Grace Riggs, a sophomore who doesn't play travel or club, gets job done for Waubonsie Valley. ‘Working so hard.'
Riggs, who's very good defensively, is batting ninth for a second straight year on varsity. She doesn't, however, play summer travel or fill winter weekends working out in the batting cage.
'I like having my free time and not having all that traveling,' said Riggs, who seems to realize it could come at a cost. 'I started off bad this season, I think, because I don't play outside of this.
'I hadn't hit in a while before coming back.'
By Thursday, yet another bone-chilling, windy spring day in Aurora for the Warriors' DuPage Valley Conference matchup at neighboring rival Metea Valley, that was hard to tell.
Riggs looked to be in midseason form, emerging as the star of the game at the plate and in the field during a remarkable 8-7 come-from-behind victory for Waubonsie Valley.
Ssenior pitcher Charlie Benesh was cruising with a 7-0 lead on a one-hitter through four innings for Metea Valley (2-8, 0-1), but Riggs produced singles in a three-run fifth and one-run sixth.
She then came up with the game-winning hit for the Warriors (4-2, 1-0) with a two-run, two-out single in the top of the seventh that capped off a four-run rally.
'I just knew I had to hit it,' Riggs said. 'I like to open my shoulders, so I had to make sure to keep my shoulder in and hit it. I was just trying to get it in play.
'I guess I just got used to her pitching. I had been looking for change-ups, but she didn't throw as many as last year, so I was just going up looking for strikes.'
It made a winner of senior right-hander Samantha Wiertelak, who pitched the final three innings and gave up no runs and no hits in relief of freshman starter Molly Quinn.
Sophomore outfielder Dezirae Kelly added a two-run double for Waubonsie. Benesh notched an RBI triple and senior catcher Sydney Eakin had a two-run double and three RBIs for Metea.
'She's been working so hard with her hitting,' Waubonsie coach Valerie Wood said of Riggs. 'I know that's been a point of contention with her. She's been working on her confidence, and (Thursday) kind of solidified that.
'I told her it was gonna come because at that point we had played only two games and everyone was struggling. We've worked a lot with the whole team on mentally just getting over things and stepping back. It showed — she had a heckuva game.'
Only three of Waubonsie's runs were earned and just two of Metea's runs were earned, although Riggs handled nine total chances without an error.
She did bobble one of two seventh-inning grounders but scooped it up in time to sophomore shortstop Aislee Morgan for a force-out. She also snared a line drive and stepped on second for an unassisted double play in the second inning.
'We talk a lot about finishing the play and that's always our focus,' Wood said. 'It transferred over (Thursday), and Grace didn't give up on the bobbled ball and could have easily enough.
'She stuck with it and got the out. Grace and Aislee are best friends and work well together.'
The 5-foot-7 Riggs also plays volleyball and was an outside hitter last season for the school's sophomore team. She doesn't play club in volleyball, either.
Whether that continues for both sports remains to be seen.
'My mom's always saying, 'Other people play outside and you don't and don't get as much practice, so it's good you've been doing as well as you are,' Riggs said.
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Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Yahoo
Lopez: She left college to conquer tennis. At 81, Billie Jean King is back, chasing a degree
Everyone reaches a point in life when it's OK to sink into the easy chair, prop up their feet and take a deep breath. Apparently, no one has told this to Billie Jean King. Since the time she was a child in Long Beach, raised by a firefighter and homemaker, King has been filling history books. She won more singles and doubles championships at Wimbledon than anyone before or since, and she was the No. 1 female tennis player in the world. She's been carrying a flag, for decades, for gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights in sports and society. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Fifty million people tuned in on their televisions one evening in 1973 and watched her whip Bobby Riggs in a tennis challenge billed as 'The Battle of the Sexes." But King's resume, which would stretch from one end of Wimbledon's Center Court to the other and keep going, is missing one thing, and that was bugging her. The omission came up last year in a conversation she was having with the staff of her New York-based consulting, investing and marketing company. (Yes, she still runs a business and a foundation promoting education, leadership and activism.) 'I hate not finishing,' she recalls telling her colleagues. They asked what she meant. 'I haven't finished college,' she told them. 'And, you know, I should finish.' Read more: Billie Jean King looked at Hollywood Walk of Fame stars as a kid. Tennis icon now has her own Yeah, what a slacker. In the spring this year, at the age of 81, Billie Jean King went back to school, chasing not a trophy, or a cup, or a medal, but a degree. And there was no doubt in her mind about where she would enroll — at the very school where she began her college education in the '60s before going pro. The school that has a statue of her near the courts where she used to smack tennis balls around. Cal State L.A. (Would anyone be surprised if she went out for the tennis team?) Lots of people start college and then take a pause. King's lasted 60 years. The woman who keeps making history is now majoring in it. She's taken several courses this year and will soon begin the fall semester as a senior, on track to graduate in the spring with a bachelor's degree in history. 'I'm having a great time,' she told me Wednesday by video link from her home in New York. King isn't strolling campus with a backpack and hanging with fellow students at the library and food court. Her business ventures keep her on the road and mostly on the East Coast, so she takes her classes remotely, usually one- on-one with professors who helped her craft a flexible schedule. She's also earned course credit for her interaction with other CSULA students who have taken a somewhat circuitous route to a bachelor's degree — they're enrolled in Cal State L.A.'s Prison Graduation Initiative while serving time. Read more: Excerpt: Billie Jean King on growing up in Long Beach and saving up $8.29 for her first racket After I interviewed King, she spoke remotely with 32 inmate/students at the maximum-security state prison in Lancaster and sent me an email when she was done. "They have made a commitment to improving their lives through education," she said, and "getting their degree will be life-changing for them." A few months ago, she did the same hookup with inmate/students at the California Institute for Women in Chino. 'I wanted to know their stories,' King told me, adding that she told them to work together toward shared goals. She also asked them what they miss most while in prison. The answers, she said, were quite candid. 'One woman took total ownership. She said, 'I miss my children. I miss being free…. I even miss the husband that I killed.' Yes, that does sound pretty candid. King's fall classes will include U.S. and Latin American history. Her favorite spring semester class was historiography, a study of how historians research and interpret the past. "It's like the history of history," King said. I felt like I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask about her GPA. King said she hasn't gotten a report card yet, but says she's taking no shortcuts on assignments, and the homework load is not exactly light. 'I just read like crazy all the time,' said King, who has turned her paper chase into something of a cause. In social media posts extolling the value of continuing to engage, learn and grow — at any age — she sits next to a stack of assigned texts, including 'Contested Histories in Public Space' and 'Fighting Over the Founders.' She's also reading books on Title IX, the civil rights law that banned sexual discrimination in federally funded education programs. On that subject, King is more teacher than student. She was an early and persistent advocate for Title IX, and testified before Congress. 'The thing they like,' she said of her professors, 'is that I have lived some of these historical moments.' King said she hasn't been shy about pointing out what she considers errors in the telling of history she was a part of. 'It drives me crazy.' In that regard, and other obvious ways, King is not the prototypical Cal State L.A. student. "It's been 50 years of changing the world," communications studies department Chair David Olsen said of King's achievements. But in other ways, she's typical. I used to teach a class at CSULA, and most of my students were jugglers. They had jobs and families, and with so many other responsibilities and pursuits, they weren't in and out in four years. Some, like King, took a break but circled back. "Oh, I guess I am like them," King said. "It's never too late to return, and it's never too late to finish," Olsen said. "The coming back, to me, is what's so important and inspiring" — especially because finishing her education was an elective rather than a requirement. "To be a lifelong learner — that's an important lesson," said Scott Wells, chair of the CSULA history department. "She doesn't need to do this for career reasons or economic reasons. It's a reminder that higher education is not merely getting technical skills or a piece of paper for a job opportunity.... When she posted on social media, 'Here are the books I'm reading,' it's a way of saying that books are important and people should care about history." I asked King, who's been at the forefront of so many social justice movements, what it's like to live through this moment in political and cultural history, in which many of the gains she fought for are under threat, and in which our heritage is depicted on government websites as white, covered wagon pioneers. Read more: This day in sports: Billie Jean King wins her first of six Wimbledon singles titles "How about slavery?" King said. "Look at athletes who tried to travel. Look at Jackie Robinson. Look at Althea Gibson. "I learned white history as a kid, and then I realized ... the people who were here first were our Indigenous people. " History repeats itself, King said, and "it's repeating itself again now" in disconcerting ways. "I mean, we were fighting so hard ... for Roe vs. Wade, and we got it through," she said of the landmark Supreme Court decision on women's reproductive rights in 1973. "And now we're going backwards again." Her job in her 80s, King said, is not to lead the resistance, but to ask the next generation what it wants and to offer guidance and support. "It's important to know history, because the more you know about history, the more you know about yourself," King said. "But more importantly, it helps you shape the future." I had one last question for King. The graduation ceremony is a really big deal at Cal State L.A., I told her. Many of the grads are first-generation college students, and the achievement is celebrated by cheering extended families. Will you walk the stage in the spring in cap and gown? She smiled. "If I can," she said, "I will." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
San Francisco Chronicle
13-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Steph Curry, other celebrity golfers lean on their first sport in Tahoe tourney
STATELINE, Nev. — Stephen Curry's extraordinary hand-eye coordination helps explain why he's such a good golfer. So does his boundless confidence in his own athletic ability, even when he's struggling. One example in basketball: Curry missed his first nine 3-point shots in a 2016 playoff game against Portland. He kept firing, made his 10th, shimmied back downcourt and then nailed four more from long range to push the Golden State Warriors to victory. One example in golf: Curry couldn't make a putt for most of Saturday's round in the celebrity tournament alongside Lake Tahoe. But he kept the faith, just like he does on the court, and finished by sinking a birdie putt on No. 18. Asked how basketball helps him in golf, Curry said, 'It's just the confidence you have of being able to execute something, visualize it and kind of see it through. That's pretty much what happened today: I missed all those putts, and then I'm standing over that last one like I'm hot. It's the built-up confidence that I can do whatever.' Athletes from many different sports excel in golf, as illustrated by the American Century Championship leaderboard entering Sunday's final round. The top 10 featured two former baseball players, two from football and one each from hockey, soccer, basketball, tennis and golf (Annika Sorenstam). And then there's country music singer Jake Owen, not a pro from another sport. Owen's distinctive background notwithstanding, the wide variety of golfers in contention at Edgewood Tahoe raises an interesting question. Namely, which skills from their first sport most translate to the course? That question led to a wide range of answers the past few days. Former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan pointed to the parallels in preparation — how attacking a golf course isn't all that different from attacking a defense in football. 'In a lot of ways, it's like here's the game plan, here's what we're trying to do,' Ryan said. 'We're not worrying about anything else other than trying to execute one play, one shot, whatever it is. I think that mindset helps.' If Curry and Ryan addressed the mental component, then Alex Riggs took a crack at the physical skills migrating from other sports to the links. Riggs is a golf coach based in Dubai, who works with several European tour pros, accomplished celebrities and high-level junior players. Curry discovered Riggs about five years ago, while browsing instructional videos on YouTube. They soon began working together on Riggs' occasional visits to the U.S., and Curry credits Riggs for helping him improve enough to win the celebrity event at Edgewood two years ago. Riggs said athletes in 'ball sports' most effectively bring their skills to golf, mostly because they have an innate understanding of how to make a ball move. 'I would point to tennis, in terms of the way the ball spins,' Riggs said. 'You're going to see similar examples in soccer. Even for a basketball player, look at how Steph manages layups and controls how the ball is spinning. He understands where he's going and how he needs to spin the ball for it to react a certain way. 'It's spin control, and that's a massive benefit for the short game in golf. Just smashing the golf ball is one thing, but the art of the short game? You've got to understand spin.' If Curry's ballhandling and shooting skills from basketball carry into golf, so do Joe Pavelski's skills from handling and shooting the puck in hockey. Pavelski, the former San Jose Sharks standout who spent 18 years in the NHL, typically contends at Edgewood, and he was tied for the lead entering play Sunday. Asked how his hockey ability carries into golf, Pavelski mentioned the 'impact zone' — whether unleashing a slap shot or smacking the golf ball. 'Where you're hitting it helps, as far as the hands and the connection there,' Pavelski said. 'Then the hands part of it around the green.' Pavelski also noted how nicely the calendar lines up for hockey players (as it does for Curry and other basketball players). Namely, the season ends just as the weather starts warming up. That helped him sharpen his golf game growing up in Wisconsin, and it also helped during his NHL career. He annually returned home and spent most of his summers playing golf and fishing. 'I was always able to keep my game at a good level,' Pavelski said. Hall of Fame pitcher John Smoltz made a similar point, but he was talking about his freedom to play during baseball season. He and fellow Atlanta Braves starters Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine frequently played golf on the road during their careers, at least on the days they weren't pitching. So maybe it's no coincidence two former MLB pitchers — Smoltz and onetime A's left-hander Mark Mulder — are near-annual contenders at Edgewood. 'We've got the most time,' Smoltz said of starting pitchers. 'I know we don't get credited as athletes because people think we're not, but we're actually the greatest athletes on the team because we chose the right position (smiling). 'But no, it's about time and reps. We made 36 starts a year, and the rest of those opportunities we played golf. … All of us in baseball realized golf has the longest expiration date — that's really what drives everybody to that level.' Smoltz and Mulder will begin Sunday's final round tied for sixth in the celebrity event, eight points behind Pavelski and former pro soccer player Taylor Twellman. Curry stands another point back, tied for ninth. Put another way: it would take an epic comeback for Curry to repeat his 2023 victory at Edgewood. He's fully aware of this. 'It's a longshot to win, but I could get hot early and then see what happens,' Curry said Saturday. 'I'm going to play the most aggressive round you've ever seen, so hopefully it flies straight.'
Chicago Tribune
25-06-2025
- Chicago Tribune
‘Sky is the limit' for Waubonsie Valley's Owen Roberts, the 2025 Naperville Sun Baseball Player of the Year
Waubonsie Valley's Owen Roberts proved he's a big-game pitcher once again during his senior season. The Indiana State commit did it by treating each pitch the same way. 'I think it's just going out there and just being competitive every pitch, just taking it one pitch at a time, having the mentality that nobody is going to beat me,' Roberts said. Hardly anyone did. Roberts, the 2025 Naperville Sun Baseball Player of the Year, was as close to a sure thing as there is in high school baseball, and everyone knew it. The player of the year for the second straight season, Roberts went 8-2 with a 0.49 ERA for the Warriors (23-13), who won their first sectional title since 2005. He struck out 92 and walked just 16 in 72 innings. 'What he did on the mound last year was special,' Waubonsie Valley coach Bryan Acevedo said. 'I was like, 'I don't know if he can do it again,' and he was even better this year on the mound.' Waubonsie Valley sophomore catcher Shane Torres, a rising star known for his handling of pitchers, said it was fun to work with Roberts, who increased the velocity of his fastball by several miles per hour and throws in the high 80s to low 90s. 'When I'm catching him, I kind of have to focus a little bit more, obviously, because the higher velo sometimes gets you,' Torres said. 'But other than that, it's like catching any other guy — except he'll shut the other team down pretty much every single time. 'He had an amazing year last year, so it was kind of just get the momentum going from last year to this season, and he did a pretty good job doing that. He had a spectacular year.' Roberts, who was also the DuPage Valley Conference's co-pitcher of the year, said Indiana State intends to use him as a two-way player. It's easy to understand why considering what he did at the plate and at shortstop for Waubonsie Valley. Batting second in the lineup, he hit .367 with two home runs, 19 RBIs and 32 runs scored. 'He's probably the most competitive kid I've been around,' Acevedo said. 'He just competes, and that's his edge.' Roberts actually had to make more adjustments as a hitter than as a pitcher. 'At the plate, I was definitely seeing a lot more off-speed,' Roberts said. 'They were attacking me off-speed early, so it was definitely a challenge because I had to think more in the box a little bit. But I think I was up for the task.' On the mound, Roberts had been a relative unknown before his junior season. But hitters weren't able to adjust to him this season. 'I just focused on gaining velo and just kept throwing strikes because that's all you basically need, and trusting your defense,' Roberts said. 'The velo happened with just putting on weight, training in the offseason, and I just kept pumping the gas.' Indeed, Roberts did it without losing any accuracy. 'Most guys, they'll have the velocity but don't have the command,' Torres said. 'But every single day we can count on Owen to throw strikes.' That's something other pitchers try to emulate. Among them is Seth Gilliland, who will play at NCAA Division III national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater after finishing his high school career with a strong performance in Waubonsie Valley's 2-0 loss to Normal Community in the Class 4A Illinois Wesleyan Supersectional. 'In the beginning of the year, I was in a little bit of a protect mode and nervous about pitching,' Gilliland said. 'But I've learned from him that it's just about attacking the zone and getting your stuff in. Just let the guys hit it. They need to earn it, and that's what I've learned from him.' Gilliland also praised the leadership of Roberts, whose example helped the entire pitching staff. 'He's definitely a nonverbal leader,' Gilliland said. 'Whether it's a bad day or a good day, he's gonna go out there and he's gonna try his best. So I definitely think he's a big role model.' Acevedo said Roberts will be missed. 'He's a big piece of why we've had the success in the last two years, for sure,' Acevedo said. 'If he keeps progressing the way he has here over the last couple years, the sky is the limit for him. I'm excited to see what he does.' Whatever it is, Roberts won't forget his time at Waubonsie Valley. 'I owe so much to the school,' he said. 'I'm so thankful for all the coaches, all the teammates, just everyone. I couldn't thank them enough and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.'
