Dave Ornauer

Pacific SportsBlog

Okinawa-based sports reporter Dave Ornauer on military-related sports in the Far East.

Yongsan threesome back to lead Team Korea in Army Ten-Miler

Congratulations to Josue Morales, Alex Pagon and Robin Cushing, Army Ten-Miler veterans out of Yongsan Garrison, selected again to lead Team Korea back to Washington for the 2009 10-mile race on Oct. 4. They headline the eight-man, eight-woman squads which will try to improve on last year's men's fourth-place and women's 10th-place finish in the worldwide competition. Best of luck!

What we learned in USFJ-AFL Week 7.0

Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as we near July and the U.S. Forces Japan-American Football League playoffs:

-- Memo to defensive coaches: Put a couple of bodies on No. 5 for Yokota. Kevin Fortin leads the Warriors in yards and touchdowns; he added a pair of sixes from 5 and 80 yards out in Yokota's 12-6 win over Torii Station on Saturday at Yokota High School's Bonk Field.

-- Memo to offensive coordinators: Do NOT -- repeat -- NOT throw the ball in the direction of No. 9 for Yokota. Frederick Guild now has seven interceptions in the Warriors' last two games. And he could have had more had he not dropped a pair of bunnies.

A-Firecrackin' we will go, a-Firecrackin' we will go ...

Get your Grand Slam on. Almost time for Firecracker Shootout softball at Camp Foster, Okinawa. Coaches meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Globe & Anchor, skills competition to follow, play begins Thursday, championship games on Sunday. 17 men's teams, 10 women's teams. Osan men and Korea Area I women to defend their championships; American Legion and Yard Busters seeking redemption for heartbreaking title-game losses last July. See you there!

New Pacific prep grid playoff format, farewell to MCCS Semper Fit chief Rowland, revamped USFJ-AFL slate and other things

Musings, mutterings and the occasional schmahts as Ornauer patiently waits for "The 2007 Microsoft Office Suite Service Pack 2 (SP2)" to install:

-- Make your plans to travel to Okinawa (at this writing) come the week of Nov. 8-14. There's a new DODDS-Pacific Far East high school Class AA football playoff format in town. DODDS-Japan and Okinawa Activities Council champion, Seoul American and Guam High travel to Okinawa on Nov. 7, play semifinal games on Nov. 9, followed by the third-place and championship games on Nov. 14. Very much like Europe's Super 6.

What we learned in USFJ-AFL weeks 5.0, 6.0

Musings, mutterings and the occasional bit of schmahts as Ornauer tries to put jet lag behind and point toward the USFJ-AFL playoffs and Firecracker Shootout softball tournament:

-- Sometimes, scoring help comes from the darndest places. With Torii Station lined up  to punt on fourth down at the Wolfpack 24, Kadena rushes hard, Mike Christensen gets up a beefy arm and the ball clangs off it, into the hands of Jason Lane, who returned it 18 yards for the Dragons' lone touchdown. Jason Wynn's two-point conversion run just before halftime gave Kadena the only points it would need in an 8-6 victory Saturday at Kadena's McDonald Stadium.

Farewell, Father

Richard L. Ornauer passed away peacefully at about 9 a.m. EDT Thursday, June 11, at Cortland Manor in Delaware. He was 86.

Halftime adjustments, signs of life in Warrior country, interception-crazy Guild: What we learned in USFJ-AFL Week 4.0

Musings and mutterings as Ornauer prepares to head stateside:

-- Don't you just love a good rally? A total overhaul in gameplan led to just exactly that on Saturday for the Foster Bulldogs. Inserting Jamar Jarrell at tailback in place of hobbled starter Dyamon Durant and ditching the spread for a conventional I attack paid off huge for Foster, which rallied from a 12-3 deficit to beat Kadena 23-20.

-- With the win, Foster clinches the Southern Division title and a first-round playoff bye. With the playoffs four weeks away yet.

Say a prayer for Richard L. Ornauer, my father and one of my journalism mentors

New traffic on here is going to slow considerably for the next couple of weeks.

My father, Richard L. Ornauer, 86, has suffered a series of strokes which have left him paralysed on his right side and unable to speak.

He is hospitalised in Dover, Delaware, where I will likely head later this week or early next week.

Please pray for him, pray for his doctors and their wisdom in caring for him, and pray that my dad will encounter fortunate circumstances as he prepares for his next life's mission.

I love you, Pop. Fight on.
Syndicate content

Advertisement

See who's been Spotted!

En Vogue at Billboard Live TOKYO Hohenfels MTB Race, June 20, 2009 June 09 Greek Mixer

Check out the latest additions to our community photo site!

Search this blog

About the Author

Dave Ornauer has covered DODDS-Pacific high school and Far East interservice sports for 25 years -- since his first Far East high school basketball tournament in February 1982 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. When he’s not working, Dave can usually be found reading, enjoying food and fine wine and spending time with family.

Recent Comments for Pacific Sportsblog