Back In The Race

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Greetings From The Booth!

So, let’s see a show of hands. How many of you re-seeded your NCAA brackets after arguably the craziest opening 2 rounds ever? There’s no shame in that–we did a Sweet Sixteen “re-do” in our friendly competition at work. Who saw not one, but two number-one seeds biting the dust. And there’s numver-4 seed Virginia, who fell to 13-seed Furman. Furman?!? It wasn’t quite UMBC, but still a one-and-done of major upset proportion. I still contend that the upsets happen early, but the cream always rises to the top, which is why I have Alabama playing Houston in the Championship Game.

If you listen to my morning radio show, you know that over the course of the last year, I’ve lost 48 pounds (thank you Brain & Body Health Center!). You also know that I recently ran a 5k race for the first time since 2018. Saturday’s Edward Jones Race For Education was the culmination of an almost year-long journey back to something I thought I would no longer be able to do.

That journey started right after the 2022 Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. After looking at a pic of me and my buddies making merry at the “Bloom,” I realized that I was going in the wrong direction. At 210 pounds, I almost didn’t recognize myself in the photo. Sure, I had lost a few pounds on my own, but pictures don’t lie, and this pic was like a slap in the face.

Enter Dr. Evan Riggleman and his wonderful team at B&B. To make a long story short, they got me into some good habits and “reset” my metabolism in a healthy way. As for running, I started with some walks through the hills of my mountain neighborhood, gradually working in some short runs. By July, I was on my way to Deep Creek Lake minus 30 pounds, and ready for the challenging trails of DCL State Park. By late Fall, I was up to 20 miles per week and 48 pounds lighter. It was then that I targeted the Eddie Jones as my “comeback race.”

I navigated through the perils of the Holidays, managing to keep the weight off, and staying true to my running routine. At this point, Brain and Body started doing some amazing therapies on my arthritic knees, and shortly after the new year, the good doctor allowed me to play with some of his new toys which helped fight the nasty free radicals in my cells.  I was 63 going on 36!

Fast forward to race day. After a morning soak, I made my way to Warren County Middle School and the Edward Jones 5k. The butterflies were as big as 747s, not knowing how I was going to perform after 5 years of being away from running. The bar was low–finish, and enjoy the run. Period.

But, a funny thing happened. I got off to a nice early pace, running comfortably, even passing some runners in the first mile. The second mile, mostly downhill, was a bit faster, and as I started up the gradual slope of the final mile, I was faster still.  I paced myself behind a very nice lady who, with about a half mile to go, encouraged me to pass her and finish strong, which I was able to do with a nice kick to the line. How did I do? How about a top 20 finish overall, and winner of my age group with a time of 26:43. I had exceeded all expectations.

The journey continues in May with the Apple Blossom 10k…stay tuned.

RW

 

 

 

 

Sports Dogs Podcast: Sweet Sixteen

Throw away those NCAA brackets…it’s time to re-seed! R-Dog and The Duke break down this weekends “Sweet Sixteen” games, and also give a nod to former Handley star Michael Brown, who is now a DII All-American!

Sports Dogs Podcast
Sports Dogs Podcast
Sports Dogs Podcast: Sweet Sixteen
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Vipers

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Greetings From The Booth!

A bit late this week, as I spent yesterday agonizing over WVU’s early exit from March Madness. The Mounties’ 67-65 loss to Maryland was no upset, by any stretch (Maryland was actually the higher seed), but kicked off a day of bracket-bustin’ that saw me go 9-7 in yesterday’s games–by far my worst performance in a long, long time. BTW, who had Virginia losing in 2018 UMBC fashion to Furman? Furman?!? I’m hoping to recover somewhat today, although at the time of this writing, the Kennesaw State Owls (who? see what I did there?) are leading perennial tournament team Xavier by 13.  Well, at least my Final Four is still intact.

Today is the perfect storm of St. Patrick’s Day and NCAA Basketball, so be responsible and remember to hand those keys to a Designated Leprechaun!

Staying within our b-ball theme this week, were you aware that the Winchester area had a pro basketball team? I have to admit that I did not, until Kenny Gordon, a friend and longtime co-worker at the Shenandoah University basketball scorer’s table, texted me recently to see if I would be interested in doing the public address announcing for the Virginia Valley Vipers.

The expansion Vipers are part of the Indianapolis-based TBL, which stands for “The Basketball League,” and kicked off their season earlier this month. They will play a 24-game schedule in the league’s Eastern Division, against teams from Reading, Syracuse, Atlantic City, York, and the Tri-State. The Vipers’ home games are played at the spacious Wilkins Center at SU.

The team is owned by TMOs (Team Market Owners) Rodney, Tina, and Rze Culbreath. Rze is part of the local flavor of the Vipers, having played some of his basketball at Millbrook High. He is not only an owner, but on the active roster of the Vipers as a guard, and has also played professionally in Europe. Other players include former Hornet Chris Chaney. The team’s Head Coach, Andrew Oates, also has local roots, having served as Assistant Coach at both Clarke County High School and at Shenandoah.

The basketball is high-level, but so is the team’s mission of community outreach. Visit the Vipers’ website https://virginiavalleyvipers.com and you will see their mission statement displayed prominently displayed on the home page: “…to strengthen our community through positive, family-friendly entertainment and provide athletes with the financial opportunity to continue their passion while giving back to the community.” To that end, players are vetted with background checks and social media activity to insure that they represent the team and the community in a positive way. In addition, players will be part of the Top Of Virginia Young Professionals group, and the team will partner with Winchester CCAP.

So, if you can pull yourself away from the NCAA Tournament this weekend, check out a Vipers game over at Wilkins on March 18th against the Reading Rebels and/or March 19th against the Tri-State Admirals. And don’t forget to wear your purple.

Until the next visit from The Booth…enjoy the Madness, and GO VIPERS.

RW

 

 

 

 

Sports Dogs Podcast: Bracket Bustin’

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…NCAA Basketball Tournament time! The Big Dance begins with everyone’s bracket filled and ready to go by Thursday, and by the weekend most are in crumpled heap. Let the upsets and the last second three-pointers begin, as The R-Dog and Duke share their brackets in hopes of that One Shining Moment for our teams! Enjoy the wall-to-wall basketball this week!

RW

 

 

Sports Dogs Podcast
Sports Dogs Podcast
Sports Dogs Podcast: Bracket Bustin'
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Friday Tidbits

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Greetings From The Booth!

With so much happening this week in sports, locally and regionally, I thought I would try to cover all the bases with some Friday tidbits, so here goes:

First, CONGRATS to the Rappahannock High Girls Basketball team, who captured the VHSL Class 1 State Championship this week with a win over Eastside at the Siegel Center at VCU. Winning a state title is a huge accomplishment, so thanks ladies, for bringing the hardware back to the Shenandoah Valley! Tomorrow (Saturday 3-11) the Clarke County Girls will try to duplicate that feat as they take on perennial power Central-Wise in the Class 2 Championship Game.

Meanwhile, the Skyline HS Boys team saw it’s season end at the hands of Hopewell (again) in the Class 3 semifinals on Monday. With the loss, the Hawks suffered their first loss of the season and finished at 26-1. If you’ve never played sports, it’s hard to convey the feeling of emptiness when you get so close to a championship and an undefeated season, only to see it end just 2 wins from the finish line. When the sting of that lone loss wears off, Skyline will look back with pride at a season that will live forever in the school’s annals. The Hawks were a gritty, scrappy bunch, and should have no doubt about being “legit.” They were. Sometimes, you just run up against a better team…

Which makes a nice segue into a pet peeve of mine: bad fan behavior. The optics were not good following Skyline’s loss to Hopewell, as law enforcement had to keep members of both fan bases apart. I’m not going to weigh in on who started what. That’s usually a “we said-they said” kind of thing. But, we live in a trash talking, phone wielding culture, with little emphasis on sportsmanship, and that reared it’s ugly head after Monday’s game. Nothing major erupted, thank goodness, but it was not a good luck. Win with class, lose with class, and always remember that kids take their cues from adults.

This is the time of year that I start paying attention to college basketball. The conference tournaments are fun to watch, although with multiple teams from the power leagues getting into the NCAA Tournament, those affairs don’t have the urgency that they had back in the day. I love Selection Sunday, when teams anxiously await their fate. This year, my WVU Mounties look to be safely in, despite a loss to Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament. But, until your team is announced, there is always some anxiety.

Finally, let’s switch gears and talk some football. Folks, I may just be getting on the bandwagon of your DC Defenders of the XFL. The Defenders play their home games at Audi Field, near Nationals Park. It’s a nice Euro-feeling venue, and apparently home of one of the most enjoyable fan experiences in sports. The fans are enthusiastic, sometimes raucous, and love their team (which is currently 3-0). The now-legendary beer cup snake is back, not to mention the anti-Dan Snyder chants. All this in sharp contrast to the dismal game-day experience at Fed-Ex Field with the Washington Commanders. Which points out one thing: DC fans will turn out for winning, fun football.

Those are your Friday Tidbits from The Booth! Have a great “Selection Sunday!”

RW

 

 

The Sports Dogs Podcast: HS Hoop Recap

In this edition, R-Dog (Randy) and The Duke (Ryan), recap the Skyline Boys Basketball season, which came to a halt in the state semifinals, and talk about the 2022-23 season in general.

 

Sports Dogs Podcast
Sports Dogs Podcast
The Sports Dogs Podcast: HS Hoop Recap
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