It was a great weekend for a group of 22 guys that attended the annual Tournament of Whampions in Hot Springs, Ar., this past weekend. From college-age to the more mature, the group is a broad section of friends and family that make the trip this tournament every year.

The Tournament of Whampions began over 30 years ago with a group of friends and professionals that began to get together for a weekend of golf and fun. The tournament has been played on great courses throughout Texas, Louisiana, and most recently, the event has been held at the Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Ar.

Overall, the tournament is designed to allow any and all golfers a chance to compete on a level playing field. The group uses a modified Stableford scoring system which gives points per the score a player gets on each hole. A bogey is worth 1 point, par is worth 2 points, birdies are worth 4 points and eagles are worth 8 points in this scoring method. Your handicap is established per your home course, verified and adjusted to make sure your needed points are high enough to be fair to other players. Therefore, a person with a 20 handicap would need to get 16 points in a 36-par round of golf to break even.

The group from the Dexter area included several members from the Holden Family, led by the patriarch Demp “Boot” Holden. Other members of the family were Bill Holden, Steve Holden, Tim Holden, Jason Comfort, Josh Comfort, Tyler Holden, Chance Holden and Ryan Holden. The Christian family was also well represented, with Terry Christian, Bruce Christian and Kyle Christian on hand for the tournament. Other members of the field included Mike Gaylord, Alan Hedrick, Terry Hill, Darren Hillis, Nathan Mauer, Dennis Meeks, Matt Mills, Jamie Ralph, Andy Riley, Dale Stites and Doran Vancil.

The first event of the weekend was a 'Horse Race' contest, where two-man teams are selected and play an alternating shot format. In the under 27 handicap division, the winners were from the Dexter area, with Nathan Mauer of Poplar Bluff and Josh Comfort of Dexter, who narrowly defeated the team of Ryan Holden and Chance Holden on the final hole.

The event normally begins with an early morning shotgun start on Saturday and tee times on Sunday. A twist is always added to the two-day tournament, as the course is played from the deepest tips of each tee box, making the course play extremely long. Further, the greens are set up with the extremely difficult pin placements on the green, with slants, breaks, and speed always being a problem with gaining points.

After the first day of the tournament, Terry Christian of Dexter and Terry Hill of Jackson, MO were tied, leading the field with a +8 score. Jason Comfort also battled the extreme heat and was on the heels of the leaders with a +3 score.

With tee times beginning at 7:00 A.M. on Sunday, the field of 56 golfers all started with high hopes of either continuing the success of the previous day or to make a major improvement to their scores. When all the cards were turned in, Jason Comfort of Dexter became the 2011 Tournament of Whampions Champion with a +9 ½ score for the overall tournament. Bruce Christian of Dexter had an incredible second day and finished in second with an overall tournament score of +6. Terry Christian finished with a score +4 on Sunday for 3rd Place in the contest.

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Previous winners from the Dexter area of the Whampions Tournament include Steve Holden and Chance Holden.

Plans are already being made for 2012 Whampions Event. There is a discussion that the tournament will be moved to another location in the Midwest.

Photos Above: Top Photo: Jason Comfort receives 2011 Whampions Trophy from Greg Procell of Shreveport LA.

2nd Photo: Group Patriarchs Demp Holden and Doran Vancil continue to enjoy the tournament.

3rd Photo: Josh Comfort and Nathan Mauer were the winners of Friday's Horse Race contest.

4th Photo: After dinner Friday Night, Holden and Christian Families get a picture made together with a newcomer and friend, Jack Greene.

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

The action was fast and furious on the basketball court this weekend, as over thirty teams from the area competed in the second annual Rib City Shootout.


 Basketball fans were treated to over 100 games, spanning three courts in the Bearcat Event Center, as well as the T.S. Hill Middle School gymnasium.

Several teams backed out of the tournament at the last minute, forcing a somewhat chaotic rescheduling of games. The ‘Cats were represented well by the junior varsity and eighth grade squads, but the varsity team was unable to compete.

Sophomores Cody Neldon and DJ Dowdy both had solid performances on the JV squad, with Dowdy hitting a deep three at the buzzer to put the 'Cats over Naylor's Varsity squad during pool play on Friday afternoon. Freshman Drake Mitchell showed some promise as well, hitting several key perimeter shots and having a great defensive showing during the tournament.

This weekend’s tournament saw the last round for the boys, but the girls have one more round left, scheduled for July 28-29. 36 teams, from as far as Du Quoin, Ill. and Manila, Ar. , will be competing in the final round of this summer’s shootout.

Full details of next weekend’s shootout, as well as a schedule and a list of the event’s sponsors, can be found at www.ribcityshootout.com.

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Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times for full coverage of next week’s final round of the Rib City Shootout!

From the Missouri Department of Conservation

The extreme heat felt throughout Southeast Missouri this week is only going to continue - and that means anglers will have a tough go at trying to catch any fish this weekend. Below is an excerpt from the July 21 MDC Fishing Report for Southeast Missouri.

 LAKES

Clearwater Lake: 88 degrees, clear; largemouth bass fair late evening and early morning on topwater lures; channel catfish fair at night on trotlines. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Council Bluff: 87 degrees, normal, clear; channel catfish fair on liver and worms after dark; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Cypress Lake: 87 degrees, high, dingy; channel catfish good in 2'-3' depths using crickets, worms, and stinkbait; crappie slow in 3' depths using minnows and jigs; bluegill and redear sunfish fair in 1'-3' depths using crickets, small jigs, and small pieces of worms; largemouth bass slow in 2'-3' depths on spinnerbaits and jigs;  all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Duck Creek: 88 degrees, high, clear; bluegill and redear sunfish good on crickets; largemouth bass fair on topwater lures. (Report made on 7/21/2011)

Lake Girardeau: 86 degrees, normal, clear; channel catfish fair on worms; largemouth bass fair on topwater lures; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Perry County Lake: 91 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish fair on worms, liver, stinkbait and live sunfish; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Robert DeLaney Lake: 86 degrees, normal, channel catfish fair on worms, liver, stinkbait and live sunfish; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Wappapello: normal, black bass fair early and late on spinnerbaits and plastic worms; crappie fair on minnows and jigs; bluegill good on crickets and worms; channel catfish fair on trotlines and jug lines at night using live bait and nightcrawlers; crappie fair in spillway on minnows and jigs.
Anglers should note the 9" minimum length regulation for crappie on Wappapello Lake. All areas around the lake are now open since the lake water level has dropped.  Call the Wappapello Lake Recreation Hotline for updates at 573-222-8139. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

RIVERS

Black River (near Annapolis): 80 degrees, normal, clear; all species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Castor River (above Zalma): low, clear; black bass good on minnows; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Lower Black River (Clearwater Dam): high, dingy; crappie good on minnows; bluegill good on worms; black bass fair on worms and topwater lures; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Mississippi (below Charleston): high, muddy; channel catfish and blue catfish good on cut baits; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

Mississippi River (Cape Girardeau): high, muddy; channel catfish and blue catfish good on cut baits; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

St. Francis (above Wappapello): low, clear; largemouth and smallmouth bass good in morning and evening on topwater lures; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

St. Francis (below Wappapello): 80 degrees, normal, dingy; channel catfish good on stinkbait and chicken liver; flathead catfish good on live bait, sunfish and goldfish; bluegill fair on waxworms; black bass fair on artificial bait and spinnerbaits; all other species slow. (Report made on 7/20/2011)

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Anglers are invited to send photos of their fishing trips to the ShowMe Times. Just email acato@showmetimes.com. Be sure to include the name of the fisherman, the date of the catch, where it was caught, weight and - if you care to share - what type of bait you were using!

By Andrew Cato, ShowMe Times Sports Editor

It’s time for the second round of the Rib City Shootout in the Boy’s division!


Teams will take to the courts this Friday and Saturday (July 22-23) to compete in the tournament’s second year.


The first round of the tournament was held June 9-10 for the boys, and June 17-18 for the girls. Middle School, JV, and Varsity teams are all invited to attend and compete in separate ‘age’ divisions. Teams are guaranteed to play in at least six - with a maximum of eight - games during the two-day basketball extravaganza.


Over 40 schools, some from as far away as St. Louis and Dyer County, Tn., made the trip to Dexter for the first round. Sikeston and Soldan faced off in the finals, with the Soldan Tigers dominating the championship and defeating the Bulldogs of Sikeston by over 20 points.

“This is the best shootout that I’ve ever been to and we are coming back,” Soldan International Head Coach Justin Tatum said after the first round. “I’m sure going to tell every school in St. Louis about this.”


Event organizer - and LBB head coach - Chad Allen thought the first round “went extremely well”, and also noted the crucial support of the event’s sponsors.


32 teams are scheduled to face off during this week’s tournament, with games played at the Bearcat Event Center and the T.S. Hill Middle School Gymnasium. The full schedule for the tournament can be found here.


Admission is five dollars for an all-day pass, and a full concession stand is provided. Games are scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, with the championship games at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.




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Make sure to check back with the ShowMe Times for full coverage and photo galleries of the tournament!

From the Three Rivers College Communication Department

Three Rivers College will host a showcase for USA Baseball at Pattillo Field this weekend.

Young baseball players between the ages of 13 and 17 are invited to participate in a “pro-style showcase” on Saturday, July 23, for the chance to compete in the USA Baseball National Team Identification Series.  Those interested must visit www.midwestNTIS.com to register, or call Jon French at (573) 344-1018. 

The showcase is open to players from Southeast Missouri and Arkansas.  According to a flyer distributed by USA Baseball, the top players will be selected to participate in the Midwest Regional event in St. Louis August 19-21.

Following the showcase in St. Louis, the top 18 players from each age group will be invited to represent the Midwest at the National Team Identification Series, September 19-21, in Cary, N.C.  The top players from that event will move on to the National Team Trials.

According to the flyer, the St. Louis showcase and the National Team Trials are among the top youth baseball events in the region and in the country, and are highly scouted for high school age players by college coaches and professional scouts.

For additional information, contact info@MidwestNTIS.com, or visit www.MidwestNTIS.com.