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FROM MY VIEW FOR APRIL 4

By Staff | Apr 4, 2018

Heading into the spring high school sports season can be kind of rough sometimes, especially since I’m also a softball umpire. While taking umpiring games, I also am trying to cover games from Ripley to New Martinsville.

I haven’t taken as many games this, my last season, of umpiring softball. So I will be able to cover a lot more of the sports this spring as I have in the past.

I love the spring sports season – from softball, to baseball, tennis, track and now archery. It’s a busy, busy season, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. The kids are great, as well as the parents and fans. No complaints from me.

I will try my best to have a fan of the week, because I think that goes hand-in-hand with sports. The athletes take in the passion of spring sports fans, and it gives them a warm feeling when they hear applause.

The past several years now, I feel have seen some of the best in spring sports. There are more kids getting involved, as well as the fans coming out to watch.

But this year it’s going to be rough in track with most of the five schools that I cover going to multiple places. I’m going to try to cover a meet from every area. There are meets as close as Tyler Consolidated to Clay-Battelle, John Marshall and Shadyside.

Please be patient as I will try to get the results from as many as I can. The Hundred Hornets baseball team will not have any home games this year and will play all of them at Clay-Battelle High School. The Cee-Bees’ staff has been great to the Hundred football, and now baseball, because of the flood last summer. The Cee-Bees should be recognized as a friend. Thank you so much, Clay-Battelle High School, along with your athletic director. Job well done!

During the first few weeks of spring sports, I have also noticed how nice the new uniforms worn by the Hundred baseball team are. The Hornets have Home and Away uniform. That is saying something! Not only do the Hornets’ uniforms look good, but their passion for the game is much better than it has been. Coach Ron Dennis is a class act and has his boys starting to understand the game the way the game is being played. Congrats.

I hope it spreads to the football players as well. When going to all the Hundred sporting events, I really feel they have turned the corner – not only with their school pride, but in the classroom as well. Keep it up Hornets!

The same can be said for all the other schools as well. I don’t know if it is because of the board of education, or the new superintendent, but I could say it has had a big impact to Wetzel County.

Now that the teacher walkout is over and everyone is in the classrooms, I can say they all did an excellent job in what they have done – not only in Wetzel County, but to all 55 counties in West Virginia.

Since they came back, the overall morale is off the charts. Students now have a different outlook on our teachers, as well as our teacher coaches in sports.

Now, across the river, they have had quite a sports season in the fall and winter sports. It’s up to the spring sports athletes to keep that stamina going. I don’t have any worries that they won’t.

One last thing before I say goodnight for this week: If you have never attended a game and told the coaches that you appreciate them for what they do, do it. And, while you are at it, say the same to the umpires, judges and timers as well. And when that’s over, give your kids a hug and tell them your proud of them. I know most of you do.

Let the players play, the coaches coach, and the umpires ump. Try to keep peace on the diamond, as well as on the track.