IF THE HAT FITS: Hitting the ground running in 2023
Jan. 7—It's the first week of 2023, and it's already been jam-packed with action.
Local sports have hit the ground running this week, with basketball tournaments across the state providing three days filled to the brim with heart-stopping, high-octane games.
Next week, wrestling takes the mat in McAlester for districts with Glenpool, Durant, and Western Heights coming out to Bob Brumley Gymnasium with all battling it out for a spot at the dual state competition.
In a few weeks, the 2023 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament will get underway at host sites Crowder and Stuart. It's going to be five days packed with action as the historic southeastern Oklahoma conference crowns a pair of champions for the 109th time.
Plus, spring sports are ramping up their offseasons. With an official start date of March 1, they'll be ramping up practices, scrimmages, and doing some fine tuning as they prepare to embark on their 2023 seasons.
Plus, have I mentioned playoffs? We're going to get our fair share of postseason action in the next few months, and we've already seen from 2022 how incredibly those seasons can end.
And that's just scratching the surface of what is already shaping up to be an incredible start to the new year.
Many people like to come up with resolutions as they begin fresh at the start of January. For myself, I always want to be better, improve from who I was the year before, and continue to tell the amazing stories of our local sports and area student-athletes.
It's a fantastic time to be a fan, because there is so much going in our communities. From college athletics signings, to state champions, to all-state selections, and so much more, we're seeing an incredible age of local athletics.
I'm excited to see what this year has in store. I've been kind of keeping things low key online since returning from my holiday vacation, but rest assured, I've been hard at work behind the scenes as we're kicking off what I'm sure is going to be a thrilling 365 days.
So let's make this year the best one yet, and make many new memories that will last us a lifetime. It's said that the journey is just as important as the destination, and I'm excited to see what journeys we will all take together in 2023.
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
