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Kellie Goodman

By thinking pink, sports raising cancer awareness

It’s become as synonymous with October as the falling leaves: breast cancer awareness. On NFL fields around the country, the league’s toughest are donning pink socks, gloves and other accessories, many in support of a loved one. In fact, we’d be hard-pressed to find someone whose life has not been impacted by cancer, or who does not have a family member or friend who has faced a devastating diagnosis. Perhaps one of the most inspiring stories out of the NFL came with the news that DeAngelo Williams, a former Steelers running back, funded mammograms for more than 500 women ...

October is the heart of the fall sports season

I saw a poster the other day that said, “My favorite color is October,” a reminder of how much I love this time of year. It’s not just the trees turning beautiful colors, or the vibrant mums and rustic cornstalks that seem to decorate every corner of our communities. And it’s more than the air turning a little brisker and the stars shining a little brighter as the sun sets earlier and earlier each evening. October is more than a month: it’s a feeling, almost a season in itself; it’s even the description of a certain brand of baseball player. October is the heart of ...

Goodman Shaffer: Community pride part of college camaraderie

Penn State’s Beaver Stadium may be home to the “Greatest Show in College Football,” but recent weeks have reminded us why we love college football and college athletics in general, and it’s not just for the entertainment and excitement we enjoy between the lines. The University of Tennessee rallied around a young Vols fan this week, turning an incident of bullying into a story of triumph. A fourth-grader in Florida decided to create his own orange “UT” T-shirt for school colors day, using a piece of notebook paper, hand-drawn graphics and some safety pins. When he was ...

Cross country teaches self-discipline, improves health

The fall semester is underway in earnest, along with the new sports seasons. Evening lights turn on over football and soccer fields, with the sounds of crowds, bands and cheerleaders emanating from the busy athletic facilities. In contrast to these high-profile, high-decibel athletic events is an activity that sometimes flies under the radar: the much more seemingly serene and seemingly solitary sport of cross country. These athletes’ facilities encompass miles of ground. They may train on local streets, on wooded trails or alongside cornfields. Sometimes their trainings include ...

Back to school: Activities help celebrate our communities

The yellow buses that have been slumbering all summer will roar back to life this week, and quiet classrooms will echo with voices once again as students go back to school. And as the school bells ring, entire towns will come together as well. Schools provide the populations they serve with much more than diplomas. They give us a shared identity, a shared history, and a collective community. Politicians may sometimes talk about the possibility of consolidating school districts; just as school boards may painfully discuss closing a facility. When that happens, both entities face ...

Success lessons from American Ninja Warrior

My summertime fascination is once again American Ninja Warrior. I thoroughly enjoy tuning in each week to watch people of all ages and backgrounds attempt to conquer the crazy obstacle course that demands balance, grip, strength and stamina. This competition has attracted elite athletes from the Olympic Games, college athletics and even the NFL; but it has also inspired regular folks to build obstacles in their backyards or join the gym and train with a nation-wide community that has fallen in love with this unique phenomenon. From the city qualifiers to the national finals, the ...