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Dear DC Touchdown Club members and supporters,
I was planning to be in Columbia this weekend to watch the Gamecocks take on LSU with my two sons who attend South Carolina. As you may know, the torrential rains and subsequent flooding across the state forced the game to be moved to Baton Rouge, and my plans have shifted to watching the game on TV.
Our region was faced with similar weather-related issues just last week, as many high school games were postponed or moved to alternate locations with turf fields instead of grass. Even Maryland's game against Michigan, slated for an 8 p.m. kickoff under the lights at Byrd Stadium, was shifted up to noon due to concerns about the weather.
As tough as the players and coaches (and fans!) are in their ability to adapt to a variety of conditions, sometimes Mother Nature still has the final say.
Fortunately all is clear this weekend in our area as the season marches on.
As usual I'll have my eye on Navy and the ACC as we get closer to Selection Sunday and the Military Bowl. Just 80 days until kickoff!
Enjoy the games this weekend,
Steve Beck
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Landon senior TE/LB Keith Simms, who holds several scholarship offers from prominent college teams, had a monster game in a 30-14 victory over Bethesda-Chevy Chase.
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MELISSA BELOTE RIPLEY
1972 Local Personality Makes Good
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Melissa now resides in Tempe, Arizona, where she is a high school and club swimming coach.
“The fall is just crazy for me,” she said during a recent conversation. This season, Melissa is coaching the Rio
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Salado club team and both the boys’ and girls’ teams at McClintock High School. Under her guidance, all three teams have produced several top swimmers.
Melissa got into coaching because of her children. After going to McClintock frequently to watch them swim, the head coach eventually brought her on as a volunteer assistant coach. She enjoyed coaching both her daughter and son through successful high school careers, leading both to go on to compete in college--Rachel at the University of Missouri and Erik at Towson University.
A native of Washington who grew up in Springfield, Melissa-- or as the media called her, “America’s princess of the water”-- was a tremendous athlete in her own right. When she was just 15, she won three gold medals for the United States in the 1972 Olympics. That led to her selection as the first-ever female to win a Timmie Award. She retired from competitive swimming in 1979 and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1983.
Melissa recalled the Touchdown Club of Washington Awards Dinner as a special evening.
“My father had surprised me and bought me an autograph book," she said, "Which allowed me to go around and meet all the great athletes that were all attending the dinner.”
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