Its safe to say that Brock Roders heart has always belonged in McFarland.

He was raised there, played sports in all four years at McFarland High School including football, basketball, golf, and track and field, continued as an athlete at Madison College and eventually became general manager of Spartan Bowl. He has three children and still coaches sports. His accomplishments as a father and husband match the successes he had in athletics. Hes had a good life filled with fond memories.

I love being in McFarland and raising kids here, said Roder, who graduated from McFarland in 1999. Theres plenty you wish you could change, but its not always an option.

Football hero

McFarland High School is different compared to how it looked when Roder first walked through the doors in the mid-1990s. In his senior year, the school went through a major remodeling including construction of a new gym.

A lot has changed even from then with the new pool, auditorium and turf football field, said Roder, who displayed some exceptional talents on the football team when it was still grass in 1998.

That year, the Spartans finished with a 6-3 regular season record and advanced to the WIAA playoffs under head coach Scott Rice. Roder was dominant as a wide receiver on offense and a defensive back on defense.

Roder got the season off to a good start by returning a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the Spartans 34-7 win over Mount Horeb. The Spartans would go on to win their next three games including a 27-0 victory over Lodi, led by Roders five receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. Roder returned an interception 57 yards for a touchdown as McFarland moved to 4-0 with a 34-0 over Lakeside Lutheran. But the winning streak ended with two straight defeats to Wisconsin Heights and Poynette to drop the Spartans to 4-2.

McFarland recovered for a 46-6 triumph over Sugar River as Roder caught four passes for 99 yards and three touchdowns. The Spartans lost the following week to Columbus 21-14 but routed Evansville/Albany 27-6 in the regular season finale. McFarlands first round opponent in the playoffs was Jefferson. Roder did his part with a 43-yard touchdown pass, but the Spartans season ended in 31-14 loss to the Eagles.

Roder attained All-Capitol Conference first team honors on offense and defense. He finished out his high school athletic career on the boys basketball and boys golf teams.

Roder said he was fortunate to have great coaches at McFarland that helped him develop as an athlete.

Chuck Kubicek was my basketball coach. Gary Oftedahl was my golf coach and Bruce Fischer for track. I was very lucky to have the coaches I had, but Brad Minter will forever be the best coach I ever had, said Roder, referring to McFarlands long-time athletic director and assistant football coach. He held me to a higher standard and pushed me to be great. He was just an amazing guy.

Playing college roundball

After graduating from high school, Roder enrolled at Madison Area Technical College and joined the mens basketball team.

I ran into (former basketball teammate) Jon Severson in the hallway one day, and he told me he was getting ready for tryouts, Roder said. I didnt know they even had a team. We ended up going to tryouts and we both made the team. It was a great experience and I still have records on the Madison College all-time list.

Roder is the mens basketball teams second all-time career leader in assists, second all-time for steals in a season, ninth in free-throw percentage in a season, and 13th in career assists.

Roder transferred to UW-Whitewater in 2001 and made the football team, but he was sidelined by an injury.

I separated my shoulder before the season opener and never made it back, he said. I left the team halfway through the season.

A life in bowling

Yet, Roder continued at Whitewater and earned a degree in physical education in 2004. Then, came an opportunity he couldnt turn down: to be general manager of Spartan Bowl in McFarland. He remained in that position until 2016.

There werent many teaching jobs at the time so a steady income was good, Roder said.

Running Spartan Bowl was great. The best part of the job was getting to know the customers, and I have carried on those friendships with me still to this day. It was great getting to know strangers and regulars.

Managing a bowling alley requires working nights and weekends, and eventually, Roder longed for a job with normal hours. He now works in sales for Legacy Exteriors in McFarland.

Roder lives a good life with his wife Nikki and their three children: 14-year-old Braylan, 11-year-old Ava and 7-year-old Kashton.

His kids have been active in sports, and Roder, who has 15 years of coaching experience, has been supporting their different athletic interests.

I coached Braylan in baseball, basketball and football, Roder said. He is now a freshman so we have one U14 baseball tournament left that I will coach him in and then that may be it for my coaching career with him.

In July 2019, Braylan competed in the MLB Pitch, Hit and Run contest during the All-Star Game in Cleveland.

Roder also coached his daughter in softball and will soon spend his first year coaching her in basketball. He also helped Kashton with flag football and baseball.

During his college years, Roder coached McFarland High School freshman and junior varsity boys basketball and also served as a coach for the schools freshman football squad.

In several years, Roder may have another child to coach as his wife Nikki is expecting another baby in February,

I love coaching and trying to get the most out of each kid, Roder said. I am hard on the kids and want to see them succeed and when they do I am their No. 1 fan. Thats the best part.

The rest is here:
Living a life of contentment | McFarland Thistle - The Cambridge News

The Tom House story could just as easily be titled the Mad Scientist and a Series of Most Fortunate Events.

But is it at all fortunate if every last success is warranted? Is there anything at all mad about employing science and psychology to the brute practice of throwing an object?

I always thought I was going to be a big-league pitcher. I mean, I didn't ever think about anything else, Dr. Tom House tells me over Zoom call. He wears a ball cap and glasses, the epitome of a scholarly ballplayer who made it his passion to study every nuance of the game.

And he made good on that dream; he also managed to fit in an extra dream or two along the way, becoming a pitching coach for the Texas Rangers, helping out the likes of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. He also transitioned rather nicely into something of a quarterback guru. Two of his more noteworthy students you may have heard of, Drew Brees and Tom Brady.

The man who never stops teaching, never stops caring about moving sports forward, is launching yet another endeavor.

At 73-years-old, he is still holding class and doing so with modern vigor. Last week, Mustard began welcoming interested parties. You can now sign up and test out a new app that finally makes world-class analysis accessible to the masses.

In a sense, its kind of like your very own Dr. House on the go, offering digital analytics and tools to help those athletes be the best they can be.

Throwing a ball is remarkably simple but profoundly difficult to master.

If your career depends on such things as velocity, trajectory and accuracy you go see a man who knows about such things.

Dr. House is the guy you shut up and listen to. Whether its on the field, glove in hand, neck crooked to the side as you stare at him holding class. Or whether its on a Zoom call as he goes on about a life unusual, a life filled with what certainly seems like happenstance.

Dig deeper and it all makes sense why he was there to catch Hank Aarons historic home run while waiting out in the bullpen. Its obvious why his coaching would resonate so well with someone like Nolan Ryan. Its clear how a small adjustment from House would benefit the already stellar Randy Johnson.

And I am quite convinced that there is nothing coincidental or mystic about the fact that he guided two of the best arms in the NFL in Brees and Brady.

One chapter after another unfolds and you are left bewildered. He jokingly refers to himself as the Forrest Gump of sports, finding himself at the right place at the right time. The preposterous notion is funny but not the entire picture.

House was born in Seattle in 1947, but his family moved to La Puente in 1960. He was dropped into a Southern California area that was still evolving from a sprawling patchwork of groves and possibility, to an industrial gateway to Los Angeles.

As he tells it, there was just one thing the kids did in his neighborhood, and that was play baseball. Not that his parents were all that enamored with sports.

My mom was a no way, no play, parent. If we didn't get As in the classroom, we couldn't play sports, House recalled. She knew that playing sports was fun; getting a degree, getting a good education was a lifetime thing.

He quickly discovered that being a left-handed pitcher with a curve was a useful commodity at the ballpark. The only thing valued at home, however, were grades.

Id come home and say, Hey, dad, I threw a no-hitter today, he recalled. He'd go, That's great. Whats a no-hitter? My dad was kind of a nerd and my mom would say, That's wonderful. Did you get an A in English?

Dedication and a strong work ethic were cultivated at home while House worked on his pitching when he wasnt earning money the, well, rewarding way.

I grew up just south of Alta Dena Dairy, House said. In fact, my brother and I used to go shovel shit out of the stalls before we went to school. It was like $3 a stall and you would just take a quick shower and go to school; it was pretty cool.

House is quick to dispel the notion that he is somehow special in this regard. To him, taking pride in your work is a generational thing, something people his age dont just take satisfaction in but take as a given. You put your head down, work and worry about accomplishment over accolades.

Eventually the legendary USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux came calling, explaining to House that he may not necessarily have baseball in his future but a degree from the prestigious university meant that he would, always have a job somewhere.

So, becoming a Trojan was a no brainer, and it was as eye-opening an experience as it was humbling. One of his first forays on the bump, a bullpen session with Dedeaux nearby, House met someone who would go on to light up the Majors in the years that followed.

While House tossed a bullpen, he heard the sonic boom of a baseball hitting a catchers glove from the rubber next to him.

His skipper went over to House, placed a hand on his shoulder and inquired, Tommy House, what do you think of young Tom Seaver?

Obviously, young Tommy had a question himself. Was Dedeaux hoping his lefty with a looping curve would suddenly catch lighting and become a fastball specialist like his USC counterpart.

Dedeaux shot back, I don't want you to be Tom Seaver, I want you to be Tommy House. Hes gonna be after the bat and you're going to be before the bat, and you're both going to win thirty games for me.

Seaver would go on to garner a 35-3 record; House would collect 33 wins and five losses for the Trojans

Eventually, it was time for House to take his talents to the next level. But before he put pen to paper, his USC skipper had one more stroke of genius for House. Dedeaux allowed me to sign if I would ask for my education through my Ph.D. program, House said.

And in those days, they gave college scholarships away as part of signing bonus because nobody ever went back to school.

The move set House up for life. He probably figured I'd never play in the big leagues, but if I could get my education paid for through my Ph.D. program, I might turn out fine, he said.

The deal was lucrative, I got more of a signing bonus than Tom Seaver did because the Braves were still paying for my education when I was forty-four years old.

It was a decision that helped House eventually garner not just Bachelor of Science in marketing and Master of Business Administration degrees, but House would move on and collect a Ph.D. in sports psychology once his playing days were over.

Life in the minors is never glamorous, but Houses first foray in Triple-A was particularly humbling. He recalls actually thinking he was getting the ax when manager Clyde King strode over to him and asked to speak to him. Thats normally the kiss of death delivered with a cordial gesture.

Instead, the insightful King relayed a thought he had on Houses strengths.

The lefty was great the first time through a lineup, battered around the second time through and, well, its best not to discuss what happened if he ever saw the lineup a third time.

King saw a perfect pitcher to come out of the bullpen, using him more often in shorter stints.

I was in the big leagues the next year, House recalled.

Something became quite apparent to him at a young age. Embracing a mentors wisdom is the secret to success.

Wherever I went, someone put their hand on my shoulder and told me what I needed to do to get to get by, House explained. And so where people will say, oh, you know, you've had this, that, whatever, I've always had someone mentor me at the right time at the right place for the right reason.

Theres a picture hanging on Dusty Bakers wall. Its a moment in time, when Black and White players didnt often interact with one another. Let alone in southern cities like Atlanta.

Yet, theres the picture, Baker, Ralph Garr, Hank Aaron, Maximino Len cutting it up with Satchel Paige in the dugout. And there in the picture, hanging out with his baseball buddies, is Tom House.

House was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 1967, entering professional baseball alongside Baker and Garr.

Sidebar:

Ask House to tell you a story and hes going to shoehorn in what he calls a sidebar. The term connotes a superfluous anecdote but it's so often the heart of a story that would otherwise go missing.

I liked the idea so much Im going to employ it here.

You see, Toms mother was an orphan from Marathon, Iowa. Its perhaps that reason Houses parents didnt hesitate to welcome in a boy by the name of Richard Rice when he himself found himself without a home or family.

Being an African-American during a time when racism was painfully overt, Rice experienced society's ills while shopping for shoes.

Toms mother reprimanded a store manager when one of his workers would not size Rices feet for shoes although he gladly sized House and his brother.

House remembers his mother saying to the manager, I expect my whole family to be treated the same.

And growing up in La Puente, attending Nogales High School, House was surrounded by a predominantly Mexican-American student body.

I never really understood the color issue, House said. It just didn't make much sense to me.

It never entered House's mind to ever treat anyone differently. He would quickly become pals with Garr and Baker.

Baker tells me that House was one of the rare White ballplayers to hang with his Black teammates: Back then with the Braves in the south, you didnt do that.

Baker remembers their chats, which were immersive and covered a wide range of topics including race.

Housey and I, you know, we hit it off, Baker recalled. We had some pretty heavy conversations.

Its quite possible that his friendships help cultivate another relationship with a man renowned for his prolific power.

I'm guessing in retrospect that one of the reasons that Henry probably was comfortable with me is that Dusty and Ralph were his go-to guys in that clubhouse, House said.

But dont think for a moment that any of this was a conscious effort, because House was just being a decent human, a profundity of the time.

I remember I was absolutely clueless; I was just happy to be alive, happy to be playing baseball, House explained. Obviously, getting to the big leagues was a dream come true. And the fact that Dusty and Ralph, who were, you know, they were stars, didn't treat me any different.

Now for someone who spent his entire life throwing the ball, House sure did become famous for catching one.

April 8, 1974: Hank Aaron surpasses the great Babe Ruth with his 715th home run, a shot that landed in left-center, right into the outstretched glove of Tom House.

On the mound was Al Downing, a pitching facsimile to House, a left-hander with a good fastball, a curve and a changeup he would throw off his fastball.

There are so many stories about the harrowing journey Aaron embarked upon as he chased the Babe, and the iconic moment is filled with so much heart and pageantry with Aarons mother embracing him at home plate and the great Vin Scully calling that particular game.

But there is a story just to the periphery that signals the kind of teammate House was. The lefty spent eight years in the Braves organization, five with the big-league club from 1971-1975.

As House puts it, that home run was the apex of his eventual eight-year career.

The good news is that's probably the highlight of my major league career. The bad news is that's the highlight of my major league career, House recalled with a smile.

Images and the video of the game show Aarons historic home run trot, fans coming to offer in-person accolades and a triumphant legend reaching home. But look closely and you see House catch the ball and eventually meet Aaron at home, joyously giving him the ball.

Getting to that point, however, took a lot of practice.

Henry had trouble with left-handed pitchers who could throw a change that went away kind of like a screwball, he explained. So, two to three times a week and every spring training for the eight years I was with Henry we go out to diamond six and I would throw him a bucket of changeups and mix in an occasional fastball.

That relationship not only helped Aaron polish his game, it gave House the perfect vantage to pick off that home run.

You see, prior to the game, Braves pitchers essentially chose where they would stand when Hank came to bat, claiming their ground for what would be a fortuitous catch. House knew exactly where that ball was going. His friendship and hours of lending a literal left hand paid off.

If I would have stood still without a glove, it would have hit me in the forehead, House said of that home run ball.

As for Aaron, he wasnt just good with the bat: He had an eidetic memory where he could remember what a pitcher did to him seven years ago in that situation.

When his throwing career was finished, House polished the next chapter of his profession. He broke in under Roger Craig at the San Diego School of Baseball, became a minor-league pitching coach with the Houston Astros, spent time with the San Diego Padres and eventually found his way to the Texas Rangers.

Its there that he had an impact not just on a Rangers star in Nolan Ryan but another pitcher who wasnt even on the team.

Back in 1992, Randy Johnson was with the Seattle Mariners, he had made the All-Star team in 1990, and had amassed 707 strikeouts through four previous seasons. In 92, he would go on to garner 241 punchouts. But he also had a propensity to walk batters. The 90-92 seasons accounted for the three highest totals of walks in his career.

One day in Seattle, Ryan and House are in the dugout, watching a frazzled Johnson throw a bullpen.

House recalls him asking Johnson how he was doing, to which he remembered the then 28-year-old saying, Tom, I'm doing horse shit if I cant start throwing strikes they're going to send me out.

When youre as gifted and polished as Johnson was at that point in his career, sometimes it takes but a minor adjustment to bring everything back into alignment and harness more consistency.

Johnson remembers that at that time, with the Mariners and Rangers playing so often, Ryan and House were familiar with his delivery.

They just kind of saw some mechanical flaws, if you will, Johnson said. They basically asked if I was interested in watching Nolan Ryan throw the next day, and I said, sure. So, they pointed out what he was doing and what I wasn't doing. And in essence, then, I needed to try to start working on that with the understanding that that could help me a little bit more than where I was at the time.

It may have been easier to listen to another coach when the man giving a recommendation is one of the best to ever play the game.

Randy asked me what was going on with him and his career at the time, Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan explained. I shared my opinion with him and thought it would benefit him and his career to talk with Tom House.

House, the Rangers pitching coach at the time, took a look at this Mariners star pitcher, prepared to make an already great fireball pitcher that much better.

He showed up the next day we're talking and we made one small suggestion to him, House recalled. He was a heel strike and spin guy, so all we did was say, you know, do everything you're doing the way you're doing it except land on the ball of your foot.

Johnson was already a formidable pitcher. But he does admit that there were the occasional issues with consistency.

I would have highlights of striking out fifteen in the minor leagues or, you know, even in the major leagues early in my career, he said. But then there could be the next start where I didn't appear to be the same person.

Johnson went from issuing 144 walks in 1992 to 99 free passes the next season. He would not allow more than 86 in any season the rest of his career.

It was just simply how I was landing on my feet, how my feet would work in my balance of landing a certain way, Johnson said. It was a small fix, but a big improvement.

The mad scientist doesnt bother with the opinions of others. The thing that has made House such a staple across myriad rotational sports is his dedication to his craft. The science leads the charge, and people can either follow or be left behind.

Getting pitchers to buy into tossing the football around seemed silly at the time, but it became more ingrained into the sport as time went on.

He was one of the first guys to throw a football, so I threw the football in the offseason, Baker said.

As time went on, House became something of a household name in athletic circles. And his coaching caught the attention of Cam Cameron who was the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers from 2002-2006. That happens to coincide with Drew Brees tenure as the teams quarterback from 2001-2005.

Cameron had heard about House and realized he was nearby coaching in the San Diego area, so he reached out and asked to come by and see him coach pitchers.

House accommodated, not realizing his life would take another turn all thanks to again saying yes to the opportunity.

Cameron was blown away and realized he found the extra tutelage he had hoped to garner for his budding young quarterback.

He asked if House might want to come by and chat with Brees, himself and then quarterback coach Brian Schottenheimer.

Cameron remembers at that meeting House telling Brees, Now, Drew, you know, I know nothing about football. But I tell you what, youll be my guinea pig and I won't charge you a dime.

The relationship flourished even during one of the most harrowing moments of Brees career. On Dec. 31, 2005, Brees suffered a dislocated shoulder, putting his entire career into doubt.

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The Remarkable Life and Times of Dr. Tom House - Sports Illustrated

Billy Martin describes himself as a high-spirited personality who could always light up a room or disarm people with his charm. But he was in a much different place just a few years ago.

In 2015, Martin was coming off a 3-7 season at North Oldham, and the school was looking to take the football program in a different direction. The health of Martin's father, William MartinSr., had also taken a turn for the worse during that time, so he left his coaching job to take care of him.

My dad had a couple of mini-strokes, he said. After spring break, I resigned, and I was taking care of my dad (while) finishing out the school year.

The elder Martin had surgery over the summer, and Billy continued to make the drive to Henderson to take care of him as he recovered. On June 5, 2016, Billy had breakfast with his father in the morning before being sent out to get a lift chair.

While on the errand, Billy got a distressed call from his fathers caretaker. His father had killed himself.

I come in the house. She thought he had another stroke or spell, said Billy, who had also learned that his wifes grandmother had passed away the day before. I saw the gun at his feet.I sat there and held his hand until the EMTs came. I cant remember what happened that week;it was all just a blur.

Losing his father in such a tragic fashion had a profound impact on Billy for the next few years. He fell into a deep depression, which was compounded by the work he was doing to sort out his fathers affairs.

More: What to know about Moore and Valley ahead of Kentucky's high school football season

He continued to teach at North Oldham, but his passion for coaching was severely diminished. Billy recalled his father being heavily invested in his coaching, even making the occasional trip to watch a game at North Oldham when he was able.

He would expect a phone call after every game, said Billy. We always treated him like a king and put him in the press box. (Hed) laugh about our trick plays and all the stuff that we did.

Billy didnt know how to cope with his fathers death. His health started to decline to the point where he developed Type 2 diabetes. He also didnt reach out to others to talk about how he felt, which made his sense of loneliness and isolation worse. He wishes he could have done things differently to process his grief, but there were a rough couple of years for Billy.

I didnt get any counseling, probably should have, he admitted as he rattled off some possible reasons he avoided it. Im tough, Im a football player. Im the guy everybody else calls for cheering up. I should have reached out to some of my friends to cheer me up.

But eventually, Billy got back to taking care of himself. He started exercising again and lost weight, which helped him get his diabetes under control.

There were good and bad days along the way, but Billy as he began to progress, herealized he was missing something in his life.

That was football, he said. Im a football dude. I was tired and depressed for a couple years, but I wasnt doing what I was meant to do. Thats teach and coach.

As he recovered, Billy started looking for new teaching and coaching opportunities before finally landing at Moore last year. He started as a middle school social studies teacher before being offered the football head coaching job in February.

Billy feels like he has a new lease on life now that hes back on the sidelines.

Ive dug in with both feet, he said. (Im) working my tail off to build a program everyone can be proud of. I miss helping the kids grow. Thats what I enjoy.

Read this: Louisville City FC parent company announces committee to combat social injustice

Martins rejuvenation has him showing up at the field at 1 p.m. when practice doesnt start until 5:30 p.m. Its been a challenge trying to navigate the landscape given the new procedures put in place because of COVID-19, but Billy is excited about getting another chance to compete and help his players grow through football.

It took him a while to get out of the fog, but now hes back where he belongs and is looking forward to giving his all to the Moore Mustangs.

I love coaching, and I love what football does for kids, he said. Ill be the first car in and the last car out.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741 for help.

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Billy Martin needed time away after his father's death. Now, he's back coaching at Moore - Courier Journal

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers strengthened the running back position with the addition of Leonard Fournette, who was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.

Fournette hit the practice field with his new team for the first time on Tuesday.

Kyle Burger

I think just me coming to Tampa made perfect sense, Fournette said. I feel like they had all the keys that I needed and vice versa. I can help the team out, and also, they can help me."

I think its probably one of my first seasons running in a six-man box which is a smart part on me. I made sure all that was in consideration with me coming here. The coaching staff [is full of] great guys Ive been knowing. Some of my coaches know them too, so it was a perfect fit for me, he added.

Fournette, who rushed for 1,000 yards or more in two of his three seasons in Jacksonville, felt as if he had to carry the offense. That wont be the case in Tampa.

For the first time in my life, I really have a quarterback, the former LSU star said of teaming up with Hall of Fame signal-caller Tom Brady. Thats an eye-opener for me. Not a lot of pressure come will on me. I guess it will be on me and him and a lot of other guys on the offense."

Especially when you have a lot of guys like Mike [Evans], Chris [Godwin], Gronk [Rob Gronkowski], Tom [Brady] and the O-Line, Fournette added. You can spread the ball to guys like that and its not just you. When the defense has to game plan, [its] against eight guys, not just one. I think that opens up a variety of things for a lot of guys on our team on the offensive side of the ball.

How much will quarterback Brady hand-off to Fournette on Sunday in the season opener against the New Orleans Saints? Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians says that No. 28 will have a solid role.

Well see, man, Fournette said. Im learning. Its not that hard. Im understanding it, understanding what the coaches want, too, and well see.

Sundays game at New Orleans kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET.

See more here:
Bucs' Leonard Fournette: For the first time in my life, I really have a quarterback' - ABC Action News

A Memorial Mass was held on Thursday, September 3, 2020 at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Delcambre, for Alton David Dressel. The family received visitors beginning at 9 a.m. with a Rosary Service at 10 a.m. followed by a Holy Mass at 11 a.m. Burial followed in the cemetery adjacent to the church.

Alton David Dressel passed away Wednesday, August 19, 2020, at UMC Tulane New Orleans after a hard fought battle with Covid-19.

Alton was born on September 5, 1949, and was a lifelong resident of Acadiana. He graduated from Loreauville High in 1967, and went on to serve his country for six years as a member of the Army National Guard. On July 11, 1974, he married his wife Greta Saunier Dressel and they stayed by each others side for the next 46 years. At age 38 he went back to USL and graduated from USL and went on to teach and coach for over 20 years.

Alton was very devoted to the Catholic Church and attended church every Sunday. He loved making people laugh, in fact he was known for his sense of humor. He loved coaching, especially when it came to girls softball and basketball. Along with coaching he loved mentoring young people and having a positive influence on their lives. He loved LSU sports, especially Coach Orgeron, but pro sports not so much. What he loved more than anything was his family and friends. If you met him once you more than likely became a friend. He would do without if he had to so his loved ones would not have to suffer.

Alton is survived by his wife of 46 years, Greta Saunier Dressel; their two sons, Brodie and Dustin Dressel and his beloved granddaughter Abigail Rose Dressel. He is also survived by sister-in-law Juliette Ransonet Dressel, wife of Terrel Sr., Terry Dressel Jr. and wife Shari Dressel and their children, Denise Dressel Faulk and husband Dexter Faulk and their children, Yvette Dressel Jones and husband Stephen Jones and their children, Kavin Dressel, son of Russell and wife Sandy Dressel and children. He is also survived by brother-in-law Michael Saunier and Jean R. Leblanc, brother-in-law Blaine Saunier and wife Phyllis Saunier and children, godchild raised like a daughter Jamie Saunier Lopez, godchild Terry Dressel Jr., godchild Lonnie James Sonnier, additional godchildren Rowan, Sebastian, Benjamin, Beau, Sophia and Zoey; and his friends Coach Paul Reed, Coach Gerald Broussard, Coach Patrick Vital.

He was preceded in death by his parents Eunice Richard Dressel and Otto Dressel; his three brothers, Gerald Dressel, Russell Dressel and Terrel Dressel Sr.; and nieces and nephew Leslie Dressel, Robin Dressel and Kendal Dressel. Not to mention a beloved sister-in-law Geraldine Gerri Saunier, father-in-law James Saunier and mother-in-law Audrey Romero Saunier.

The family would like to thank the staff of UMC hospital for doing all they could to prolong Altons life, The Daily Iberian and Mr. Chris Landry for writing a great article on his life in coaching and mentoring his students and Coach Kirk Crochet for his kind words in the article. Also a very thank you to all of Altons friends that reached out to us in our time of grief.

Originally posted here:
Alton Dressel - The Daily Iberian

Executive Summary

For many women, the combination of newly empty nests, extensive professional experience, and financial freedom make their 50s the perfect time to reinvest in their careers. The author offers 4 questions to ask that can help anyone rethink and achieve their professional goals. First, consider what your career would look like if nothing was in your way. Next, think about what assumptions youre making about yourself and who you could become. Third, conduct a relationship audit to better understand your own support network. Finally, figure out what you need to learn to get from where you are to where you want to be.

As an executive coach for a number of female leadership development programs, I work with purpose-driven women in every industry to identify their strengths and growth areas.While Ive helped women of all ages, Ive found that for many women in their 50s, the combination of newly empty nests, extensive professional experience, and financial freedom make it the perfect time to time to finally accelerate their careers.

But thats often easier said than done. As a 50-something woman, what can you do today to reenergize your career and make the most of your remaining professional years?Here are four questions that Ive found can help anyone rethink and achieve their professional goals:

Your 50s are the time to invest in the second half of your life. Find a quiet, reflective moment to ask yourself:

Some of my clients dream about advancing into more senior leadership positions, some envisionjob craftinga new, more fulfilling role for themselves, while others have considered leaving their organizations entirely to become entrepreneurs or focus on personal projects.

For example, Isabelle*, a senior technical lead in a regional office, enjoyed an impressive career with several published books and key industry reference pieces. At 52, she had just sent her son off to college, and she came to coaching for advice on how to make the most of her next 10 years.She recognized thatshe had more time, energy, focus and freedom to reinvest in [her] work life, and she wanted to push herself out of her narrow technical comfort zone and focus on leading others.

With her son out of the house, she was no longer limited to local opportunities, so shestarted applying for jobs globally. In less than six months, Isabelle landed a leadership position in another country.

Another client, Florence, was a senior manager in a multinational organization who came to coaching to talk about a troubling trend shed been experiencing: less competent, less experienced men kept moving past her into leadership positions for which she felt more than qualified.She was deeply committed to her organization and believed that by taking up a leadership position, she would be better poised to affect change both directly and by influencing others.She began actively promoting herself and applying for leadership positions within her organization, andafter 14 months, she was asked to lead a major department.

Many women get stuck in some version of theauthenticity trap: They hold on to too-rigid definitions of a singular self that dont permit them to engage with and develop other potential identities (e.g., a leader) or skills (e.g., networking).

For example, Isabelle never allowed herself to ask for help, feeling that it would run counter to her core values of independence, autonomy, and strength. Florence prided herself in being someone who put her head down and got the work done, not someone who sought the spotlight.By interrogating these limiting beliefs and exploring how they created unnecessary professional roadblocks, each woman was able to expand her identity and enrich her skillset.

Isabelle started to appreciate asking for help as an important component of good leadership, rather than an indication of a lack of independence. Instead of attempting to find a new job entirely on her own, she reached out to her boss, who turned out to be a supportive ally and actually introduced Isabelle to the hiring manager at her new organization.

Similarly, when Florence reframed her negative assumptions about self-promotion, she was able to find ways to promote herself that aligned with both her goals of increased visibility within the company and her values of humility. After becoming more open to being in the spotlight, she enlisted her bosss support to present her teams work at a senior management retreat, joined a high-level working group, and presented her research at an international conference.

At first, neither Isabelle nor Florence leveraged their networks to further their ambitions, so I urged them both to conduct a relationship audit. The process is simple: Open a Word or Excel file (or grab a pen and paper), and write down as many names as you can for each category:

After completing this audit, Florence reached out to colleagues who helped her identify new opportunities and connect with key decision-makers. Similarly, this exercise helped Isabelle leverage existing relationships to connect with important people both inside and outside her organization, ultimately leading to her new role.

The exercise was valuable not only because it helped both women to identify useful contacts, but also because it allowed them see how they themselves routinely supported others in their organizations. This enabled them to reframe networking as a shared, reciprocal activity rather than a purely transactional pursuit, making them feel more comfortable and confident with the process.

Good leaders are constantly learning. What skills, information, or self-knowledge do you need to get to where you want to be?

For example, both Isabelle and Florence found that they had toupskillin order to meet their late-career goals.Updating CVs, preparing bios and LinkedIn profiles, and engaging on social media were all skills they needed to refine and/or learn from scratch. Not only did they gain valuable technical skills through this process, but the exercise also helped both women refamiliarize themselves with their professional accomplishments, building confidence and improving their ability to self-promote.

While Ive focused on helping women who are looking to ramp up their careers in their 50s, this advice can apply to anyone. If you are a few decades into your career and looking to accelerate, think about what you want to be, do, and feel; recognize the beliefs and assumptions that might be standing in your way; and identify what new knowledge or skills will help you reach your goal. And when you inventory your supporters, dont forget to include yourself. You are your own strongest ally so move forward boldly, and with no regrets.

*Names have been changed to protect privacy.

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4 Questions to Help Women Navigate the Second Half of Their Careers - Harvard Business Review

Photo Courtesy of Idaho State Athletics

Joanna Orban

Copy Editor

Debs Brereton got her first soccer ball when she was two-years-old. Since then, its never left her feet. In Breretons native England, soccer very much was, and still is, a mans world. After playing soccer on all-male leagues for most of her life, Brereton started playing with a female league, oftentimes with girls that were older than her.

Eventually, her path led her to the United States and Northeastern State University. While there, Brereton was the most valuable player in 2003 and she still holds the record for the fastest goal.

After her time at Northeastern State, she played her 2004 season at Middle Tennessee State University, where she would later coach as a graduate assistant.

After her collegiate soccer career, Brereton played in the Premier Soccer League from 2006-10. She played for teams such as the Nashville Lady Blues, Hampton Road Piranhas and the San Diego Sunwaves. Eventually, however, she turned her attention to coaching.

Brereton loves coaching because it allows her to keep playing the game she loves but she also loves being able to interact with and help her players grow.

I get to serve people. I get to bring awesome people into the program and help those people develop into strong women and see those people graduate, Brereton said. It gives me an opportunity to teach them about life through the vehicle of soccer.

While serving as an associate coach at Ohio State University, Brereton was contacted by the Idaho State University Athletic Director Pauline Thiros and asked to come tour campus.

Once I arrived in Pocatello it was the end of the story. I love this place. I want to be a part of this family, Brereton said. The Bengal community is very unique, Ive never experienced anything like it.

Breretons second season at ISU is significantly different from her first. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the season has been pushed back until spring. According to Brereton, her players are disappointed with the season being pushed back.

Its just trying to make sure we stay in a positive mind frame, said Brereton.

Although the season has been pushed back, Brereton can see how it has been a blessing in disguise for the program.

The team that would have come out as Bengals in August to play our first game is not going to be the same team that will take the field in early of next year, Brereton said.

Due to the season being canceled, the team and the staff has had the opportunity to really integrate the new freshman players, as well as refine the way they want to play.

Another challenge the team is facing is a new practice space. Davis Field is currently under renovation which means the soccer team is sharing the Idaho Central Credit Union practice field with the football team. The practice field is made of turf, also known as artificial grass.

According to Brereton, the soccer ball moves faster on turf than it does on real grass, which has helped the girls improve their reaction times.

Even the surface were playing on is making us better on a daily basis, said Brereton.

Davis Field will be ready by the time the team starts their season, and the players wont have to worry about turf burn anymore.

Prior to the university shutting down in March, both Brereton and her team had another opportunity.

The ISU Theatre Department was working on a production of The Wolves, a play about a high school soccer team with an all-female cast.

The director of the play, Vanessa Ballam, reached out to Brereton and asked for her help in helping the actors learn more about soccer.

We would meet up once or twice a week where my players would take the cast through a warm-up and some basic soccer skills and teach them the basics, Brereton said. Its such a cool collaboration.

The Wolves opens September 18.

Breretons staff is made completely of women which is a different environment than the one she grew up with in England.

The incoming players and the returning players are surrounded by very strong, assertive females. Its unusual to have that at a Division 1 level, said Brereton. I feel as if the players live and see and breathe these mentors. They know on a daily basis what its like to see assertive, strong women in front of them. Its a womans job to empower other women and to help them get better. I feel like myself and my staff takes that very seriously. Its no longer a mans world.

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A Conversation With the ISU Soccer Coach - ISU Bengal Online

Dallas Wings assistant coach and former WNBA player Crystal Robinson is a basketball stateswoman who has been around the league for practically its entire existence.

Robinson was born in Oklahoma and played basketball for Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She was Southeasterns first three-time female All-America and holds many of the schools basketball records. The Oklahoman wrote in 1999 that Robinson is considered by most to be the best basketball player to ever come out of Oklahoma.

In 1996, Robinson was drafted by the Colorado Explosion in the now-defunct American Basketball League (ABL) and promptly won Rookie of the Year and named an All-Star. However, the ABL folded in 1998 and Robinson entered the 1999 WNBA Draft.

The New York Liberty selected Robinson sixth overall in the 1999 Draft and she became an important part of the mini Liberty dynasty. The Liberty made the playoffs every season from 1999-2002 and went to the Finals three times during that period. Robinson played around All-Stars Teresa Weatherspoon, Becky Hammon, Sue Wicks, and Tari Phillips.

Robinson averaged 10.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2 APG, and 1.1 SPG over 30.1 MPG during her eight-year WNBA career. She led the WNBA in three-pointers during the 1999 season while finishing in the top 5 every season from 2001-2003. Robinson is currently 19th all-time in three-pointers made.

After six years with the Liberty, Robinson briefly spent some time with the Washington Mystics before retiring. When Robinson retired, she became an assistant coach for the Mystics.

Robinson told Sports Are From Venus in a media availability about her decision to become a coach after her playing career.

I never wanted to be anything other than a coach, as a kid. I am very fortunate, very few people can say hey I want to be this when they are seven years old and end up actually being that. I got to do something that I wanted to do forever so thats how I ended up in coaching. I retired at 34 and started coaching early because I knew I wanted to coach one day.

After spending the 2007-2008 season as an assistant coach for the Mystics, Robinson coached girls basketball at McAlester High School in Oklahoma. From 2010-2013, Robinson was head coach of the girls basketball team at Murray State College. Robinson spent the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach for Utah State and the 2014-2015 season with the TCU Horned Frogs.

Robinson spent the 2015-2016 coaching HS basketball in Atoka, Oklahoma, where she grew up. After almost a decade of coaching college and high school, Robinson joined the Seattle Storm in 2018 an assistant coach.

As an assistant coach with the Storm in 2018, Robinson won her first WNBA Finals. After making the Finals three times as a player, she won her first championship 19 years after making her WNBA debut.

Robinson then joined the Dallas Wings coaching staff under head coach Brian Agler in 2019. When Robinson was first hired, Coach Agler said Crystal knows the game and she knows how to transfer her knowledge of the game to the players. She understands the intangibles that make great players and great teams. She also has a great work ethic and Im excited to add her to the staff.

Robinson joined a Wings team that was in the midst of a rebuild. The Wings had just drafted MVP candidate Arike Ogunbowale and added another young piece in Satou Sabally a year later. The Wings are one of the youngest teams in WNBA history, and if anyone can help develop the Wings roster into contention, it is the former player Robinson.

Arike Ogunbowale told Sports Are From Venus about Robinons impact on the Wings.

She helps everybody with everything. She is a great shooting coach, a great basketball coach. She has a great basketball mind. Shes been in our position. Shes played in the WNBA for years, been in WNBA championships, like done all that. She knows basketball, been overseas, so we can relate to her really really well. She loves us, she supports us with everything, always has our back. As I said, shes one of the smartest basketball minds Ive known and shes hilarious, she really helps the team a lot, just her energy and everything she brings to life. We wouldnt have as much fun if Crystal wasnt on the coaching staff.

Fellow Wings coaching staff member Bryce Agler, son of head coach Brian Agler, highlighted what Crystal brings to Dallas with her playing experience.

She is one of those people that gets along with everybody. She does a really good job of creating a relationship with the players. She knows what theyre going through, shes been there, shes been through the league, shes one of the top players in the league when she was playing. She can relate to both sides, them and us, as coaches, and I think its a good happy medium. What she brings to our team, our staff is invaluable. You cant put a price on it just because she understands these players are young. Sometimes we take for granted when we tell them to do something, they need to be shown how to do things. She understands that because she was at that point at one time, so that helps a lot. She is also a great person as well, on top of that.

Brian and Bryce Agler, as well as Arike, all mention how Robinsons experience playing in the WNBA helps the Wings roster. Everything that Robinson has learned, all of that basketball knowledge she has accumulated over the last 25 years is available and transferable to the team. Robinson understands what the players are experiencing in ways that the other coaches who did not play WNBA in the league do not.

Robinson was around the WNBA at its youngest, and now after the league has been around for 23 seasons, Robinson has seen it all. Robinson told Sports Are From Venus how the WNBA has changed since she played in the league.

Its really funny, me and Tamika Catchings just had this conversation this morning by the pool. I think that the talent level in the WNBA has gotten extremely better than the talent level when we played. Theres definitely an evolution of players in this league. I think that our generation was much tougher. We did things a little bit differently, that was in the era of hard fouls and a lot of hustle. Now, I think the more skilled players get the more the game starts changing and evolving. There are so many things that we did in our era that still make this game. I think you see the top teams have the necessary grit and toughness that it takes to win high at this level and those are some things that we have to adapt those things to our style and our culture and learn to understand how much they help you out.

A former pro athlete calling the current generation of players soft? Never heard that before!

With Coach Robinson on staff, the Wings have surprised the WNBA as they are in a great position to earn the 8th seed and final playoff spot. Sitting at 7-12, the rebuilding Wings are setting themselves up for a fruitful future, one that Coach Robinson will help mold into success.

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Former WNBA Player Crystal Robinson Always Wanted To Be A Coach - Sep 8, 2020 - Sports Are From Venus

Chris Boucher looked very well-prepared for his second window of opportunity in the series.

While hed been only a whisper in the Toronto Raptors rotation plans through the first four games against the Boston Celtics, head coach Nick Nurse was looking for a spark with his team in an early hole. Boucher got the call in a hybrid starter-bench unit that had played two possessions together all year and zero so far in the postseason. Boucher is not young by prospect standards, but he remains fairly inexperienced in high-leverage situations. With his first run in several games and unfamiliar linemates plus a shift to power forward, away from his more natural centre position he would have been forgiven for taking a few possessions to find his footing.

Instead, Boucher looked like the readiest Raptor on the floor. Stationed in the short corner along the baseline, Boucher read the Celtics plan early, yelling and pointing for teammates that...

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How the Raptors 'scout team' is adjusting to life inside the NBA's bubble - The Athletic

The pause in appraisal and revalidation during the covid pandemic offers an opportunity to reflect on their value and consider their future argue Victoria Tzortziou Brown and colleagues

The General Medical Council adopted a more flexible approach to regulation at the start of the covid-19 pandemic, with revalidation and appraisals largely suspended to allow doctors to focus on clinical safety and workload.1 With reinstatement planned, we argue for urgent clarification of their purpose, an evidence based approach for their implementation, and ongoing evaluation.

No consensus exists on the definition, mechanisms, and appropriate design of revalidation, and practices vary widely.2 Some countries have no formal process in place 3 while others rely heavily on evidence of continuing medical education.2

The GMC is the first regulator to implement a compulsory and comprehensive revalidation process4 and has over 335000 doctors on its register.5 According to the GMC, revalidation gives your patients confidence that youre up to date.6 A cost-benefit analysis in 2012 showed that, in England alone, revalidation would cost the NHS nearly 1bn over 10 years.7 The expected benefits included increased public trust and confidence in doctors, improved patient safety and quality of care, reduced costs of support for underperforming doctors, reduced malpractice and litigation costs, better information about care quality, and positive cultural change in the medical profession,8 but there is no evidence these have materialised.

Appraisal is the only route to revalidation and must contain supporting information under six defined categories: continuing professional development, quality improvement activity, significant events, feedback from patients and colleagues, and complaints and compliments.9 Most doctors (97%) revalidate through annual appraisals and a five yearly recommendation to the GMC from their responsible officer, based on the outputs from their appraisals.9

Disagreement remains about whether the mode

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Appraisal and revalidation for UK doctorstime to assess the evidence - The BMJ