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Kellie Goodman

Goodman Shaffer: ‘One Shining Moment’ is always a lot of fun

I love the NCAA basketball tournament. From the crazy upsets to the crazy fans, the Big Dance is one of the big joys of American sports. Everyone can participate — and everyone does. From morning show hosts, to past presidents, everyone shares their brackets; even preschoolers and puppies make predictions on who will come out on top. But my very favorite part of the CBS coverage is the song it plays that always closes the tournament: “One Shining Moment.” I used to love creating highlight reels of the local district and state championship games, both boys and girls, to that ...

PSU wrestlers highlight March events

As we prepare for a mid-month roar from the proverbial lion that doesn’t want to go quietly, the overlapping winter and spring sports seasons are as crazy as the month of March itself. n What a thrill to watch the NCAA wrestling finals over the weekend. Bo Nickal’s amazing move from his back to pin Myles Martin to seal the deal was amazing, drawing emotion even from the always-stoic Cael Sanderson. But the moment that intrigued me came just before that match, when Nittany Lion alum and two-time National Champion David Taylor revealed during a mat-side interview that he never heard ...

Be a ‘Friend’ and help out at a state park

This year is a special year for Pennsylvania outdoor lovers. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the formation of the commonwealth’s first state park, as well as the law that led to the creation of the state forest system. At a recent regional retreat hosted by the 501-c3 Pennsylvania Parks and Forest Foundation at Prince Gallitzin State Park, more than 30 members of PPFF chapters, or “Friends” groups gathered to discuss best practices for promoting the use and preservation of these natural treasures. Some joined their local chapter because they love the state park in ...

College softball teams enjoying their spring training

Walking into the North Myrtle Beach Park and Sports Complex is a lot like walking into the Pirates training camp in Bradenton, Florida. Meticulously-manicured softball diamonds, eight in all, are buzzing with activity, as ninety Division II and D-III teams converge on the Diamond Dreams Spring Classic, a tournament-type spring training experience for colleges from Iowa to Texas and New York to Georgia. “Most of these teams can’t get on a field back home until April, so they’re getting ahead of the game and getting out of the gymnasium,” said event coordinator Dale Warner, ...

Lessons learned from US curling gold

It was 1:30 when my alarm clock went off Saturday morning. I wasn’t getting up for a trip to the airport or even the hospital, but rather for the ultimate date with my favorite Winter Olympic sport. Curling. For years (every four years to be exact) I’ve watched this relatively obscure event during the Olympics, because that’s really the only time we have the opportunity. But I’ve been fascinated by the uniqueness of the four-man sport: the brooms, the stones and the strategy of this appropriately described “chess on ice.” During past Olympics I’d watch mainly for the ...

Olympic spirit surpasses medals

Some of my favorite stories of the Winter Olympics have nothing to do with gold, silver or bronze, but rather courage, friendship and sportsmanship; and many of them find us rooting for athletes not necessarily wearing red, white and blue. n Pita Taufatofua of Tonga carried his country’s flag, bare-chested in the 2016 Summer Games and also in the much colder climate of South Korea, proudly representing his homeland in a sport very new to him: cross-country skiing. I would imagine that it’s nearly impossible to train for a snow event in Tonga, but surprisingly, he didn’t finish ...