By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
The Mightymite Triathlon celebrated a milestone last year to become only one of a handful of triathlons to turn 20.
This year, the Mightymite will reach the legal age of 21 on Saturday, July 17.
Once again, the Mightymite is a USA Triathlon sanctioned event.
The field is limited to 500 participants and all entrants must register before race day. There will be no "day of race" registration.
After some earlier debate, Lake Dunn at Village Creek State Park, is once again the starting point for the triathlon.
The triathletes will enter the water for the 1/3 mile swim just above the boat ramp. There will be five to seven wave starts depending on the number of participants.
The swimmers will exit Lake Dunn to start the 13-mile bike leg.
After exiting the water the race participants will run up the hill, unrack their bike, and walk to the bike mount area.
The bike portion will take the participants back past the state park's Visitor's Center and onto Highway 284/Newcastle Rd.
Bikers will ride south on Highway 284 until they reach East Arkansas Community College.
Upon arriving at EACC, bikers will dismount at the dismount area and walk the bike to the rack where the third and final leg of the triathlon -- the run to the finish line -- begins.
The finish line will once again be at Sam Smith Stadium at Forrest City High School.
Preceding race day, participants can pick up race packets on Friday, July 16, from 5 until 8 p.m., at the Forrest City Civic Center, located at 1335 North Washington Ave.
Late packet pickup will be held Saturday at East Arkansas Community College and at Village Creek State Park's Lake Dunn from 7 until 7:30 a.m.
As of last weekend, there were only 73 triathletes registered to run the race, but that number is expected to grow to more than 300 between now and the actual day of the race.
Of the 73 athletes already registered, only one previous winner is listed -- Erik Leamon of Conway, who was the overall men's winner in 2001.
Traditionally, the Mightymite draws triathletes from across Arkansas as well as from Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky and as far away at Virginia.
Brothers Rehan and Imran Mahmood, of Memphis, were the overall male winners last year while Kirsten Winkler, of McKenzie, Tenn., was the overall female winner.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
What to do, what to do?
It seems that has been the question every day since the postseason T-Ball Tournament got underway on June 18.
Twelve days later, the remaining teams are still trying to complete the double-elimination style tournament.
There are six teams remaining. Five of those are in the loser's bracket. Boar's Head advanced to the championship game by disposing of Imboden in Monday's winner's semifinal game.
The tournament was headed for a Thursday night conclusion until more rain fell on the Forrest City area late Tuesday afternoon, forcing yet another lost night. The tournament has been rained out three night since June 18.
The long-term forecast doesn't appear to favor the tournament. There is call for more rain today and Thursday.
*The 10-under girls' softball league will try to crown an overall champion Thursday when the two divisional winners -- Walker Insurance and Forrest City Bank -- take the field at 6 p.m.
Walker is unbeaten at 12-0 while Forrest City Bank is 11-1, the lone loss coming against walker in the regular season matchup between the two teams.
TRUMANN -- Daniel Rankin and Hunter Brandon each pitched five-inning, three-hitters to help the Trumann Twisters sweep an American Legion AA baseball doubleheader from Forrest City Post 4 Tuesday afternoon.
Trumann won the first game 13-1 and the second game 3-2.
Rankin struck out nine Forrest City hitters and walked two to earn the win in the opener. Brandon fanned eight batters and walked none.
Trumann's Brayden Malone was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in in the 13-1 win.
Matt Hill, Matt Sills, Michael Schwarz and Michael Scott each had two hits.
Sills slugged a two-run home run and Scott also had two RBIs. Hill and Schwarz each had one RBI, as did Blake Wright.
Trumann had just three hits in the nightcap, one each by Wright, Brandon and Hill. Wright also had an RBI.
Forrest City is winding down its season and is scheduled to play Wynne on Tuesday, July 6; Searcy on July 10 and Blytheville on July 13.
The Wynne and Blytheville games will be playyed at the Sports Complex.
The American Legion district tournament is scheduled to be played July 15-18, at a site to be named later.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
June has been a very busy month for Jenny Maland Wallace.
It is also a month she won't soon forget.
The Harrison native got married, (to Forrest City assistant football and track coach Ryan Wallace), put the finishing touches on her Masters degree and was named the new Forrest City Junior High girls' basketball coach.
Wallace replaces Jacky England, who moved up to coach the senior high basketball girls team when former coach Sue Jayroe resigned her coaching position in March.
Wallace is a 1998 graduate of Harrison High School where she played volleyball, basketball, softball and ran track for the lady Goblins. An all-conference and all-state athlete, she recently was inducted into the Goblin Hall of Fame.
She began her college career at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, where she played softball for two years before having to step away from the sport following elbow and knee surgery.
She was a graduate assistant coach for softball at the University of Central Arkansas (Conway) last year before coming to the Forrest City area after Ryan Wallace was hired for the Mustang coaching staff.
Forrest City will be her first head coaching position. She will also assist with the junior girls track team.
"Coaching has always been my goal," Wallace said. "I have always wanted to be able to coach and to teach and now that I have the opportunity, I can't tell you how excited I am."
Wallace said she is looking forward to working with the Forrest City junior high girls and with England.
"I have heard good things about Coach England and I want to try to do my part to help get the junior girls ready for the next step into high school sports.," Wallace said. "That is my job, to prepare them the best I can. My philosophy with the team will be to work hard but have fun while we are doing that."
Wallace will be inheriting a junior girls team that finished 8-12 overall a year ago and were the runners-up in the AAAAA-East District Tournament, losing to West Memphis West in the finals played at Mustang Arena.