Friday, August 17, 2007 - UTM Football Preview from Coach Jason Simpson

UTM Football Preview With Coach Jason Simpson

    Today, Rotarians welcome UTM Football Coach Jason Simpson, whose team won the OVC Regular Season last with a 9-3 record, earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1989.  Coach Simpson finished fourth last year in the annual voting for the Eddie Robinson Award as the nation’s best coach.
     This year, the Skyhawks are rated as high as 17th in national polls and have five players—Don Chapman (TB), Jessie Burton (RS), Killy Krause (OL), Adam Hansen (OL) and Nate Watson (DL)—chosen for all pre-season OVC honors.  The Skyhawks have been picked to finish third in the OVC this year.
     UTM will open the 2007 season Sept 1 at #24 Southern Mississippi.  UTM’s first home game at Hardy Graham Stadium will be Thursday, Sept 6, against Missouri State.  Other home games are Oct 13 (Samford—Homecoming), Oct 27 (SEMO) and Nov 10 
(Murray State).  Welcome Coach Simpson !

Coach Jimmy Fishel to Report on UCHS Football

  Next week, UCHS Coach Jimmy Fishel will make his annual visit to Rotary to talk about the football fortunes for the Golden Tornadoes.  UC opens the season two weeks from tonight at Westview. Fishel begins his fifth year as head coach at UC.
   The Tornadoes are coming off a 6-5 season, which included a forfeit win over Milan and a trip to the TSSAA playoffs, where UC lost to eventual state champions, Jackson Christian School.
   Now in its third year competing in Class-A, Union City fields a team of 34 upperclassmen plus several more freshmen. 
   Some of the key returning players include Brett White, Barrett Tanner, Scott Huff, Pat Polk, Taylor Bruff, Ian Garrigan, Darrin Dickerson, Hunter Cash, Will Townes, Brandon Easley, Luke Sanderson, Caleb Poore, Drew Henderson, Wyatt Carr, Cody Speed, Brandon Crume, Julian Moss, Cameron Sherwood, Peter Wilkes, Thomas Turner and Jacob Worley.
Mike Rinker’s Aerobatic Exploits Detailed for Rotary

     Last  week, Rotarian Mike Rinker talked in detail about his passion for aerobatics and what it’s like to be Rotary’s only candidate for the Mile High Club.
     Whether he’s turning 20 G’s a mile in the sky or simply testing every new aircraft to roll off an assembly line, Mike is a genuine dare-devil in the truest sense of the word.  He’s just returned from a very successful competition at the 2007 World Aerobatic Contest in Grenada, Spain, where he and his American team finished 4th overall.  Mike finished 19th overall in individual competition out of 51 pilots from around the world.
      ‘Strangely enough, our team has to pay its own way to the world contest,” Rinker said.  “The other teams are paid for by their respective governments.”
     Using photographs and videotape, Mike discussed the World Contest as well as sowed Rotarians what it’s like inside the cockpit of aerobatics plane doing some of the movements and tricks one must perfect if he’s to gain judges’ approval.
     “The ground is so unforgiving,” Rinker noted.  “So you had better be on top of your game when you climb into one of these planes.”
     Mike explained how a person weighing 200 pounds actually weighs about 2,000 pounds when pulling 10 G’s.
     In trying to explain the “why” of aerobatics, Mike said, “It’s a little like being addicted to alcohol—it’s just something you feel you have to do once you’ve done it and gotten it in your blood.”
     Joining Mike at last week’s program were his wife, Rhonda, and her dad, fellow
Rotarian, Steve Vaugh   Mike      Mike began flying in 1984 and would soon become the personal pilot to Bill Elliott’s (famous race car driver).
     Thanks Mike for a fantastic program.

Coming Attractions

8/31        Bill Lawrence—Pre History and
               Archeology of Reelfoot Lake
9/7          Lynn Glover and Glenda Chrisp—Obion County Corn Festival & Rob Somerville—West Tennessee Outdoors Youth Jamboree
9/14        Congressman John Tanner
9/21        Dr. Shirley Raines—President of the University of Memphis & Former
                President of Memphis Chamber of Commerce
 

 Happy Birthdays

8/17        Steve Goodrich
8/20        Terry Hailey

 Happy Anniversaries

8/17        Art and Tammy Sparks
8/18        Dick and Katie Hall
8/20        Bob and Joyce Stephens
8/21        Jim and Sue Greer
8/23        Dave and Leigh Schlager
8/23        Grover and Fredricka Schleifer, III

Skyhawk Football                  

* Sports Media Entertainment (SME) rated UTM 16th nationally in preseason Top 25 poll
* UTM has 45 players and 12 starters back from last
year’s team that made the first Division 1 playoff appearance in school history
* UTM went 9-3 last year and 6-1 in the OVC
* Don Chapman has a chance to break the OVC all-time rushing record this season
* Tom Keresztury and former UT star Jay Graham are new assistant coaches at UTM
* Coach Simpson and wife, Kelly, have two children: Deanne and Jason.

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