Offenburger.com

Along Our Way

The third annual membership banquet of the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association was a huge success Saturday night, February 20, at the Panorama National Conference Center. About 200 people attended. Auctions and a few cash donations helped raise $10,604 to help market and promote the RRVT, the paved rec trail in west central Iowa that's in the midst of an expansion, 56 to 89 miles.
[TO READ THE STORY, AND TO SEE THESE AND OTHER PHOTOS IN LARGER FORMAT, CLICK HERE]

A conversation

COPING WITH CANCER

with the Offenburgers

Chuck Offenburger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins, follilcular lymphoma cancer on July 10, 2009, and is undergoing treatment. We post updates weekly here, including brief insights from Chuck, Carla and at least one of you readers.

''The Lord will overshadow you, and you will find refuge under his wings.''

FOR THE LATEST UPDATE, CLICK HERE.

Chuck Offenburger's
new book on sports
legend Gary Thompson
gets excellent reviews

FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE & HOW TO BUY THE BOOK, CLICK HERE!

''GARY THOMPSON: All-American'' is the new, 352-page biography of one of the state’s genuine sports icons. From 1950-’53 Gary Thompson led the Roland Rockets to high school sports glory in basketball and baseball, giant-killers from one of Iowa’s small schools. Then he led the Cyclones at Iowa State from 1953-’57, becoming the college’s first two-sport All-American. He’s had major success in broadcasting and business, from his home base in Ames. And he and his wife Janet have a family as solid as they come. “I’m the luckiest guy around,” Thompson says.

TO READ CHUCK OFFENBURGER'S COLUMN ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE ''BOOK LAUNCHING'' HELD EARLY IN DECEMBER, CLICK HERE.

TO READ DES MOINES REGISTER SPORTSWRITER RICK BROWN'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.

TO READ CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE SPORTS COLUMNIST JIM ECKER'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.

TO READ AMES DAILY TRIBUNE SPORTSWRITER DICK KELLY'S STORY ABOUT THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.

TO READ DOUG BURNS' STORY ABOUT THE BOOK IN THE CARROLL DAILY TIMES HERALD, CLICK HERE.

TO READ ANDY GOODELL'S STORY ABOUT THE BOOK IN THE OSKALOOSA HERALD, CLICK HERE.

WANT TO SEE AND HEAR THE OLD ROLAND HIGH SCHOOL FIGHT SONG PERFORMED? CLICK HERE!

FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE & HOW TO BUY THE BOOK, CLICK HERE!

FOR PHOTOS FROM OUR BOOK LAUNCHING EVENTS, CLICK HERE!

SEE BOB MODERSOHN'S PHOTOS OF OUR BOOK CHAT AND SIGNING AT BEAVERDALE BOOKS IN DES MOINES!

Our Partners & Patrons
Iowa Hall of Pride
netINS, Inc.
Butler House on Grand B&B
Sam's Barber Shop
Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney
KMA Radio's ''Chuck & Don Show''
Barack Obama story & coloring book
The Monks of New Melleray Abbey

What’s the deal with the
black & white saddle shoes?

Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa.

Here's looking at life
at Simple Serenity Farm

After the toughest, snowiest winter that either of us can remember, we have now reached the point in early February where snow is stacked everywhere. Piles are six or seven feet high. The dogs can drop full-body into snowdrifts if they're not moving fast enough. Some drifts are five or six feet tall, and 30 or 40 feet long. Whew!
Click here for larger format

Earlier photos in this series

Head Coach Michelle Brock & her Paton-Churdan boys
are turning lots of heads in Iowa high school basketball

Officials of the Iowa High School Athletic Association say they believe Michelle Brock, 23-year-old head coach of the Paton-Churdan Rockets in west central Iowa, is the only woman coaching a high school boys basketball team this season -- and one of the few women ever to coach a boys' varsity team. The photos below show Coach Brock and her boys in action.

Coach Michelle Brock, who heads the boys' basketball program at Paton-Churdan High School in west central Iowa, is a native of Marengo in east central Iowa, and was a three-sport athlete and avid musician at Iowa Valley High School there. She graduated in music from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa, and is director of vocal and instrumental music at Paton-Churdan in addition to being the boys' basketball coach.

Brock is show here in the pre-game huddle with Iowa Christian Academy Head Coach Greg Gosselink, the captains of both teams and the referees as they go over rules and hear a sportsmanship reminder.

Her House. Coach Brock (right) stands at mid-court with volunteer statistician Melinda Tilley, who is also president of the Paton-Churdan Music Boosters, as the Rockets warm-up behind them. Brock is looking to the other end of the floor, watching as the opponents, the Iowa Christian Academy Blazers, were warming up, too.

Coach Brock is the last in line to wish her starters well as they are introduced in the pre-game ceremonies.

Early in the game, Coach Brock summons Drew Campbell to the sidelines for a quick tip while a free throw is being shot on the other end of the floor.

Coach Brock takes charge in the team huddles during time outs, as this photo and the next two demonstrate.

What basketball advice is she known for? "My kids hate it, but I say 'Be intelligent' a lot," she said. "That, and I hear myself saying 'Box out!' about every other sentence."

The Paton-Churdan boys, under Coach Brock, have learned to play with a new intensity this season.

The Rockets launcher, on the bench.

Post-games always include a quick review of the statistics, in the scorebook kept during the games by Coach Brock's longtime boyfriend Phil Grant. They went to Iowa Valley High School and Buena Vista University together, and he works now in information technology at the headquarters of Casey's General Stores in Ankeny. However, "I get volunteered for a lot of things here at Paton-Churdan," Grant said. "I'm always glad to help her."