Sandite Cross Country boys and girls both take first place at Kiefer

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

For the first time in Charles Page High School history, both the boys and girls Cross Country teams came in first place at the same event. The Sandites traveled to Kiefer for their season-opener and both teams came home with the gold.

The Lady Sandites took first place for the first time since 2014, and the boys claimed first place for the first time in over a decade. The last time the two teams came close to sweeping an event was 2001 at Tulsa Memorial when they both claimed second. 

The girls ran a mile Saturday and three-time State Champion Cheyenne Walden led the pack with a career-best 5:23, beating her previous best by eight seconds . This is Walden's fourth-consecutive win. The senior only came in second one time last season, at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas. 

Coming in second place with a time of 6:14 was a junior transfer from Jenks, Tiqvah Soap. Soap finished in the top ten at two meets with the Trojans last year and adds to what is already one of the best girls' Cross Country teams in recent memory. 

Alexis Davis completed the trinity with a 6:24 finish for third place, beating her personal-record by fifteen seconds. 

Kalea Fleming, an eighth grade student at Clyde Boyd Middle School, placed first in the junior high division with a time of 6:11, which would have landed her silver in varsity. She will likely be a bright spot in the next four years of Sandite XC.

• 9th Elizabeth Watts 6:54 (PR-0:06)
• 12th Julia Lewis 7:05 
• 13th Sara Abbet 7:07
• 14th Stephanie Genn 7:12
• 16th Kaitlyn Walden 7:17
• 17th Kaylee Blansett 7:31
• 19th Madison Englestead 7:38
• 22nd Chezney Kelley 7:49
• 23rd Kaileeann Worthington 7:55
• 26th Madelynn Adams 7:56
• 33rd Lily Reed 8:41
• 39th Lauren Barkdull 10:17
• 40th Ayden Meade 10:18
• 42nd Hope Pollard 11:01

The boys ran two miles and landed six runners in the top ten. Sophomore Aden Baughman, who was the lone Sandite boy to qualify for State last year, placed second in 10:46, beating his PR by 1:28. Glenpool's Ben Cain took first place with a twenty-two second lead on Baughman.

Ian Baustert, Kaegan Murray, and Jaden Weiser were neck-and-neck, each finishing within a hair of each other. Each had a time of 11:21, and placed fifth, sixth, and seventh, respectively. Two seconds behind them was Nelson Yazzie for eighth place, and Pierson Balsters trailed him in ninth place with an 11:26 finish. 

Baustert's time was a 1:22 PR. Murray improved on his best by twenty-eight seconds. 

• 12th Jaedyn Jackson 12:07
• 14th Phillip Elleman 12:28 (PR-4:14)
• 15th Danny Murray 12:35 (PR-2:20)
• 16th Jacob Smith 12:41 (PR-2:39)
  • 17th Cooper Lynch 12:43 (PR-2:30)
  • 18th Austin McCaskey 12:47 (PR-0:22)
  • 20th Charlie Everett 13:31
  • 21st Alex Newport 14:43
  • 22nd Russell McCaskey 15:00
  • 23rd Cody Putscher 15:52

Elementary Results

• 8th Kade Holland
• 15th Kodah Gregory
• 16th Braden Gregory
• 27th Gavin Corbin
• 29th Josie Myers
• 36th Cooper McDonald
• 44th Carter McDonald

The Sandites will return to action Saturday, September 3rd, at Kelly Lane Park in Sapulpa. Kelly Lane is located at 1151 South Park Street.

• 8:45 a.m. Elementary (K-6) one-mile race 
• 9:00 a.m. Varsity Girls one-mile race
• 9:25 a.m. Varsity Boys two-mile race
• 9:50 a.m. JV Girls one-mile race
• 10:15 a.m. JV Boys two-mile race
• 10:40 a.m. Junior High Girls one-mile race
• 11:00 a.m. Junior High Boys one-mile race

Sand Springs librarian Richard Why leads double-life as professional golfer

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Local Charles Page librarian Richard Why is not your typical book nerd. When he's not stocking shelves and checking out books, he can be found on disc golf courses across the Midwest, playing professionally for Team Fossa. Richard and his wife, Tara, are both sponsored by Fossa Disc Golf.

Why played competitive ball golf throughout high school, but made the switch to disc golf after graduating.

"I realized how expensive it was. Playing disc golf for free really appealed to my college budget. I bought one disc and met (a friend) at the Riverside disc golf course one day after work and that's where it all started."

The twenty-nine-year-old father of one has been competing in PDGA events since 2010 when he took 8th place in the Advanced division in his first tournament, the Oklahoma Open. Why continued golfing in Advanced through 2011 and won his first tournament on February 4th, 2012.

"The real turning point for me came in 2012 when I beat everyone in my division by 8 strokes and my overall score would have placed me at second in the Pro Open division. Seeing the other guys walk away with a couple hundred dollars in cash looked way better than my stack of discs I had won, so I decided to move up and start playing in the Pro division," says Why.

That tournament was the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm-Up, a B-tier event held in Lewisville, Texas. In his division alone, he bested 39 other golfers.

Two weeks later he made his professional debut at the Dynamic Discs Cedar Hill Chill in Cedar Hill, Texas and tied for last place in a tough competition that included Eric McCabe and Jay "Yeti" Reading. He didn't let that loss weigh him down, however, and finished top-ten in his next five tournaments.

"When I first started out I didn't really follow disc golf too much. I watched Youtube videos on how to play and get better but didn't know of many touring Pros. I do admire Paul McBeth though, he is the current No.1 ranked player in the world and has won the last 4 World Championships in a row. He is taking disc golf more mainstream. He is well spoken and a great ambassador for the sport for younger players."

Why finally won his first pro tournament in July that same year, finishing three strokes ahead of Matthew Wright at the 3rd annual Monkey Trap Open in Springdale, Arkansas. At the same time, he was on his way to a first place finish at the ten-round, ten-week league event, McClure Monday Mayhem, here in Tulsa. 

In 2013 he took first place at the 5th Annual Lucky 13, the Denison Parks and Recreation Open, and the Oklahoma State Flying Disc Championship. He finished top-ten in all but two of his 18 tournaments that year.

In 2014 he placed first at the Battle at Bell Park, the Doer at McClure, and the Kan-U-Wyco in Wyandotte, Kansas. At Wyco he pulled a major upset over 2010 World Champion Eric McCabe by a single stroke. In January of 2015, he came in fourth place at the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm Up, finishing a single stroke behind McCabe.

"Personally, Disc Golf has impacted my life on quite a large scale. I play almost every weekend with my wife and son. It's a great form of exercise and gives me a chance to spend time in many of the beautiful parks around the Tulsa area. It has introduced me to so many great people, it has also given me the opportunity to travel to some places I probably never would have gone if it wasn't for disc golf. I have been to the 4 surrounding states many times, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, but I have also traveled as far away as Georgia and South Carolina to compete."

Tulsa has a rich history of disc golf, being one of the earliest cities to embrace the sport. According to PDGA records, there were only 60 courses on the planet in 1980. Tulsa had five of them. 

Today there are 15 in Tulsa and 24 in the greater Metro area. Sand Springs used to have a 9 hole golf course at Ray Brown Park, next to the High School. Those baskets were relocated to River City Parks in 2012 to be used in a new 18 hole course.

Why hosts an annual summer technique clinic for kids at Charles Page Library. This year it will be on August 3rd at 10:30 AM. When the couple isn't golfing, they often help run tournaments and participate in course cleanup days around Tulsa. 

Sand Springs Librarian Richard Why leads double-life as professional golfer

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By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief
with: Virgil Noah, Marketing Director

Local Charles Page Public Librarian Richard Why is not your typical book nerd. When he's not stocking shelves and checking out books, he can be found on disc golf courses across the Midwest, playing professionally for Team Fossa. Richard and his wife, Tara, are both sponsored by Fossa Disc Golf. Richard is also sponsored by Millennium Golf Discs. 

Why played competitive ball golf throughout high school, but made the switch to disc golf after graduating.

"I realized how expensive it was. Playing disc golf for free really appealed to my college budget. I bought one disc and met (a friend) at the Riverside disc golf course one day after work and that's where it all started."

The twenty-nine-year-old father of one has been competing in PDGA events since 2010 when he took 8th place in the Advanced division in his first tournament, the Oklahoma Open. Why continued golfing in Advanced through 2011 and won his first tournament on February 4th, 2012.

"The real turning point for me came in 2012 when I beat everyone in my division by 8 strokes and my overall score would have placed me at second in the Pro Open division. Seeing the other guys walk away with a couple hundred dollars in cash looked way better than my stack of discs I had won, so I decided to move up and start playing in the Pro division," says Why.

That tournament was the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm-Up, a B-tier event held in Lewisville, Texas. In his division alone, he bested 39 other golfers.

Two weeks later he made his professional debut at the Dynamic Discs Cedar Hill Chill in Cedar Hill, Texas and tied for last place in a tough competition that included Eric McCabe and Jay "Yeti" Reading. He didn't let that loss weigh him down, however, and finished top-ten in his next five tournaments.

"When I first started out I didn't really follow disc golf too much. I watched Youtube videos on how to play and get better but didn't know of many touring Pros. I do admire Paul McBeth though, he is the current No. 1 ranked player in the world and has won the last 4 World Championships in a row. He is taking disc golf more mainstream. He is well spoken and a great ambassador for the sport for younger players."

Why finally won his first pro tournament in July that same year, finishing three strokes ahead of Matthew Wright at the 3rd annual Monkey Trap Open in Springdale, Arkansas. At the same time, he was on his way to a first place finish at the ten-round, ten-week league event, McClure Monday Mayhem, here in Tulsa. 

In 2013 he took first place at the 5th Annual Lucky 13, the Denison Parks and Recreation Open, and the Oklahoma State Flying Disc Championship. He finished top-ten in all but two of his 18 tournaments that year.

In 2014 he placed first at the Battle at Bell Park, the Doer at McClure, and the Kan-U-Wyco in Wyandotte, Kansas. At Wyco he pulled a major upset over 2010 World Champion Eric McCabe by a single stroke. In January of 2015, he came in fourth place at the Dynamic Discs Winter Warm Up, finishing a single stroke behind McCabe.

"Personally, Disc Golf has impacted my life on quite a large scale. I play almost every weekend with my wife and son. It's a great form of exercise and gives me a chance to spend time in many of the beautiful parks around the Tulsa area. It has introduced me to so many great people, it has also given me the opportunity to travel to some places I probably never would have gone if it wasn't for disc golf. I have been to the 4 surrounding states many times, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, but I have also traveled as far away as Georgia and South Carolina to compete."

Tulsa has a rich history of disc golf, being one of the earliest cities to embrace the sport. According to PDGA records, there were only 60 courses on the planet in 1980. Tulsa had five of them. 

Today there are 15 in Tulsa and 24 in the greater Metro area. Sand Springs used to have a 9 hole golf course at Ray Brown Park, next to the High School. Those baskets were relocated to River City Parks in 2012 to be used in a new 18 hole course. That course is currently unplayable as many of the baskets and tee pads are uprooted due to renovations the park is going through. The construction of the new splash pad and handicapped parking have bisected the course and it's uncertain when it will be playable again.

Why hosts an annual summer technique clinic for kids at Charles Page Library. This year it will be on August 3rd at 10:30 AM. When the couple isn't golfing, they often help run tournaments and participate in course cleanup days around Tulsa.