Month: March 2016

Blue Devil golf to rebuild after highest national finish

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC

Last spring, Kansas City Kansas Community College did something no other community college team in the nation could accomplish – the Blue Devils finished fifth in the NJCAA Division II national golf tournament with all local players. It is the highest finish by any KCKCC golf team in national tournament play.

“They asked at the national tournament how many colleges had all local or in-state
players on their teams,” said veteran KCKCC coach Gary Shrader. “We were the only team.”

Not only was Shrader’s squad made up of all Kansas players, they were all from the immediate area – two from Piper and one each from Bonner Springs, SM Northwest and Olathe East.

Shrader will try to do it again this spring with five in-state players. Unfortunately, none of the five players in last year’s national tournament return.

The Blue Devils will rebuild around three returning sophomores – Colton Allen of Shawnee Mission Northwest, Dalton Ayres of Newton and Baker-transfer Zach Spencer of Olathe East. Allen and Spencer saw limited action last year, Ayres redshirted.

They’ll be joined by freshmen Jeremy Dunham of Derby, Matt Thayne and Jack Barnhart of Hesston and Micah Morris of Guthrie, Okla., with Dunham and Thayne earning the inside track on the remaining two tournament berths.

“A very evenly matched squad,” Shrader said. “All five are capable of shooting one or two over par but they’re also capable of going higher. We don’t have anyone who will go real low but all should be close to 78. Would I take four 78’s? Sure.”

The Blue Devils have been practicing at Sunflower Hills and Dub’s Dread, two long courses ideal for preparing teams for tournament play.

“Inconsistent so far but very competitive, they all go hard at each other,” said Shrader of early rounds.

The Blue Devils will open play in the Ottawa Invitational at Eagle Bend Sunday through Tuesday before entering the very demanding Jayhawk Conference play in the first of three designated conference tournaments at Colbert Hills in Manhattan March 20-22. The other two designated tournament will be played at Cottonwood Hills in Hutchinson April 10-12 and Sandcreek Station in Newton April 17-19.

“The conference will be very tough,” Shrader said. “All of the teams have recruited well. Garden City, Dodge City, Barton County and Hutchinson all have very solid Division I teams.”

Qualifying for the Division II national tournament will be held at Sycamore Ridge in Olathe May 3-5.

Kansas City Kansas Community College
2016 Spring Golf Schedule
March 13-15 – Ottawa University Invitational, Eagle Bend, Lawrence
March 20-22 – Jayhawk Designated, Colbert Hills, Manhattan
March 25 – Graceland University, Mozingo GC, Maryville, MO.
April 2 – Hesston, Bethel College
April 10-12 – Jayhawk Designated, Cottonwood Hills, Hutchinson
April 17-19 – Jayhawk Designated, Sandcreek Station, Newton
May 3-5 – Division II District, Sycamore Ridge, Olathe

Alan Hoskins is the sports information director at KCKCC.

Midwest Winds to perform at KCKCC

by Kelly Rogge

A local music ensemble that formed a partnership with Kansas City Kansas Community College for its most recent performance season will be on stage once again this week.

The Midwest Winds, a civic wind ensemble in the Kansas City area, is dedicated to enhancing the musical arts as well as educating young musicians. Founded in 2002 by Pam Kelly, Heather Pickett and Jodie Lin, the group performs high quality wind ensemble and band literature through four concerts each season.

The ensemble’s next concert is at 7:30 p.m. March 11 at the KCKCC Performing Arts Center, 7250 State Ave. Admission is free.

Conducted by Jodie Lin, Midwest Winds is involved in the community through a variety of different activities. In addition to concerts, Midwest Winds co-sponsors and contributes to musical scholarships for students, performs joint concerts with other local ensembles and groups, co-sponsors conducting clinics that help to guide young musicians, commissions new music and sponsors conducting competitions.

Lin graduated from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music. She was a band director for more than 10 years and served for three years as assistant principal at Rosedale Middle School. Currently, she is the Fine Arts Coordinator for the Kansas City, Kansas School District and performs with the Kansas City Symphony and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra as well as with national acts such as Mannheim Steamroller. The members of Midwest Winds are band directors, music educators and other advanced students.

For more information on Midwest Winds, visit www.midwestwinds.org.

Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.

KCKCC’s student organization of Latinos attend national conference

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

The Student Organization of Latinos’ at Kansas City Kansas Community College recently traveled to Chicago, Ill., to participate in a leadership development conference.

Nadia Vallecillo and Maria G. Hernandez attended the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute in Chicago Feb. 17 to 21. Their adviser Katie Jones, who is also the coordinator of the Intercultural Center at KCKCC, traveled with them to participate in the work sessions.

USHLI works to empower the Latino community and similarly disenfranchised groups by promoting education, leadership development, unity and non-partisan civic participation.

High school and college students from across the U.S. gathered to attend workshops lead by Latino leaders representing 40 states. The organization is led by Juan Andrade Jr., who holds a doctorate degree in the education field, and is one of only two Latinos to receive a presidential medal. In 2011, he became only the fourth Latino in history to be decorated by both the Mexican and U.S. governments, when he received the Ohtli Award. This is the highest honor Mexico can present to a civilian not living in Mexico.

This year, some of the workshop favorites were “Leadership Starts from Within: Latinos and Emotional Intelligence” by Isaura Gonzalez, CEO and founder of Latina Mastermind and “The ABC Principle – Awareness Begins Change” by Shayla Rivera, president of Funny Rocket Scientist Inc.

“We also had the opportunity to hear Latino keynote speakers spanning from the inventor of Flaming Hot Cheetos to a NASA astronaut,” Jones said. “Our KCKCC SOL members enjoyed the opportunity to meet people from around the nation and be inspired by Latino leaders from around the world.”

For more information about the Student Organization of Latinos at KCKCC, contact Katie Jones at 913-288-7375 or by email at [email protected].

Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at KCKCC.