SPORTS COLUMNIST PETER JAKEY: Two college volleyball teams to scrimmage in RC

For the last year or two I’ve wanted to get to Ferris State University to see former Rogers City volleyball player Karla Fairbanks play on the college level and write a feature story or a column about her experiences. Instead of driving five hours to Big Rapids to see her in action, all I’ll have to do is walk for five minutes to the RCHS gym tomorrow. In a truly unique opportunity, the Rogers City area has been hosting the Ferris State volleyball team, who is on their annual pre-season retreat. The team is staying at an undisclosed location in the area, and if I told you where the players are, they would tie me up and spike balls in my face.

The athletes were to go salmon fishing, possibly visit a few sites in the county, and just enjoy themselves away from the many distractions of a larger city as they bond as a team. Fairbanks, who is entering her senior year, and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs, have been practicing in the RCHS gym, preparing for a season-opening tournament at home next week. To tune up, FSU will scrimmage Northern Michigan University of Marquette, who was ranked number one in the conference in 2003, in Rogers City. The scrimmage will be from 6-9 p.m. Friday, and the public is invited to watch it all. It’ll be intense high-caliber volleyball competition right here in River City.

It’s one of those, not-to-miss experiences, that just doesn’t come along in Rogers City everyday, and because Fairbanks is a senior, this might be the last chance for something like this. I’m still thinking of making that trip to Big Rapids, but I’m not intending to miss this rare sports experience.

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Former RCHS standout Greg Pietsch still plays softball with the same intensity that made him successful in football, wrestling and baseball for the Hurons. Pietsch, while playing for Greka’s Saturday, needed three stitches after running down a fly ball in Posen and meeting up with the fence face first. After Greka’s lost, Pietsch went to Alpena General Hospital to get looked at by a doctor.

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A woman at Sports Park in Rogers City almost took a tumble off the roof of a vehicle out beyond right center field. The fan was watching the action when a home run ball went her way. I don’t know if she was going to try to catch the ball or what, but the ball went a foot or two directly behind her. She may have thought she had a chance to catch it, but rocked back and almost flipped off the vehicle. It wouldn’t have been funny if she had hurt herself, but it was worth a chuckle. That’s the only crazy thing, that occurred beyond the fence, I’ve been allowed to report. Everybody seemed to behave themselves, but if I did see something silly, I looked the other way.

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