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I’ve told you before that I get all kinds of odd email. Sometimes it sparks story ideas, but most of the time the sender thinks we are part of the Big Washington (DC) media, and I just delete.

Recently there have several semi-local things that are worth saving, but not big enough for a story. Therefore, this column can be subtitled “emptying the inbox”.

My colleague, Holly Jackson, forwarded me a note about a survey that concluded Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, home of the N.C. State Wolfpack is North Carolinians’ first choice for where they would like their ashes to be spread if there were no restrictions.

Apparently, an insurance agency specializing in final expense life insurance surveyed 3,000 NC residents and asked them to rank their top three choices. I did not get picked for this survey and I’m not sure what my answer would be. The Pamlico River is an obvious choice for some around Beaufort Co., but I’m not sure that would work for me.

The survey says Carter-Finley Stadium represents a lifelong connection to the memories made there, from unforgettable victories to cherished moments with friends and family.

Great Smokey Mountains National Park was second and Kenan Stadium, for all you light blue people, was third. I know that would be the last place I would be spread over and the various parts of me would be scrambling madly to escape Blue Hell if somehow my family made a mistake.

Not sure of restrictions at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, but I bet there have been a few ashes scattered over the years. If you try it, please don’t say it was my suggestion, because it wasn’t.

Moving on. A recent report from the state high school association says the number of girls playing high school sports hit an all-time high during the 2023-24 school year. Over 90,000 girls participated state-wide and while I don’t have any numbers from Beaufort County, I agree with the state-wide trend.

Southside had a girls tennis program for the first time last fall, while Northside started girls soccer two years ago and will have girls golf this fall.

According to the report, participation in girls sports dropped 12.5% right after the pandemic, so it’s good to see more players returning and new teams forming.

Flag football starts in November, which will give girls another option.

Boys sports had more participation as well state-wide as baseball was the only one to see a drop. That wasn’t the case here, as all three schools had full rosters and Washington and Northside maintained their JV programs.
The report also said that over 208,000 boys and girls participated in sports during the last school year, representing the highest total in a decade and the third highest since the association started keeping track over 100 years ago. That’s all great news. Anything positive that keeps kids active and off their phones works for me.

Finally, a few words about running. You might have read the story my summer intern, Nick Green, wrote a couple of weeks ago about local resident Scott Penhollow forming a running club.

You also might have noticed a white-haired older guy wearing a headband chugging along behind a younger fellow who looks like he’s just cruising along 5th St. between Athletic Edge and N. Bonner around 6:45 a.m.

That would be the running club in action, Scott and me, and I’ll let you guess which is which in the above description. Come join us. I’m two weeks in and have improved already. We meet Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 6:30 a.m. sharp in front of Athletic Edge. Some exercise is better than none and the humidity is bearable at that hour. You have to start somewhere and we’re both nice guys, so I hope to see you soon.