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STORM CENTER: Jones set for world

When Janae Jones moved to Bowie, she was invited by her new friends to go play roller hockey at the former Pop’s Skateland.
Little did she know it would turn into her life’s passion.
And now Jones will represent Team USA at the first-ever World Roller Games championships set for Nanjing, China, the final week of August.
All the world’s roller sports will convene in one location for an Olympics-style competition.
These are the disciplines in roller sports: Inline hockey, roller freestyle, inline alpine, inline downhill, inline freestyle, roller hockey, rink hockey, skateboarding and speed skating – on wheels of course.
“It makes me proud to represent my county,” said Jones, a Bowie High School senior who also competes for the Lady Rabbits track and field and tennis teams. “Especially when I walk out for the opening ceremony, it’s going to be really heavy.”
So, in about four years, roller hockey went from a social activity to elite competition – and there have been plenty of people to help Jones along the way.
“I gave Janae the building blocks,” said Frank Tillery, who served as Janae’s coach and whose son Cole has also played roller hockey at the international level.
“She took to the sport quite well,” Tillery said. “I was a defenseman, so I taught her what I knew. I couldn’t be prouder of her. She has played all around the world.”
Tillery said roller hockey is a skill and finesse sport, and that’s why he played into his 50s – as did Decatur-based coach Don Allen.
Roller hockey employs elements of other sports such as lacrosse and basketball into an incredibly fast-paced sport.
As the USA Roller Sports Rink Hockey site explains, this is a sport with “tight turns, quick starts and equally rapid stops.”
“You have to be in shape,” Janae said, “because there’s so much going on at once. You have to be a good skater. There’s a lot of excitement to it.”
And roller hockey is hugely popular in other parts of the world, primarily Europe, and especially in Spain and Portugal. Read more in the Aug. 12 Bowie News.
Editor’s Note: These are the expressed views of sports editor Eric Viccaro and not necessarily The Bowie News.
Bowie High School senior Janae Jones will compete for Team USA at the World Roller Games in Nanjing, China, during the final weekend of August. Jones picked up the sport as a pre-adolescent. It went from a social activity to an elite-level competition. (News photo by Eric Viccaro)
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Summer reading continues at 10 a.m. on June 10 at the community center

Bubble painting and baking soda painting will be on tap for the 10 a.m. June 10 summer reading program this week.
It is open to children ages 0-12 and these free programs will be at the Bowie Community Center at 10 a.m. every Tuesday in June and July excluding July 1. Children will be given a reading log to bring with them to each program. Each child also receives a book at the end of the series.
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Casey Hall arrested after appeal bond was revoked

Texoma’s Homepage reported former 97th District Attorney Casey Hall was arrested in Sulphur Springs after her appeal bond was revoked. Click on the above link to read the story.
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Bowie City Council meets on June 10

The Bowie City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on June 10 in the council chambers.
The meeting opens with the city manager’s report on meetings with the engineers on the Rock and Pillar Street repairs, budget preparation and substation transformer work.
In new business there will be resolution for allocating funds for a park enhancement project from 4B funds to build pickleball courts in Pelham Park. A pair of planning and zoning recommendations for a replat will be reviewed. Public comments conclude the agenda.
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