S7s: Jan 10

1) Exam week at North Henderson (and a lot of other schools). My kids seemed to have done well. I'm not at liberty to talk about the tests but I feel good about what we accomplished this semester and I hope that they were able to carry that over into their tests. I hope that they also know that they are not defined by the tests.

Big kudos to our testing coordinators, who organized, planned and prepared hundreds of tests, computers and separate setting placements each day. It was a pretty smooth week and that's because there was a lot of cooperation, planning and communication happening.

2) Republican debate last week, here are a few thoughts:

• I hope they know that they are not running against Barack Obama. You would think they were.
• Remember when Ben Carson was relevant? 
• On that note, who's Carly Fiorina?
• I feel as Trump has reached his high water mark.
• Drop the matter on Cruz's eligibility, Trump. How about you run on issues?
• Christie doesn't want you to forget that he's still there. 
• I can't believe that the American servicemen captured and then released by Iraq was even an issue. They were legally detained and then released. The candidates sounded like we should have started a war over it.
• Jeb Bush is the invisible candidate, but he still win the nomination.
• I think it will be either Rubio or Cruz. 

3) I should have mentioned it in last week's Sunday 7s: Ken Griffey, Jr. Congratulations on the Hall, Kid. Such an effortless swing, the backwards hat, great athlete and fun to watch. And then there was the smile. He looked like he was having fun. If not for injuries, his numbers may be even more staggering. And, as far as we know, he is free from all the doping allegations that followed the greats of that era. Someone said the fact that Junior was hurt proved he wasn't on performance enhancing drugs since drugs help you heal faster.

4) I officially said goodbye to Pompey on Friday. Signed the title over and handed the keys to my nephew, Benny. Real sentimental moment. I was very attached to that car. I hope Benny loves it half as much I loved it. Things worked out well: I got a little money for my car (3 times what the dealer was gonna give me), helped my nephew out and even got my roof rack sold!

John Hart drove me down to deliver the vehicle. We made a stop at the Beacon for some "A-plenty":

5) I must confess: I fell asleep during the 3rd quarter of the College Football Championship Game. It was a good game though. Kudos for Alabama for playing well and being gutsy with the onsides kick. Clemson has nothing to hang their heads about: they played excellent and Watson is a legit star! They'll be in the conversation next season for number 1. 

Here are the final rankings according to me: 1) Alabama 2) Clemson 3) Ohio State 4) TCU 5) Stanford 6) Oklahoma 7) Michigan St 

6) Huge week for the wrestling team. We won on Thursday against Smoky Mountain 74-4. On Saturday, we went 5-0 to win the Ram Duals at TC Roberson. Our record is now 23-4, 4-0 in the WNCAC. 23 wins sets a new school record for wins in a season. The old record was 22, set by the 2011-2012 team. This week is rivalry week: West Henderson on Tuesday, East Henderson on Friday.

I think what I like best about this photo is not that we won the Ram Duals, but how much fun it looks like the team is having and how much they like each other. I'm really blessed with a great group of kids.

7) The NFL is popular because they give us great entertainment. Up until Alabama-Clemson, most bowl games were lame. They were lopsided. Last week's first round games in the NFL were very exciting and this week's even better. You had Carolina take a 31-0 lead and barely hold on to win. Arizona won in improbable ways, Kansas City mismanaged the clock and Peyton holds off an injury ridden Steelers team. Great stuff.

Predictions for next week:

• Carolina is playing too well and getting great efforts by more than Newton. As good as Larry Fitzgerald was yesterday, he can't carry the Cardinals out of Charlotte with a victory. Carolina by 6
• I am pulling for Manning. But New England has been like his Kryptonite. And, when's the last time 2 number 1 seeds played in the Super Bowl. As much as I'd like to see Carolina-Denver, I have to pick New England by 3.

S7s: Jan 10- Brotherhood

1) Friday night, January 8, we held a reunion for the 1996 West Henderson Dual Team State Championship team. 20 years ago, a young coach took a bunch of talented and committed individuals and together won a State Dual team title. We wrestled two matches that finals night because of inclement weather earlier in the week. We beat North Wilkes in the Regional Finals 28-26.

In the state finals, we beat East Davidson by the score of 28-26. There were big wins by Damon Blackley and myself over two of their better kids. There was a bite that ended up being huge points for us. Casey Manuel got a pin to put us up by 5. Troy Sapp bumped up to heavyweight and stalled his way through the match to give us the win.

As special as winning the State Title was, I think mostly back to the brotherhood. I miss wrestling but I miss more the being on the team. We struggled, worked and cried together. We laughed with one another and pushed each other. Damon and I traveled to countless off season tournaments together. Stephen and Ebert were practice partners. My brother was on the team. Michael and I were the co-captains. We had a coach that pushed us, cared for us and that we believed in. I don't remember the state title match as much as I remember the wrestling room, picking up Nick early in the morning for AM practices, trying not to get slammed into the back of the bleachers at West. That was a special team and I was honored to be part of it. We accomplished great things-- 2 undefeated seasons, 5 individual state champions and several state placers-- but it's the brotherhood we built together that made our team great and made Friday special.

2) This TED talk resonates with how I feel. I have not served and cannot put myself in the position of a soldier, but I think I understand the "brotherhood". There's a special connection when you have to sacrifice, sweat and hurt together. Brotherhood and friendship are not the same. You don't have to like someone to have a brotherhood. But the cool thing is that we our team honestly all liked each other. And we had a brotherhood.

Soldiers are willing to go back to war because of the brotherhood, not because they love war. I'd go back not as much for the wrestling, but for the brotherhood. These guys were that special.

3) One of the youngest members of Terry Lee Varnadore, who was a freshman in 1995-1996. Terry Lee died in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan on April 23, 2011. Our group came up with the idea of a Terry Lee Courage and Leadership award that will go to a deserving wrestler every year. The award will hang in the West Henderson commons for everyone to see and for Terry Lee to be honored. This wasn't just some award because we felt bad that a guy died in combat, but this was so that people would remember and know that Terry Lee was a man of honor and character.

It was both heartbreaking and an honor to get to hug his parents. When the award was presented to his parents, I got pretty emotional. I got to meet his two daughters, who are both precious and adorable. The older one reminded me of her dad so much. The gym was full of love and laughter, but there was still a hole in our hearts. There were several members of our team that couldn't make it on Friday to the reunion, but Terry Lee's absence hurt the most. 

Terry Lee; The Fallen

Times News; West 1996 Title Team; Varnadore Honored

4) Last week was a really good week of classes for me. My kids were at it, trying to get things done and be ready for exams this week. I have never liked the state's mandate that schools start no earlier than August 25. It means we don't finish our first semester until after Christmas holidays. We have to reteach to get ready for exams because of the break rather than just review. 

Also, the state, in their brilliance, has created tests that can take 10 days to score. So we have to give "incompletes" if they don't have test scores back. This makes no sense-- if you're a senior and are in danger of failing a core class, you need to know immediately whether you have to retake the course. Of it it is second semester, you need to know if you're eligible to graduate.

And this article resonated with me: The Real Problem with teaching in NC

5) Up and down week for the wrestling team. We broke a losing streak to Pisgah on Tuesday by a score of 42-25. Our kids wrestled tough and we got several big falls. I was really proud of our effort and toughness. The win puts us at 17-4 for the season and 3-0 in the conference.

Yesterday was a day of growth for us. At the Fandetti Brawl, we got beat up some. We battled and fought, but lost lots of tough matches. The competition was stellar and while we are a good group, it showed that we still have work to do. We had 5 placers, but our highest kid was 3rd. We were humbled in some places and in other places we showed that we were fighters. Our potential is there, we still have high ceilings individually.

6) NFL Playoffs have been pretty fun. All the road teams won. Green Bay ended up running away from Washington. Chiefs in a blow out. But some notes:

• Bengals-Steelers: dirty and ugly play by Burfict. I hope Antonio Brown is okay. Bengals lost their cool at the end. Fumble. Personal Foul. Personal Foul. That set up the game winning field goal.
• I feel so bad for Vikings kicker Blair Walsh. He'll never live that down. I guess you'll see more coaches going for game winning field goals on 3rd down to get the second shot in case of a miss. 
• I think that the Panthers wanted to play Green Bay or Minnesota rather than Seattle.
• Predictions: Chiefs over Patriots, Broncos over Steelers (especially if Ben is banged up), Carolina over Seattle, Arizona over Green Bay.

7) College Championship Prediction: Clemson 33, Alabama 27

S7s: Dec 3- Ode to Pompey

1) Happy New Year! 2015 was indeed a great year for me. Lots of highlights and some trying times. Blessed with a great career, friends, church and community. I got to share in some really cool moments. Had a neat moments of reflection. I worked too hard sometimes and not hard enough during others. I'll post my photo review later, but in the meantime I am stoked at what 2016 has to offer this soul of mine.

2) I bit the bullet and did something that will surprise and shock a lot of people: I bought a new car. My old car, affectionately named Pompey, has been a rock for 15 years and over 230,000 miles. She still runs strong, but has some issues that older cars get. I was looking for a replacement and found a good deal on a 2012 Mazda 3. It leather heated seats, moonroof and gets 40 MPG on the highway. I will miss the stick shift (still on original clutch) and all the great adventures Pomp and I had. She drove to Alaska! She's been to Colorado twice, RAGBRAI and Nova Scotia. There have been countless trips to Atlanta and we've hauled bikes to almost all those places. 15 years is a long time together and I bought her new, so there is a lot of sentimental value. I'm hoping this new car is half the car that Pompey was.

3) There are "militia" members who took over a National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County, Oregon. I biked through Harney County in 2015 and spent a night in Burns. A few gripes:

• The same people who call these guys heroes and militia would also call similar people standing up to "oppression" thugs, terrorists or traitors. Double standard 1.
• The same people who claim patriotism are the first to cry foul, tyranny and offense when they don't get there way. The ones say they stand behind the Constitution don't bother to follow the methods set by the Constitution to change laws, amend policy and effect change.
• These people are like Westboro Baptist: attention hungry, disillusioned and narrow minded. They don't want to understand or try to be part of a nation that is diverse and made of many people, needs, interests and beliefs. 
• Double standard 2: if others are offended or feel put off, they are told to suck it up and not be so damn easily offended. If they are offended or feel put off, it is acceptable to throw a tantrum and issue threats with lots of firearms.
• I do feel, in my limited knowledge, that maybe the jail time for the Hammonds might be excessive, we do have a legal process for appeals. You know, the Constitution. No where in the law of the land does it advocate taking matters into your own hands.

4) Instagram Top Nine: babies, bikes, outside! 

5) Quote of the Week: "Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, but rather the hero's heart."

6) Wrestling competed in the Holy Angels Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The tournament featured 66 teams and North finished 11th. We only entered 7 wrestlers. Josh Blatt beat the #1 4A wrestler in the state in overtime in the finals. Paul Searcy had three tough matches in a row to win at 145 lbs. We had three other placers in the tournament and three place in the JV Tournament. It was a great weekend, this team showed lots of heart.

7) The college bowl games have been lame. Too many blow outs. Clemson played well and Alabama looked angry. Could be a great National Title game. Hope it's not a blow out.

In the NFL lots of action this week:

• Chip Kelly out in Philly. Sort of a surprise. Thought he'd get one more year.
• Welcome back Peyton Manning.
• I hope the Dolphins find the right coach.
• Tom Coughlin: classy guy. I hope he enjoys retirement and doesn't return to coaching. 
• Is there a bigger mess than Cleveland? What a train wreck-- from personnel to coaching. But it all starts at the front office.
• Congratulations to Carolina. They looked great. 
• I want a Panthers-Broncos Superbowl.

Sunday 7s: Dec 27

1) Last Sevens of the year. New year starts on Friday. I'm not much of  a New Year's guy. This year, we leave early on Friday morning for a tournament in Charlotte, so New Year's will be low key-- much like it is every year for me.

2) Christmas was grande around here. It involved some driving, but saw lots of the family and especially excited to see the kiddos.

• Weird weather: I've been wearing shorts the last few days. And just a tee shirt. Highs in the 70s the last few days.
• We've also had lots of rain. Got a break today and yesterday, but last week was basically a lot of rain.
• Brother, Ang, made it in from Oregon on a last minute decision. We weren't expecting to have him around, so it was good for him to be able to make it home for us. I know he was happy to be around the family also.
• We rocked Scrabble and laughs late into the night. It was fun. I lost because I had nothing but vowels. 

3) I ran in the 2nd Reindeer Run, hosted by North alum Ryan Jones to benefit the Jones Family Scholarship. Last year, it rained. This year, it rained. But it was a good time. I ran 26:28. I had three wrestlers also run, but they all beat me. Great turnout by North Henderson faculty and alumni.

4) I still have yet to figure out what exactly Boxing Day is. Happy Kwanza and Festivus to everyone else though.

5) We got a group ride in on Tuesday. Thought we were going to get rained out, but the rain held off long enough for nine of us to hit the trails. The route we rode was Spencer Gap, Fletcher Creek, back to Spencer Branch and the bottom of Fletcher Creek again. Brian fell, being his first ride clipless, and dislocated his shoulder. He had to walk out. Shawn dressed up as Santa. That's no lie; photos below to prove it.

6) I miss being around my wrestling team. I am thankful for a time of mental rest and recovery. We are back at it on Tuesday. Congratulations to Brandon Johnson for being the WNCAC Defensive Player of the Year and, announced this week: Times News Defensive Player of the Year and Citizen Times All WNC Team. Jacob Garrett made the Times News team and was honorable mention for All WNC.

7) NFL is close to ending it's regular season. 

• Dolphins will once again be home for the playoffs and played inspired today.
• Why would you not give the ball to Tom Brady in OT, Bill?
• Panthers lost, which I argue is good. Too much pressure being undefeated and they are still in control of their destiny for homefield advantage.
• I think Arizona is really, really dangerous. Don't overlook them.
• I hope the story on Manning and PEDs is not true.

Sunday 7s: Dec 20

1) Got sick yesterday and went to bed early. Stomach bug. So I didn't blog. This week's Sunday 7s is posted on Monday.

2) I subscribe to both Time and Sports Illustrated. I enjoy the Person of the Year and Sportsman of the Year Issues. History was made last week when, on the cover of both magazines, was a woman. Angela Merkel and Serena Williams made it a sweep for the ladies. Merkel is only 4th woman to be named Person of the Year by Time and the first woman in 29 years.

3) I love David Wilcox. It appears there is a documentary based on his music coming out. Appropriately, it's titled Eye of the Hurricane, after one of his trademark songs. Here's more information: https://goodlookingfilms.com/eye-of-the-hurricane/

4) I was never going to vote for him, but I'm a bit saddened by Lindsay Graham's departure from the presidential race. Graham is out and Rick Santorum is still in? Amazing.

5) There was a GOP debate and a Democratic debate this past week. I watched neither. I had a match on Tuesday and I was just too tired on Saturday. I'll be more interested in the debates after the primaries are over.

6) 5 days until Christmas. Everything is here, just needs to be wrapped. I am really thankful for Amazon Prime. Looking forward to seeing the family. Thankful for a break. I am pretty tired and could use some mental rest.

7) Good week for Knights Wrestling. We went 6-1 this past week and our record is now 16-4 and 2-0 in the conference. Highlights:

• Tuesday we went to Boiling Springs. We were missing some starters due to sickness and a band and chorus concert. A little undermanned, we still beat Dutch Fork and Clover and fell to Boiling Springs. The Boilings Springs match would have been interesting if we had everyone. There was also a punch thrown, but not by my wrestler. Pretty intense.
• Wednesday we hosted Brevard, Hendersonville and Franklin and won all three pretty easily. Brevard and Franklin were conference matches. We're in a good spot right now, being 2-0 in the conference. Our next match is a big one: Pisgah!
• Today (Monday) we hosted my good friend Todd Odom and his Robbinsville Black Knights. We were able to take that match 48-23 behind some strong efforts by my core. It was a good win for us, I have so much respect for what they do over there in Graham county.
• Practice tomorrow morning and then we are off until next Tuesday. 

Sunday 7s: Dec 13

1) "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation" - Henry David Thoreau, Walden

I must have not been paying good attention in high school when we read Walden. I assigned an excerpt for my American History students and got to re-read some of it. Awesome. Unbelievable that it was written in 1815. Change a few words and it could be relevant today. Technology and conveniences have not necessarily made our lives easier or better. We become trapped by them. Thoreau escaped to Walden pond. I escaped to the Great Divide. Need a break from the distractions, but it's the things that are supposed to make us better that are the distractions.

2) Our local sports writer, Dean Hensley, writes an interesting op-ed on High School sports:
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20151212/PREPS/151219941/1151?Title=For-everyone-s-sake-changes-need-to-be-made

I was talking with one of our basketball coaches this week. We had a quad match that didn't get done until after 10:00. It was a late night for us, but not normal. A typical basketball game always gets done that late. 2 JV games and then 2 varsity games makes for a late night for the athletes and the coaches. All our coaches are teachers too, so sometimes their students suffer from a tired, overworked, underslept teacher.

Dean's proposal to play JV games in aux gyms might help in many places, but not North Henderson. The geniuses that designed our school made a second gym with no bleachers and little extra room. Playing a game with fans lining the wall would not be safe or enjoyable.

But I totally agree, basketball takes too long. We've gone an hour away, wrestled and been back before the end of boys games before. I feel for the coaches and the student-athletes.

3) Car update: new starter installed. $153 for the part. Thanks to Danny Williams for helping and to John Williams (no relation) for letting me use his truck for two weeks.

4) The US Forest Service is inventorying land in Western North Carolina for redesignation. It can range from become National Recreation Areas to Wilderness Areas. There's a lot to sort out because it is a government agency, but lots of outdoor, conservation and various interest groups are lobbying and commenting. Those groups range from conservation groups to organizations like the Sierra Club, Backcountry Horsemen of WNC and International Mountain Biking Association.

The thing that concerns some in the biking community is the potential to expand Wilderness Areas. Wilderness Areas like Shining Rock are closed to mountain bikes and are maintained differently from other areas of National Forests. The problem is that some of the best areas for riding are in the inventory, including North Mills River (Spencer Branch, Fletcher Creek, Middle Prong Trails), South Mills River, which has several great biking and camping areas (campfires prohibited in Wilderness Areas also), Laurel Mountain and Daniel Ridge. That's basically over 60% of the potential biking trails in Pisgah.

The latest proposals seem to have left the Wilderness designation off all of the above. Let's see how this all plays out. Here are some links:
Citizen-Times article
Singletracks blog
US Forest Service

5) Speaking of rides, took advantage of highs in the 60s to get out and enjoy Pisgah. Did the Cove Creek loop and added part of Daniel Ridge. Great ride, great weather and great friends. Brian Land got to ride with us. Noah took his new bike out on it's first ride. Shawn, Mr Reliable, was a part of the crew. It was a good time: 13 miles, 1,600 feet of elevation gained. Oskar Blues post-ride for Old Chub and Chub Burger.

6) Wrestling team had a full week of competition this week. Our issue is that sickness has been hitting us hard. We had a few kids out on Tuesday and then a few more out yesterday. One actually left during the tournament, he felt so bad. But here's what we did:

• Tuesday, we went 2-1. We beat Mitchell and Erwin and lost to Eastside 33-31. Tough loss to a very good team. It was brutally close match that went back and forth. Erwin, we were actually down 28-6 before getting 6 pins in a row. Final score, 42-31.
• Yesterday was a good day that started rough. We drew Jefferson City, GA and they have won 15 state titles in a row. They beat us pretty good: 59-16. We only won 3 matches. But the group rallied and won the next four matches to take third. I was really proud of the way they overcame adversity
• Team is 10-3 for the season, with two losses by a combined 6 points and another to a juggernaut team. This week we have a quad a Boiling Springs on Tuesday and then  host Franklin, Brevard and Hendersonville on Wednesday.

7) I'm going to have to find new topics for number 7 since college football is wrapping up. Army-Navy was the closest game in years, but the Midshipmen still have the advantage over the cadets from West Point. Congratulations to Derek Henry on winning the Heisman, though I think the Heisman is the most overrated award in athletics. And it doesn't go to the best player in the country, it goes to the best player on one of the best teams in the country. Based on what I know, I like McCaffrey. Keenan Reynolds and Trevone Boykins would have been my picks, but Reynolds plays for a service academy and TCU lost down the stretch so they would never win.

Sunday 7s: 6 Dec

1) Tom Apodaca, our representative in the NC Senate, will not run for office next year. He's a powerful politician with a lot of clout, but I put many of the issues that NC has in education on him. Instead of using his position to help teachers and students, he's been part of a systematic dismantling of education in NC. I won't miss him in office. I hope we get a strong leader who cares for all people and wants to make NC better not just today but for many years to come.

2) San Bernardino. Tragic. By now we know that the suspects were Muslim. Muslim, Jewish, Christian--- it doesn't make the incident better or worse. I fear that this may become more and more common. Not Muslims shooting up places in America necessarily, but just an uptick in killing sprees. The reason is not too many guns (though I do believe that our gun laws are absolutely too lax), I believe that thanks to the internet and social media, fear and hatred are easily bred. And then people act on those festering fears and the hatred they harbor. That was true for San Bernardino and that was true for Colorado Springs.

I unfriended someone on Facebook a few days ago. His post consisted of several slurs and insults towards Muslims and the post was also vaguely threatening. The disturbing part were the people who commented in agreement or liked the post. It's this sort of attitude, this hatred, that will cause more violence in our society. It can be directed at Muslims, Planned Parenthood, various ethnic groups, different religious or political ideologies. I was dismayed at how many people supported the attacker in Colorado Springs and blamed the people working there. Our enemy is not Islam, Republicans, Democrats or the 1 percent. Our enemy is hate. And fear. And no one side is immune from hatred and fear. Each side has their extremists and their fear mongers and those guys make the most noise. Don't let the win.

3) Zack Grienke a Diamondback. I'll miss the 1-2 punch of Grienke and Kershaw.

4) Car update: Still not running. I am borrowing a truck from a friend for a few days. We pushed started it today and I drove it to the school. It would not start after I turned it off. I think it's the starter. My friend, Danny, our auto teacher, is going to take a look at it.

5) Got a ride today! Beautiful December day. We rode Maxwell Cove, Middle and Lower Black and Sycamore. I love Sycamore Cove and all it's roots and fun twists. I felt really strong and fresh, surprising since I didn't eat before. Just glad to be able to get out into the woods after a long week. 12 miles, 2,000 feet of climbing. Not bad.

6) Big week for Knights wrestling. Mark Harris, coach at Enka, calls this his favorite week of the regular season. There is our annual scheduled tri between Enka, West Lincoln and North Henderson and then the two day Falcon Frenzy tournament at West Henderson.

• West Lincoln is the defending 2A State Dual Team champions. We wrestled them first. We beat them 44-25 and looked strong in the match. It was a great team effort. Butch Ross, the head coach at West Lincoln, is still one of my favorite people on the planet.
• We lost to Enka 31-27. A very close and competitive match. They won 7 weights, we won 7. It was worth the price of admission. Enka is considered a contender for the state title, so we're glad to be able to compete with them. 
• We placed 4th out of 28 teams at the Falcon Frenzy. We had four finalists and three champions. Josh Blatt beat a pretty good Charlotte Latin kid at 106. Morgan King beat a TN State Runner up at 113 in a very well wrestled match. Paul Searcy beat a kid from Pigeon Forge, TN that was 3rd in the state. The other guys wrestled really well to pick up team points. We're competing at a high level and that's exciting. 

7) College football playoffs are set. When all the games were played, seems like the best teams got in. Stanford might have an argument, but they should not have lost to Northwestern. Clemson was a no brainer. Alabama was an easy pick. Surprised that Michigan St jumped Oklahoma. I think most Spartans would rather play Clemson than Alabama. That said, here are my top 7:
1) Clemson 2) Alabama 3) Oklahoma 4) Michigan St 5) Iowa 6) Stanford 7) Notre Dame