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Learning the proper golf swing is key to improving

There has been a lot written about the golf swing. This increase can be traced back to the smaller golf world, who is Tiger’s teacher, who is helping Justin Thomas, and the ever-popular debate Haney, Harmon or Ledbetter? As a PGA Professional, I feel very confident in my ability to help players of all skill levels. I posses quite an extensive teaching resume and have numerous success stories. The real reason, in my opinion, that I am a good teacher is because I want to teach. I very badly want my students to improve, and the student’s goals are the most important aspect of any ...

Football is back, that’s where total normalcy stops

It has officially arrived! The day so many across the Ohio Valley and state of Ohio have been waiting for. After many months of speculation, questions, debate and even a high level of doubts, football season 2020 is about to kick off. The season officially begins, locally, with Barnesville visiting Buckeye Local tonight and then a full slate of games highlights Friday’s card and the opening weekend winds down with a few Saturday games. As the cover of the The Times Leader’s Pigskin Preview said, we are about to ‘Play through a Pandemic.’ Quite honestly, players, ...

Pandemic idles Donnelly after 52 years of baseball

STEUBENVILLE - Rich Donnelly has seen about all there is to see in his 73 years on this earth. The baseball lifer has traveled coast-to-coast via his many diamond playing and coaching assignments. But the Steubenville Catholic product has never witnessed a past four months that the nation has endured. The coronavirus pandemic has radically changed the lifestyle in the United States. Sports, at all levels, have taken a major hit. Professional leagues, shuttered since mid-March, are just now laying the groundwork for return to play. Donnelly, as well a respected baseball mind as you ...

The season sports stood silent after 52 years of reporting

Fifty-two years, that’s a long time ago. The year 1969 was a long time ago. Think about... Richard Nixon was inaugurated as out 37th president. Neil Armstrong was the first to step on the moon. The $500, $1000, $5,000 ad $10,000 dollar bills were officially removed from circulation. Ok, that last one didn’t really affect many people, but looking at those events of 1969 gives you a bit of an idea just how long ago that was. Quite a few of our people today weren’t even born. Well, I guess anyone 52 or older can claim that span of life. It was 52 years ago that I first penned a ...

Salem College lost ‘Cradle of Coaches’ member in Young

It’s a well-known fact that Miami University of Ohio, located in Oxford, is called the “Cradle of Coaches,” and deservedly so. The Mid-American Conference school just north of Cincinnati near the Indiana border has produced more than a handful of future NCAA Division I and NFL head coaches. The nickname was brought to prominence in 1983 when former Miami sports communications worker Bob Kurz wrote a book about the legendary coaching tradition. The school’s association with it goes back to at least 1971. Heck, it even has its own “Cradle of Coaches Association” and inducts ...

Deaton was a lot more than a volleyball guru

WHEELING - He built a prep volleyball powerhouse at Wheeling Central before doing the same at Xavier University. Floyd Deaton, however, was more than a volleyball guru. He was a former standout athlete, an energizing motivator and cherished friend. Deaton died unexpectedly last Sunday in Florida. He was 65. The Wheeling native leaves behind a legacy of volleyball coaching greatness. But Deaton was much more. He enjoyed a standout football playing career, was a multi-sport coach, superb teacher and a friend to many. The 1973 Wheeling High grad began coaching football, track and ...