Bedford County Post

Sports Bedford County Post June 5, 2024 10A Looking back on Year 1 with the Post… W hen I say it’s been a break-neck pace for us over the past year, I’m not kidding. Last July, our world was turned upside down with the closure of our previous publication and in the weeks that followed, we were lucky enough to build some- thing special from the ground up. Here we are, wrap- ping up the school year and fi nally, we can have a bit of a breather. Sometimes, I look back and am not sure how I’m able to juggle a full-time day job, bal- ance the sports coverage in the Bedford County Post and follow it up with the coverage in the Marshall County Post. It certainly takes its toll on you, but one thing I’ve learned over the years, nothing I ac- complish could be done without the best team in the business. From our pagination crew of Mary Cook and Carol Spray, to our Gen- eral Manager, Diandra Womble, to those of us on the front lines cover- ing sports each and ev- ery day of the week, Kacy Kincaid, Dennis Holley, Rickey Clardy and Gary Johnson, it truly takes a village to do what we do. But most importantly of all, it takes you, the reader. Without the sup- port of the community, we wouldn’t be able to continue delivering the news. This is a passion of mine. There’s a rush I can’t really describe in running to three di ff er- ent games in one night, staying up past midnight and getting the fi nal ed- its completed on that last story of the night. Following the mad- ness of spring sports comes the lull in activi- ties on the sports front. I’ve got to say, I’ve done this for 14 years now and it’s always a weird adjustment from having almost too much content to cover, to hav- ing to scrap and fi nd lo- cal content to produce. It’s a weird change, but honestly, it’s a nice chance to recharge the batteries before ramping up our fall preview cov- erage. So from the thrills of covering Cascade foot- ball, to watching the county wrestlers forge toward the state tourna- ment, to following the CommunityViqueensoft- ball team this spring—it’s been a ride. While we work through our log of sports features in the com- ing weeks, we want to know—what do you want to see in your Bedford County Post? Where can we im- prove? What did you like? What did you dislike? As we move forward into Year 2 of our ad- venture with the Post, we want to make sure we can deliver the best pos- sible local news. Chris Siers is sports editor of the Bedford County Post. Email him at csiers@bedfordcoun- typost.com. Sharks dive into summer By CHRIS SIERS csiers@bedfordcountypost.com W ith the turn of the calendar to June, the local swim club, the Shelbyville Sharks are set and ready to dive into the summer schedule. Last week, the team held its fi nal tune up mock meet before the schedule began on Tuesday. So far this season, swimmer participation has been solid and the team is progressing well. “The participation has been great,” Sharks coach Lauren Ball said. “We have many new swimmers this summer, and a wide variety of ages! I’d say most of them are elementary- middle school aged.” Swimmers range in age from eight and younger all the way through 18, and participate in freestyle, butter fl y, breast stroke, backstroke, individual medley and relay races. While team sizes vary from year-to-year, the coordination of 30-plus swimmers couldn’t be done without the aid of older swimmers, in addition to the coaches and parent volunteer sta ff . “Ally Maybee is a graduating senior and she has been a strong leader. She leads our Jr. Sharks group. Dijana Geary is a junior (going into senior year) who is a very hard worker and sets a great example for having a strong work ethic,” Ball said. While the leadership of the older swimmers is key, the younger swimmers have adapted to the competition atmosphere and are progressing well. “The newer swimmers have really inspired me,” Ball said. “Swimming is a hard sport and they have jumped right in and are keeping up with some of their more experienced teammates. I’m impressed with their willingness to come, try something new, and attack every practice.” Unlike team sports, the individualizedstyleof swimming allows each individual swimmer to attack personal goals, and for Ball and the Sharks’ sta ff , that’s the biggest objective of the summer. “This summer, I really want my swimmers to focus on improving their individual times. Win or lose, I want each swimmer attacking every race. I also want them to have fun while doing it,” she said. “My hope is that each swimmer will develop a lifelong love for this sport. Whether competitive swimming is something they do for one season or for a lifetime, I hope it’s a sport they cherish and always have fond memories of.” The Sharks’ schedule is set with seven dual-meets, before the championship meet, which will be held in Sewanee later this summer. –Post Photos by Chris Siers Cascade High School held a basketball camp last week that featured athletes participating in two different sessions.The camp focused on fundamentals, as well as showcasing the fun side of basketball. –Submitted photos CASCADE HOSTS SUMMER CAMP T-BALL PRACTICE The First ChristianT-Ball League was hard at work practicing onThursday evening, preparing for the league’s start on June 25. –Post Photos by Chris Siers