6 Friday, April 13, 2018
The Bells
Sports
Coach ‘Fred’ inducted into Texas Sports Hall of Fame By Lauren Lum Editor-In-Chief Football Head Coach Pete ‘Fred’ Fredenburg was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame Saturday, April 7 in Waco, Texas. The University of Mary HardinBaylor head coach was inducted along with eight other well-known Texas athletes and coaches in the class of 2018. Coach Fredenburg was inducted along with former Texas A&M running back Johnny Bailey (deceased), former University of Texas basketball and volleyball player Nell Fortner, Texas A&M quarterback and Super Bowl winning Head Coach Gary Kubiak, Duncanville girls basketball coach Cathy Self-Morgan, former Texas Tech basketball coach and athletic director Gerald Myers, Olympic medalist and former University of Texas swimmer Jill Sterkel, Texas Ranger Michael Young, and University of Texas National Champion quarterback Vince Young. Coach Fredenburg started UMHB’s football program from the ground up 20 years ago in 1998. Since this time, Fredenburg has led the Cru to an overall record of 210-39, 15 American Southwest Conference titles and the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship. Under Fredenburg’s leadership the Cru has played in the Alonzo Stagg Bowl for the national championship three times. He is a winner of the Liberty Mutual Division III Coach of the Year (2014) award and the American Football Coaches Association Division III National Coach of the Year (2016) award. In the press conference, Fredenburg stated that when he came to UMHB, the football program didn’t have any equipPhotos by Madeline Oden ment, coaches, or even a field. Top: Coach Pete Fredenburg at his induction to the Texas Sports Hall of Fame “I made a plan to try to get within a Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 7 in Waco, Texas. Bottom: Coach Fred 75-mile radius of Belton to tell our story,” with former players Shaun Rochon, left, and Jerrell Freeman, right. Rochon Coach Fred said. “We felt like that 100 and Freeman last played at UMHB in 2002 and 2008, respectively. guys would be a break even for the pro-
gram. We had 217 guys show up that first year.” Jerrell Freeman, former Chicago Bear linebacker and UMHB alumnus played underneath Coach Fredenburg’s leadership from 2004-08. Freeman attended of the induction ceremony for the famers. “It’s been a long time coming,” Freeman said. “He’s an old school coach, so you know exactly what you’re getting from him. He’s built a really great program. He’s tough, but he knows what it takes to win.” Fredenburg also has ties with two of the other inductees, Nell Fortner and Gerald Myers. Fredenburg’s wife, Karen, used to coach Fortner and would sometimes have her husband come to basketball practice to guard Fortner. Also, Fredenburg briefly attended Monterrey High School in Lubbock, where Myers coached. Myers approached Fredenburg about playing basketball for the team. “He was a good athlete, and I was looking forward to coaching. But then his family moved. If he had stayed in Monterrey, he might have gotten a basketball scholarship [for college],” Myers said. During Fredenburg’s acceptance speech, he discussed living in the “sweet spot,” according to author Max Lucado. This was defined by Lucado as honoring God, helping others and loving what you do. “This is just such an honor for me and for everyone who has helped me get here by being what I have been able to accomplish and helping me find that ‘sweet spot,” Fredenburg said. He remains humble when asked about being in the same class as other talented athletics and coaches. “It’s amazing that we’ve come so far and done so well at Mary Hardin-Baylor to get that type of notoriety,” Fredenburg said.
Hometown Huddle
Cru Football players help inspire youth to be active By Geralyn Wissink Sports Editor
Crusader Stadium hosted the United Way of Central Texas’ event “Hometown Huddle” on Saturday, March 24. This event, which was free for both boys and girls ages 7-12 in the community, aimed to promote healthy lifestyles through different exercise stations and included two notable guest speakers. “The purpose of Hometown Huddle was to teach children the benefits of eating healthy, exercising daily and making smart food choices, Graduate Assistant Baylor Mullins, who was involved in the event, said. “Children participated in multiple non-contact football stations guided by Titan Total Training Chief Executive Officer and UMHB alumnus Ike Shaw and NFL Free Agent Linebacker and UMHB alumnus Jerrell Freeman, along with current UMHB football players.” Cru football players had the unique opportunity to serve the community and inspire children to pursue their dreams in a more personal setting.
“As a UMHB football Graduate Assistant, I assisted in getting current UMHB football players there to help work with Ike Shaw and Jerrell Freeman in the different exercise stations,” Mullins said. This event, which takes place annually, is a fun and interactive way for kids in the Belton/Temple community to be educated on the importance of daily exercise. “I think it is beneficial for the kids that were involved because so many of them look up to older football players,” Mullins said. “Seeing older college and a professional football player there to help teach and guide them through different stations is very beneficial to the young kids in seeing how they can be successful in living a healthy lifestyle.” Mullins said his favorite part was seeing the many different ages of kids come out and just have fun while also learning about how to eat healthy and learn different exercises. “It is great also to see current UMHB players and former Cru player Jerrell Freeman come back and give to the community,” he said.
Photo courtesy of United Way of Central Texas Former Cru football player and current NFL Free Agent Linebacker Jerrell Freeman and current Cru football players teach the importance of living an active lifestyle.
Boxercising for fitness fun By Rachel Brooks Contributing Writer
Although boxercise was originally founded in the UK, this popular workout method can now be found most anywhere, including Temple’s Wilson Park Recreation Center. There, Lisandra Hernandez has molded her hybrid class to be a “unique blend of cardio, kickboxing, punching and body weight workout,” according to the City of Temple website. Hernandez, a five-year kickboxing veteran, said she began this class when she was training a woman who suggested starting a boxing program at the rec center. “I said, ‘yeah, why not!’ I already knew people who were interested and so they followed me here,” Hernandez said. The classes usually begin with some form of cardio, like running and jumping rope. Next, Hernandez leads her class in an intense ab and squat workout. Then the boxing begins, when Hernandez will partner up her students, one with gloves and one with mitts, and she will have students weave around cones while throwing a punch combination that is sure to make any bystander cower. Once the cardio and boxing are completed, the class ends with another run. Hernandez says that although she likes to stick to a schedule, every class is different. She enjoys bringing new exciting ideas for her students to try. One of the main reasons why she started
her boxercising class was to see “how people feel afterwards,” Hernandez said. “Women feel more confident after learning these techniques and everyone gets that euphoric glow on their faces.” One of her students, Loney Johnson, continues to come back because of the self-assurance she feels. And she is determined to keep the wardrobe she has. “I’m determined not to buy new clothes because I can finally fit in my old ones,” Johnson said. Although this class is mainly taken by women, there are a few men who are regulars, one of which is, Samuel Rodriguez, who has been participating in Lisandra’s boxercising class for about three months now. “I hate doing the bike machine and running on treadmills for cardio,” Rodriquez said. “But here we run, jump and box. Time goes by faster here.” Not having worked out for years beforehand made it difficult for Rodriquez to keep up. However, after attending for three months, he has begun to see drastic changes. “I weighed 210 pounds when I first started and now I weigh 189 pounds,” Rodriguez said. Even if the hip, upbeat music playing isn’t enough to keep students going, Hernandez cheers them on from start to finish, leaving them with nothing but a feeling of accomplishment.