At Second Glance
By Michelle Phillips, AJ-E News Editor

Just One of Those Days

It seems that some days you wake up and everything goes wrong from the word go. Friday was one of those days for me.
I was on my way out the door when I got a call from Kyle, our graphic designer, his car wouldn’t start and he needed a ride to work. I rushed to Kyle’s and called the LCC to tell them I was running late to take a picture of the Senior Walking Club.
When I arrived at the LCC, my camera wouldn’t turn on. I got some new batteries in it, and it turned on long enough for me to get a couple of shots before it shut down again. It still is not working properly and I’m probably going to be in the market for a new one.
Since I was late getting to my first appointment, I was subsequently late for every other appointment for the rest of the day, including a late lunch with Rose Rohr, which I arrived at 15 minutes late after rescheduling.
At some point in the afternoon I realized that I had lost my bracelet, which I was quite upset about. If anyone found a silver bracelet with big, emerald cut glass stones please return it to me at the newspaper office. I miss it.
Kyle and I were on the way home that evening when I started to feel violently ill. I was sure I was going to vomit, but I am the kind of person who only pukes when my body gives me no other choice. The problem with being sick on Friday night was that it was Kyle’s birthday and I couldn’t go out and celebrate. Instead I hung out at home.
I was just getting ready to go to bed on Friday night, and let the dog out first. The dog got out of the gate and disappeared into the night. After a few minutes when I went out to find her she was down the street at the neighbors and I had to chase her around.
I have to say I was happy that the day was over, and chalked it up as one of those days when nothing goes right. It made me especially thankful for Saturday.

Between the lines
By Daryl Schepanski, Sports Editor

What an electric atmosphere it was Tuesday, February 23, inside the Cedar Rapids Washington High School gym.
I arrived about a half hour early for the Raider girls’ class 3A regional championship game against eighth-ranked Marion, and once I finally found the gym at the enormous school, the arena was just about full with fans buzzing in anticipation of the colossal contest.
Not only were the student sections for both sides packed to overflowing, but the parent and fan side were as well as blue, red and white colors dominated the gym.
The feel was different than a normal basketball game, not only because Anamosa was facing one of the state’s premier teams and programs over the last half decade, but also probably Iowa’s Ms. Basketball in the Indians’ Morgan Paige, a University of Wisconsin commit.
Sports can muster all sorts of emotions, and walking off the floor after Marion’s 52-40 win and state tournament berth, I wasn’t filled with disappointment, but more so a sense of pride.
The way Kayla Sanborn, Lauren Buck, Kellie Vaughn, Makenzie Ginn, Tristan Camp and Nicole Sanborn played in those epic 32-minutes, will go down as one of my highlights covering sports here in Anamosa over the last 15 years.
Five years ago when Lucie Lueken, Saira Morgan, Audra Ketelsen, Kelly Lerch and Traci Dirks guided the Anamosa girls to a school-record 22-3 campaign and class 3A regional title berth, I wondered then when and if the Raiders would be able to make a run to such an elite level again? It didn’t take Anamosa girls basketball coach Jack Leighty long to rebuild.
Sanborn, Jackie Engelbart and Ginn were but mere seventh graders when Anamosa last played in such a pressure-filled contest, but their poise all game long helped key the Raiders’ success against an Indians.
The emotions flowed on the court and on the sideline as the final seconds ticked off the clock last Tuesday night. The careers of three very special seniors, two from Anamosa (Sanborn and Engelbart) and one from Olin (Ginn) came to a close. Sanborn and Engelbart have been four-year varsity players (Sanborn a four-year starter) for Leighty and seeing them depart his program for the final time even had Anamosa’s own coach emotional.
I’ve been around long enough to know these kind of seasons are special, and when they come to an end, it’s not a time to be sad, but a time to reflect and rejoice! Thanks Anamosa girls for a wonderful ride! Let’s do it again, soon!