Varsity Kansas - The Blog

by joanna

I ask this question because this is what I’m faced with when it comes to the Olympics. Do I want to know how Jeremy Wariner did in the 400 now — it just happened — or do I want to wait until I’ll see it, via tape-delay on NBC?

I want to see it via tape delay. I admit. I think I’m one of the weird ones. I do. I think most people are heading to the internet to check out the results when they happen. I understand that.

It happened yesterday when I heard my co-workers talking about Usain Bolt winning the 200 and in what time. I was fuming inside — knowing that I was wrong to be fuming. It’s just like, if you tape The Office but don’t watch it before the next morning, can  you really ask that other people don’t talk about it? No. (I’m a very introspective person, thus I realize, most of the time, when I’m wrong.)

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by joanna

I love the Olympics. I’m working the next two nights on our copy desk, but I can tell you that the TV there will be on the Olympics (it better be anyway.) I’ll be watching the opening ceremonies tonight, I’ll have the TV on tomorrow morning to check out whatever sport is on NBC.

Will you be watching? What sport do you want to see? What’s your favorite Olympics memory?

One of my favorite memories is watching Muhammad Ali be the final torch carrier in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. That brought me to tears. I’m not afraid to admit it.

I can’t wait for track, volleyball, basketball and swimming. But I’ll watch anything.

Your thoughts?

by joanna

I know when I saw this, I wondered where the heck this school had suddenly appeared from. Goodness knows there’s always a school closing, combining or opening. Remember just a couple years ago when St. James Academy in Lenexa came on the scene.

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by joanna

Matt Byers finished second in the javelin at the USA Junior Track and Field Championships today in Columbus, Ohio, throwing 218-2. He had the lead until Arkansas’ Luke Laird threw 219-8. Byers and Laird qualified for the World Junior championships in Poland.

I talked to Byers tonight and we talked a bit about state. That’s when he broke the 6A javelin record with a throw of 219-8, only to see Shawnee Mission South sophomore Johannes Swanepoel go 221-2. Byers said he sat there tonight and told an official that he did not want to see that happen again. But it did.

“I was just sitting there, kind of praying, and I told one of the officials, ‘I hope he doesn’t beat me. I’m not about to let this happen again.’ I was happy, though. I was the youngest one there, I’m pretty sure. The rest, pretty much, were college kids.”

Byers’ showing was especially gratifying because he’d strained ligaments around his ribs at state and didn’t throw hard until Sunday at WSU.

“I threw maybe two hard ones and I threw 200 both times. I told my dad that I’d be good to go. Then yesterday I threw one hard one and went 213, so I told him I’d be ready.”

Byers won’t be going to Poland, though. Since he didn’t even know until this week that he’d be going to Ohio, he didn’t get a passport, which he needed by today.  He wants to compete in the Junior Olympics next month in Nebraska.

Was checking out my old employer and I saw that Jack Porter of Blackman high school won the Class AAA (highest public school class in Tennessee) 110-meter hurdles with the best time in the state, this season, 14.6.

Just thought I’d pass since they said he’s from Kansas.

By J. Long

Tonganoxie senior Roxi Grizzle was named the 2007-08 Gatorade Kansas Girls Track & Field Athlete of the year.

No disrespect to Grizzle who won the Class 4A javelin event setting a meet record at 165 feet, 5 inches which was the fourth best throw in the nation at that time. However, when I think track athlete of the year I think of someone who dominated in more than one event. Maybe someone who competed in several events to help her team compete for a team title.

But that’s just me. So who do you think should have got it?

by joanna

With Goddard’s loss in the 6A baseball final on Sunday, it officially ended the 2007-08 school year and sports season. Unblievable, huh?

There were a lot of great moments throughout this year, a whole lot of success in the Wichita area in all the sports, whether it was football and basketball or bowling. We compiled a nice wrap-up page in sports with pictures, a list of team champions and some quotes.  

There were so many high moments — Andover Central girls going undefeated and winning the 4A basketball title, Southeast winning the 6A title, Trinity winning the 3A boys title. Andale, Garden Plain and Hutchinson all won in football and Bishop Carroll got to the championship game in 5A football but made a bigger statement in my mind of suspending some key kids for the game because they broke team rules. That says so much about that administration.

There were some down moments, such as West struggling in all sports, Goddard girls losing in the championship game of 6A basketball, the Wichita area only coming away with one title — Andale-Garden Plain softball — outside of track this weekend.

The saddest things were the deaths — Ed Kriwiel, Hanston’s Jerry Slaton, Stan Pulliam.

East’s Arthur Brown committed to Miami and then graduated early to get started. Northwest’s Chris Harper committed to K-State, took it back, committed to Oregon and then graduated early to get started out there as a quarterback. East’s Bryce Brown has committed to Miami, too.

The Wichita area has shown itself to be a hotbed for girls basketball and baseball this past year (not that it’s the first).

So there were a lot of high points and some low points. While Wichita area didn’t come away with as many titles as it would have liked to this weekend, many teams put themselves in the position to win — Goddard baseball, Carroll softball, Kapaun baseball, Andale-Garden Plain baseball and softball, Kapaun soccer, Maize soccer, Independent baseball and softball, Udall softball. That’s impressive

Overall it was a great year.

Now tell me your memories — good and bad.

by joanna

Right now Andover and Andale are posing for the Class 4A team title photo, being that they tied. That was a pretty cool finish, with Andover’s Ryan Haswell winning the 300 hurdles to take the lead in 4A, then Ethan Ungles of Andale coming back with a winning 200 meters to tie it for good.

A weird little finish to the 1600 relay in 6A boys. I’m sitting up here in the press box waiting to see if an area team wins so I can make it a small item in my track notes. But I don’t see Heights. Turns out that Heights didn’t write down all six runners for the relay (4 plus the two alternates), so they didn’t let the team run. Seems a little weird there.

I was impressed with Bonner Springs’ Walker twins today. Jeremy won the 100, Jonathan won the 110 hurdles and Jeremy finished second, both were on the winning 400 relay team and Jonathan won the 200.

Overall it was a good day. The meet moved quickly, quicker than usual. Yay for us. The events were exciting — especially the 400 boys and girls 6A relays.

There were multiple winners, and a whole lot of action. And pretty much everything will finish up today — except 6A baseball, which for some reason won’t play its championship until Saturday. That stinks.

Did you see someone you were impressed with? A team or individual? Feel free to post it here. Track, baseball, softball or soccer. I do not care.

If you’re feeling sad because Kapaun and Maize both lost in the soccer championship games, understood. If you’re happy that the Andale/Garden Plain softball team won, let us know.

by joanna

I know I’m going to take heat for writing about another favorite athlete, which will only solidify my viewpoint that people prefer you to hate on someone rather than praise someone. Go figure.

Anyway, my new favorite is Andale’s Brett Moeder. At the state track meet, you rely on a lot on athletes. They help you find other athletes, teammates or not. They’re primarily the ones you interview because the coaches are somewhere in the stands.

Today I spent time talking to Moeder, who was a part of Andale’s winning 400  relay team. He talked so fondly of his friend, Ethan Ungles, who won the 100, the 200 and anchored the 400 relay. He smiled the whole time. And when I needed to find coach Greg Smarsh to talk about Andale tying for the team title, he walked me to where he thought Smarsh was. When he wasn’t there, Moeder passed my phone number on to his coach.

Maybe you think this isn’t that big of a deal, but think about it. When was the last time someone did something truly thoughtful for you — without them somehow getting something for it? This is obviously a nice kid. A good quote, too.

by joanna

Yep, it’s true. The state track meet is running a bit ahead of schedule (can’t tell you how happy that makes me). Yes, there’s still plenty of time left, plenty of races — we’re finishing the 800 boys and then we have the 200 and the 4 by 4.

You can tell everyone’s pretty tired, though. I saw three kids clad in red sweat pants and hoodies asleep face down in the grass. There’s lots of milling around, but there’s a lot of smiles. Hey, when you win, you should smile.