Miracle On Ice best American sports moment

By Chris Sweigart

Sports offers a refreshing break from everyday life. Last week’s top five featured the five-worst tragedies in American history. Today I’ll take a look at what I perceive as the greatest sporting moments in American history.

1. Do you believe in miracles?: Looks like the U.S. hockey team’s victory over CCCP (hey, that’s what the Soviet team had on its jerseys) stands head and shoulders above any other moment in my recollection. At a time when America needed something great, our hockey team delivered a monumental upset against our nation’s chief foe. It would be like Russia beating us in NASCAR or tackle football.

2. The Guarantee: I won’t throw an American flag around Joe Namath’s shoulders, but when the Jets upset the Colts in Super Bowl III, it elevated pro football to another notch when the AFL was finally perceived as the NFL’s equal. Also, this game helped make the Super Bowl a national phenomenon.

3. Take that Adolf: When Jesse Owens won four gold medals and set three Olympic records in Adolf Hitler’s face at the 1936 Summer Games in Berlin, it proved that the German leader’s Aryan myth was just that – a myth.

4. 2,131 – Who doesn’t like Cal Ripken Jr? The night he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record remains magical – and he hit a home run to boot.

5. The Golden Bear: Tiger Woods may be the best golfer in the world, but will he be winning majors when he’s 46? Jack Nicklaus, 46, won his record sixth Masters in 1986 despite an ugly yellow shirt and plaid grey pants. Doesn’t matter. He left Augusta National with a green jacket.

Next week: America’s five-worst natural disasters.

Golf inexpensive in Daytona

By Chris Sweigart

We have very nice golf courses in east Alabama. Wouldn’t trade them for any in the world.

But the cost of playing 18 holes in Auburn/Opelika can approach $40 with a cart. Not bad considering the venues we have. Maybe that’s why our area is considered as America’s top community for golf. I spent the Fourth of July in Daytona Beach, Fla., which as a few golf courses of itself. Two nice courses cost $20 for 18 holes after 1 p.m. and another was $22. That’s rather competitive. I sure wish golf was this inexpensive in Lee County.

By the way, I finally broke a hundred and scored a 99 at Daytona Beach Golf Club’s north course. The course is relatively easy—flat without the excessive amount of woods you’ll find on our courses. There were lots of doglegs, however, and 11 of the 18 holes featured water. I hope to play at either Auburn Links, Grand National or Indian Pines soon upon my return. Got another 18 holes in me down here.

Local artist honored in DC

By Chris Sweigart

Opelika High School sophomore-to-be Tevin Drake won the Third District Congressional Art Contest recently. His art, which is not titled and created in graphite on paper, will be viewed in Washington for a year.

Pictured above, Drake meets with Third Disitrict Congressman Mike Rogers on a recent trip to Washington, D.C., and the capitol building.

Trips to Washington are memorable—particularly when your work is celebrated there. Hundreds, if not thousands, will be able to see Tevin’s talents.