Jalen S. Taylor

There’s an old adage in sports; and usually, it holds true: father time is undefeated. Regardless of ones preparation, it’s impossible for any high-caliber athlete to avoid the abominable drop-off that comes along with age. However, in Maceo Wofford’s case, the 35-year-old former Jamestown High School basketball star and his talented supporting cast of Gus Macker teammates are doing a pretty good job of postponing it.

“Mace has never been better,” said Steve Breth, a fundamentally sound big man

Cross-country isn’t easy. Ask any of the athletes involved with Maple Grove’s highly revered cross-country program, and they’ll be among the first to agree: distance running is one of the hardest, most physically demanding and mentally intensive sports there is.

Couple that with humidity, early morning workouts, late night runs, treacherous terrain and the uncanny amount of willpower that is required to make it from start to finish, and it’s not hard to see why a lot of people don’t stick with it.

For that reason, it’s even more impressive that one accomplished senior from Maple Grove High School, who was first introduced to the sport six years ago in the seventh grade, did.

Her name is Hope Pietrocarlo.

The 2015 Babe Ruth Baseball 13-Year-Old World Series kicked off Saturday afternoon down at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park. Just moments beforehand, Russ Diethrick, Jamestown’s own “Mr. Baseball,” received some rather interesting news: he had to “pinch-hit” for the league president.

Much like his players, Southwestern’s newly appointed head football coach, Jehuu Caulcrick, likely had trouble getting to sleep last night. And for good reason. Caulcrick, the former Michigan State standout who shattered nearly every record in the books back in his high school playing days at Clymer, knew that in just 24 hours, he would be coaching his first game of high school football.

Mark Kelso, former Bills defensive-back and current color analyst for the Buffalo Bills Radio Network, made his way to Bergman Park Friday evening to speak before an assiduous group of players and parents at the 2015 Westside Panthers pep-rally.

Judging by their reception, his message will not soon be forgotten.

Listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds in his playing days, Kelso was a small, hard-nosed defensive player in the 90’s who’s notoriously known for wearing a large, padded, concussion-reducing “ProCap” on top of his Buffalo Bills helmet. With eight NFL seasons under his belt, the 52-year-old who is now 22 years removed from the game now realizes how important it is to teach proper technique to the up and coming generation.

Make no mistake about it, Mike Burr, Maple Grove’s beloved high school Girls Varsity soccer coach, is a man that requires little to no introduction. Entering his 11th season as head coach, fresh off a sectional title, there’s not much the three-time Post-Journal Coach of the Year hasn’t accomplished over the course of his tenure at Maple Grove High School.

Whether it’s guiding his teams to multiple sectional and league titles, or instilling character in his players, while putting up flawless records in the process, Burr has established himself as one of the premier high school soccer coaches this area has to offer. Needless to say, the astute leader is deserving of all accolades that come his way.

35 years ago, the 13-year-old Babe Ruth Baseball World Series made its way to Jamestown for the very first time.

To celebrate, the city hosted a large parade, during which fans, community members and baseball enthusiasts alike gathered to witness a show that was not soon to be forgotten.

Hundreds of people flooded the streets, each trying to secure a better view, as Babe Ruth’s vintage 1922 Pierce-Arrow Limousine paraded down Second Street to commemorate a seemingly unprecedented event. From that day forth, a tradition had been started in Jamestown - whether the city knew it or not.

Prior to the start of each World Series, Babe Ruth International selects four individuals from different parts of the country to call the games; two spots are reserved for local umpires.

This year, three local guys will be working the field down at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park for the 35th anniversary of the first ever 13-year-old Babe Ruth World Series, hosted then and now, in Jamestown, New York.

Success on the hardwood has been a staple down at Jamestown Community College for quite some time, in large part, due to the routine dedication exhibited by the team’s head volleyball coach, Ashley Lund, and the entire Women’s Volleyball Program.

Over recent years, Lund and her teams have finished with some pretty impressive records, even managing to secure a couple of championships along the way.

This year, the goal is no different.

Sweet-swinging legend, Darryl Strawberry, will go down as one of the most electrifying players to ever play the game of baseball. Drafted straight out of high school by the New York Mets in 1980, Strawberry went on to have an illustrious 17-year career before being ultimately derailed by various substance abuse problems. Over the course of his career, Strawberry managed to secure Rookie of the Year honors in 1983, he made eight consecutive All-Star game appearances and he played on four World Series championship teams.

As potent as he was on the field, what’s even more compelling is his story off the field.

For that reason, the Chautauqua Lake Men of Integrity have announced that they will be bringing Darryl Strawberry, along with his wife, Tracy, to Jamestown to speak on some of the issues that plague the community.

Baseball is a very simple game. Albeit there are several different positions on the field, generally speaking, the objective remains the same: You throw the ball, you hit the ball and you catch the ball.

That’s a given.

What’s not so easy is playing host to a Babe Ruth World Series -- especially, for the very first time.

Flashback to 1980, and the city of Jamestown found itself in a similar predicament.

“The first time it (the Babe Ruth World Series) was here, it was a huge deal,” said local area resident Tom Benson, as he reflected on the events that took place approximately 35 years ago. “The whole town got involved with it; there was this parade that was fantastic... it was just an exciting event.”

Ironically, the late Robert H. Benson, Tom’s father, was one of three men who worked so hard to make that 1980 Babe Ruth World Series Parade such a memorable event.

When it comes to road races, Jamestown has been received as an attractive destination for quite some time now, in large part, due to longtime coach, meet director and race director, David Reinhardt, and the expertise exhibited by the dedicated members of his newly established Trackqua race-planning crew.

From his patented Lucy Half Marathon & 5k Run, to the Daniel Feather Memorial and so on, Reinhardt and co. have continuously been at the forefront of all the area’s race-planning, coordinating and timing needs.

For that reason, it comes as no surprise that World Vision International, a humanitarian relief and development organization headquartered in Washington, partnered with him to bring a rather unique event to the city of Jamestown.

Located on the second floor of the Jamestown Area YMCA is the Teen Center, a youth outreach program designated by the organization to serve at-risk youth. The Teen Center provides local area children with a variety of different afterschool activities, one of them being the Teen Center Boxing Club, which is currently being coached by a pair of esteemed fighters, Joe Ortiz and Chip Swanson. Although kids in the program come and go, the lessons they are taught in the ring last a lifetime.

Five years ago, early in the 2010-2011 season, the Southwestern Trojan’s Girls varsity tennis team came up short in a non-league match. Fast-forward five years later, and it’s safe to say not too many people are thinking of that; and for good reason – the team hasn’t lost a match since.

Fresh off a win on Monday evening at Chautauqua Lake, with a massive 77 game win streak under their belts, the program currently sits atop the record books in Western New York, holding the active record for the longest consecutive win-streak in high school tennis.

“We’ve been lucky enough to win these (77) matches,” said Rod Beckerink, seasoned coach for both the girl’s and boy’s tennis teams at Southwestern, as he reflected on their recent success. “Historically, Southwestern has had some strong tennis teams dating back to the 70s,” said Beckerink. “The coach before me (Anne Smith) created the tradition; she had over 600 wins total for boys and girls... It’s just sort of been a great program.”