Enjoying month filled with winter sports

February 13, 2018

Some general observations while enjoying a sports-filled February… Blue Knob has become a Winter Wonderland under new management this season, marked by improved facilities, more consistent hours and a new tubing location in the works. The highest skiable mountain in Pennsylvania is a local treasure: a valuable tourist attraction, but also a significant recreational asset to our region. It’s great to see the continuing improvement and promising future, putting a spring in the step of winter-sports lovers. For those who shiver at the thought of the plummeting temperatures that go ...

Goodman Shaffer: Attitude of gratitude: Power in the positive

January 30, 2018

As New Years’ resolutions begin to fade from our mind, there is one that I think is worth some re-commitment. It’s the concept that our attitude dictates our happiness, and, in fact makes an impact on those around us as well. It’s not a new idea. Rev. Norman Vincent Peale first published his leadership book, The Power of Positive Thinkingin 1952, sharing ideas like: “The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.” ...

Olympic gymnasts calling for change

January 23, 2018

We’ve been reading reports for years about the impact of sports on self-esteem, especially for girls. Participation in athletics has been shown to improve confidence, strength and the ability to overcome obstacles. Knowing the positive impact sports can and should have on young people makes it even more heartbreaking to watch coverage of the sentencing proceedings of Larry Nassar. The former member of the US Olympic Gymnastics and Michigan State medical staffs has pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual misconduct, including abusing female athletes while claiming to be caring ...

January is filled with both honors and observations

January 16, 2018

Some January honors and observations while still mourning the end of the Steelers’ football season, as well as the end of the McCutchen baseball era in Pittsburgh. n Penn State’s athletics program is among the best in the nation, according to the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings at the end of the fall season. The recognition system was formed in cooperation between nation’s athletic directors and USA Today, awarding points based on each college or university’s finish in NCAA Championships across all sports. The Nittany Lions rank second overall behind Stanford (523 ...

Olympics flame the fire of peace

January 9, 2018

The Winter Olympic Games are growing closer by the day, and with them, the ongoing hope for peace through sport. Every two years the world pauses, taking a break from political grandstanding and chest-pounding for a few weeks of friendly contests in the arenas of summer or wintertime athletics. The notion of the Olympic Truce dates back to the 9th Century BC, an agreement between three kings in Ancient Greece. The tradition continues today. For the 2018 Games in February, the region of PyeongChang in South Korea will become the epicenter of competition and camaraderie for more than ...

First Day Hikes set tone for parks

January 2, 2018

The New Year rang its way in with unseasonably cold weather, but that did not stop Pennsylvania Parks and Forest Foundation Friends Groups from celebrating 2018 with a series of First Day Hikes. At Shawnee State Park in Schellsburg, the PPFF 2017 Park of the Year, dozens of people of all ...