Ashley is the daughter of Jeremy and Angela Simmons and the granddaughter of Curtis and Ann Donaldson and Joe and Pat Wheeler.

According to AshleyLedger.com, the Hamburg School Board voted to overturn an administrative decision to suspend an 8th grade student from school as a result of the fight. 

At close of business, Tuesday, prosecuting attorney Thomas Deen had not made a decision on filing criminal charges in the fight that developed, following the football game, where players, coaches and parents entered the field, and a Monticello coach had his nose broken.

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Hamburg Officials to Handle Football Fight “In-House”
Nov. 2, 2011

According to AshleyCountyLedger.com, Hamburg Superintendent of Schools Max Dyson said decisions had been made regarding punishments and that all disciplinary action will be handled “in-house”, within normal school procedures. He said that the district will not make any announcement of actions taken or of the names of those involved.

While the school is handling punishment for those involved in the dispute, Tenth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Thomas Deen confirmed Monday that he has requested some materials in connection with the fight. He said that if there are charges from the conflict, such charges would normally be handled through the juvenile court system because of the ages of those involved.

To read the full update on the story, go to AshleyCountyLedger.com.

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State Police / Prosecutor Investigating Jr. High Football Fight
Nov. 1, 2011

After the last game of the Jr. High Billie’s football season, during the traditional hand shake between teams, a large fight broke out amongst players. According to sources, the players had been cussing and “mouthing” each other while going to their field houses at half time.

Once the players began fighting with each other, parents and even coaches quickly joined in. A Monticello coach was said to have been injured by four Hamburg players and SEEMS Ambulance was called to respond when a child’s eye was split open after being hit with a helmet thrown by a Hamburg player (According to an eye witness). MASI was also on scene to help tend to all of the people injured. It was reported that a Hamburg coach got “choke slammed” by a Monticello parent.

Officers reported that approximately 40-50 people were on the field during the fight. No arrests were made and no reason as to why the fight began was determined. Responding agencies were UAM, MPD, AR State Police, and DCSO.

Friday, MonticelloLive.com spoke with Monticello School Superintendent Bobby Harper, who issued this statement “The Monticello School District regrets the altercation between the Monticello Junior High and Hamburg Junior High football teams last night at Hyatt Field in Monticello. The administrative staffs and coaches of both school districts are working together to decide what action or actions need to be taken to ensure that the incident is resolved and further incidents like this do not happen again.”

It has now been confirmed that the Arkansas State Police are investigating the incident (including a video of the events that occurred that night), and that the prosecuting attorney is also considering legal action in the case.

On August 13th and 14th, Mike Smith competed and won 2 national titles at the 2011 U.S.A.F. Unified National Armwrestling tournament held in Mobile Alabama. Mike entered in the 220 pound and the 221 and up heavyweight class left handed where he took 1st place in both weight classes. Mike also entered the 220 pound class right handed where he finished 3rd in the nation.

This was Mikes 1st national title which also qualifies him to compete as a part of team U.S.A. in the world armwrestling tournament held in Almaty Kazakhstan. This tournament would have Smith leaving with team U.S.A. on November 27th and returning on December 4th. Competing as part of team U.S.A. has always been a goal and a dream of Mikes since early in his 27 years of competitive armwrestling.

Mike would like to 1st give thanks to God for the strength and ability to compete at this level and 2nd to all of his sponsors for their support and making it possible for him to go. Special thanks to Ryburn Motor Company, Commercial Bank & Trust, Mr. Bug Pest Control, Starko Inc., Hunters Speed-D-Lube, John Parker, The River Restaurant, Mark Baggett Trucking, Shelley Smith Photography, Chris Loyd Properties, Nichols & Nichols LLC. and Chapman Lawn and Trackhoe Service. Your sponsorship is greatly appreciated and means a lot to have people and businesses that believe in backing someone in the community. Monticello Arkansas is a great place to live and do business. Smith says with great businesses like these and the many others in Monticello there’s no reason to look anywhere else.

Mike has lived in Monticello since 1993 and is in sales at Ryburn Motor Company. His wife Shelley Smith of Shelley Smith Photography is local to Monticello. Mike and Shelley also have 2 daughters Jordan and Karsyn Smith. Congratulations to Mike Smith on his 1st national armwrestling titles.

Monticello’s Mike Smith won the 199-242 class, the  244 & over class, and the Overall Arkansas Right  Champion.

Here are the results in each division.

Men’s Novice Right 0-176  State            Men’s Novice Left 0-176 State
Champion Ashton Dauzat LA                 Champion Nathan Seamon AR
2nd Bryan Hoyt AR                                    2nd Andrew Brannon AR
3rd Nathan Seamon AR                            3rd Ricky Finkbeiner AR 

Men’s Novice Right 177 & Up State       Men’s Novice Left 177 & Up State
Champion Steven Drake AR                     Champion David Finkbeiner AR.
2nd Erin Burgin AR                                      2nd Alex Kanza AR
3rd Calvin Holloway AR                            3rd Jacob Davis AR 

Men’s Open Right 0-154 State                  Men’s Open Left 0-154 State
Champion Scott Whitfield TN                   Champion Jordan McGuire IN
2nd Joel Wickizer AL                                   2nd Scott Whitfield TN
3rd Corey Dial AR                                         3rd Corey Dial AR

Men’s Open Right 155-176 State             Men’s Open Left 155-176 State
Champion C.J. Whitfield TN                      Champion Scott Whitfield TN
2nd Scott Whitfield TN                                2nd C.J. Whitfield TN
3rd Ashton Dauzat LA                                 3rd Craig Cotton MO

Men’s Open Right 177-198 State           Men’s Open Left 177-198 State
Champion Ryan Feltner AR                    Champion Ryan Feltner AR
2nd Kirk Wickizer AL                                 2nd Scott Whitfield TN
3rd Kirk Wickizer AL

Men’s Open Right 199-242 State            Men’s Open Left 199-242 State
Champion Mike Smith AR                        Champion Lee Browning TX
2nd Lee Browning TX                                 2nd Mike Smith AR
3rd Jason Gulley TN                                   3rd Ryan Thames LA

Men’s Open Right 243 & Up State           Men’s Open Left 243 & Up State
Champion Mike Smith AR                         Champion Ryan Thames LA
2nd Jason Gulley TN                                   2nd Mike Smith AR
3rd Ryan Thames LA                                 3rd Jason Gulley TN 

Ladies’s Open Right -OPEN State
Champion Nancy Gonzales AR
2nd Monoca Whitfield TN

OVERALL WINNERS State
Overall Right Champion Mike Smith AR
Overall Left Champion Lee Browning, TX

Bolding is scheduled to run in the 2000 meters steeplechase, one of the most challenging events in track.

The race consists of five laps around the track over a series of stationary barriers and water jumps. The barriers are thirty inches high and five inches wide at the top, and the runner may either hurdle the barriers or step on the tops. Either way, it makes for an exciting event as the barriers do not move and it is sometimes disastrous if the runner fails to clear them cleanly. The water jump is twelve feet long and shelves upward from a maximum depth of eighteen inches at the barrier back to the track level at the end of the pit. Bolding has won the National Masters Championships and has established an age group American record in this event. He hopes to be among the top finishers at the World Championships, but a recent injury that cost him seven weeks of training has cause him to lower his expectations somewhat. “I had thought I might have a chance to win, but this hamstring strain has cost me so much training, and at this level the competition is so great that I now just hope to go out and run the best I can the day of the race and see what happens.” Other than Bolding, the top three runners are from Spain, Portugal, and Russia, but competitors are entered from all over the world, giving the event a truly international flavor.

Bolding comes into the race with sterling credentials. Over the last twenty five years, since turning forty, Bolding has competed in a total of 271 races, winning overall or age group a total of 259 times. He has won 56 State Championship races and a total of six National Championship races at five distances. He has been state champion at every distance from 200 meters through the marathon, a feat that most likely has never before been accomplished in Arkansas track and field. He holds the Arkansas Senior Olympics Senior record in the 800 meters, having run 2 minutes and 25 seconds in the event. He has run a 17:46 5K as a Senior runner, one of the top times ever run in America. He holds both the 200 meters and the 800 meters state records in Alaska, both set on a day when he won nine events in the Alaska State Championships. He has achieved United States of America Track and Field All American status in eighteen separate events, and has been ranked in the top five nationally in the 800 meters, 1,500 meters, mile, 2,000 meters steeplechase, 5,000 meters, and 10,000 meters. He has been the winner of the Glenn Cunningham Memorial Awards as the top track athlete in the Arkansas Senior Olympics, and has been the Senior winner of the Arkansas Grand Prix, emblematic of the top Senior road racer in the state of Arkansas. He has qualified several times for the Boston Marathon and has run there. Bolding will compete July 28-31 in the USATF National Senior Championships at Berea, Ohio, where he plans to compete in thirteen events. “I have always wanted to see if I am athletic enough to compete on a national level in other events than my specialties, without really training for them, and I am taking this opportunity to expand my horizons athletically,” said Bolding.

In the State tournament the team beat Fayetteville twice 3-0 and 3-0 and beat Marion twice 3-0 and 2-1. The team now qualifies to play in the Southern Sectional Championships July 30-Aug. 2. The tournament will be held in Mobile, Al. and will host state champions from Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

This is the third year in a row that Sawyer and Cooper have been on a State Championship team and represented Arkansas in the Southern Sectional Tournament.

Robert E. Sawyer

On April 17, 2011 two Monticello natives joined thousands of professional and amateur triathaletes from around the world to compete in the 2011 Ochsners Ironman 70.3 Triathalon. The race consists of a 1.2 mile swim in Lake Pontchatrain, a 56 mile bike course, and a 13.1 mile run which ended in front of Jackson Square, in the heart of the French Quarter, for a total distance of 70.3 miles.

Lt. Col. Robert E. Sawyer, USMC and his cousin,formed ATeam Sawyer@ to compete in the event. Robert is 1984 graduate of Monticello High School and a 1991 graduate of the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Max Sawyer is a 2008 graduate of Monticello High School and is current enrolled in the honors program at University of Central Arkansas.

Robert caught the triathlon bug in 2010, after inviting Max to come to New Orleans to compete in the race. After watching Max last year, Robert bought a bicycle and began his own training regime. Both Max and Robert competed in their age group categories; Rob in the mens 45-49 age group, Max in the mens 18 to 24 year old group. As non-professionals, both were part of what is called the Aage groupers@.

This year’s weather conditions prevented the triathletes from swimming, leaving the bike and run portion of the race. Max, with a much improved time over last year, placed third in his age division with a total time of 3:46:42. Max came in less than 2 minutes behind the second place finisher, despite a damaged front wheel on the bike course and a side stitch that required him to stop and reduce his pace on the run, finishing in the top third of his age group. Robert completed the bike and run within the time limits he had set for himself. Max was competing against the other triathletes for place, while Robert was racing to beat his personal best. Both Max and Rob were pleased with their results.

Robert Sawyer has now been transferred to Colorodo Springs, USNORTHCOM/NORAD where he will spend his free time in high altitude training and plans to compete in regional triathlons in the Colorado and is registered to run the U. S. Marine Corps. Marathon this October in Washington D. C. Max has his summer race schedule outlined and plans on competing in another 70.3 mile triathlon in Arkadelphia this July. Both Robert and Max were pleased to be representing their home town as ATeam Sawyer@ and both look forward to meeting up again in NOLA next spring. To follow Max=s journey as a student triathlete, check out his blog at maxkotwt.blogspot.com.

Last year, the Marlins had 92 swimmers participate in their program, and took part in 6 swimming meets.

Marlins Swimming Meets were held in Monticello 3 times last year, and always fill up the pool and surrounding areas with parents and supporters from all over southeast Arkansas, and their tents and lawn chairs.

Keith Caldwell, speaking on behalf of other parents of Marlins, wanted to thank State Representative Allen Maxwell for his part in making these State General Improvement Funds available to the swim team.

Bolding won the 2000 meters steeplechase and set a new American single age group record of 8:09, breaking the old record of 8:15 set by Frank Haviland in 1998. His 4x400meters and his 4x800meters relay teams also won those two events and he placed third in the 10,000 meters, also.

Ross’ totals were three gold medals and one bronze and he has now won five national championships total.