A few tidbits — some sports-related, some not — this sports writer learned or observed during a recent two-week vacation.
• Former Ada High girls golfer Beans Factor has continued to do Beans things since transferring to Tahlequah Sequoyah. She helped the Lady Indians roll to a Class 3A State championship. It was the first state title in Tahlequah Sequoyah history. Factor was runner-up in the medalist race.
Factor won tournaments hosted by Keys, Miami, Henryetta, Tahlequah and Kansas. She finished her stellar season with a 73.2 stroke per tournament average and was named a finalist for the Tulsa World’s Girls Golfer of the Year. The winner is expected to be announced on June 20. Factor helped the Ada Lady Cougars win a state championship at the end of the 2023 spring golf season.
• It is humanly possible to eat approximately 113 pieces of perfectly cooked bacon at an all-you-can-eat buffet in Branson, Missouri.
• While watching a few NBA playoff contests, it is obvious that Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić (I had to copy and past his name because I have no idea how to produce those letters on my keyboard) is one of the most gifted basketball players in the world. He may be in the Top 5 of most whiny, too.
• My beloved LA Dodgers are a pitcher or two away from contending for a World Series championship, but that offense is stacked. Shohei Ohtani was a nice offseason acquisition. I’ve been a Dodgers fan since I can remember watching professional baseball. My late mother dated Cy Young winner Don Drysdale. Can you imagine me growing up Jeff Drysdale instead of Jeff Cali?!?!
• The roads in a 30-40 mile radius of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, are the most curvy, winding roads on the planet. If you don’t know where you are going, the roads inside Eureka Springs city limits are kinda scary, especially when driving around looking for a midnight snack.
• The only town with fewer food options after 11 p.m. than Ada, Oklahoma, is Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
• I won second and third place in Sports Story at the recent Oklahoma Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. I finished second in Column Writing to the editor at the Tahlequah Daily Press. The story that finished second in Sports Story was The Ada News coverage of the Ada High School boy’s basketball team getting beat by McAlester at the buzzer on a shot that shouldn’t have counted. The second-place columns included a piece about Tupelo winning a state softball tile and Ada High track star Xander Rhynes winning a 400-meter state championship while wearing a pair of shoes that was a half-size too small.
• A handful of local athletes competed in All-State contests over the past couple of weeks. Seeing all the social media All-State posts reminded me how much I’ll miss watching and reporting on the seniors of 2024.
• Even in my absence, I’ve kept our award-winning photographer, Richard R. Barron, busy shooting local summer athletic camps. The young athletes in this area are super lucky to have such a group of great coaches who put on fantastic summer camps. Sign your kids up for these events!
• Even though I was in another state, I proudly watched the University of Oklahoma softball team win its fourth straight Women’s College World Series championship. What an amazing run for that squad. It was even sweeter for them to complete the task against No. 1 Texas.
• Local shooter girl Zoe Traylor didn’t get to bring home the first-place trophy from the Oklahoma State Trap Shoot event named after her. She admittedly didn’t shoot her best but took it in stride and has her sights set on The Grand — the 2024 Grand American World Trapshooting Championships. “She was disappointed .. but she has kept a great attitude and knows she’ll bounce back.” said her No. 1 fan, her mother Angela Traylor-McElhannon. The 125th Grand is scheduled for July 31-Aug. 10 in Sparta, Illinois.
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