State championship playoffs

JV Cheerleader

When you take thousands of photos over a period of years — which I have of many subjects since returning to Floyd County in 2004, it’s a task to go back through images to find some favorites on subjects.

But it is a pleasant task.  According to my photo filing system, I have shot more than 25,000 images of Floyd County High School tagged “cheerleaders” in the last eight years.

The kids who cheer on the sidelines at football and basketball games are a major part of each.

And they add a lot to the games.

Sometimes, particularly in a tight game, I don’t pay as much attention to the crowd or the cheerleaders as I would like.

But here are a few favorites out of so many to choose from.

Dance routine

And more

The state championships in Richmond: A regular venue for the Lady Buffs

Jessica Hollandsworth: A state champion

Female high school athletics are anything but genteel.  The young women who compete on the softball or soccer fields, the track course, the tennis or basketball courts play with a ferocity that matches — or a times exceeds — their male counterparts.

Floyd County High School’s female athletes have racked up the most championships, especially in basketball and on the golf course.

The Lady Buffs varsity basketball team has so many post-season appearances that FCHS fans book hotel reservations for the state tournament finals in Richmond at the beginning of the season.   Jessica Hollandsworth won the state championship in golf.

Winning is a tradition among the female athletes in Floyd County.  For many, their sport of choice is a full-time job.  Basketball stars play year around with summer leagues and camps.  Tennis players work with trainers.  For some, an athletic scholarship is a ticket to a college or university that might otherwise be unaffordable.

Photographing high school sports has been one of the joys of returning to Floyd County after 39 years on the road as a newspaperman and photographer. The sports offering and level of competition increased dramatically over what existed at FCHS when I left in 1965.

It has been a lot of fun.

Softball. Anything but genteel.

Football coach Winifred Beale at the 2008 State Championship game

Floyd County High School Basketball Coach Alan Cantrell: Passion, intensity and a love of the game.

They are the mentors of high school athletes who are also our children, our grandchildren, our nieces and our nephews.

They can be tough, even brutal, as they seek to mold young bodies and minds into athletic machines, ready for competition on the gridiron, the basketball court, the track or the field.

Some have brought fame to Floyd County:  Allen Cantrell, the basketball whiz who produced state champions out of both boys and girls teams; Winifred Beale, the football coach who produces winners against schools with more students, more talent to choose from and more resources; Wes Starkey, who produced a number of winning teams before he retired; and Skip Bishop, also now retired, with championship golfers.

Such coaches set high standards and produce pressure for those of other sports.  We expect our teams to be in the playoffs but we continue to support even when efforts fall short.

Each of these men or women go by the same name:  Coach.

Now retired softball coach Wes Starkey: A producer of winning teams

David Wood and future wife Joli dancing at The Friday Night Jamboree

A grab shot from The Friday Night Jamboree a few years ago turned into one of my favorite photos.

David and Jolie were dating at the time but later married. Wood served as manager of the Floyd County Store until he moved on to a new job in Roanoke recently.

Joli is an artist with a studio at the home on Poor Farm Road.

Fiddler and band leader Clyde Willams: A mainstay of the Friday Night Jamboree

For many regulars of The Friday Night Jamboree, fiddler Clyde Williams and his “Old Time Band” are the face of the weekly event.

Williams has played on the Jamboree stage for many years and his band is traditionally the closer on the last Friday of each month.

The photo above was taken in 2002 when Amy and I worked on the original documentary of the Jamboree and its history.

Michael Gucciardo

Natasha Shishkevish

They are the restauranteurs, the ones who not only feed Floyd Countians but attract regulars from far and near to our little place in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Michael Gucciardo runs the show and Mickey G’s Restaurant and Bistro, a haven for good Italian food.

Natasha Shishkevish offers up what she calls “comfort food” at Natasha’s Market Cafe — a place for food that is both unique and exotic.

Kerry and Julie Underwood are the latest owners of Oddfellas Cantina, a longtime Floyd favorite on Locust Street.

For a town of 435 residents, Floyd offers a variety of other eateries, including Mexican dishes from El Charro, pizza at Dogtown Roadhouse, basic country fare at The Blue Ridge Restaurant, lunch counter selections at The Floyd Country Store, drive-in cuisine at DJ’s and family style cooking at The Pine Tavern.

Venture out of town and you can find good eating at Tuggles Gap, buffet and subs at Rays and country cooking at Jims in Willis.  On the franchise front, there’s pizza and subs at Pizza Inn, more subs at Subway and offerings from Hardees.  The grill at Express Mart also offers up breakfast, lunch and quick snacks to regulars.

And, on selected evenings, you can find roadside barbeque on South Locust Street.

Kerry & Julie Underwood

Martha Spencer of White Top Mountain Band: A favorite of Floyd music fans

Our favorite shot of Martha Spencer: Shot at FloydFest in 2006.

It’s no secret that Martha Spencer of White Top Mountain Band is one of my favorite photographic ubjects.

The talented musician/singer/entertainer is the sparkplug of the Family Band out of the Grayson highlands.

The photo at right was a rare quiet moment on stage for Martha.  It was a grab shot during FloydFest six years ago but remains my favorite.

The shot at the top of this article is actually a screen grab of a video shot taken during one of the band’s frequent appearances at The Floyd Country Store.  They are also a regular summer attraction at Oak Grove Pavilion at Zion Lutheran Church.

Martha and the White Top Mountain Band are not residents of Floyd County but they are here enough that they truly are among the faces of Floyd.

A capacity crowd of both locals and visitors who shelled out five bucks each for a night of music, cornpone comedy and storytelling showed up Saturday night for the first broadcast of the Floyd Radio Show at the Country Store.

The show, which airs the first Saturday Night of each month was broadcast live over the Internet via a link on the store’s web site.

It was an enjoyable evening of music, comedy and skits that both honored and poked fun at rural life and the area.

The crowd loved the jokes, enjoyed the music and stuck around for a jam session from the musicians afterwards.

From the success of Saturday’s performance, it looks like the folks at the Floyd Country Store have a winner on their hands. It’s an ingenious idea that takes advantage of Internet technology to reach a worldwide audience.

The store’s Internet radio station will also feature music on non-show days.  On Saturday, local musician Abe Gorsky played on stage as part of the Americana Music series and his performance became the first live broadcast from the store.

I shot a considerable amount of video, which will take time to edit but will post some excerpts here as soon as I can.

It was a fun evening.

The next show will be on Saturday, Oct. 1.

See you there.

With more and more Springlike weather (while not forgetting the cold weather in the weekend’s forecast), the streets of Floyd are packed with music and listeners on Friday nights.

The traditional “First Friday” observations at The Jacksonville Center, Winter Sun and Station on South Locust added to the crowd this past Friday night as the streets teemed and the music played.

The Spring music system is in full swing.

Serena Wimmer and Donald Jacobs tied the knot at the Jamboree in Floyd Friday night. The met at the Jamboree, danced many a night away and fell in love amid the clogging, flatfooting and bluegrass music.

So the music stopped briefly Friday night and the dance floor and stage became a wedding chapel for the brief ceremony. The bridesmaids led the procession to the stage amid a packed house at the Country Store

After the ceremony and a brief speech from the groom, the newlyweds danced and later received friends and well-wishers in one room of the Country Store while the music continued.

Among those who witnessed the wedding were visitors from Japan and Romania.

Just business as usual on another unique Friday night in Floyd.