Bits & Pieces

By Kim J. Harmon

 

It is hard to believe, my friends, but the winter sports season is nearly upon us.

In just about 10 days (depending on when you are reading this), the Newtown High School girls’ basketball team will open practice for the 2003-04 season. The boys’ basketball team, hockey team, wrestling team, and indoor track and field teams will soon follow.

Of course, this all means that the fall season has pretty much drawn to a close (with the exception of football, of course) and that is kind of sad because, well, we had some fun out there, didn’t we?

I know, Newtown High School only captured one South-West Conference championship (lest we forget, it was girls’ cross country), but the successes of a season are not solely measured on wins or losses or championships.

Although those championships would have been nice, am I right?

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With the way the weather has been this fall, don’t you just feel a brutal winter coming on?

How many snow days will there be this year?

And will be get pummeled on Thanksgiving again?

That’s enough questions for now.

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Jen Huettner had the perfect spot to watch the CIAC Class L soccer matchup between Newtown and Simsbury last week.

The game was at Tilson Field, down behind the Treadwell Park pool, and coach Huettner commandeered a spot up on the hill behind the far goal. One could only imagine how nice it would have been up there on a nice afternoon with the sun out and the temperatures in the low 60s – not at night with the rain falling and the temperatures in the low 50s.

Oh, well.

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It’s that time again.

We are welcoming nominations for the annual Newtown Bee Sportsman of the Year Award. Nominate someone who has made an outstanding contribution (however you may interpret that) to Newtown sports over the last 12 months and tell us why you feel that person is deserving of the honor.

You can email the nomination to sports@thebee.com, fax it to 426-5169, snail mail it to 5 Church Hill Road, Newtown, 06470, or – heck – drive it down and drop it on my desk.

It’s all good.

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From time to time I will find myself getting addicted to a video game.

First it was Resident Evil and, let me tell you, there wasn’t anything better than blasting zombies all over the map. Then it was Medal Of Honor: Frontline, one of the most intense games I have EVER played (although I think the real landing on the beaches of Normandy was a bit more intense).

Now it’s Tiger Woods 2004 by EA Sports. It is the most amazing golf simulation ever produced – complete with nearly 20 courses (four of those are unbelievable fantasy courses I would pay any amount of money to play … and shoot 250 on), a full scale PGA Tour Season, a World Tour campaign and a fully (and I do mean fully) customizable feature where you can create a golfer in your own image.

I have played a number of tournaments and a number of World Tour matches and so far I’ve made about $8 million.

The trouble is, when I hit the links again in March or April I’m probably going to go out there expecting to be able to hit the ball 329 yards off the tee and hit most of the par 5s in two. I’m sure I’ll be in for a rude awakening.