Daily Archives: 02/10/2016
Eating, right?
Monday morning, I had an appointment with Dr. Matthew Roberson for my checkup.
It turns out I’m doing fine. My blood pressure was normal, despite missing taking my medicine for a few days. My arm seems to have healed, though I am still typing one-handed. I was not that great at typing in the first place, so it has not affected my speed.
The main problem was with my weight, which was up a few pounds from last appointment. That’s bad, because I had told my doctor I was going to try to lose a few pounds. But it was sunny, and frankly I was not eating well back then. Now we’ve recovered from the first snow storm of the year, and I’m finding myself eating anything that does not try to eat me first.
The pounds have come on, and frankly I need to stop them. My goal was to get down to a normal, healthy weight, and if I keep adding a few pounds when I’m supposed to be losing a few pounds, I will never accomplish that.
The doctor suggested I try to eat more vegetables, and I don’t think he was including French fries as a vegetable. The problem is I really don’t like vegetables, and I refuse to eat any of them. Sure, eating just meat makes me more like a bear than a human, but I will survive.
He suggested I try to exercise more. I don’t believe he considers walking into the kitchen as real exercise, although my hands are usually full when I leave the room.
He also suggested I eat more fruits, but be careful because some fruits have natural sweeteners that can cause calorie problems.
My exercise options are no longer limited now that the snow has melted. I can walk my driveway daily and add a quarter of a mile to my exercise plan. I can go to the local recreation fields and play basketball, if I don’t get too worried about somebody watching me and noticing how many shots I miss.
So I need to eat better. Everything seems to have an asterisk beside it. For example, I’m told that popcorn has no calories, but then they add, “as long as you don’t load it with butter topping.” In my opinion, popcorn is no good if it does not slide out of your hand.
But we need to lose the weight. We may start to enjoy living again, so I need to make arrangements to do it as long as possible.
Daniel duo inks with Tigers
By J.D. Elliott
Courtesy The Journal
jdelliott@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Despite playing their last four years together, Daniel High School football stars Cade Stewart and Carter Groomes haven’t always been teammates.
While both signed Wednesday to take their talents down the road to Clemson to make it another four years of being teammates, Groomes made special mention of saying that he played his recreation football as a Central Tiger.
Daniel High School senior Cade Stewart signs last Wednesday to play football at Clemson, where he is expected to grayshirt and join the team next January.
Rex Brown/ Courtesy The Journal
“When I played for Central, it’s always been my dream to run down the real Hill (at Clemson’s Memorial Stadium) because we would always run down the small hill before our games,” Groomes said.
Stewart, on the other hand, does not want to be associated with the other recreation football team in the area.
“I’m a Six Mile Lion,” the offensive lineman joked. “We had 13 guys and went undefeated.”
But despite his different beginnings, Stewart also always dreamed of playing his college ball at Clemson.
“Everybody that I played football against in some part of my life wanted to be a Clemson Tiger,” he said. “I get to carry on something that every other kid wanted to do.”
Stewart and Groomes were two of six student-athletes at Daniel High School who signed national letters of intent to further their athletic careers at the collegiate level on National Signing Day.
For head football coach Randy Robinson, it’s nothing new to see his star players continue their future at Clemson.
“It’s pretty awesome to have 10 on the roster of a national championship team,” Robinson said. “It’s nice to send them down there, and our guys have been producing down there and hopefully they keep coming back.”
Stewart, who has been given a grayshirt offer by the Clemson coaching staff, will likely be added to the roster in January 2017, barring attrition to the Tigers’ roster between now and August. He will become the first Daniel offensive lineman to earn a scholarship during Robinson’s tenure.
“He had the right combination,” Robinson said. “He had all the physical tools in the world and bought in to what (offensive line coach Jamie Wilson) was preaching, and we all pushed him to be his best. He responded, and the result was a D-1 offer.”
If he continues to bring the work ethic he displayed throughout his high school career, the sky’s the limit for Stewart, according to Robinson.
“You give him a year in the weight room, and he can be as good as he wants to be,” Robinson said. “He’s got the feet and the arms of a tackle, and he’s going to play probably at center or guard. Pass-protection-wise, he’s going to be better than what they’ve got down there.”
Groomes was one of the most dynamic receivers in Western 3A during the 2015 season. He led the area in both receiving yards (603) and receiving touchdowns (10) on his way to making the all-region team.
As a preferred walk-on, Groomes will join his older brother Christian — a placekicker who also joined the Tigers as a walk-on — on the roster.
“He will be like a lot of kids that walk on,” Robinson said. “He has to go in and get acclimated to the fact that he’s going to start on scout team and get hit. Once his body gets stronger and learns the system, there’s no reason why he can’t earn a scholarship.”
Even though he won’t step foot on Clemson’s campus until the summer, Groomes is already working on improving strength and speed.
“I’m training four days a week working my butt off running at the track, in the weight room and in the gym,” Groomes said.
Stewart, who switched his commitment from Georgia Southern to Clemson earlier in the week, knows his college decision has larger ramifications than just the spotlight of Signing Day.
“It’s a dream come true, a real blessing,” Stewart said. “It’s not just a four-year deal; it’s a 40-year deal, something I’ll remember the rest of my life. It’s an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”
Four Lion seniors sign in Olympic sports
By J.D. Elliott
Courtesy The Journal
jdelliott@upstatetoday.com
CENTRAL — Daniel High School girls’ track and field head coach Cosandar Griffin loves the potential of her star athlete Laurie Barton, who signed with Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Rex Brown/Courtesy The Journal
From left, Daniel High School’s Ben Smith, Kate Hill, Cade Stewart, Denise Arredondo, Laurie Barton and Carter Groomes pose after signing to continue their athletic careers in college last Wednesday.
“The sky’s the limit for her,” Griffin said. “I feel like she will do well at Virginia Tech, which is a great track school.
“I see them winning a championship with her and I see her turning pro and going on to the Olympics.”
It’s certainly high praise for the senior, but Barton’s high school accolades speak for themselves — state championships in the 400-meter and 800-meter dash as a junior, and she may have won more titles if it weren’t for conflicting event times during the championship meet.
Virginia Tech was a perfect fit for Barton.
“I really like the coaches, and the campus is beautiful — it’s great school,” Barton said.
In addition to Barton, five other Daniel athletes signed national letters of intent to further their athletic careers. Denise Arredondo (soccer) and Ben Smith (tennis) signed with nearby Southern Wesleyan, and Kate Hill (golf) inked with Anderson, while football stars Cade Stewart and Carter Groomes signed with Clemson.
While Barton may have signed with the Hokies on Wednesday, her focus is her final season of track at Daniel — which could prove to be pretty special.
“Probably, by the end of this year she will have that state 800-meter record,” Griffin said. “That’s what she wants to break. She works extremely hard at her craft — she’s always working.”
Arredondo felt a comfort level upon stepping foot on Southern Wesleyan’s campus, where her older brother Abraham is a midfielder on the men’s soccer team.
“It’s like a hometown kind of college,” Arredondo said. “They were extremely welcoming to me. I have a lot of people there supporting me, and my brother also goes to school there and I’m looking forward to that.”
The Southern Wesleyan coaching staff likes Arredondo’s versatility.
“They see me as an outfield player and a goalkeeper,” Arredondo said.
Smith will join his fellow Lion at SWU. Unlike most players, he didn’t begin playing tennis until the end of his seventh-grade year. While he has always dreamed of playing a college sport, he wasn’t sure which sport that would be until a fateful conversation with one of his coaches.
“The thing that stood out the most to me is that my coach told me it was a natural fit,” Smith said. “So I thought, ‘why not keep practicing?’”
With his final season with the Lions looming, Smith still has plenty he wants to accomplish on the high school level.
“This year, me and my team are trying to win the state championship, and (then I’ll) get ready for college next year,” Smith said.
Hill recalls the moment she knew she would play golf at Anderson.
“I had a really bad golf tournament one time, and they saw all of it,” Hill said. “I kept my head held high, and recovered well, and they said they still wanted me and knew I was going to be a pivotal player.”
The sense of loyalty from Anderson was felt throughout the recruiting process, and Hill was attracted to the idea of competing for national championships.
“They can go to the national championship in Division II, and I wanted a chance to win,” Hill said. “The team is fantastic and is already like a family to me. The chance to succeed drew me in.”
Three Green Wave taking football talents to next level
EASLEY — Easley High School football’s road to resurgence under head coach John Windham continued last week, as three Green Wave seniors signed to continue their gridiron careers at the collegiate level.
Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Pictured from left with first-year Easley coach John Windham, Green Wave seniors Kavon Addison-Brown, Dalton Black and Ivan Hill all signed last Wednesday to play football in college.
Windham led the Green Wave to a winning 6-5 record in his first season at the helm, including wins over local rivals Pickens, Daniel and Wren. Led by a veteran senior signal-caller in Dalton Black, Easley also closed the year with wins in three of its last four games despite missing out on the playoffs.
Black was joined by versatile lineman Kavon Addison-Brown and do-it-all athlete Ivan Hill in inking national letters of intent to play college football on National Signing Day last Wednesday at the school.
A chance to make an immediate impact at the next level was a key factor in Black’s decision to sign with Limestone College, he said.
“They’re only planning on bringing in three quarterbacks, and they told me I was in the top two,” Black said during a signing-day ceremony. “They said they were going to go with a freshman at the quarterback position.”
Black, who said he gives all thanks to God for the opportunity to play in college, also said the family environment at Limestone made him feel at ease with his choice.
Addison-Brown, meanwhile, looks at his signing with North Dakota State College of Science as just the beginning of his college football career. He is hoping to eventually earn a chance to transfer to a Division I school.
He said his experience at Easley has prepared him well to have a chance to continue to play the game he loves.
“It has matured me as a man,” he said of his time with the Green Wave, adding NDSCS coaches have already told him, “if I put the work into it, I could start as a freshman.”
The 6’4″, 260-pound Addison-Brown said he was originally being recruited as an offensive lineman, but will play defensive end for the Wildcats.
Hill, who played multiple positions during his time at Easley, said his desire to stay in the state and his father’s suggestion to check out historically black colleges and universities combined to make South Carolina State University in Orangeburg the perfect choice for him.
While he thanked his father for keeping him motivated and involved in football, he also credited his Green Wave coaches and teammates for his development.
“All the hard work we put in helped me mature and get ready for the next level,” said Hill, who said his college position is still up in the air, as he’ll play either defensive end, linebacker, tight end or wide receiver for the Bulldogs.
Like his teammates, Hill is prepared to try to make an immediate impact on the collegiate level.
“That’s my plan,” he said. “I would like to play as a freshman. It’s hard work, though, so I’ll have to get in there and train and get better.”
Clark becomes Boggs’ first Flame senior to sign with college
PICKENS — This time 25 years ago, John Boggs was preparing to take his gridiron talents from Pickens High School to the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Kerry Gilstrap/Courier
Pickens’ Ridge Clark, pictured with his stepfather and mother, Kevin and Cynthia Linkenhoker, current Blue Flame coach John Boggs and former coach Chad Seaborn, signed last Wednesday to play football at St. Olaf College.
Now, the former Blue Flame Shrine Bowler is finishing up his first full year at the helm of his alma mater and beaming with pride as his players begin to make the same transition from the high school game to the college game.
Senior lineman Ridge Clark became the first Pickens player to sign a national letter of intent under Boggs’ watch when he inked with St. Olaf College in a National Signing Day ceremony at PHS last Wednesday.
“When you’re in this profession, it’s good to see kids progress and get better and obviously have an opportunity to keep playing at the next level,” Boggs said.
Watching Clark in particular has been enjoyable for Boggs, the coach said.
“He’s a fun kid to be around and a fun kid to work with — he has gotten better every day that I’ve been here,” Boggs said. “I’ve only been here a short time, but seeing the strides he’s made over the last two years have been fun to watch.”
Although Clark said St. Olaf coaches have already told him he’s in line to be a four-year starter at strongside defensive end, the first factor he mentioned when questioned about his reasons for choosing the private Northfield, Minn., school was the educational opportunity he will have.
“Ten percent of their kids do their graduate school at Harvard,” he said.
But Clark is also excited to have his shot to compete at the next level on the field, and he credits his development at Pickens for his readiness to make the transition to college.
“Football’s such a huge thing here, one of the things they said when they wanted me was I was actually college-prepared when it came to playing my position,” he said.
His coach agrees that Clark is ready to take the next step.
“He’s just a strong kid, a hard worker and technically sound,” Boggs said. “He does a really good job getting off the ball and just has one of those motors that goes 100 mph.
“We’re excited for Ridge and his opportunity and look forward to watching him over the next four or five years there.”
Garden Club celebrates 90 years in Pickens
Members of the Pickens Garden Club celebrated the club’s 90th birthday on Feb. 2. Pictured, front row, from left, are Donna Garrett, Cyndi Banks, Ann Bowen, Anne Hall, Pam Jones and Pam Martin. Back row: Ann Day, Katherine Gitto, Helen Ruth Thibodeaux, Cindy Wood, Dyanna Wise, Lucy Ward and Mary Hardin.
By Pamela Dodson
Staff Reporter
pdodson@thepccourier.com
PICKENS — For nearly a century, the Pickens Garden Club has helped beautify Pickens County.
On Feb. 2, the club celebrated its 90th birthday at the Pickens Library with a rose-themed party.
The club maintains the rose garden of the Hagood-Mauldin House and over the years has sponsored fundraising events for the Village Library, Cannon Memorial Hospital and the Hagood-Mauldin House and Museum. The club also sponsors a youth’s attendance at Camp Wildwood, Holly Springs Elementary School’s Youth Garden Club and participates in the Pickens Azalea Festival, with a plant and bake sale.
In 1926, a group of eight ladies met in Miss Elinor Knight’s music room under the bell tower of Pickens High School to organize a Pickens Garden Club. Knight served as president for 20 years, until her death in 1946. Under her supervision, the garden club did much work, beautifying not only the town, but also the highway into Pickens.
Sixteen years later, the club was divided into two groups, and Pickens has had two active clubs since that time — the Better Homes and Garden Club and the Pickens Garden Club. The Pickens Garden Club was federated in 1951. It actually existed before there was a state garden club.
Throughout the years, magnolia trees have been planted to commemorate the birth of a child to a club member. In memory of deceased members, a book is presented to the local library on either birds or horticulture. On Arbor Day, the club plants trees at a local school or community building in Pickens County.
During the celebration, 13 of the club’s 19 current members enjoyed a program on roses and watched a special PowerPoint presentation about the history of the club. Each lady was presented a long-stemmed red rose during the event.
For more information on becoming a member of the Pickens Garden Club, visit the club’s booth at the Pickens Azalea Festival in April.
Clemson Downs donates to Tri-County Foundation
Clemson Downs recently made a $1,000 donation to Tri-County Technical College’s Foundation to establish a scholarship for an associate degree nursing student in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties. Dr. John LeHeup, executive director of Clemson Downs, fourth from left, presented Tri-County Technical College President Ronnie L. Booth, third from left, with the check. Also pictured are, from left, Debbie Nelms, fiscal analyst for Tri-County’s Foundation; Barbara Huss, administrator at Clemson Downs; Grayson Kelly, executive director of Tri-County’s Foundation; Dr. Lynn Lewis, dean of Tri-County’s Health Education Division; and Courtney White, director of development at the college.
Sheriff to speak at taxpayers meeting Feb. 23
PICKENS — Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark will be the speaker at the Pickens County Taxpayers Association meeting on Feb. 23 at the Rural Water District Building on U.S. Highway 178 between Pickens and Liberty
