YSU’s Jam at the Gym is set for Feb. 16

January 22, 2019 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

High school junior and senior musicians are invited to join the YSU Basketball Pep Band on Feb. 16 to “Jam the Gym “during the men’s basketball game against Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Students will receive a YSU Basketball Pep Band long-sleeve t-shirt, pizza and free admission.

To register, visit the website http://ysubands.org/marching_pride.

A professional development certification (two hours) is available for directors who wish to attend and bring a group of students.

Free-throw contest set Sunday in Poland

POLAND

The Knights of Columbus are sponsoring a free-throw shooting contest on Sunday at the Holy Family gymnasium.

The event is open to boys and girls ages 9-14.

Registration begins at 1:30 p.m.

Winners advance to the organization’s state competition.

For more information, contact John Finizio at 330-717-1500.

Patriots-Chiefs game earns huge ratings

Sunday night’s game between the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs was the second-most watched and rated AFC championship game in 42 years.

The overtime thriller on CBS averaged 53.219 million viewers, just shy of the 54.850 million that viewed Pittsburgh’s victory over the New York Jets in 2011. The 27.5 household rating fell short of the 2016 matchup between New England and Denver that had a 29.3 rating.

Sunday’s game is also a 22 percent increase over last year’s game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots, which averaged 44.145 million.

Fox’s telecast of the NFC championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints had a 24.6 rating. The game averaged 49.299 million, which is up 14 percent over last year’s game which saw the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings (42.408 million).

Both games had 13 percent rating increases over last year.

Shiffrin ascends, Vonn ponders retirement

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy

A passing of the torch moment. A generational transformation marked by a veteran’s tears and the unbridled joy of youth.

Call it what you want, it seemed like destiny played a role when Mikaela Shiffrin won what could very well turn out to be Lindsey Vonn’s last race.

In the space of about a half hour on Sunday, Vonn broke down emotionally after she failed to finish a World Cup super-G on knees so worn down that she describes them as “bone on bone,” then Shiffrin came down nine racers later and won her first speed race at the premier stop on the women’s circuit.

Shortly after the normally reserved Shiffrin unleashed an unusual hands-over-her-head celebration, Vonn announced that she was considering moving up her retirement.

After collecting herself, the 34-year-old Vonn went over and embraced the 23-year-old Shiffrin, who was standing in the leader’s box.

While Vonn returned this weekend from a left knee injury — she hyperextended it and sprained a ligament in November — her right knee is permanently damaged from previous crashes . She has also suffered fractures near her left knee, broken her ankle, sliced her right thumb, had a concussion and more.

Vonn was planning on retiring in December but her results this past weekend — her best finish in three races was ninth — prompted her to consider leaving the sport earlier.

“There’s only so much I can handle and I might have reached my maximum,” Vonn said Sunday.

U.S. team spokeswoman Megan Harrod said Monday that Vonn “is going to take the next couple/few days to think about how she will proceed and process everything, and then decide about how she will move forward based on that.”

Staff/wire report