BOXING

BOXING

Pavlik’s accomplishment
worthy of raves

Fanfare,

I would like to thank Mike and Debbie Pavlik for giving us boxer Kelly Pavlik.

When is the last time you can remember the excitement and buzz about a 25-year-old man, who’s next fight for the middleweight world title, is a month away?

Everyone you talk to is talking about going to Atlantic City to watch Kelly fight for the WBO, WBC middleweight championship of the world.

Everything seems to be great. We need to remember how hard it was and the sacrifices that were made to get to this point.

Here’s a young man who loved sports but gave them up to pursue his boxing career. He would have been a great high school player in all sports.

I feel he could have played college baseball, who knows what could have happened there?

There were no family vacations, not because they could not afford to go, but because they choose to support their child and help him get to this point.

Fighting for the middleweight championship, many people will come to support Kelly at Atlantic City. But his biggest fan there to support with a big smile will be grandpa Mike Pavlik.

Michael Cefalde

Austintown

SOFTBALL

Boardman players
deserved more

Fanfare,

The Boardman 13-14 year old all stars won the state and Central Regional softball championships and earned a spot in the Junior League World Series in Kirkland, Wash.

The team left on Saturday morning and parents were told that the airfare for the girls would be paid for by the league, yet they were asking for donations to help with the expense of flying the girls to Washington.

Parents, relatives and friends left Saturday night at their own expense.

The adults gave of their time, energy and money to support the young ladies and it seems all for naught because there had been very little coverage on the news and in The Vindicator.

The girls played their first game Monday night and in Tuesday’s Vindicator, there was a very small article for this once-in-a-lifetime feat.

Radio, TV personalities and politicians are constantly looking for something good for this community and when it happens, they totally overlook it.

As far as this community is concerned I guess, because the girls don’t kill dogs, take drugs, the fathers don’t beat their mothers, they don’t carry guns, don’t get DUIs and they are not illiterate millionaires; therefore, the community seems to ignore their accomplishments.

Not only are these girls good athletes, they are good students and good kids. It seems that the only people interested in the World Series were friends and relatives.

The coverage of local TV stations and The Vindicator was pathetic. Yes, they did make the front page of the sports section when they won the state championship, but that is where it stopped.

Jerry and Judy Bogan

Youngstown