Sports Commentary

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The fifth Grand Slam, the Western U.S. Tennis Open, the Tennis Gardens of Babylon-Indian Wells in the Coachella Valley, Tennis Paradise, are all accurate terms to express the upcoming BNP Paribas Open or Indian Wells Masters held for both ATP men’s and WTA women’s tours Monday, March 6 through Sunday, March 19.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist February 9, 2023
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So far, so good. Each hike I’ve done this year has involved a trail I’ve never done, sort of.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist February 4, 2023
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Let's play Six Degrees of Steve Wilks, a quick and easy way to connect the dots of racism in the NFL head coaching ranks.

By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Columnist January 29, 2023
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Valentine’s Day – Feb. 14. How can you forget it? We are flooded with ads enticing us to spend money on that day.

By John Gunby Sr., Courier Columnist January 28, 2023
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Kaitlyn Verfuerth was born and raised in Port Washington, Wisconsin and at 7 years old was injured in an automobile accident. She sustained a T12 spinal cord injury and paralyzed from the waist down.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist January 26, 2023
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I try to begin each New Year’s Day hiking. Thanks to the wet weather, my hike for 2023 was delayed by a day.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist January 19, 2023
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It looks like we are now facing some cold weather challenges, especially if we love to live here and don’t want to travel to play golf in warmer temperatures (and higher greens fees).

By John Gunby Sr., Courier Columnist January 14, 2023
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Eight years ago Andrew Bogdanov’s life changed forever…on Valentine’s Day of 2014 he broke his neck snowboarding which paralyzed him from the chest down.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist January 12, 2023
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Do you recall, last year the notorious Grinch was spotted on the Maricopa Trail, disguised as jolly old St. Nick? Well, he’s at it again.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist January 7, 2023
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Another flip of a page, another blink, another year is upon us and as seems to be human, we look back and try to figure out how the past 12 months went and then forward to what we always hope is that much more favorable.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist December 29, 2022
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Here are some golf resolutions that we can easily keep all year round, making golf fun for everyone.

By John Gunby Sr., Courier Columnist December 24, 2022
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About a dozen of us huddled around a campfire near Acker Park wondering if the occasional raindrops were going to become more frequent.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist December 22, 2022
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As I make my way down to the Yavapai College courts to prepare them from the last couple days of snow, ice and cold weather, my mind takes a walk down memory lane.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist December 15, 2022
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With Christmas arriving in fourteen days, let’s discuss what you might consider for that golfer on your list.

By John Gunby Sr., Courier Columnist December 10, 2022
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The number and variety of federally designated wilderness areas in eastern Yavapai County is impressive because it’s extensive. Therefore, the number of hiking opportunities, is mind boggling.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist December 8, 2022
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Pete Sampras won his last U.S. Tennis Open in 2002, after everyone had written him off, his 14th Grand Slam singles title - and without playing another ATP event retired in 2003. He went out with a “bang” defeating long time rival Andre Agassi in four sets, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist December 3, 2022
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You cannot see your swing. For everyone, the swing will be different in “feel” than the way it actually looks. Your “feel” can be misleading and often is.

By John Gunby Sr., Courier Columnist November 26, 2022
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I was confused. Surely we missed the trail junction, as I remembered it from the last time we hiked here in 2009.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist November 24, 2022
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Golf is the only sport where the ball, or object we are trying to hit to a target, is stationary. A baseball is not.

By John Gunby Sr., Courier Columnist November 12, 2022
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I left off last time heading east on the Cam-boh Trail toward the Ironwood Forest Trail. This was the only segment where I encountered another trail user, an equestrian at the intersection with the Golden Gate Multi-use Trail.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist November 10, 2022
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Teaching anything comes with a bit of trial and error, knowing that you’ve got a good education on what you’re trying to teach, decent communication skills and a plan of action that will get the points you’re trying to make across.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist November 5, 2022
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My last column covered a hike to the summit of Mormon Mountain through a mixed conifer forest. Today’s hike is in the Sonoran Desert. Arizona = Variety!

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist October 27, 2022
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Becoming a professional tennis player is a daunting task, and we have a local player who is doing his best to round that corner.

By Chris Howard, Courier Columnist October 20, 2022
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A putt, even from two inches, counts the same as a booming 300-yard drive. The easiest area of our game (and score) to improve upon is putting.

By John Gunby Sr., Courier Columnist October 15, 2022
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The expectation that Arizona is a desert, covered by rocks with a few cacti scattered about is shattered on the Mogollon Rim, where it is hard to find a view through all the pine trees.

By Ted Johnson, Courier Columnist October 13, 2022

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