By Donnie A. Lucas

About 80 elementary age students took part this week in what may be the only youth sports camp offered this summer.

The all outdoor camp was divided into two sessions, with about 55 registered in the K-3 group and 25 in the 4-6 grade level.

This was the first time that boys and girls have attended the same camp.

“We were limited in what we could do since we couldn’t use any inside facilities,” coach Ryder Peacock said. “I think we were able to really work with the kids and practice skills that touched on almost every sport.”

By Donnie A. Lucas

Golfers entered in the annual Fathers Day tournament sponsored by the Albany Golf Club were able to get in two days of golf with good weather conditions.

A total of 84 players participated in the annual tourney.

“The tournament went really well,” organizer James Waters said. “We had a few teams cancel, but the numbers were still better than the last couple of years.”

He noted that the weather was windy but cooler than normal, making the event more enjoyable.

By Lynsi Musselman

Moran High School alumna and now Hardin-Simmons University graduate Sydney Ten Cate was recently named the 2019-2020 Academic All-Conference female cross country athlete of the year.

HSU Track and Field representative said Ten Cate is “without a doubt the best cross country athlete the HSU program has ever seen.”

Ten Cate owns the top 11 5k times and the top six 6k times in the history of the HSU women’s cross country program.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany coaches reported larger than usual attendance at daily conditioning workouts for high school and junior high aged students that started last week.

The morning sessions for strengthening and conditioning will continue on Mondays through Thursdays through the end of July, with the exception of a couple of blackout periods in July.

The boys will meet for morning strength and conditioning from 7:00 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. on Monday through Thursdays.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Local elementary aged youth have the chance next week to participate in what will probably be the only youth camp held this summer.

Two local coaches are hosting an All-Sports Outdoor Camp for both boys and girls starting Monday, June 22 and continuing through June 24.

The camp will be split between two age groups, with students entering grades K-3 meeting at 9:00 a.m. until 10:20 a.m. each day. Students entering grades 4-9 will meet at 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Over 80 local athletes entering grades 7-12 in the fall showed up for the first day of summer conditioning on Monday at the high school.

This is the first time that student athletes have been allowed back to use the school’s facilities since schools across Texas were closed on March 16 by the Texas Education Agency due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Strength and conditioning programs were approved to start June 8 as officials slowly begin reopening certain facilities for the first time since spring break.

By Donnie A. Lucas

There are still 11 of the 36 spots for team entries in the annual Father’s Day Golf Tournament set for June 20-21 at the Albany Golf Club.

Restrictions on activities at the local golf course have been eased in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, allowing the local golf club to host the traditional 36-team tourney. 

By Donnie A. Lucas

After almost a three-month lull in activity, local student athletes who will enter grades 7-12 next fall have their first opportunity to start supervised workouts that include both conditioning and limited sport-specific training.

The strength and conditioning sessions start Monday, June 8 with boys and girls divided into separate groups. The workouts will continue until July 30, with two idle weeks along the way.

By Melinda L. Lucas

Five of the eight local senior athletes who were selected to participate in this summer’s FCA All-Star games were presented last week with personalized items they would normally have received as part of the festival events.

Paul Johnston, who is a Big Country FCA representative, met with the Albany graduates at the high school flagpole last Tuesday, May 26.

He gave each all-star a plaque, an FCA Bible and their individual jerseys for the particular sport they were picked for.

By Donnie A. Lucas

Albany Little League games started this week despite a lengthy delay from the original start date due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Both major and minor teams will play three days per week during a shortened season scheduled to end by June 30.

T-ball and coach pitch leagues also started this week, continuing their schedule on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The last set of games for those two leagues is currently set for Wednesday, June 24.