Tag Archives: Sports

TAMUT Women’s Volleyball: Success on the Court

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On Friday October 25th the Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) women’s volleyball team went head-to-head with Louisiana Christian University (LCU). TAMUT went into the game sporting an 8-week win streak, so the stakes were high. In the days leading up to the game, schedules were full and preparations were underway.

The TAMUT women’s volleyball team has a finely tuned schedule on game weeks. “It’s a really good schedule for us. I think it gives them time for their bodies to relax and to recover but then also focus up on our next goal, on our next opponent,” said head coach Madeleine Halford.

The players use this prep time for team building and moral support. Team captain Mia Mata tries to be a supportive figure for her teammates on game weeks. “I try my best to support everyone as much as myself because I feel if I can’t support myself then I might not be able to support them,” said Mata.

The hard work and long hours put in by Coach Halford, Captain Mata, and the whole team paid off in Friday night’s game. TAMUT prevailed against LCU with a 3-0 win, advancing their win streak to 9 games.

While this is a big deal in the field of volleyball, some people may be unaware of the team’s ongoing success. “I didn’t even know this was going on. I’d love to go watch a game sometime,” said Texarkana local Suzanne Rogers. As the conference season nears its end, Coach Halford hopes to see some new faces in the stands. “Our last home game is November 1st. That’s our senior night. I would love for everyone to come out during our senior night and support our seniors,” she said.

The senior night game will take place at 6:00pm on Friday, November 1st. The game will be held at the Patterson Student Center on the TAMUT campus. Come show your support for the women’s volleyball team as they push towards their goal of winning the conference championship.

Axel Diaz: Fight for Life

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Axel Diaz

Axel Armando Diaz Juarez was born in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico on March 6th, 2002. The same year, his father left the country and entered the United States for work. In his father’s absence, Axel grew up with his Grandfather. Around age 10, Axel’s grandfather passed away, and the patriarchal duty fell upon his uncle. During this time, Axel found himself at the end of some disciplinary troubles. “I’m ashamed to say it…but I was the bully, always picking on other people, really bad grades, all that stuff.” His uncle, in looking after Axel, took him to his first Taekwondo class, “He was like,You wanna hit someone? Okay let’s go [To Taekwondo].-At least here, you’re not gonna get in trouble”. Influenced by his admiration for action heroes like Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jackie Chan, Axel discovered his fondness for martial arts. “Once I started training in Taekwondo, I was like, I can do that! I can do this! And I like it.” From then on, his training in the martial arts began to feel like home. 

In 2015, Axel joined his father in America, he referred to this as a “Complete culture shock.” He said, “I got here on a Saturday, then Sunday we went shopping for clothes because I didn’t bring anything, and then Monday I was in school.” Axel spent time with his father’s wife, Katy Diaz, who taught at Redwater Middle school where Axel attended. Being new to the country, Axel didn’t speak fluent English so he received help from two elementary teachers. “I feel like I learned more in those 6 months at Redwater because I didn’t have an option.” He continued, “Whenever I moved to Texas High and I had a lot more people to speak Spanish to, then it became a little more challenging to learn English.” It was here however where Axel met two inspiring teachers that introduced him to his favorite subject; History. “Its funny, whenever I was younger I used to hate history… Like, what’s the point? I don’t care what a person did back in the 1800’s.” He attributes his fondness to his teacher’s teaching styles, citing their passion for the subject and that, “They didn’t make it boring.”  

In his junior year of highschool, Axel was reintroduced to a local Taekwondo class. “The first time that I walked through those doors, it felt good, it felt like home.” Axel split his time between school, training, and working, eventually taking on a new position as an assistant instructor at his gym. “I went to work and it’d just tear my soul out, whenever I went to Taekwondo I realized I was really happy there.” Early on, he found it difficult to explain concepts like self defense to kids after seeing how different life was for them compared to his hometown. “How do you justify standing there getting hit, so that you can hit someone back?” He continued, “As much as I hate to say it I kind of grew up in a hostile environment… I kind of grew up knowing what it was like to get hit.” As he gained more experience, his love for teaching was truly realized. “Whenever I was helping the kids..teaching on my own, whole classes full of kids and I was like, you know what? I think I *can* convey my messages.” He continued,”If I wouldn’t have been in Taekwondo, I wouldn’t have come to the realization that I could teach.”

Now a second degree black belt, Axel has invested several years into his training and has garnered numerous awards and trophies, going so far as to win consecutive national titles for 2020 and 2021. Axel is currently working towards completing his education degree and teacher’s certification. He plans on becoming a social studies teacher, eventually moving into history and hopes to teach at the collegiate level. He continues to teach alongside Gary Jones at the East Texas Martial Arts in Wake Village.      

The Hustle of Broadcast Journalism

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“Networking, networking and networking!!!”

Photo courtesy 95.3 Jamz

For many people, success in the broadcast journalism career field happens at a rare chance, but for people like Brittanni Strambler, her hustle and networking takes her to the next level.

Brittanni Strambler is a Houston, Texas native who takes her hustle to heart. She is a TV host and radio personality heard on 95.3 Jamz. According to Brittanni, her job in the industry has allowed her to influence the lives of others around the local community. “The impact I have on a community and the responsibilities I hold through storytelling. Staying relevant can be stressful at times, especially when trying to engage millions of people”, she said “working in the industry has many pros that outweigh the cons.”

Broadcast media involves more than sitting behind a microphone and speaking. To get involved in this line of work, “You can never go wrong with a YouTube channel,” Strambler said. Finding mentors and reading about other success stories can also be a great way to gain knowledge on the industry.

“My mentor has definitely played a huge role in my success. He is the CEO of the station I currently work for and he listens in to every show and gives me negative/positive feedback,” Strambler said.

Photo courtesy 95.3 Jamz

Just recently Brittani and NFL player DeAndre Washington of the Oakland Raiders teamed up on D.Wash Foundation first annual Youth Football Camp at the Thurgood Marshall high school in Missouri,Texas. The event allowed for enhancement of young boys and girls lives to enable them to make a positive impact on the football field and in their community.

Experience and preparation for broadcast journalism comes by taking advantage of internships and mentors, networking, and getting involved with one’s campus radio and television station. Strambler believes the best way to get started with an entry-level position is by applying for positions within a media company and working one’s way up. Strambler said one’s schedule may vary because news, sports, politics, and entertainment change daily.

As a six-year veteran in the broadcast field, Strambler’s best advice for any newcomer is to “Build your network, stay relevant and don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

For more about Brittani, follow her on instagram @bri_media.

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.

A silent protest with a loud message

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Dallas Cowboys team and owner lock arms in moment of silent protest on Monday September 25. Photo from ESPN.

In 2016, Colin Kaepernick drew nationwide attention for not standing during the national anthem before games. His silent protest was against the oppression of people of color in light of events of police brutality. This form of protest has gained more attention since Sunday, when more players were shown with arms linked, kneeling on the field, sparking a debate over what the players are protesting and whether they should be able to protest at all.

On Monday September 25, the Dallas Cowboys team and its owner, Jerry Jones, linked arms and knelt on the field before the national anthem was played amidst jeers from the crowded arena. Jason Garret, Dallas Cowboys head coach, said in an interview with NFL Total Access they chose that moment to demonstrate for a reason.

“The biggest thing for us was to show support and to demonstrate, but do it in a way that didn’t involve the American flag and the national anthem, and everybody was behind that,” said Garret.

“The reason that I’m particularly proud of this team and the coaches that coached them, is because we all agreed that our players wanted to make a statement about unity and we wanted to make a statement about equality,” said Jerry Jones.

Jones is not the only owner to kneel with his team. Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons and Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins also kneeled with their teams. Donald Trump has spoken out against the NFL, urging for a rule that forces the players to stand for the anthem and sees kneeling as a sign of disrespect on the United States rather than a silent protest for social equality. He shared his opinion through a series of tweets.

Many Americans agreed with his statements. Taya Kyle, widow of ‘American Sniper’, Chris Kyle, shared her thoughts about the issue in a letter to the NFL on Facebook. In the letter, she claims the NFL’s job was to “bring people together and heal the world” and feels that their recent protests go against that.

“You are asking us to abandon what we loved about togetherness and make choices of division,” Kyle said.

While many Americans believe the protests are disrespectful to the country, others do not. There are many Americans that understand there is a meaning behind the protests, but feel the field is not the right platform.

Zane Watson, freshman, was on the fence about the issue.

“It’s their right as human beings to represent their opinions, but those opinions can reflect badly on the organization,” he said.

Cameron Frieden, University of Iowa student, does not believe the protests are disrespectful to veterans or the flag.

“These players make millions of dollars a year to play one game on Sunday, Monday, or Thursday. It’s a distraction to the sport of football. I think they should do it on their own time and not involve the game.”

“I personally don’t see why they shouldn’t be allowed to kneel. I also feel like if there are etiquette rules about the national anthem, they should consider that, too,” said Kayla Biegler.

Other Americans support the protests and feel the players are within their constitutional right to protest an injustice on the field.

Olivia Okoye, freshman, supports the players kneeling. “It’s their right to kneel. If they feel that they should do it, it’s their right.”

“I think they are standing as a team no matter what race they are because it affects all races. There are all races in the NFL,” said Arlena Lightsey, freshman.

Cassie Underwood, United States Army service member, believes the players have the right to kneel because they are using their right to a nonviolent protest.

“There are many people who don’t take off a hat or stand during the national anthem, but since the football players are televised, they are scrutinized for every movement they make.”

United States Navy service member, Kevin Marshall, agrees that the players should be allowed to kneel. However, he thinks the reason for it has changed.

“The protest is no longer about social injustice. Now it’s a protest against the President,” he said. “It started with protesting the social injustices that we as people of color face every day. Now, it’s more superficial with some protesting the cause mixed in with some showing unity after disrespect.”

United States Navy veteran, Willie Black, said, “Colin Kaepernick wanted to bring attention to racial inequality and police brutality toward African Americans. After Trump’s tweets this past weekend targeting the NFL, players, coaches, and managers and owners responded peacefully.”

Athletic Budgets

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Middle School Jeremiah Crawford. Abandoned by his father, lives with his grandmother who does the best she can, a detention regular who barely passed his classes. High School Jeremiah Crawford. Varsity athletics all three years, he doesn’t even know the definition of junior varsity. All State Football Player his sophomore year, all district basketball player, baseball player, track star, and B Honor Roll. Jeremiah Crawford. Currently a junior at Mineola High School, and one of the top 3A recruits for college football.

I am sure most of us have participated in some form of athletics during our lifetime. This could be anything from football, to tennis, to cross-country. I am also sure that sometime during your participation in this activity, you have heard someone say that too much money is invested in this area and that budgets should be cut.

Athletics is so much more than wearing cute uniforms and winning medals. High School athletics to Jeremiah is, and I quote, “My lifeline, probably kept me out of juvie.” Athletics is beneficial to school systems, and the budgets should most certainly not be cut. Athletics improves academics, students who participate tend to be healthier, and athletics teaches good morals.

 Our first benefit of athletics is that it improves academics. Now, wait a minute. Don’t sports take up a ton of time? The answer to this is yes. So, if sports take up time, wouldn’t that mean students have less time to focus on school? Yes, and no. A study done by the University of Missouri accessed April 2nd on MUhealth.org- talks about skill sets that are directly relevant to classwork. The study shows that sports require “memorization, repetition and learning. The determination and goal-setting skills sports require can be transferred to the classroom. “From this study we gather that the skills learned on the field and court can also be applied sitting at a desk. These skills help student athletes learn how to focus and, therefore, they can pay better attention in class and receive better grades. As you can see, even though time is taken up by these events, the quality of time spent on academics is actually enhanced.

Students who participate in athletics also tend to be healthier. We all know, obviously, that it helps decrease the amount of obesity. So that is not what we are going to cover. What you might not know is studies have shown that participating in physical activity prevents diseases.

According to the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Sport for Development accessed April 2, 2016 – “Physical activity… contributes to developing healthy bones and efficient heart and lung functions.” Athletics helps prevent chronic diseases including cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer, and depression.

We have seen how athletics improves academics and health, but one of the most important qualities to me, is that athletics teaches students good morals.  Athletic Director Joe Drennon from Mineola ISD has been coaching for more than 25 years. He said, “Athletics is a big part of a student’s life in the fact that it helps prepare them for the real world and teaches them how to earn their way everyday. That nothing is a given. It teaches them how to be thankful for their victories, and learn from their defeats.” After almost every sporting event fans observe both teams shaking hands and telling each other good job. This might not seem like a big deal, but one of those teams didn’t come out top. They had to learn how to accept their defeat and move forward. They had to learn how to improve so they could fix their mistakes and compete better the next time.

As you can see, athletics is more than just throwing a ball down a field or kids “looking cool” in jerseys. And according to the National Federation of State High School Associations accessed April 2, 2016 – “more than 7.6 million high school students, 55% of our student population, participates in athletics.” The funding going towards athletics provides for more than just sports. It provides an opportunity for students, some like Jeremiah, who would have otherwise taken a completely different path. He is on the fast track to college, whereas in middle school, he wanted nothing more than to drop out. Athletics provides classroom enhancement, health benefits, and good morals. So before you think about cutting athletic budgets at your local schools, remember the 7.6 million, remember the benefits, and remember Jeremiah.

Local Athletes Join NFL Teams

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Shelby Mustain

Dreams became reality for two Texarkana natives Saturday, April 27, 2013. University of Arkansas football players Cobi Hamilton and Dennis Johnson were welcomed to NFL franchises on the third day of the annual first year player draft.

Hamilton, a former multi sport star at Texas High School, was drafted in the fifth round, 197th overall, by the AFC North’s Cincinnati Bengals. Hamilton was a four year starter at wide receiver for the Razorbacks and holds the school record for single season receptions and receiving yards He was a 2012 All-SEC selection his senior season. Hamilton finished his college career with 175 receptions, 2,854 receiving yards, and 18 touchdowns.

Saturday, Hamilton took to Twitter to express his thankfulness to fans and his new team.

cobi hamilton

Former Arkansas High School running back Dennis Johnson, who helped lead the Hogs to back to back high school football state championships in 2006 and 2007, was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent, following the draft. Johnson ran for 2,036 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns in his four years at Arkansas. He missed most of the 2010 season after sustaining a bowel injury during a game against University of Louisiana-Monroe and saw limited action under interim head coach John L. Smith during the Razorbacks 2012 season.

Like Hamilton, Johnson chose the social networking site to voice his excitement in joining the Texans and learning from Houston’s current running back Arian Foster.

dennis johnson

 

College Football Playoff Details Announced

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Blaine Shores

The upcoming college football playoff system, which begins next season, now has a name. College Football Playoff.

Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Tex. won the bid for the first National Championship game under the four-team playoff format, just nine months after hosting the NCAA Final Four in March, 2014.

“We decided to call the playoff what it is — the College Football Playoff,” BCS Director Bill Hancock said. “We think the new playoff will be the most dynamic improvement to college football in a generation. Certainly, it’s what the fans want. We also invite everyone to vote online to select the logo and help us kick off the new College Football Playoff.”

The committee is expected to unveil the logo for the playoff next month, but there will not be a title sponsor attached to it.

“It won’t be ‘The Vizio Championship Tournament,'” Hancock said, alluding to the Rose Bowl title sponsor. “The Final Four doesn’t have one. The Masters doesn’t. The Super Bowl. That’s the kind of event we have.”

Hancock also added that the semifinals will maintain their original sponsors, explaining that it will be “something to the effect of” the College Football Semifinals at the Discover Orange Bowl.

The first set of semifinals in the rotation will be The Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena, Calif. and the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. These games will both be played on Jan. 1, 2015.

Other bowl semifinals in the 12 year rotation will be: the Orange, Fiesta, Chic-Fil-A, and Cotton Bowls.

The National Championship Game will be played on Jan. 12, 2015.

Amid Tragedy, Baseball Returns to Boston

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Shelby Mustain

Baseball resumed in Boston this weekend after the tragedy at Monday’s Boston Marathon.  The Red Sox returned to a full house at Fenway Park for a weekend series with the Kansas City Royals

“A lot of us are anxious to get back home, play in front of our crowd, and try to uplift the people of Boston,” Red Sox catcher David Ross said prior to last weekend’s series.

Patriots Day, a national holiday in the city of Boston, was marred by tragedy Monday when two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon resulting in three deaths.  The Red Sox returned home Friday from a series with the Cleveland Indians, anxious to get back on the diamond, however the opener of their weekend series was delayed due to the continued search for the bombing suspects.

Saturday’s game brought with it plenty of emotion as Neil Diamond flew in to lead the Red Sox crowd in a rendition of his hit song “ Sweet Caroline,” a tune that has become a staple during the eighth inning of Red Sox home games. Saturday afternoon also saw the return of slugger David Ortiz from the disabled list for his first game of the season.

“This past week, I don’t think there’s one human being who wasn’t affected by what was going on down here.” Ortiz said after the Red Sox 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon.

The Red Sox are currently in first place in the American League East standings and start a four game series with the Houston Astros this Thursday at Fenway Park.

photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/heylookitsam/3047535542/