KFDM COOP

Updated: Jan. 11, 2006, 7:56 PM ET Jeff Gordon off to strong start at Daytona testingAssociated Press DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Coming off a disappointing season, four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is aiming to build momentum in a hurry for 2006. The three-time and defending Daytona 500 winner is off to a good start in preseason testing, taking the top spot on the speed chart Tuesday -- after running second the previous day -- at Daytona International Speedway with a lap of 188.466 mph. Two-time Daytona 500 champion Bill Elliott, first Monday, was Tuesday's runner-up at 188.025. Both drivers improved considerably from the previous day's speeds in the low 187s. Gordon finished 11th in the points in 2005, failing to qualify for the 10-race Chase for the Nextel Cup championship. That's his worst showing since he finished 14th as a rookie in 1993, but Gordon expects better results in the upcoming season. "It's not that we should win a championship every year," Gordon said. "But we certainly should be contending for race wins -- and on a fairly consistent basis -- and we should be up and battling in that championship in some way throughout the year." Missing out on the playoff-style Chase was the biggest blow to Gordon and his Hendrick Motorsports team last season. "Yeah, it tears our confidence down a little bit and it makes us scratch our heads, and sometimes we don't always go in the right direction," Gordon said. "But we never stop searching for what we've got to do to turn it back around. Sometimes, you've got to take big steps to turn it around and, sometimes, it's just right there and you're just missing one little ingredient." The biggest changes for Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet team are in the crew. Steve Letarte, who took over from Robbie Loomis with 10 races remaining in 2005, is in charge of a group that returns only jackman Jeff Cook. Everyone else on the crew is either in a different position or new to the team. Under Letarte's leadership, Gordon finished 2005 with one win, three top fives and five top 10s in the final 10 races, raising everyone's expectations. "We made a lot of changes and then changed some cars, changed some different things," Gordon said. "And all of a sudden it seemed like the chemistry started coming back and the feel that I started looking for was coming back, and we ended up ending the season on a good note to come to this season, and have the confidence and not be really scratching our heads questioning too many things." Elliott Sadler was third Tuesday at 187.597 in a Ford, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Gordon's teammate, at 187.582 and the Ford of Matt Kenseth at 186.982. Mike McLaughlin, filling in during the three-day test for reigning Cup champion Tony Stewart, who chose not to participate, was next at 186.614 in a Chevy, with the Dodge of Jeremy Mayfield close behind at 186.521. All the top speeds Tuesday came in the second session of the day for teams that finished in the odd points positions in last year's Cup standings. The teams that finished in the even positions will test on the 2.5-mile Daytona oval next week.

I wish him luck to, thanks for that update. I didn't know that.

Do you like the BB Coach ya'll have?

Got a Racing Forum..Cool!

I still predict Huffman to win that District.

Watch dem Dogs!! :mrgreen:

Humble ISD picks Colbert for new school -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Dave Rogers - The News staff writer Posted: 01/10/06 - 11:15:00 pm CST -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dean Colbert didn't stay on the job market long. The former Port Arthur athletic director and head football coach, who just turned in his resignation last Friday, was approved Tuesday night as the head coach at Humble's new Atascocita High. "He's thrilled and we're thrilled to have him," Humble athletic director Zoe Simpson said of the man who won the recommendation of a five-person search committee and the unanimous 7-0 vote of the Humble school board Tuesday night. Colbert did not return a call placed by The News Tuesday night. Simpson, who has worked with Colbert on matters relating to District 22-5A sports competition the past four years, said the committee was also sold on Colbert. The five-person committee, which included the new school's principal, two assistant superintendents, Simpson and assistant athletic director Neal Quillin -- who was Colbert's high school coach at Willowridge -- picked him ahead of three other finalists. They were: Mike Woodley, head coach at Pasadena Rayburn and a former assistant coach at Iowa State who helped turn that program around; Kingwood graduate Andy Sexton, defensive coordinator at Mansfield; and Paul Essery, defensive coordinator at Deer Park. "We have a vision for our school district," Simpson said. "We took about 10 years to study and decide, to make a clear representation about what we wanted to be about. And Dean fits that. He's all about learning. "Don't get me wrong, we like to win ballgames as much as anybody, but we believe winning is a byproduct of doing things right. And our committee was convinced." Named Memorial's first head coach in 2002, Colbert compiled a 22-18 overall record in Port Arthur. His teams posted winning records each of the team's first three years, qualifying for the playoffs twice. The 2005 Titans went 2-5 and superintendent Willis Mackey said Colbert promised him in mid-November that he'd resign after the first of the year. Simpson is aware of the recent series of articles in The News detailing shortcomings in Port Arthur's athletic department. He says they have been well read, over the internet, by folks in Humble who knew of Colbert's interest in the job. But the articles -- which largely focused on things beyond Colbert's control -- probably worked in Colbert's favor, the Humble AD believes. "I think you probably helped Dean more than hurt him," Simpson said Tuesday night. "Our superintendent (Guy Sconzo) read the articles and was very impressed with Dean's professional responses. It really gave us an indication of a guy who can handle pressure. "We went through some pretty grueling interviews (with Colbert). We knew some (Humble) people had read the Port Arthur paper and we (knew) the perception is we might be getting somebody else's problem. So we had to dig pretty deep. "We grilled him, to make sure we were getting what we wanted. We're all convinced. He's for academia. He went to Austin College. He's an intelligent man. Neal Quillin coached him. Neal Quillin preached to him at 13 years old the value of an education and he said that just stuck with him. "And I can tell you from personal experience he values the girls' volleyball team as much as the football team. That's something we're very committed to, that every kid in every program is important. I believe Dean is all about that." Atascocita High will not have a senior class when it opens next August. But Simpson expects it to have more than 2,200 students in grades 9-11 and it will play a varsity sports schedule in Class 5A. Its students will come from a split of the current attendance zone for Humble High, which this year has 4,800 students. Projections call for Atascocita to have 3,000 students in the fall of 2007. Colbert and the principal at Atascocita will have a big say in hiring 37 new coaches for the school. That's a bit different than Colbert's introduction to Port Arthur. In 2001, Colbert came to town as Thomas Jefferson's head coach with consolidation a year away. He inherited a coaching staff at TJ, then had to try and merge staffs from TJ, Lincoln and Stephen F. Austin when Memorial opened in 2002. "The fact that Dean had opened a school, whether it was consolidation or expansion, that was a feather in his cap," Simpson said. "We haven't opened a school here since 1979. We value his experience."

Tuesday Scores Girls Central 47 LCM 37 OF 70 H-F 52 WOS 101 Anahuac 38 Silsbee 78 Jasper 48 H-J 61 BC 48

Mostly in the evenings..The board has only been up 3 weeks. We're advertising as much as we can on different boards to get the word out. Help spread the word...

Thanks..My man Heb

Thanks for registering...

The new 5A school opening this year in the Houston area has named Dean Colbert their new Head Coach.

Will it be fixed in time?

Congrats!

Please do!! Thanks....

Congrats Lady cats!

Thanks! Spread the word!

WOW! They continue nto roll!! Thanks Mom... :wink:

Yea they are!!!

I have heard that!

Pretty darn good for just 3 weeks!! Keep advertising everyone!! 8)

Georgia Coach Resigns After Getting Busted For Branding Players What a freakin numb skull! Assistant football coach Mario Hansbrough resigned from Roswell High School after being accused of encouraging his high school football players to brand themselves. Fulton County school officials say more than a dozen football players at Roswell High branded themselves as a show of solidarity for their team, encouraged by Hansbrough. Player Morten Mathiaseen bears a scar which he says he does not regret. Mathiaseen says the players heated up inch-long paper clips, and placed them on their chests, creating an oval scar. Hansbrough resigned shortly after the school began investigating the incident. “There were allegations made by several students two weeks prior to the winter break, regarding students who were involved in the branding, and an investigation took place at that point,†said Roswell High principal Dr. Ed Spurka. Eight years ago, Hansbrough resigned from another local high school after allowing a profane rap song to be played at a basketball game. After resigning from Cherokee High School, Hansbrough was hired at Roswell High. “I learned of that Thursday, after he resigned,†Spurka said. “I didn’t hire Coach Hansbrough, so I wasn’t aware of that allegation or the situation.†Despite his troubles with the school, some students remain loyal. But some feel that the impression he left should not have been so permanent. The players say they were inspired by a fraternity Greek letter they saw branded on Hansbrough’s arm.

Can't wait until baseball!! 8)

Heard that as well. I haven't spoken with Stewart in a while. Anyone know where he's going?

It will work out for you guys!! I have a feeling they name him head coach at your next meeting. Keep the pressure on your school board on who you want.