It’s time ⏲️ for the 3am coverage of the Cross Country meet yesterday, and we start with a well-done graphic design !

The site was the course over in Grayson County, and Head Coach Shawn Montgomery loaded up the bus 🚌 with a total of 18 runners 🏃‍♂️spread across our four squads.

Seven Middle School Boys, four Middle School Girls, six Varsity Boys, and one Varsity Girl dawned our school colors on the same day as the Homecoming festivities were being held back on The Hill.

This story has to be about dedication in regard to both the sport and the program itself. Independence is pretty enough this time of year, but wouldn’t it have been more fun to just stay at home and enjoy one of the more fun events of the school year ?

Dedicated for sure !

Eight schools 🏫 sent runners to the event, and Carroll County had enough competitors in a category to compete as a team in two of the four categories. A team needs to have five to fit into this column.

Boys 👦 Varsity had three of the eight schools end up in the final standings.

George Wythe – 34

Galax – 37

Carroll County – 62

Here are the individual details for our six runners !

The Middle School Boys also placed third amongst the six teams that brought a minimum of five.

Auburn – 43

Fort Chiswell – 72

Carroll County – 79

Grayson County – 88

Galax – 98

Bland – 114

Now that you know all of the facts, the question is, where does the story take us ?

We can start with the efforts of Amelia Forsyth, our lone runner in the Varsity Girls category. Last time out, all three of our Lady Cavaliers were either sick or injured, and with just three on the team, they will not be eligible to compete as a team this season.

Yet, this young Lady still showed up and landed in the Top 20 !

Option two for the story would be the efforts of young Sylas Nissel !

This young man finished his day in fourth place overall and helped his team to a third place finish, just seven points behind the Silver Medal 🥈 spot. Cole Bowers and Colton Marshall joined Nissel in the Top 20.

Maybe the lead would be that our Avery Jones led the boys’ charge and just missed a Top Ten finish.

Maybe the story is about these four young Ladies who also fall just shy of posting a team score. They are our future in a sport that barely makes a ripple in the water.

Yes, 18 current and future Carroll County High School cross country runners spent their Wednesday afternoon running through a field 30 miles from The Hill. I am not sure exactly how many actually care that this took place, but I know that Shawn Montgomery cares, and that is enough reason for me.

The road less traveled can sometimes be a lonely journey, but it’s still the right path !

Full Circle 🔵 back – Graphics are Awesome….

How to throw a Party 🥳 without breaking the Bank 🏦 in 10 easy steps !!! Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!!!

Step #1 – Make sure that your partner in the process is as committed to the cause as you are ! This photo 📸 came from Donna Nester last night 🌙 after her and Coach was preparing Cavalier Park for our Big Day !

Check ✔️ in that Box 📦!!!

Step #2 – Make sure that everyone who might have an interest in attending your gathering feels welcome to come and join the fun ! Invite, Invite, Invite.

Step #3 – If you are planning your day on the Sabbath, absolutely 💯% avoid any interference with people attending  Church ⛪️. Yes, I will be down there well before noon, but we won’t officially start anything until after church.

Step #4 – Find a balance between your showcase and others who might want to be involved with the day ! Time ⏲️ is a precious commodity for everyone, but some folks will cross the Boulevard. Can we use our platform to benefit others in Cavalier Nation ?

Step #5 – Framing the National Anthem ! Thankfully, our anthem means as much to me as it does to anyone who has served our country in uniform. You always have the fallback option of just playing ▶️ the song 🎵 over the speakers, but having it performed live is always the best !!!

Step #6 – Minimize the cost for anyone who wants to stop by and take in the sites and sounds ! Parking is free, and admission is free ➕️ we will offer reasonably affordable food in the Concession stand with the proceeds going to a local cause.

Step #7 – Have a wing 🪽 Man 👨 !!!

Check ✔️✅️!!!

Getting to hang out with Mr. Kevin Burress is simply an honor 🎖, to the point where I would do this one for free. Insert laughter 😃 here because everything is done for free in my world 🌎.

Step #8 – The softball game will take care of itself with some commentary and music 🎶 mixed in. The search is to find other ways to bring joy to the occasion but never at the expense of others.

Step #9 – Control everything you can control and leave the rest up to GOD. The weather here is always a wildcard that we have no control over, so you say a prayer 🙏 for that and plan out everything else that you can control.

Mother 👩 Nature

Finally, Step #10 – Have you head and your heart ❤️ in the right place ! They say that if you enjoy what you do, you will never work a day in your life.

Consider yourself invited to the South side of the Boulevard on Sunday afternoon !

RSPV is not required….

Just like folks waiting in line at their favorite place for a jolt at 2 pm, here’s our rather delayed Morning 🌄 Brew…

There was fog 🌁 is two places today, here in Laurel Fork and inside my Brain 🧠.
The view on a normal morning 🌄
Howard Mayo and his Motovational Nugget for the Day :
Travis Osborne and his Bible Verse of the Day :

Matthew 22:37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Once the cobwebs cleared, there were terrific conversations about life that took place with a number of people whom I respect . But now it’s 12:05 pm and we have an afternoon pick me up !

Have a Blessed Day 🙌😇🙏

What is wrong with this picture 📸 ??? Kara Lawson and her recent trek to Germany 🇩🇪 produced six straight wins 🏆and a fifth straight Championship for the United States 🇺🇸 but yet….

Sure, part of why I admire Kara Lawson is because she happens to be our coach at Duke University, and we have season tickets 🎟 to their games. Side note 📝, a person can purchase two season tickets to those games for roughly the same amount of money 💰 that it costs to get 1 ticket for a Men’s game in Cameron Indoor Stadium. But that’s a different kind of story.

Not only did the Ladies version of Coach K get the job done in Berlin, but she did so with one hand tied behind her back.

Aja Wilson is the best player on the planet right now, and she wasn’t able to accompany the team due to wear and tear.

Then you need to add that my personal favorite female hoopster of All-Time, Kelsey Plum, also had to be replaced on the roster due to trying to play through a calf injury. See, Plum respects the game so much that she came back too soon for Phoenix after being traded there despite the fact that the team had been eliminated from the post-season already.

Plum was leading the WNBA in scoring in June while still with the Los Angeles Sparks. Who took the top spot when Plum went down ? Yeah, Miss Wilson !

Coach took her team, make that our team, and represented our country with style and grace. But that didn’t prevent folks from unloading on her every step of the way.

My question is, why ???? The answer is that coverage like this comes from people who want to look smart and make a name for themselves at the expense of others. It is sad, just sad 😔.

This is one of many reasons why I don’t attach my name to ANYTHING that I create. I am not looking to get rich or be what they call an ” influencer.” Just out here pedaling the thought of kindness and equality.

While this photo 📸 has zip to do with this story or my affection for Women’s Basketball, it still makes me smile 😃

Thank you, Kara, and get better soon to the dynamic duo that had to stay here in the States.

The remaining question is if Kara Lawson is my favorite Women’s Basketball coach, who else makes that list ???

Kris Richardson edges out that guy from UConn, and being that, he will send me his Motovational Nugget for the Day shortly, Howard Mayo sneaks in at #4, just ahead of Pierre Curtis down at Furman University.

Vickey Ritchie is in an entirely different category because she coaches both men and women !

Our MVP !

Earlier today, our very own Kayla Nester made it RAIN money 💰 !!!

Any day that we hear from Mrs Kayla Nester is a good day ! But today was a different message about the Middle School 🏫 Volleyball team.

Floyd County, Radford, and Patrick County are all somewhat neighboring Three Rivers District schools 🏫. Each one has yet to visit The Hill, and when they do, they will be bringing their middle school teams with them !

There’s a line in the Jimmy Buffett song 🎵, written by Mac called ” It’s My Job ” that goes like this – ” In my contract there’s a clause “…

   See, by adding three more games to announce, it kicks in an additional $2.7 million dollars 💸💵💲!!!

Yeah, no, not really, but it does create three more opportunities to build a frame around a group of future Cavalier Volleyball players and coaches !

So, instead of arriving at 5:30 for the start of the Junior Varsity match, we will get started at 4:30 with the MS match with the Lady Buffaloes 🐃 to be !!!

Don’t forget that Thursday night is Siblings Night !!!