2013 was host to quite a year for NWIndianaLife Sports! From football to basketball to running and everything in between, it was a busy year for sports in the region.
We picked 10 of our top stories from the Sports Section on NWIndianaLife that we felt best represented the year we had telling positive stories in this arena. Take a look below and let us know your favorite of the bunch in the comments!
The Mudathlon is Much More Fun Than Sitting Inside and Playing Video Games
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The Mudathlon is an awesome 3-mile obstacle course and a ¼ mile kids fun run. Everyone wins a medal for doing the 40 obstacle 5K or the 10 obstacle 1/4 mile fun run! Once you complete the last obstacle you are an official “MUDATHLETE”. The Mudathlon is a great race for team work. My dad participated in a team called “the Duneland Dirt”. He would stay with the team and help them over obstacles and helped them finish strong. I participated in the ¼ mile fun run with my little brother, Brock. We did 10 obstacles and got really muddy.
The Mudathlon is a race so I raced my friends (in the photograph on the right). Running the race without losing a shoe is great (as you have to finish through a huge mud pit), but finishing with a pose for the cameraman in your muddy glory with your team is awesome.
The Jean Shepherd Community Center Played Host to Champions
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The showcase event of Babe Ruth Cal Ripken League 46-60 baseball that Hammond residents have looked forward to for the last several years has finally arrived. Thursday night at the Jean Shepherd Community Center, eight communities from all over the Unites States plus Northern Indiana state champion Crown Point and the host team Hammond Optimist to celebrate not only baseball, but friendship and camaraderie. The teams gathered in the staging area prior to being introduced at the banquet and had an opportunity to meet and greet each other.
Prior to the dinner, all 10 teams representing the eight respective regions as well as local teams Crown Point and Hammond Optimist were introduced. The loudest introduction came when Hammond and Mayor Tom McDermott’s team was introduced.
Home Field Advantage Foundation Continues Effort to Revitalize Youth Baseball in Gary
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When the Gary SouthShore RailCats decided to establish a minor league baseball franchise in Gary, the team partnered with the City of Gary and U.S. Steel in an effort to help revitalize youth baseball in the city through the Home Field Advantage Foundation. Fast-forward 11 years, and the tripartite effort is seeing the fruits of its labor.
“As the club was being conceptualized, the parties that were involved wanted to give back to the community,” United States Steel Corporation Director of Community Affairs Allen Spajer said. “We’ve seen a lot of progress recently.”
Jamie Green Named Cinemagic Sportsline Coach of the Year
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As we approach late summer and summer sports are winding down for many, CineMagic would like to thank all of the coaches who put in their time, energy and resources for our kids. Coaching is an awesome responsibility and can often be a thankless job. With that in mind, CineMagic would like to announce the winner of its first ever Coach of the Year Award...
Jamie was selected by CineMagic based on the feedback from parents on his team and comments made on both Facebook and via email.
A Winning End To The Summer
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Residents of Crown Point gathered downtown on the square Tuesday night to watch the celebratory parade of the U12 Cal Ripken World Series Champions. Having played teams from North Dakota, Kentucky, and Hawaii, the final game against a team from the Bronx, New York on Sunday night made the Bulldogs World Series Champions. The final score of the winning game was 5 to 4.
Flashing their lights and sounding their sirens, the Crown Point Police led the parade around the square. Not far behind were the 14 teammates and their coaches atop a fire engine cheering, waving, and raising their trophy to the crowd. After three laps around the square the parade ended at the Crown Point Cal Ripken fields on North Street. The crowd followed to the fields where there was a short ceremony congratulating and recognizing the accomplishments and achievements of the team. As a reminder of their success, the scoreboard was lit up with the final score from Sunday’s game.
Gary SouthShore RailCats Celebrate American Association Championship
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When the Gary SouthShore RailCats pulled up at the U.S. Steel Yard on Sunday night after an 11-hour bus ride back from Wichita, they found a large contingent of fans waiting for them.
Despite the fact that it was after 11 p.m. on a Sunday night, the fans did not miss the opportunity to celebrate with the 2013 American Association Champion RailCats, who clinched the title with a 6-5 victory over the Wichita Wingnuts on Saturday night, taking the series three games to one.
AAU Cross Country Meet Brings Runners from All Over NWI
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Runners from around the area and the state gathered on a brisk Sunday morning to be a part of the AAU Cross Country meet at Sunset Hill Farm, one of many great places that is facilitated by Porter County Parks and Recreation. Six different age groups participated, starting at the age of eight all the way up to 18. Those age groups then ran either a 2K, 3K, 4K, or 5K around the large grass and wooded area provided. The qualifiers from this meet will go on to run in the AAU Athletics’ National Championships that takes place in Georgia at the end of the year.
The first race of the morning was the eight year old’s 2K run, a short but no less tiring run. After that the nine and ten year olds ran in a 3K, and soon after the eleven and twelve year olds ran the same distance. Thirteen and fourteen aged girls and boys ran in a 4K before the fifteen and sixteen age group amped it up to a 5K run.
Chesterton Lacrosse Growing "Leaps And Bounds"
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A growing interest in Lacrosse, both nationally and locally, has the Chesterton Lacrosse program booming.
And while the numbers are up for the league that will enter its third year in the spring of 2014, league founder Mark Kezy says additional students at all levels are encouraged to register for both boys and girls teams offered for the 2014 spring season.
Hobart Hosts Winterfest Swimming Invitational
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It was an extremely busy day at the Hobart Pool, with 10 schools, as well as unattached swimmers, hitting the pool for a meet on December 7th. Bishop Noll, Calumet High School, Griffith High School, Hammond Clark, Hammond Gavit, Hammond High School, Hammond Morton, Hobart High School, Lowell High School, and South Central were all in attendance.
Hobart grabbed the 1st place overall honors, with their Girls team placing first and the Boys placing 2nd. Hammond Morton was the boys 1st place winners.
A NWIndiana Life in the Spotlight: Mike Bazin
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Having reached the pinnacle of the high school coaching world after only two seasons as head coach of the Crown Point High School boys soccer team, Mike Bazin’s next goal is to make sure Crown Point remains as a name to be reckoned with on the Northwest Indiana soccer scene.
“From a program perspective we want to make sure we continue to build,” said Bazin, a native of Valparaiso. “Everyone wants to be part of a program that is competitive every year.”