Perhaps my all time favorite line from Dr. Seuss's beloved holiday classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is this: “How could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.” This news sets the Grinch puzzling and puzzling until, well, his poor puzzler was sore. It certainly is something to think about, especially given our consumer-driven materialistic appr...

HARWICH ─ In the nearly 50 years since Cheryl Poore began coaching field hockey in Harwich, she has become something of a legend in the sport. That era came to an end this week when Poore officially resigned from her head coaching post at Monomoy Regional High School. “When I first started coaching it was a very different time,” Poore said regarding her reason for stepping down. “Today, the roles of teachers...

HARWICH ─ While other teams were still practicing, the Monomoy girls varsity squad hosted Cape Tech in one of the earliest games of the 2016-2017 season, playing to a 39-11 victory in the Shark Tank Dec. 8. Though pleased with his team's win, Monomoy head coach Pete Richer acknowledged that his players were still shaking off some rust. “It was a very early season game, so we haven't had a lot of time to p...

HARWICH ─ When a softball soared over the fence at Mashpee High last year unbeknownst to the field umpire who thought it bounced first, Monomoy players Hannah Potter and Karley Marchese knew they had to say something. Little did they know that their honesty would result in the program's winning the MIAA Sportsmanship Moment of the Year for 2016. Available members of the team were feted at Gillette Stadium du...

HARWICH ─ When part-time Harwich resident Denise McClung won a pickleball tournament this fall, it wasn't the win that made the event such fun. It was the women from the local pickleball group that elevated the day from special to sublime. “It's the people,” said McClung, who divides her time between Harwich and West Virginia. “I love sports and I love to be competitive, but the bigger drive for me is the pe...

HARWICH ─ There are a lot of amazing memories wrapped up in Paul “Spanky” Demanche's 19 years as head coach of Barnstable Football. Super Bowl championships, snow on Thanksgiving, and scores of amazing athletes. On Nov. 26, Demanche added one more memory when he was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame as their winningest coach of all time. Demanche said he learned of the induction early this fal...

HARWICH ─ Several years ago, Keith Arnold was preparing to spend winters in Florida with his wife. Fortunately, at least for the Monomoy Regional High School boys basketball program, Arnold's plans changed and instead of flying south, he'll be sticking around Cape Cod as he leads the varsity boys team, ideally to victory. Arnold originally began coaching in 1973 in Provincetown, carrying on a love of basketb...

HARWICH ─ The Monomoy football team had much to celebrate on Thanksgiving Day after soundly defeating off-Cape rival Sacred Heart 17-7 in the annual holiday game, largely due to an offensive line that came together in a big way on a big day. The win brought Monomoy's overall record to 5-5, a thrilling accomplishment for each member of the team, particularly the OL. “A huge credit to the offensive line,” s...

EASTHAM ─ Nauset might be the Cape's outermost high school, but as the boys soccer team's amazing 2016 season unfolded, the excitement spilled across the peninsula, including, thanks to a quartet of local players, into Chatham. For senior Ben Mulholland, junior Vance Bates, and sophomores Avery Santoro and Colin Terrio, it was a season unlike any other. Not only did the Warriors battle through their regular ...

CHATHAM ─ In the early hours of Thanksgiving morning it seemed that every turkey in Chatham was left at home to baste itself as thousands of runners, walkers, and supportive spectators made their way downtown for the 2016 Turkey Trot. The event originally began in 2005, conceived by Mary Parsons and Linda Redding and inspired by the We Gather Together run-walk held in Sandwich each Thanksgiving. The Chatham ...

CHATHAM ─ Organizers of the new Chatham in the Fall road race wanted to offer runners the opportunity to race in cooler weather than that of the Chatham Harbor Run. With temps barely reaching 50 for the inaugural event on Sunday, they got their wish, and so did the happy folks who took part in the event. The new 10K road race follows the same course as the Harbor Run, which happens in late June each year. Bu...

Happy Thanksgiving. Yep. It's today, which means that “the holidays” have officially begun. In that spirit, I'm going to deviate a bit from the norm and focus on what the day is all about: giving thanks. For many, Thanksgiving Day may be one of happy chaos, shuttling between football games and food with family and friends. Some might be traveling, lost in the rush and hurry of bus stations, airport terminals, ...