Perfect pitch

By Submission For The Southside Times

[caption id="attachment_2898" align="alignleft" width="465" caption="Photo by Brian Christopher"][/caption]Andrew Sparks, a seventh grader at Beech Grove Middle School who plays for the Indiana Bandits Traveling Baseball Team 13U Division, delivers a pitch during the Greensburg Early Bird Baseball Tournament in Greensburg, Ind. Sparks pitched 11 innings with no walks or scores supporting the Bandits second place finish over two days of tournament play.

Small is beautiful for sports apparel guru

By Mike Beas

[caption id="attachment_2903" align="alignleft" width="465" caption="Photo by Irem Tunc"][/caption]If the sounds coming from your favorite AM radio station 40 years ago were, in fact, accurate, then one is the loneliest number. No debating necessary. One is complex, companionless and entirely comfortable in its own skin. The Sports Fanatics store inside Greenwood Park Mall falls comfortably into this category. As the last location continuing to conduct business in a chain that began in 1986 and peaked numerically in the early-1990s with 14 locations, the Johnson County version of this sports apparel shop is both survivor and rock. At one time part of a family that included Sports Fanatics locations as far north as Fort Wayne and as far south as Clarksville, the Greenwood location serves as a jersey- and cap-wearing tap on the shoulder reminding us that less often qualifies as more. “Having those 14 stores, it was hectic. I was a lot younger and it was nice to say we had a chain of stores, but you learn over time that bigger isn’t always better,” said Paul Sapper, 48, who was only 25 when Sports Fanatics, his brainstorm, officially left the launching pad. “Like any business you have your ups and downs, and we started shutting down some of the poorest-performing stores around 1995 and 1996. It always came down to the Greenwood store being our best in terms of sales.” Asked what the best decision has been, Sapper doesn’t hesitate: “To keep open the Greenwood location. I cannot imagine where I would be without it.” And the worst business advice? “That the only way to survive is to continue to open new stores,” he said. “I have learned that bigger is not always better.” Sports Fanatics made its Greenwood Mall debut in 1987 in a store Sapper estimates having roughly 600 square feet of room in which to operate. The second mall site was twice that, while the present location, positioned in the middle of the mall between GameStop and Aldo Shoes, is even more spacious with 2,000 square feet. “This works,” shrugged Sapper, a lifetime Northsider – “I basically was born at 86th and Ditch,” he said - who has resided in Carmel the past 20 years. “I could fill 4,000 square feet with merchandise, but you have to pay rent. I have the opportunity to have 14 stores if I wanted, but not a chance. We’re a very efficient store. It’s just a great center and anyone who is interested in sports living in this area has heard of Sports Fanatics.” Sports Fanatics, which goes to tremendous lengths to accommodate everyone from supporters of proven quantities such as the New York Yankees to persons pulling for lesser-knowns like men’s basketball programs at Vanderbilt and Texas A&M, is a magnet due to its uniqueness. Want to load up on Oregon Ducks apparel or check out the cutting-edge hoops trunks from Georgetown or Oklahoma State without having to do so on-line? This is the place. “It’s the variety of the merchandise you’re just not going to find in other stores. We carry items the other stores don’t,” said Sapper, whose business is one of five sports apparel stores in Greenwood Park Mall. (Finish Line, Dick’s, Champs and Foot Locker are the others.) “We’re able to listen to the customers and act on that. But we don’t do special orders. You just can’t have it all. There have been products that I purchased for the store that only I liked. That’s why they invented the sales tag. “It’s tough. Very Catch-22. You can’t satisfy everyone, and you do the best you can.” Like any business owner, Sapper has enjoyed his share of successes and second-guessed himself to smithereens over merchandise that generated no buzz whatsoever. Customers walk in. Customers walk out. What they do in between determines whether or not Sapper has lost his touch. WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED? A very successful friend of mine told me his father said to him, “Organization is the key to success.” I have never forgotten that. IN FIVE YEARS, I WANT . . . To be exactly where I am today. MY SECRET TO SUCCESS: Work harder and smarter than anybody else. Stay focused and be loyal. And give the customers the best selection, best prices and better customer service than my competitors. WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ENTICE PEOPLE TO SPEND MONEY GIVEN THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ECONOMY? We have put a number of items on sale to hopefully drive more customers into the store. We always felt Sports Fanatics had the best selection at a fair price. Now we feel we have the best selection at the best price. Paul Sapper was featured on the cover of the May issue of the Johnson County Business Leader. To subscribe to the Johnson County Business Leader, visit www.businessleader.bz.

Holy Name goes pink

By Submission For The Southside Times

[caption id="attachment_2894" align="alignleft" width="465" caption="Photo submitted"][/caption]Holy Name Catholic School was recently awarded first place in the Paint the Town Pink Contest, a breast cancer awareness program in conjunction with the Indianapolis Komen Race for the Cure. Holy Name students became very passionate about this contest as a direct result of personally knowing many women whose lives have been affected by breast cancer. A small group of Holy Name students welcomed Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday and showed him around the halls of the school, presenting how the entire school was transformed by the mission of the contest. Saturday then joined the entire student body, faculty and staff as he presented the first place award to the school.

Local student serves as page

By Submission For The Southside Times

[caption id="attachment_2887" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Breanna Pardue (right) and Rep. Mary Ann Sullivan (left)"][/caption]ACTS Christian Academy eighth grader Breanna Pardue recently served in the Indiana House Page Program with Rep. Mary Ann Sullivan during the 2009 session of the Indiana General Assembly. Paging is a valuable experience in which students take a backstage tour of the Statehouse and work alongside legislative assistants and interns. On session days, pages experience how a bill becomes a law as they watch legislators on the House floor debate issues. On committee days, the students witness where a bill receives first consideration and watch hearings where the public submits input.

Kieffers celebrate 60 years

By Submission For The Southside Times

[caption id="attachment_2884" align="alignleft" width="218" caption="Grace & Joseph Kieffer"][/caption]Grace (Lynskey) and Joseph Kieffer celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on April 23. They were married at St. Catherine’s Church in Indianapolis in 1949 and have lived in Indianapolis ever since. Joseph retired from Naval Avionics in 1988, and Grace was a homemaker. Both are members of St. Jude Catholic Church. Their children, Mary Kay, Patty, Joseph, Liz, Edward, Kevin and Christine and nine grandchildren live in Indianapolis. They celebrated on Sunday by attending noon mass following it with a family dinner.

Obitiuaries for the week of 4.30.09

By Submission For The Southside Times

Artie E. Duke, 86, of Indianapolis, died April 22, 2009. He was born August 26, 1922, in Scottsville, Ky., to Thomas and Lelabell (Blankenship) Duke. Artie served in the Army during WWII. Survivors include his daughter, Kathy L. Duke-Fowler; grandchildren, Kyle Padgett and Stephen Fowler; sister, Clarice Richardson; his daughter’s mother, Mrs. Louise Duke; and many nieces and nephews. Services were held April 25, 2009. Burial was held at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens. Barbara J. Morris, 59, of Greenwood, died April 21, 2009. She was born April 7, 1950, in Indianapolis. She was preceded in death by parents, Marvin and Emily L. (Shadowens) Morris; five brothers and one sister. Survivors include sons, Anthony A. Morris and Daniel (Kim) Morris; brothers, Alva (Jacqueline) Morris and James S. (Diane) Morris; grandmother, Oma Shadowens; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Services were held April 27 in St. Mark Lutheran Church. Burial was held at Round Hill Cemetery. Stella “Louise” Owen, 68, of Indianapolis, died April 24, 2009. She was born on September 23, 1940, in Gallatin Tenn., to the late Oliver E. Troutt and Mary M. Phillips. She is survived by sons, David A. (Kathy) Owen, and Scott Owen; grandchildren, Heather Hall, Mitchell, Samantha, and Malcolm Owen, Devon Ridge, Amy and Shaen Lawrence; great grandchildren, Shelby, Samuel, Aaron, and Cynthia; sisters, Cindee Phillips, and Jessie Thomas; brother, Gregory Phillips; and special friends, Heather and Alan Stone, and Alice and Don Miller. Louise was preceded in death by her sister, Jeanette. Services were held April at G.H. Herrmann Madison Avenue Funeral Home. Burial was held April 28, 2009. Delmon “Dale” Wilmoth, 83, of Indianapolis, died April 25, 2009. He was born on October 27, 1925, to the late Alonzo and Ethel Dodson Wilmoth. He fought in the U. S. Army during WWII. Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Carolyn Cherry Wilmoth, two daughters, Jan (Earl) Muse, Sharon Barbour, three grandchildren, Jennifer VanMeter, Julie (Brian) Miley, Robert Dale Barbour, six great grandchildren, Alex and Max VanMeter, Megan and Sara Switzer, Stephanie and Samantha Miley, brothers, John, Dois, Euel, Joel, Dellon, sisters, Devena, Betty, Daisy, Brenda and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by one brother, Dumas. Visitation was held April 28 at G.H. Herrmann Madison Avenue Funeral Home. Funeral services were held April 29, 2009 at Forest Lawn Memory Gardens.

At Play Calendar for the week of 4.30.09

By Submission For The Southside Times

Scrapbooking • This two-day scrapbooking and rubberstamping weekend will keep everyone on their toes as you work on your project with other scrapbooking enthusiasts. | When: May 1 from 3 - 10 p.m. and May 2 from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. | Where: The Beech Grove Public Library | Cost: $5 Info: Call Tonya at 781-7800. Free Comic Book Day • School-age children and teens are invited to pick up free comic books (while supplies last) and draw their own comic characters. | When: May 2, during library hours | Where: Fountain Square Branch of the IMCPL | Info: Call 275-4390. Burmese Refugee Continuing Education Series: Safe Driving • In an effort to provide useful information to the city’s growing Burmese populations, this workshop will discuss the most commonly broken traffic laws and the financial and legal consequences of not following the laws. The program will be presented in English and Chin. | When: May 2 at 10 a.m. | Where: Southport Branch of the IMCPL | Info: Call 275-4510. [ad#single-post]Class: Faculty/Student Show • Students and faculty from the Stutz Art Space will be putting their talent on display, so come and see what they can really do. | When: Starting May 1 | Where: The Stutz Art Space | Cost: Free | Info: Call 503-6420. Art Walk • Its time once again for the annual Mass Ave Spring Gallery Walk. Unique galleries, quaint shops and many restaurants will be taking part in the art showing. | When: May 1 | Where: Along Mass. Ave. | Cost: Free Spring Progress: Darkness to Light • Orcenith Smith will conduct “Darkness to Light,” featuring Copland’s “An Outdoor Overture,” Deliu’s “The Walk to Paradise Garden” and Tchailkovsky’s “Symphony No. 5.” | When: May 10 at 3 p.m. | Where: Pike Performing Arts Center | Cost: $15 adults, $12 seniors, $5 students | Info: Call 216-5455. Perry Township Democrat Club • Everyone is invited to the Perry Township Democrat Club meeting to see guest speaker Joel Miller. Miller is set to speak about the census program and how it affects you. | When: April 30 at 6:30 p.m. | Where: The Communication Workers of America Local 4900 located at 1130 East Epler. | Cost: Free The Quilt Connection Guild • This months meeting will include an auction that has many great quilting items for sale. All visitors are welcome. | When: May 7 at 6:30 p.m. | Where: The Greenwood United Methodist Church at 525 North Madison Ave. | Cost: Free | Info: Call 787-4010. Balloon Festival • The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Centennial Era Balloon Festival will help to get the 2009 season started the right way. Country singer, Casey Jamerson, will be there the first night at the Coke Zero Stage in the Pagoda Plaza to entertain the crowds. | When: May 1 – 3 | Where: The Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Cost: Free | Info: Call 492-6747. 500 Festival Kick-Off to May • It’s time to start your engines ladies and gentleman, and only we Hoosiers can do it, with this much style. Live music, the 2009 Indianapolis 500 Chevrolet Corvette Pace cars, the 500 Festival Princesses will all be on hand to help kick off racing season this year. | When: May 1 starting at 11:30 a.m. | Where: Monument Circle, Downtown | Cost: Free. OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon • This is the 33rd Running of the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and is fifth running event in America, so be their to show your support. | When: May 2 | Where: White River State Park | Info: Call the event phone at 614-6464. Indy 500: Opening Day and Rookie Orientation • Lather up on the sun screen and break open the brewski, it’s racing time again. This is the first chance spectators will get to see the cars hitting the pavement this year. | When: May 6 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. is the Indianapolis 500 rookie orientation program and from 2 – 6 p.m. is practice for the Indianapolis 500. Pinned Down • Lets get ready to rumble…. The Indiana State Wresting competitions are in full swing this weekend. | When: May 2 -3 beginning at 8 a.m. | Where: The Indiana State Fairgrounds | Cost: $10 | Info: Call 780-1885. Southport Street Fair • Numerous vendors, live entertainment, wine tasting, raffle prizes, food, kids activities, and a Cruise-In at the Southport Dairy Queen and Putt Putt. | When: May 2, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Where: Southport Road between Madison and McFarland | Info: Call the Greater Southport Business Alliance at 787-1300. Booth Space Available • The 3rd Annual Spring Buy at Hornet High Community Sale is still seeking vendors. Sellers bring your garage sale items, new items, crafts or promote your business to make some extra money. Spaces are available at the low rates of $25 for one space or $40 for two. Sponsored by the Beech Grove High School PTO. | When: May 9, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. | Where: Beech Grove High School (parking lot) | Info: Call Kim Westervelt at 791-1406 or e-mail kimtim63@hotmail.com. Retirement Celebration • There will be a retirement celebration for Marsha Maines, Conne Opat and Norma Strong. | When: May 4, 2:45–4 p.m. | Where: Hornet Park Elementary School boardroom.

Maybe we were warned, but I was watching cartoons

By Mike Redmond

In speaking with other members of the Baby Boom® Generation (“Whining And Complaining Since 1946”) I hear one theme repeated over and over again: “Nobody told me it was going to be this tough.” “It,” in this case, refers to life as an adult in 21st Century America. And “tough” refers to the fact that being a so-called grown-up isn’t nearly as much fun as we all thought it was going to be, especially now that we’re on the back nine, age-wise. I admit I’ve had the same thought myself. When I was on the other side of (here’s one that’ll date you) the Generation Gap, adulthood looked like The Promised Land to me. It represented freedom — freedom from the oppressive yoke of the educational system, the stern and unblinking eye of parents, the draconian laws that said you had to be 21 before you could drink (legally). And, of course, once I got over the gap, I discovered that that adulthood was no Big Rock Candy Mountain. Instead you yoked yourself to a job, you submitted to the observation of a significant other, and you found out that drinking legally wasn’t all that different from the drinking you’d already been doing for five years. And worst, you found out that freedom is one of those concepts they’re still working on. Freedom? Sorry, kid. Instead you get a mortgage, credit card bills, a car payment, taxes ... I, for one, was not adequately prepared. At least, that’s the excuse I’m going with. The truth is, I would have been, had I been paying attention. Let’s take aches and pains. Now that I think about it, the adults of my kidhood were always talking about how much they hurt, and where — backs, heads, shoulders, stomachs being the main locations. Being a kid, I figured that was just how they communicated with each other, and turned my attention back to Quick Draw McGraw, not to give it another thought until the day I reached a certain age and suddenly, every joint in my body seemed to need lubrication. Then came the pain — back, head, shoulder and stomach. I had no right to be surprised. Annoyed, yes, but not surprised. Oh, and work. I cannot remember a single adult in that time who enjoyed work. Well, I don’t enjoy work either, which is why I don’t do it. Instead, I write. It’s indoors and there’s no heavy lifting. Of course, there’s not much money in it, but there was never enough money when the parents talked, either. By now you should be getting the picture. When we Baby Boomers® start honking about how tough it is to be us, we conveniently forget that we were warned — if not in so many words, at least by example. We ignored it, for the most part. And now that we how things are turning out, we are, to say the least, dismayed to find that we are turning into that which we vowed never to become: Our parents. It’s a tough realization, but it does have an upside. When we realize it’s no fun to be a 21st Century so-called adult, we Boomers® can do something we’ve done for problems great and small, as long as any of us can remember: Blame our folks.

Procrastination gets a bad rap

By Kevin Kane

We need to change the perception of procrastination. Quite often the act of putting things off until the last minute is criticized and categorized as laziness. Rather than finishing tasks early or just working on them for a few minutes each day, procrastinators take projects to the brink of past due, often wrapping up as the clock winds down and the deadline approaches. But if there’s no difference in quality between the work of the early starters and their postponing counterparts, what’s the problem with saying “I’ll do it later”? In the world of sports, procrastination is sometimes seen as a good characteristic, but it goes by a different name. If Cincinnati Reds first baseman Joey Votto strikes out in his first four at-bats, for example, but hits a home run in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Chicago Cubs, that’s not considered procrastination. It’s called coming through in the clutch. Likewise, if former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison had played great during this past postseason, leading Indianapolis to a few victories, his lackluster regular season would have been forgotten. Unfortunately that’s not what happened. Athletes can do nothing for most of a game or even most of a season, flip the switch when it matters most and be heralded as heroes. For some reason, procrastinators don’t receive the same appreciation. Nevertheless, these deadline pushers know that it’s not how you start that’s important. It’s how you finish. Just last week, I received a perfect score on a heavily weighted final project. My attendance was less than perfect and I don’t even own the required book. But I’ll get a good grade in the class because I dominated on the most important score. Next week I have a 15-page research paper due for another class. True to college senior form, I’ve yet to start writing it. However, my hard drive crashed two days ago, so had I worked diligently on the project throughout the semester, I would have lost everything. Procrastination isn’t as horrible as some would suggest. Provided the task gets completed on time and to satisfaction, whether the person started working immediately or hours before deadline is unimportant. If an explosives expert is called in to disarm a bomb, what he does while the clock ticks down doesn’t matter. He can first step out for a sandwich then update his Facebook status so long as the bomb’s defused before the timer hits zeroes. Say a girl’s told to clean her room before her parents get home. Does it matter if she instant messages for two hours then scrambles to pick up as they pull in the driveway? If there’s a lump of junk under the comforter and dirty clothes set to avalanche out of the closet, yes, it’s a problem. But if the room’s legitimately clean, when she transformed it from sty to spotless is of no consequence. Early starters may continue to give procrastination a bad name, but I contend that completed tasks all look the same regardless of the start time. The trash will be picked up on Friday no matter if it’s taken out Thursday night or while the truck’s next door. Readings will have the same meaning regardless if they’re completed the day they’re assigned or the hour before class, and the dog will kind of smell whether you wash him this weekend or the one after. Procrastination may not seem ideal, but it works for some people. Like a diet, though, individual results may vary. I just hope that the early starters will stop associating all procrastination with laziness and recognize this approach to work as another form of clutch performance. As for the chores and projects hanging over our heads, we procrastinators will get to them when we get to them. Until that time though, we’ll let the dishes sit, put off those final papers and let the grass grow a few more hours. We may strike out on productivity for most of the day, but when the time’s right and the stakes are raised, we’ll come through in a big way. And what we did prior to will be suddenly irrelevant.

Torry’s top ten most despised summer vacation ideas I’ve tried on my kids

By Torry Stiles

10. Riding the dryer at the laundromat. 9. Bedroom scavenger hunt. 8. Bikini Beech Grove Party! 7. Wandering the wilds of Wanamaker. 6. Speedrome infield camping. 5. Climb Mulch Mountain. 4. Kopetsky’s Car Wash and Waterpark. 3. Hiking the back trails of Homecroft. 2. Camp Backyardia! 1. Dumpster Diving.