SlapShot column published in the Feb. 19 Woodford Sun
Some arenas and stadiums fill visiting teams with dread at the very thought of playing there.
Cameron Indoor Arena at Duke University. The Swamp at the University of Florida. Shelby County High school’s gym.
These venues are loud. They are intimidating. And opponents pretty well expect to walk out with an “L.”
For a couple of hours on Friday, Feb. 13, the Hive became such a place. A rowdy student section led a vocal partisan crowd in cheering the Woodford County High School boys’ basketball team to a thrilling four overtime victory over Campbellsville High School on senior night. When the final buzzer sounded with the Jackets clinging to a 75-72 advantage, fans rushed the floor in jubilation.
I have to admit, I was surprised.
Despite the cool name, the Hive hasn’t exactly filled me with awe this season. For most of the year, the crowds have remained pretty tame, if not sparse.
When I traveled to Shelby County back in January to watch the Jackets take on the Rockets, I was amazed at the spirit of the Shelby crowd. The student section all wore white. They yelled, cajoled and cheered the entire game. It was loud to the point of obnoxious. And it had an impact on the contest. Woodford players made mistakes. Refs made bad calls. It was the quintessential home court advantage.
As I drove home after that game, I found myself wondering – why not at Woodford?
The demographics are similar. Shelby and Woodford Counties are both one high school counties. They are both situated similarly close to large cities. So why does Shelby boast an intimidating home court advantage, while Woodford does not?
If nothing else, we’ve learned it doesn’t have to be that way.
On Friday the 13th, Woodford fans tapped into a reservoir of spirit that I wasn’t sure existed.
And it sure was fun.
It really caught my attention when after a Campbellsville foul, the entire student section erupted into a “You can’t do that!” chant. I just had to smile. The monster was awake.
It made a difference too.
“That was our advantage,” coach Brad Mefford said. “I can’t remember when we had a crowd give us an advantage.”
The Yellow Jackets were coming off a tough loss the night before. Going into overtime, they had to feel the fatigue. But the crowd was there to give them that extra boost.
“Adrenaline wise that gets you over the hump,” Mefford said of the cheering crowd.
I hope the Woodford faithful learned something from that game. Like I said, it was fun. I’m sure nobody left the gym thinking, “I sure wish I did something else tonight.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 25, the Yellow Jackets will play in the first round of the District 41 Tournament in Frankfort. Both the boys and girls play that night, facing Western Hills. It would be awful nice if Woodford fans filled up the Civic Center and turn it into a home court advantage for the Jackets.
It’s a matter of civic pride. It brings a community together. And it’s a heck of a good time.
So come out and support the YOUR Jackets.
Quick Shots
Wow! That was disappointing. For an entire week, I was looking forward to the Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth only led one lap, but thanks to the rain, he came away with the trophy. That was after a wreck wiped out several of the frontrunners. Wrecks are part of racing and nobody can control the weather, but there is just something terribly anticlimactic about a race ending with all of the cars parked along pit row. No drama. No excitement. No good.
But I have to give it to Fox and NASCAR. They put together one heck of a pre-race show. After the snoozfest leading up to the Super Bowl, I wasn’t even planning on watching the pre-race coverage. But I was already parked on my couch, so I figured – what the heck? I was treated to insightful analysis, great interviews and a pretty good show by Keith Urban. (Take some notes Bruce.) The best part was the little animated clip featuring Digger, the gopher associated with the “Gophercam,” Fox’s track level camera. I have to admit, I don’t get modern cartoons, but the Digger clip reminded me of the old Looney Tunes features I watched as a kid. Good stuff.
I really miss going to hockey games. When I lived in St. Petersburg, I generally made 10 to 15 Lightning games every year. In my mind there’s nothing that beats the excitement of an NHL game up close and in person. My wife, step-daughter and I made the trip to Nashville this week to see the Predators take on the Ottawa Senators. It was as much fun as I remembered. It also reinforced a theory. I’ve long said that any sports fan who attends an NHL game will fall in love with the sport. My wife was no exception. It was fun watching her get into the game, yelling, screaming and acting like a die-hard fan. If you love sports, make it a point to catch an NHL game if you get the opportunity.
Quote of the Week
"We've been here for more than 20 years trying to do this thing, and I've been so conditioned to being frustrated through it, that I was almost not believing it happened I'll be black and blue for the next couple of days just pinching myself to make sure I'm not dreaming."
-Jack Roush, owner of the number 17 car driven by Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth.
Puck to the head
This week’s puck to the head flies at Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Jeff Reed for throwing a temper tantrum at a Sheetz Convenience store in New Alexandria, Pa. According to police reports, Reed broke a towel dispenser and used profane language toward an employee, and then carried his little fit outside the store. And what brought about this little tirade? The restroom didn’t have any towels. Is it really too much to ask for an adult not to behave like a 3-year-old?
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