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GREG STROBEL AWARDS MEDALS, CHANGES LIVES

October 10, 2020 by

In 1973, Greg Strobel was the best college wrestler in the NCAA Championship meet. The best of the best. A group of high school wrestlers from North Bend drove up to Seattle to watch the matches. We saw what greatness looked like toward the end of the finals when Greg Strobel stepped out on the […]

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FRIGHTENED MAN: WHAT SCARES THEM THE MOST

August 15, 2020 by

One thing about frightened man is they make lots of noise. They’re loud, yet never ask, “Can you hear me?” Instead, they keep the volume turned to eleven. How can you tell, besides the noise, if a frightened man is also nutty as hell?

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ROBIN RICHARDS TO THE RESCUE

July 19, 2020 by

Robin Richards top row center. Image via teamusa.org I grew up in a small Oregon town that had one big team, the wrestling team. And I wasn’t a wrestler, not yet. Instead, I played ball, the usual ball. And not very well, which made me question if I’d ever be more than washed up at […]

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GREEN CHAIN DANCER TELLS SISTER STORY

March 18, 2020 by

The green chain in the local plywood mill called for me after freshman year in college. I had a college loan and the job was the best for paying it off and putting money away for sophomore year. I was the new guy on the swing shift crew in 1974 with men who enjoyed a […]

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EARLY SCHOOL RIVALRIES FUEL LIFETIME OF CONTENTION

March 6, 2020 by

Early school rivalries explain so much about how we interact with one another. I started school at sea level; the rivalry schools were on higher ground. That’s where kids from the fancy part of town learned how important they were and why they were better. At least that was the theory in first grade. Sports […]

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DECADE ENDS IN SOFT TALK, HARD TRUTHS

December 26, 2019 by

    Me: This decade ends the best of times and worst of times. Them: Did you just make that up, or are you finally going to admit to stealing from Charles Dickens? Me: Writers don’t steal, they borrow. Them: Like the time you borrowed a notebook from Payless in Pony Village?

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World’s Factory: China Fills Big Box America To The Brim

July 11, 2018 by

  The world’s factory, otherwise known as China, fills big box America from Costco to Target to Walmart.   From Home Depot to Lowe’s the world’s factory supplies America with the suburban necessities.   If it’s electronic components, or sporty textiles, or steel, look for the Made in China tag. You won’t have to look […]

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TEACHER ABUSE BAD FOR STUDENT BODY

May 24, 2018 by

  How does a seasoned school administrator lose their job by ignoring students? When they decide some student voices are more important than others.   The old saying about a squeaky wheel getting the grease may apply here, but the school official was out of lube. Now they’re out of a job, or will be […]

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NIKE CANCER TEAM TRAINING CAMP REVIEW

May 15, 2018 by

  After a diagnosis for hpv throat cancer I found a cancer team. An Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist, a radiation oncologist, and a chemo-therapy oncologist, all gathered data for my best outcome.   That was the shared goal. I had a couple of others I shared with them, like avoiding opioid addiction and secondary […]

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DONALD TRUMP, JUST ANOTHER SMALL TOWN BOY?

April 11, 2018 by

    By paying attention and listening harder, I’ve learned what it means when men are who they say they are, and when they aren’t. All gets strained through a small town filter of right and wrong, good and bad, the perceived values of small town life where everything happens on the front yard.   […]

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