Editor’s note: Nicole Dighton of Cedar Rapids is the mother of two active children. Her daughter Kennedy, 14, played for the last Cedar Rapids Panthers team that her husband, Rob, helped coach. Kennedy and her son Carson, 8, play other sports as well, and Nicole volunteers with the Cedar Hills Booster Club. By Nicole Dighton, [...]

Editor’s note: Casey Hack, 28, of Anamosa is a 2003 graduate of North Cedar High School and head football coach and physical education teacher at Midland High School in Wyoming. By Casey Hack, community contributor As soon as I graduated from high school, I wanted to put the pads on and play in a full-contact [...]

Editor’s note: Rob Cline is an arts professional and freelance writer. His usual contributions to The Gazette are reviews of books and arts events. However, given his son’s intense, ongoing participation, he’s surprisingly knowledgeable about bowling, too. By Rob Cline, community contributor Plenty of teenagers have a specific goal in mind when they turn 16. [...]

NORWAY – They may be 25-plus years removed from graduation, but a failed “cup check” is still juvenile, priceless comedic gold to these guys. While Ron Wagner rolled around on the gym floor in pain after taking a groundball to the nether regions, his teammates were rolling with laughter. It was high school all over [...]

This is why you try not to burn any bridges in baseball. Ryan Sweeney became a free agent after not being offered salary arbitration by the Boston Red Sox shortly before Christmas. But last Friday, he signed a minor-league contract with the Sox and will be headed to Fort Myers, Fla., sometime next week to prepare [...]

The buzzer is about to sound, marking the end of another year. The last year has provided its share of excitement and on (and off) the mat. Here is my list of top-10 moments/stories from the previous year. 10. Hathaway halts history, makes his own Iowa City West’s Jack Hathaway played a role in preventing [...]