Category Archives: Sports

Riding the Athletics Bus to OK

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Does a two day trip to Oklahoma with over forty of Texas A&M Texarkana’s soccer players sound like a good time? There’s WiFi on the chartered bus. There are plug outlets every other row of seats. There’s even a bathroom in the back, a nice little closet with a toilet that does not flush located right behind the men’s team! If you’ve never been on one of these away-game-trips, buckle up. You’re on one now. 

Walters carries the ball up the field against SCU. Photo by: Suzanna Summerlin

Madison Walters began her journey at TAMUT in August of 2016 at her first preseason training camp for the Women’s Soccer team. Since then, she’s grown as a student athlete and been named team captain. We’ll be following Walters on her last preseason away trip of her career to play against Southwestern Christian University and Oklahoma City University.  

Rise and shine! It’s 5:30 A.M. and it’s time to get moving. Walters is on the chartered bus surrounded by her teammates by 6 A.M. Everyone quickly dozes off to sleep after the team prayer and the 6 hour drive began. “My whole body hurts,” Walters commented during the pit stop the bus took at the halfway point of the journey as she stretched her legs. The bus made a brief stop for lunch before heading to the field so the women’s team could begin to warm up. 

After a 3-1 win against SCU, Walters was exhausted, playing the full 90 minutes. She changed into clean, dry, clothes and sat with her team to watch the TAMUT men’s team win 2-1 in overtime. The bus smelled of sweaty trash as both stinky teams piled onboard to head to the hotel. Walters was dead asleep by 10 P.M. after the teams ate a feast at Golden Corral.

The next morning the hotel lobby was packed with soccer players as they ate breakfast before loading the bus at 10:30 A.M. The teams were eager to play as they arrived to the OCU field around noon. Walters was frustrated after the women lost 2-1 in overtime. She led the team towards the locker rooms to shower off before watching the men’s team battle it out on the field. 

Photo by: Suzanna Summerlin

After two frustrating loses against OCU, the bus loaded up with freshly showered athletes and began the 6 hour trek home. A hectic pit stop at Chick-fil-a was made for dinner– restaurants usually struggle to handle the soccer program and their large appetites. “I want to be home already,” Walters said as she opened up her laptop to begin a Kinesiology test; putting in earphones to drown out the noisey men’s team. The bus arrived safely to campus around 1 A.M. and the bus unloaded quietly as everyone headed their separate ways. 

Just like that, Walters’ last preseason away trip was over. “Next week is going to be brutal,” Walters sighed as she looked over the soccer schedule. The women’s team has a week off from games before conference play starts and they’ll put in work until it’s time to load the bus again.

Coach Dobbs Talks Basketball

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The student body at Texas A&M University – Texarkana have had an exciting 2019 as the Patterson Student Center opened with a beautiful basketball court, a gym filled with new equipment, a game room, fitness room, trainer’s office, and classrooms. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this new building is the opportunity is has brought to student athletics. TAMUT has welcomed men’s and women’s basketball teams to the sports offered at the university. Women’s Basketball Coach Kevin Dobbs was excited to share how he feels about his inaugural team starting.

Coach Dobbs has 12 seasons of college head coaching experience and was previously  head coach at University of the Southwest, another team in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC), for three seasons. Coach Dobbs is confident heading into our inaugural women’s season due to his knowledge of the RRAC and its playing style, talent, venues, traditions, and what is needed to compete.

Coach Dobbs predicts there will be about 20 women on the roster, recruiting primarily  throughout Texas with some from Arkansas and Oklahoma. However, he is not limited to these states, “If a young lady can make three pointers in bunches, I will go to Antarctica to sign her,” Dobbs said.

As our campus gets excited for what’s to come in the Athletic department, Coach Dobbs agrees he is most eager to train and develop these young women as athletes who represent the school proudly. Get ready to cheer on our new basketball team this semester, because from the sound of it, they’re going to be ready to compete.

Open Your Ears: Poet Joy Ladin visits Tamut

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** IN CASE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER, REFER TO THE A&M TEXARKANA WEBSITE OR CONTACT CORRINE HINTON AT CHINTON@TAMUT.EDU ** Image result for joy ladin

A&M-Texarkana will be hosing a worship for poets, aspiring authors, and lovers of literature! Both the workshop and reading will take place on Thursday, May 9th. The workshop will be at 5:30-7 p.m. in University Center room 230, followed by a reading from 7:30-9 p.m. in UC 217.

Joy Ladin is an American poet and the David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. She is the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution. Joy Ladin is an American poet and the David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. She is the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution.

In 2013, Ladin published a series of poems formed entirely from words and phrases found in popular women’s magazines. These poems, such as “Ready To Know,” link both trans women and cis women’s experiences of gender to the “commodity capitalist engine of the production of femininity.” This work emerged when Ladin gave herself a “writing assignment” to creatively engage with the “how-to” rhetoric of mainstream femininity.

“I am a teacher, widely published essayist and poet, literary scholar, and nationally known speaker on transgender issues” Ladin says. Ladin has given invited talks and readings at many universities and colleges such as Harvard and Smith College. After this Thursday, A&M University of Texarkana can be added to the list.

TAMUT’s Annual Mud Volleyball Tournament

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Campus Rec hosts a variety of intramural sports a year; dodgeball, ultimate frisbee, basketball, and more. While the diverse selection of sports keeps students engaged year-round there is one event that only occurs once a school year: mud volleyball. At the beginning of May, right before finals hit students, Campus Rec hosts two loss elimination mud volleyball tournaments with female, male, and coed leagues. Everyone is fighting for the championship– a championship t-shirt to be specific.

Intramural referees smile during the gloomy first match

At 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 4th, you could find two women’s volleyball teams, three intramural refs, and a cooler of water and snacks camped out behind the Judy Kelly Morgan Soccer field. All year an old tattered volleyball net held up by cemented tires waits for The Pit to be cleaned out and watered. The weekend before a handful of Campus Rec employees spent their Saturday ridding The Pit of rocks, garden snakes, and tall weeds before allowing a hose to fill the trench with muddy water.

From 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. teams were splashing around in The Pit battling for a t-shirt. The day began gloomy with dark clouds and a constant mist, but the women’s bracket played on. By noon the men’s bracket had warmer weather as students began to gather around to watch the tournament and cheer on friends. By the time coed play began everyone was taking turns applying sunscreen and jumping into the cool brown water for relief from the sun. Referee Madison Walters commented, “I wish we could play mud volleyball more often, but it’s such a hassle to get The Pit ready…” She continued to reapply sunscreen regularly explaining that last year she got a sunburn at the tournament so bad it hurt to wear t-shirts for days.

The Pit was constantly filled with laughter as teams splashed about in front of a small audience of supportive friends. Three teams went home with a championship t-shirt, but everyone left with muddy feet. We’ll see you next spring, The Pit.

NBA Playoffs Second Round

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The NBA playoffs are in full effect as we head into the second round this upcoming week. The series set are the Milwaukee Bucks vs. The Boston Celtics and The Toronto Raptors vs. The Philadelphia 76’ers in the east. In the west we have the Golden State Warriors vs. The Houston Rockets and The Denver Nuggets vs. The Portland Trail Blazers.

The Milwaukee Bucks finished the first seed in the east and had the best record in the NBA. They have been led by Giannis Antetokounmpo who has been nicknamed the ‘Greek Freak’ after this MVP caliber season. The Celtics finished in the fourth seed and has had a shaky season but has been led by all-star point guard Kyrie Irving. This will definitely be a series that will determine the rest of the playoffs.

The Toronto Raptors finished in the second seed and have had an impressive season by the new dynamic duo of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam. Halfway through the season The Philadelphia 76’ers added three key players to their team and have become a super team of themselves finishing in the third seed. After years of anticipation could this be the season that big man Joel Embiid’s ‘ Process’ gets fulfilled? This will definitely be a good series that will most likely go to seventh game to determine the winner.

The defending Golden State Warriors to no one’s surprise finished the first seed in the west. Nothing much to say here considering they have been the best team in the NBA for a couple of seasons now. The Houston Rockets finished in the fourth seed getting carried by Shooting Guard James Harden’s MVP historic season. This series happened every year with the GSW beating the rockets in Game 7, but this year with Harden playing the way he is the GSW might have a run for their money.

The Denver Nuggets finished the second seed on only what I can say is a season full of luck. I say this considering they have not been a playoff contending team since 2012. They do have a good cast of players but the true test of game will come in crunch time of this series. The Portland Trailblazers finished the third seed and are coming off an amazing series win to the Oklahoma Thunder. With this momentum around them and the new found hype with this team it feels they might be unstoppable. This series will also determine the rest of playoffs to come.

 

TAMUT Took on Dodgeball

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Texas A&M University Texarkana has over forty organizations on campus to keep students engaged and active in the community. Intramural sports is an extremely active organization, hosted by Campus Recreation, which holds weekly sports, games, and activities. For a few weeks this semester, the campus was covered in advertisements encouraging students to sign up for an intramural dodgeball team. Games were held from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the Patterson Student Center with a variety of teams formed by students, faculty, athletes, Greek life, and other clubs.

The dodgeball games came to a close in mid February, the last night consisting of a championship tournament with ten games, back to back. Each game required two referees to monitor the ten people on the court and two ball retreivors. The gymnasium, where the games took place, was lively with laughter, music, competitive banter, and a few screams as balls were thrown across the court at opponents.

Time keeper Madison Walters commented on the games, “it’s pretty funny, boys take this so seriously while most of the girls have no idea what’s happening.” She continued to laugh about other intramural events, “you should have seen intramural basketball…that was so bad!” Walters went on to say they were surprised by the number of participants for this sport. Usually they struggle to fill out teams, but dodgeball had about ten games a night.

The center referee, Ellie Kemins, was getting visibly upset by some of the participants. This was the first year TAMUT hosted a dodgeball league in the new gymnasium and there were a few hiccups throughout the night. Kemins commented, “it’s just a game! We need to adjust a few of the rules so this goes smoother next year…a holding limit, no talking to the officials…” Intramural officials looked tired as they chased balls for the players and kept everyone accountable on the court.

While the event lasted for three hours the pace never slowed down. One game started as soon as the previous finished with students lining up for their turn to play. The dodgeball league was a success from all the looks of tired smiling faces as they enjoyed their time with friends. There is a first for everything, and although some hiccups occurred, it was a lively event.

Lady Eagles Prep for the Diamond

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Led by head coach Marie Stone, TAMUT Lady Eagles will be beginning their softball season February 1st, 2019.

Picture Courtesy of TAMUT Eagle Athletics

Marie Stone comes to A&M Texarkana from Murray State College in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. A native of Pittsburg, Texas, Coach Stone has earned her bachelors degree in Exercise Science at Texas Wesleyan University and a Master in Sports Administration from Texas Woman’s University.  In 2010, Coach Stone started the softball program at Our Lady of the Lake University, a member of the Red River Athletics Conference in San Antonio, Texas. In 2013 Coach Stone became head coach of the Murry State softball team. Under the leadership of Coach Stone, the Lady Aggies won NJCAA Regionals in each of the last three seasons. During the 2015 season, the team received numerous honors and was ranked 17th nationally by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) for team grade-point average. In the 2016 season the Lady Aggies set single-season team records for total runs scored (218), home runs (26), stolen bases (45), hits (384), and highest batting average (.325). Coach Stone is entering her second season here at Texarkana A&M along with her assistant coach Jordan Gabriel. Coach Gabriel is in her second season and an alum of West Virginia Tech.

Picture Courtesy of TAMUT Eagle Athletics

The 2019 Lady Eagle softball roster consists of two freshman, Lauren Huff (22) and Lauren Hensley (13), three sophomores Mackayla Rameriz (2), Jaden Lance (25) and Gracelyn Spring (26), five juniors, Hannah Adams (1), Baylee Taylor (6), Morgan Bullock (11), Lauren Bierschenk (19), and Jordyn Logan (23). Tamut completes the roster with seven seniors, Kacey Maines (7), Cassie Vasquez (8), Ashley Nipper (10), Kallee King (14), Kayla Mahan (18), Hannah Cooper (24) and Kallee Wilkins (27).

To download the lady Eagle softball schedule or for more sports update on the team please click here.

School Tennis Team Soars

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Things are looking up for the Texas A&M Men’s Tennis Team, led by head coach Jim Turley. For the first time, in the team’s third season, they have a winning record, 7-4 . Of fourteen players on the A&M Texarkana team, ten are from Texas. Coach Turley has done a good job of recruiting locally. The A&M Texarkana Tennis Team is an NAIA athletic program and competes in the Red River Athletic Conference.

Matt Teeters, used by permission.

After practicing four days a week, morning workouts, and traveling on the weekends, the members of the tennis team have to find a way to balance tennis and school.
“You just have to find a way to make time, put in work at practice, and then go hit the books” says Matt Teeters, a junior on the team. The tennis team spends around 20 hours a week between practice, workouts, and traveling. With a spring and fall season, tennis is a year-round sport that can become quite time consuming. Being part of a college tennis team requires a lot of dedication.

The A&M Texarkana Tennis team members get along with one another very well. They are a close-knit group of not just teammates, but also friends off the court. The whole team is supportive of one another and motivate and cheer each other on well during matches.

“I definitely think winning this season made the biggest difference within the team this year. Winning changes it and, and makes it so much more fun” Teeters said. There is a different feel to the A&M Texarkana Men’s Tennis Team this year, and it is all due to the success on the court.

While the Tennis team here at A&M Texarkana had a couple of rough seasons to start, they are now starting to show a promising future. With the whole team returning next year, along with new recruits, A&M Texarkana is excited for what the future holds for the Eagle’s Tennis Team.

Syria Dilemma

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The war in Syria has been an ongoing issue for six years complicated by the third party involvement of the terrorist group IS; better known as the Islamic State. Syrian civilians are struggling to continue their everyday lives between the fighting of three different armed forces, each with a goal of its own. Although I believe the country would be better off without Bashar Al-Assad as president and my morality is tested by hearing of the unfair impact the Syrian Civil War has left on its citizens, I do not think we should get involved in such an entangling war.

This ongoing conflict was started by the controversy of a thirteen year old boy spray painting a slanderous message about the government regime under Bashar Al-Assad. The young boy was apprehended, tortured, and killed by Al-Assad’s forces, actions greatly displeasing the citizens in Syria. Civil protests soon followed but were countered by government and military interventions. Many factions formed to fight against the “corrupt” Syrian government as a result of forceful oppression from Al-Assad. Today many of these have converged into the Syrian Opposition, Ahrar al-sham, Tahrir al-sham, CJTF-OIR, and the Rojava, the latter two supported by the United States and other participating countries in the United Nations.

Photo Credits The National

The more complicated aspect of the fighting between the government and the rebel forces is a third force also trying to gain control of the region; the Islamic State. The Islamic State is a terrorist group well known throughout the Middle East for radical ideology and brute force. Because of the already weakened state of Syria the IS were able to gain land and power and become a strong belligerent. The United States already has a long history with this radical terrorist group.

Our ongoing involvement in other Middle Eastern affairs, such as the constant battle against radical Islamist terrorism of groups like IS, has cost the United States in money and American troops. It is hard to imagine all of that sacrifice to protect and preserve innocent people involved must be for “nothing” if we do not follow through, but it just might be an answer to the never-ending economic stress that comes with being a global morality monitor.

Photo Credits to The Daily News Hungary

If a “one-or-the-other” approach must be taken then it is more economically feasible for the United States to set aside its steadfast promise to uphold a certain global morality, and focus on self-defense and self-preservation. However, if a healthy middle were needed to be obtained then my suggestion is that we carry out our agenda with the radical Islamic State that has begun to overrun Syrian lands, and then to respectfully allow the Syrian citizens and its government to reach an agreement with the facilitation of members of the United nations that are closer to the conflict and more heavily involved.

Bravo’s Top Chef, Carla Hall Leads TAMUT With Love

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Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. Members of the National Society of Leadership and Success sign in before famous Top Chef, Carla Hall’s “Leading With Love” live-stream in Eagle Hall 6 p.m. Tuesday night.

Bravo’s Top Chef, Carla Hall leads the National Society Leadership and Success (NSLS) organization with love through a live-stream leadership conference yesterday evening October 23 at 6 p.m. in Eagle Hall.  Hall’s tough, tedious experiences taught the united NSLS members the importance of following their passions, learning from failures and resilience, and leading with values and integrity within Eagle Hall’s conference room 6pm Tuesday night, October 23rd.

“If you feel frustration about something that happens to you, that frustration is about the teacher coming to you to teach you that thing. When all of those things happened to me at The Chew, it wasn’t about them, it was about getting me frustrated enough, so I could move from that”, said Hall.

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. National Society of Leadership and Success’ Founding President Philip Deuroen takes notes during famous chef Carla Hall’s live-stream.

The students took notes regarding accountability and self-diagnosis. “All this blame and not taking responsibility, you can play that game, but you’re going to delay your gifts and delay your lessons. If you are frustrated, then that’s your lesson. If you’re indifferent about what’s happening with someone else, you can just look and support them, while they’re going through it, but it’s not your lesson, it’s their lesson”, said Hall.
Upon learning Hall’s method of leadership, attending member Matthew Edwards and staff member Phillip Barnes discussed their definition of a leader. “To be a leader, be willing to listen to other ideas and not force your own ideas, be cooperative. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, said Edwards. “Communication and empathy. It’s one of the coessential roles a leader should have. It shouldn’t be just working with different people of all shapes and sizes, you should understand where people are from. At one point, you will be always that’s under someone person and a leader. It takes a person that has round-about thinking pairing to understand everyone and working together to similar goal. Empathy is the goal”, said Barnes.

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. A Carla Hall poster lies on the National Society of Leadership and Success’s sign-in table.

The famous chef coincided her personal experiences with Barnes’ statement. “When I hired people at the restaurant, I wanted to teach young people work ethic, which is why I hired older people. I want this older woman to yank this kid up and be like look dude okay. Sometimes, it’s leading by example. Other people just don’t see it. You can not be a lesser than you. Nobody wants a lesser than you. Nobody wants an earnest, overly-righteous, pointing the finger, because what you don’t realize is by doing what you do other people are watching. They will flow with you or leave you”, said Hall.

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. Members of the National Society of Leadership and Success communicate briefly before Carla Hall’s live-stream leadership conference.

She also described the importance of teamwork during her hard-core, Top Chef competitive days. “When you’re in a competition, and it seems cut-throat and everybody’s trying to win, for me it was about doing me, and being true to myself and others, and helping others. If I am running away to get er done and I see somebody fall, I’m going to go back and get that person, because you don’t win by yourself. Top Chef was that thing, it was hard and it was a little bit of bullying. I learned you just have to say no.”

Photo Credit, Tiffany Brown. Founding NSLS chapter President Philip Deureon speaks positive messages toward the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Founding NSLS chapter President Philip Derouen and Phillip Barnes believe Hall’s advice will equip the organization to become future better leaders in their organizations. “She will give our members a live-stream about leadership, women’s foundation, and teach our members leadership and how they can use that in the real world”, said Founding President, Philip Derouen. “It will be another series of various speakers that exemplifies leadership and will intern inspire the ones in the room to grow and build upon those aforementioned leadership traits they carry”, said Phillip Barnes.

Besides being active, having boundaries, and achieving your goals, Deroeun states a necessity every leader should have. “For me your mindset effects everything, so if you have a positive mindset, you can accomplish anything that you want. That’s what I want to give all my members apart of this society.

During the live-streamed, Q/A session, Hall touched similar topics regarding the right attitude. “God goes before me making smooth, easy and clears my way. No person, place or thing or outside condition can affect me. I am powerful, worthy, free, creative, unique, confident, and so it is. I say that every morning”, said Hall.