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content |6| IDPA WORLD CHAMP Glenn Shelby is a self-taught shooter. Growing up on a farm, he taught himself how to aim at targets and his craft steadily worked up from there and eventually, in 2011, Shelby became the world champion in the International Defensive Pistol Association World Championship.
|8| XTERRA Farmington Lake and the local trails were populated on Saturday, June 1, by athletes from around the country who competed in the 6th Annual XTERRA Four Corners triathlon, consisting of more than 20 miles of swimming, biking, and running.
| 10 | 9 OUT OF 19
| 18 | BLUE TROPHY ELUDES TEAMS The 2013 New Mexico Class 4A State Championships took place on May 13 and 14 at the New Mexico State University Golf Course. And while the blue trophy eluded every local team that participated, there were many noteworthy performances from San Juan County participants.
District 1AAAA had a solid 2012-2013 all around with two state runner-ups in the fall in Farmington soccer and Piedra Vista volleyball. It rolled through the winter season with state champions in wrestling and bowling at Piedra Vista. But in the spring season, District 1AAAA was nothing less than dominant.
| 14 | SAN JUAN OPEN The 49th Annual San Juan Open will kick off its festivities on Wednesday, June 19 with practice rounds and a presentation of players at San Juan Country Club.
| 26 | TENNIS LEGACY The Farmington High School Boys Tennis program has been going strong for 37 years, under the leadership of Coach Larry Larson.
| 28 | KNOTHOLE DAY While Dodger executive Branch Rickey is known as the man who brought Jackie Robinson to the Majors to integrate professional baseball, he was also the man who popularized the concept of Knothole Day. Knothole Games or Knothole Gangs were part of baseball lore with ballparks being surrounded by wooden fences, much like Ricketts Park today.
| 32 | PING PONG | 30 | Plenty of people play table tennis in San Juan County. They play it in their garages, basements, yards, or wherever they can ďŹ t a table.
June 2013
10 Questions with Mark Turner, Head Track Coach at Piedra Vista High School Four Corners SPORTS
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FROM THE
Don Vaughan PuBLISHER
Cindy Cowan Thiele EDITOR
Debra Mayeux Lauren Duff Rick Hoerner Tom Yost Margaret Cheasebro CONTRIBuTING WRITERS
Josh Bishop Curtis Ray Benally CONTRIBuTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Suzanne Thurman Jennifer Hargrove Michael Billie DESIGNERS
DeYan Valdez Shelly Acosta Aimee Velasquez Felix Chacon SALES STAFF
EDITOR Athletes past present and future The values of participating in sporting activities are well documented. From a general view, students have higher grades and better attendance; they are more disciplined and self-confident than students who do not participate in sports or performing arts. This participation carries them throughout their lives in their work, health and well being. And sports make up some of people’s fondest memories. Without planning it, this issue has many articles that contrast athletes past, present and future. A simple look at Knothole Day shows baseball is alive and well here at home. It is the official beginning of youth baseball, a tradition that goes back to the days of Lefty Fox as head coach at Farmington High. On Knothole Day every ballplayer that suits up for the summer gets the chance for their team to be introduced and to high-five all of the Scorpions on one baseline and the Panthers on the other.
We’ve also got the inductees into Farmington High School Hall of Fame. It recognizes past players and coaches who left their imprint on the school’s athletic history. Our roundup of spring sports highlights high school athletes who excel statewide. We have the state high school golf highlights and in contrast we have a preview of the 49th annual San Juan Open Golf Tournament. The theme of this year’s event is the focus on some local past champions. This country is filled with generation after generation of children, teens, adults and seniors, all with a common thread of sports activities. The reality, and the beauty, of sports is that there are always opportunities to be a leader and to use leadership skills. There is a way to test your limits and realize anything is possible. Everyone, at every moment, every play, and every second of the game, has that opportunity. Life outside of sports is no different — the opportunity for leadership and self-reliance exists everywhere.
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Four Corners Sports magazine is published once a month by Majestic Media. Material herein may not be reprinted without expressed written consent of the publisher. Opinions expressed by the contributing writers are not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or Four Corners Sports magazine. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication. However the publisher cannot assume responsibility for errors or ommissions. © 2013 Four Corners Sports magazine.
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covercredit Photography by Josh Bishop Picture on the cover is from Knothole Day 2013.
June 2013
worlD IDPA chAmP by Lauren Duff | courtesy photos
Glen Shelby’s come a long way from shooting targets on the farm Glenn Shelby is a self-taught shooter. Growing up on a farm, he taught himself how to aim at targets and his craft steadily worked up from there and eventually, in 2011, Shelby became the world champion in the International Defensive Pistol Association World Championship. Born and raised in Farmington, Shelby said he got involved in the IDPA in 2003 after a friend mentioned it to him. “I said let’s go, and we went,” he said about the first local match at the San Juan Wildlife Federation in which he ever participated. “I won that match.”
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for fun but there is a little bit of training and preparing yourself if you had to defend yourself and your family members,” Shelby explained.
IDPA is an international sport that has recently become popular. The premise of the sport is based on self-defense shooting. During the
June 2013
matches, shooters participate in simulated self-defense scenarios, such as carjackings or being held at gunpoint at an ATM. “We shoot
Participants in the IPDA matches must learn to shoot from awkward angles, such as in vehicles or behind walls. “You are shooting from real-life situations,” Shelby said. He occasionally practices shooting from awkward positions at home. “I set up my own scenarios and keep track of the mistakes I make and practice shooting in weird positions to just get better at it,” he explained.
to attend Shelby’s matches, depending on their schedules.
Shelby said one of the more awkward positions he shot from was when driving a minivan during a competition. “This teaches you basic gun handling skills.” Since getting involved in the IDPA, Shelby has participated in countless local, state and national tournaments. He won the IDPA National Championship in 2009 in Tulsa, Okla., and was runner up in the competition in 2010. In 2012, he won the National Championship again in Oxford, N.C. He also won the Winter IDPA National Championship in Springfield, Mass., in 2012. During the winter championship, Shelby said he had to shoot in low light with a flashlight. “It is completely different with a flashlight,” he said. “If someone has a concealed carry license and they are serious, I ask if they ever shoot at night. That is definitely something to consider. You need to be ready for that.”
At the World Championship, Shelby had a time of 299.48 seconds, which was 10 seconds faster than the second place competitor. Along with the IDPA, Shelby also is a member of the United States Practical Shooting Association and has competed in various competitions in Massachusetts, Illinois, Oklahoma, Arizona, Colorado, and Arkansas. Along with these accomplishments, Shelby has also won 20 consecutive state championships. But in 2011, Shelby earned the title of World Champion in the Custom Defense Pistol Division when he participated in the IDPA World Championships in Frostproof, Fla. More than 400 shooters from around the world participated in this competition.
Shelby said there are five divisions in IDPA including Custom Defense Pistol, Enhanced Service Revolver, Stock Service Revolver, Stock Service Pistol, and Enhanced Service Pistol. “I’m proud of him,” said Shelby’s wife, Tanya. “He is pretty humble about it all so I think between myself and our girls we brag on him because he won’t do it.” Tanya added she and their children try
Tanya said Shelby meets a lot of friendly people when he travels to the various matches. “The class of people you run into are good people,” Shelby said. Shelby’s talents have been featured in the International Defensive Pistol Association Tactical Journal, Combat Handguns Magazine and the television show, Shooting USA.
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more than 130
triathletes by Lauren Duff | photography by Josh Bishop
Joshua Merrick takes top spot at XTERRA Farmington Lake and the local trails were populated on Saturday, June 1, by athletes from around the country who competed in the 6th Annual XTERRA Four Corners triathlon, consisting of more than 20 miles of swimming, biking, and running. The off-road triathlon is one of hundreds of XTERRA races that happen throughout the world. The Farmington Convention and Visitors Bureau have decided for over six years to host the Four Corners race because of the area’s trails that are fit for biking and running.
“Going into this, the CVB knew the trails are great and people love them. The mountain bike trails are a great resource to have,” said Ingrid Gilbert, race director. This year’s XTERRA Four Corners course consisted of a 1-mile swim across Farmington Lake, comprising two half-mile laps with a short beach run between laps; a 17-mile bike course, consisting of an uphill double track for approximately 3 miles and 12 miles of rolling, fast, single track from the Road Apple Rally course; and a 5-mile loop run around Farmington Lake.
The course changed from last year as a way to ensure enough space for the more than 130 athletes who competed this year. “We had slight revisions to the bike and run course where we transitioned to the opposite side of the lake to accommodate (everyone). As our race grows, that space needs to do so as well,” Gilbert said. Also, this was the first year the race was part of the New Mexico Open Swim Triathlon, according to Gilbert. “We did see a
boost from people coming up to compete in the series.” There were 137 athletes who competed in this year’s race, including the three professional athletes, Joshua Merrick, Jimmy Archer, and Shonny Vanlandingham. Merrick, 32, was the overall winner of XTERRA Four Corners. He has been competing in XTERRA races since 2007. “I will probably
Four Corners overall winners: First Place Joshua Merrick – 2 hours and 53 seconds Second Place Jimmy Archer – 2 hours, 1 minute, and 39 seconds Third Place Scott Archer – 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 9 seconds Fourth Place George Mainas – 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 12 seconds Fifth Place Eric Snowberg – 2 hours, 6 minutes, and 51 seconds ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease.
run 10 or 11 XTERRAs this year,” he explained. Merrick said he enjoys competing in the XTERRA Four Corners because the terrain is similar to the terrain in Alamosa, Colo., his hometown and where he trains. “I do better on the sandy terrain than the rocky terrain.” His overall time at Saturday’s race was 2 hours and 53 seconds.
Since March, Bieshaar, from Denver, has competed in 10 races every weekend except for Memorial Day Weekend when there was no race.
Jimmy Archer, 40, came in second place with an overall time of 2 hours and 1 minute, and Scott Archer, 26, came in third place with an overall time of 2 hours and 4 minutes. Another athlete who competed in XTERRA Four Corners is Brent Bieshaar, 49, who is striving to complete 24 XTERRA races as a way to bring awareness and raise money for the Blazeman Foundation for
If successful, Bieshaar will be the first athlete to ever complete the XTERRA America Tour season by participating in all the races from March through August.
and 36 minutes. Gilbert said she had much help during the XTERRA Four Corners, from the 80 volunteers to course coordinators Neil Merrion and Mike Dodds. She added that Saturday’s race was successful because “ultimately our greatest concern is getting everyone on and off the course safely ,and everyone did fine,” and because many athletes complimented the course and “the work the CVB had done to put this together.”
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SuSieCHANDLER
9 19 Piedra Vista high School
out OF
SarahROOT aztec high School
District One dominates spring sports by Rick Hoerner | photography by Josh Bishop
District 1AAAA had a solid 20122013 all around with two state runner-ups in the fall in Farmington soccer and Piedra Vista volleyball. It rolled through the winter season with state champions in wrestling and bowling at Piedra Vista. But in the spring season, District 1AAAA was nothing less than dominant. This spring there were eight state championships up for grabs and the district was in the hunt in nearly all of them, finishing with three state championships in
track and softball, five state runner-ups in tennis, boy’s track, baseball and softball, a third place in girl’s track, and four teams that reached the final four. So 19 trophies were passed out in the spring season with District 1AAAA taking home nearly half of them with nine. Time to take a look back at a successful championship May for the local high schools. The first state championships of the season were crowned in Las
Cruces at the state golf championships. The story is on Page 18. The following weekend the tennis state championships were held in Albuquerque. The Farmington tennis teams reached the finals in both boys and girls. The No. 1 seeded Lady Scorpions lost to Los Alamos 5-4, stopping the Farmington championship run at four. The boy’s team also finished second losing to No. 1 Academy who ran their title streak to 11 in a row and 19 of the last 20. Piedra Vista’s boys reached the semi-fi-
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nals before falling to Academy. The Lady Scorpion doubles team of Molly Merrion/Danielle Nguyen finished second while the Scorpions double team of Curtis Hunt/Nathaniel Pavlik came in as the 5th seed to take the doubles championship. The final weekend of prep action began on Thursday as the softball teams began their double elimination tournament and the baseball squads played do or die. Track would get underway on Friday with all three winding up on Saturday
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JacyCAVE
JordanMONTOYA
Piedra Vista High School
Piedra Vista High School
State Baseball after blowing out their competition in the first round, both the no. 1 seeded Panthers and the no. 3 seeded Scorpions looked to be on a collision course for a fifth game in Saturday’s championship. While PV cruised through the quarterfinals and semi-finals, Farmington ran into academy’s Tyler Buffett. The charger right-hander was on his game Thursday with excellent control on his 90 MPH fastball and a low 80’s slider. Buffet also hammered a three-run homer in the first to stake academy to a lead they would not relinquish, leading to a 7-2 win over the Scorps. The Scorpions lone threat came in a tension-filled 6th where Farmington has the bases loaded with two out and the top of the order on deck. after a dropped third strike the umpire called the Farmington batter out for interference on a catcher’s throw that was dropped by the first baseman ending the threat. In the bottom of the sixth more tension built as the same charger first baseman plowed over Farmington catcher Elias Blackwater a good five feet up the third baseline. as the benches cleared cooler heads prevailed and academy’s Zeke Long was ejected.
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Piedra Vista cruised by Los alamos 17-2 in the quarterfinals. Then on Friday Panther right hander Ian doughty no hit Santa Teresa in five innings moving PV to their fifth consecutive championship game and a shot at a fourth straight title. The Panthers faced the no. 7 St. Pius Sartans after the Pius had knocked off no. 2 Goddard then defeated the one trick pony chargers 21-2. It was not to be this year for the Panthers as they fell to St. Pius 7-6 leaving the bases loaded twice and having two players picked off in scoring position in the final innings.
State Softball When the seedings came out for the state softball championships the committee showed little love to district 1aaaa with the exception of the no. 1 Panthers. aztec was only given a no. 4 seed and Farmington was slotted in as a no. 11. By the end of the weekend the district showed how wrong the committee was. after Farmington knocked off the no. 6 Valencia Jaguars, they took down no. 3 seeded Gallup. on the upper half of the bracket both Piedra Vista and aztec rolled through their
June 2013
first games setting up a PV-aztec matchup in the winner’s bracket semi-final, a 5-2 Panther win that moved them into the winner’s bracket final where they faced their stiffest challenge in artesia. after a first inning homer the Bulldogs led 1-0 going into the sixth when the Panthers scored two to take a 2-1 lead. In the bottom half of the sixth Vanessa olivas struck again with her second solo shot to tie the game2-2. The Panthers put up three more in the top of the seventh to move to the finals with a 5-2 win. down in the play inside of the bracket both Farmington and aztec advanced to the final four with aztec knocking off the Lady Scorpions to get a shot at artesia. The Lady Tigers upset the no. 2 seeded Bulldogs to advance to the championship game for the second straight year and yet another matchup with Piedra Vista. The Panthers played as though they had been there before, which of course they had, and took control early on their way to a 5-2 victory.
State Track Both the aztec girls and the PV boys came into the state track meet as favorites to capture the state championship, and neither disappointed. The Lady Tigers led nearly from start to finish with strong performances in the field events. Piedra Vista was just the opposite. despite a mere three points by the end of day one, the Panthers were well set up for a championship run in the finals on Saturday. Even at the break, PV was down to academy, but the writing was on the wall for a big finish for the Panthers and the Scorpions who took home second place. Individually the district was well represented as well. christian Mackey of Kirtland central won both the discus and the shot put titles. aztec’s Sierra Martinez won the long jump and Morgan Smith was the pole vault champion. Sarah root and Kayli Farmer both won two events for the Lady Tigers with Farmer winning the high
JeremyKLEPAC Farmington High School
OriOnKAMINKY Piedra Vista High School
jump and javelin while root won the triple jump and the 100 meter hurdles. Piedra Vista’s Katie Hegarty, Zhianna Flores and Zach Johnson also brought home multiple titles. Hegarty won both the discus and the shot while Flores and Johnson were dominant on the track. Flores won the 200 meters and the 300 meter hurdles
and Johnson won both the 100 meters and the 200 meters plus anchored the state championship 4x100 team for the Panthers. Farmington High’s Jeremy Klepac won both the 300 meter hurdles and the long jump then anchored the 4x200 team to a state title. As a district, the local teams won
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all six throwing events, both long jump championships, the boys’ 4x100, 4x200, and 4x400 titles, and only a Zhianna Flores false start kept the district from claiming both the 100- and 200-meter championship in boys and girls. it seems that the lock that Los Alamos and Academy had on the blue trophies in track has come to an end
Boys results Piedra Vista Farmington Academy
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Girls results Aztec Los Alamos Piedra Vista
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49th
San Juan Open by Tom Yost | file photos
Tourney offers up world-class golf on a perfectly manicured course The 49th Annual San Juan Open will kick off its festivities on Wednesday, June 19 with practice rounds and a presentation of players at San Juan Country Club. With this being the prelude to the 50th San Juan Open, Jeff Roth, San Juan Country Club Head Golf Professional, is looking forward to some new offerings that the 49th will offer. “The theme of this year’s event is to focus on some local past cham-
pions,” says Roth. “Some local guys like Woody Dame, who won it twice, Terry Tobey, Mark Pelletier, Gary Blevins. And we are trying to add a Senior Professional Division this year.” With last year’s champion Gabe Maier taming the 6,750 yard Par 71 championship layout with a score of 269 (15-under par), this year’s event promises to share the same excitement as in the past.
With veteran players such as Ryan Hogue, Clay Ogden and Nathan Lashley getting used to the new layout of the course – most notably the longer tee boxes on holes 5, 7, 9 and 14 – scores that entered into the 20+ under par range (in 2009 and 2010) might be unreachable, but scores are still expected in the mid-teens under par. “The rough is starting to spread and fill in from sprinkler to sprinkler, and getting a lot thicker,” explains General Manager Randy
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Kahn. “We could increase the length of the rough to 3 or 4 inches and make this an incredibly tough test, but we will keep it low and let them shoot it out.” Joe Schmidt, San Juan Country Club Course Superintendent, has had the opportunity to groom the golf course with new equipment that has helped condition the course in an almost pristine way. “We have the best greens in the state,” boasts Roth. “The greens are stimping at 10.9 and are just perfect.”
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“With the new equipment that the membership allowed me to get for our Superintendent (Schmidt), the golf course is in the best shape that I have ever seen it,” explained Kahn. “Joe is an incredible superintendent – he is just awesome.” The quality of the golf course will surely be accompanied by a professional field that continues to get better each year. The heavy hitters from recent past are back
to challenge the lightning fast greens of SJCC. With seven top 10 finishes in his career at the San Juan Open, Hogue will be back to try to win his third championship. Also back is Lashley, who has six top 10 finishes, but has yet to win the event. They will be joined by 2010 champion Ogden, as well as Jesse Mueller, who has three top 10 career finishes. A strong young field headed by Luke Symon, who finished five
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shots behind Maier last year, will challenge the veterans. What makes the San Juan Open unique, though, is the interaction of professionals and amateurs playing side by side in the ProSponsor Event. George Walters, chairman of the San Juan Open Committee, loves the unique format of professionals playing with amateurs. “It is fun to watch the techniques of the professionals,” says Walters. “It is a different
game to observe and watch. The amateurs take it a lot more seriously when they are paired with a pro.” The event is a wonderful opportunity to witness world-class golf – not only for amateur players, but for spectators as well. The tournament is a fan-friendly opportunity to see the future PGA Tour stars of tomorrow play golf at San Juan Country Club.
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Through the years, many PGA Tour players have gotten their start by playing in events such as the San Juan Open. Players like Lee Trevino, Curt Byrom, Paul Stankowski, Notah Begay III, Brian Kortan, Gary Christian and Martin Laird played in this event and used it to springboard forward into greater career achievements.
teers – to name a few of the necessary tasks. “The key is to get a good group of committee members together,” explains Walters. “The group that we have in place right now really works hard to bring this event together and make it what it is. We have been together for the last few years and know what to expect from each other.”
“The quality of play is going up each year,” said Kahn. “Even though we haven’t had somebody make it on tour since Martin (Laird), the quality of all the golfers entered is getting better and will be great for the spectators that come out to watch.”
The San Juan Open is also a very charitable event, giving $16,000 to the community. The event gave $13,000 to the Home For Women and Children and another $3,000 to the IGW Pediatric Cancer Foundation in Albuquerque.
The event wouldn’t be what it is without the tireless efforts of the San Juan Open Committee. Staff and club members meet 12 months out of the year to plan, raise sponsorship money, set up the golf course, organize volun-
The expectations for mid-June are for some world-class golf on a perfectly manicured course. The 49th San Juan Open promises to deliver and exceed all of those expectations for all who take part in this wonderful annual event.
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Kirtland Central’s Jerrod Noble.
Blue trophy eludes local teams by Tom Yost The 2013 New Mexico Class 4A State Championships took place on May 13 and 14 at the New Mexico State University Golf Course in Las Cruces. And while the blue trophy eluded every local team that participated, there were many noteworthy
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PV boys, Kirtland girls finish 4th at state golf championships performances from San Juan County participants. Darmika Frank, a junior from Kirtland Central High School, finished second individually with a two-day total of 160. And right behind her in a tie for third was Brooke Raney, from Aztec High School, with a score of 161.
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Aztec High School Coach Tom McClurg followed the two players around the University Course and offered his analysis, “Darmika was tough the second day, she made no mistakes and several lengthy putts. Brooke played hard, but her short game and putter weren’t as strong as they usually are.”
Piedra Vista’s Jackson Gurley, far right, in the first round of the state golf tournament in Las Cruces.
The Kirtland Central girls team finished in fourth place, just 8 total team strokes ahead of the Aztec girls team. These two teams battled it out most of the fall and the spring for local and regional tournament victories, so it came as little surprise that the two would be so
close at the state championships. Deming High School won their fifth consecutive state title with a team total of 649. On the boys side, Riley Rahm of Piedra Vista High School and Tristan Goodwin of Kirtland
Darmika Frank, a junior from Kirtland Central High School, makes a chip shot in regional play. She finished second individually with a two-day total of 160 at the state championships. – Curtis Ray Benally photo.
Central High School finished in a tie for eighth place with individual totals of 155. Goodwin was in a tie for 2nd place heading into day two with a first-day score of 74, while Rahm posted the low individual score for the second day with a 1-under par 71. Jackson Gurley finished in a tie for 14th place with a two-day total of 159. Piedra Vista’s boys team finished in a fourth place on day two by shooting the lowest team total of any school. The team struggled on day one, but found their spark on the second day with a round of 307, led by Rahm’s 71. Kirtland Central’s boys team finished in sixth place.
Piedra Vista golfers and coaches at the state championships.
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y a D e l o h t Kno wn o t l l a b e s a b a in
by Rick Hoerner | photography by Josh Bishop
The present meets the future on Farmington’s field of dreams While Dodger executive Branch Rickey is known as the man who brought Jackie Robinson to the Majors to integrate professional baseball, he was also the man who popularized the concept of Knothole Day. Knothole Games or Knothole Gangs were part of baseball lore with ballparks being surrounded by wooden fences, much like Ricketts Park today.
As the inevitable knotholes would fall out of the fences, kids would gather at the fence to get a glimpse of their diamond heroes. As early the 1880s, baseball teams such as the New Orleans Pelicans were offering Knothole days to “youths of sound behavior.” The St. Louis Cardinals, under the direction of Rickey, began their first Knothole Gang in 1938, a tradition
he continued with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1940s and ’50s. In Farmington, Knothole Day is the official beginning of youth baseball, a tradition that goes back to the days of Lefty Fox as head coach at Farmington High and continues today. Initially, Knothole Day was the opening ceremonies for the Farmington Amateur Baseball Congress with the Scorpions
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welcoming the new baseball year. With the opening of Piedra Vista, Knothole Day has evolved to merge opening ceremonies with a game that will most likely be one of two games for a district title. On Knothole Day every ballplayer that suits up for the summer gets the chance for their team to be introduced and to high-five all of the Scorpions on one baseline and the
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June 2013
chance in the bottom of the 7th as Austin Davis drove a ball to deep left only to be robbed of a walk off RBI from leftfielder Ian Doughty. In the 9th, PV took the lead on a solo shot from district Player of the Year Jacy Cave, but the Scorpions answered in the bottom half with a run of their own. In the 10th the wheels came off for Farmington, giving up five runs and what appeared to be an insurmountable lead, but the Scorpions weren’t done. In the bottom half Farmington rallied with three runs of their own and the winning run at first before the Panthers prevailed in a 10-8 classic. Panthers on the other. The players are then welcomed to an afternoon of lunch and a, usually, beautiful day at the ballpark watching our local pastime. For the high schools, they get a chance to play in front of a full house before August.
This year the game, as usual, did not disappoint. The Scorpions and Panthers were hooking up for a fourth time with Farmington holding a 2-1 advantage and the district lead. As in the previous games, Farmington jumped out to a lead using some timely hitting from the bottom of the order.
Scorpion lefty Matt Huffhines held the Panther bats in check to pull out to a 4-0 advantage. The Panthers pulled within one in the sixth behind a two-run double from Kody Russell. PV then tied the game in the 7th with back-toback hits by Zach Ahlgrim and Ian Doughty. Farmington had its
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Once in Farmington’s recruitment brochure for new teachers, Farmington was labeled as a baseball town. A simple look at Knothole Day shows baseball is alive and well here at the home of the Connie Mack World Series where on a beautiful Saturday afternoon the future meets up with the present.
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Kirtland • 598-1055 4215 Hwy. 64
Four Corners SPORTS
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FARMINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
HALLOF FAME by Lauren Duff | photography by Josh Bishop
Inductees made lasting contributions to Scorpion sports For the seventh time since 1991, during a May 24 ceremony at FHS’s main gymnasium, Farmington High School inducted several former coaches and student athletes into the FHS Hall of Fame. The coaches and athletes who were inducted into the Hall of Fame attended the high school at various times, but all left their imprint on the school’s athletic history. Richard Wallace, FHS assistant football coach and a Hall of Fame Committee member, said individuals are chosen to be a part of the Hall of Fame through various nominations. “There are a lot of criteria for inducting coaches and athletes,” Wallace explained. “It is based on success in high school
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and things that they did during their high school career that made an impact on the school and their team.” The four former student athletes who were inducted included Neil Merrion for gymnastics, Jeff Clark for tennis, Mike Colerick for baseball, and Autumn Anderson for softball. Neil Merrion graduated from FHS in 1982 and attended University of New Mexico. During his time there, Merrion was an athlete on the gymnastics team, which was coached by Rusty Mitchell, who participated in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. “It was always a pleasure to have Neil in the program,” Mitchell
June 2013
said. “I’m proud of him as a gymnast but more so as a friend, father, and husband.” In 1985, Merrion was the Rocky Mountain Open All-Around and Horizontal Bar Champion, and in 1986, he was the Western Athletic Conference Gymnast of the Year. “Rusty expected a lot of us as student athletes, but becoming respectful adults was more important to him. I’m forever grateful to Rusty,” Merrion said. Anderson graduated from FHS in 1995. During her time there, she was the softball team’s pitcher and attended the 1994 and 1995 State Championships. In 1995, she also was recognized as the conference’s Most Valuable Player.
“It is a great honor to be inducted. Softball was a huge part of my life and it is hard to imagine my youth without it,” Anderson said in front of hundreds of people who attended the induction ceremony . From 1997-1999, Anderson played for the Mississippi State University softball team, where she earned the title of 1998 South Eastern Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player. Then, in 1997 she was on the All-American softball team. The former FHS coaches who were inducted include Marv Sanders, a former FHS boys basketball coach, Gary Graham, former FHS softball coach, and Roy Johnson, former FHS wrestling coach and assistant softball coach.
Graham was with the FHS softball team from 1989 to 2004 and was head coach from 1997 to 2004. During his time with the high school, the softball team won six state championships. “We were always one of the top teams in New Mexico,� Graham said. Since retiring from FHS, Graham was the pitching coach at Marist College in New York and is now the Shiprock High School baseball coach. “It is nice that they selected me. We did a good job helping out FHS and I’m proud to be a member of the Hall of Fame,� Graham said.
“The Hall of Fame selection is not about me, it is about the players and their commitment to being successful.� Johnson coached wrestling at FHS for 24 years. “Any time you get inducted into the Hall of Fame and it’s done by your peers – I feel really honored. I put a lot of time at Farmington High School and it meant a lot to me.� He is now the Aztec High School softball coach. During his time at FHS, the wrestling team attended the State Championships nine times. Johnson said his most memorable experience from coaching
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wrestling was when the team won the state championship in 1992. “It is always exciting to win the state championship during your career.� Johnson also was a National Coach of the Year Nominee in 1997. Aside from wrestling, he was the FHS assistant softball coach when Graham was the head coach. “I coached softball with Gary (Graham) for 20 years and we are best friends and it is exciting to go into the Hall of Fame with people you admire and I appreciate the things they brought to the school,� Johnson explained.
*Actual patient of Dr. Herman
Three FHS teams also were inducted into the Hall of Fame including the 1986 FHS boys basketball team, the 1992 FHS wrestling team, and the 1997 FHS softball team. “These teams are all state championship teams,� Wallace explained. Emma Weaver, who has attended many FHS sporting events for over 30 years, was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a “Special Contributor.� “I’m honored to be here among these athletes, coaches, and teams,� she said. “This is a great honor.�
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Larson: Great kids, supportive parents has kept him going for 37 years by Debra Mayeux | photography by Josh Bishop High School Boys Tennis program has been going strong for 37 years, under the leadership of Coach Larry Larson. “If it wasn’t for Coach Larson, none of us would be here,” said Matt With who has been on the team since he was in eighth grade. With, whose father played for the Lobos Tennis Team, won the winning match at state in 2010, earning the Scorps a state title. “Three years ago we were seeded third in the team tournament, and we upset a very good Los Alamos team,” Larson said. With had to play a senior, and he knew it would mean a win for the entire team. “He came through and won it.”
other, and their parents support their children’s efforts. “We’ve had tremendous parent support through all of my years,” Larson said. “I’ve been blessed with great kids. They are great kids or I wouldn’t be coaching.” Larson actually retired from teaching three years ago, but he kept on coaching. “I never thought I would last more than five years,” he said, adding the program has changed a lot since he began in 1977.
Three years later, With said he still does what he can for the team and plays his best.
“We aren’t playing Albuquerque schools anymore. Our district was Santa Fe, Espanola, Gallup, Los Alamos and Albuquerque,” Larson said. “Now it’s both Gallup high schools, Belen, Grants and Piedra Vista.” Despite the changes in the schools, the program has remained a good one with “pretty strong” teams.
This attitude is one of the strengths of this Farmington team. The players support each
Larson recalled the year that Jeff Clark played in the State Championship and won the singles match.
Inducted in the FHS Hall of Fame on May 24, Clark was the only male tennis player in Farmington history to win the singles championship. It also was a highlight in Larson’s career.
Championship. “They lost the first set and were behind for the second and would not quit. It was 7-5 in the third set and it was a tremendous final match,” Larson said.
“Jeff had to beat a guy who hadn’t lost all year,” said Larson, who still plays a match against Clark every now and then.
“We had good competition all the way around,” said Pavlik, who will be a senior in the fall. He started on the team in eighth grade. “My brothers and sisters both went out for tennis. It looked like fun out there and I wanted to be a part of it.”
Another great moment was when Bodie Avery and Stacy Ross won two state titles. “That was a terrific thing,” Larson said.
DOES SUMMERTIME!
This year, Curtis Hunt and Nathaniel Pavlik won the State
Larson continued page 29
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ts r o p
S At left, Curtis Hunt and Nathaniel Pavlik won the state championship this year.
June 2013
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FHS best kept secret
Girls’ tennis team has only lost 2 matches in 6 years by Debra Mayeux | photography by Josh Bishop “In a lot of sports there’s a lot of competitiveness,” said Bryden Baker. “This team of girls has some of the best team players; we’re really close and we support each other.”
The Farmington High School girls’ tennis program met Coach Pat McGrath’s goal this year. They made it to the state finals. “We were a match away from winning the whole thing,” McGrath said. The team came in second, which doesn’t happen very often. “In six years we’ve only lost two matches.” There were several new varsity players, and McGrath said there was an incredible amount of improvement during the season. There also were two girls who went the farthest at tournament. They were Molly Merrion and Danielle Nguyen. Merrion grew up playing tennis and stuck with it. “The most enjoyable thing is my teammates,” she said. “We’re all real close. It’s fun to play with such a good team.” Merrion is off to college and plans to play on a club team. “Tennis has been such a big part of my life forever,” she said.
Sydney Schumacher agreed, saying she enjoys hanging out with the girls and playing tennis. “I feel so much more prepared for everything,” she said. “I like getting better, working hard and having the hard work pay off.”
Danielle also has played since childhood. “It’s really fun. You learn a lot from it,” she said. “You learn to work hard and meet a lot of nice people.” This group of girls has gotten to know each other throughout the years. They travel together to weekend tournaments and even participated in a national tournament, where they went two and
two, McGrath said. “Farmington tennis is one of the best kept secrets out there,” he said. “People ask us what pro we work out with, but they don’t have a pro. They just work hard and do it on their own.” They also have an incredible amount of team spirit.
McGrath believes part of the team’s strength comes from the fact that the girls start working together in eighth grade and they stay together through their senior year. Others believe the team is strong because of their coach. “Pat has been a positive influence on this program. Pat does so much with the young kids. He gets them interested,” Boys Tennis Coach Larry Larson said.
Larsen Hunt also joined the tennis team after watching his brothers play. “When they finally got me out there, I enjoyed it,” he said, adding this year was a challenging one. Tennis still must remain enjoyable, because Hunt said he plans to play on a club team in college. Pavlik looks forward to next season, when he hopes to help the Scorps grasp the state title. They came in second this year.
years and even instilled it in his children who have careers in tennis. Larson’s son Darryl Larson, who played for his dad for five years, is a tennis pro at Colonia Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas. Darryl married FHS basketball champ – Megan ratliff.
Larson’s goal for his boys is to have them leave the program with “a love of the game and the honor of the game.”
Larson’s daughter Alyssa Larson played tennis on the girls’ team under the director of Coach Pat McGrath. She was No. 1 for three years and is the tennis teacher at Tanoan Country Club in Albuquerque.
He instilled that love in Farmington High youth for the past 37
Larson also runs the Citizen’s Bank Tournament every year. It
will be June 21-23. He is a lifelong player and many of his former students also are lifelong players. He and McGrath have been told
they are the reason former students still play. “It’s all heart,” Larson said.
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Four Corners SPOrTS
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Age: 60 School: Piedra Vista High School
1
Years Experience: 32 teaching and coaching - 15 head track coach at PVHS
What was your first thought when you knew your team had enough of a margin to win your first state track championship?
We wanted the boys to finish the meet like champions, and they did. We knew after the 1600 Medley relay that we had the meet won, but Zach Johnson went on to win the 200 dash and set a new school and state record in that race. Brandon Levi set a new school record and almost won the 3200 meter run and then the 4x400 relay boys Matthew Gonzales, Wyatt Hardy, Clark Otteson and Ty Murphy decided they would win the relay in school record time and put an exclamation point on the meet for us. A very special moment for all of PVHS track.
2
How did you initially get involved coaching track?
Roger Ward at Hermosa Junior High asked during my first year of teaching in 1981 if I knew anything about track. I told him I low jumped 4 feet, 4 inches as a 6th grader at Mason Elementary in Durango and he responded, ”You are the new high jump coach.“ We had over 200 kids out for track at Hermosa with seven coaches, most volunteer, during the years before 8th and 9th grade kids were eligible to play spring sports for Farmington High School. I have been on the track each spring ever since then.
3
Outside of this year’s team, who would make the short list of your greatest athletes?
Kendra Woodson is the first that comes to mind. Victoria Martin probably had the most natural talent of any kid I have ever seen. The combination of Craig Burgess, Evan Lamoreux, Robert Gunn, Jason McClelland and Scott Darnell come to mind because they refused to give up in any relay they ever ran. Andy Miller and Jon Bindues were the epitome of "run till you drop," Eli and Tyler Finch had talent oozing from their pores in high school, Eric Varnell seemingly never dropped a pass or quit on the track, and a kid named Lindsey Barbeau was probably the finest hurdler I have ever coached. But the
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MARKTURNER PVHS HEAD TRACK COACH
one that really stands out is a girl named Sara Fletcher. Sara can't be more than 5 feet, 5 inches and was a 17-foot long jumper and 38-foot triple jumper on sheer will and perfection on the runway.
4
How do you keep younger athletes interested in track without JV meets?
The PV coaching staff works very hard to keep all of our track kids interested and every single one of them has a chance to compete in at least half of the meets we go to each season. That is a testament to the manner in which San Juan County schools run their meets. High school meets outside of the county are generally open to three entries per event, yet here in this county the schools make a conscious effort to allow up to eight kids per event so that we are able to involve a lot more kids. The result is this creates a somewhat longer track meet, but the overall effect is now being seen at the state meet. In the last two years, San Juan County schools have come home with eight of the 12 trophies from the state meet.
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Who is your coaching role model? Why?
Roger Ward, from the olden days at Hermosa, got me interested in track, taught me how to run a track program and put an entry together, and taught me enough about coaching each event in track to be dangerous. Roger always said that he could find something for every kid to be good at in the Hermosa track program. I try very hard to do the same. Today I feel that the coaches with whom I am privileged to work are the role models that I look up to. Jared Howell is the best motivator and out and out teacher I know. We as a coaching staff celebrate the kids that show improvement, regardless of overall talent.
6
Outside of track, what is your favorite sport as a fan?
I really enjoy being on the sideline as part of the "chain gang" for PVHS football games.
7
What is your feeling on your athletes participating in multiple activities?
I am fully in favor of multi-sport/activities student athletes. I believe specialization in some sports is a result of cost and effective time management. For instance, my own child is dedicated to her rodeo sports, and due to the cost and travel that is just about all she can do. For most high school athletes, playing multiple sports in different seasons helps create a well-rounded athlete. Wyatt Hardy is a perfect example this year, earning an individual state championship in wrestling, two state championship relays in track and a tough guy on defense in football, and he had to work all the way from his freshman year to his senior year to earn those titles. In our track program, we have consistently worked with and around other activities that kids have committed to during the school year, such as the fine arts programs, and encouraged kids that excel in other fall and winter sports to "get faster" by running track. Robert Gunn, our first state champion in track at PVHS, was a part-time baseball player and high jumper. Robert won multiple state championships in relays,
high jump and the horizontal jumps, then went on to run at UNM and play baseball for Texas Tech. Cassie Crowell and Skylar Tracy ran at the Richard Harper meet at Albuquerque Academy, then hopped across town to play in the state band competition that same day.
8
How has coaching influenced other areas of your life?
I truly believe that in today's society we as adults need to spend time with kids outside of our daily routines. Teachers especially need to be involved outside the classroom with kids – their own or in an organized manner such as coaching or sponsoring an activity.
9
With your years of experience, what is the best advice you could give to young coaches?
Get involved; use your natural talent to share with the kids. Kids are looking to learn and excel at any sport – share your enthusiasm and knowledge!
10
What is the one tip you would give young athletes looking to excel in track?
Don't wait until your junior or senior year to get on the track. Experience in track, just as with every other sport, does count. Just think what a kid such as Zach Johnson would have been able to accomplish with two more years of experience under his belt.
Fishing REPORT The San Juan River below Navajo Dam is currently flowing at 295 cfs. Although the flows are lower than average for this time of the year, the fishing continues to be very good. In the Quality Waters section the midge hatches have been very good from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fishing a size 22 gray or chocolate big mac midge followed by a size 22 black or olive midge emerger has been a very good combo. The afternoon baetis hatches are starting to improve with a few fish starting to look up for some nice surface action. The best combo for afternoon nymph fishing will be a size 22 gray RS2 followed by a size 22 black or gray midge emerger. If you’re lucky enough to find a few fish rising, a size 22 olive cdc comparadun should do the trick. As far as the fishing below the Quality Waters goes, I would recommend salmon eggs, night crawlers, and the rooster tail lures. T.J. Massey San Juan River Outfitters www.sanjuanriveroutfitters.com 505.486.5347
June 2013
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PING PONG by Margaret Cheasebro | photography by Josh Bishop
Table Tennis thrives in San Juan County Plenty of people play table tennis in San Juan County. They play it in their garages, basements, yards, or wherever they can fit a table. Members of the Four Corners Table Tennis Association have seen several of them play at the Farmington Recreation Center. The sport is more commonly known as ping pong. Though the association has never been officially organized, it's been around for more than a decade. It began sometime after I played in a San Juan County Senior Olympics table tennis competition in 2000. I was rusty after years of not playing. Athlete Pete Hayden offered to coach me in preparation for the New Mexico Senior Olympics.
Soon other players joined us at Bluffview on Sunday afternoons to sharpen our table tennis skills. Among them were Marvin McIntyre and his son, Jonathan, who came regularly. Others came to Bluffview when they could. Some of the most frequent players were attorney Eric Morrow and educator Andras Kardash. When I retired as the Bluffview counselor, Dave Wilden, who was then principal at Heights Middle School, let us put our tables on the Heights cafeteria stage and play on Sunday afternoons. We stored our tables there until they wore out in 2011. For awhile we had no place to play
Pete came several times a week to help me practice at Bluffview Elementary School after hours. Former Bluffview teacher Phil Brummell kept a ping pong table there in an empty classroom with permission from Jacque Russell, who was principal at the time.
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until Senior Citizen Administrator Larry Bomberger, a city of Farmington employee, bought some tournament quality tables and nets. He made arrangements for us to store the equipment and to play at the Farmington Recreation Center on Fairgrounds Road next to Ricketts Park. Every week from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays we hone our skills there. For awhile, Marvin and I were the only players. Then tennis coach Richard Yancey joined us. Others of many ages played when they could, among them Keith and Karen Bishop, Mike Smith, Neil Merrion, Isaac and Daniel Bickell, Christa Wiggins, Gavin Gutierrez, Jeff Gilbertson, Donovan Stearns,
Larry Larson and Al Fanto. Al began playing with us when he retired. When he went back to work part time, schedule conflicts kept him away. "I miss the camaraderie, the exercise, and the structure of having something to do twice a week," Al said. The sport is easier on the body than tennis, but you can work up a serious sweat. "I can play table tennis without hurting my wrist, damaging my joints or playing on a hard court," Yancey explained. "It helps my reflexes, because you have to be real quick
when you play table tennis. It makes me watch the ball closer. I can tell if my head's pulling away from the ball before I hit it better than I can in tennis. If your head is not pointing at the ball and if you're not looking at it with both eyes equally, you're not watching the ball like you should. Don't turn your head before you execute the shot." Richard has told me that plenty of times. One of these days I'll get the hang of it. He's willing to give people free 15minute table tennis lessons if they come to the recreation center when we play there. Table tennis players often learned to play the sport when they were kids. Richard, Marvin and I all started when we were young. I was 10 years old, Richard was in junior high, and Marvin was in college. Though we quit later, we're having a great time sharpening our skills again.
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"I started playing table tennis in college to avoid studying, and succeeded very well," Marvin said with a laugh. A retired high school math teacher, he keeps ďŹ t by playing both
tennis and table tennis. All three of us recently competed in a table tennis tournament at the San Juan College Human Performance Center. Personnel there encourage the sport and are trying to build a following for it. We played against several people much younger than ourselves, and Richard took the grand prize, a one month center membership. Competing with different players builds our game. "We need more competition, new blood," said Marvin. "Your game improves when you play people with different styles." Richard still plays tennis and gives tennis lessons, but he likes to hone his table tennis skills because they improve his tennis game. "You can hit a lot more balls in table tennis because there's a shorter distance for the ball to reach you than in tennis," he said. More than anything else, one factor keeps us playing every week. Marvin summed it up best. "The main reason I play," he said, "is because it's fun."
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