In less than a week we'll be talking about practice
It seems like we should be a long way from the end of summer.
With the thermometer hovering in the mid-90s it sure feels like summer.
According to the calendar the Autumnal Equinox is still seven weeks away.
The TV weathermen all say "Meteorological Summer" is June through August.
And traditionally, Memorial Day and Labor Day have marked the beginning and end of summer.
Remember gents, never wear white loafers or white dress shoes before Memorial Day or after Labor Day!
When I was in grade school, classes resumed the day after Labor Day. For that reason I always dreaded Labor Day weekend. To me, Labor Day meant "Back to School" and I wasn't much into the idea.
But, today's reality is the new school year begins in less than two weeks. And fall sports teams can launch "official" practices August 1.
Soon thereafter Travis David and I will be hard at work bringing you fall sports previews for your reading pleasure!
Read on for the "sneak peek" of the area fall sports scene I promised you last week...
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It seems like only yesterday we were praising the noteworthy achievements of Bloomfield distance runner Alli Workman. Just seven weeks ago Workman finished her high school career with a 12th place finish at the girls track and field state meet, running a new personal best time in the process.
It's going to seem very strange indeed not writing about Alli this cross country season.
But her matriculation to Indiana State University swings the door wide open for Shakamak's Liz Bredeweg to assume the mantle of the area's dominant girls distance runner.
And if Liz improves as dramatically this year as she did a season ago, we may well end up talking about the Lady Laker runner in the same vein.
Eastern Greene returns four of the top five runners from its Greene County Invitational and Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference champion cadre. The Lady T-Birds finished third in the Bedford North Lawrence sectional.
Likewise, defending Greene County and SWIAC boys champ Bloomfield graduated just one runner, Parker Ramsey.
The boys cross country picture this fall is quite unclear. The Eastern Greene Thunderbirds appear well-positioned to challenge the Cards for county and conference honors.
It will be oddly different not having Workman around this cross country season. But her absence will pale in comparison to the void left on the boys' side - by a factor of five.
Every area team graduated its top runner.
For the better part of the last three autumns, Eastern Greene's John Kirts, Janzen Franklin of Linton-Stockton, Shakamak Laker Clay Reynolds and WRV's Buddy Davis, along with Ramsey, have battled it out for county and conference supremacy.
Who will emerge as the area's top boys cross country runner in 2016?
Based on past performance Bloomfield runner Luke Vandeventer and Eastern Greene's Justin Terry appear to be the early frontrunners.
Another question is, will the Linton-Stockton boys field a full cross country team this year? Last year the area's largest-enrollment school had just three runners, including Franklin.
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Area volleyball teams will have a new look on the court - and on the bench as well.
Three new coaches will be patrolling the sidelines at volleyball games this fall.
Laura Rose, who spent the last eight years as Bloomfield's cheer sponsor, returns to the sidelines to guide the Lady Cardinals volleyball team.
Rose replaces Ashlea Dunkerly who led Bloomfield to three consecutive Class A sectional titles - and two semistate appearances.
At Linton-Stockton, Scott Vanderkolk was promoted from junior varsity volleyball coach to varsity coach, replacing Jill Fougerousse.
Amy Robertson will take over for Kirk Buckley as the new volleyball coach at Shakamak. Robertson spent last season as an assistant on Garicke Rubin's staff at Clay City.
And May's commencement means several area teams will look radically different on the court.
Bloomfield bids farewell to six seniors who were the core group of three-time sectional championship teams.
But don't waste any time feeling sorry for the Lady Cards.
Bloomfield returns two GCDW Volleyball Player of the Year finalists - setter Felicity Graf and hitter Harlee Sullivan.
Graf set Bloomfield season records for assists (1,117) and assists in a single match (60) last year.
Sullivan was the team's second hitting option behind teammate Emily Bucher, the 2015 GCDW Player of the Year.
The Lady Cardinals duo will be joined by rising sophomore Malea Toon. Toon, who stepped into the starting lineup as a freshman when older sister Madison, who has since graduated, went down with an ACL injury, might well go down as one of the best female athletes in school history.
Eastern Greene may have been the hardest hit of any area team by graduation losses.
Amanda Butler, Kelsey Fleener and Katie Morguson had been the heart and soul of the Lady Thunderbirds the past several seasons.
Aside from those three seniors, second-year coach Whitney Richardson's Lady T-Bird squad was very young.
Linton-Stockton graduated setter extraordinaire Libbi Fougerousse and Rose Hulman-bound Emma Brewer.
But the Lady Miners return four starters, including athletic frontliners Ryleigh Fidler and Kaitlyn Clothier. And Vanderkolk's familiarity with the program should make for a smoother coaching transition.
White River Valley bids adieu to five seniors including Shannon Pitman and Lexi Graves. Veteran holdovers Abby Denham and Rylee Ellett return for the Lady Wolverines, along with a promising sophomore group of Addi Graves, McKinley Frye and Kaylie Gayheart.
An interesting mix of experience, youth and athleticism awaits new coach Amy Robertson at Shakamak.
Diamond Hinkle was the only graduating senior from last year's roster. And with a host of returnees headlined by Alyssa Garo, Kristy Fetz and Bailey Scott, the Lady Lakers could be a sleeper team come late October in the Clay City sectional.
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On the tennis courts Bloomfield has been dominant of late.
Veteran coach Mike Canty's Cardinals have won four straight sectional championships.
Bloomfield welcomes back its top two singles players - GCDW Tennis Player of the Year Brennan Hughes at No.1 singles, and Chris Gilmore in the No. 2 slot.
But the Cardinals must replace both doubles teams.
Whoever Canty plugs into the No. 1 doubles slot will have some mighty big shoes to fill.
The formidable No. 1 doubles tandem of Hunter Heaton and Alex Chestnut compiled a 42-6 record over the past two seasons.
The Cards enter this season with a few question marks.
But you can bet the wily veteran coach entering his 23rd season will come up with something - even if he has to pull a rabbit out of a hat.
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From the hardcourts we move to the soccer pitch where the area's only program - White River Valley - begins its third campaign.
Coach Matt Settles is expecting the biggest turnout he's ever had.
The coach who has led the soccer program since its inception says WRV will have a lot of returning players from last season. And several newcomers will be joining the team.
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This got a little lengthy. So we'll defer the football sneak preview until our next installment.
Are you ready for some football?
Hope it cools off before practice starts.
Terry Schwinghammer is a sports writer for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at (812) 847-4487, ext. 27. He can also be reached via email at tschwing32@yahoo.com.
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