SPORTS

Local teams battle traditional Texas heat

Published

10 years ago

08/05/2014

On the University Interscholastic League website, there is an entire page dedicated to heat stress and athletic participation.
Face it. Practicing in the early August Texas heat can be unbearable, and that’s forced local high schools to establish protocols and move practices to the early morning.
“We have an emergency response plan in place,” Bowie head football coach/athletic director Dylan Stark said.
One coach performs cardiopulmonary resuscitation, with another assistant. Another coach calls 9-1-1, and yet another directs emergency response personnel. There’s also one coach responsible for using the defibrillator, a device used to treat abnormal heart rhythm.
The Bowie Independent School District has a working agreement with Bowie Memorial Hospital to provide support personnel.
Director of Rehabilitation John Gwilliam serves as an athletic trainer on the sideline at football games, along with fellow staff members Amanda Thompson and Krystal Montgomery.
“I think the coaches do a good job of getting the kids used to the heat and humidity,” Gwilliam said.
There are plenty of hydration options – water, Pedialyte with sodium and Gatorade. Gwilliam recommends if Gatorade is consumed to dilute it with water.
One thing is for sure, it’s not a good idea for an athlete to have energy drinks before a training session.
“Coaches are adamant about it,” Gwilliam said. “It can have a detrimental effect (on your body).”
Gwilliam reported using energy drinks can quickly dehydrate the body and make kidneys work harder than they need to.
In fact, Gwilliam remembers an incident last decade in which an unspecified Bowie football player consumed an energy drink before a game, and he severely cramped up during the third quarter.
“We had to use an IV on the sideline,” he said. “We were close to taking him to the emergency room.”
Even if you don’t feel thirsty, Gwilliam recommends athletes hydrate every 30 minutes. Get essential vitamins and minerals by eating fruits and vegetables as well as lean protein. Read more in the mid-week edition of The Bowie News.

Bowie players stretch during one of the many water breaks during practice on Monday at Jackrabbit Stadium. At left is trainer Logan McMurray. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)

SPORTS

Firecracker 5K welcomes 100 runners on July 4th

Published

3 days ago

07/13/2024

bowienews

Saint Jo’s Firecracker 5K welcomed 100 runners for its 16th year on July 4th.
According to runsignup.com, Old Jo’s Firecracker 5K saw 100 runners of all ages register to kick off in downtown Saint Jo.
Brayden Willett, 14, Nocona, was the top male finisher with a time of 19:02.6. Sarah Rainey, 35, Saint Jo, was the top female finisher with 21:47.1.
In the male nine and under division, I. Miller, nine, Muenster, repeated his first place win from 2023 with at time of 34:52.8. E. Thomas, eight, no town listed, also repeated her win with a time of 31:58.5.
Emry Raney-Cavnar, 14, Ardmore, OK, won the male 10-14 group and E. Christensen, 11, Decatur, took the female race. In the male 15-19 division Luke Gehrig, 17, Muenster, won, while Sophia Christensen, 15, Decatur, took the ladies’ title.

See all the results and more photos in the weekend Bowie News.

Special appreciation to Jennifer Gaston Panther Photography for use of her photos.

Brayden Willett, 14, Nocona, was the top male finisher in the Firecracker 5K.

Sarah Rainey, 35, Saint Jo, came in as the top female finisher in the Firecracker 5K.

SPORTS

MLB All Star Week underway Metroplex

Published

3 days ago

07/13/2024

bowienews

Major League Baseball and the Texas Rangers have planned a full week of activities for 2024 All-Star Week taking place in Arlington, Fort Worth and the North Texas region from July 12-16.
The 94th Midsummer Classic will be played at Globe Life Field on July 16, marking the second All-Star Game to be hosted by the Rangers following the 1995 All-Star Game at The Ballpark in Arlington.
HBCU Swingman Classic: July 12
All-Star Commissioner’s Cup: July 12- July 15
Jennie Finch Classic: July 12-15.
All-Star Village: July 13-16
All-Star Futures Game: July 13
All-Star Celebrity Softball: July 13
MLB Draft Opening Night: July 14
Home Run Derby: July 15
All-Star Red Carpet Show:July 16
MLB All-Star Game presented: July 16

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.

SPORTS

Bullfighter starts early training for his future dream job

Published

6 days ago

07/10/2024

bowienews

By JORDAN NEAL
[email protected]
When most young kids get into rodeo, the craziest ones might be lucky enough to ride small bucking horses and maybe bulls in their late teens.
Then there is 12-year-old Riggin Garrett, who is already pursuing what he hopes is his future career as a bullfighter. It is a dream he began trying out several years ago at rodeos in and around this county.
This is not the Spanish variation of bullfighting where they end up killing the bull, this is “freestyle bullfighting” which is more popular in America. Here bullfighters attempt to make the bull look a fool, using their athleticism to barely dodge them, put their hats on their heads, leap over them and sometimes use a barrel as a prop. They also work as protection for the cowboys during the bull riding to help save bucked off riders.
In competition, both the bullfighter and the bull are judged after a 60-70 second encounter with points scored due to the various maneuvers pulled off.
Garrett is the son of Keysha Avens and Shane Garrett, and will be going into seventh grade at Saint Jo. As long as he can remember, Garrett has always been interested in bullfighting.

Read the full feature in the mid-week Bowie News.

Top Photo by J. Kelley Photography.

CORRECTION – In the mid-week Bowie News, the photographer for the picture on the top of page 1B was misidentified. The photo came from J. Kelley Photography, not Andre Silva as stated. We apologize for this error.