Okay, the sports editor wants you to pause before continuing to read this column.
Listen to the beat of your heart.
That’s one thing we take for granted, the simple beat of our heart, which helps us all sustain our lives.
Around Montague County, the sports editor watches as high school athletes pour their hearts out into every sport imaginable – from football and volleyball in the fall, through basketball in winter and current spring sports such as tennis and baseball.
The Texas State House has tentatively passed legislation, called House Bill No. 767, which would require “cardiac assessments of participants in extra-curricular activities sponsored or sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League.”
Wayne Smith, R-Baytown, created the bill which has passed the House twice on April 13 and April 14. The measure has since been sent to the Public Education Committee for discussion and examination, and the Senate still has yet to vote on the matter.
HB 767 was first filed back in January.
Scott Stephens, the father of deceased former Crosby football player Cody Stephens, has pushed for legislation since the death of his son from a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, for short).
Stephens, who stood 6-foot-9 and weighed 290 pounds, died from Sudden Cardiac Death while taking a nap. He was also set to play as an offensive lineman for Tarleton State University in Stephenville, earning a scholarship to the school. 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.

University Interscholastic League. (Logo provided by the UIL, no copyright infringement inferred)