Branson Tri-Lakes news
12A Saturday, August 13, 2016 • bransontrilakesnews.com
Olympics journey certainly enlightening
As the accompanying photo shows,
Chris Cooper and Deborah Sullivan, of
Branson West, were greeted with open
arms a week ago upon their arrival in Rio
by Vinicius, one of two mascots for the Summer Olympic
Games.
But Cooper and Sullivan
discovered there wasn’t much
love for the U.S.A. teams in
Brazil, no matter the sport and
no matter who the opponent
is.
Cooper has kept his Facebook followers up to date on his experiences at the Games and one of the themes
of his posts has been fans from countries
seemingly uniting to cheer against Americans.
“Okay, I guess we are the Dallas Cowboys of international sports,” Cooper wrote
ater seeing a U.S. men’s indoor volleyball
match. “Everybody hates us even if we aren’t the best at that sport. Anytime a chant
starts U-S-A, it immediately gets drowned
out by boos and cat calls by 90 percent of
the crowd.
“Next time you see the USA on your
TV screen, root ‘USA’ to keep our voices
heard. Deb and I are doing our part down
here in Brazil, but we are deinitely getting
drowned out by the much louder crowds
who are against us.”
Cooper and Sullivan said the
same scenario played out at a
AT
U.S. women’s rugby match verAILEY sus Figi that they attended.
“Most of the crowd erupted
COMMENTARY
anytime our USA team fumSPORTS EDITOR
bled or got body checked into
334-3161 EXT. 106
the grass,” Cooper wrote. “I
looked around and all these
people did not appear to be of
“FIGIain” descent.”
Cooper joked that perhaps he was drawing the ire of fans while giving a nod to one
of his favorite local establishments.
“It was when they all started cheering
‘USA go ... a ...way’ that I realized they were
discriminating against me based upon my
Cheeky Monkey specially designed T-shirt,”
he added.
Cooper and Sullivan began making
plans to attend the Games more than a year
ago. hey purchased tickets in March of
2015. hey rented an apartment in which
the lower deck has a view of the Sugar Loaf
P
D
Mountains to the east and the Christ the
Redeemer Statue to the north.
For their visit to see women’s gymnastics, Cooper purposely did not purchase
tickets to see the U.S. perform because of
the late time slot the Americans were competing in.
“I was concerned about being back
home before dark,” he said.
Indeed, there were countless stories
leading up to the Games reporting on worries of crime in poverty-stricken Rio. In addition, the Zika virus in Brazil caused many
athletes to withdraw.
Other than a stench coming from a bay
near the Olympic Park at Barra, Cooper
said he and Sullivan have found their journeys from venue to venue to be as pleasant
as could be expected.
“We saw many tanks and 19-year-old
soldiers with machine guns. I can’t remember — I have stayed up with the news —
who is supposed to be invading Brazil imminently?” Cooper wrote. “Overall, I think
the transportation and security did a very
good job with the amount of volume they
were dealing with non stop.
“Did not feel any Zika concerns or crime
concerns walking around.”
Deborah Sullivan
and Chris
Cooper are
greeted by
Vinicius, one
of the mascots
for the Summer
Olympic Games,
upon their arrival
in Rio a week ago.
Pat Dailey | Branson Tri-Lakes News
Davidson
on card
again
By Pat Dailey
[email protected]
Pat Dailey | Branson Tri-Lakes News
Ally Dickerson and the Lady Wolves will host Hollister, Norwood and Springfield Hillcrest in a jamboree today at 11 a.m.
Breaking monotony
Three-year starter Dickerson making move to second base and assuming role as unofficial hitting coach
By Pat Dailey
[email protected]
A
lly Dickerson has established herself as one
of Reeds Spring’s premier all-time players entering her senior year, having already joined the program’s 100-hit club and coming of a .544 junior
season.
But the three-year starter inds herself with a
new home and new role.
Dickerson, almost a lifelong third baseman, is
making the move back to second, where she debuted with the Lady Wolves three years ago. She
was at third the past two seasons.
“It’s a little ify for me right now because I’m
used to playing at third,” Dickerson said. “It’s kind
of weird at second. I’m like, ‘Hit it to me, hit it to
me.’ Normally it’s never hit there. I’m like, ‘What
the heck.’
“But I trust that whoever plays third, we’re going to have a good third baseman.”
Coach Scott Walker has moved Dickerson to
free up third for Hannah Erickson or Mackenzie
Duvall and because of the importance he places on
defense at second.
“I’ve always thought second base is the hardest position to play,” Walker said. “Right-handers
are hitting balls spinning in the opposite direction.
You have a lot more balls you have to go back on.
Ally has taken to it and jumped on it.”
Dickerson has also whole-heartedly accepted her designation as an unoicial hitting coach.
With Walker knowing her career aspirations to
coach and her knowledge of hitting, he has had her
work with some of Reeds Spring’s freshmen and
some older players, as well, on the fundamentals
of their swing.
“She breaks down a swing as good as most
coaches who I have talked with about hitting,”
Walker said. “A couple of the players have said
to me that it’s almost like having a hitting coach.
She’ll give input when she is asked. She won’t force
it on anybody.”
“I like being out here helping the girls,” she said.
“It’s a good experience for me, this is what it’s going to be like when I am a coach.”
Dickerson remembers all too well being a
freshman and not sure of herself at plate. She was
able to quickly adapt to varsity ball, thanks to hitting instruction from former Lady Wolves assistant coach Josh Flora.
“I used to be all over the place and couldn’t hit
to save my life,” she said. “Flora ixed my hands
and stance.”
he lessons Dickerson learned from Flora she is
now passing along.
“Driving my (back) knee and guiding my hands
(through a swing),” she said of the keys to her
stroke. “Walker’s main thing is to drive the knees
and the hands. he irst thing that has to go is the
knee. hat’s what I’m thinking before I swing, that
this knee needs to drive before I can have any power. When you drive the knee, you’ve got to push.
hat’s what I think everyone should know.
“But everybody has their own swings. Some
people don’t even load and they’re hitting bombs.”
Dickerson hit two home runs last year, including a three-run shot during a ive-RBI day in
Reeds Spring’s 5-2 win against Branson last year.
She totaled 18 extra-base hits on the season.
here’s optimism out of the Lady Wolves’ camp
that she will supply even more power.
“We’re excited about what she has done in the
summer,” Walker said. “She’s hitting it well.”
With an eye on continuing her career, Dickerson has a destination in mind, but isn’t looking
forward to the end of her Reeds Spring career.
“I want to go to Crowder,” she said. “I went to
one of their camps this summer and it was such a
fun experience. One of their assistants told me she
thought I did a good job. I think it would be a nice
experience to go to a juco.
“It hasn’t hit me that I’m a senior,” she added.
“I’m sure it will hit me on our ‘Senior Night.’ Please
don’t get me a picture of me crying that night.”
Contact Sports Editor Pat Dailey at 417-334-3161 ext. 106 or e-mail [email protected]
Less than two years removed from his
high school graduation and hardwood career
at Forsyth and only two months from his
debut in the cage, Quentin Davidson has decided the time is right to dive
head-irst into his mixed martial arts career.
With every intention of being busier than any Branson
Fight Club ighter over the
next year, Davidson returns to
the cage tonight as part of the
Shoight Vendetta card at he
Clarion.
Quentin
Davidson will meet AusDavidson
tin Ray (4-1) in a lightweight
BFC
ight.
lightweight
It’s not by chance Davidson
is matched up against a more experienced
ighter.
“Quentin has told me he eventually wants
to go pro,” BFC coach J.T. Tilley said. “When
our guys tell me they want to go pro, I try to
ind them the hardest guys possible to ight.
his will be a tough ight for Quentin. But
he’s one of the better athletes we’ve had in a
while.”
Davidson’s debut saw him win by submission against Cody Green at the 2:23 mark of
the second round in a welterweight ight at
Shoight Summer Smash in June.
“Quentin has said he wants to ight on every single show we do this year,” Tilley said.
“He will ight on our next three cards at least.
It’s rare for guys to do that.”
Tilley is glad to see the 19-year-old Davidson aspire to make a run at going pro, rather
than wait too long when he might have further responsibilities.
“He’s at the right age to do it,” Tilley said.
he BFC’s Jason Shackelford will make
his cage debut tonight versus Levi Grimes
at heavyweight. Shackelford is a ill-in who
accepted the invite to ight as recently as
hursday.
Shackelford, who will be giving up 35
pounds to Grimes, made his kickboxing debut three months ago and emerged victorious.
“Jason came into our gym six months
ago and is on a team full of lightweights and
featherweights,” Tilley said. “So, he’s done
ridiculous strength and conditioning workouts for a heavyweight. He’s almost down to
being a light heavyweight. He’s in incredible
shape.
“When he accepted this ight, he had no
idea who he would be ighting. He just likes
the experience.”
he BFC’s Justin Yacko (8-9) will meet
John Moore (5-1), of the Joplin Brotherhood
at featherweight.
Yacko’s last ight saw him lose by submission in the third round against Siegismund
at Shoight Resolution in January.
Moore has not fought in ive years.
John Bowie and Dallas Jackson, both of
the BFC, will face each other tonight in an
exhibition kickboxing match.
Tonight’s main event will feature Joey
Scanlan (10-7) opposite Ray Allard (10-8) at
bantamweight.
Tonight’s card is scheduled to be the inal
Shoight event in Branson this year. Tilley
said Shoight will host a MMA/kickboxing
card in Springield on Sept. 10.