Metro Sports Report

MSR seeks title sponsors for events

The Metro Sports Report changed roles last November when we held our own basketball event at Kirkwood Community College.

Instead of merely covering an event, we were responsible for organizing an event and making sure it ran smoothly.

From all accounts, it was a smashing success. All eight Metro boys basketball teams said they enjoyed the experience and we received lots of favorable feedback from the fans who attended the Metro Sports Report Classic at Johnson Hall.

Now we'd like to do it again next season. Twice, in fact. But we need your help.

We are currently looking for companies and businesses that would like to serve as our title sponsors. And instead of just holding an event for the Metro boys basketball teams, we'd like to hold a separate event for the Metro girls teams as well.

Both Classics would be held in November, but quite frankly we'll need some financial help to pull it off.

Rodgers nets success with Coe tennis

After spending 25 years coaching tennis at Coe and rolling up more than 700 victories, Eric Rodgers can offer his players valuable advice for all aspects of their life.

He’s learned a lot over the past 25 years and said that while much has changed during his time at Coe, one thing stands out.

“Me. My hair. It used to be shoulder length and now it’s non-existent,” he said.

USHL is fun, exciting — and puzzling

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders put on a terrific show at the Ice Arena on a regular basis. It's fun and exciting, a full 2 1/2 hours of sheer enjoyment, but some of the rules in the United States Hockey League are hard to fathom.

Is it really a good idea to trade a 17-year-old kid from one USHL team to another in the middle of the season? That's what happened when Cedar Rapids dealt Jerad Rosburg to Sioux City in December.

Is it really a good idea to ask a team to play three games in three days, including two on the road? Or to play in Sioux Falls on a Friday night, return to Cedar Rapids at 4 a.m. and play again Saturday night?

The RoughRiders faced those scheduling demands this year, as did other teams in comparable situations.

The USHL plays an incredibly long season, starting with training camp in August and a 60-game regular season that stretches from September to April, followed by the playoffs. That's a lot of wear and tear on those young bodies.

No.12 Kohawks top 2 ranked teams

ST. LOUIS - The 12th-ranked Coe softball team defeated two ranked teams at the Washington University Tournament on a chilly day in St. Louis Sunday.

The Kohawks scored in the top of the seventh inning to snap a 3-3 tie and trim No. 19 Washington University, 4-3, in their first game.

The Kohawks had more late-game magic in their second contest, scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 2-2 deadline and beat No. 17 Augustana (Ill.), 3-2, in extra innings.