This time of year is crazy busy when it comes to athletic competitions. Whether it be at the local, regional, or state level, there is no shortage of options if you’re a sports fan. This week, I would like to share some of my thoughts on a few recent developments…
First, I was glad to see this year’s 50th District baseball and softball tournaments proceed as planned this week at South Laurel High School. After the devastating weekend tornado in London that did major damage to areas in very close proximity to South Laurel, I didn’t know if games would still be played. Teams made their way to the school Monday evening, however, and for a little while folks could just enjoy the games and forget about the horrors of the previous 48 hours. It was nice.
There was one aspect of Monday night’s competitions that I struggled with, however, and that was the fact that we saw the final Whitley County Lady Colonels softball game with Head Coach Angela Singleton at the helm. I was disappointed last week to hear that Singleton will not be returning to the team next spring, as I have always felt that she and her husband, Matt, do a really good job with the kids in that program. I know they have dedicated quite a bit of time and energy toward developing younger players in recent years, and I was hopeful of getting to see what those student-athletes could accomplish as juniors and seniors while playing in the same system.
Unfortunately, things are not going to work out that way for Singleton at Whitley, as administrators have decided that they would like to see the Lady Colonels softball program go in a new direction starting next season. Looking back, the team made a quick turnaround between years one and two of her tenure, going from one of the worst win-loss records in the 13th Region in 2017 to a respectable 14-9 record in 2018.
The Lady Colonels won a 50th District title in 2019, and were poised to repeat as champions the following year before the season was cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Singleton’s teams have remained competitive in recent years, but they have not managed to play their way back into a 13th Region tournament since 2019. Again, I think that the potential is definitely there for another region tournament appearance in the near future, but only time will tell how things will progress from here. For now, I would just like to wish the outgoing coach the very best of luck wherever she ends up landing next, and I would also like to wish the new coach, whoever that ends up being, the very best of luck as they take the reins of the program later this year.
Moving on, let me touch upon several other sports-related topics, rapid fire style…
• Congratulations to the Corbin High School tennis teams on their latest regional championship victories. The tennis Hounds have completely dominated the competition within the region for many years, and they show no signs of slowing down. Best of luck to you all at the upcoming KHSAA state tournaments!
• Congratulations to everyone involved with the Whitley County track and field program for putting on a great 2A regional championship meet on Monday. I was super-excited to finally get down and check out the newly upgraded track and field facility, and I was not disappointed by what I saw. I look forward to watching more track competitions in the future at Whitley County.
• If you have a young child who is interested in competitive swimming, then I urge you to read my story this week on the recently concluded inaugural season for elementary grade swim teams in the local area. Read the comments from coaches, and then make a point to learn more about the Cannonball Swimming Academy and the just-launched 606 Summer Swimming Association. There is a lot of exciting stuff going on with this sport in particular right now.
• I’m in the middle of my first-ever experience with coaching tee ball. It’s been fun, but hopefully the rest of the season will see more sun, less storms.
