SPORTS
STORM CENTER: Guard your face in softball
Never has the sports editor seen a more polarizing issue than softball players wearing face guards.
As with everything, there are pros and cons, and whether to wear a face guard is currently a hot-button issue.
Nocona High School softball player Jessica Vogel wears a mask at the insistence of her mother, Jennifer.
“It’s not for pitchers,” Vogel said. “Pitchers are just 43 feet from home plate, and batters are hitting the ball as hard as they can.”
One reason why Jessica Vogel wears a face guard is because of dental surgery, she is on her second set of braces.
“She started wearing it when she started pitching junior varsity,” Jennifer Vogel said.
Other Nocona players wear the face guard, including Jordan Dingler and Laci Stone, who will be an incoming freshman on the Lady Indian squad.
“She started (to wear it) during summer league this year,” said Chelsi Stone, Laci’s mother. “Last year, she started having seizures, and we still aren’t sure exactly what is causing them.
“But, anything to help at all to help protect her face and head is a plus for us,” Chelsi continued. “We are also about spend a lot of money on braces, and we don’t want anything happening to those.”
Stone will serve as a back-up pitcher for Vogel this season.
The sports editor isn’t the only member of the media talking about this issue, either.
A select travel ball player named Nanas Limon from Georgetown was recently hit square in the face during a recent game.
“It was the championship game,” Limon reported to Fox 7 based in Austin. “I think it was the third inning. The first batter, she actually hit a line drive right at me. I stopped it with my glove, and got her out.
“You know the next thing I was going to get my mask, that’s too close,” Limon continued. “And the next batter hit it right at me.”
Bowie High School head coach Brant Farris chimed in on the use of face guards.
“I think the days are numbered for pitchers having the choice to wear one or not,” the coach commented. “I think the University Interscholastic League will make it mandatory for pitchers.” Read more from this column in the July 1 Bowie News.
Editor’s Note: The Storm Center column is the expressed written views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not The Bowie News.
One of the dilemmas facing the game of softball today is whether a pitcher should be mandated to wear a face guard or not. Nocona’s Jessica Vogel wears a guard during an Express Summer League game at Bowie on June 22. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)
Nocona got its new press box into place this week at Jack Crane Stadium. The old press box, which was in place for more than 60 years, was taken out in early June and moved to Indian Valley Raceway. The new press box was by the Southern Bleacher Company out of Graham. Athletic Director Black Crutsinger said they looked at a lot of press boxes and decided they liked the one at Lindsay High School and went with that model. Sean Hutson operated the crane from the Hurd Crane Service that put the press box up for Nocona.
Sunset native Cason Richey (right) and his team roping partner Beldon Cox from Weatherford repeated as the International Finals Youth Rodeo champions last weekend at Shawnee, OK. Richey and Cox won the previous year and were able to complete the repeat by catching three steers in a combined time of 16.6 seconds. Richey is expected to compete attend Texas Tech University this fall and compete on the rodeo team.
The Chisholm Trail Youth Rodeo had its awards ceremony this week, giving out plaques and buckles to the top competitors throughout the summer season.
There were four age categories with five events to compete in for the young athletes.
Along with the best results in each event, at the end the overall best cowboy and cowgirl in each age division was awarded as well.
The lead line division, in which an adult helps the young competitors, saw Rylee Stewart win the first in poles, barrel racing and mystery event on her way to win top cowgirl.
Hattie Snow got the fastest time in the flags event and Lany Shupak got the fastest goat time. Riggin Bishop got named the top cowboy in the division.
In the eight-and-under division, Whitley Goins won the top cowgirl and Trell Carpenter won top cowboy. Goins got the fastest times in barrel racing, flags and mystery event. Carpenter got the fastest time in poles and goats.
In the 9-12 age division, Sage Keck won the top cowgirl while Chisum Carpenter won the top cowboy. Keck got the fastest times in four of the five divisions. Only Layna Taylor getting the fastest goat time prevented her from winning in a clean sweep.
In the 13-18 age division, Tess Egenbacher won the top overall cowgirl award.
Kiley McCracken won both the barrel racing and flags event. Emma Strahan won the poles and mystery event. Hadlee Bryan won the goats event.
There was no top overall cowboy in the age division.
To see the times for the winners of each event in all four age categories along with pictures of all of the top cowboys and cowgirls, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News.
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