By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Mightymite changed hands this year which brought some other changes to the annual triathlon.
After five years, former director Kenny Worley stepped down and Rich Trail took hold of the reigns.
Trail, who recently joined the Forrest City High School coaching ranks, has never run in the Mightymite, but took the job after long-time participant and Forrest City resident Denny Jarrett talked him into it.
"Yea, you could say I'm in this position because Denny had quite a bit to do with it," Trail said. "He more or less talked me into taking over the race. He got me kick-started, while I was still living and working in Wynne earlier this year."
Trail admits it has been a challenge, but this former Forrest City athlete has never backed away from a challenge, which gives him all the more reason to succeed at this, his latest endeavor.
"It is a challenge and it's hard work," Trail said. "I admit that. I just want to do the best I can do to make this Mightymite as successful as possible."
The 18th annual triathlon will be held Saturday, July 21 and the course will be the same as it has been in past years.
Promptly at 8 a.m., the participants will enter the waters of Lake Dunn at Village Creek State Park for the opening leg of the triathlon -- an 0.4 swim.
As swimmers exit the lake, they will begin a 13-mile bicycle ride along Crowley's Ridge Road ending at East Arkansas Community College.
From there, after stashing their bikes, the Mightymite participants will run the final three miles to the finish line, once again located at Sam Smith football stadium.
The most notable change to this year's event will be how the race is timed.
"We are bringing in a professional timing crew to time the race," Trail said. "I understand from past participants, that the biggest complaint they have had has been with how the race has been timed. Using a professional team for the first time, should make the race much smoother."
Trail said the timing team will be using race numbers with bar codes, much like merchandise on a store shelve will have.
"This, we think, will give us more accurate times," Trail added.
Trail said he is hoping to register about 300 people for the Mightymite.
"Right now, we don't have as many as we would like to have signed up, but I think most are waiting until next week to register, so I am optimistic that our numbers will be good."
Trail said the annual Friday pre-race get-together at the Forrest City Civic Center will be held once again but this year there won't be any dinner.
"The entrants can come from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. to pick up their race packets and attend a short meeting which will start about 7:30 p.m.," Trail said. "But we are doing away with the dinner."
Another change to this year's Mightymite comes at the conclusion of the race.
In the past, the awards ceremony was held several hours after the completion of the race. This year Trail said the awards will be given out as soon as the finals entrants cross the finish line.
"We hope to start the awards ceremony at about 11 a.m. and we will do it right there at Sam Smith Stadium," Trail said.
What about long range changes?
"I am open to what the participants have to say about the Mightymite and I believe there are some ideas out there that can make this race even better in the future," Trail added.
Trail said he would like to direct the triathlon for a few years.
"If I can I will," Trail said. "We'll see how things go."
* For the first time, the race will employ a professional crew to ensure accurate finish times for each entrant.
* No dinner this year at Friday's pre-race get-together at the Forrest City Civic Center.
* Awards ceremony will be held immediately after the race at Sam Smith Stadium.
* The Mightymite changed directors. Rich Trail replaces Kenny Worley.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Finally, Chism Concrete found a way to get past the Odd Sox.
Playing for the third and final time against each other this season, Chism Concrete put away the team that had won the first two head-to-head meetings, 3-1 Thursday night in adult women's softball action at the Sports Complex.
Chism Concrete, a team that has dominated the women's league for the past several years, has been challenged by the Odd Sox from the start of this season.
By winning Thursday, Chism and the Odd Sox both stand at 10-2 for the year with three games left to play.
Chism scored twice in the bottom of the first inning to lead 2-0 before the Odd Sox got on the board in the top of the second inning to trail 2-1.
Chism added a single run in the bottom of the fourth to make it 3-1. The Odd Sox could not get a runner past second base from the third inning on.
In other women's games played Thursday, Purple Haze improved to 7-5 for the year with a 6-5 win over Whatever and Clark Appraisals evened their record at 6-6 with a 17-1 win over Super Center.
Purple Haze scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to get the win.
Chism, Odd Sox, Purple Haze, Clark and Whatever will all play in the women's district tournament, Saturday, July 21, at the Marion Recreational Complex.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Poison destroyed Miller Insurance Thursday night 25-13 to run their record to 11-1 in the adult men's softball league.
The win keeps Poison in first place in the league standings with six games remaining to be played this season.
In other games played Thursday, the Forrest City Young Guns got past Boar's Head 17-15; Kerby's turned back Patton & Taylor 16-12 and S.S.A. defeated Food Giant.
Poison scored nine runs in the second inning and then added 11 runs in the fifth inning to post the big win.
Miller drops to 5-7 for the year.
Most of the Forrest City men's teams will take part in the men's district tournament, July 21, at Marion's Recreational Complex.
The regular league schedule will end on Thursday, Aug. 2.
The Class E-EE state tournament will be played at Forrest City.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
And the coaching carousel continues to spin around at Forrest City.
Scott Davis is the latest coach to leave the district, bringing the total number of departures to three since the end of the last school year.
Michael Work and John Fortenberry resigned earlier this year to pursue other coaching opportunities.
Factor in the trio of high school assistant football coaches who were reassigned and the school district has many gaping holes to fill.
That is the downside for the program.
On the up side, Athletic Director Bill Baxter said four new coaches have been added to the staff.
Rich Trail, formerly a coach at Wynne, joined the Forrest City staff in May and shortly after that Monty Thornton left Brinkley to come to Forrest City.
The two newest additions include Sonny Shields, of Augusta and Amber Main, who coached last year at Calvary Christian School.
Main will most likely be an assistant to Lady Mustang Head Coach Sue Jayroe and will coach the volleyball team, which is being resurrected this fall.
Shields will fill one of the junior boys' basketball positions and will assist in football. Baxter said Shields may be the head girls' softball coach as well.
"We are still about three or four coaches short," Baxter said. "We have the positions open but we are lacking the teaching spots."
Baxter said he is also still looking at making some future reassignment.
The Taco Bell sponsored basketball camp for junior high girls ended its four-day run Thursday at Mustang Arena. Nineteen girls took part in the camp. The campers were Chari Agnew, Joya Ballard, Patricia Bowers, Amber Byers, Nicole Parker, Jaslyn Deans, Bethany Hines, Brenda Hymes, Marsha James, Whitney Lowe, Anita McDonald, Rochell Merrida, Latrisha Parker, Fareedah Washington, Amber Williams, Shanna Taggart, Viveca Kimble, Dekisha Norris, Shari Rogers and Natisha Dobbins. In group competition, Kimble, James and Bowers won the three-on-three; Rogers won the free throw shooting contest; Kimble was the one-on-one winner; Washington was voted the camper with the best attitude; Ballard was honored as the most improved camper; Lowe won the defensive award and Hines was given the award as the camper with the best hustle. McDonald was named the All-Around Camper while Norris, Rogers, Nicole Parker, Byers, Hines and Dobbins won the 5-on-5 team competition. Forrest City basketball coaches Sue Jayroe and Karen Carrier supervised the camp.