By Rubin E. Grant The Mountain Brook volleyball team might have taken a step down in classification, but don’t expect the Spartans to take a step back. After winning the Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 7A state championship in 2019 with a senior-laden team, led by Player of the Year Grace Carr, Mountain Brook has been reclassified as Class 6A. The … [Read more...]
‘Huge Honor’: Blackburn Recognized as PGA Teacher and Coach of the Year
By Rubin E. Grant Mark Blackburn was doing what he’s been doing for 20 years when the announcement came that he was receiving what he termed a lifetime achievement award. He was in Memphis early last week, coaching one of his golfers as the golfer prepared for the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational. While he was there, the PGA of America announced that … [Read more...]
‘Great Opportunity’: Freedman Comes Full Circle to Coach Homewood Volleyball Team
By Rubin E. Grant Andie Freedman was in her classroom at Hoover High School one Monday morning in July when her phone rang. On the other end was Homewood athletic director Doug Gann, asking her if she had any interest in becoming the Patriots’ head volleyball coach. The position came open suddenly when Cynthia Padgett moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, because her husband, … [Read more...]
‘My Journey Came Full Circle’: UAB Student Tells Her Own Story, Takes Third in National French Essay Contest
By Shannon Thomason Abby Garver, who is graduating from UAB with degrees in French and Spanish, shared her struggle through mental illness and won third prize from more than 1,000 submissions in a national contest held by the American Journal of French Studies. The journal sought essays on the question, “Why did you start learning French?” Garver, of Hoover, placed in … [Read more...]
Zoo to Host Virtual Luau to Raise Funds for Emergency Animal Fund
For the 2020 Zoo Gala, the Birmingham Zoo has planned a virtual event inspired by a similar fundraiser hosted by the Los Angeles Zoo. The Zoo Rendezvous Virtual Luau, presented by IberiaBank, will take place Sept. 10 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Festivities will include a preshow that begins at 6:45 p.m., Hawaiian-style music by Electric Avenue, Hula dancers and more … [Read more...]