Four Corners Sports March 2016

3Four Corners SPORTSMARCH 2016

content| 4 | Setting goals

With the Piedra Vista High School Swim-

ming and Diving Teams in a state of flux,

Kristi lucero was hired in late August of

2015 to coach the Panther program.

| 8 | Ken Griffey Jr.

“The Kid’s” career is complete. Ken Griffey

Jr. has just been elected to the Baseball

Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York,

by the Baseball Writers Association of

America.

| 18 | Home SchoolAthletes on the riseClaudio lane sat on the sofa in his

father’s law office, obviously wishing the

visitor would keep the visit short. Claudio,

13, and his brother, Evan, 9, had other

things to do on this Friday morning and

he was anxious to be on his way.

| 26 | Understandingthe gameIt’s that time of year again where the

Super Bowl ends and basketball takes

over the sports landscape as high school

state playoffs, NCAA conference

tournaments and the beloved Final Four

begin.

| 30 | Boys and Girls Club’sNew BalanceSports in Farmington, especially when it

comes to basketball, revolved around

the Boys & Girls Club. Not so long ago

there was the classic old building that

from a distance looked like an ancient

airplane hangar.

| 12 | Fantasy YearThe Fantasy Season has come to an end

and it’s time to look back on another

season of great pickups, bad picks and

devastating injuries.

| 22 | Police Athletic LeagueIt’s not just about fitness and a healthy,

active lifestyle. It’s about sharing sports

and outdoor activities that culminate in a

shared respect and appreciation for each

other.

| 32 | NASCAR Nellie

| 24 | Editorial Columnistby Rick Hoerner

| 16 | The First Teeby Tom Yost

Don Vaughan

PuBlISHER

Cindy Cowan Thiele

EDITOR

Rick Hoerner

Dorothy Nobis

Tom Yost

CONTRIBuTING WRITERS

Josh Bishop

Curtis Ray Benally

CONTRIBuTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Suzanne Thurman

DESIGNER

Clint Alexander

Tonya Daniell

SAlES STAFF

lacey Waite

ADMINISTRATION

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Call 505.516.1230

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Four Corners Sports magazine is published six times ayear by Majestic Media. Material herein may not bereprinted without expressed written consent of the pub-lisher. Opinions expressed by the contributing writersare not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or FourCorners Sports magazine. Every effort has been madeto ensure the accuracy of this publication. However thepublisher cannot assume responsibility for errors oromissions. © 2016 Four Corners Sports magazine.

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STORY IDEAS and PHOTOS

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Dominique Tso. Photo by Curtis Ray Benally

4 Four Corners SPOrTS MARCH 2016

With the Piedra Vista High School Swim-

ming and Diving Teams in a state of flux,

Kristi Lucero was hired in late August of 2015

to coach the Panther program. Lucero has

been coaching for the past three years with

FCAT (the Four Corners Aquatic Team of

Farmington) and is the assistant coach

under Mike McCluhan at the club level.

“My daughter Emilee has been swimming

since she was 8 years old,” said Lucero. “We

live in Bloomfield and started at the San Juan

Swim Club. Over the past few years the San

Juan Swim Club has combined with FCAT. I ac-

cepted the position at PV, which is why my

daughter is now swimming as a freshman for

Piedra Vista.”

Being a late hire for the swimming and div-

ing coaching position, it was a bit of a strug-

gle for Lucero in her first year.

“I came in so late that scheduling our

meets was extremely tough,” said Lucero.

“Most teams had already set their schedule

and therefore we couldn’t get into certain

meets we wanted to and we had to take what

we could get based on what was left.”

The scheduling challenge aside, Lucero

came in with a solid set of expectations for

the swimmers and divers who were on the

team.

“At the start of the season, I told all of our

swimmers and divers what was expected of

Story Tom Yost | Photos Curtis Ray Benally

Coach Kristi Lucero building a solid

swimming and diving team

SETTING GOALS

emileeLUCERO

benVANOTTESON

shealaMOFFITT

PIEDRA

VISTA

them,” explained lucero. “i expected them to work hard and give their

full effort at every practice. Most of our athletes have risen to the chal-

lenge that i presented to them at the beginning of the year. i believe that

if kids understand what is expected of them, that they will be able to

step up.”

lucero has three solid divers all of whom have qualified for the state

meet, and has pretty high expectations for a strong finish from all three

of them at district and state.

Ben Vanotteson and Bodee DeWeese offer the best chance for a high

finish at state in February. Vanotteson is the top seed in district and

also swims on a couple of relays for the panthers.

“Ben and Bodee are each other’s biggest competitors,” said lucero. “i

expect each of them to finish in the top three at both district and state.”

eliana Christensen is lucero’s other state diving qualifier. Young

Christensen has a lot of experience and is an extremely hard worker,

which will serve her well finishing out the season and heading into the

next.

“on the girls’ side, i have a pretty key group of five girls that continue

to compete and get better,” explained lucero. “Dominique tso is our

senior leader and a captain who leads by example. She has qualified for

state both individually and as the anchor for our relay teams. Sheala

Moffitt has qualified for the 100 breast stroke and also swims on a qual-

ified relay team. i also have Gabrielle Goodluck, who is an extremely

hard worker and has a great attitude on the team. and finally i have my

daughter emilee lucero and Morgan Miller as freshmen.”

With the core group on the girls’ side, lucero thinks that her 200

Medley relay team and the 400 Freestyle relay team could finish in the

top five teams at the state meet.

“on the boys’ side we have a smaller team, but they are on the cusp

of qualifying for the 200 and 400 Freestyle relays for state,” added

lucero.

With past experience as an assistant coach and the expectations for

the team laying the foundation moving forward, lucero believes great

things are ahead for both the piedra Vista High School Swimming and

Diving team and for FCat at the club level.

“We have some really talented freshmen on both the boys and girls

side and some solid sophomores and juniors looking to the future,”

said lucero. “Being able to coach with FCat and having the support of

Mike McCluhan, we are trying to build the club with the younger swim-

mers that move up to the high school level from the club level. i have

taken a lot of experiences from Mike at the club level and used it in my

coaching. So i am very appreciative of Mike and all he has done for

swimming in Farmington.”

and once the season ends for panther swimmers and divers, the off-

season plans for training and pool time will give opportunities for fu-

ture participants to get better.

“it all comes back to the expectations for the team,” proclaimed

lucero. “We want to make sure our athletes are working hard and hav-

ing fun. that is how the program is going to grow.

6 Four Corners SportS MARCH 2016

elianaCHRISTENSEN


Ken Griffey Jr. addresses

the Farmington crowd

after his induction into the

Connie Mack World Series

Hall of Fame in 2014.


“The Kid’s” career is complete. Ken Griffey Jr.

has just been elected to the Baseball Hall of

Fame in Cooperstown, New York, by the Baseball

Writers Association of America. He received the

highest vote tally in the history of any player ever

to play the game. Griffey Jr. had a higher vote

tally than the likes of Babe Ruth, Ted Williams,

Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Jackie Robinson.

When the votes were counted, Griffey Jr. had ac-

cumulated 437 votes out of a possible 440.

Griffey Jr. grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, as his

father played outfield for the Cincinnati Reds

during the “Big Red Machine” era of the mid-

1970s.

Griffey Jr. went on to have a prolific high

school baseball career at Archbishop Moeller

High School, becoming the second player in

Moeller’s baseball program to be voted to the

Baseball Hall of Fame, following Barry Larkin in

2012.

Griffey Jr. touched the lives of Farmington,

New Mexico, residents Eric and Kim Lien in the

late summer of 1986 when he played in the Con-

nie Mack World Series for Coach Joe Hayden.

Playing center field for the two-time defending

Connie Mack World Series Champions, Griffey Jr.

was a not yet polished 16-year-old with a quiet

demeanor and a love for Doritos.

“That’s all he ate,” said Eric Lien. “He sure

loved Doritos.”

Midland was attempting to become the first

club to win three straight Connie Mack World Se-

ries titles, but Griffey Jr. and the team lost to a

team from Norwalk, California, in the finals.

Story Tom Yost | Courtesy photos

From playing for Midland at the CMWS to being elected

to the Baseball Hall of Fame

Class of 2016 electees Ken Griffey Jr. (left) and Mike Piazza re-create their classic 1994 Sports Il-

lustrated cover at the MLB Network studios in Secaucus, N.J. (Jean Fruth / National Baseball Hall

of Fame)

KEN GRIFFEY JR.is one of the greats

Pictured from left, Ken Griffey Jr., Eric Lien,

Steve Lien.

10 MARCH 2016

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“We knew he was Ken Griffey’s son, but we

didn’t know how good he really was,” said Lien.

“He was just another Connie Mack ball player

and he was just like all the other (Connie

Mack) kids to us.”

He was elected to the Connie Mack World Se-

ries Hall of Fame in celebration of the 50th An-

niversary of the baseball tournament in 2014.

In his speech at the induction ceremony

Griffey thanked the Lien family for their hospi-

tality.

“I was a little nervous because of what my

dad did. I can’t tell you how much the Lien fam-

ily means to me. My host family was unbeliev-

able,” he said.

“the first night I was scared to death and

the Liens told me ‘It’s gonna be all right, you’re

gonna do just fine.’

In his speech “Enjoy this time, and parents,

take a lot of pictures. It is arguably the great-

est time I have had as an amateur athlete.”

Griffey holds the record for the longest ca-

reer of any Connie Mack World Series playing

with 22 years in the major league.

Griffey started to play for Midland again in

the summer of 1987, but was selected first

overall in the 1987 amateur draft by the Seattle

Mariners. He signed immediately and started

in their minor league farm system.

He started his first major league game with

the Mariners in 1989, enjoying the best years

of his Hall of Fame career in Seattle. He was

traded to his hometown Cincinnati reds in

2000 and spent nearly nine years battling in-

juries on the back half of his illustrious career.

Griffey Jr. had finished his last three and a

half years with the Chicago White Sox and the

Seattle Mariners when he retired in 2010.

He finished his career with 630 home runs

(6th on the all-time list), was the American

League MVp in 1997, was a 13-time All-Star and

won 10 straight Golf Gloves as the best defen-

sive outfielder in the American League from

1990-1999. His 22-year career ended with a

.284 batting average and an on-base percent-

age of .370.

“After the career he had, I expected him to

get into the Hall of Fame,” said Lien. “I was a lit-

tle surprised that he got the highest vote count

ever.”

Four Corners SportS

A bat Griffey Junior signed for Eric and Kim’s son Steve Lien.

Few athletes burst into the spot-

light of their sport the way Ken

Griffey Jr. did as one of the most

memorable young stars in Major

Leagues history, displaying power

and athletic style beyond his years,

and a smile that lit up the grand

old game. Griffey will make an-

other debut soon, this time on the

National Baseball Hall of Fame bal-

lot atop the 2016 class of players

under consideration.

The 600-homer power of Griffey

and the 600-save prowess of closer

Trevor Hoffman will headline the

first-ballot hopefuls when members

of the Baseball Writers’ Association

of America cast their votes at the

end of the 2015 calendar year to de-

termine inductees to Cooperstown

for ’16. Others due to make their

debut on the 2016 ballot include

multiple All-Stars such as premier

left-handed closer Billy Wagner, out-

field defensive wizard Jim Edmonds

and stalwart catcher Jason Kendall.

Accomplishments

Griffey racked up 10 Gold Glove

Awards with his spectacular work

in center field and was selected to

13 All-Star Games in a 22-year ca-

reer that saw him stand out as one

of the game’s biggest stars for

more than a decade.

After debuting with the

Mariners in 1989 at age 19, and

playing alongside his father the

next two years, Griffey won Most

Valuable Player honors at the 1992

All-Star Game at 22 – and Junior

was on his way to big things. Grif-

fey won the 1997 American League

MVP Award with 56 homers and

147 RBIs, part of a run in which he

had at least 40 homers in seven

out of eight seasons.

Great moments

He had several iconic moments

along the way, from remarkable

catches robbing home runs to div-

ing headfirst into home plate and

winding up at the bottom of a dog

pile as the Mariners clinched their

first postseason series in 1995 –

his beaming smile right there in

the picture, every time.

Junior named on 99.3 percent

of ballots, breaking

Tom Seaver's '92 record

“Junior was one of the

finest young men I’ve ever

had the opportunity to

manage. When we were in

Seattle together, I believe

he was the best player in

baseball and it was truly an

honor to be his manager.”

— Lou PiniellaSeattle Mariners manager

* Junior 34

12 Four Corners SPoRtS MARCH 2016

the Fantasy Season has come to an end and it’s time to look

back on another season of great pickups, bad picks and devastat-

ing injuries. the addition of the daily fantasy leagues, such as

Fanduel and draft kings, brought a new dimension to Fantasy

Football and the lovely world of gambling. Here’s a look at those

who made – or devastated – your year.

all-Star team

cam newton QB carolina Panthers - Probably not even a top

10 QB choice in your league, newton had a monster year with 45

tds, including 10 rushing, with nearly 4,000 passing yards and

another 635 rushing.

devonta FReeman RB atlanta Falcons - will be on the all-waiver

wire team as well. most saw tevin coleman as the Falcon starter,

but even with a

couple of

games missed

Freeman was

the highest

rated RB in

Fantasy this season.

adRian PeteRSen RB minnesota vikings - Petersen returned

after a season-long suspension to lead the vikings to the playoffs.

with over 1,700 total yards and 11 tds Petersen picked up right

where he left off.

antonio BRown wR Pittsburgh Steelers - once again the top

wide receiver in the league, even with Roethlisberger out for a

few games. with 136 catches, over 1,800 yards and 11 tds, Brown

will likely be a first round pick next year and is no. 1 on my pre-

season board.

Julio JoneS wR atlanta Falcons - after an often injured 2014 sea-

son Jones was well worth the high draft pick. Jones finished just

behind Brown, even with matt Ryan having an off season. Same

number of catches as Brown, more yards, but fewer scores.

THE FANTASY GEEK

RickHOERNER

camNEWTONcarolina Panthers

devontaFREEMANatlanta Falcons

FANTASY YEAR IN REVIEW

13Four Corners sPortsMARCH 2016

rob GronkoWski te new england Patriots - Gronk was again a mon-

ster with 72 catches and 11 tDs. the single most dominant position

player in the league, again to be a top pick at tight end.

Denver bronCos Dst - the defense was the reason the broncos

made it to the super bowl. the broncos’ no. 1 defense was opportunis-

tic with 27 turnovers and 5 tDs to go, along with 52 sacks.

all-Wasted Pick team

anDreW LuCk Qb indianapolis Colts - it was very likely that Luck was

a top 5 Qb drafted right there with rodgers, brees, brady and the run-

ner up wasted pick, Peyton Manning. even before the injuries, Luck

wasn’t anywhere near performing to his draft status.

DeMarCo Murray rb Philadelphia eagles - Last year’s top rusher

didn’t even put up 750 yards this season and ended up splitting time

with the always disappointing ryan Mathews. the downfall of Chip

kelly is tied to Murray – and bradford, of course.

CJ anDerson rb Denver broncos - While anderson finished strong

at the end of the year, owners were hoping to get a lot out of anderson

after the way he finished last year. only 720 yards and 5 scores after

being projected as a top 10 back.

eDDie LaCy rb Green bay Packers - Projected as a top 4 running

back, Lacy was 90th at the end of the year. He was inconsistent all

year, rarely putting up double digit points in consecutive weeks. even

lost his starting job to James starks. not even a thousand yards total

and only 5 tDs.

ranDaLL Cobb Wr Green bay Packers - the preseason loss of Jordy

nelson hurt aaron rodgers, but it killed randall Cobb. While it looked

as though Cobb would become an even bigger factor in the offense,

without the field-stretching, nelson Cobb struggled to get open.

torrey sMitH Wr san Francisco 49ers - smith’s speed looked to be

a perfect fit for Colin kaepernick, but the 49ers looked awful and

smith’s free agency pickup did little to help. smith came down with

just over 33 catches, barely 650 yards and only 4 tDs.

JiMMy GraHaM te seattle seahawks - When Graham came over to

the seahawks it looked to be the answer to the seahawks red Zone

passing problems, but Graham never fit in, and, even before his sea-

son-ending injury, was not performing as expected.

MiaMi DoLPHins Dst - the Dolphin Dst was supposed to be an up

and coming defense with the addition of ndamukong suh. the defen-

sive line never became the force they hoped for, recording only 31

sacks and giving up over 6,000 yards.

all-injured team

tony roMo Qb Dallas Cowboys - i suppose no big shocker here, but

romo had his team playing well before the injuries that crashed a

whole team around him.

Le’veon beLL rb Pittsburgh steelers - after missing a pair of games

at the beginning of the year, all looked to be on track for the top rated

rb in preseason. Had 700 yards in six games before falling for the sea-

son.

anDreWLUCKindianapolis Colts

tonyROMODallas Cowboys

kirkCOUSINSWashington redskins

Jamal CharleS rB Kansas City Chiefs - after five games Charles was

on to another stellar season, and with the Chiefs schedule getting much

easier it looked to get better for Charles. the injury ended his fantasy

season, but the Chiefs rolled up 11 consecutive wins without him.

Dez Bryant Wr Dallas Cowboys - Bryant’s injury, in conjunction with

romo’s, doomed the Cowboy offense. even when Bryant returned, the

backup situation was so bad in Dallas that Bryant never had a chance.

Keenan allen Wr San Diego Chargers - through eight weeks, allen

was a top tier wide receiver. his injury stifled the Chargers passing at-

tack and bottomed out the Chargers in the aFC West.

late SeaSon tight enDS - the tight end position didn’t get hit hard

until the end of the season; then came a rush of injuries causing owners

to scramble to cover martellus Bennett, antonio gates, Charles Clay and

Jimmy graham, among others.

all-Waiver Wire

KirK CouSinS QB Washington redskins - in the aftermath of the exper-

iment that was robert griffin iii, Cousins led the redskins to a division

championship by having an unexpected great season, throwing for over

4,100 yards and accounting for 34 tDs.

Deangelo WilliamS rB pittsburgh Steelers - an afterthought when

leaving the panthers, Williams put up exceptional numbers filling in for

the suspended and then injured le’Veon Bell. 1,200 total yards and 11

tDs were well worth the gamble.

DaViD JohnSon rB arizona Cardinals - the rookie was listed on the

depth chart behind andre ellington and Chris Johnson. But even while

Chris Johnson was putting up good numbers, David was scoring tDs in

the return and passing games. When he got his chance in the final

weeks he was one of the top backs in the league.

Doug BalDWin Wr Seattle Seahawks - anyone holding on to Baldwin

prior to the bye week should be investing on Wall Street. after the bye,

and with Jimmy graham gone, Baldwin was a monster receiver with 20

points ppr in eight of the last ten weeks.

allen hurnS Wr Jacksonville Jaguars - hurns came out of nowhere

to put up a 1,000-yard season with 64 catches and 10 tDs. along with

allen robinson and a rising Blake Bortles, the Jaguar passing game

looks to be headed in the right direction.

Delanie WalKer te tennessee titans - in my leagues Walker was

picked up and dropped off rosters nearly on a weekly basis, but by the

end of the year Walker was a must start and the favorite target of mar-

cus mariotta. Walker was second to gronkowski in ppr scoring.

KanSaS City ChieFS DSt - after five weeks most owners gave up on

the Chiefs, including yours truly, but during the 11-game win streak the

Chiefs DSt was top notch, earning them the second spot right behind

the Broncos.

another fantasy season has come and gone. now there are only seven

months to prepare for the 2016 draft.


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16 Four Corners sPorTs MARCH 2016

it is tough to think about golf when you are

cooped up inside and temperatures are

barely peeking their heads above freezing.

With snow and ice covering the lovely 18-

hole landscapes and the calendar reading

February, hope springs eternal that the

weather will break and we will be able to

shake the dust off of the clubs and the rust

off our swings.

Looking forward to what lies ahead, i will

offer some questions for the golf world head-

ing into the thick of the 2016 season…

1. Will the new Big Three, err, i mean Big Four,

dominate the professional golf landscape

this year?

it certainly appears that the PGa Tour is

primed to have survived the post-Tiger

Woods collapse with the meteoric rises of

jordan spieth, rory mcilroy, jason day and

ricky Fowler. sprinkle in a few others such

as dustin johnson, Bubba Watson and

Patrick reed, and we have ourselves a

healthy look at professional golf for a long

while.

2. speaking of the PGa Tour, will the United

states put its demons to bed and FinaLLy win

the ryder cup?

color me skeptical,

but the Europeans

seem to have our

number no matter

who we throw out

there. maybe the

young guns will erase

the last two decades of misery with a domi-

nating performance at Hazeltine national in

minnesota – where nmsU’s very own rich

Beem won the PGa championship.

3. Who will win The masters?

a tradition unlike any other is not too far

away, and officially – in my opinion – kicks

off the golf season.

so many of the top players have been so

close to donning the green jacket that it is

really up for grabs. Fowler has stated that it

is his major goal for 2016.

mcilroy needs it to cement his place

among the greats and complete the fourth

and final piece of his career grand slam.

spieth is looking to go back-to-back. The

drama will be intense, but before it even

starts i would strongly suggest you tune in to

the sunday morning drive, chip and Putt na-

tional championship from augusta national

Golf course, watching young participants

from around the country getting to compete

in a skills competition at the home of The

masters.

and one of our very own, sebastian

massey from Farmington, came within five

spots of competing in this national event. it is

worth every minute of your time.

4. Will you commit to improving by taking les-

sons from your local PGa Professional, or get

fitted for custom clubs that suit you?

it is time for the local avid golfer to start

investing in game improvement lessons

rather than game improvement equipment.

Lessons are less expensive and will last a lot

longer than that $400 driver that goes far-

ther – into the native area! contact your

TomYOSTThe First Tee

BEFORE THE SNOW MELTS Golf questions prior to swinging into 2016 season

jordanSPIETH

roryMCIIROY

jasonDAY

rickyFOWLER

17Four Corners SPoRTSMARCH 2016

local PGA Golf Professional today – and get yourself better more

quickly, and for less money.

5. What is it going to take to get you out on the course this year?

With so many Get Golf Ready Programs for beginners, some of the

best course layouts money can buy, and family golf opportunities

around every corner, 2016 is the PERFECT time to give golf a try, or to

come back and see what you have been missing.

��

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Golf save the date events

1)May 9 and 10, 2016, will be the Class 5A State Golf Championships

at Piñon Hills Golf Course. The top high school players from New Mex-

ico will compete in our back yard. Attendance is free and volunteers

will be needed to help out. If nothing else, come out and support the

local 5A schools – Aztec, Farmington and Piedra Vista – which will be

competing, as these student athletes have worked hard to reach their

goals for the season.

2)May 12, 2016 will be The First Tee’s 2nd Annual Clubs For Kids

Event at Piñon Hills Golf Course. This will be free to attend from 3 p.m.

to 7 p.m. for all families in the community. Every youth in attendance

receives a free club to take home.

18 Four Corners SpoRtS MARCH 2016

Runner

Claudio Lane

participates

in sports

at Koogler

Story Dorothy NobisPhotos Josh Bishop

Claudio Lane sat on the sofa in his father’s law office, obviously

wishing the visitor would keep the visit short. Claudio, 13, and his

brother, Evan, 9, had other things to do on this Friday morning and

he was anxious to be on his way.

Claudio and Evan are homeschooled. If they get their school

work done for the week and have a good start on the lessons for

the following week, they get to take Friday off and do something

special. on this particular Friday, it was snowboarding.

Claudio enjoys being homeschooled. His lessons include math,

spelling, history, geography, science, writing, and Bible study. His

least favorite subject is math, his favorite is science. “I get to learn

about stuff and do experiments,” he explained of science.

Claudio responded politely to questions about his schoolwork,

but when asked about his other interests, his eyes sparkled and

he was eager to share his love of sports.

A cross country runner, Claudio participates in sports at

Koogler Middle School in Aztec. “I like to run and it’s fun to do

races,” he said. “And I like going outside and enjoying what God

has made.”

Claudio’s father, ryan Lane, suggested cross country running to

his energetic son, and Joe Kresl, a math teacher and cross country

coach at Koogler, was happy to have Claudio on the school’s team.

Kresl said there is no selection process for those who wish to

participate in cross country running. “once a team has more than

seven athletes, you can select where you want a (runner) to be –

varsity or junior varsity,” Kresl explained. “that is very easy to de-

termine, based on race results and times during weekly interval

sessions.”

the Koogler cross country team practices Monday through Fri-

day after school. Being homeschooled was not a disadvantage for

Claudio, who fit in well with the Koogler runners.

“I think it was an easy transition for Claudio,” Kresl said of Clau-

dio’s participation with the team. “Most of the runners on our

team don’t have any classes together. Claudio not only trained with

runners his age, but he trained and traveled with boys and girls in

both middle school and high school.”

“We have had many runners that are homeschooled, as well as

athletes who go to charter schools,” Kresl added. “I think, in run-

ning, it is common to have homeschoolers on teams.”

19Four Corners SportSMARCH 2016

HOME SCHOOL ATHLETES ON THE RISE

Story Dorothy NobisPhotos Josh Bishop

While Claudio enjoys running – a love he shares with his father – it’s not

the only sport he’s interested in. “I like baseball, snowboarding, football,

basketball, and Ultimate Frisbee.,” he said, adding he recently received a

set of golf clubs and will add golf to that list of favorite sports.

“I’m very thankful that Claudio can participate in public school sports,”

said Nicole Lane, Claudio’s mother – “especially now that he is getting

older, the option for club sports is usually offered only through upper ele-

mentary, and then the option dissipates when children are in junior high.

“participation helps Claudio by giving him an opportunity to exercise, al-

lows him interaction with peers his age, and participation in sports helps

him develop his character,” Nichole continued. “Claudio has been able to

make friends with kids and learn from coaches who he wouldn’t have oth-

erwise met. ryan and I both learned many lessons from playing sports

growing up and I am glad Claudio will have the same opportunity.”

Her older son loves sports, Nichole said, and isn’t one to be idle for long.

“We, of course, encourage him to move as often as possible,” she ex-

plained. “to lead a healthy lifestyle, we educate our children to know the

kinds of foods that are healthy for them and limit their intake of unhealthy

foods. We are a family who enjoys exercise and we participate – as a fam-

ily – often in physical activities.”

Homeschooling was a decision that came relatively easy for the Lanes.

“Nicole and I decided to homeschool because it is an opportunity to give in-

dividual education to our kids,” ryan Lane said. “Homeschooling isn’t for

everyone. Fortunately, we have the resources and ability to do it, and we

take advantage of that.”

Homeschooling their children has nothing to do with the quality of edu-

cation public schools provide, however. “I’m a big proponent of Aztec’s pub-

lic schools,” ryan added. “Homeschooling isn’t a statement or an

indictment (of the Aztec school system).”

In fact, ryan is a member of the Aztec School Board. recruited by a

board member, who was moving, to take her seat on the board, ryan ini-

tially declined the invitation because of his busy schedule. However, when

the board member called again several weeks later, he had a change of

heart.

“I told her I’d think about it and pray about it,” ryan said. “I talked to

Nicole and we decided it was the best thing to do for our community.” A

product of the Aztec school system himself, ryan said he enjoys serving on

the school board, and his legal training is helpful to the board.

the belief in the Aztec school system is also shared by Nicole, who is a

substitute teacher at Aztec High School.

“I love my job as a substitute for many reasons,” Nicole said. “Ultimately,

I enjoy interacting with children and teens. I also enjoy teaching and learn-

ing. Any time I’m in a classroom, I learn a lot. Sometimes, it is book knowl-

edge I learn and sometimes it’s learning about the issues our teens face in

everyday life. Both are equally fascinating to me and I like to help in any

way I can.”


21Four Corners SpoRTSMARCH 2016

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Using the Bible as an additional textbook in

their homeschooling makes good sense to

Nicole and Ryan. “You can better understand

western civilization through an understanding

of the scriptures,” Ryan said.

“The arts are integrated throughout both

our history and Bible curriculum,” Nichole

added. “When we study different time periods,

we often look at the art of the time. I com-

pletely agree with Ryan that our study of the

Bible also helps us understand our creator

and how he has used people in the past and

how he can use us today to bring glory to his

name.”

The challenges and opportunities of home-

schooling can be overwhelming for parents

thinking about schooling their children at

home.

“Families who are thinking about home-

schooling should be encouraged (and know)

that they are not alone,” Nicole said.

“There are many families who are choosing

to homeschool and most are more than happy

to share resources and go on field trips. There

are also many opportunities for co-ops in the

area. Having other families with whom to

share concerns and joys is an important part

of homeschooling.”

Claudio will soon be of high school age. Ryan

said he and Nicole haven’t yet decided to con-

tinue homeschooling for him or have him take

advantage of online academics, which provides

lectures and live Web cam discussion forums.

When asked which he’d rather do, Claudio

did not hesitate with his answer. “Homeschool-

ing,” he said, “because I like it.”

For Nicole and Ryan Lane, homeschooling

works for them and their sons. “It’s challeng-

ing,” Ryan admitted. “But the reward is, if we

can raise men and women in the next genera-

tion that care about their community and want

to serve their community, we’ll help save the

world.”

But for now, on this particular Friday, with

school work done for the week and with a

head start on the next week, their immediate

challenge will be conquering the slopes on

snowboards.

“I like to run and it’s fun to do races.

And I like going outside and enjoying

what God has made.”

— Claudio Lane

22 Four Corners SPorTS MARCH 2016

It’s not just about fitness and a healthy, ac-

tive lifestyle. It’s about sharing sports and out-

door activities that culminate in a shared

respect and appreciation for each other.

The Bloomfield Police Department is an ac-

tive participant in the Police Athletic League

(PAL) and has used the program to interact

and have a positive influence with the youth of

Bloomfield and San Juan County.

Teena McKinney has been an administrative

supervisor with the Bloomfield Police Depart-

ment for almost five years. After spending 13

years as a warrants officer and dispatcher

with the San Juan County Communication Au-

thority, and traveling with her husband for

several years, McKinney decided to return to

law enforcement.

“I love what I do,” McKinney said. “I love

working with our police officers and working

with the community.”

Her return to law enforcement brought

more than the camaraderie that unites police

departments, however. In Bloomfield, she dis-

covered another aspect to her job – one that

gives her the opportunity to work with chil-

dren in the community.

`The police department was part of PAL and

while McKinney was familiar with the pro-

gram, she admitted she didn’t know all it pro-

vides.

According to information from the organiza-

tion, PAL is a recreation-oriented juvenile

crime prevention program that relies heavily

upon athletics and recreational activities to

create and cement the bond between police

officers and the kids on the street.

The information sheet also states “The rela-

tionship between sports and juvenile delin-

quency has been the subject of much

discussion. Throughout the 19th and 20th cen-

turies, physical educators, educational sociol-

ogists, educational psychologists and

penologists have contended that sports can

serve as an effective and powerful antidote to

delinquency. The idea that sports can serve as

a deterrent to delinquency was first espoused

in the English public schools during the mid-

dle of the 19th century. Sports were then used

as a substitute for the stealing, bullying and

drinking that dominated the leisure hours of

the English schoolboy.”

Story Dorothy Nobis | Courtesy photos

Police

Athletic leAgue

Bloomfield PD

benefit area youth

the Bloomfield police Department and its pAL program continues – in

the 21st century – those same athletic and team building programs that

give children and teens opportunities to steer them away from gangs,

drugs and crime.

McKinney started volunteering with pAL shortly after being hired by the

department. “At first, I just wanted to help and volunteer for (special)

events,” she explained. “then I became part of the local board of directors

and served as the board’s treasurer and now, I’m the board secretary.”

“We felt the police department needed to interact more with the com-

munity and with the kids,” she explained of the board’s mission. “We

wanted kids to know that we’re people, too, and pAL is a good way for the

officers to talk to kids and build good relationships.”

Using sports, exercise and outdoor activities to attract young people

to the pAL program has resulted in an ever-increasing number of partici-

pants in the many activities the police department and pAL provide.

“We have a Bike and Scooter rodeo in April, we provide activities for

kids during Bloomfield Days, we offer the Junior police Academy in June,

we have our outdoor Camp Adventure in July, and we have our Halloween

carnival in october,” McKinney said. “the Halloween carnival helps raise

money for our other events, so the kids don’t have to pay for anything,”

McKinney said.

the Bike and Scooter rodeo is for children of all ages, although McKin-

ney said kids as young as 5 years old and kids in junior high school make

up most of the participants. “We help them learn how to ride bikes and

how to ride safely on our streets,” McKinney said. “We have an obstacle

course and our officers teach them the rules of the road and safety tips.”

Bloomfield Days – a community event sponsored by the Bloomfield

Chamber of Commerce – gives kids the opportunity for water fights, and

McKinney said they hope this year to have a climbing wall for kids to enjoy.

the Junior police Academy in June is for young people ages 10 through 15.

“the first year we had the week-long event, we had about 35 kids,” McKin-

ney said. “Now we have almost 50 and they come from all over San Juan

County.”

the Junior police Academy not only teaches participants about law en-

forcement, it emphasizes the need for physical fitness as a police officer.

“We keep them busy,” McKinney said with a smile. “they do a lot of walking

and running, they play football and games. they rappel off the police de-

partment building, they enjoy paint ball at Wilderness park and they do cal-

isthenics every morning.”

In addition, the kids learn crime scene investigation, learn about the

weapons used by police officers, see the San Juan County Sheriff’s office

helicopter land and get to visit with the pilot, see the New Mexico State po-

lice Department’s boat which helps those visiting Navajo Lake, and under-

standing what law enforcement officers do.

Zach Boehm, 11, attended the Junior police Academy in 2015. “I

thought it was pretty fun and we did fun projects,” he said. “I would like to

do it again.”

Donica Sharpe’s granddaughter, Sarah Sharpe, was part of the 2015

Junior police Academy. “She loved it,” Sharpe said of her granddaughter.

“She loved everything about it. She was worried she wouldn’t be able to

rappel off the building, but she did and she was proud of herself for doing

it.”

“this (the Junior police Academy) is the best program there is for

kids,” Sharpe added. “It teaches them respect and courage and it’s great. It

doesn’t cost the kids anything and it’s wonderful.”

Sarah Sharpe admitted she was nervous that first day of the Junior

police Academy, but quickly discovered her nervousness was unwarranted.

“We learned about the jail and what they work with and how they work

with it,” she said. “We learned about dispatch, so if we ever have to call 9-1-

1, we will be prepared and stay as calm as possible so we don’t make the

situation worse. And I liked how the officers made all the teams do team-

building so we could get to know each other and make new friends.”


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24 Four Corners SPORTS MARCH 2016

Language is an interesting thing. Punctua-

tion, diction, and tone can mean all the differ-

ence between sarcasm and seriousness. For

example, there is a distinct difference be-

tween “Let’s eat, Grandma” and Let’s eat

Grandma.” Yes, punctuation matters. Context

too is very important. it’s here where an in-

teresting, and somewhat new, vocabulary has

arisen; the vocabulary of the athlete’s parent.

There is a unique contradiction for the

parent of a child in team sports. The natural

instinct is to urge your child to succeed and

thrive. After all, it’s your child, and in today’s

helicopter, competitive world of parenting, if

you are not looking out for

your child, apparently no

one is. The proof is every-

where. Ask any teacher –

who once held the status of

trust when it comes to stu-

dent-teacher relationships

– who now has to prove

their word against a child.

Coaching is no different.

The words parents use

when speaking to a coach –

or more likely the athletic

director – matter. On the

surface they can appear

relatively innocent, but the

context can change those

simple words. So here is a

simple dictionary to help you sort out what

parents say at ball games and what they ac-

tually mean.

“Shoot” – This appears simple. At a basket-

ball, soccer or perhaps hockey game it would

normally be the act of trying to score. This is

shouted quite often at basketball games,

most frequently by the parent of the child

that has the ball. Almost never shouted by a

parent whose child does not have the ball. it

directly means scoring is the most important

aspect of the game, so your own self worth is

based on how many points you score. A quick

side note: The greatest fundraiser never

done is requiring that each time someone

yells, “Shoot!” – or any synonym of the word

– they must pay a dollar to stay at the game.

Easy, cost free, high yield fundraiser.

“Pass the Ball” – This means “Pass the ball

to my child.” Rarely heard when their child is

actually holding the ball. On the

basketball floor it can be heard

echoing over any turnover that

wasn’t their child’s fault. Not

nearly uttered as much as the

before mentioned “Shoot!”

“That Coach has no idea what

he is doing” – Rarely, this can

be an accurate assessment, but

most of the time it means either

their team is not winning or the

speaker’s child is not getting

enough playing time or shots.

Usually, coaches know what they

are doing and it’s the players

who are responsible for execut-

ing their plan. That can be in-

credibly hard to do when at the

RiCkHOERNEREditorial Columnist

THE LANGUAGE OF FANDOMA Rosetta Stone for the Casual Observer

players’ home they are being bombarded with how stupid their coach

is.

“It’s not about playing time” – It’s about playing time. It may start

as another problem when a

parent meets with a coach,

athletic director or princi-

pal, but 15 minutes into a

mundane conversation it

will resort back to “My child

is not playing enough.” the

simple truth is the parent is

concerned with one child,

while the coach is con-

cerned with one team.

“Hustle” – For a good

standard of parents this is

directed at their own child,

unlike “Shoot!” or “pass.”

However, it can be inter-

preted as, “the rest of you

need to hustle” – like my kid

is doing.

“Look up here” – Second

cousin to “Listen to me.” this means: “Your coach doesn’t know as

much as I do, so pay attention to what I’m saying in the stands, not to

the person who is at practice with you every day.”

“Who’s paying you?” Synonym to “Cheater” and the always popular

“You Suck.” this means the calls are not going your way – not because

they are inaccurate, but because nothing can be the fault of the perfec-

tion that is my team. this is perhaps the most popular of the crowd vo-

cabulary and occasionally can be used by coaches as well. recently, it

seems to have reached a new height among fans. this is ridiculous. As I

have said many times, and have stated in the policy of every place I’ve

ever coached, questioning a call is part of the game, but questioning the

moral integrity of the official is completely out of line. In a “win at all

cost” society, the referee is never right. one side is always looking to

gain the advantage. So rarely is the crowd concerned with whether or

not the call is correct. It’s only important that the call goes their way.

Just remember, the officials have families too and they live in your com-

munity. they matter. there is no game without them.

Finally, here’s one from the other side…

“I don’t play favorites” – Yes, coaches do. Kids who do what they’re

told and put in the work are the coaches’ favorites, while kids who com-

plain and don’t show up on time, aren’t. that’s life. Bosses reward those

who get results and the

ones who do the job. It’s ac-

tually a good lesson.

As UCLA legendary basket-

ball coach John Wooden

once said, “Sports don’t

build character. they reveal

it.”

So how do we get this

borderline profanity out of

our games? First, tell your

kid you enjoy watching them

play, win or lose. Don’t relive

every moment of the game.

Second, accept that team

sports take individual sacri-

fice, part of which is the un-

derstanding that the team

comes first. You may want

better and more for your

child, but better and more for the team should be the emphasis. If the

sacrifice of team sports is not for you, there is always golf and tennis.

It’s all you win or lose.


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26 Four Corners SPorTS MARCH 2016

Rick Hoerner

It’s that time of year again where the Super

Bowl ends and basketball takes over the

sports landscape as high school state playoffs,

NCAA conference tournaments and the beloved

Final Four begin. This also means its time that

casual fans return to the gym. Inevitably, that

brings about an even louder chorus of misin-

formation over the rules of basketball getting

even louder.

For most fans, retention of their knowledge

of basketball rules usually comes from a cou-

ple of sources. There is the “That’s not the way

they did it in my day” fan. They believe the

rules are still the same as when they played,

but actually rule changes happen all the time.

Then there’s the “I saw it on TV” fan. These are

the ones who assume every level of basketball

is played under the same guidelines, so the

knowledge of the game is based on what they

saw on ESPN.

Both of these are fine. Fans come with dif-

ferent experiences and knowledge. However,

that doesn’t mean they’re right as they loudly

vocalize from the crowd.

So here are 10 basketball rules you may

think you know, but maybe don’t know as well

as you think.

1. THE 3-SECoNd VIolATIoN

The three seconds resets every time the ball

is shot. So when teams keep getting offensive

rebounds, the fans who begin screaming for

three seconds are wrong. Also, if a player with

the ball in the lane is making an offensive

move, the three seconds is paused.

Good officials will tell you that 3 Seconds

should almost never be called in a game. The

official should try to coach them out. Inactive

players rarely get a 3-seconds call.

2. THE BACkCourT VIolATIoN

A backcourt violation is based on what is

known as the 3 Points Component. In other

words, all three points – the ball and both feet

of the player possessing the ball – must be

over the mid-court line before they change sta-

tus from backcourt to frontcourt. once all

three points have crossed the mid-court line, if

any one goes back over, it’s a violation. usually

if one goes back the crowd goes crazy.

3. CAllING A TImEouT

This should be simple enough. Any player or

the head coach asks for a time out – the clock

stops. Not Exactly.

Understandingthe game

10 basketball rules you may think you know,

but maybe don’t know as well as you think

27Four Corners SpoRTSMARCH 2016

Timeouts must be granted by the official. So

at the end of a close high school game when a

timeout is called, it’s not the time on the clock

when the basket was scored, or the time when

it was called.

It’s the time on the clock when the timeout

was granted. This is why the NCAA and the NBA

stop the clock right after made baskets during

the end of games, but that’s not the case for

high school. Remember Chris Webber? That

shouldn’t have happened. The referee could

have refused the timeout – no technical

4. RuleS of The BACkBoARd

It’s only a technical foul if the player inten-

tionally strikes the backboard, but if the board

is hit during a valid attempt to block a shot, it’s

not.

It’s a judgment call by the official. If the ball

is in the cylinder and the slap vibrates the rim,

it could be considered goal tending. The top,

bottom and sides of the backboard are in play.

only the back of the backboard is out of

bounds. So next time a shot hits the side or the

top of the glass, remember – it is playable.

5. fIve SeCoNd vIolATIoNS

In the ’80s the ball had to be touched in-

bounds by a player to end the five-second

count on an inbounds play. That hasn’t been

the case for some 30 years. The five-second

count ends when the ball leaves the in-

bounder’s hand.

on closely guarded counts, it only applies in

the forecourt and there is no more timeline as

in the old days. The five-second count applies

to a player closely guarded, within six feet.

once the head and shoulders of the defnder

are passed, the count ends. once a player pulls

back to more than six feet, the count ends.

In actuality, players have 12 seconds with

the ball when closely guarded – four holding,

four dribbling and four more holding

6. ReAChINg foulS

There is no such thing as a reaching foul.

This is guaranteed not to be in the book any-

where. for a foul to occur there must be con-

tact. No contact, no foul. Reaching in and of

itself is nothing.

Most the time a reach becomes a foul, but

get the vernacular right. And by the way, the

hand is part of the ball whether the ball is

being held, dribbled or shot. The slapping

sound makes no difference.

7. over the back foulS

actually there is no such thing as “over the back.” the correct call

is a push, and displacement of the rebounder has to occur.

because a player reaches over another or gets a rebound based on

size, does not mean there was a foul. contact must occur and an ad-

vantage must be gained in order for a foul to be called.

8. traveling – Double Dribble

You can catch your own air ball. it’s your own pass you cannot

catch. now this is not true in the pros, but everywhere else it is, as

long as the official determines that it is a shot and not a pass.

totally a judgment call. and yes, you can lift your pivot foot after a

step. it’s the act of putting that foot back down that is a violation, but i

would bet you wouldn’t get away with that one. it is also not a double

dribble or a carry just because the dribble is high. as long as the hand

stays on top of the ball during contact the dribble is legal no matter

how high the bounce.

9. traveling During a looSe ball

Just because a player dives on a loose ball it is not automatically a

travel. actually, the player can even slide on the floor without it being

a violation.

as long as the player doesn’t try to get up or roll over, sliding

across the floor is not a travel when diving for a ball. the player has

the space of their natural momentum to continue sliding across the

floor. they can also sit up, if they were on the floor, without it being

called traveling.


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29 Four Corners SporTS MARCH 2016

10. The block charge and verTicaliTy call

While you may hear cat calls of “he wasn’t

set” during the next offensive foul call, remem-

ber that the block/charge call is the toughest in

basketball. Factually, the defensive player does

not have to be “set” to take a charge.

The player only has to establish a legal

guarding position. after that position has been

established, any player taking a charge can

move backward or sideways to keep a legal

guarding position. in connection, the feet do not

have to be set to draw an offensive foul.

a defensive player who has established a

legal position they may leave the ground as

long as they rise vertically. Moving forward or

back after leaving the ground constitutes a loss

of that legal guarding position and results in a

blocking foul.

So remember that all of these factors have

to be considered when deciding on a

block/charge foul call – and in a split second.

again, not easy. a simple way to look at this

tough call is to think of where the player gets

hit when drawing the charge. if a defensive

player establishes position and gets hit in the

torso, it’s likely a charge –a call that likely is

not made enough.

Just remember that before you vocalize your

objection to a call or before you begin to ques-

tion an official’s neutrality, officials do not make

calls that decide the outcome of games. it’s the

players who commit fouls and violations, and the

official’s judgment on how they impact the game

to a player’s advantage or disadvantage.

officials are the arbitrator of the rules and

are the only unbiased eyes watching the game.

They don’t care who wins or loses, but everyone

else does, so the official is the only objective

participant.

30 Four Corners SPoRTS MARCH 2016

Sports in Farmington, especially when it

comes to basketball, revolved around the

Boys & Girls Club. Not so long ago there was

the classic old building that from a distance

looked like an ancient airplane hangar. UNM’s

Rob Robbins got his start there as did Junior

College All-American Jay Collins. Many others

owe their athletic success to the beginning

they received at the Farmington Boys & Girls

Club.

In 1997 a new and larger building replaced

the old hangar, and while the new building of-

fered more opportunities for the Club’s pro-

grams, it also drastically changed athletics.

Gone were the competitive tournaments, and

new leagues deemphasized competition for

more developmental sports in the age of self-

esteem and the participation award.

Now the club is looking for a new balance

of age appropriate developmental basketball

while bringing a competitive nature to the

club for those athletes and parents who are

looking for more serious sport.

New Executive Director Maria Rodman

leads a team that is striving for that balance

and how to use the athlete program at the

Club to meet the needs of more and more

young people.

Rodman’s voyage to Farmington is unique.

Her journey began as a Cuban refugee leaving

Havana in 1969 and making her way to Florida

with her family and Maria was chosen from a

pool of 23 candidates to be the Executive Di-

rector for the Boys & Girls Club of Farming-

ton and beginning in the summer of 2015.

Although Rodman had not worked directly

in the Boys &Girls Club Movement, she has

worked with Clubs in a peripheral capacity

as part of her previous occupations which in-

cluded working as a national speaker and

trainer on trauma-informed practice, youth

development, community development and

community collaborations.

Her involvement and collaboration with

Boys & Girls Clubs around the country is one

factor that piqued her interest in applying

for the job here in Farmington. The other was

moving from the packed population of Mas-

sachusetts to the wide open spaces of the

Southwest.

Since the inception of the new building

in1997 the Club has added after school pro-

grams, tutoring assistance, and a fine arts

program, as well as making the facility avail-

able to programs like the Girls Scouts,

Zumba programs and Jazzercise.

During the past two months Unit Director

Lindsay Morales and Latisha Joseph

launched a new teen program. The program

will emphasize career development and ex-

ploration. Graduate for Mas places an em-

phasis on high school graduation providing

New Boys and Girls Club Executive Director Maria Rodman having fun with kids at the club.

BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB’SNEW BALANCE

Story Rick Hoerner | Photos Josh Bishop

Teaching age appropriate sports skills while

bringing back competitive spirit of sports

“Providing opportunity for all chil-

dren to reach their full potential

should be the mission of the

Club –and every other organization

that works with children.”

— Maria RodmanExecutive Director


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classes on résume building, college

and job application process and ca-

reer days, beginning this summer

with hands on training from local

professionals on what their job en-

tails.

Moving forward, Rodman’s contin-

uing goal for the Club is to create an

fun learning environment for all of

its members while building lifetime

connections to caring adults. One of

the programs the Club will be adding

this summer is the STEM program –

science, technology, engineering and

mathematics. STEM gives children

hands on experience with experts in

their fields and will provide field

trips and involvement with explo-

ration and design within the STEM

subjects.

“Providing opportunity for all children to

reach their full potential should be the mis-

sion of the Club and every other organization

that works with children,” Rodman said.

Aligning the opportunities that the Club pro-

vides with the goals of parents, and adding

experience with professionals would, be the

next phase of overall character development

at the Club. Developing leadership and char-

acter development through the Club’s pro-

grams allows students to see what they can

contribute to the world as a whole.

On the athletic front, the Club will continue

to provide options for grouth in football, bas-

ketball and volleyball skills offering develop-

mental sports for kindergartners

through high school.

This spring the Club is offering flag

football for kindergartners through

eighth grade and volleyball for fourth

graders through eleventh graders. The

Club will also offer offseason tourna-

ments in basketball and volleyball and

is looking into an indoor soccer league

in the winter and low rim leagues for

six-foot and under players looking for

the NBA feel of dunking in a game.

The Club will remain open to all and

will continue to develop programs that

will grow to fit the needs of our com-

munity.

They have taken on after school needs

for families and given young children a safe

place to spend their summers as more fami-

lies balance the increasing load of work with

the needs of their children. The Club’s mis-

sion – to enable all young people, especially

those who need us most, to reach their full

potential as productive, caring, responsible

citizens has never been more in need.

Yearly barbecue in the old quonset hut. — courtesy photo

32 Four Corners spOrTs MARCH 2016

Nascar Nellie doesn’t get flowers or

cards or nice chocolates or expensive

jewelry on Valentine’s day.

and she had one husband (she can’t re-

member which one, on accounta NN has se-

lective memory and her memory selects not to

remember ex-husbands) who, every single

year, accused her of changing the date Vd fell

on and that’s why he never remembered to get

her flowers or cards or nice chocolates or ex-

pensive jewelry.

after NN left whichever husband that was on

a boat that went nowhere, she got flowers and

cards and nice chocolates and expensive jew-

elry on Vd – and sometimes on any day ending

in “y.” Then Guido from Vegas discovered NN

had “borrowed” one of the M&M Mafia’s Visa

cards and put a hit out on her. NN called

Guido’s girlfriend (at least NN thinks it was a

girlfriend – it may have been caitlin jenner,

NN’s not real sure) and said NN was on a boat

that wasn’t going anywhere and if Guido got

there soon enough, he could get the Visa back.

NN watched the news and sure ’nuf, law en-

forcement people picked Guido up on a “failure

to appear” and “dating caitlin jenner just for

her/his Olympic medals.”

Those nice le people also found a Visa

credit card that had been maxed out a gazillion

times and the Visa people were looking for

said hardened criminal that maxed out their

precious Visa and they suspected it was Guido.

Guido is doing time in a jail somewhere in

the Bahamas, where he is forced to clean up

after tourists who drink too many adult bever-

ages with little umbrellas in ’em and they get

tummy aches and gas. sometimes, ya

just gotta love ole Karma. just sayin’. . . .

NN shares these painful memories of

never getting flowers or cards or nice

chocolates or expensive jewelry for Vd be-

cause this year, NN wants, in addition to the

aforementioned gifts, another daytona 500 win

for dale earnhardt jr., the sports most popular

driver for more years than anyone can count.

The daytona 500 will be run on February 13

which, in spite of what ex-husbands will say, is

the day before Valentine’s day.

It’s more important this year than any

other year that junior wins the daytona 500 on

the day before Vd. For those of you who think

Nascar is all about the cars, the engines, the

crew chiefs and/or being a Keselowski hater,

NN will tell you that you’re crazy.

Nascar is as much about the drivers in

those tight firesuits and their WaGs (that’s

Wives and Girlfriends for those of you who so

don’t keep up for whatever nutso reason). and

junior is engaged to that pretty amy reimann

and says he’s happier than he’s ever been. NN

takes exception to that, on accounta NN sent

him countless messages about how she,

drivers, tight fire suits and their WaGs

A NEW SEASONchaseELLIOTTdaleEARNHARDTjr

herownself, could make Junior happy, but Junior’s very own Guido sent

NN a certified, signature required, email saying she better “cease and

desist” on accounta NN could ruin Junior’s sports most popular driver

record if she didn’t.

NN is nothing but supportive of Junior and she didn’t want Junior

Nation to declare war on her if she messed with the sports most popu-

lar driver, making him not quite so popular, so she ceased and de-

sisted. NN is nothing if not loyal to her drivers, even if they scorn her.

Just sayin’. . . .

NN is happy that Junior is happy and she is making plans to be a

wedding crasher as soon as the lovely couple announces when and

where the nuptials will be held.

They have to announce that information sometime, on accounta Jun-

ior Nation will take up a collection and buy a nice gift, NN is sure. Jun-

ior Nation is like that,

ya know, and as soon as

NN finds out where and

when, she’ll get that

nose job done and have

a little more notox in-

jected between her

eyes and under her

eyes and under that

third chin and around

her mouth and have the

one long black hair re-

moved from her left

nostril. The Guidos who

are doing security for

the wedding won’t have

any idea who NN is, on

accounta she’ll look

kinda like caitlin Jen-

ner and they’ll be all ex-

cited that he/she’s

there. Just sayin’. . . .

NN is certain

this is Junior’s year to

win the championship. NN predicts he will win eight races and be so

far ahead in the “points” that NaScaR will eliminate the chase for the

championship because no one will be able to catch Junior. except amy,

who already did and isn’t likely to let go.

it will be a good year for some ’nother drivers, too, although they

won’t win the championship. NN believes that nice chase elliott will

take Jeff Gordon’s 24 car to Victory lane a coupla times, and Ward Bur-

ton will come out of retirement for one race and will finish a re-

spectable second, after Junior.

NN also wishes Jeff Gordon good luck and best wishes on his new

gig in the television booth. NN is pretty sure they’ll have to give Jeff a

booster chair so he can see over the little table thingey they sit at and

he’ll have to say nice things about all those drivers he threatened to

beat up all those years, but NN is confident he can do that and be a

good announcer person.

he’ll be waaaay better than michael Waltrip, but then that wouldn’t

take much. Just sayin’. . . .

michaelWALTRIP

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34 Four Corners SPORTS MARCH 2016

Griffey moved on to his hometown Reds in a

trade in 2000, and he battled health issues for

several of his nine years in Cincinnati before

being dealt to the White Sox in 2008.

He finished his career back in Seattle, where

it all began, in 2009-10. Through it all, Griffey

stands sixth among all-time leaders in home

runs, with 630, after leading the AL four times.

In addition to his one MVP Award, he finished

in the top five in voting four times.

Hall of Fame voting

Ken Griffey Jr. was elected into the Baseball

Hall of Fame and broke Tom Seaver’s voting

percentage record by receiving 99.32 percent

of the vote.

Griffey Jr. received 437 of 440 votes. Seaver

previously held the record by receiving 425 of

430 votes for a 98.84 percent finish.

Cal Ripken Jr. previously held the record for

highest percentage by a position player as he

received 537 of 545 votes for 98.53 percent in

his 2007 election.

Pitchers Randy Johnson (97.27 percent) and

Greg Maddux (97.20 percent) have received the

highest percentage of votes in the past five

years.

A total of 440 Hall of Fame ballots were filed

this year. Earlier this year the BBWAA elimi-

nated legacy voters, meaning those members

who have not actively covered baseball for 10

years. That reduced the voting body by fewer

than 109 voters from 2015.

Below are the full voting results from the

BBWAA website:

Ken Griffey Jr. - 99.3 percent

Mike Piazza - 83.0 percent

Jeff Bagwell - 71.6 percent

Tim Raines - 69.8 percent

Trevor Hoffman - 67.3 percent

Curt Schilling - 52.3 percent

Roger Clemens - 45.2 percent

Barry Bonds - 44.3 percent

Edgar Martinez - 43.4 percent

Mike Mussina - 43.0 percent

Alan Trammell - 40.9 percent

Lee Smith - 34.1 percent

Fred McGriff - 20.9 percent

Jeff Kent - 16.6 percent

Larry Walker - 15.5 percent

Mark McGwire - 12.3 percent

Gary Sheffield - 11.6 percent

Billy Wagner - 10.5 percent

Sammy Sosa - 7.0 percent

Jim Edmonds - 2.5 percent

Nomar Garciaparra - 1.8 percent

Mike Sweeney - 0.7 percent

David Eckstein - 0.5 percent

Jason Kendall - 0.5 percent

Garret Anderson - 0.2 percent

Brad Ausmus - 0.0 percent

Luis Castillo - 0.0 percent

Troy Glaus - 0.0 percent

Mark Grudzielanek - 0.0 percent

Mike Hampton - 0.0 percent

Mike Lowell - 0.0 percent

Randy Winn - 0.0 percent

– Courtesy Major League Baseball

Junior continued from 11

Sarah, who is 13, was enthusiastic about the

Camp Adventure opportunity. With all of the par-

ticipants traveling to the campground in the van,

Sarah said they had the opportunity to get to

know each other.

“It was a long trip but we bonded a lot with

the people in the van,” she said, adding that once

they got to the campground, everybody helped

getting the camp set up,

“One day they taught us how to make a chair

– using our own tools – that we made from sticks

and branches,” Sarah said. “It was pretty cool.

Another day, the officers taught us how to make a

fire if all we had was little stuff, but no matches

or a lighter. And we learned how to filter our own

water from the lake.”

The day before they left the campground,

Sarah said they got to swim in the lake. “Let me

tell you, it was so cold,” she said. “I made a lot of

friends and I had a really good time.”

Bloomfield Police Chief Randy Foster said the

idea of the Outdoor Adventure Camp was the idea

of Officer Josh Calder. “Josh wanted to expand

the Junior Police Academy, so we took 11 gradu-

ates of the academy to a week-long camping trip

north of Durango. We taught outdoor survival

camping, outdoor hygiene, and building furniture

using branches and other natural resources,”

Foster explained. “The kids did some hiking, fish-

ing and team building.”

The Police Athletic League is instrumental in

creating a sense of trust and appreciation be-

tween the police department and the youth in the

community, Foster said.

“Our children are our most precious commod-

ity,” the chief said. “Police work is often reactive –

after something bad happens. We need to work

with our youth and promote those relationships.

It gives us the opportunity to be proactive and

help change things to be better in the future

rather than being reactive to negativity after it’s

already occurred.”

The program has received great support from

Bloomfield businesses, Teena McKinney said. “We

couldn’t put on these events without donations

from the community and help from volunteers,”

she said. “It’s very rewarding to do something

positive for our kids and it is so much fun seeing

the kids having a good time and interacting with

our officers.”

Randon Matthews is the Operations Lieutenant

with the Bloomfield Police Department. Matthews

has been with the police department since 2006

and enjoys the relationship the department has

with the community.

The department had 12 officers – most of

them volunteering their time – who assisted with

the Junior Police Academy in 2015. “It’s good for

our department and our officers,” Matthews said

of the academy. “We need to give back to the

community and we need to help kids understand

what we do.”

“We couldn’t have a better reward than watch-

ing (the kids) graduate (from the academy). Their

growth and progress in five days is amazing,” he

added.

While the academy is open to everyone, there

are requirements for acceptance, Matthews said.

“Kids have to have a 3.0 GPA (grade point aver-

age) and be able to do 25 pushups, 25 sit-ups and

jog for 12 minutes as part of the agility assess-

ment,” he said.

“The kids love it,” Matthews added. “Even when

they have to do pushups (for not listening or eat-

ing before everyone is served and before the

prayer), they enjoy it.”

For more information on the Junior Police

Academy, Camp Adventure or the Police Athletic

League, call Teena McKinney at 505.632.6375.

Police Athletic League continued from 23

Documents

Four Corners Sports March 2016