Iowa Sports Weekly Blog

Saturday at the John McDonnell Invitational in Arkansas, sophomore Dani Stipe (University Northern Iowa) claimed the title in the heptathlon thanks to a strong second day that saw her finish with a score of 5,235 points, while freshman teammate Olimpia Nowak took runner-up honors with 5,103 points. Both surpassed the mark of 5,050 points needed for provisional qualification to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Stipe took the top spot thanks to wins Saturday in the long jump (18 feet, 8 inches) and javelin (123-1) portions of the competition, while she finished second to Nowak in the day’s final event, the 800 meters. Junior Alyssa Fischer finished fourth overall in the heptathlon with a score of 4,548.

Congratulations to ISW Intern- Dani Stipe and UNI Panthers

 from ISW/Steve Kock

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I decided I better include some embarrassing stories about the other two roomies.  Brenda and Jess actually willingly refreshed my mind about some of their track experiences.  Long jump must be a difficult event to understand because that’s where they struggled!!!  The main problem was with the board, because they didn’t know what “scratching” a jump meant.  Jess figured they weren’t counting my jumps because my knees were hitting the sand.  Actually, that just meant I wasn’t driving and holding my knee like I was supposed to, but that’s beside the point.  Their idea of determining if the jump was good was whether my coach was smiling or not.  But hey, Travis’ smile is a good way of determining things, and the best and most important thing was that they were there supporting me.

D. Stipe

Editor’s Note: Dani Stipe is an intern for ISW and attends UNI

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I think I made my first mistake when I moved in with three non athletes.  You see, I’m a hard core athlete, UNI track and field 24/7.  If I’m not doing track, I’m thinking or talking it.  I didn’t realize the problem until the day before my first meet.  The shoes needed some fresh spikes and I was spending a lovely evening fighting with the shoe wrench.  And then she walked in.  Brandi is her name and she’s blonde and all of 5’3”.  Not that these things are relevant but I like to tease her about them!!  She took one look at the spikes in my shoes and asked what in the world I was doing.  I then proceeded to explain how spikes help to propel a runner forward.  It makes sense in my own head, but obviously not in Brandi’s.  She STILL thinks all they do is weigh us down and make us stick to the ground.  Now really!!  Us track athletes are seriously misunderstood.

Editor’s Note: Dani Stipe is a decorated track athlete from Carroll, Iowa(Kuemper Catholic) who is setting records for  UNI Panthers

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Summer Fun Outside

I thought I’d write this blog in honor of Severe Weather Awareness week here in Iowa.  Though it may be hard to believe with our crummy weather of late, the big outdoor sports season is beginning.  I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind people about outdoor weather safety.  According to the Des Moines National Weather Service Office, “Each year on average Iowa sees about 48 tornadoes…tens of flash flood events…hundreds of severe thunderstorms…and thousands of non-severe thunderstorms.”  Often times the strong storms strike in the late afternoon and evening after the warm daytime sun has primed the atmosphere.  Of course, this is the time when many organized sports take place.  Here are some basic things to remember.  If you can hear thunder, the storm is close enough for you to be hit by lightning.  You need to get to a safe location immediately.  The best place to be is inside a sturdy building or inside a car.  In both cases, if lightning strikes where you are, the electricity will travel through the structure around you.  A small shed or an open picnic structure is not enough protection.  Lightning will take the fastest route to the ground and usually strikes the tallest object in the area (and lightning CAN strike the same place twice).  That could be you if you’re swinging a golf club on the course, swinging for the fences on the baseball diamond, or relaxing on a boat.  When I visit with school kids I tell them about the 30-30 rule.  When you hear thunder or see lightning, you need to get to some place safe in 30 seconds.  Then do NOT go outside again until 30 minutes after the LAST rumble of thunder or flash of lightning.  That will give the storm enough time to pass to keep you safe. 

When it comes to outside sports during the summer, the best bet is to postpone the game if there is the chance of storms.  Remember, a WATCH means there is the potential for severe weather and a WARNING means a strong storm is actually occurring (and in the case of a tornado, this is what will set off the sirens).  If you’ve got an away game, be sure you know which county you are in as well as the names of nearby towns.  That way if you have to listen to the radio for severe weather information you’ll know what to listen for.

I know it’s a hassle to reschedule games and that you may just want to finish that last inning before the storm hits but it is up to adults to set the example for the next generation.   I hope you all have a fun and safe spring and summer!

ABC5 Morning/Midday Meteorologist Sara Kelley

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What a great day in Iowa.  As we have been told, by NBC, Iowa has more possible Olympians per capita than anywhere in the USA!

Why not assemble them at the Capitol, pass resolutions in the House and Senate honoring them, and have Iowans meet, greet, and honor them at the same time?

It was a great show, put on by Mediacom and NBC Universal.  Our group helped film, edit, and take and post still pictures to honor, showcase, and give the “Recipe” I always talk about, to the youth of Iowa.  Of course, adults can enjoy and learn from the show and these successful athletes, but changing America starts with the youth.  So, instead of showing kids beating on other young adults on YOUTUBE and then re-playing adnauseam on commercial TV, PLEASE, let us focus on the good and great from Iowa and beyond.  It will make us all feel better, and show young people we value and even advocate decency, honesty, integrity and a positive attitude.  And that is what’s bugging the world, not just Andy! 

PS: That will never be adressed on “Soundoff Nation”, but it’s callers/hosts could even learn from the Olympians, so it  should be!

Check out photos: http://www.iowasportsweekly.com/modules.php?name=gallery2&g2_itemId=19825

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We followed, the last two weekends, Drake men and women, along with UNI and Creighton, to the Missouri Valley Basketball Tournament.  Arch Madness it is called, and it was!

The Drake men followed their magical season championship with a well played run to the tourney title.  I admit, I had tears in my eyes when they won.  The heart and minds these men have is unmatched in my 40 + years of watching Basketball.

A “Team” is what they are.  Many schools have had great athletes, coaches, and role players, but few, if any, have meshed better, achieved more with “less” (according to the experts) than any club I have seen in person.  Adam and “Bucky” are walkons that any YMCA league would start their teams with. You know, if you’ve played BB, that there is always one or two guys at the “Rec” or the “Y” that makes every one a better player.  And then, if they can lead also, well it is fun to watch and play the way BB is supposed to be played.

Will the Bulldogs go all the way to 16/8/4 or finals?  If the match-ups are at all in Drake’s favor, they will.  Does that ever happen to a 5 seed? Probably not, but if any team can get a run going, and if they shoot their season percentages from the arc, they will be in ANY game they play.  If opponents, like Illinois State in the tourney, are not patient…even with so-called better athletes….Drake can win. No one will out smart them, and I hope they go deep into the tournament.  It would show the country what a TEAM, not chest pumping, trash talking, spoiled athlete-students, can, with STUDENT ATHLETES, achieve.

Now the other great story, the Iowa State women.  They did what Drake women did last year…get to the tournament with two of their  leaders out with injuries.  They too, are students first (with High team GPA) and trained athletes second, and above all, role models for youth in Iowa and beyond.  If you can follow the recipe we always talk about, and emulate what the “Twister Sisters” have and continue to do and be like them, well the ALL POSITIVE SPORTS NETWORK will have plenty of athletes and teams to higlight!

Congratulations to the Hawkeye women and Drake women, who used perserverance, talent and coaching to get to post season play.  Just because I highlighted the Drake men and Cyclone women, don’t think for a second the other Iowa teams, or teams with Iowans, take a back seat.  We in the Midwest can be proud of  every athletic student we have featured on the show, young persons we would all want as  sons, daughters, and friends!

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What a day it was for Drake!  The men win their first conference title since 1971 (Which was also a great year for this Blogger - but that is another story!) by winning at UNI on the road.  This was after their longest winning streak was spoiled on Saluki’s home court.  So, to finish the day, the Drake women beat the Salukis by having their best half of the year (almost doubling score on Salukis) and staying in contention for their own title.  We had the pleasure of covering both games.  The Panthers were gracious hosts to both our crew and the many Drake fans who also drove to the Mcleod center.  That is what makes Iowans the best.  Cheer for your team, and not disrespect the other team.  As a PA announcer, I use that phrase before the game, and it usually is honored by 99% of the fans on both sides.

I sat in front of the UNI band, and boy, were they good!  But better yet they were respectful.  I had two brothers get full rides to play for the Panther football program, and a sister was tops in her class at Drake Law School.  I have a niece who was successful at Drake also.  I have a nephew that was MVP of ISU Cyclone football and his sister went to Simpson.  I have children that have attended UNI - ISU- and Iowa!  I went to Buena Vista for undergrad and  Iowa for Grad school.  I announce for both public and private schools in our city.  I do radio color for both schools and surrounding schools as I have time (I have no life!).

Why do I ramble about all these things, even though we were talking about Drake Championship? Because at the end of the day, we are all about showcasing the best of Iowa and Midwest schools and Colleges.  There are great student athletes at every school I have seen and/or covered.  Can every state be as proud as we are?  I wish that to be true, and maybe while showcasing the best I see, others can follow suit, follow the “Recipe for success”, and the sportsmanship announcement will not be needed, or at least heeded, everywhere!

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I understand the Patriots had “trademarked” 19-0 before the Super Bowl.  East coast arrogance, bad karma, “cart before the horse”, or too hot girlfriends to pay attention to, something smelled like trouble for the Patriots in this game.  The New York Football Giants had won too many games on the road in a row to be taken lightly.  But did the Patriots look ahead?  I bet they will say “NO”.  Did they get out coached, at least on defense, where the Patriots hooded coach was supposed to be the ‘guru”? I think they got the best shot the Giants had to offer, the stiffest defense they had seen, and had one of the most memorable yet improbable ”Houdini” acts by Eli Manning nip them at the end.  That is why it is so hard to stay perfect.  Football is not perfect.  It is rugged,  hard nosed, and the ball takes odd bounces, as evidenced throughout the game.  Girlfriends don’t win or lose games.  The ugly pigskin just decides, sometimes, to be the center of attention.  That is why it is an imperfect game, but beautiful at the same time!  It was that smelly pigskin that got the Patriots.

Steve

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Drake Bulldogs, with a 20-1 record and 19 in a row - so far-continue to amaze.  With road wins, defeating Creighton twice, and some unbelievable finishes, are these the best “Dog-gone” Bulldogs ever?  Well, in the last  40 years they are.  Some say the Mo Valley is down in talent.  So what?  Doing what this team has so far, it makes little difference what competition level is, it is still Division 1 talent, hostile environments, and long road trips to overcome.  And this was the 9th  place pre-season team?

Go ahead, take all the shots you can.  I still believe there is a miracle on Forrest street happening in front of our eyes (and cameras) for ALL to enjoy.  GO DOGS!

Steve

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What a road trip for the ‘Dogs.  The toughest place to play, with a top 5 record crowd against them, 54% 3-point shooting in first half by ‘Jays, and overtime…..Bulldogs win in OT!

What more can I say…well I have a blog, so I must “press” on with more. Our website http://www.iowasportsweekly.com/ has the pictures to prove it, from almost every angle of the Qwest Center, that it was a packed, hostile, yet nervous crowd the ‘Dogs would overcome.  My daughter, son-in-law and their two sons, all Jay fans, had to experience the agony of defeat, so it was very personal for me to be there.  I have followed Creighton, with my family,  for years, but we love the Bulldogs as much as they love the Jays.   Funk and Tolliver, and Korver (The Utah Jazz one) gave me chills through many great games, at the Civic Center and now Qwest Center.  So we have to remember, in athletics, for every winner, someone loses.  How we handle that, regardless of which side you fall on, is one of the interesting  social  aspects of sports. 

Someone said bad times won’t expose character as much as mold it.  In that respect, I was gladdened by the poise shown by ‘Jays and ‘Dogs, especially since Drake hosts them a week later.  “One game at a time” is something we preach, but how you handle each game, at THAT time, reveals more than the score.  Please, if you see fans or players doing it the right way, thank them for being a role model in that moment, rather than after a thunderous dunk (of which there were none in this game) with the chest pumping, shirt showing, gestures(also, which there were none) that sometimes rears it’s ugly head!

All Positive -All the time…..thankfully, it’s not just a phrase!

SLK

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