SPORTS
STORM CENTER: Walker legacy remains
Last weekend in Nocona, the Ray Walker Coed Memorial Softball Tournament took place at the American Legion Sports Complex.
This marked the sixth annual Walker tournament, and it was a celebration of Ray’s life.
“The tournament started with friends in 2010, and we helped out,” Walker said.
Sherry Brown, Ray’s daughter, has continually been impressed with the outpouring of support for the event – and the Walker family.
“The community support means a lot,” Brown said. “We’ve come together to support dad, and that means the world to us.”
Walker grew up in Montague, and he valued hard work at such an early age.
Brown said Ray Walker shined shoes at the Montague County Courthouse, and that served as the start of his business savvy.
Walker also valued education, and he graduated from Nocona High School in 1965 where he concentrated on vocational and agricultural classes.
In 2001, Nocona surprised Ray with induction into the prestigious NHS Hall of Honor for his worldwide business success and military heroism – we’ll get into all that later in this writing.
Proceeds from the tournament benefit scholarships for Nocona and Prairie Valley High School seniors.
Brown estimated the tournament has raised about $50,000 in scholarships.
“It’s humbling,” she said. “We have a lot of sponsors who help out and give us donations.”
The money raised comes through tournament fees, T-shirt sales and a full concession stand.
Kenneth D. Jones won the home run hitting contest. Batters gave $10 for 10 swings.
Crown Royal took top honors and the Dino-Mites were second. Overall, Brown reported there were 11 teams in action. Read more in the weekend Bowie News.
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
Nocona’s Ray Walker, who died in 2010 while vacationing with his wife, Mary, in Oregon. Walker’s legacy is still felt in the community today. (Courtesy photo)
Bellevue’s girl’s basketball team led at halftime but a quick 9-0 Jacksboro run in the opening moments of the second half would prove the difference in a 28-25 Lady Eagle loss June 15 in a Nocona Summer League game.
Leading 12-9 at the half, Bellevue continued to shut down the inside game of the Tigerettes. Jacksboro switched tactics and began firing from outside. Three 3-pointers in the span of just under two minutes gave Jacksboro an 18-12 lead.
Bellevue kept things close, however, getting on the second half scoreboard with Mattie Broussard’s basket and free throws cutting the deficit to two, 18-16. A Haven Jones 3-pointer put the Lady Eagles up 19-18 midway through the second half.
The Tigerettes had just one 3 -pointer the rest of the way but got inside for a pair of buckets to take a 25-21 lead with 4:50 to go. Both offenses shut down late.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
Most school-age athletes start off playing everything. By the time they graduate, they whittle it down to just one or two.
New Bowie girl’s track and overall cross country coach Shawnda Childers is no exception. While at Iowa Park she competed in volleyball, cross country and track before cutting out volleyball and focusing on track and cross country to close out high school.
Childers did not stay with athletics while moving on to Midwestern State University, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s Degrees. After graduation, shestarted coaching in Electra. She came to Bowie for one year, then went back to her old stomping grounds in Iowa Park where she spent the next four years.
The return home also put her in contact with now-Bowie Coach Griffin Fields, who was a coach there at the time. From Iowa Park, she spent the next three years at City View.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
New Saint Jo Girl’s Basketball Coach Grant Gooch isn’t completely unfamiliar with the area.
“We went to Muenster quite a bit when I was a kid,” Gooch, who will be going into his 20th year as a coach, said. “We’d load up the cooler from the meat markets. It’s good to be back.”
Gooch worked with Saint Jo Athletic Director CJ Hantz when the pair were in Throckmorton. Gooch comes to town from Menard where he spent three years at the West Texas school.
Gooch says coaching and education kind of come naturally to him.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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