Latest news with #Stagg
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Luke Kavois helps Stagg submarine Lincoln-Way West for first regional title since 2019. ‘I'm not a flamethrower.'
Basically out of necessity, junior right-hander Luke Kavois tried a different approach for Stagg. The results for the unorthodox pitcher have proven to be unlikely and fortuitous — and stunning. 'I'm not a flamethrower,' said Kavois, who made his first career high school start on the mound Saturday at any level. 'I throw from a funny style that really started almost as a joke. 'The game plan was to throw strikes, get pop-ups and groundouts and trust my teammates.' That trust paid off. Kavois flummoxed second-seeded Lincoln-Way West on a two-hitter as the host Chargers pulled off another upset with a 4-1 win in the Class 4A Stagg Regional final. Junior outfielder William Houston had two hits, scored a run and came up with a big RBI single for the 12th-seeded Chargers (10-27), who advanced to play at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against Providence (25-12) in a Lincoln-Way West Sectional semifinal in New Lenox. Senior shortstop Andrew Speh added a two-run single and struck out two in 1 1/3 innings of relief as Stagg won its first regional title since 2019. Kavois also scattered two walks in 5 2/3 innings. Senior outfielder Conor Essenburg hit a home run in the seventh for Lincoln-Way West (29-8), which averted a shutout after beating the Chargers by a combined 29-2 in two conference games. While the Warriors committed three errors and managed only five hits overall, Kavois' performance was a revelation. He didn't get a strikeout but provided compelling inspiration for his teammates. 'To see what he did after what he has come back is just awesome,' Houston said. 'I've known him since we were 5. He's always been awesome. He's so competitive and always wants to win.' The amazing story of Kavois' recovery from a frightening injury echoed Stagg's astonishing upset. 'We were playing in Myrtle Beach over spring break and I was in left field,' Kavois said. 'Instead of a warning track, they had a hill. I tried to make a great catch, tripped on the hill, landed on my wrist and smashed my head against the wood wall.' The diagnosis? Kavois suffered a broken right wrist and a concussion. Despite having to wear a cast for six weeks, he still pitched every day to maintain his arm strength. He was rewarded Saturday for his diligence and toughness. 'I love our pitching staff, but the only way we beat West was the guy who started today,' Stagg coach Matt O'Neill said. 'We beat St. Rita in 2008 throwing a knuckleballer. 'Today was similar to that. The only way to win was to have an unorthodox thrower.' Kavois' fastball has never been timed at more than 75-77 mph. At the age of 14, almost as a lark, he began experimenting with the submarine style, the equivalent to skipping stones. Instead of an overhanded or three-quarter motion, Kavois starts his delivery beneath his waist. His body is almost parallel to the ground upon his release. 'I'd be in the bullpen, catching other pitchers, and I just started playing around with it,' he said. 'What I saw was, whenever I did it, people really liked watching me because it's so different.' The horizontal and vertical drops of the ball threw off the timing and rhythm of the Warriors. With his background as a catcher, Kavois also has a unique perspective to the science of pitching. 'Whenever I catch, I always notice what guys are doing up at the plate and if they're getting out in front of the ball,' Kavois said. 'I always know what to look for.' The injury, the comeback and the throwing style continued the Chargers' Cinderella run. 'Right now, it just feels like everybody's hot,' Kavois said. 'It's the last year for our coach. We're manufacturing runs. Everybody's bought in, and right now, it's this great family atmosphere.'
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Photos: The return of 'Chonkosaurus' the snapping turtle
The famed snapping turtle, dubbed 'Chonkosaurus' by internet commentators when pictures of her basking on a Chicago River pylon first went viral in summer 2023, reappeared earlier this week. The celebrity turtle and at least two companions spent the winter in brumation, a period of low activity akin to hibernation. Steven Meyer, of the nonprofit organization Urban Rivers, said a Shedd Aquarium employee caught the first conclusive pictures of the season, which show a notch in the back right portion of the reptile's shell. Meyer said three snapping turtles have recently been hanging out near Goose Island, making it more of a challenge to identify Chonkosaurus. Chonk and another large (but not as large) turtle known as Stagg have both been visible over the last week, he said, but he was only able to definitively confirm which turtle was which on Thursday.
Chicago Tribune
5 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Chonkosauraus, famed massive snapping turtle, rises again from Chicago River
Temperatures may still be hovering in the 60s, but one more sure sign of summer's arrival has graced Chicago: Chonkosaurus has risen. The famed snapping turtle, dubbed 'Chonkosaurus' by internet commentators when pictures of her basking on a Chicago River pylon first went viral in summer 2023, reappeared earlier this week. The celebrity turtle and at least two companions spent the winter in brumation, a period of low activity akin to hibernation. Steven Meyer, of the nonprofit organization Urban Rivers, said a Shedd Aquarium employee caught the first conclusive pictures of the season, which show a notch in the back right portion of the reptile's shell. Meyer said three snapping turtles have recently been hanging out near Goose Island, making it more of a challenge to identify Chonkosaurus. Chonk and another large (but not as large) turtle known as Stagg have both been visible over the last week, he said, but he was only able to definitively confirm which turtle was which on Thursday.
Chicago Tribune
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Sandburg's Gabby Dittmer, who's headed to DePaul, lays down law with hat trick against Stagg. ‘Definitely special.'
Gabby Dittmer wasn't ready to play her last soccer game for Sandburg. Dittmer, a senior forward and a standout player in all four years for the Eagles, has decided to bypass some opportunities to play in college. She plans instead to study law at DePaul. That meant Wednesday's playoff opener could have been the end. Dittmer was determined to make sure it would not be. 'It's definitely special for me,' she said. 'I've been playing soccer my whole life and obviously I love soccer, so I was very excited for this game. You never know what's going to come next. It could be nothing or it could be another game. 'I really wanted another game.' Dittmer extended her final season by turning in one of the best performances of her career, recording a hat trick to lead Sandburg to a 3-1 win over district rival Stagg in a Class 3A Joliet Central Regional semifinal. Alanna Noone made six saves for the eighth-seeded Eagles (5-9-4), who avenged a 1-0 shootout loss to the Chargers on May 6. Maeve Durkin led a strong defensive effort. The Eagles will take on top-seeded Lincoln-Way East (16-3-1) — a 9-0 winner over Joliet Central — at 5 p.m. Friday in the regional final. Sandburg played the Griffins tough in a 1-0 loss on May 8. Justyna Palenica scored Wednesday on a free kick for ninth-seeded Stagg (7-12-2), while Maritza Alvarez made five saves. Dittmer, meanwhile, struggled mightily with her choice to give up soccer. 'It was probably one of the hardest decisions I've ever made,' she said. 'I love soccer so much. My family, my teammates and my coaches all put so much time into me and helped me get to where I am, so it's a really hard thing to walk away from. 'But for me, education came first when I wanted to think about my future.' Dittmer came out on a mission Wednesday night. She scored in the 16th minute, then added a second goal just over five minutes later by juking a defender and ripping in a 20-yard shot. Durkin has grown accustomed to seeing her teammate pull off moves like that. 'She's always been a special player,' Durkin said of Dittmer. 'Since freshman year, we've been playing together, and every time, her skill and her drive to want the ball and want to score the ball, it's always there. She has the energy 100% of the time.' Things later got a bit scary for the Eagles. Palenica scored with five seconds left in the first half. Then, with Stagg building momentum early in the second half, a red card against the Eagles put them down a player for the final 23 minutes. Dittmer, though, took the pressure off by completing her hat trick, converting a 25-yard shot with 18:11 to go. It was her 12th goal of the season and 52nd of her career. Sandburg coach Tom Kubowicz has enjoyed watching all 52 goals. 'It's going to be tough to replace her,' Kubowicz said. 'She doesn't need a lot of space. If you give her a chance to shoot, she's going to shoot and there's a good chance it's going to go in.' As for the future, Dittmer believes being a soccer player has prepared her for a tough academic journey. 'Soccer helped make me a very disciplined person and helped teach me hard work,' she said. 'I wanted to stay busy, challenge myself and be on a good career path. 'Everything I learned from soccer, I want to bring it to school, and I think it's a very good way for me to keep going with the hardworking mindset.' As for soccer, she's going out in style. 'I'm definitely taking everything in and trying to enjoy it,' Dittmer said. 'Ending in high school, with these girls and these coaches who have all meant so much to me, it's the perfect ending for me.'
BBC News
05-05-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
VE Day and using the weather to gain military advantage
As celebrations to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day ramp up, let us consider the impact of one of the most crucial weather forecasts in D-Day landings, which took place a year before liberation, marked a pivotal moment during World War was the largest seaborne invasion in history with over 150,000 troops alighting across five beaches. Its success was highly dependent on favourable to the intervention of a weather forecaster, D-Day narrowly avoided being one of the biggest disasters in military history. Why was the weather important? Low tides and quiet weather were vital to getting such a huge number of troops onto the beaches of a full moon giving good visibility and low tides expected on 5, 6 and 7 June, there was huge pressure to deliver a favourable weather now in a world of computer modelling, satellite and radar data and widespread observations, forecasting the weather 24 hours ahead of time can be a challenging in 1944 it was even more difficult - not least the job of trying to predict conditions several days ahead. A late weather observation The invasion date was initially set for 5 the army's Chief Meteorologist, Group Captain James Stagg spotted a potent area of low pressure set to move across the UK that day, bringing strong winds and extensive low cloud to the English Channel making the attempt too as the weather charts were being drawn up on 4 June, a late weather observation from a ship in the Atlantic identified a potential brief ridge of high pressure building after the low Stagg believed, would be enough to provide a "window of opportunity" and enough of a break in the weather for the invasion to take place on the 6 June instead. Did the risk pay off? The invasion went ahead on 6 June when the brief weather window opened up, but conditions were - if anything - slightly worse than expected and far from cloud sat over parts of the northern coast of France, limiting visibility of the ground to aircraft overhead. Winds were also stronger, making seas rougher and the tides higher. The Channel crossing became vomit-inducing and energy-sapping for many troops, making landing on the coast far more challenging than had been the risk of taking the decision to invade in such marginal conditions paid off. The Germans were taken by surprise and the course of the war Weather and the Shipping Forecast at 100Weather history: Frost fairs in the Little Ice AgeHow much do you think you know about other battles throughout history where the weather played a role? Try our BBC Weather quiz and find out.
