Reports surfaced over the weekend that a pair of artificial athletic fields in New Jersey were shut down after state health officials detected what they said were unexpectedly high levels of lead in the synthetic turf.
The fear is that athletes could swallow or inhale fibers or dust from the playing surface.
This has artificial venues around the country scrambling to figure what exactly their fields are made of.
Douglas, of course, installed its artificial surface in the last two years.
It would appear, however, that the school is in the clear.
The New Jersey Health Department found lead in both of the nylon fields it tested, but in none of the 10 polyethylene surfaces it examined.
Douglas' Sportexe "Omniturf" surface is made of polyethylene-based Strenexe fiber.
Even so, the nylon-based fields out there should end up being fine as it appears the lead is fixed in place in the nylon and does not leach out.
Who was the last Douglas High swimmer to win a state championship?
- South Tahoe's upset of the Douglas baseball team in Saturday's doubleheader marked the first time a John Glover-coached team has lost to the Vikings in 18 tries.
- The entire baseball series was played at the Lake last week, which is odd considering that every other league series has the Thursday game at one site and the Saturday doubleheader at the other.
This is due to the extreme weather the Viking baseball team has to deal with. The entirety of the first half of their league schedule is played on the road, and then they get to make up for it with a long home stretch at the end of the year. Douglas just happened to fall on the latter half of their schedule this year.
- Through last week, the Douglas girls' 400 free relay B team of Julie Pozun, Cassandra Lopez, Ashley Spohn and Sarah Allen had posted the top time in the region at 3:40.98 Eddie Kollar has posted the top diving marks in the region this season.
If I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional baseball and softball honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like this week, based mostly on their respective performances over the last week:
Baseball
1. Joe Wieland (Manogue) 2. Jordan Hadlock (Douglas); 2. CJ Maldonado (Reed); 4. Jacob Anderson (Galena); 5. Glenn Wallace (Reno)
- Hadlock was a monster against South Tahoe but Wieland struck out 14 in six innings against Mission San Jose. Maldonado had five RBIs in a doubleheader against Spanish Springs and Anderson was solid in a series against Fallon.
Softball
1. Ashleigh Rahming (Reno); 2. Mallary Darby (Spanish Springs); 3. Samantha Baker (Reno); 4. Jaci Carlsen (Spanish Springs); 5. Stephanie Harper (Douglas)
- Not much shakeup here but Harper vaulted into the mix with her solid pitching over and increased run production at the plate the last three weeks. No other team in the Northern 4A has ridden one arm like Douglas has this season.
The top athletes, regardless of sport, at Douglas High determined by production during competion, overall value to their team, ability to perform with consistency in routine situations, performance compared to others at the same position throughout the stae/region, ability to come up big in clutch situations, versatility, attitude, sportsmanship, overall athletic ability, heart, potential at the next level, and a host of other intangibles (emotional leadership, role-playing value, work ethic, etc.) This is all, of course, just my opinion.
Spring Sports (Through April 19)
1. Jordan Hadlock, catcher/pitcher, baseball
2. Derrick Jenkins, middle distances/high jump, track & field
3. Jessica Gorton, hurdler/field events, track & field
4. Sarah Hartley, sprinter/field events, track & field
5. Thomas Wicker, golf
6. Katrina Morgan, catcher, softball
7. Haley VonSchottenstein, swimming
8. Tyler Hoelzen, pitcher/outfielder/first baseman, baseball
9. Tim Rudnick, shortstop/pitcher, baseball
10. Stephanie Harper, pitcher, softball
2007-08 school year
1. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/track
2. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball
3. David Laird, football/basketball
4. Jose Alcaraz, soccer/track
5. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track
6. Brock Peterson, football
7. Sarah Hartley, soccer/basketball/track
8. Jeff Nady, football/basketball
9. Jessica Gorton, basketball/track
10. Eddie Vega, soccer
Since I've been here (2003)
1. Luke Rippee, football/basketball/baseball (2003)
2. Brittany Puzey, basketball/softball (2003-04)
3. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/softball/track (2004-08)
4. Tyson Estes, football/basketball/baseball (2003-05)
5. Ryan Pruitt, football/wrestling/baseball (2005-07)
6. Mike Gransbery, soccer/basketball (2004-07)
7. Kayla Dunn, volleyball/softball (2004-05)
8. Keith Olson, basketball (2004-07)
9. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track (2005-present)
10. Nate Whalin, football/basketball/baseball (2004-07)
There was a time when television networks would fill in prolonged rain delays during their professional baseball coverage with infomercials, tape-delayed broadcasts of the world hot dog eating championships and old reruns of "The Wonder Years."
After watching the Fox Baseball in-studio crew vamp for more than an hour during the Red Sox-Yankees washout two Saturdays ago, I couldn't miss those old days any more.
The Helmet Project.
www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/
This one has been out there for a while, so its entirely possible you've heard of this before.
This atlas of football helmets has an extensive database for all professional football helmets (including arena ball, The World League and the good ole' XFL) and most every college helmet from every level of competition.
That's interesting enough, but one of my favorite parts is the historical section where you can look back and see what your team looked like through the years.
Charlene Rigdon won the state title in the 100 backstroke in 2001. She won the title in the same event the year prior when teammate Brittany Reichardt won the state title in the 100 breaststroke.
Both athletes went on to have successful careers at the University of Nevada.
