What I'm watching at Saturday's Bob Schul Invitational...

1964 Olympic gold medalist Bob Schul has been a 

regular attendee at the Invitational that bears his name

Even though the local cross country runners have already began running at many schools, this Saturday is when it officially feels like cross country season for me. That's because this Saturday is the 42nd annual Bob Schul Invitational in West Milton, the first really big cross country meet in the area. It's also a prestigious event considering Bob Schul himself will be there, the only American to ever win an Olympic gold medal in the 5000 meters. As he always does, Bob will be signing t-shirts, ribbons or whatever you would like him to sign. Over the years I've talked to a few older folks about that 1964 Olympics and they all say Bob Schul was the big news story back then. Of course, the main reason I'm heading to West Milton on Saturday is not to see Bob, rather all the current running talent from around home.  Here's a preview of the individuals I'm personally interested in watching.

The Bob Schul Invitational is so big they actually run two high school girls races and two high school boys races, one race they call Division I-II and the other race Division III. For the schedule of races this Saturday, click here. I'm most interested in the D-III races and I'll begin with the boys. Let me start by saying I'm not sure it can get any better than last year...ever. Two of Ohio's best seniors put on a show, Sam Prakel of Versailles and Clayton Murphy of Tri-Village. Sam pulled away for the victory in a time of 15:40 while Clayton ran a 15:54. Those times for August are just flat out ridiculously good and I'm not expecting anything sub-16:00 this Saturday. However, my favorite this year has to be Lehman Catholic senior Joe Fuller. Joe just won the Shelby County Preview this past Tuesday for an unprecedented third straight year and his time was 16:45. I've talked to Joe a couple times over the summer and he seems to be focused on making his mark this season. I predict Joe's biggest challenge will come from Minster senior Dominic Slonkosky. Dominic also already has a race under his belt this month, the OHSAA Early Season Invitational at the state meet course back on August 17th. He picked up a win in the "A" race that day with a time of 16:39. Shelby County challengers I'm also watching include juniors Austin Jones from Botkins and Jordan Gariety from Russia. Those two battled neck-and-neck to the finish line on Tuesday for 3rd and 4th place at the Shelby County Preview, and will desperately be trying to stay in the lead pack in West Milton.

Can Jones & Fuller share a rivalry like Prakel & Murphy?

West Milton will be their second matchup in five days

(I was informed Botkins was running D I-II after this blog)

Like the boys race, the D-III girls race also lost their top two finishers to graduation. Last year's winner Lauren Francis from Russia is now running at Xavier and 2nd place finisher Meghan Vogel from West Liberty-Salem is now running at Penn State. Those stars were just two of only four runners to break the 20:00 minute mark that day. The other two were Russia's Emily Borchers who's a junior this year and Lauren Heaton who's a sophomore. I'm expecting big things from both those girls this Saturday, as each ran well at the Shelby County Preview on Tuesday for 2nd and 3rd place. Emily's time was 20:19 and Lauren's was 20:48 on a very warm evening. The West Milton course has over half the race on wooded trails, which claims to be 10-15 degrees cooler than outside the woods. As a result, I'm predicting both girls will break into the 19:00's again.  Also like the boys race, there should be another Slonkosky challenging for the win. Minster sophomore Julia Slonkosky, Dominic's sister, seems to be running well after a 4th place finish in the OHSAA Early Season Invitational with a time of 20:44.  I predict she'll be in the 19:00's also and right there with the lead pack. Another top runner I'm watching includes West Liberty-Salem senior Alyssa Strickland. Alyssa has run most of her career in shadows of three teammates who graduated this past spring, but she's expected to lead a group of really young runners on her team this year. She's accepted that role according to talks I've had with her coach and Alyssa will be a bright spot for the Big Orange this season. One last local talent I'm curious about is Covington sophomore Carly Shell. Carly ran well in cross country last year and had an outstanding track season in the spring. This Saturday will be the first meet of the season for Covington, so I'll be interested to see how Carly comes out.

As fast as Russia's Emily Borchers is, her Lady Raider 

teammate Lauren Heaton is never far behind

One final note. The best runner in West Milton on Saturday and maybe in all of Ohio this year should be competing in the Division I-II girls race, which takes place between the Division III boys and girls races. Mary Kate Vaughn, a sophomore for Oakwood, is the defending D-II state champ and has a personal record of 17:22 in the 5K. Her ability to dominate races last year as a freshman was amazing to watch. I'm not 100% positive she's running on Saturday, but Oakwood is scheduled to be there, so enjoy the show if she does line up.

Talking Russia volleyball with Maggie Kearns...

Russia finished 2012 with a record of 22-4 including 

a championship at the Minster Invitational

Fish Report recently caught up with Russia senior volleyball player Maggie Kearns!  Maggie is a 5'-11" right side hitter for the Raiders who open their season this Saturday hosting the Covington Buccaneers.  We asked Maggie a few questions about volleyball and this is what she had to say:

F.R. Thanks for chatting with us Maggie! You're back for your senior season and coming off a very impressive junior year where your team finished with a 22-4 record. How have the Raiders changed this year compared to last?
M.K. We’ve changed quite a lot since last season. We lost seven seniors last year, but have five returning varsity players. Obviously, losing seven seniors means we had spots to fill at the beginning of the season. During the off-season and over the summer a lot of girls have stepped up and we are looking forward to a successful season this fall!

F.R. What are your team expectations or any goals you have heading into this season?
M.K. One team goal we always have is to win the league. Being in the Shelby County League always makes this goal difficult to accomplish, there is always great competition! Another goal we have is to make it beyond District Tournament this year. The last few years we’ve made it to District Finals but haven’t been able to advance, we are hoping to break that streak this year!

F.R. Has your role on the team changed at all now that you're a senior?
M.K. Yes, definitely. There is a lot more responsibility as a senior.  You have to keep a positive attitude and play your hardest because everyone is looking at you as a leader on and off the court.

F.R. Did you work on your game at all over the summer to get ready for this season?
M.K. Yes, we all did! We traveled to a few different tournaments around the area, had a team camp, and open gyms every week. 

F.R. Looking at your schedule, are there any big games you're especially looking forward to?
M.K.   Definitely Fort Loramie, Jackson Center, and Anna. Those are always huge match-ups for us! Everyone plays their best and each point is a fight when a league title is on the line.

F.R. Your cousin, Samantha Daniel, plays college volleyball for the Wright State Raiders. Does she ever offer any advice to you on being a better player?
M.K. Sam always stresses the importance of your mental game and being confident in your abilities. She says that imagining yourself having a successful game or executing a play perfectly before a game really makes a difference in how you play. Also, she advises to have fun and leave all you’ve got out on the court!

F.R. Final question Maggie, have you made any college plans yet?
M.K. Nothing official, I’m considering The Ohio State University but I haven’t made any final decisions yet.

Thanks Maggie!  Good luck Saturday, this season, and Go Raiders!

The Raiders have some key players returning in 2013 

with Claire Sherman, Maggie Kearns, Taylor Daniel,

Camille Puthoff, and Kylie Wilson

A special Independence Day ...

The Independence Day holiday weekend is a significant date on the calendar for a lot of people in the area. It means Liberty Days is being celebrated over in Ft. Loramie, it means folks in Russia are finalizing details for their annual Raider Classic baseball tournament, it means local country music fans are packing up gear for Country Concert, and it's the unofficial middle of summer vacation for all the kiddos heading back to school in the fall.

No doubt most of us will be celebrating this weekend in some kind of way. I'll actually be flying to South Carolina on July 4th to join my family already vacationing in Myrtle Beach. All this leisure activity is thanks to the brave men and women in our U.S. military. Their service and sacrifice means we get to enjoy the holiday doing what we want. Without them I don't imagine we would be having picnics, playing baseball, going to concerts, and laying on the beach. At least I don't see those kinds of pictures in countries that aren't free. It's easy to forget and often times I do.

Fortunately, my 8-year son Ross didn't forget a couple weeks ago. He asked if he could write a letter to his buddy in the Marines, Bryce Dues, who just graduated from Russia High School this past May. Ross and Bryce became friends during high school basketball season when Bryce played for Russia and Ross was the water boy. Although Bryce just left for the Marines a short time ago, it has to be a stressful time for any new recruit, and Ross wanted to let Bryce know he's thinking about him back home.

Ross is a fan of #23 both on and off the basketball court

Ross left for his Myrtle Beach vacation this past Sunday and the next day a reply letter came in the mail from his buddy. I didn't tell Ross about it yet, I sure won't open it, and I'll be bringing it to him in Myrtle Beach on July 4th. I'm positive he'll be surprised. Not many people get gifts on Independence Day, but a letter from a U.S. Marine on the 4th of July is about as special as it gets. Thanks Ross for reminding me how lucky we are to enjoy this holiday and thanks to all the service men and women who keep giving it to us.

Even in the day of emails and texting, nothing beats a letter