Sports

Madison County Prosecutor Broderick Presents Women’s Self Defense Class

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:53:31 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - October is the month for Domestic Violence Awareness, and on Tuesday, October 28, Thomas Broderick, Jr., Prosecutor of Madison County, sponsored a free women’s self-defense class, for the residents of Madison County to help promote awareness about domestic violence and to provide practical information to assist in crime prevention.

The class had over 80 participants in varying age ranges. One participant was over 80 years of age and 10 participants were over 70 years of age. Several mothers brought their daughters with the youngest participant being 11 years of age.

Broderick stated, “This program promotes awareness about domestic violence and other programs that are available to the community as well as the proper procedures for handling such situations as it pertains to the law.”

The goals of this class were to raise safety awareness and provide participants with various self-defense techniques such as escapes along with strikes and kicks. These techniques were basic and low-impact; however, these tools will be useful for nearly every situation in which a woman could be attacked or threatened with violence.

Participants were also given information about crime prevention programs and the Prosecutor’s Victim Assistance Program and other community programs that provide assistance to those who may have been the subject of abuse.

Prosecutor Broderick who has hosted previous self-defense programs, will be offering additional programs after the first of the year. Broderick stated programs will be provided in both Elwood and Pendleton next year.

Source: Madison County Prosecutor's Office

Anderson Speedway: Night of Thrills

Palehorse — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 23:53:13 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - Anderson Speedway delivered on it's self entitled "Night of Thrills" Saturday night, with a pulse raising set of events that left many folks on the edge of their shakey wooden bleacher seating for a large course of the evening.

Events like the Outlaw figure 8's, corkscrew, and school bus figure 8's for both men and women, served to thrill the packed house.

Then we had the trailer figure 8 that was nothing short of dramatic; trucks and cars pulling trailers in a figure 8 with the object being to knock the trailer from the vehicle. The resulting chaos was enthralling and a real crowd pleaser! This event was followed by the rollover; vehicles were intentionally driven onto a ramp designed to roll the vehicle over, with points assigned for the number of rolls. Three attempts each.

The evening's events culminated with the demolition derby; a massive field of carnage not unlike navigating the Dan Ryan expressway in Chicago!

Here are a couple of pics. I apologize for the poor quality, but the venue's lighting negatively impacted my equipment. Combined with the low shutter settings necessary to get these pictures, the shaking bleachers served to mess things up a bit:

A Tale of Female Courage

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:49:35 -0700

By "Captain Jack Sparrow"

Turning back the clock to set up this report. I arrived at the ramp around 3:45 a.m. As I pulled in,,, I can see one old pick up truck with a empty boat trailer. "Good only one other person fishing, I have almost the whole lake to myself"

I back my boat into the water, unhook the boat ,tie it up, park the truck. As quick as you can blink your eye. I'm in the boat and slowly moving to my first fishing spot. I'm surrounded by total darkness, I can see thousands of stars, and the night lights of the homes miles away. "Thank you God for this day"

I've been on the lake for one hour & caught two nice fish back to back. I can hear frogs, crickets, and fish jumping out of the water. The sky is just starting to get that little orange look before the sun comes up. You could hear a pin drop. Total peace and tranquility

I'm in my own little world when I start to hear a BOOM BOX playing "Eye of the Tiger" Then I hear something that sounds like a construction pile driver. Boom,,,, Boom,,,,, Boom,,,,.

I felt sorry for the people who live on the lake. " Teenage Kids" making this much noise, when people are trying to sleep in on a Saturday morning. I'm still fishing,,,, but with some anger towards all the noise across the lake. Now I start to hear people yelling like they do at a T-ball baseball game. "You keep it up",,, "Dont stop" "Your all winners",,, "We love you".

As the dawn light got better, I could see the neighbors who lived along the lake were cheering as a long boat shot past their property. The shore line was full of people all along the lake.This boat was so long,, It held 22 people with oars paddling with all the energy they had. They were going so fast by the time I got my camera out they were almost out of range.

The BOOM,, BOOM,, BOOM,, I was hearing was a large drum on the boat. One lady beat the drum to keep rhythm with the ladies. Perfect timing. Not was I impressed the first time by watching them shoot past me,,, I was amazed every time streaked past me, they were on the lake most the morning. Never missing a beat.

This is what I learned when I got off the water around 4:00 p.m.

Each of these ladies are cancer survivors, the boat is called a Dragon Boat. Geist is their home lake. They practice on the lake with the support of everyone living on the lake.

The Dragon Boat is taken around other Indiana lakes to race other DragonBoats. I was knocked over with the positive attitude each of these ladies had. I had a chance to speak to several when I took the pictures of the boat.

They have a website,,, or google "Indy Surviveoars" to read about the boat, how they got it, and why they do what they do.

As a old Marine and firefighter,,, I thought I had courage when push came to shove,,, I can't even come close to the courage, that I saw in the faces of these ladies.

Captain Jack Sparrow

Run 4 Jesus Coming to Anderson

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:05:54 -0700

By Kate Habegger

College students spend countless hours doing homework and studying for exams to make their dreams come true someday but for one 21-year-old, her dream is becoming a reality this upcoming month.

Erica Tausch, a senior at Anderson University, will put on a 5K run/walk race called "Run 4 Jesus" where a hundred percent of the proceeds will go to the street children of West Africa to build educational institutions and community living beginning at Athletic Park at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 18.

The idea of the race started when Tausch traveled to Africa the summer of her high school senior year and was exposed to the impoverished conditions of the children.

"By meeting those people, I experienced a real situation where people are literally starving. Even though we see these situations on television, it's another thing to see it in person and this is where I saw where a change was necessary. You can't go to a country like Africa and leave unchanged, " Tausch said.

This experience challenged Tausch to think of a way to give back to those children but she also wanted to involve the community of Anderson to educate them about third world living conditions.

"People have been living next door to each other for years and don't know anything about one another. Through this race, people can work together to achieve a similar goal. Having a chance to meet your neighbors as well as change a child's life is a worthwhile event," Tausch said.

Getting the community involved isn't only important to Tausch but also from her mentor, Assistant Professor of Accounting and Business Mark Motluck.

"We, as Christians, have a responsibility to support those in need. We are our brothers keeper. I cannot think of a group that could use our help more than African orphans. Without our support and involvement, they have virtually no chance to survive," Motluck said.

The race will also give Anderson locals a chance to give back globally and to serve as a community to another.

"People are always saying they want to be involved but never know how or when to start. The time is now, and how you can make a difference is by participating in this race. A community can make a difference and this can happen by one person stepping up and being an agent of change," Tausch said.

Not only is participating in the race important but being educated on the issue is key.

"The race allows the community to come together for a great cause. It also allows us to educate the community, and especially the children of our community to the plight of the children of Africa. Perhaps it will ignite the spark in others to take on the cause of the needy children," Motluck said.

Registration for "Run 4 Jesus" is at 8 a.m. at Athletic Park off of 8th Street in downtown Anderson. For more information on this event and registration, go torun4jesus.net.

Local BMX Team Owner To Retire

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:13:29 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - Wallace BMX Team Owner Steve Wallace will retire after his team members Jake Evans, Kalis Poskie and Sonny Poskie pick up their championship awards this Saturday September 27, for the 2008 outdoor season.

Wallace who has owned his own team since 2003 said his retirement was due to his physical condition with 'Dystonia,' a rare nerve disorder.

During his time as team owner his team has won local, regional, state, national and world championships. His Team Members have been in numerous BMX magazines and newspapers over the years for all their accomplishments in racing.

"I love racing and helping kids succeed in a sport I used to do in the early 80's," Wallace said in a press release. "This has been a very hard decision for me to make but a good one for me right now. BMX is a fun family sport that I hope everybody will try someday. It helped keep me out of trouble when I was younger. I will miss running my own team"

Source: Press Release

Former BMX Racer To Celebrate 25 Years

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:16:34 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - Steve Wallace who used to race BMX from 1983-88 but had to retire in early 88 due to a disabling nerve disorder will celebrate 25 years in the BMX Industry. He raced his firstBMX race Sept. 13, 1983.He spent 5 years as a racer, then a promoter from 88 to present and started up his own team in 2003 to the present.

During his racing career he won more than 100 races, Indiana State Titles, Ranked 9th in the Nation then turned pro just before he retired in 88. He still stays involved in the sport he loves by promoting it to anyone who will listen.

He has been in numerous BMX magazines and newspapers over the years for all his accomlishments in racing and promoting. His team has been very successful as well by winning many local races, titles, and National titles.

"I love racing and promoting BMX Wallace said, It is a fun family sport that everybody can do, if you can ride a bike their is a class for you."

Source: Press Release

Mary Beth Dunnichay Has Breakfast with Mitch Daniels

kpaul.mallasch — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:35:05 -0700

ELWOOD, IN - Mary Beth Dunnichay, who took 5th place in synchronized diving at the 2008 Olympics, spent some time talking about her diving with Governor Mitch Daniels at the Lincoln Square Restaurant in Elwood on Saturday, August 30th, 2008.

Also in attendance at the breakfast were Mary Beth's parents and Elwood Mayor Merrill Taylor.

See photos at ElwoodIndiana.org.

Chinese Hot Dogs

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:03:40 -0700

By Tom Purcell

If you're headed to Beijing for the Summer Olympics, I've got bad news: no dog meat for you.

According to The New York Times, the Beijing Catering Trade Association has ordered 112 designated Olympic restaurants to take dog off the menu.

As it goes, dogs have been raised for grub in China for thousands of years. The communists running the joint are afraid their gastronomic preferences might offend foreigners.

Boy, they got that right. Nothing is more offensive to Americans than the thought of having man's best friend for supper. (Medium-rare roverhouse? Buffalo paws?)

Which got me to thinking about the cleverness of our friends in China. They're pulling out all the stops to portray China in the best possible light.

Sure, they're among the biggest polluters in the world -- no environmental regulations are slowing down their economic growth -- so they're firing anti-smog pellets into the air.

Sure, they're among the most repressive nations in the world -- they monitor and censure citizens and a fellow will end up in the clink if he dares criticize his government -- but Internet access appears to be widely available in the hotels where foreigners are staying.

Sure, they've modernized Beijing with upscale shops and Starbucks, but then we learn the cabs are equipped with hidden microphones so Big Brother can listen in on the conversations of visitors.

The party leaders are stumbling a little as they try to mask the ugliness of communism -- the torture, the jailing of dissidents and religious leaders, the lack of basic rights that Americans take entirely for granted -- but by and large they'll probably pull it off.

They'll pull it off because many Americans will let them. Rather than see communism as an evil ideology -- one that has exterminated more than 100 million people -- some Americans feel we have no right to criticize it.

Some Americans believe communism is just another form of government. Who are we to impose our ideas on other cultures that may see things differently?

What's worse: Some Americans think America is the real evildoer in the world.

Some are so forgetful of where our freedom came from -- or that freedom is the engine that unleashed the economic miracles that produced the most productive, prosperous nation in the history of mankind -- that they think socialism or communism are just as good and maybe even better.

I think the fellows running China are on to all of this -- they know we've gone soft.

These fellows are hungry -- they have a fire in the belly that is driving them to regain their greatness. Whereas their history dates back 5,000 years, they view America as a temporary upstart.

They know how hard it is to attain wealth and power. And while they are clawing their way upward -- they aren't troubled by global warming or disturbing the habitat of the double-billed blue duck -- they know many Americans have no idea how hard wealth and power are to keep.

Consider: Some 70 percent of our energy comes from foreign sources -- a great vulnerability. Despite the fact that oil prices are wreaking havoc on our economy -- or that a major disruption to the world's oil supply could cripple us -- many in Congress STILL want to restrict drilling.

They want us to properly inflate our tires and conserve. And I think the fellows running China are onto this. I think they know us better than we know them.

They know Americans will be far more troubled that the Chinese are eating dog than we will be about the really nasty stuff they are up to or the troubling fact that their economy is growing a lot faster than ours.

While the world hopes that China's growth leads to a free, open, modern society, I'm guessing communist party leaders have a different notion.

I'll bet they're dreaming of the day that fortunes reverse entirely -- the day when waiters around the world say, "You want fries with your Labrador burger?"

©2008 Tom Purcell. Tom is a humor columnist nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons. Visit Tom on the web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.

[AD] Warrior's Heart Summer Day Camp

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:50:05 -0700

Make your child a Summer Warrior!

Much more than day care

Choosing an activity for your children this summer just got a LOT easier. Instead of wasting the summer on video games and television, your child will reach new heights of fitness, focus, self discipline and respect. How can a "karate" class do all of this? Read further for more information. (If you have already heard enough and want to head straight to the Registration Page, just click HERE.)

How we work

We start by teaching new students about respect. They learn to respect the school (facility, teachers and staff), each other, their parents, and most importantly, themselves. That's lesson number one. Lesson number two is that respect means nothing unless they SHOW it. In martial arts we do that by honoring (or bowing - the meaning is something between a salute and a hand shake). At home they show respect by addressing parents as Sir or Ma'am. Now, we're not in the military here, but we think that parents are special enough people that they deserve to be shown respect, and this is how it starts.

Put Self-Confidence And Concentration At The Top Of Your Back-To-School List

It’s no secret that the school system today is lacking in important areas of education and is more dangerous than ever. That’s why millions of parents are adding martial arts to their children’s education. We specialize in helping children uncover their true potential and develop their self-confidence in the face of mounting peer pressure.

Carleton University, in a study reported in Psychology Today found that children in martial arts have:

a higher sense of self-esteem,

a higher level of social intelligence,

lower level of anxiety,

an increased sense of responsibility,

a decrease in the willingness to take foolish risks,

and were less likely to be radical.

Parents report their children in our school experience these five important benefits:

1. Our reward system improves children's self-esteem

Martial arts are not like team sports because the emphasis is on developing the individual's self-esteem not the team’s winning record. The belt system is the key. When kids earn their belts it gives them a great sense of accomplishment that really improves the way they feel about themselves.

2. Our program teaches children discipline

On of the things parents appreciate most about our classes is the improvement in their child’s self-discipline. We have a wonderful staff of patient instructors who love to work with children, but are also very clear about limits. We enforce good rules of behavior in class, and we expect the same good behavior at home and in school.

3. Our activities channel children's aggression

Many doctors actually prescribed schools like ours for treatment because of the positive outlet it gives the kids for all their energy.

4. Our confidence classes enhance children's self-esteem

We believe confidence is one of the most important things we can give kids. That’s why every class we teach has confidence-building drills included.

5. Our program teaches children essential self-defense skills

We teach practical, proven self-defense methods. We also teach the kids that the moves they learn in class will work, so they don’t go home and try them on their sister, the neighbor, or the dog.

If you’d like your children’s summer education to include self-confidence, self-control, focus and concentration, then click here now.

Get Started!

By the end of the summer, your child will be a yellow belt! She will be well on her path to black belt and making good choices that will follow her for her whole life. He will be starting to understand the concepts of self-defense that we teach, and will begin to apply those concepts in his daily life. The bottom line is that we give our students a standard of behavior to follow, and then make it very easy for them to do that. If you want to know more, feel free to write at Info@WarriorsHeartMA.com.

Our Martial Art Summer Day Camp runs the entire summer vacation. You have the option of joining and paying week to week, or paying for the entire summer at a discount. We are limiting enrollments, so be sure to get your reservations in now! To cover the initial investment of a uniform and t-shirt there is a $125 registration fee per new student.

Here are the payment plans:

	Normal Cost	Sign-up Special! Register by 4-30-2008 to Save! (Before 4/31/2008)
Week to Week	$125 per week	$112.50 per week (Save $137)
Week to Week Additional Siblings	$100 per week	$90 per week (Save $110)

Entire summer (11 weeks) Paid in full	$1100 (Save $275)	$990 (Save $385)
Entire Summer Paid in Full Additional Siblings	$880 (Save $220)	$792 (Save $308)

To reserve your child's spot in this exclusive and forward thinking Summer Day Camp right here in Muncie, please click HERE!

Wallace BMX Day A Huge Success

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:23:36 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - BMX racers took to the track for free practice and free rider clinics for new racers and local bike shops made repairs to bikes for the spring/summer season.

Several tracks in Indiana,Florida,Texas and Washington State celebrated with fun activities for the whole family. They signed up new racers who took the free practice time and free racing in celebration of Wallace BMX Day.

The day was founded by former BMX racer Steve Wallace of Anderson, IN who raced in the early 80's but had to retire due to a nerve disorder called 'Dystonia' which affects his muscles and speech.

This weekend crossroads indoor BMX Track in Indianapolis,IN will be having the Indiana State Championship Series on March 30. Check out their site at www.crossroadsindoorbmx.com.

To find a track near you contact the the two sanctioning bodies at www.nbl.org or www.ababmx.com.

Source: Submitted

Wallace BMX Day March 26

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:10:45 -0700

EAST CENTRAL INDIANA - Steve Wallace of Anderson,Indiana used to race BMX in the early 80's but had to retire due to a nerve disorder called 'Dystonia' which affects his muscles and speech. Wallace raced at NBL and ABA tracks. Wallace is still involved in BMX by promoting the sport anyway he can.

March 26 is Wallace BMX Day. It's a day to get involved with your local track, get your bike ready for spring or racing, take your bike to your local bike shop for a tune up, or simply go for a bike ride with your family. BMX has always been a family sport and a non-profit organization.

Indiana Tracks that are supporting this day is Freedom Park BMX in Lowell,Indiana for more info about the track www.freedombmx.net Rose City BMX in Richmond,IN more about the track at www.rosecitybmx.org

To find a track near you contact the two BMX sanctioning bodies at www.nbl.org or www.ababmx.com

Source: Press Release

Alternatives Inc. Recruiting Walkers for 5K

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 5 Mar 2008 09:59:28 -0800

Alternatives Incorporated. is recruiting walk teams to support Homeward Bound 2008. On Sunday, April 27th, Homeward Bound-East Central Indiana will join seven other regions of the state to form Indiana's largest annual grassroots fundraiser for homelessness. The event is a 5-Kilometer fundraising walk that will start and end at Millcreek Civic Center in Chesterfield. Preceding the walk will be entertainment, food & other fun activitites that will celebrate the achievements of the hundreds of businesses & individuals that participate in this significant event.

Alternatives Inc. is inviting you to organize a team & join the competition! 100% of the funds you and your team raise will directly support the agency's programs. This is a great way to let the community know that your group is a vital part in the fight against homelessness in the region. The walk is also the perfect opportunity to participate in a fun, positive, family-friendly, team-building event.

Information is available at www.homewardboundindiana.org or by calling Christy Baysinger at 765-643-0218 or email cbaysinger@alternativesdv.org.

SI Gets Semi-Naked

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 01:18:47 -0800

By Tom Purcell

You've got to give the Sports Illustrated people points for being honest.

It's February, you see. In many parts of the country, it's bitter cold. The Super Bowl is over and baseball is yet to begin. We men don't know what to do with ourselves.

Our minds unoccupied, we lack direction. We dwell randomly on negative things -- our post-holiday flabbiness, old girlfriends who didn't work out and, for some, girlfriends who did.

But one thing -- the smile of a beautiful, scantily clad woman -- can make us forget our woes. SI has been helping us forget since it published its first swimsuit issue 44 years ago.

But this year it hit the mother lode.

The cover features Marisa Miller, a 29-year-old stunner who cut her teeth modeling for Victoria's Secret. As her curviness spills off the page, she gazes at us with angelic calm. She makes us feel like everything is going to be all right.

And maybe it is going to be all right.

Surely you know the origin of the swimsuit issue. The editors came up with the idea to boost magazine sales during the dead of winter.

It's been driving feminists batty from the start. They say it exploits women, and it does. They say it is wrong for men to view women as mere objects, and it is. But what angers them most is that the cover models often go on to fame and fortune just because they are gorgeous.

Then they marry a multimillionaire, eventually divorce him, and live happily ever after on a considerable pile of dough.

The evolution of the swimsuit issue is also worth noting. The early issues were simple and mild. But in the late 1970s -- thank you, Cheryl Tiegs -- things really started heating up. The swimsuits got scantier and the models more beautiful.

That trend continued until the late 1990s, when something went terribly wrong. The 1998 issue, for instance, featured bony women with frowns on their faces. It had more feature stories than photos -- such as interviews with beautiful female meteorologists who were covered up with more clothing than a winter mannequin at Macy's.

But in the past few years, Sports Illustrated has been getting back to the basics. This year's issue can be summed up in two words: yow-sa!

It features 19 of the world's most glamorous supermodels pictured, says the press release, "in visually dynamic photo spreads, all set in unique and exotic locations from around the world."

It features many body-painting photos -- the fine art of painting swimsuits right onto the models' skin. I tried getting a job like that once, but couldn't afford the $1000 a week they wanted me to pay.

There is a feature on Russian-born beauties for the simple reason that no magazine ever in the history of mankind ever went wrong featuring Russian-born beauties in scanty duds.

The Sports Illustrated people spent 10 days with supermodel Bar Refaeli in her native Israel. She's stunning and not wearing very much. I'm sure that feature will endear us even more with our pals in Iran.

Another feature depicts NFL cheerleaders wearing even less than we usually see them not wearing.

And let's not forget race-car driver Danica Patrick. NASCAR fans will sum up her dark-eyed beauty in three words: yow-ow-sa!

In any event, you got to hand it to Sports Illustrated for being honest -- for getting back to the basics.

In an odd way, in a nutty culture like ours, the swimsuit issue is a good sign. SI is admitting that the swimsuit issue is a disgustingly honest cultural icon -- that its purpose is to objectify women because boorish men will pay good money to ogle them.

They're admitting that gorgeous women have always exploited beauty for bucks -- that they've always used it to part men from their dough. And rest assured: if the swimsuit issue is about anything, it's about generating dough.

In these confusing times, in which we pretend men and women are the same, there's something refreshingly primitive about that.

Still, things are confusing. Did you know more women buy the annual swimsuit issue than men? Must be the Will Ferrell photos.

Tom Purcell is a humor columnist nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons. For comments to Tom, please email him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.

International Bowhunting Competition Needs Volunteers

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:00:31 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - August 1-5, the city of Anderson will host The International Bowhunting Organization’s World Championships. Several thousand bowhunting competitors, plus their families – up to 15,000 visitors from 38 countries – are expected in Anderson for the competition.

The organizing committee needs up to 100 volunteers to dispense information, help to set up competition venues and other tasks. Volunteers are needed, beginning July 23 and/or during the event.

Contacts are:

Mindy Girt, 606-1429 (mindy@girtsarchery.com);
Tony Girt, 635-1432 (tony@girtsarchery.com) or
Sheryl Myers, 648-6850 (smyers@cityofanderson.com).

Source: City of Anderson

Athletic Park Pool Open Saturday; South Side Pool, Monday

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 1 Jun 2007 13:12:29 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - Anderson residents will have their choice of city pools this summer. Athletic Park Pool will open Saturday, June 2 and the pool at the Southside Sports Complex will open on Monday, June 4. Hours for both pools will be Noon to 7 p.m. daily.

Athletic Park Pool is located at East 8th and Wilcon Street, in Athletic Park. Southside Pool is within the Southside Sports Complex, 4500 S. Madison Ave., north of Anderson High School.

Fees will be 5 and under, $1 per person daily (children under 6 must be with a person 16 or older). Ages 6 and older will be $2 per person daily. Season passes are available and cost $30 for an individual or $65 for a family of four ($5 per person for larger families).

City pools are also available for rent for a fee of $125. For reservations, contact John Coffin, 648-6855.

Source: City of Anderson