SPORTS
STORM CENTER: Makayla’s Wish has come true
Ever since the sports editor set foot in Montague County, he’s been amazed by the generosity of the rodeo community.
That was on display yet again last Saturday during a benefit barrel race on behalf of 17-year-old Saint Jo resident Makayla Garrett.
The benefit, called Makayla’s Wish, took place at the Montague County Cowboy Church covered arena on a spectacularly sunny January afternoon in Montague.
There were nearly 200 entries and a tidy five-figure sum was raised to help Garrett and her family during this great time of need.
See, Garrett’s suffering from a condition called familiar adenomatous polyposis (FAP). FAP is a fatal, and there’s currently no known cure.
Garrett’s half-sister Audrey died from FAP back on Nov. 5, 2013. The condition is hereditary, meaning it can be passed down from generation to generation within a family.
FAP first strikes the large intestine, one of the most important parts of the human body’s digestive system.
Polyps can transform into cancer, like it has for Makayla in her stomach and esophagus. The root cause of FAP is a genetic mutation, a flaw in the body’s tumor suppressor genes.
“I’m still in shock,” Makayla’s mother Keysha Avens said of the outpouring of support this past Saturday.
The barrel racing circuit knows Makayla very well.
Her younger sister, Faith, is a barrel racer. Younger brother Hunter Garrett is on the youth rodeo circuit locally. Riggin Garrett, three years old, is already following in Hunter’s footsteps. Read more of this column 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.
Saint Jo resident Makayla Garrett (right) enjoys riding a horse during Saturday’s Makayla’s Wish benefit barrel race at the Montague County Cowboy Church. (Courtesy photo by Keysha Avens)
New Saint Jo Boy’s Basketball Coach Terry McLennan said the school’s family atmosphere is what prompted him to join the Panther family.
“This is an opportunity to be an important program but also part of a great community,” McLennan said. “I’ve been looking to get back to a small town environment like the one I grew up in and played ball and this should do that.”
McLennan played basketball in Hubbard outside of Waco. McLennan comes to town after being the assistant girl’s basketball coach in Grand Prairie.
McLennan contends he’s a defensive style of coach but says his team will focus on intensity.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
New Saint Jo Boy’s Basketball Coach Terry McLennan said the school’s family atmosphere is what prompted him to join the Panther family.
“This is an opportunity to be an important program but also part of a great community,” McLennan said. “I’ve been looking to get back to a small town environment like the one I grew up in and played ball and this should do that.”
McLennan played basketball in Hubbard outside of Waco. McLennan comes to town after being the assistant girl’s basketball coach in Grand Prairie.
McLennan contends he’s a defensive style of coach but says his team will focus on intensity.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
After some coaching time in East Texas, Bret Botard will be the new girl’s basketball coach at Bowie.
Botard said it’s a chance to work with Bowie Athletic Director Tyler Price once again. Price was Botard’s assistant when he coached at Nocona.
“I wanted to get back into the area,” Botard said. “It’s a good community.”
Botard graduated high school in 1995 from Del Valle High School, outside Austin, and went to Texas Tech. He started his coaching career in Lubbock followed by returning to his alma mater where he was an assistant for his high school coach.
For further details, pick up a copy of Thursday’s Bowie News.
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