Coming off a pretty good sports weekend, I went running head long into another busy weekend for the Newton Daily News’ sports staff.
Troy Hyde and I have been covering more than 76 area high school athletes at the 2015 Iowa High School State Track and Field Championships since Thursday. The three-day state track meet concludes Saturday. All the action is at and around Drake Stadium in Des Moines.
Last weekend, I survived the Iowa Speedway’s opening race weekend of the 2015 season. Two tremendous races, and I can’t ever say enough to the people of the Iowa Speedway staff and NASCAR who help me understand the sport better each time out.
Also, my Kansas City Royals blew past the New York Yankees at The K, winning two of three games over the weekend. The Royals are atop the American League Central. Life is good.
In the rain and on a sloppy track at Pimilico Race Course in Baltimore, American Pharaoh won the 2015 Preakness Stakes in commanding fashion. Yes. We still can have a Triple Crown winner. The problem is 13 other horses have gone into the Belmont Stakes — June 6 — and failed to complete the three-race sweep.
It has been 37 years since we’ve seen a horse take the Triple Crown. We need one.
Monday brought confirmation from the Lynnville-Sully Community School District’s school board. Mike Parkinson is again the head football coach and head boys’ track coach for Lynnville-Sully High School. He had resigned to take another job — teaching and coaching — at Adel-DeSoto-Minburn. A set of circumstances arose at Lynnville-Sully following the hiring of a new coach. That guy was out and there was opening again at Lynnville-Sully.
“My wife and I decided to stay, not because of something in Adel, but because of all the great things in Sully. We felt like we were given a second chance when things opened back up there. When I contacted Mr. (Shane) Ehresman about staying, I was really excited to hear what he had to say,” Parkinson told the Newton Daily News of his decision to return to Sully. “My family is in a great place and deciding to stay is a testament to the great people and school that we have hear in our community.”
The L-S board approved Parkinson’s return Monday at its regular meeting. Parkinson will be the 7-12 At-Risk teacher for Lynnville-Sully along with returning to his duties as varsity football coach and varsity boys’ track coach.
It’s Memorial Day Weekend. We take the time to honor those men and women who are serving or have served in our armed services.
When NASCAR drivers start their engines for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, fans will see familiar names like “Harvick,” “Kenseth” and “Almirola” replaced on car windshields with “SGT Mracek,” “HM3 Layton” and “CPT Argel” — United States Armed Forces members who have fallen in service to their country.
All 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will participate in “600 Miles of Remembrance” on Memorial Day Weekend to honor military service members and their families.
Among the 43 service members being honored as part of “600 Miles of Remembrance” is Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller. Miller, a native of Oviedo, Fla., was a former University of Iowa student killed during combat operations in Afghanistan. Miller will be honored on the windshield of NASCAR’s most popular driver — Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Fairfax native and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Landon Cassill will honor GySgt Floyd Holley. A member of Cassill’s team served in the Marines with Holley and recommended that that team honor him after receiving the family’s permission.
It is the launch of NASCAR: An American Salute, the industry’s collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who have served and continue to defend our nation today.
Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com