Your support of our events and your donations help us fulfill our mission of providing the compassionate, quality healthcare for body, mind and spirit, with a special concern for the poor.

June 22, 2009 - Mark your calendars for the 29th Annual St. Mary's golf classic at Lakewood Oaks Golf Club. Tee times are 7:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.  For more information or registration, call the St. Mary's Medical Center Foundation at 816-655-5363 or Click Here .

Local sports and news celebrities will be joining some of the teams again this year. The following celebrities will be playing in the tournament:

• Dave Armstrong, Sports Broadcaster and Motivational Speaker
• Ed Budde, Former Chiefs Offensive Guard
• Al Fitzmorris, Former Royals Pitcher
• John Holt, Fox 4 News Anchor and Reporter
• Joe Lauria, Fox 4 News Meteorologist
• Paul McGannon, Former Athletic Trainer for Kansas City Royals
• Brian McRae, Former Royals Center Fielder
• Steve Renko, Former Royals Pitcher
• Shawn Sedlacek, Former Royals Pitcher
• Neil Smith, Former Chiefs Defensive End
• Paul Splittorff, Former Royals Pitcher
• John Wathan, Former Royals Catcher and Manager

All-Star Challenge XVII Slated For June 18

Today’s Date: June 4, 2009

From: Tony Wrisinger, Co Executive Director GKCFCA

The Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association announces the All-Star Challenge XVIII, This year’s High School Football All Star Game featuring teams from Missouri and Kansas will be played on June 18^th at Larry Stewart Memorial Stadium on the campus of Blue Springs South High School in Blue Springs Missouri.

“We are really pleased to have the Blue Springs School District host the game this season,” GKCFCA President and Smithville High Head Coach Greg Smith said. “We have had tremendous support from high school football fans over the years and with this year’s game to be played in a city that is well known for its passion for high school football like Blue Springs, is fantastic.. We expect the event to be outstanding this year.”

The team’s rosters are also attached to this e-mail.

The Kansas squad will be head coached by Shawnee Mission West head Coach Tim Callaghan. The Missouri squad will be head coached by Phil Lascuola of Hogan Prep.

Kansas leads the all-time series 10-6, with one rainout.

Practices begin June 8, and are generally 5:30-8 PM Monday through Friday of that week, and Monday through Wednesday of next week. The Missouri team is practicing at Blue Springs South High School. The Kansas squad is practicing at Shawnee Mission West. Practice is open to the media, but not to the public.

The game will be televised on a tape-delayed by Metro Sports on Friday June 19th at 7 PM and 11 PM, as well as on June 20^th at 7 AM and June 21^st at 7 PM. Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $5.00 for students (with student ID). Advance ticket sales are available at Adam’s Dairy Bank in Blue Springs (816-655-3333).

In addition to the game, the McCarthy Auto Group will sponsor one lucky fans field goal kick for a new car at halftime. The GKCFCA will also award the Warren Award and the Dave Bassore Man of the Year Awards.

Contacts: Tony Wrisinger 816-810-6557 Tim Callaghan (Kansas Coach)913-993-7897

Greg Smith (GKCFCA Pres): 816-260-0988 Phil Lascuola (Missouri Coach 816-444-3464

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Following is a letter to the Renew the Blue Co-Chair, Dave Wright, from Roscoe Righter the city's Director of Parks, Recreation, Buildings, & Grounds, announcing the grant award for the Disc Golf Course in Young Park.  My congratulations to the members of Renew the Blue, StandUp!, the Blue Springs School District, and the City of Blue Springs who worked so hard to make this happen.  This is an example where hard work and perseverance has paid off for our city! 

David, 

I wanted to notify you and the others, involved in getting the disc golf course off center, of the news I received this morning.  Please feel free to pass this along to all your committee.  I have notified David and Brandon with the School District, Dale Falck, the Rotary Club, Mayor & City Council, and of course our staff.  

Congratulations to all!  Today I received the packet of information and our notice that the Grant Application through LWCF has now been approved by both DNR and NPS.  We have the approval to proceed with construction.  I had indicated that the review and notification process normally takes through November or December.  I was beginning to get a little concerned that the economy may have caused NPS to withdraw the funding for this year, but it apparently just took them this long to process everything. 

My staff and I have been preparing for this approval.  We have worked on a plan to use GIS to layout the course.  We have the equipment and we have a GIS staff person at the City who will help lay in all the data on the map, then my staff and I will transfer that onto the ground in the park.  We will now start that process.  I will also be setting up all the required data and record keeping we must do at the City so we can be reimbursed when the project is completed.  We can begin the selection of and take bids for the actual equipment and signage systems.  I will coordinate with the School District for their students to assist with the concrete work as we get closer to that date. 

We have until the end of 2010 to complete all work and submit all paperwork, however, like all of you, I want to see this in use as soon as possible.  So we are planning to work toward a 2009 opening, hopefully in the summer months and prior to the next school year.  The Rotary Club has their funds ready for us, and the City has its funds available.  I will make sure we do a press release through the City’s PIO office. 

Thanks once again for all the work, time and effort to get us to this point.  After twenty plus years, we will finally have a disc golf course in Blue Springs!

Roscoe

The first guest tonight (December 15, 2008) in the Sonic Locker Room (Blue Springs Wildcats edition) is Dr. Tim Allshouse of the Blue Springs School District Golden Regiment Band. Bill Althaus conducted about a 12 minute interview this morning. The Sonic Locker Room airs at 6:00 pm on 1030 AM KCWJ. We will archive it for the week and it will be available at www.soniclockerroom.com

In an earlier post there is a link where you can listen to Saturday's game.  After publishing this information a subscriber brought the following information to my attention which I will post here for your convenience. More...

There will not be a television broadcast of the state championship football game between Blue Springs South and Hazelwood Central on Saturday. The game can be heard live on 1030 AM KCWJ with the Adams Dairy Bank Pre Game Show starting at 5:30 and the kickoff at 6:30. The game will also be streamed live on the Vision Sports website at www.visionsportsradio.com.

Our broadcast crew consists of Play by Play broadcaster Dale Carter, Color Analyst Coach Buddy Young and Sideline Reporter Tony Wrisinger.

Vision Sports has been recognized as the state’s best play by play broadcast by the Missouri Broadcasters Association in eight of its twelve years broadcasting the Cats and Jags.