“Go out there and make your story one to be remembered for generations to come,” she said during a teary address on the very warm late spring evening.

A row of James River seniors watch and wait their turn to go up and receive their diplomas during last week's graduation. - Photo by Ed McCoy

Principal Jamie Talbott congratulated the 120 seniors during the commencement, while noting 53 will attend four-year schools this fall, 39 will attend two-year institutions, two are entering the military and 26 are going into the workforce.

During his remarks, he took a moment to recognize Amanda Petty, who did not get to graduate with her class in 2010 because of serious injuries she suffered in an automobile accident.

“We are proud of how you’ve battled through the recovery process and we are proud of your accomplishments,” he told her as she received a standing ovation from the rest of the Class of 2011 and the crowd.

Talbott went on to offer his final lesson for the graduates– lessons he said they could take from “The Evolution of Dance” performance at the school’s fun day the week before.

Carla Seaver and her classmates filed in for their commencement exercises last Wednesday evening on the James River High School football field. - Photo by Ed McCoy

“Have fun, don’t take yourself too seriously and try something new,” he told the class. “Don’t be afraid to fail,” he said referring to the “dance” performance that he said took 24 faculty and 13 students, “and learn to work together.”

He then admonished the graduates, “Don’t forget to stop and ask for help.”

Class President Shannon Kessler used the Dr. Seuss story “Oh! The Places You’ll Go!” to encourage her classmates. With Purgatory Mountain rising in the background from the school football field, she quoted the final lines, “Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So…get on your way!”

SCA President Kendyl Kelly told her classmates among the things she’d learned at James River was,” That when you work so hard for something, there’s no shame in crying when you achieve it.”

Salutatorian Elizabeth Amos used the “Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen” lyrics to encourage the class.

In the corner of the Radford University dugout, John Shotwell just smiled and put a “K” in his scorebook for the final time. His days of jumping around had ended years ago.

James River’s softball team poses with the Group A, Division 2 state championship trophy after beating Virginia High 2-1 Saturday. Photo by Brian Hoffman

Shotwell, who devoted 50 years of his life to coaching young people, went out with a state championship when his James River girls defeated Virginia High, 2-1, in the Group A, Division 2 championship game Saturday morning. It was his fourth state championship and his last, as he announced prior to the season that this would be his swan song. What a way to go!

“You couldn’t have dreamed up a better ending than this if you were writing a book,” said Shotwell. “I told the kids before the year that we were going to win the state championship and they just looked at me. I reminded Haley of that before the game, and she just smiled.”

Haley is Shotwell’s granddaughter, senior Haley Shotwell. John’s son, Andy, is an assistant coach for the team and Andy’s younger daughter, Lindsay, is a freshman reserve on the team. The team played home games on John Shotwell Field in Buchanan, so you can see this was more than a hobby to the Shotwell family.

“This is really unbelievable, beyond my wildest dreams,” said Andy, who coaches third base and calls pitches for the Knights. “To win the state championship with my oldest daughter on the field and my dad and younger daughter next to me in the dugout, what more can you ask for?”

The Knights came to Radford as the Region C, Division 2 champions after defeating longtime rival Glenvar, 1-0, in the regional final at the Botetourt Sports Complex. That gave River a home game in the state quarterfinal, and the Knights beat Coeburn on Tuesday, 5-1, as Simmons scattered 10 hits.

The game was tied 1-1 into the bottom of the fifth when River put a crooked three on the board.  Jenna Sprinkle knocked in two with a bases-loaded hit and Hannah Morrow’s RBI ground out made it 4-1. That’s all Simmons would need.

That put the Knights in Friday’s state semifinal against Nandua at Veterans Field in Radford, home field for the Radford High School team. The Knights pounded out nine hits and took advantage of six Nandua errors for a 13-1 win.

Actually, the game was much closer than the final score indicates. River scored two runs in the third and Nandua got one back in the top of the fifth to make it 2-1 at that point. However, Taylor Statome’s home run off the top of the fence highlighted a three-run bottom of the fifth to give the Knights some breathing room at 5-1.

Taylor Statome crushes the ball for a two-run homer during James River's semifinal win over Nandau Friday. Photo by Brian Hoffman

“The ball was inside and I got a good turn on it,” said Statome, who was River’s top hitter down the stretch.

Nandua totally collapsed in the bottom of the sixth, as River scored eight more runs with help of some shoddy fielding by the Warriors. Shotwell let freshman Abby Tincher pitch the seventh. She’s the younger sister of Angela Tincher, who led the Knights to two state championships before moving on to national fame at Virginia Tech.

In the other semifinal, Virginia High of Bristol defeated Mathews, 4-0, to set the scene for the state championship. That was scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Radford University varsity field, and a large delegation from Botetourt County was on hand on a beautiful sunny day. All that was needed was one more win to send Shotwell out in style, but it wouldn’t come easy.

River struck first in the championship as Statome hit a bomb in the third inning. While her home run in the semifinal hit the top of the fence and bounced over, this one soared over the fence to the right of the left field scoreboard.

“It was a low fastball and that’s my favorite pitch,” said Statome. “I have a habit of swinging at the first pitch and when I hit it I felt like it was gone.”

Statome had never homered prior to this year, and she had just two this season before the state, both against Craig County. It’s fitting that her final home run would be at RU.

“I’m going to Radford University next year and I’m thinking about trying out for the softball team,” she said. “It was exciting to hit one in the championship game. I like finishing strong.”

That homer was the only run of the game through five innings, as River’s solid defense denied the Bearcats at every turn. Right fielder Morrow made a sensational running catch in the second inning on a ball that was straight over her head. First baseman Haley Shotwell and third baseman Connor Sprinkle made picks on a couple shots at their respective corners, and catcher Hope Falls made a diving grab of a pop foul behind the plate.

“Those were four great defensive plays,” said Shotwell. “We played great defense all year. That’s what it takes to win a state championship.”

The Knights put a second run on the board in the top of sixth. Statome opened the inning with a walk, and after Casie Hill popped up, Jenna Sprinkle drew a walk to put runners on first and second. Morrow followed with a ground ball to second. The Bearcat second baseman tagged Sprinkle, but threw low to first and an alert Statome came around to score on the play.

That run proved big when Virginia scored a two-out run in the bottom of the sixth, but Simmons got out of the inning without further damage. She then put the Bearcats down one, two, three in the seventh and the celebration was on.

“I came to the first championship to watch when I was little and we wanted this so bad,” said senior Haley Shotwell after giving hugs all around. “When we got up 2-0, I felt like we were going to win, but I didn’t want to count the chickens before they hatched. We all have a lot of confidence in Jessica.”

Simmons finished the season with a 14-2 record. Just a sophomore, she split time on the mound with Haley Shotwell for most of the season, but Simmons was the horse the Knights rode in the playoffs.

“She improved a lot this season,” said John Shotwell. “What makes her a good pitcher is that she never throws the ball the same speed two times in a row. And Andy called a great game. He’s one of the best assistants you could ever have. He even kept me calm down the stretch.”

Andy Shotwell coached most of these girls at one time or another during recreation and travel softball.  Many of the girls have played together since they were 9 years old.

“I remember watching them when they were 9 and thinking these girls might win me a state championship some day,” said Shotwell.

On Saturday it all came to be, and Shotwell went out holding the state trophy. At 73, he’s had enough.

“I still enjoy the games, but at night when I go home after practice I’m just too tired,” he said. “I’ve had enough. It’s time to turn it over to someone else.”

That person would be Kasey Austin, who was announced as the new coach. Austin played for Shotwell and he feels she’ll do an exceptional job. John also hopes E.D. Schechterly, who also applied for the position, will stay on.

“E.D. has done a fantastic job as assistant coach,” said Shotwell. “He’s been with me for 18 years and he’s been a big part of the program.”

Andy Shotwell would also like to return, “if the new coach will have me,” and don’t expect John Shotwell to ride into the sunset, never to be seen again. He has too much red and black in his veins to stay away completely after 20 years, 372 wins, and four state championships with the James River softball team. And who could keep him away from John Shotwell Field?

“I told Kasey that I’ll be over to help if she needs me,” said Shotwell. “I don’t want to interfere, but I’d love to help if they need me.”

And what better help could you have?

The Region C, Division 2 rivals advanced to the state championship game Thursday night—but in different fashions.

River's Jordan Talbott (22) drives to the basket in the Knights' 65-31 state semi-final win over George Mason Thursday night.

Radford needed overtime to take out Lancaster 67-61 while James River breezed past George Mason 65-31 at VCU’s Siegel Center.

The two teams hold title to the past two Division 2 state championships. The Bobcats won it in 2009 and the Knights are the defending champs.

River also is the Region C champion after beating Radford 56-52 on the Knights’ home floor two weeks ago.

Radford’s girls were on track to make the finals, too. They led George Mason 32-16 in the second quarter of that semi-final game Friday afternoon.

There were some worried looks in Radford's student section as regulation came to a close in Thursday night's state semi-final game. The Bobcats took the game into overtime and beat Lancaster 67-61 to advance to the Division 2 championship game with James River Saturday at 5 p.m.

If the Lady Bobcats’ lead holds up, they’ll play at 3 p.m. Saturday for the state championship.

River shot a team score of 328 to win the Pioneer tourney at the Vista Links course in Buena Vista. Korey Watts of River had a two-under-par 70 to win medalist honors for the Pioneer. Korey was four under with two holes to go but bogeyed the last two holes, but he still won the individual title by eight strokes.

Also scoring for River were Irina Boothe at 81, Tyler Duke at 87, and Colin Guilliams and Jaret White both shot 90. Parry McCluer, the regular season champ, was second with 332.

“It was a gratifying win, that’s for sure,” said River coach John Shotwell.

With the win River and Parry McCluer advanced to Tuesday’s Region C tournament in Wytheville. The top two teams advance to the state next week in Gloucester. River had to shoot a real good score Tuesday to advance.

“We’ll have to shoot around 315,” said Shotwell, prior to Tuesday’s tournament. “Giles is the defending state champ and Galax is very good.”

The women’s varsity race will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the men’s varsity championship at 5:45 p.m. Each team can have up to seven runners with the top five in each race scoring for the team.

James River's Britta Grim took first in the recent cross country meet at Greenfield. Photo by Ed McCoy

The first Metro race was held in 1974. Patrick Henry Coach Lloyd Woods thought a cross country race that featured the best in the Roanoke Valley area would be a good thing for distance-running athletes and for bringing attention to the little-known sport of cross country. The local cross country coaches met and agreed. Among them were Richard Browder of Andrew Lewis, Lynn Stewart of Northside, Richard Pitts of Glenvar, Sam Shackleford of Cave Spring and Henry Fulford of  William Fleming. William Byrd did not have a cross country team at this time.

The first meet was held on the Patrick Henry High School course and Browder was meet director. Over the years the meet has been held at the Baptist Children’s Home in Salem, at Glenvar High School, Fallon Park, the Roanoke College Elizabeth Campus, Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, and the current location since 2005, Green Hill Park in Roanoke County. Current meet directors are Tommy Maguire and Laurence Loesel of Cave Spring High School. This year the meet will have 23 schools participating.

Lord Botetourt won the Metro championship in 1995 and finished second in ’97. Individually, LB runners Robert Pauley won the race in 1994 and Will Wyche was the champion in ’97. Andrew Pauley was the runner-up in ’92 and Zeke Hunsberger took second in ’08.

The LB girls have never won an individual or team Metro title although Heather Chaffin finished second in 1994 to four-time champ Trish Nervo of Glenvar.

The Cavaliers were off last week as they prepared for the Metro. James River had a meet at Greenfield last week as the Knights played host to their fellow Pioneer District schools. The River boys and girls both finished third as a team.

Individually, Britta Grim of River won the girls race with a time of 23:30. Maggie Grumbine was third overall at 25:07.

Ethan Brannan, a first year runner, finished second overall for the boys with a time of 19:26. Dylan Coleman was eighth.

The Knights haven’t traditionally been in the Metro, but new coach Butch Lewis was instrumental in getting James River included.

“We run many of the same teams every week, and this will give us a look at some really good runners,” he said.

Botetourt will take a 72-stroke lead to Ole Monterey next Monday for the fifth and final round of the BRD regular season tournament. Northside is the closest team to LB, and the Vikings would have to beat the Cavaliers by an average of 18 strokes per man to catch them. For example, if all four LB scorers shot 90, then all four Northside golfers would have to shoot 72 just to tie, and that’s not going to happen on either count.

The Cavaliers put it away with a round of 296 at Mariners’ Landing last week, and that was the completion of an earlier outing that was delayed by bad weather. Northside was second with 325, William Byrd shot 328, Alleghany had 339 and Staunton River shot a 363.

With that result Botetourt was at 1,123 for the season, followed by Northside at 1,195. Byrd was next at 1,221 with Alleghany at 1,241 and Staunton River at 1,283.

Individually, Lyndsey Hunnell and Justin Nichols both shot 71 to tie for medalist honors at Mariners’ Landing. That moved them both within five shots of William Byrd’s Brandon Bailey for overall individual champion in the BRD. Bailey leads with 276 and Hunnell and Nichols both have 281. Ben Matthias and Austin Broyles are tied for sixth place at 287 and Andrew Long is ninth in the district at 293. Broyles shot 76 at Mariners’ Landing and Kris Hoffman also scored for LB with a 78.

If Botetourt can hold off the district, as expected, the Cavaliers will have a berth in the Region III tournament. The Blue Ridge District tournament is also at Ole Monterey on Wednesday, Sept. 22.

Blues take PD golf title away from River

The Parry McCluer golfers won the Pioneer District regular season when they outshot James River by five strokes in Covington last week.

Korey Watts tees off for James River. Photo by Brian Hoffman

The Blues had a nine-hole total of 158 while River had 163 at the Cliff View course, site of the final district match of the season. Bath County also beat the Knights with a 159, so the final district records are 17-2 for Parry McCluer and 15-4 for River.

“Now we have to make the regional by winning the tournament, or at least finishing second to Parry McCluer,” said River coach John Shotwell. “I think we should be able to do that.”

Korey Watts had an even par 36 to lead River at Cliff View. Irina Boothe had a 37 while Jaret White and Tyler Duke both shot 45.

“We had one bad hole, a par three where three of our kids had double-bogeys,” said Shotwell. “Irina was one under and that was the last hole she played so she finished one over.”

On Thursday, River will have a non-district match against Glenvar and Alleghany at the Botetourt Country Club.

Blacksburg won the tournament with a four-man score of 290. The Bruins also had the low individual, as Ryan Mondy shot 69 for first overall. Parker Davis of Salem was second at even-par 71 and James River’s Korey Watts took third with a score of 72.

Korey Watts chips to the pin at the Botetourt Country Club. Photo by Brian Hoffman

Watts, a sophomore, was the leader in the clubhouse for a while. He played in the first group and finished his round of 72 as the best in his foursome. After the second and thirds groups came in, Watts was still low man so he was looking good, as the players were seeded with the best golfers teeing off first.

Finally, in the fourth group, Mondy posted his 69, and Parker came in with the fifth group. Still, it was a nice round for Watts, who is considered one of the top high school golfers in the area.

“He was hitting his iron shots better and he really likes that course,” said River coach John Shotwell.

River shot a 329 as a team. The next best scorer for the Knights was first year golfer Tyler Duke, who came in at 84. Irina Boothe carded 88 and Colin Guilliams rounded out the scoring at 85.

Lyndsey Hunnell of Botetourt watches her drive. Photo by Brian Hoffman

“I was very pleased with our finish,” said Shotwell. “Irina had 10 three-putts, and if she could have cut that in half she would have had a good score.”

Another girl, Lyndsey Hunnell, had the low score for Lord Botetourt. The freshman was playing number four for LB, in the 10th foursome, but she came in with a strong 77, tied for 11th overall. Seven of the golfers ahead of Hunnell were from either Blacksburg or Salem, the top two teams.

“She played very well,” said LB coach Todd Smith. “Her putting was lights out.”

LB shot 322 as a team. Austin Broyles was second individually at 79, followed by Kris Hoffman at 82 and Ben Matthias at 84. The team score put LB in the top half of the 13 teams with a sixth place finish, but that wasn’t what Smith was hoping for.

“I was a little disappointed,” he said. “I thought we could have played better, especially since it was at the Botetourt Country Club. We just couldn’t get our putts to fall.”

Second place overall went to Salem with an even 300, followed by Hidden Valley at 311, Cave Spring at 316, and Franklin County at 320. Botetourt was next, the low score among four Blue Ridge District teams in the field. Alleghany was the only BRD team not in the Metro.

Botetourt is back in the district race this week. The BRD teams were at Mariners’ Landing in Moneta on Tuesday, and on Thursday the five district teams play at Ole Monterey. These are the third and fourth rounds of the five round season tournament, and LB took a 31-stroke lead over Northside into Tuesday’s round. A good week and Botetourt can bury the field.

“Hopefully, we’ll get back to playing like we did before the Metro,” said Smith.

James River was at Parry McCluer for a Pioneer District match on Tuesday. Most likely, Watts would not be able to play, as he was ill Monday and hoping to be back by Thursday’s district match at the Botetourt Country Club.

The Pioneer’s first match was held at Bath County last week and Parry McCluer had the low score of 167 for nine holes. The match was cut short due to the heat.

In the Pioneer, the host team plays against all the others and the visiting teams play only against the host. River shot a 176 and that was better than Bath at 186, so the Knights stood at 1-0 in district play.

This week, River goes head-to-head with Parry McCluer, as both teams are host schools. The Knights were at a decided disadvantage Tuesday with Watts on the shelf, so Thursday’s match at BCC will be a big one.

“If we can split with them this week I’ll be happy,” said Shotwell. “That would make us tied for first.”

This is a change from past years, when the Metro was a 36-hole tournament held over two days on two courses. This year the Botetourt Country Club was the only area course to welcome the high school golfers.

LB's Andrew Long attempts a putt.

“No one else said they could afford to give up two hours of tee times,” said James River coach John Shotwell, who has been a member at the Botetourt Country Club since the ‘60s. “I think that’s ridiculous.”

Shotwell notes that the high school players of today are the paying customers of tomorrow, and credits BCC with continuing support of the young players.

“They’ve been supportive of me and my team since I’ve been coach,” he said. “The Roanoke Valley has been top notch when it comes to high school golf. We’ve had a lot of kids go on to play in college and they’ve done well. It’s hard to believe we can’t find another course around here who will let the kids play for a couple hours.”

The Botetourt Country Club is in terrific shape, maybe the best it’s ever been.

“I would say so,” said Shotwell. “The course looks gorgeous. They’ve put in a lot of flowers and new sand. It’s beautiful.”

The Metro is viewed as the kickoff for the high school season, but both LB and River have already participated in matches. Both schools played in the Heritage Invitational on Monday and LB played two district matches last week. In fact, Botetourt has a 31-stroke lead in the Blue Ridge District season tournament and it’s just the second week of August.

“There’s still a long way to go, but I’d rather be 31 strokes up than 31 behind,” said LB coach Todd Smith. “It’s early. Everyone can play a lot better.”

The 90-hole Blue Ridge District season opened last week when all five teams played a round at the Ashley Plantation, which is Botetourt’s home course. The homestanding Cavaliers won the round with a team score of 301, 27 strokes better than second place Northside. Alleghany was third with 339 and William Byrd and Staunton River both shot 341.

Andrew Long had Botetourt’s best score with a 73, and that tied Dylan Wright of Northside for medalist. Other LB scores included Austin Broyles at 75, Ben Matthias at 76, and Lyndsey Hunnell and Justin Nichols at 77 each.

“I was very pleased that we could put five in the 70s,” said Smith.

Last Thursday at the Alleghany Country Club, Botetourt increased the lead with a 308, followed by Northside’s 312. Smith was somewhat wary of the Alleghany course.

“They’re going to close down before long and the course wasn’t in very good shape,” he said. “That was one I was worried about.”

Matthias had a 76 to lead LB in this one, followed by Hunnell and Nichols with 77 each and Long at 78. Broyles and Kris Hoffman both shot 82.

After two rounds, Botetourt leads Northside 609-640. Byrd improved to 316 at Alleghany and moved into third at 657, followed by Alleghany at 662 and Staunton River at 673.

Lacy Broughman of Alleghany was medalist at the Alleghany Country Club with a 69, and he took over first place individually with a 36-hole score of 147. Brandon Bailey of Byrd is second at 149 after shooting even par at Alleghany and Botetourt has the next two best 36-hole scores with Long at 151 and Matthias at 152.

Next week the BRD tour goes to Mariners’ Landing in Moneta as Staunton River hosts the district on Tuesday.

Botetourt and River both played in the Heritage Invitational on Monday at the par 72 hole London Downs Golf Course in Lynchburg. Botetourt was eighth among 24 teams and River finished 21st.

Cave Spring won the big time event with a score of 315, followed by Franklin County, Hidden Valley and Jefferson Forest with 317 each. Botetourt was just five strokes back at 320.

Hunnell, a freshman, had a 77 for LB’s best score. Broyles shot 79, Nichols had 81, and Long rounded out the scoring with an 83.

Korey Watts, a sophomore, led River with a 76. He was even par through 10 holes.

“And then the TV cameras showed up, and I think that made him a little nervous,” said Shotwell.

Other scorers for River were Irina Boothe at 86, Tyler Duke at 97 and Luke Arney at 113.

“We had some people playing their first high school match,” said Shotwell. “They’ll get better.”

The Knights were at Bath County Tuesday but results were too late for publication. Next Tuesday, Aug. 17, River is at Parry McCluer.

Tincher, the former James River and Virginia Tech softball pitching star, is the centerpiece of a new six-girl softball team called “Dynasty 6.” Tincher is the pitcher and five other girls play the field against full teams of challengers, usually men.

Angela Tincher, here pitching at Virginia Tech, is the centerpiece of a new six-girl softball team. Photo by Brian Hoffman

The team plays off the concept of the “Queen and her Maids,” a touring four-girl softball team from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The “Queen” was pitching star Rosie Beaird-Black, and she had three teammates, two of which were her sisters. It was similar to the more famous “King and his Court,” a four-man touring softball team featuring pitching great Eddie Feigner.

Tincher is the star of Dynasty 6. Her catcher is Kelsey (Hoffman) Schmitt, who caught her for three years at Virginia Tech, including their senior season when the Hokies went to the NCAA Softball World Series.

The other girls on the Dynasty 6 are various softball All-Americans who also play for a team called the US Professional All-Stars. On a normal weekend the All-Stars will take on a team of local collegians on a Friday night. Then on Saturday, there will be a doubleheader with the All-Stars playing in one game and the Dynasty 6 team taking on a team of local firefighters, police, military personnel, celebrities or professional athletes from other sports.

The first Dynasty 6 game was in Maryland last month, and the next stop will be in Bixby, Okla. on July 16 and 17. Tincher is hoping interest picks up as the word gets out. The Dynasty 6 games raise money for charities, while the girls get paid for the All-Star events, and on each stop they try to schedule clinics to pick up some extra cash.

“I really like it,” said Tincher, who led James River to two Group A state championships in high school. “It’s sort of like the King and his Court but a little more of a team aspect. It’s not just about me.”

Rosie Black was probably the best pitcher of her day, and she performed all over the world and on TV. She would strike out frustrated Major League Baseball players, who weren’t used to seeing her wicked rise ball. Tincher has that same kind of stuff.

“Guys aren’t used to seeing fast-pitch,” said Tincher. “They take the big, long swing and have trouble adjusting.”

Tincher’s team won their first “six-girl” exhibition, but only 3-2. And one of the men hit a home run off Angela, something that didn’t happen very often in high school and college.

“They had this radio host who had been practicing for a long time and he knew what to expect,” said Angela. “I threw him a change up and he hit it over the fence. I should have never thrown him a change up. I struck him out the next time.”

Tincher ended up getting 15 of the 18 outs on strikeouts, and that’s pretty much how Rosie and the Maids used to do it. It doesn’t matter how many fielders you have out there if the batter doesn’t hit the ball.

Feigner, probably the most famous softball pitcher ever, used to strike out batters pitching blind-folded and from second base. He also worked some comedy into the act, and Tincher’s team is still a work in progress.

“We throw a little comedy in there,” she said. “We’re still tweaking it. It’s been a lot of fun so far. It’s been an experience.”

Tincher has had her share of experiences. In addition to pitching for Tech in the World Series she pitched a no-hitter in an exhibition against the United States Olympic Team. She’s been around the world with a softball in her hand.

“I was talking to the girls about that at a clinic recently,” she said. “I’ve seen cities and countries I never would have seen without softball. I’ve been to Venezuela and Taiwan and I’ve lived in Japan. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

And, she’s shared the spotlight in Akron, Ohio with Lebron James. Last summer Angela pitched for the professional Akron Racers fast-pitch team. This spring she served as pitching coach at Syracuse University, and her latest endeavor promises to take her to more places to try and strikeout batters for money. And, to promote fast-pitch softball.

“Without the Olympics, it’s really important to promote softball to the young girls,” said Tincher, who has a younger sister, Abby, who will be a freshman at James River this fall.

Angela would love to do some kind of event in this area. The Botetourt Sports Complex or the Moyer Complex in Salem would be perfect. Recently Salem drew over 2,000 fans for an appearance by the Chicago Bandits pro team.

“I’d love to do some kind of event in this area,” she said. “I think the fans would really like it and it’s always nice to come home.”

Kane told her classmates she almost didn’t come to James River because she was slated to go to Lord Botetourt, but when she realized while in the second grade all her friends would be at JRHS she finally talked her parents into letting her go there, too, and how glad she was they allowed her to do that.

Camille Ware, Tabitha Webb, Levi West, Sara Wise and Danielle Young applaud their classmates as they wait their turn to receive diplomas at JRHS’s graduation. Photo by Ed McCoy

Principal Jamie Talbott “bragged” on the class and read a list of schools they’d be attending in the fall, what careers laid ahead for some and the military obligations others had signed on for.

He also presented the first James River High School 50^th Anniversary Scholarship to Morgan Deacon.

The school celebrated its 50^th anniversary this school year, and the Class of 2010 was its 51^st class to graduate.