orts
sportsed(ä),clackamas. edu
Wednesday, May 11. 2011
The Clackamas Print
7
ICHELLE: Former star player shows progress
Continued from Page 1
■ the floor next to the chair is a
||y aged Dell laptop, pink with
|c Apple sticker over the Dell
I It’s the very same computer that
[lie had with her in the car, stuffed
■padded backpack that had been
eased just in case Richelie dropped
School.
■ had all my clothes in there so it
n it nicely,” said Richelie, chuck-
I bit. “The backpack had a big hole
je night of the accident, Richelie
■raveling to the memorial service
»alien police officer. It was raining,
|e was going on little sleep.
11 hit the edge of the concrete on
Ide of the road, and I turned back
lids the middle to keep from going
I road,” said Richelle. “Then there
lis car coming and I thought I was
Ito hit that, so I jerked really hard.”
I car flipped off the side of the
land the fire department that came
I use the Jaws of Life they had
■dentally just received, making
lie the first recipient.
tpite the severity of the crash and
■tailed vehicle, Richelle looked
■good, with only a scar of her fore-
[s an external reminder.
ier the accident, Kathie Woods,
lamas volleyball coach, traveled up
It Richelle every week if possible.
Irganized trips for the volleyball
las well. Now she tries to visit at
[once a month, and the team was
■ere last term.
Keyball was what originally
lit the Washington native to Oregon
Is she played with the Clackamas
■unity College Cougars. She
joked at other schools but chose
■mas for not only the program but
|e coach.
(Left to right) Richelle Heacock, Co-Editor-in-Chief Kayla Calloway and Richelle’s mother, Peg, talk about her accident and its
aftermath. Heacock survived the car wreck but was left paralized from the chest down, postponing her volleyball career.
Woods has been a life-long friend of
the Heacocks and has known Richelle
since she was little.
“Richelle started coming to our vol­
leyball camps when she was young,”
stated Woods in an email. “She came
every year from Eatonville, Wash. Her
and her mom would come and stay in a
motel and not miss a camp. I got to be
friends with her long before she decided
to play at Clackamas. When she decid­
ed to play at Clackamas that was just
icing on the cake!”
That friendship only grew stronger
as the years went by, and because of it,
Woods has been a huge part Richelie’s
life after the accident.
“Kathie has been amazingly sup­
portive through everything, and she’s
done everything humanly possible for
Richelle,” said Peg.
“My favorite quality in Richelle is
her sweetness combined with her fight.
Not many people can do that. It is a real
strength to be able to have both,” stated
Woods. “That is a gift from God, and so
is she.”
“We had a pizza party at her house,”
stated Woods, recalling the last visit
with the team. “Right now we are mak­
ing plans for her to visit us at Clackamas.
I will continue to see Richelle. She and
her family are my friends for life.”
Athletes run in with law
Heated Leadership for Our Future
leader of Oregon City Schools and Past President of the
in City Chamber of Commerce, Chuck Clemans has made
difference. And on the Board of Clackamas Community
Ige, he has helped CCC navigate through tough times
improving its service to students and the community.
► Achieving cost savings so the college can operate
I through tough budgets;
I Continuing financial aid and scholarships for
[ those students without the resources to pay for
college;
► Increasing opportunities at the college for veterans
returning from service for career training and
finding good jobs;
► Providing custom training for local employers so
they can continue to provide jobs and remain up
| to date in products and services.
our support, Chuck will continue to keep CCC an
table path to quality higher education, holding college
ership accountable and ensuring that every possible dollar
into the classroom, building a better future for all of us.
year have had alcohol related incidents.
Some professional sports, such as the NFL, will pun­
ish a player for just putting themselves in a bad situation.
This one hits hard for me with Steelers’ quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger. Last season “Big Ben” was accused of
raping a woman in a club. The athlete was in the dub that
night and was proven to be alone with the woman at the
time. The event in question could or could not have hap-
pend but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell elected to
hand down punishment
“I recognize that the allegations in Georgia were dis­
puted and that they did not result in criminal charges be­
ing filed against you,” Goodell said in a letter to Roethlis­
By Robert Morrison
berger. “My decision today is not based on a finding that
Sports Editor
you violated Georgia law or on a conclusion that differs
from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held
to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is noth­
n light of a few athletes in professional sports
ing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely
getting in trouble with the law recently, I have
be described as admirable, responsible or consistent with
decided to talk about athletes and the law. It
either the values of the league or the expectations of our
seems like some athletes think that because they are
fens.”
famous or because they are a big-time athlete they can
It was the NFL saying that no one should even put
just do whatever they want
themselves in any scenario that could be detrimental to the
Let’s start with an athlete a little closer to home.
league,teams,or even themselves.
University of Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso plead­
Both college playrs and professional players alike do
ed guilty to a misdemeanor charge of trespassing and
things that someone in their position shouldn't The aver­
criminal mischief. Alonso was given two years proba­
age person shouldn't either, but when you get paid mil­
tion, 200 hours of community service and treatment for
lions of dollars to play a game and be in the spotlight, you
alcohol abuse.
should behave. For all the younger athletes out there, use
Alonso was arrested for breaking into a stranger’s
this as a lesson so that you don't end up without a job or
home and was found sleeping in their bed. U of O took
with a criminal record.
action immediately, suspending Alonso indefinitely.
He was also suspended all of last year for suspicion of
driving under the influence. Alonso was supposed to
take over the position of starting linebacker from NFL
draftee Casey Matthews.
Drinking and driving has been a trend in sports the
last month or two, with multiple players in different
sports getting in trouble for it I would think if you get
paid millions of dollars to play a sport you wouldn’t put
yourself in these situations.
The Detroit Tigers’ first basemen Miguel Cabrera
is one of the players to have allegedly gotten into a car
drunk, according to an officer’s suspicion. It is also said
that Cabrera resisted arrest without violence. He missed
the beginning of spring training because of the incident
With this incident and others, Major League Base­
ball now wants to include a DUI discipline in their new
collective bargaining agreement Right now it says that
the commissioner has rights to punish players who
choose Io use drugs such as marijuana. Six players this
I