Shelby County Today

June 6, 2019 Denver - Abi DePriest, from Tenaha and an 8th grade student at Carthage Jr. High school has earned a position on the Texas National Junior High rodeo team and will be traveling with fellow teammates to Huron, South Dakota, June 23rd through June 29th to compete at the 15th annual National Junior High Finals Rodeo (NJHFR) in the Pole Bending competition.

Featuring roughly 1,000 contestants from 44 states, five Canadian provinces, Australia and Mexico, the NJHFR is the world's largest junior high rodeo. In addition to competing for more than $80,000 in prizes, NJHFR contestants will also be vying for more than $200,000 in college scholarships and the chance to be named a National Junior High Finals Rodeo World Champion. To earn this title, contestants must finish in the top 20 — based on their combined times/scores in the first two rounds — to advance to Saturday evening's final round. World champions will then be determined based on their three-round combined times/scores. New this year is a $50,000 added money, optional jackpot, available to everyone at finals who cares to enter.

Again, this year, the Saturday championship performance will be televised nationally as a part of the Cinch High School Rodeo Tour telecast series on RFD-TV. Live broadcasts of all NJHFR performances will air on: www.RidePass.com. Performance times are 7 p.m. on June 23rd and 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. each day thereafter.

Along with great rodeo competition and the chance to meet new friends from around the world, NJHFR contestants have the opportunity to enjoy shooting sports, volleyball, contestant dances, family-oriented activities, church services sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Cowboys, and shopping at the NJHFR tradeshow, as well as visiting area attractions as Huron hosts the NJHFR this year. To follow your local favorites at the NJHFR, visit www.NHSRA.com daily for complete results. For ticket information and reservations, visit www.sdstatefair.com.

June 3, 2019 - (Album) - Shelby County youth participated in the 28th Annual Preston Football Camp on June 1, 2019 where they practiced in a variety of exercises and football training methods.

Dwight Preston and his team of coaches spent the day instructing these area players on football strategies and fundamentals.

An extra highlight this year for the players was being timed in the 40-yard dash on the Roughrider track.

June 2, 2019 - East Texas’s own Dominique Edison will be hosting a youth football camp at the San Augustine High School Stadium on June 15th. Dominique played at SFA State University where he was named NCAA All-American and he then played in the National Football League as wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans.

Edison has enlisted the help of former NFL players, college coaches and current college football players to assist him in putting on this camp. Former NFL player and East Texan Vincent Cartwright will also be at the camp sharing his knowledge of the game. 

During the camp, Edison and his coaching staff will thoroughly train and prepare each player to be a better, more confident football player. With excellent football, housing facilities, top coaches, and pro players, Dominique’s goal is to give each camper the finest football instruction available along with an experience they will never forget.

The camp agenda will offer fun, challenging, vigorous game like training and is accepting of everyone’s abilities. The camp coaches take great pride in providing a loving, safe, and welcoming environment for all the campers.

The summer football camp is available for youth ages 7 to 18. The Summer Football Camp will be held on Saturday, June 15th, at San Augustine Wolf Pack Stadium. It is highly encouraged all youth interested in attending the camp pre-register online at edisonfootballcamp.com. Camp spots are limited and guaranteed to fill quickly so register online now. If spots are still available, youth will be allowed to register in person on the day of the camp, beginning at 7:30 a.m.

There will be a $15 fee to participate in the camp, which will include a Dri-Fit camp shirt and food. The camp will conclude at 1:00 p.m.

Athletes attending the camp need to bring cleats and a sports water bottle with them. Camp is non-contact with a focus on drills and activities that are beneficial for football players. Each athlete will work with top experienced sport coaches with a focus on improving footwork, speed and agility, increased balance and control, and building confidence through fundamental development.

Parents and relatives are encouraged to attend the camp practice and concluding ceremony.

May 30, 2019 - Four Center ISD students competed at the 2019 Gulf District AAU Taekwondo National Qualifier in Houston, Texas on May 4th. Logan Galindo, Jahaziel Figueroa, Rex Payne, and Zac Payne train locally at Self Defense America (SDA) under the direction of Master Tina Roddy.

“All of the students brought home medals in their individual events,” said Master Tina Roddy. “By winning medals in their individual classes and events, all four students qualified to compete in the AAU TKD Nationals and Junior Olympics this summer.”

Students participated in Creative Weapons Forms, Traditional Forms, and Point Sparring. For traditional forms, students have to follow a predetermined set of movements, but for creative weapons forms, students are able to develop their own routine using a bo staff, kammas, or a sword. The other main event was point sparring, participants fight gaining points by landing a technique from a set of allowable kicks and punches.

“Competing is a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of hard work and dedication,” said four-year veteran of AAU competitions and black belt Logan Galindo. “The best part is hanging out with your friends.” 

Logan won gold in both of his events - creative weapons forms and traditional forms. Red belt Jahaziel Figueroa competed in point sparring, creative weapons forms, and traditional forms and brought home the silver in all three events. Rex brought home a gold in creative weapons forms, silver in point sparring, and bronze in traditional forms. His brother blue belt Zac Payne won silver in traditional forms and bronze in weapons forms.

“I like competing in TKD because it’s fun and it helps me learn about myself,” said red belt Rex Payne, “where my limits are and how to push myself.”

“Winning is terrific,” said Logan’s mom Tracie Galindo. “ It definitely shows you that all of the hours of work had a purpose, but, as a mom, I enjoy seeing the support that these young men give each other. They help each other achieve great things and support each other when the judges’ decisions don’t go their way. They give suggestions to each other on how to improve. I love the character that is developed in this program.”

Gulf District AAU Taekwondo National Qualifier was sanctioned by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), a national organization founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sports. Taekwondo is one of over 30 individual sports offered within the organization. Local competitors compete in Region 9 and then may qualify to perform at the Nationals event or Junior Olympics in the Summer. Competitors in the Nationals event may be chosen for the National competition team to travel around the world, representing the United States.