that. Lori asked if I'd run, and I told her the only way I'd do it was if she brought in Joan Jett, and she did.” Sturgill sees Ludwick as a key player in Celebration's new generation. “It's a whole new lifeblood,” she said. “They're all people I can see being the next generation.” tcain@herald-review.com|(217) 421-6908
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