Giving all they got...

The Russia girls were all smiles and all exhausted after winning a regional title

There's a saying in sports I've heard before that usually comes up around tournament time that goes "All It Takes Is All You Got".  That slogan came to mind this past Saturday at the D-III Regional Track & Field Meet in Piqua when the Russia Lady Raiders brought home the first girls regional championship in any sport in school history.  You see, when you have a track team the size that Russia does, it really does take all you got to pull off something this big.

That's why Russia sophomore Leah Francis couldn't celebrate long after qualifying for state in the 100 hurdles and had to quickly get ready to score points in the 4x200 relay.  That's why Russia freshman Lauren Heaton, who just ran anchor on that 4x200 relay team, had problems a short time later picking herself up off the track when she won the 400 dash.  That's why senior Taylor Magoto's season best in the pole vault couldn't have came at a better time.  That's why sophomore Emily Borchers school record time in the 1600 was so huge (breaking her sister Katie's record).  And that's why senior Lauren Francis looked exhausted after qualifying for state in the 3200.  Every point from every girl was hard-earned and in the end only four points separated Russia and Minster.  By the way, that's the same Minster program that has won 12 state championships in girls track & field.

Russia's Lauren Heaton won the 400 and left it all on the track

Don't get me wrong, the Russia victory didn't shock the world.  As a matter of fact, one coach I talked to said she knew the Raiders had a good shot to win.  Even last year Russia finished a very respectable 3rd at the regional behind Versailles and Minster.  But to explain what the Lady Raiders were up against coming into this weekend I'll use some baseball terminology, the girls needed to play error-free and hit a few out of the park.  They did exactly that.  Congrats to Coach Phelan, her staff, and her athletes on making history.  The girls were outstanding representing their school, they brought home some new hardware to Russia, and all it took was all they had!

The Lady Raiders gave Russia a reason to be proud

Reflections on the Flying Pig...

Tim and I finally ran "The Pig"

After eight half marathons and five full marathons, Cincinnati's Flying Pig seemed like the only course around I had yet to attempt.  Each spring I run a half marathon with my running buddies and Cincinnati was always one of the races we said we would do if "nothing else came up."  In the past I've traveled with a sometimes large group of running friends to races in Indy, Louisville, Columbus, Nashville, and Carmel, Indiana to name a few.  Often times the race was more of an excuse to enjoy a long weekend in the city.  As the years have passed my running buddies have come and gone, the long weekends of enjoying the city have turned into short overnight stays, and this year "nothing else came up."  It was time to run the Flying Pig and I had one buddy left that was willing to join me.

Tim Kearns and I have run enough of these half marathons to know what it takes.  We know we're never going to win one and we know the minimum amount of training required to complete one.  During our training   we ran a few Saturday morning long runs with some locals, which prevented us from getting too lazy.  Special thanks to Amber Cordonnier, Matt & Julie Magoto, Tyler Phlipot, and Tommy Francis who were also training for The Pig and kept Tim and I honest.  Believe it or not, I've always enjoyed the camaraderie of training with friends as much as the actual event we are training for.  Those people I mentioned are also all faster than Tim and I, so it was nice to be pushed a little as well.

Amber pushed me on a few Saturday morning training runs

The Flying Pig weekend finally arrived this past weekend.  During those early running years we might have taken a half day off work on Friday and got an early start driving to the city.  This year we waited until the high school track meet was over Saturday afternoon and left after that.  Instead of staying at the Embassy Suites, this year we stayed at the Travel Lodge.  And instead of reservations at a fancy Italian restaurant, we were treated to hamburgers on the grill at my brother-in-law's house in Newport, Kentucky (which were better than any restaurant in Cincinnati!).

The race morning atmosphere was great, the weather was ideal, the crowd support was awesome, the hills between miles six and nine were killer, and the finish was rewarding.  Overall, it was motivating to be out there with so many different kinds of runners and in retrospect, perhaps we should have ran The Pig years ago.  I'm always inspired after running a half or full marathon and maybe that's why I do it.  Maybe that's why I'll run another one again next year.  Maybe that's why I'll run the Flying Pig again someday... if nothing else comes up.  

Fish Report's year in review...

While some people like to recall world events and national news as what they remember most about 2012, I choose to focus on the local events and small town news that defined my year.  Here's a toast to those listed below on an awesome and amusing year in my eyes.

THE BEST OF THE BEST
St. Henry won the title of best tap water in the U.S. back in February. It was just another honor for the village that's home to numerous state championships, professional athletes and even a Miss Ohio. Minster repeated as D-IV state baseball champs in June even after losing OSU bound pitcher Adam Niemeyer earlier in the season. While I doubted the Wildcats could pull it off, seniors Doug Huber and Austin Knapke teamed up on the mound and all they did was win. Russia runners Lauren Francis, Emily Borchers and Lauren Heaton dominated the girls cross country scene for most of the season. They were one of the best running triple-threats this area has ever seen and I'm glad I got to witness it.  In November Marion Local volleyball captured their fourth state title in six years under coach Amy Steininger and seemed to be absolutely unbeatable after Josie Winner returned from injury. The Flyers proved it by winning the last 15 sets in a row close out their season.

These three Running Raiders stuck together and were hard to beat in 2012

SOME GREAT PERFORMANCES I SAW IN PERSON

The pitching gem from Russia and Ft. Loramie to decide the SCL championship back in May. I typically enjoy baseball offense more than defense, but the 12-inning 1-0 Russia win started by Treg Francis for the Raiders and Jared Albers for the Redskins was a masterpiece. Girls softball pitchers Katelyn Herron from Russia and Paige Ordean from Ft. Loramie also battled to a 1-0 Redskins victory in May. These two aces own too many school records to count and seeing them work was a pleasure. Watching Tammy Berger of Versailles win the 800 meter run at the Troy regionals the end of May.  It was a great race that came down to the end and the last individual victory for the OSU bound star. Country Concert in Ft. Loramie back in July was another amazing spectacle with some of the best country music talent in the world. I've been attending Country Concert for many years and I always go home thinking that was a great time. Sidney's Konner Harris scoring 49 points against Russia back in November. I never witnessed a high school girl or boy score that many points in a game, and although she did it against my team, it was remarkable to watch someone that was truly "in the zone".

We brought along our own talented group to Country Concert this past summer

SOME PERSONAL FAVORITES I ENJOYED

Attending the Russia ceremony honoring State Track Meet champions Luke Pohlman & Katie Borchers back in early January. Realizing they were the first state champs in the lifetime of the current Russia students was pretty cool.  Russia coach Rick Gold's baseball camp in February was a star studded event.  As I watched professional baseball players Craig Stammen of Versailles and Jared Hoying of Ft. Loramie giving instructions to the boys, I got the impression the pros were the ones enjoying it most. Interviewing Jackson Center boys basketball coach Scott Elchert back in March in the midst of a tournament run with his undefeated Tigers for Fish Report LIVE! was one I'll always remember. I'm positive Coach had more important things to do than talk to us, but I'll never forget how friendly and thankful he was about the interview. The Bohman Tractor Pull & Family Picnic in August was as much fun as any of the other area festivals I attended all summer.  The Bohman's are great people and they sure know how to entertain.  

The Powder Puff division at the annual Bohman Tractor Pull is sports and entertainment

FEEL GOOD STORIES 

Unless you were visiting another planet in June you heard all about Meghan Vogel of West Liberty-Salem at the state track meet. She helped someone in need, just like she always does, only this time the spotlight captured it...and it went viral. Alexis Sharp made Minster school history in the fall becoming the first girl to play football for the Wildcats. The gridiron girl decided after a mission trip to Haiti that no one could make football happen but her, and she was right. In October New Bremen's Ralph Boerger was honored with some World War II medals that were long overdue. After six decades we're positive Ralph waited long enough.  In the middle of chasing another state football title the Coldwater Cavaliers sported yellow to support a player’s father battling cancer. Football teaches a lot of life lessons and this was certainly a big one.

Hanging out with Meghan Vogel before she helped the Reds throw out the first pitch

AND PEOPLE THAT WILL BE MISSED

Harry Brown, who established the Versailles Sweet Shop in 1939. Virgil Arkenberg of Ft. Loramie, a lover of VW Beetles and my grandpa. Donny Yingst, a sports guy who gave his service to the Covington community. Joann Gariety Shipley, just a Russia gal living in Virginia and a huge Fish Report contributor. Don Meyer from Newport who seemed to be everyone’s friend, including ours.  And Linie Hausfeld from Minster who founded Hausfeld Motor Sales and was a Firefighter of the Year.

Blogging about Russia history and posting old pics like this was a passion of Joann Gariety Shipley

Farewell 2012,

Fish