Taking Names and Keeping Score
Blazing a trail
Charlie Anderson
Throughout history it seems there have always been individuals willing to venture into the unknown, people who are willing to put aside their insecurities and fears to find out what lies beyond the borders of what most of us would consider our safe zones.

It has been happening for thousands of years with the ultimate inhabiting of almost every corner of the earth being the direct result of groups of people wanting to see what was just over the horizon. In some instances it was because of a need they had. In others it was an insatiable curiosity and sense of adventure that drove them on. In all cases those that were first to go were considered to be trail blazers establishing the path those coming behind them would follow.

As I look back over time I often wonder just where we would be today if it weren't for those adventuresome soles who often risked life and limb to clear a path for all of us who in one way or another have followed.

Today with very few, if any, new land frontiers left to explore on this earth, many of those who would be trail blazers have moved in different directions. Some have seen their curiosity drive them toward the heavens and outer space. Others have undertaken social causes both hear and abroad.

For some it has been a quest for knowledge in fields of science, mathematics, and medical research. There are many whose passion is in the area of technology and they are moving in directions and marking paths that many of us in my generation and older may not be around to follow.

Of course there have been trailblazers in many of the facets of life as well, including the world of sports. Jim Thorpe, Hank Greenberg, Jackie Robinson and Curt Flood just to name a few were all athletes who stepped on sports' stages to protest an injustice and make the pathway easier for those who would follow.

We've had the likes of Pete Gray, Tom Dempsey, and Jim Abbott who over the years have helped those with disabilities see that they too can dare to dream.

Bringing it closer to home, as we speak we have a trailblazer who is continuing to mark a path for all the young female athletes in this area to follow if they so choose.

The one who is blazing the path is none other than Crystal Coston better known as "Tuff" to those of us that have known her for a long time. "Tuff" who was a good student and allaround stellar athlete at Thomasville High School took her drive to excel and athletic ability to the University of Mobile following graduation from high school in 2002.

There she was an instant success doing well in the classroom and being named freshman of the Year in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and Honorable Mention on the NAIA All-American Team for her efforts on the basketball court. That success continued throughout her final three years at Mobile with her completing her degree in four years and winning practically all the honors possible on the basketball court including being selected as an All-American every year. Along the way she also broke and set new records in most of the statistical categories kept by the University's basketball program.

She has gone a step further now beginning a professional basketball career on December 31, 2006 when she signed to play for the Bausch & Lomb Wildcats.

Leaving that day she arrived in Ireland on New Years Day to begin her adventure not only in professional basketball but in a new country and on another continent. Since being there she has played in three games making a major impact in all of them. Her first start came against Glanmire on January 12, when she scored 31 points and helped her team to a 71-69 victory. She followed that performance up with two other outstanding efforts scoring 25 points in a loss and 27 points in another win. Her season in Europe is expected to last eight or nine months with a sixmonth stint in Ireland and another three months in Switzerland. With such a good start and knowing her new career and the path she is marking for the young female athletes that would dare to follow will be easy to see.

Until next time..........be safe!

Reader Comments

No comments have been posted. Be the first!

Other Stories With Comments:
Article	Comments
Taking Names and Keeping Score	1
Frances Nichols passes at 91	1
Bryant is a contestant in Ms. Senior Alabama Pageant	1
Dunagans to celebrate golden anniversary	1