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El Defensor Chieftain (Socorro) Thursday, April 18, 2013

n See Rugby, Page 9

10 • APRIL 18, 2013 www.dchieftain.com

El Defensor Chieftainsports

Fire Wise WorkshopsAPRIL 2013

April 6th at Hop Canyon Fire Stationfrom 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

April 13th at San Antonio Fire Stationfrom 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

April 20th at Veguita Fire Station #2from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Chipper sign-in will be available• Fun and food for all

• Sparky the Fire Dog andSmokey Bear may be there.

Contact Ken at 575-835-2029 x1203 for more information

Presbyterian Medical Group in Socorro offers gynecology and obstetrics care for women of all ages, in all stages of life

Dr. Ira Murphy, an Obstetrics/Gynecology specialist, and Certified Nurse Midwife Donna Bateman provide a wide range of routine and specialty women’s health services.

Our services are designed with you in mind and include:•ObstetricsandGynecology•PrenatalCare•FamilyPlanningandFertility•PreventiveandWellnessCare•BreastCancerScreening•Laparoscopicsurgeryforlesspainandfasterrecovery

Formorethan100years,Presbyterian’scareteamshavebeendedicated to improving women’s health. To learn more about women’s services at Presbyterian Medical Group in Socorro, please call (575) 838-8786. Your story is our story.

Presbyterian Medical Group at Socorro General Hospital

1204Highway60WestSocorro,NM87801

www.phs.org/socorro

Caring for women in Socorro.

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New recreation director, Josh Kerns, making it workBy Tanya PykeFor El Defensor Chieftain

SocorroJosh Kerns was hired in December 2012 as

the city of Socorro’s new recreation director. He brings with him several years of experience run-ning successful recreational programs in the area. He implements a positive philosophy for any cur-rent structure that will improve participation.

One such program he expanded was the orga-nization of a men’s basketball league. Despite opinions to the contrary, Josh made it work. For the first time in a long time, Socorro had a men’s basketball league. Six teams participated in the league and it ran from January to March 2013.

The entry fee for each team paid for the offi-cials for the games in addition to the student work-ers running the clock and the concession. Josh did not want the teams calling their own fouls because in his experience this method does not work. He implemented a “zero tolerance” policy for any player infractions. There were only two incidents during the whole season that resulted in poten-tial altercations, but the situations were quickly brought under control.

“The officials Anthony Lukesh, Tanya Pyke and Chuck Ngo were instrumental to the program’s success as they are members of the New Mexico

Officials Association,” Kerns said. “Without offi-cials, it would have been very hard to have run a successful program. Officiating is not an easy job, but they were committed to the program.”

The success of the program was further sup-

ported by Mayor Bhasker and the City Council as the members often touched base with Josh on the league progress.

“I am thankful that the mayor and council members had enough confidence in me to even try

something like this,” Kerns said. There were even a few members who attended some games.

He also posted the teams’ standings and statis-tics on the city of Socorro Recreation Department Facebook page, so that each team knew their posi-tion in the league.

The teams seemed to be pretty evenly balanced with some good competitive matchups and games. Every week, each team displayed great feats of athleticism: 3-point shooting essence of Jared Marquez, Charles Contreras, Clifton Guerro, Jorge Silva and Manual Lucero; power forward plays by the big men Evan Grain — who also had an awesome alley-oop in a game — Nels Iverson, Tyler Zuni, Kenneth Greenwood, Steven Hall and Anthony “Pansas” Maldonado; penetrating lane drives by Abel Morales, Ray Vaiza, Gabriel Baca, Tony Garcia and Michael Benavidez; and excel-lent defense by Jeremy Montano, Pete Silva and Jeff Jaramillo.

The Road Runner/A-1 Redi Mix team won first place in front of a crowd of approximately 50 people. Many Socorroans attended the games on a regular basis.

Now that the program has been established, he predicts more teams will participate. He plans to keep the program running with a similar philoso-phy next year.

Elva K. Österreich/El Defensor ChieftainThe Socorro men’s basketball league final game wound up a successful winter season.

Tech rugby men and women prove generous hostsDave WheelockFor El Defensor Chieftain

SocorroNew Mexico Tech’s men’s and wom-

en’s rugby clubs combined to host the “Eighth Sometimes Annual Socorro Challenge” on April 13, and although neither team managed a victory, from all other indications the nine-team tour-nament was a success.

Good fortune shone on proceed-ings as the tournament was unmarred by Socorro’s usual springtime winds or the uncomfortable temperatures sure to come in succeeding weeks. A good crowd of spectators enjoyed bagpipe music, play-by-play commentary, curb-side food service and a full day of rugby played in ideal conditions.

New Mexico State University’s Lady Chiles beat Albuquerque’s Atomic Sisters 10-5 and the host Queens 19-10 in the seven-player version of rugby, which is traditionally played with 15 to a side. The men’s six-team division

featured 10-a-side and was captured by the University of New Mexico Lobos in a sudden-death 24-21 overtime win over the New Mexico Brujos of Albuquerque.

Billed as an old fashioned rugby tourna-ment emphasizing the spirit of rugby, top honors went to those teams best displaying the combined characteristics of teamwork and sportsmanship. In a captains’ ballot taken immediately after the event’s final match, the “Spirit of Rugby” awards were bestowed upon the Atomic Sisters and New Mexico Tech’s Pygmy Rugby Club. NMT graduate Mark Kelly was recog-nized as Best and Fairest Referee.

Tech’s women played respectably but fell 15-0 in their first match against the Atomic Sisters, whose 15s team peren-nially ranks highly in U.S. women’s rugby. They raised their game dramati-cally against tournament winners New Mexico State in an eventual 19-10 loss. Team leader Jade Horton and freshman sensation Cassie Coleman each scored five-point tries through the effervescent play of Michaela Rempkowski, Lisa

Sanchez, Katie Trujillo, Lorena Vega and Jessica Avila.

In men’s round robin play UNM’s Lobos placed second in Pool A by bouncing back from a 33-24 first-round loss to Brujos RFC of Albuquerque with a 33-7 trouncing of Tech. They then defeated Pool B winners The Justice League, comprising primarily former UNM players, by a 12-0 score.

The Brujos’ road to the final was smoother with the opening win over UNM before the Pygmies bowed again by the same 33-7 score the Lobos had managed against the home team. The Brujos then smashed Pool B runners-up Horny Toads of Las Cruces 26-0 to advance to the championship match.

The Tech men were slightly unlucky to be in the same pool with what turned out to be the tournament’s two top teams. The consolation match between the bot-tom team from each pool provided small comfort as Santa Fe handed the

William D. Colburn/For El Defensor ChieftainThe Pygmies’ Isaac Juarez tries to beat the tackle of a University of New Mexico player in Saturday’s Eighth Sometimes Annual Socorro Challenge rugby tournament. The Lobos captured the men’s championship while “Spirit of Rugby” honors went to the Pygmies.

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APRIL 18, 2013 • 9El Defensor Chieftainwww.dchieftain.com

Continued from 0

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Health Care

Lawn care aficionados know how a single bald spot can make an otherwise luscious lawn look worn down and poorly main-tained. A bald spot can stick out like a sore thumb, while sev-eral bald spots can compromise a home’s curb appeal.

Treating bald spots typically depends on what is causing the bald spot. Bugs, dryness, pet waste and damage from mowers are some of the more common causes of bald spots. The following is a breakdown of these different causes and how best to address each situation so you can restore your lawn to its natural beauty.

DrynessA lawn can go dry because

of drought in the summertime or during the winter months when there is not much rain or snowfall. Homeowners cannot change the weather, but they can help their lawn avoid becoming the burned or yellowed turf that often results after extended periods of dryness. Fertilizing the lawn during the

spring and summer is a good first step. This helps the lawn grow in healthy and thick. Once you have fertilized, don’t cut the grass too short. When grass is cut too short, the soil struggles to retain mois-ture, which can eventually lead to bald spots if weather conditions are dry. During especially dry periods in the summer, watering might be necessary. You won’t have to water frequently, but be sure to water deeply so the water can reach the roots of the grass.

Pet WasteWaste from pets can cause

bald spots on a yard. This might surprise some homeowners, but pet waste contains a high level of concentrated nitrogen that, when applied to a lawn, can burn the grass and cause bald spots. Urine is most likely to cause bald spots, but fecal matter can as well.

When addressing the problem of pet waste on your lawn, make sure no one else’s pets are the cause of the problem. Neighbors out walking their dogs should be

How to repair unsightly bald spots in your lawn

Even the cutest pet can contribute to bald spots on your lawn.

discouraged from allowing their dogs to use your lawn as a rest-room. If this does not work, then erect a fence or some type of structure that makes it difficult for other people’s pets to access your lawn.

When it’s your own pet caus-ing the damage, address the spots where your pet relieves itself as quickly as possible. Watering the area within eight hours can

significantly reduce the risk of lawn damage by diluting the nitrogen levels. Another way to address the issue is to encourage the animal to use various spots in the yard, rather than continu-ally using the same spot. Flush each area with water immediately after the pet is finished. If the damage is already considerable, remove the damaged grass and reseed the spot.

Pygmies their third loss, 34-5. The men’s final fittingly turned

into the day’s best match. UNM overcame a 21-0 halftime deficit to tie the game at the final whistle of regulation time, and completed the 24-21 coup over the stunned Brujos with a three-point penalty kick two minutes into a sudden-death overtime period.

NMT Queen Cassie Coleman was named Most Valuable Player for her team and graduating senior Blaine Trujillo earned honors for the Pygmies.

The Pygmies will seek revenge in Santa Fe this Saturday in a full 15-a-side match against the Santos. Both the Queens and Pygmies plan to compete in the Celtic Sevens Tournament at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta Park on May 18, one week after commencement activities at New Mexico Tech.

Boxers give their all in tournamentBy Polo C’ de BacaFor El Defensor Chieftain

SocorroRussell Moses, the director of

Socorro’s Boot Camp Boxing Gym, took four participants to the state Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament held at Los Lunas High School last Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Three were named champions and the other was named runner up.

Eighth-grader Andrew Silva, 14, lost his first championship fight and became the runner-up.

“Andrew did great,” Moses said. “He fought a kid that had lots more fights than him. He fought again on Saturday and won.”

The tournament was supposed to run through Sunday, and Moses said he took Silva back to Los Lunas for the fight, but it turned out there were not enough competitors that day and they cancelled his bout.

Second-grader Andres Jaquez, 8, won his first fight on Friday in the 50-pound weight class then he was moved into another weight class, and lost the second fight. He is still con-sidered to have won in his weight class for the state championship. He attends Parkview Elementary School.

In the third grade, weighing 97 pounds and just 8 years old, Jacob

McKeehan, whose nickname is “Tank,” has been in the program approximately five months. McKeehan got a bye for his first fight in the tournament and received his championship title by default. The boys he was scheduled to fight didn’t have their paperwork in order.

“I was really excited until I found out that I wouldn’t be able to com-pete,” McKeehan said. “I was very sad.” McKeehan is home schooled.

Felix Rodarte, 9, was scheduled to fight in the 90-pound weight class. He did not have a fight in his weight class because there was nobody to fight. He won the state title. The first night he ended up fighting someone in a higher weight class older than him and lost.

“This other kid was a bit more expe-rienced, but Felix fought hard,” Moses said. “He held in there with him. The decision went the other way in the sec-ond fight, but I really thought it should have gone to Felix. The ones that won are two 8-year-olds and one 9-year-old; I don’t feel comfortable taking them to the next level yet. Kids come here to box and if they tell me they want to compete I let them compete. I let them box as much as possible. The kids all brought home trophies.”

Moses revived the boxing gym as Boot Camp Boxing in January 2012. He said before the gym was operated under the direction of Eddie Padilla and David

Castillo, and there were various others involved in the operation before that. Moses arrived in Socorro in November

2011. “Fundraising is really hard because

we need money going all over the place just to travel,” Moses said. “I really would like to reach out to anybody in the community that would donate or sell cheaply.”

Moses encourages those interested to stop by the gym between 4:30-6:30 p.m., at 105 Francisco de Avondo, behind Chevron on North California Street.

The gym’s amateur workout pro-gram is daily from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

“I let anybody who wants to join that program come in and work out,” Moses said. “I do have rules; it’s not a free for all. If they want to be amateur boxers in my gym they work out under my pro-gram. If they want to work out on their own they come in after 6:30.”

Many people of all weights and all classes use this gym, school children from grade school up to high school. Some parents come in and work out with their children. Since boxing is year-round and most other sports are seasonal, they get children coming and going all the time. Moses said that they have a child who just got done playing football and that they’ve had up to 25 children in here at one time. They’re working with 11 children now.

“I’ve been fortunate holding fund-raiser with the parents’ help,” Moses

said. “They’ve been a tremendous help.” Moses, originally from Arkansas, pre-viously served in the military and is a petroleum engineering student at New Mexico Tech.

“After about a week of adjusting to life in Socorro, I really liked it,” Moses said. “The chile that I’ve never had in my life burned me up. I didn’t even know that there were such things as red chile and green chile. It was all a good experience. At first I was, ‘what the heck did I get into.’ Afterward I was thinking, ‘this is just what I need.’”

Moses is a single parent raising his 15-year-old daughter. She was a starter playing shortstop for the varsity softball team as an eighth-grader. Moses said that she’s made some good friends and is an honor student.

“The community is very welcoming. The small community has a slow pace. It was a great choice for me,” he says.

Moses said he served in the Arkansas Army/National Guard in Iraq and Kuwait and as a contractor in Kandahar Afghanistan while living in a tent city. He signed up as a 20-year-old in August 2001 at Fort Smith, Ark. He was in the service for nine years.

“I get a lot of kids that their parents want them to be there more than they do,” Moses said. “They can come in and work out just to learn how to box. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Polo C’ de Baca/For El Defensor ChieftainEight year old Andres Jaques works the big bag sporting his Boot Camp Boxing Gym hat, which his coach Russell Moses, provided to the young boxers for their efforts at the state Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament in Los Lunas last weekend. The winning boxers were also presented with tro-phies for their accomplishments.

The Socorro Electric Cooperative has always maintained the confidentiality of member addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, bank records, and all other member account information. Members of other electric cooperative have been the victims of scams that resulted in financial losses to individual members of those cooperatives, when their personal information was obtained by criminal interests.

Notice to Socorro Electric Cooperative Members

Recently, by court order pursuant to a lawsuit brought by certain members of The Socorro Electric Cooperative, the SEC has been ordered to release member information upon demand. Once this information has been provided, the SEC loses control of its use, but the SEC must comply with the court order. Any contact you may have from persons with your member information has resulted from this court decision. If you believe that any contacts are of a suspicious nature, please be sure to inform the appropriate authorities, either local or federal.

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