By Rubin E. GrantIt’s called Camp Mac.Nestled in the towering pines of the Talladega National Forest near Mount Cheaha in what was once a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, Camp Mac since 1948 has been a place where children can participate in a variety of activities, have fun, learn and experience nature’s beauty. A few weeks before the 1974 high school … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantSteve Newton didn’t have any plans to become a referee when he was a graduate student at Auburn University.But that all changed when one of his civil engineering professors asked him if he liked football.Of course, Newton answered yes, and what followed changed the course of his life.The professor told Newton he would be officiating high school … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantJustin Kisor wasn’t just dealing with heat this summer but also a whirlwind.That’s how he described what his life has been like since early April, when he was named Spain Park’s new volleyball coach.Kisor spent almost four months traveling back and forth between Hoover and Fort Payne, where he had been head volleyball coach the past four years, … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantMattie Gardner is in uncharted territory as she enters her fourth season as Mountain Brook’s volleyball coach.With the graduations of Hannah and Paige Paran and Mae Mae and Annie Lacey, the Spartans don’t have any twins on their roster. They do have two sisters, Ava Ruth Borland, a junior right side hitter, and Naomi Borland, a freshman outside … [Read more...]

By Rubin E. GrantAlvin Bresler was a young coach when he led the Homewood Patriots to their first state championship in 1974, in just the third year of the program’s existence.“When I think back about that, Homewood High School hired me when I was 23 years old (in 1972),” Bresler said. “I was 25 when the 1974 season started and I turned 26 during the season.“I … [Read more...]