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SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF CHESTERFIELD COUNTY 02.17.11

BY ELIZABETH FARINAefarina@midlothianexchange.com

When John Balke, 85, shared his wish of getting a gift for his sweetheart, Elm-croft of Chesterfi eld Com-munity Relations Director Karen Elliott knew the wish would be a perfect fi t for the facility’s “Second Wind Dreams” program, which fo-cuses on providing residents’ wishes and special requests.

Instead of an exchange of gifts, Balke’s wish grew into a memorable Valentine’s date with an evening out on the town. The World War II veteran and his sweetheart were treated to a dinner date with the generous help of several businesses in Hanover County, where Elliott lives.

The octogenarians had met at Elmcroft, where Balke has resided for four to fi ve years. He is referred to as “The Mayor” because of his outgoing and welcoming personality. It was during

one of the facility’s activities that a particular lady caught his eye.

“In our place, we have the activity room. I was calling Bingo and I used to kid her because she used to win so often,” Balke said. “For some reason, it seemed to bring us close.”

Their closeness grew over time even when his heart’s new interest relocated to an-other facility to be closer to her grown children. She visits friends at Elmcroft once a month and the pair stays in touch through letters. Last week, the pair was surprised for an evening, starting with a complimentary limousine ride from Black Tie Affair Limo Service to their dinner destination at Italian Kitchen in Mechanicsville.

For restaurant owner Ray Thompson, the elderly couple reminded him of his parents and his in-laws Mike and Ellen Montecalvo. The PHOTO BY ELIZABETH FARINA

John Balke, 85, enjoys a date with his sweetheart. The octogenarians met during Bingo at an assisted living facility in Chesterfi eld County.

Program offers memorable Valentine's date

Capitol visit: 'Affordable tuition' one of many reasons students attend community college

Two supply planners from Defense Logistics Agency Aviation recently returned to Richmond following their six-month deployments to Afghani-stan, where they provided direct logistical support to America's warfi ghters as volunteers on the DLA Support Team.

Denise Williams and Andy Whatley from DLA Aviation's Supplier Opera-tions Directorate said they found the experience both challenging and rewarding.

"It was a great ex-perience working with individuals from the vari-ous DLA Agencies, both military and civilians," said Williams, who works in the directorate's Joint Commodities Division. "I

worked seven days a week as a warfi ghter support representative [WSR]. It was good to see how my hard work had an impact on the customers I sup-ported."

Likewise, Whatley, a Midlothian Va., native who works in the Electrical Components and Cables Division, said the best part for him was being able to have material expedited and shipped to the cus-tomer who is directly in the fi ght. Overall, Whatley said he enjoyed the work despite austere living conditions, describing his fi rst DST deployment as "eye-opening" and "bit-tersweet."

"I would recommend this to you only if you are

willing to do without the little things in life that we take for granted. Plus, the money is good," he said. DST volunteers receive additional pay during deployments.

Williams, who completed her second deployment, agreed that getting used to the living arrangements is one of the biggest adjustments facing volunteers. "On my previous deployment, I was in a tent and had a short walk to the showers and rest room," Williams said. "This time, I had my own room with a connect-ing bathroom. I would recommend everyone try at least one deployment. It is a fulfi llment that you would have to experience

Two return from six-month deployment

BY DANNY RATHBUN AND FLETCHER BABBCapital News Service

The Senate has ap-proved a special license plate to memorialize the

2007 Virginia Tech shoot-ings and help the victims’ families. But supporters fear that not enough people will buy the plates – forcing them to postpone the idea.

The Senate last week unanimously approved Sen-ate Bill 804, which would authorize a special license plate saying, “IN REMEM-BRANCE, APRIL 16, 2007.” On that date, a mentally unstable student, Seung-Hui Cho, shot and killed 32 people and wounded many others before killing himself at the university in Blacks-burg.

The proposed license plates would cost $25 a year more than regular plates. Of that amount, $15 would go to the Virginia Tech Victims (VTV) Family Outreach Foundation, which helps school-shooting victims and their families and works to prevent campus violence. The program would start receiving the money after the fi rst 1,000 plates are sold.

Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Burke, is the bill’s chief sponsor; 31 senators and 87 House members signed on as co-sponsors.

“We had more co-patrons than just about any other bill,” Marsden said.

Even so, the plan to offer the memorial license plates remains uncertain.

Under current law, at least 350 people must submit pre-paid applications for a proposed special license plate before the Virginia Depart-ment of Motor Vehicles will create the plate. This year, a bill is pending in the General Assembly that would increase the minimum number of orders to 450.

Fewer than 100 orders have been placed for the plates to memorialize the Virginia Tech massacre.

Marsden said the effort needs at least 225 orders to proceed.

“The problem is that we got started late,” he said. “The campaign didn’t get going until early this year.”

SB 804 is now in the House of Delegates. It has

After losing her job in the mortgage industry, Shana Morris moved back to Virginia to attend John Tyler Community College. Now, she’s less than a year away from becoming a registered nurse. Seth Baldwin likes politics, law and history, but he is not quite sure which he wants to pursue. So, he de-cided to explore his options and save money by coming to John Tyler for his fi rst two years of college. After taking time off to raise her family, Regina Smith, who is also self-employed, is back at John Tyler, working on a degree that she says will help her business.

These are just some of the stories John Tyler students shared when they met with state legislators on Feb. 3. The students, ac-

CAPITOL VISIT P2

VALENTINE P1

PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN TYLER COMMUNITY COLLEGEVirginia Del. Manoli Loupassi welcomes JTCC students.

License plates would memorialize Va Tech shootings

to understand."In most cases, some training

is required prior to deploy-ment, which may require travel

and/or the completion of online coursework. Whatley said he

COURTESY PHOTOMidlothian resident Andy Whatley stands next to a vehicle during a recent DLA Support Team deployment in Afghanistan.

BY ERICA TERRINICapital News Service

Victims of domestic violence and abuse would get more protection from defen-dants under a bill passed unanimously by the Virginia House of Delegates this

week.House Bill 2106 would allow judges to require

Virginians who are facing criminal charges, have violated a protective order or are on probation to wear GPS tracking devices.

The tracking devices would alert law enforce-ment agencies and/or the victim if the defen-dant comes too close to the complainant or the complainant’s house or workplace, according to

the bill’s sponsor, Delegate Ward L. Armstrong, D-Martinsville.

He dubbed HB 2106 the Linda Bostwick Act in memory of a Collinsville resident killed by her estranged husband in 2007.

Bostwick had obtained a protective order against the man, and he had violated the order previously, Armstrong said. He said the estranged husband shot Bostwick to death at her workplace and then killed himself.

Bostwick’s death prompted Jeff and Kim Adkins to ask Armstrong to propose legislation allowing judges to require Virginians who violate protective orders to wear tracking devices.

Jeff Adkins was Bostwick’s employer when she

was killed; his wife Kim is the mayor of Martins-ville.

“Jeff and Kim came to me and said they had been looking over the Internet where they saw GPS technology being used to track persons in a criminal context, and it would be a good idea if we could implement (the technology) in a protec-tive order situation,” Armstrong said.

If such a law had been in effect in 2007, Arm-strong said, “Linda Bostwick could have been given some advanced notice coming to her place of employment – she would have had time to get away.”

Armstrong proposed similar legislation last

Law aims to help abuse victims

ABUSE P3

AFGHANISTAN P3

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Monacan students participate in All-District band eventEleven Monacan High School Band members participat-ed in the District III All-District Bands on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 4 and 5 at Ma-toaca High School.

Pictured are: (First row) Kira Glynn, Emily Payne, Sarah Lankford, Gene Maslink, Stuart Archer. (Second row) Caleb Lankford, Trey Rawles, Jacob Stenzel, Travon Mat-thews, Cole Bryan, Joe Scott.

courtesy of Jenny Ryan, Band and Orchestra

Director, Monacan HS

companied by staff from the College, met with Del. Betsy Carr, Del. Riley Ingram, Del. Manoli Loupassi, Del. Joseph Morrissey, Del. Roslyn Tyler and Del. Lee Ware.

In addition to sharing their personal stories, the student delegation discussed what John Tyler Community College has meant to them and the community. They highlighted the college’s affordable tuition, fi nan-cial aid assistance, excellent faculty and staff, and diverse programs of study. They also spoke about the college’s ongoing enrollment growth.

Over a four-year period, from 2006–2009, the number of students attending John Tyler Community College during the fall semester in-creased 35 percent. The same time period saw a 43 percent

CAPITOL VISIT from P2 increase in the number of FTES (full-time equivalent students).

In fall 2010, John Tyler was the fastest growing col-lege in the Virginia Commu-nity College System in FTES (11.8%) and second fastest in headcount (8.5%). The stu-dents asked the legislators to continue supporting the ef-forts of Virginia’s community colleges, so that the more and more people in Virginia will have the opportunity to earn degrees.

Before heading to the State Capitol, members of the College’s 2011 student delegation discussed their views on John Tyler and Virginia’s community col-leges. Watch their video at http://www.jtcc.edu/advo-cacy.

The Feb. 3 student partici-pants included:

Allison Atkins of Rich-mond who likes numbers. She also likes to make people smile – whether it’s by sport-ing a fun hat, fl ashing a grin, or saying a few kind words. But, when she talks about

her education, Allison is all business. She says without John Tyler, she’s not sure she would have been able to afford to go to college and pursue her dream of becoming a CPA. She says the welcoming atmosphere at the college, the great classes and the guidance offered to her by the faculty and staff have made her time at John Tyler a great experience. But, this is just the beginning for Allison. Once she graduates with her business adminis-tration degree from Tyler, Al-lison wants to go to Virginia Commonwealth University to earn a degree in account-ing and to minor in human resources – possibly earning a second minor in Spanish. She then hopes to start her own company or go to work for a Fortune 500 company.

Dustin East says he’s been on a journey of self discov-ery. It’s a journey that kept bringing the Chesterfi eld resident back to John Tyler, where in December 2010, he earned his degree in arts and sciences. Dustin says he left

high school with a low GPA and started at John Tyler as a self-described “unmoti-vated student.” After a year at the college, Dustin left. He returned after several years, taking some evening classes while working a full-time job. It wasn’t until a few more years had passed that Dustin decided it was time to commit to his education. “After several years of expe-riencing ‘real life’ without a degree, I decided to come back to Tyler one last time, focused and determined.” For Dustin, the third time has proven to be the proverbial charm. He became president of the college’s Beta Omicron Omicron chapter of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and earned his associates in arts and sciences. Now, this very mo-tivated student is applying to Columbia University, Harvey Mudd College and Tulane University in the hopes of earning a degree in math-ematics.

When one meets Sharnese Johnson-Reeves, you can’t help but smile. Her enthusi-asm is contagious as she talks about becoming a nurse, helping others and inspir-ing her kids to pursue their dreams. Sharnese’s deci-sion to study nursing came about after she started on a different journey. Sharnese worked in retail for a number

of years after earning a bachelor’s degree in market-ing. But, then fate inter-vened. The store she worked for went out of business. Sharnese says she knew that was her cue to make a new start. The Richmond resident had long thought about becoming a nurse and had heard about John Tyler Com-munity College’s program. So, she says when her store closed, she jumped in the car and headed to John Tyler. A year later, after fi nishing her prerequisite classes, she was accepted into the nursing program. With graduation on the horizon, Sharnese is looking at life after Tyler. She says she will continue study-ing with the medial surgical unit at a local hospital and wants to get certifi ed in forensic nursing. She says as a forensic nurse, working in an emergency department, she’ll be able to help identify and aid the victims of abuse – something she feels is an extremely important respon-sibility.

This was just the fi rst trip to the State Capitol for the college’s student delegation. On Feb. 16 more students met with some of the other legislators who represent the college’s service region.

courtesy of John Tyler Com-munity College

been assigned to a subcommit-tee of the House Transportation Committee. That subcommittee has already killed similar legisla-tion – House Bill 2245, proposed by Delegate Luke Torian, D-Dum-fries.

Marsden said he fears some delegates may oppose SB 804 until at least 350 people order the plates.

If the bill passes the House and becomes law, it would take effect July 1. Supporters of the suggested license plates then would have a month to get the 350 pre-paid ap-plications submitted to the DMV. Otherwise, the proposal would be scrapped.

“I’m not sure how the House is going to handle the bill without the full 350 (orders),” Marsden

said. “What the procedure says is, you’ve got till August. But they (delegates) may not hear the bill until we’ve got the full 350. So it may have to wait till next time around.”

Marsden said reaction to his bill has generally been positive, but a few people raised objections.

“We got one e-mail from some-body who was against it, because ‘it was disrespectful to put some-thing like that on a license plate. It’s going to get muddy, dirty …’

“But for the most part, it’s been very well received.’”

The VTV Family Outreach Foundation is trying to generate support for the proposed memo-rial license plates. On its website, http://vtvfoundation.wsiefusion.net, the nonprofi t group says it is “requesting these plates in order

to honor those who died and who were wounded on April 16, 2007.”

“We want the world to remem-ber that the 32 individuals who died had an irreplaceable impact on those around them and that those who were injured continue to give of themselves through their work and their service,” the website says.

LuAnn McNabb, the founda-tion’s executive director, said the group has two purposes: to make sure campuses are safe, and to take care of victims of school shootings and other campus violence.

“They want to be there for the family,” McNabb said.

If SB 804 fails or the campaign falls short of the 350 orders, all of the applications and money col-lected will be returned.

Residents of Chesterfi eld Coun-ty are invited to attend training that will help them overcome the effects of a disaster. The popular Chesterfi eld Community Emer-gency Response Team, or CERT, training will commence on March 1. This is a morning class open to the fi rst 30 persons aged 18 and older who apply. There is no charge for the class. The deadline to enroll is Feb. 27.

The eight-day initial training course is held on Tuesdays and Thursdays over four consecu-tive weeks. The training provides participants with basic emergency response skills that are essential in the critical time after a disas-

ter and before fi rst responders arrive. Topics include: light-duty search and rescue, fi re safety and suppression, basic and advanced emergency care, terrorism aware-ness, emergency communications, and disaster psychology. Gradu-ates earn certifi cates and receive CERT emergency gear including a backpack and helmet. Over four hundred people have completed the county’s CERT training, and more are needed.

Registration forms are avail-able online at www.chesterfi eld.gov/CERT/, by e-mailing CERT@chesterfi eld.gov, or by calling (804)751-CERT.

courtesy of Chesterfi eld County

CERT training begins in March PLATES from P1

CRIME REPORTAll data are based on the publicly available Chesterfi eld County Police Department daily arrest and crime releases and are reported according to Federal Incident Based Report-ing rules.

23112Feb. 1113200 block of Bailey Bridge Road Suspect(s) broke a rear class-room window at Alberta Smith Elementary school to gain entry. Once inside, a metal chair was used to break an offi ce glass door. At this time, nothing was reported stolen.

23113Feb. 13Police responding to an alarm activation discovered unknown suspect(s) attempting to enter an ATM machine.

23114Feb. 91600 block of Porters Mill Lane Unknown suspect(s) gained entry to residence through the master bedroom window. An unlocked shed was also entered. Property was reported stolen.

23235Feb. 132100 block of McRae RoadSuspect(s) entered residence through a missing door cov-ered with construction mate-rial. Property reported stolen.

Feb. 128400 block of Debbs LaneVictim reported while inside the suspect’s vehicle, the suspect took property.

2900 block of Turner Road Suspect entered the store, pointed a small handgun at the clerks, empted both registers and exited the store.

23236Feb. 9300 block of Pullbrooke DriveUnknown suspects were observed near victims’ vehicles and also attempting to enter vehicles. Property was stolen from one.

FEBRUARY 17, 2011 || 3MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COM EXPLAIN NEWS || FEATURES

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Add some Presidential trivia to the mix for President's Day.

source: whitehouse.gov/about/presidents

"William H. Taft is the only person to serve

as President and then as Chief Justice of the US Supreme

Court."

"Ronald Reagan por-trayed the late Notre Dame football player George Gipp in the

fi lm, "Knute Rockne, All American"."

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Elizabeth FarinaEDITOR

editor@midlothianexchange.com

Jim McConnellSPORTS EDITOR

sports@midlothianexchange.com

Anne GibbSALES

agibb@midlothianexchange.com

"The campaign slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” comes from the Harrison-Tyler ticket."

Sara SnyderSALES

ssnyder@powhatantoday.com

"On this date in 1801, the House broke an electoral college tie, choosing Thomas

Jefferson as President over Aaron Burr."

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BY ELIZABETH FARINAeditor@midlothianexchange.com

If you see a fi refi ghter this week, tell them “thank you.”Valentine’s Day was more than a red hot holiday for

couples this week. The National Weather Service sent out a “red fl ag warning” early in the morning, which is defi ned by the organization as optimum conditions for fi re amid low relative humidity and strong winds. For Chesterfi eld County fi refi ghters, the day would mean a lot of service calls. Mulch fi res, brush fi res, vehicle fi res, and structure fi res were just some of the highlights from dispatch within an hour on Monday afternoon. The morning crew had al-ready seen one man sent to the hospital with a fi re-related injury. The cause of that Midlothian residential blaze is under investigation as of press time. Another fi re displaced two adults and their 1-year-old toddler in a separate incident. Car accidents, fallen trees and downed power lines were also included into the mix over the course of the blustery day.

All types of calls for service continued throughout the day. Dispatch relayed details to stations, and the fi refi ght-ers at the stations grabbed their gear and went to the scene. The scenario repeated throughout the afternoon. So, while most of us were thinking about the one we love and trading Valentine’s as well as a fl ower bouquet, Chester-fi eld County Fire & EMS were focused on putting out the fl ames.

Monday’s weather was the type of anomaly that breeds fi re. It was the kind of day where that carelessly tossed cig-arette out of a car window could have potentially ignited more than just a fellow drivers’ anger for someone being such a litter bug. Of course, others – against common sense – might have been considering burning debris. Piling up leaves for a burn would not only be inviting disaster, but it breaks the law in Chesterfi eld.

Although the leaves from last fall may still be a linger-ing eyesore for some folks who are itching to get back into the yard work on warm days, burning leaves is not an option for most folks. According to Chesterfi eld County, it is only “lawful to burn leaves on your property if you are in an area where it is allowed” and even then, twice a year (contact the Fire Marshal's Offi ce at (804)748-1426 or fi remarshal@chesterfi eld.gov for information about a burning permit).

Face it – we’re not immune to emergencies. The typical Daylight Saving Time tradition of checking the batteries in the smoke detector is a bit skewed since we’re springing forward on March 13 this year and falling back early No-vember. Add a little fun to the mix this year with a practice run of how everyone will escape from the house in case of a fi re. It may seem awkward at fi rst, and some family members may try to brush it off, but it’s better than the alternative. Creating a safety plan during a crisis is about as useful as jumping from a plane when the parachute is packed neatly on a shelf in the airplane’s hanger. Why not practice those exits and rendezvous points?

Putting out the fl ames

attended a course in California and completed numerous Army online training courses in the months lead-ing up to the deployment. "Being retired Navy; I was already mentally prepared to be away from family and friends for an extended period of time."

Williams didn't have as much preparation time for her deploy-ment because she was a last minute replacement and received only a few weeks' notice.

"Being deployed again was not in my plans. In one of the command-er's calls, it was mentioned that a deployable position needed some-

one as a replacement or fi ll-in for 120 days," Williams said. "Having such a good deployment in 2004, I contacted Debra Call to volunteer for the slot and she accepted."

Williams said she had about six weeks to prepare and inform her family – and one week of that time was spent at Fort Benning, Ga., for what she described as "intense train-ing" in temperatures that at times reached up to 113 degrees.

"I had to pass a physical and take several online training courses," she said. "It took me a week to work up the courage to tell my family, who ended up being very supportive."

AFGHANISTAN from P1

COURTESY PHOTODenise Williams prepares to exit a vehicle in Afghanistan during her recent DLA Support Team deployment.

year, but the bill was referred to the Virginia State Crime Commission for study. The commission reviewed and approved HB 2106 before this session.

Last week, the House Courts of Justice Committee unani-mously endorsed the measure. The House followed suit on Tuesday by voting 99-0 in favor of the bill.

Some legislators had con-cerns about who would pay for the tracking technology. Under HB 2106, the violators of protective orders required to wear the devices will pay for the devices, Armstrong said. He said that’s only fair.

“You’re getting not just someone that has a protective order against them, but it is someone who’s demonstrated a propensity to thumb their nose at the court or the judicial system and not abide by the law,” Armstrong said. “In that situation, they ought to pay for it.”

After the House passed the bill, Armstrong said, “Although this was a terrible tragedy, the death of Linda Bostwick has spurred legislation that will save other victims who fi nd themselves in her situation. My appreciation goes out to Jeff and Kim Adkins for suggest-ing this important way to fi ght domestic violence.”

Kim Adkins said the legisla-tion might spare other people from Bostwick’s fate.

“Prior to this legislation, Friends for Linda had been advocating for a new law requiring habitual offenders of protective orders to wear GPS tracking devices,” Kim Adkins said.

“We are convinced this new law will do more to help victims of domestic violence and stalking. Our intent was to put a name and face with the positive impact this law may have on these victims and their families. The Linda Bostwick Act is going to save lives.”

HB 2106 is now under con-sideration by the Senate.

ON THE WEBON THE WEB

To track or To track or comment on comment on

House Bill 2106, House Bill 2106, visit:visit:

www.richmond www.richmond sunlight.com/sunlight.com/

bill/2011/hb2106bill/2011/hb2106

ABUSE from P1

MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE

GUEST COLUMN: CONSTITUENTS RESPOND TO SURVEY

One of the staples of the annual legislative season is the constituent survey. Participation in my survey this year was especially active. I appreciate very much the fact that so many citizens took the time to complete the survey.

There is good new and bad news for those who feel strongly about some of the issues addressed in the survey. The fi rst bad news is that two important matters - the privatization of ABC operations and the Repeal Amendment - never came to debate and vote in com-mittee. In both instances the commit-tee chair refused to place the measure on the committee agenda. Our system of government depends on robust debate. It is a pity when that discussion is stifl ed. That is certainly not what our founders envisioned.

The item on the survey that engen-dered the most comment was the Vir-ginia Retirement System repayment. I share the intense desire of many of you to shore up the system. You may recall I voted against the budget last year because of its negative impact on the VRS. The budget passed by the Senate Finance Committee on Sunday begins the restoration of last year’s underfund-ing.

In the transportation arena, 77.9 percent of you support a constitutional amendment to protect the Transporta-tion Trust Fund. A resolution passed the Senate that would do just that, plus deny General Fund revenues from being spent on transportation - the so-called "double lock box." If history is any guide, that second provision will lead to

the measure's demise in the House of Delegates.

One area where public opinion dif-fers from mine is the Governor's plan to jump start transportation construc-tion by expediting the sale of already approved bonds. Given the recklessness of spending on the federal level, a nega-tive reaction to this plan is natural and understandable.

However, Richmond is not Washing-ton. My belief that the plan is respon-sible is shared by a large majority of legislators in both houses and passed the Senate with only 6 dissenting votes. Also, the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason released a study that pre-dicted ultimately a $4.1 million expan-sion in our economy with 51,798 jobs resulting from the 16 biggest projects. That would be welcome news, indeed.

Sometimes no news is good news. Given a choice to strengthen, lessen or keep gun laws the same, the status quo comes out on top in the survey. After all the controversy last year, this year is quiet on that front. Do not expect any signifi cant changes.

The strong support for uranium mining if proven safe, 78.5 percent, underscores what I believe ought to be our country’s energy policy : "all of the above." The scientifi c study continues on the Pittsylvania site, and I look for-ward to receiving the results.

The comments section of my survey elicited many individual suggestions and advice. A Goochland resident asked me to support the Farm Bureau's agenda. I am glad it is doing well. Two bills that cleared the Agriculture Com-

mittee on which I serve would give farmers greater ability to protect their crops and livestock from damage by wild animals and to keep new species of animals from being introduced to new habitats.

Another bill will give the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality the task of implementing the Chesa-peake Bay cleanup plan rather than the federal Environmental Protection Agency in Philadelphia.

A Cumberland woman writes that it is unfair for Social Security benefi ts to offset unemployment compensation. I can report my SB1113 that reverses that policy passed the Senate unanimously.

A self-described "life - time Virgin-ian" from Richmond implores us to set a priority on job creation. I fully agree. In these challenging days, every bill we consider must be viewed through the prism of what impact it will have on economic recovery.

Two related comments, from Midlothian and Richmond, appeal to me to put aside partisanship and "use common sense in your good judgment." Thank you. I am a fi rm believer that this is the expectation of most citizens.

Well over 2,500 citizens responded to my survey thus far. That is very gratify-ing. Knowing your views is essential to me as I strive to represent you to the best of my ability.

John C. Watkins10th District

Senate of Virginia

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WASABI THE SUDOKU GAME WITH A KICK!Montecalvos opened Italian Kitchen in 1950 and then opened the Virginia location in 1977. “I actually thought of my parents, who have passed away, and my wife’s parents, who have passed away as well … I know, espe-cially Regina’s parents who owned this restaurant, would defi nitely do this because they were very, very close,” Thompson said.

The restaurant provided complimentary meals for the couple to enjoy as well as prepared romantic ambi-ance for the evening. The couple’s table was decorated

in a Valentine’s theme with balloons and candles. Cole-man Brothers Florist donated the centerpiece of fl owers for Balke to give to his sweet-heart.

Balke, who wore a tuxedo provided by Men’s Wear-house, smiled when he saw his gift tucked among red, pink and white tissue paper; the Hallmark store had donated boxes of stationary for Balke to write letters to his sweetheart. “Normally, I wasn’t that much of a writer,” he said. “I think you can ex-press yourself better and you can take your time and write about what you want.”

He presented his sweet-heart with a heart-shaped locket, which was donated from Ruby Slipper Boutique. The evening was topped off with a rendition of Virginia native Ella Fitzgerald’s “At Last” by New Hanover Chris-tian School students. Balke added that the surprise date was a wonderful experience. “I just liked everything about it,” Balke said. “The romance and all that.”

(Editor’s note: Balke’s sweetheart requested her name not to be used. We respect-fully agreed to maintain her privacy.)

VALENTINE from P1

STUFF TO DOE-mail your event to editor@midlothianexchange.com. Subject line: EVENT

SATURDAY, FEB. 19Concerts for a Cause presents The Virginia Tech Chamber Singers with Dr. Dwight Bigler, Conductor at Salisbury Presbyterian Church, 13621 W. Salisbury Rd. (23113). The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. A free-will offering will be taken to benefi t the Richmond’s Friends of the Homeless. The Chamber Singers is the pre-miere mixed choir at Virginia Tech University, perform-ing literature spanning the Renaissance to the 21st cen-tury. This ensemble has been featured at conventions of the Virginia Music Teachers Association, Virginia Music Educators Association, and American Choral Directors Association.

THE MCSHIN RECOVERY FOUNDATION & VIRGINIA FOLK MUSIC ASSOC. pres-ent “Bluegrass Extravaganza Benefi t” from noon – 8 p.m. on Feb. 19 at the Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church, located at 2300 Dumbarton Rd., Richmond (23228). Nine Bluegrass bands are on schedule to perform.

MONDAY, FEB. 21Presidents' Day observed

TUESDAY, FEB. 22Family Advocacy Creating Education and Services (FACES) meeting movie night will be held from 7 – 8:30 p.m. featuring “Patch Adams” (1998) based on the book "Gesundheit: Good Health Is a Laughing Matter" by Hunter 'Patch' Adams and Maureen Mylander. The movie is a fact-based story of an unconventional physi-cian who attempted to heal patients with laughter, based on his own book and mixing equal doses of scatological humor and pathos. FACES meets at 11601 Lucks Lane, Midlothian (23114). For more information, call (804) 378-0035.

Qdoba Mexican Grill is host-ing a fundraiser from 5-7pm tonight to raise money for the Starlight Children's Founda-tion. They are asking for $1

donation in exchange for a chicken or vegetarian burrito. 100 percent of the proceeds from the night will go to the Foundation in hopes of buy-ing a gaming system for the children to use while at the hospital.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23What to do After You’ve Had a Heart Attack seminar will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Lewis Ginter Botani-cal Garden, 1800 Lakeside Avenue. Join Dr. George Ve-trovec, with the VCU Pauley Heart Center, who will talk about what you should do following a heart attack, in-cluding lifestyle changes and health tips. Free; registration is required. Call (804)828-0123 to register.

THURSDAY, FEB. 24 The monthly meeting of the Midlothian Ruritan Club will be held at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m. The Midlothian Ruritan Club is a community service organization and is seeking new members to continue the good work that the Club does for the community. If interested in attending, please contact David Nelms at (804)379-1294.

FRIDAY, FEB. 25The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Chester Art-ists Association, a committee of Chesterfi eld Center for the Arts Foundation will be held at 10 a.m.at the Chesterfi eld Center for the Arts Founda-tion building, 11801 Centre Street, Chester,(23831). For further information, please see the website at chesterar-tists.com. All are welcome.

SATURDAY, FEB. 26“R.A.M.ifi cations” and “SOUNDWORKS” will present “Dynamic Duet” beginning at 5:30 p.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 240 South Laurel Street, Richmond. Tickets: General Admission $7; Students $5; Children 10 and under – Free. For tickets: click on http://www.brownpapertick-ets.com/event/156883 or purchase at the door. This is

a “must see” for a cappella fans!

Sisters in Crime-Central Virginia Chapter Presents “A Conversation with Donna Andrews” will be held from 11 a.m. to noon at the Central Branch, Chesterfi eld County Public Library on Lucy Corr Boulevard

Join Sisters in Crime-Cen-tral Virginia Chapter for “A Conversation with Donna Andrews." The famed mys-tery author of the madcap Meg Langslow series will appear at the Chesterfi eld County Central Library, 9501 Lori Road from 11 a.m. to noon. A SinC - CVA lunch and business meet-ing follows the presentation from noon to 1:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public. To reserve lunch, please contact Cathy Allen at centralvasinc@gmail.com for a registration form. Lunch forms and money must be received by Wednesday, Feb. 23.

SATURDAY, MARCH 5The Chesterfi eld County Public Library system is hosting its annual Writers Workshop, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at Central Library. Scheduled speakers include William Clotworthy, Rhonda Lucas Donald, Pamela K. Kinney, Leeanne Ladin, Brad Lawler and Rod J. Mustanski. Discussion topics will include historical research, and how to write and publish a novel.Registration and payment are required by Feb. 28. The $25 nonrefundable registra-tion fee includes a box lunch. Payment may be made by cash or check only. Registra-tion forms are available at all Chesterfi eld County libraries or online at library.chester-fi eld.gov. For more informa-tion, call (804)717-6381.

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The Virginia Holocaust Museum opened its special exhibit, “A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II and the Jewish People” on Jan. 24. Created to educate, commemorate and inspire, the exhibit is a multimedia, interactive experience that allows visitors to follow in John Paul II’s footsteps from his childhood to his role as head of the world’s larg-est church and his lifelong relationship with the Jewish community.

Blessed by the pope in 2005, “A Blessing to One Another” highlights the importance of interreligious dialogue and the benefi ts of respect among communi-ties of differing faiths and cultures. Organizers Rhona Arenstein and Rosann Boc-ciarelli brought the exhibit to the Virginia Holocaust Museum with the help of individual, corporate and communal donors, including Bon Secours Virginia Health System, Dominion Resourc-es, the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.

“Pope John Paul II’s legacy is greater compassion and understanding, not just between Catholic and Jews, but among all peoples,” said Rhona Arenstein.

“The Richmond com-munity came together to bring ‘Blessing’ here. We are delighted that the exhibit will be in Richmond when Pope John Paul II is beatifi ed by the Church on May 1,” added Rosann Bocciarelli.

The 2,000 square foot ex-hibit is a historical depiction, divided among four sections that refl ect key periods in the pope’s life from his child-hood in Poland to his more

than 25 years leading the Roman Catholic Church. Named after the pope’s 1993 commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, “A Blessing to One Another” examines how a friendship with Jews, as well as experiences of ha-tred and intolerance, shaped the Pontiff ’s worldview of mutual respect.

“It is our hope that this exhibit will show we can all get along together under the guidance of God. No matter how we get to Him,” said Jay Ipson, executive director at the Virginia Holocaust Museum.

“A Blessing to One Another” was the idea of Xavier University visiting professor Dr. Yaffo Eliach, a Holocaust survivor, which she created with Dr. James Buchanan, Rabbi Abie Ingber

and Dr. William Madges. The creators promised the pope that the exhibit would open by his 85th birthday on May 18, 2005. Once design plans were completed, the exhibit was built in less than four months.

“Since its creation in 2005, the exhibit has been seen by some 600,000 people,” said co-creator James Buchanan, director of Xavier’s Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue. “We are eager for Richmonders to experience and learn from the pope’s powerful and inspiring story, as well.”

Admission into the Vir-ginia Holocaust Museum, along with the “A Blessing to One Another” exhibit is free and open to the public, seven days a week. For more in-formation, please visit www.va-holocaust.com.

PHOTO BY ELIZABETH FARINA"A Blessing to One Another" exhibit displays a replica from the Peace conference held in Assissi.

Virginia Holocaust Museum hosts national exhibit on interreligious dialogue

FEBRUARY 17, 2011 || 5MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COM SPORTS || FITNESSEXERCISE

Blackwell knows it's better late than never

BY JIM MCCONNELLjmcconnell@midlothianexchange.com

Zac Blackwell woke up last Saturday morning confi dent – no, make that certain – that by the time his head hit the pillow again, he would be a regional champion.

Never mind that in order to even make it to his fi rst Central Region fi nal, the James River senior would have to get past the de-fending champion (and consensus favorite) in the semifi nals.

Lee-Davis’ Calvin Davis, a state placewin-ner last season, presented a formidable ob-stacle to any of the other wrestlers hoping to make it to the top step of the awards podium in the 215-pound weight class.

That didn’t stop Blackwell from inform-ing anyone within earshot of his impending date with destiny.

“I’m not going to lie: He was being cocky,” said James River teammate Jordan O’Donnell, selected as the tournament’s out-standing wrestler after beating Hopewell’s Jonathan Gay for the 130-pound title.

“I didn’t think it was going to happen. I

doubted him, but he’s the only one who can talk now.”

Blackwell was leading Davis 3-2 in the third period of their semifi nal match when Davis was forced to default because of a shoulder injury.

Several hours later, Blackwell was stand-ing right where he said he’d be – on the top step of the podium, beaming as his father and other parents fi red fl ashbulbs at one of the more under-the-rader champions in recent regional history.

“This is awesome,” he said after pinning Meadowbrook’s Marcus Beckwith in 1:10. “I’ve wrestled for 11 years. I saw guys that I wrestled with become stars as freshmen and sophomores, and I always felt bad because I wasn’t a star, too.

“I started thinking about it, and I thought ‘Why not? This is my last opportunity to shine. Why not go all out now?”

James River’s coaches have been trying to get Blackwell to do just that for most of the

DOMINION DISTRICT TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Talented youngsters lead Titans

BY JIM MCCONNELLjmcconnell@midlothianexchange.com

Roughly nine months ago, Alex Moseley dominated

Chesterfi eld County’s middle school outdoor track and fi eld champion-ships, winning fi ve events and confi rming for every-one in attendance that it was only a matter of time before the gifted Bailey Bridge eighth-grader became a star on the next level.

Last week, Moseley provided another glimpse of her prodigious running and jumping skills. This time, though, she wasn’t competing against middle schoolers, but strong, well-trained varsity athletes.

While the Cosby High freshman didn’t win even one individual title at her fi rst Dominion District indoor meet, she placed top-3 in fi ve events and had a big smile on her face after the Titans ran away with their second consecutive girls team championship.

“There are so many events I love to do, the adrenaline starts fl owing

and I just go for it,” Mose-ley said after Cosby’s girls received their trophy at the Arthur Ashe Center.

Moseley showed off the full range of her talent by placing second in both the triple jump and 300-meter dash, while picking up third-place fi nishes in the long jump, 55 dash and 500.

Perhaps even more re-markable: Cosby coach Bryan Still wasn’t the slightest bit surprised that a freshman could handle such a heavy workload without missing a beat.

“She’s one of the toughest competitors I’ve ever seen,” said Still, who was named district coach of the year. “Every time she goes out, she leaves it all on the track and that’s all you can ask of her.”

At the same time, Still pointed out that Moseley’s still just a freshman and “has to get to the level where the juniors and seniors are now; it’s not like she’s winning everything.”

“She came in good. My drive is to take her to the next level,” he added. “That’s what we’ve been working on all year.”

Moseley welcomes that

Cosby freshman places in fi ve events at districts

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLCosby's Alex Moseley fl ies toward the pit for a second-place fi nish in the triple jump.

Kingslow proves he's fastestBY JIM MCCONNELLjmcconnell@midlothianexchange.com

At various points in his high school track career, it seemed the only person capable of slowing down Ajani Kingslow was … Ajani Kingslow.

The Cosby High senior has been bedev-iled by hamstring injuries over the past three years – most notably at the 2010 state indoor championships, when he tweaked a muscle while getting tripped on a baton pass during the 4x200-meter relay and was unable to compete in his best event (the 300 dash).

Considering his history, one might expect Titans coach Bryan Still to treat Kingslow with kid gloves in an attempt to keep him healthy for the end of the indoor season.

Instead, Still decided to turn his thorough-bred loose on the rest of the Dominion District at last week’s indoor track and fi eld champion-ships.

“My kids don’t get to pick what events they’re going to do, but I feel like they trust me to do the right thing by them,” he said.

Still, the district coach of the year, challenged Kingslow to step outside of his comfort zone

and attempt the “sprint triple.” During the indoor season, that’s the 55 dash,

300 and 500 – a combination of races that requires a rare combination of quickness out of the blocks, top-end speed and endurance.

“I told him he had a unique opportunity and I knew he was the kind of kid who could do it,” Still added.

Kingslow responded with a breathtaking performance, sweeping all three events and in the process, leaving no doubt as to the identity of the fastest man in the Dominion this winter.

“I’m not as tired as I expected to be,” he said with a smile after stretching and accepting con-gratulations from fellow competitors.

He had ample reason to be worn-out after outrunning three different groups of elite ath-letes and leading Cosby past Midlothian for the team title at the Arthur Ashe Center.

In just his second career attempt at the 55, Kingslow ran 6.77 to nip teammates Terrill Cooke (6.80) and Brandyn Laury (6.81) at the stripe.

“I’ve been trying to get my speed up,” PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELL

Midlothian's Brayden Burleigh (left) won the 1600 and fi nished second in the 1000.

GIRLS P6

BOYS P6

James River senior wins fi rst regional title

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLJames River's Zac Blackwell fulfi lled his own prophecy by winning a regional title Saturday.WRESTLE P7

MONUMENT AVE. 10K: A JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME

Running while illis no funBY JIM MCCONNELLjmcconnell@midlothianexchange.com

If someone had ever devised a way to make money from being a cautionary tale, I’d be that industry’s Bill Gates.

My latest example of “Don’t do what I did” occurred Saturday morn-ing, when I woke up early intending to join my YMCA Training Team for our weekly training run, only to be im-mediately beset by a case of the chills that had my teeth chattering a million miles an hour.

I had battled fl u-like symptoms all last week – much to the chagrin of my loving wife, who has made an annual event of asking me to get the fl u shot and shaking her head at my stubborn refusal.

(See a theme building? Cautionary tale: Guys, listen to your wives at all costs.)

Anyhow, between being busy with work and feeling awful, I hadn’t been able to get out for any of the indi-vidual training runs that are the foundation of the YMCA Training Team program.

For a non-runner like my-self, going from ground zero to completing the Monument Avenue 10K in just 10 weeks requires more than just one long run per week. You simply have to make time in your schedule to follow the program or you’ll never build enough cardiovascular endurance to fi nish the race.

At the same time, I knew that if I used illness as an ex-cuse for skipping a Saturday run, I was done. I’d be a full week behind my fellow Train-ing Team participants and I’d have a built-in excuse for giving up on this whole crazy 10K dream before complet-ing even half of the training schedule.

Give a couch potato an excuse for inactivity, and you might as well give him a box of Twinkies.

So as I lay there in bed, shivering like mad under the covers, I drew an imaginary line in the sand. I decided to pop a couple Ibuprofen and go for a run.

In retrospect, it probably was the correct decision. As much as I really want to run the 10K, I’m equally moti-vated by the desire to avoid having to explain in print why I’m a good-for-noth-ing quitter who lacks the discipline necessary to follow a reasonably basic training program.

TRAIN P7

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PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLManchester's Devon Earwood receives the baton during the Lancers' winning 4x800 relay.

Kingslow said. “I have the endurance. I just needed to be quicker out of the blocks.”

Quickness wasn’t an issue in the 500, where Kingslow employed a fairly straight-forward strategy: shadow teammate (and race favorite) Chris Miller, stay on his hip and out-kick him at the end.

That’s exactly what hap-pened. Kingslow surged into the lead late in the race and won with a time of 1:11.22, beating out two more team-mates (Will Henry and Miller) who later gave him some good-natured grief for poaching their best event.

While Kingslow said he was “done” after the 500, he dug deep and found enough speed to win the 300 by nearly a second over George Wythe’s Jumaun Horne.

“The 500 took a lot out of me, but the 300 is my favorite race. I would’ve been real upset if I had lost,” Kingslow added.

Through the fi rst six events, it appeared the boys title was L.C. Bird’s to lose. The Skyhawks led Cosby 71-54, but the Titans swept into fi rst place on the strength of their 1-2-3 fi nish in the 55 and never looked back.

Cosby’s only other in-dividual winner was Blake Condrey in the shot put, but Laury also had an outstand-ing meet. The junior fi nished second in the long jump, third in both the 55 and 300 and fi fth in the triple jump

while running a leg (along with Cooke, Kevin Greene and Cody Cahoon) on the Titans’ winning 4x200 relay.

Other individual champi-ons were as follows:

Long jump and triple jump – Jeremy Jones, L.C. Bird; High jump – Domi-nique Gibson, L.C. Bird; 55 hurdles – Chris Finklea, L.C.

Bird; 4x800 relay – Man-chester (Devon Earwood, Jake Jones, Aaron Thomp-son, Justin Livingston); 1600 – Brayden Burleigh, Midlothian; 1000 – Sean Wil-lard, Midlothian; 3200 – An-drew Gorsuch, Midlothian; 4x400 relay – Manchester (Jamie Belmar, Terrell Hack-ney, Jamel Thomas, Justin

Livingston). Jones was chosen as the

fi eld events athlete of the year, while Kingslow was the pick as runner of the year.

“I’m hoping to keep up this same level of perfor-mance at regionals and states,” Kingslow said, “but each stage gets more com-petitive.”

BOYS from P5

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLCosby's Megan Moye took fi rst place in the 1000 and 1600.

challenge with open arms.“I really want to see what

I can do this year,” she said, “then come back next year and keep moving forward.”

Moseley wasn’t the only freshman who performed well at last week’s meet. Clover Hill’s Julia Logan won the high jump and placed seventh in the 500 and Midlothian’s Kari Johnston was second in the 1600 and third in the 1000. Manches-ter’s Raven Thompson placed third in both the triple jump and high jump and ran a leg on the Lancers’ winning 4x200 relay.

Moseley also had plenty of help from her teammates as the Titans outscored runner-up Midlothian by 78 points. Manchester was third.

Sophomore De’Nisha Smith won the 55 hurdles and placed in three other individual events -- fourth in the 55 dash, fi fth in the long jump and sixth in the triple jump – while also running a leg on Cosby’s second-place 4x200 relay.

Sophomore Jayden Metzger won the 500 and

placed fi fth in the 300.Sophomore Gina

D’Orazio was second in the 500, third in the 300 and fi fth in the 55.

Junior Logan Edwards was named girls fi eld event ath-lete of the year for her victory in the shot put.

Junior Megan Moye showed she can run just as well inside as outside, earning runner of the year honors after sweeping the 1600 and 1000 titles in her fi rst year of indoor track.

“Everyone said it was fun and exciting,” Moye said. “I wanted to give it a try and see what I could do.”

Other individual champi-ons were as follows:

Long jump -- Solange Doldron, Manchester; Triple jump -- Janae Jones, Clover Hill; 55 dash -- Shacoria Winston, L.C. Bird; 4x800 relay -- Manchester (Adrian Walker, Abbie Taylor, Megan Weast, Lizzie Weast); 4x200 relay -- Manchester (So-lange Doldron, Shanice Clarke, Raven Thompson, Augusta Clarke); 300 dash – Kendall Sims, Midlothian; 3200 – Claire Benjamin, Midlothian.

GIRLS from P5

Kickers, MYSL agree to merge operationsCourtesy of Richmond Kickers

The membership of Midlothian Youth Soccer League (MYSL) and the Boards of Directors of the Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club and MYSL voted overwhelm-ingly in favor of consolidating the two clubs in a formal merger.

The new organization will continue to operate under the Richmond Kickers name, brand and player developmental struc-

ture, while incorporating MYSL’s talent, expertise and passion for recreational programming.

“The Board of Directors of the Midlothian Youth Soccer League are confi dent that this merger will not only enhance recreational youth soccer for the memberships of both clubs, but will also insure that non-profi t sports will thrive in the Richmond Metro area,” commented Tom Leahy, MYSL

President.At a special meeting held in

Midlothian on February 10, the MYSL membership voted to ap-prove the consolidation, allowing the two clubs to move forward for the upcoming Summer and Fall programming. The merged club is qualifi ed for 501(c)3 non-profi t status.

The merged entity will now have stewardship over two of the

best privately owned soccer com-plexes in the country, Hensley Park and Ukrop Park.

The Richmond Kickers player pyramid structure will feature all levels of play from youth to the pros, including Recreation, ADP, Classic, Elite, Academy and Profes-sional programs.

Current RKYSC Board of Di-rectors President, Rob Ukrop, will continue to serve in this role, while

Custis Coleman will serve as Vice President of the merged organiza-tion alongside members of both clubs’ boards.

Joining the Kickers team will be MYSL staff members John Addi-son and Holly Angel. With over 30 years of experience, John Addison will oversee the Kickers recreation-al program, while Holly Angel will serve as Director of Recreational Operations.

Advertise in Midlothian Exchange!

Call Sara Snyder at (804) 908-6086

for details.

Monacan boosters seeking golfers

The Monacan Athletic Boosters are looking for players and sponsors for their 17th annual Golf Classic and Silent Auction on May 2 at Stonehenge Golf and Coun-try Club.

The event is a major fund-raiser for the boosters, who contribute more than $30,000 annually to sup-port the athletic programs at Monacan High School.

The tournament will be a four-player Captain's Choice format and will begin with a shotgun start at 2 p.m.

Registration is $100 per player or $400 per foursome.

For more details, visit www.monacansports.com or contact Director of Student Activities Pat Ferguson at 378-2485.

Adult leaguewants players

Chesterfi eld Adult Sports is now accepting registrations for the upcoming Spring 2011 season.

You can download a registration form at chester-fi eldadultsports.com, print it and either deliver or mail it to P.O. Box 2355, Chester, VA 23831.

CLL signups ending soon

For guaranteed placement, anyone wishing to play base-ball or softball for Chester-fi eld Little League must be registered by Feb. 18. A $20 late fee will be applied for all registrations after Feb. 21.

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PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLManchester's David Wilburn tries to avoid a takedown attempt by Hanover's Tanner Tinsley during their 152-pound fi nal.

last four years. At the end of last season, when he failed to place at the regional tourna-ment, coach Mark Helberg met with Blackwell and told him there was no reason why he couldn’t become a champion.

“Honestly, I don’t believe he thought he could,” Hel-berg said. “He had the talent and technique. Now confi -dence is starting to unlock that and it’s been really enjoyable to watch.”

Blackwell said confi dence was only a piece of the puzzle and noted that his confi dence has grown as he’s gotten stronger. While he frequently felt inferior to opponents in that department, a new weightlifting regimen has helped him believe he can match up physically with anyone in the 215-pound weight class.

Blackwell discovered as much early in his match against Beckwith. Once he realized Beckwith wasn’t as strong as expected, he wasted no time taking him to his back and never let him up.

“His confi dence is soaring and he’s tough to stop right now,” O’Donnell said.

Now Blackwell’s chal-lenge is keeping his magic carpet ride going all the way to Fairfax’s James Robinson Secondary School, site of this weekend’s Group AAA state tournament.

“I don’t want him to be satisfi ed,” Helberg said. “We have one more week left, and

Still, I offer this advice in case you ever fi nd yourself in a similar situation: While drinking milk does indeed do a body good, running three miles while your body is be-ing besieged by the infl uenza virus does not.

I knew it was going to be a long, painful training session when both of my shins began to throb before the tail end of our Novice group had even made its way out of the YMCA parking lot. Unfortu-nately, that initial assessment was right on.

I labored through the out-bound leg, wondering why I hadn’t simply done the sen-sible thing and stayed in bed with my tissues, a TV remote and an industrial-sized vat of Vick’s VapoRub.

Finding a regular breath-ing rhythm was even more diffi cult than usual because of the congestion in my chest.

Even my carefully selected catalog of motivational train-ing music wasn’t having its usual impact. I mean, sure, Rocky Balboa was tough enough to beat Apollo Creed, Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago … but even “The Ital-ian Stallion” wouldn’t have made it through any of those classic silver-screen confron-tations if he’d also had to battle the fl u.

Somehow, I managed to complete most of the three-mile course. That part worked out far better than I could’ve hoped.

But make no mistake: I’ve been paying for it ever since. While I’ve obviously never

been hit by a speeding loco-motive, I believe the way my body felt for the rest of the day Saturday was as close to that experience as I’d prefer to get.

Things got so bad that by Saturday night, at the conclusion of the Central Region wrestling tourna-ment, I attempted to get up from my photography perch on the hardwood fl oor at James River High School and discovered that my legs were no longer working.

At my age, sitting legs crossed on a hard surface for more than a couple minutes is never a good idea. But this was different. This time, my legs really weren’t working.

As spectators poured out of the bleachers and wrestlers milled around, waiting for the fi nal team scores to be announced, I sat there and imagined what I’d tell the fi rst person who thought to ask me why I was still sitting there.

Fortunately for what’s left of my pride, nobody noticed me in all the commotion. The feeling eventually returned to my lower extremities and I was able to eventually stag-ger to my feet before James River’s JV wrestlers acciden-tally rolled me up in one of the mats.

(Cautionary tale: If you stupidly decide to run three miles while battling the fl u, under no circumstances should you plant your back-side on a gym fl oor and leave it there for the better part of two hours).

Find a chair. You’ll thank me later.

TRAIN from P5

Advertise in Midlothian Exchange! Call Sara Snyder at (804) 908-6086

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLCosby's Austin Coburn is in total control as he waits for the referee to award a pin and declare him the winner of the 171-pound regional championship.

if you think he can’t do some damage at states, you’re kid-ding yourself.”

Blackwell won’t be the Central Region wrestler most likely to win a state champi-onship. That honor will go to Cosby’s Austin Coburn, who won his fi rst regional title at 171 pounds and recorded his 100th career pin in a vic-tory over Matoaca’s Corbin Ramos.

O’Donnell, who fi nished third in the state last season, should go deep in the 130-pound bracket this year.

Then there are the fi ve other area wrestlers who also qualifi ed for states: Midlothian’s Jerry Ronnau (2nd at 135), Matt Malloy (3rd at 103) and Omar Howard

(3rd at 171), Cosby’s Greg Delano (3rd at 145) and Manchester’s David Wilburn (2nd at 152).

For Ronnau, a sophomore who fell to Hanover’s three-time regional champion Gabe LaVey, making the regional fi nal was an educational ex-perience he hopes will pay off in subsequent seasons.

It was also an opportunity for him to honor his older brother William, who quali-fi ed for regionals but was unable to compete because of illness.

“My dream wasn’t even to place [at states], but just to make it once,” Ronnau said. “I’m glad I can get some experience as a sophomore and build on that.”

WRESTLE from P5

Top 10 team scores

Hanover 194, Matoaca 175, Deep Run 109.5, Lee-Davis 106, Cosby 96, J.R. Tucker 94.5, Hermitage 92, Midlothian 83, James River 74.5, Atlee 73.5

Championship

103: Walker (JRT) d. Schuster (Mat) 10-6; 112: Timok (Her) d. Peters (Mat) 6-2; 119: Gordon (Mat) d. Whalling (CHts) 7-1; 125: Proffi tt (JRT) d. Harrison (Han) 7-2; 130: O’Donnell (JR) d. Gay (Hop) 5-3; 135: LaVey (Han) p. J. Ronnau (Mid) 3:16; 140: Hays (Atl) p. Roberson (Her) 1:04; 145: Turley (TD) p. Muhammad (Hen) :32; 152: Tinsley (Han) d. Wilburn (Man) 11-0; 160: Allala (Hop) d. Diamond (TD) 11-3; 171: Coburn (C) p. Ramos (Mat) 1:45; 189: Akins (Mat) p. Worsham (Mbk) 2:09; 215: Blackwell (JR) p. Beckwith (Mbk) 1:10; 285: Vaughan (Din) d. Harris (Mat) 7-4.

CENTRAL REGION

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