Alabama gymnastics coach Patterson steps down after 36 years
Associated Press (via Gadsden Times) – July 15
Alabama gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson is stepping down after leading the Crimson Tide to six national titles in 36 seasons. Patterson announced her decision on Tuesday, saying she double-knee replacement surgery and about a year to resume normal activities. Patterson has been battling degenerative problems in her knees for several years. She will remain as a special assistant to the athletic director and serve on the NCAA gymnastics committee starting in September. Alabama selected assistant Dana Duckworth as Patterson’s replacement, pending formal approval by the board of trustees. Duckworth won two individual NCAA championships at Alabama in the early 1990s.
Tuscaloosa News (gallery) – July 15
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – July 15
CBS 5 (Mobile) – July 15
WTVC-ABC (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – July 15
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – July 15
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 15
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – July 15
WDHN-ABC (Dothan) – July 15
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – July 15
WALA-Fox (Mobile) – July 15
WHNT-CBS (Huntsville) – July 15
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 15
To see all of the video clips: http://67.214.100.182//PublicNewsroom.aspx?PortalId=33D07503-BE47-42B6-9AD0-306656F7CE73&FolderId=52576D84-EB6E-447E-9022-2BD4836F2A99
Former Univ. of Alabama gymnast says Patterson coached with class
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 15
As a former member of the University of Alabama Women’s Gymnastics team, Sheryl Thienpont says she often got emails from her former coach, Sarah Patterson. She was skimming the one she received Thursday morning when she learned the news that after 36 years as coach, Patterson was stepping down. “My mouth fell open and I was like, ‘What in the world?’ It was a big shock,” Thienpont said. “I knew there was eventually going to be the day when it was going to happen. I just didn’t expect it to happen this soon.” Thienpont competed from 1990 to 1994 on the beam and floor. She was also named an All American and was a part of the 1991 championship team. She remembers Patterson having two distinct coaching styles. “She always looked after us, kind of like a momma duck with her baby ducks, making sure the ducks stay in line, but also having their best interests in mind,” Thienpont recalled. But when it came time to compete, Patterson was all about business. “And that’s kind of the admirable thing because she could do both so well. She could create this family environment but at the time, achieve incredible results,” Thienpont said.
Crimson White – July 15
Open letter from Sarah Patterson to Alabama fans after stepping down
Al.com – July 15
After announcing her surprising resignation as Alabama’s gymnastics coach, Sarah Patterson wrote an open letter to the Alabama faithful. Here is the unedited letter: After much thought and prayer and after much consultation with Athletics Director Bill Battle and our President, Dr. Judy Bonner, I have decided to step down from the only job I have ever known since graduating from college. Though I haven’t shared my physical problems outside my family and a few close friends, they have degenerated to a point where I will have multiple surgeries over the coming year. While, not life threatening, things have progressed to the point where my physicians have mandated that I have both knees replaced and they have estimated that it will be over a year until I am fully recovered. I will have the first surgery after we receive our 2014 SEC championship rings at the Southern Miss football game and celebrate an amazing season with that team. I will have the second surgery in the spring after recovery from the first surgery. I would like to thank Coach Battle and President Bonner for offering me the opportunity to take a complete year of medical leave and to then return to coaching. But David and I came to the conclusion that having a staff that changes multiple times in a significant way over a two-year span is not in the best interest our gymnasts or the continued success of our program. Coaching is a 24/7 job that requires being at our best on a daily basis. I know myself well and I need to put my health first and foremost for the quality of my life in the future and I do not feel that I can do that and give my best as a coach.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 15
Reaction to coach Sarah Patterson stepping down
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – July 15
The last coach hired by Bear Bryant at the University of Alabama is stepping down. After 36 years, legendary gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson is leaving the only job she has ever had since graduating college. This decision is based on coach Patterson’s health. In a statement released by the university earlier today, Patterson wrote that she will need surgery to replace both knees and that it will take at least a year for her to fully recover. Those who know her call Sarah Patterson a shining example of impeccable coaching and character.Erin Kightlinger knows coach Patterson well. The former University of Alabama gymnast was on the 2002 national championship team. “We watched the college team win national championships, win SEC championships. We grew up watching it, loving it, it was our passion.” Kightlinger will never forget the impact Patterson had on her life. “She was fantastic, she was a great role model. She taught us a lot about character and how to build character. With us, with our families we use a lot of the same lessons we learned as gymnasts.” Kightlinger coaches youth gymnastics in Tuscaloosa, using lessons learned from Sarah Patterson. News that her coach was stepping down hit hard. “It is very sad. We knew this day was going to come at some point. You just aren’t really prepared for it.”
News Briefs: July 16, 2014
Crimson White – June 16
Robin Rogers, Robert Ramsay Chair of Chemistry, was one of over 3,000 researchers named in the Highly Cited Researchers 2014 list released by Thomson Reuters. The list recognizes those who write the most number of reports designated as Highly Cited Papers by Essential Science Indicators and recognizes Rogers as being in the worldwide top 1 percent of most cited researchers in his field. Science Day Camp starts Monday – The Alabama Museum Natural History’s summer science camp for 5th – 8th grade students will take place from July 21 to July 25. Students will learn about topics including fossils, reptiles, ecology and water quality. The camp lasts from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and provides equipment. Lunch is not included. The camp is $125 for the week. For more information, call 205-348-7550 or email museum.programs@bama.ua.edu.
REAL expands to Selma
Crimson White – July 8, 2014
Culverhouse College of Commerce and the Center for Community-based Partnerships are exploring their REAL Alabama program to Selma, Alabama. The REAL Entrepreneurship through Active Learning program instructs teenagers on how to become business savvy. “The Culverhouse REAL program offers students ‘real’ life business and entrepreneurial skills that can and will lead to successful transitions in becoming college and career ready,” said William Powell, a Chamber of Commerce board members, business owner, school guidance counselor and volunteer. The REAL Alabama program has left the Tuscaloosa campus before with different entrepreneurial initiatives around the state, but this is the first time they have set up camp-style weekly meetings for four consecutive weeks.
Plank Center names mentoring awardees
Crimson White – July 8
Each year, a national board of 24 people develop a list of possible nominations and candidates for the Plank Center’s Milestones in Mentoring Award. This year, the 5th annual award, recognizing six outstanding professionals from around the country, was given to corporate and education professionals alike. “Research has shown that mentors are incredibly important to professional development and advancement and to the development of leaders and leadership,” Bruce Berger, founding director of the Plank Center, said. “The awards are a way of recognizing that importance and celebrating on a
national stage.” Berger said past winners and professional associations are involved in the nomination and selection process. Honorees for the award are selected for one of the six categories: Legacy, Agency, Young Professional, Educator, Corporate and Executive. “The recipients this year are an incredible group of individuals who have contributed a great deal to our profession,” Berger said. “They have touched the lives and careers of literally hundreds of people in rich and
meaningful ways.” The Milestone in Mentoring Awards are presented each fall at a dinner held in Chicago, and the six honorees this year included Patrick Ford (Legacy), of PR firm Burson-Marsteller; Aylwin Lewis (Executive), CEO of Potbelly Sandwich Works; Wendi Strong (Corporate), executive vice president of enterprise affairs at the United States Automobile Association; and Andy Polansky (Agency), CEO of PR agency Weber Shandwick
100 Lenses photographs focus on Black Belt area
Crimson White – July 8
Perspective is said to have the ability to change one’s outlook, and a new digital display featuring the Black Belt will feature the perspective of high school students in the region. Black Belt 100 Lenses, launched last week, displays over 4,000 photographs. “Originally, the project on which the archive is based was developed on the University of Alabama campus by Dr. Elliot Knight, who was then an undergraduate student,” Heather Pleasants, director of community education at the Center for Community-Based Partnerships, said. From 2007 to 2012, the Black Belt 100 Lenses project selected students from the 12 counties that make up the Black Belt. The students then created photographs representing the cultural livelihood of their communities and which were later shown in exhibitions. Now, the thousands of photographs that were collected during this five-year period are available for the world to see online. “I think what the archive shows is that, even with just a little bit of training and education, the students really have the power to create amazing images that have a life beyond the exhibitions that took place during the project,” Pleasants said. “When we involve youth in representing where they’re form, what can that look like?” The University of Alabama’s Division of Community Affairs, the Alabama Digital Humanities Center and the Black Belt Community Foundation worked in collaboration to publish the archive.
Natural history museum takes education outdoors
Crimson White – July 8
From canoeing and inner tubing down some of northern Alabama’s creeks and rivers to a hands-on fossil hunting excursion, the Alabama Museum of Natural History’s summer programs provide opportunities to get involved, learn and explore the outdoors. Throughout July and early August, the museum will offer adventurers the chance to explore some of the state’s diverse landscape. “We take them to some of the most interesting and scenic places in our state, some of which are sometimes only accessible through our program,” AMNH Director Randy Mecredy said. The summer trips, part of the museum’s field science programs, are all led by experienced naturalist guides with equipment and transportation provided. Mecredy, who has personally led most of them over the past 13 years, said the trips have a lot to offer. “Through guided experiences, participants are able to discover the enjoyment of visiting some of the hidden wonders of Alabama’s rich natural and cultural heritage,” Mecredy said. “At the same time, our programs inspire scientific curiosity, instill environmental awareness and are a natural pathway to the discovery of Alabama’s unique diversity.”
Workshop on small business grants to be held Tuesday
Crimson White – July 14
A full-day workshop on submitting proposals for Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants will begin at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 15. The workshop, held by the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and the UA Office of Technology Transfer, will be in Rast Room A of the Bryant Conference Center. Jennifer Braxton, senior project director at Alabama Launchpad, said the workshops go hand-in-hand with Alabama Launchpad, which helps small business owners access some of the $40 million in federal grants that Alabama receives. “We like to partner with [the University] because some of the [grant] applicants are coming from the University,” she said.
Clutch Prep targets UA in tutoring expansion
Crimson White – July 8
When a group of Florida International University students decided to take their successful tutoring business to the next level, they had to figure out how to preserve their key to success: relevance. “We had these group tutoring sessions that were professor-specific. We were giving students supplemental reviews based on what the professor was covering in class,” Clutch Prep CEO Marcio Souza said. “The key thing that worked well in Miami was that it was highly relevant. We had to maintain that high level of
relevancy for students.” Clutch Prep, a video-based tutoring system, now offers textbook-specific material for five classes at The University of Alabama, one of fifteen schools selected for their first wave of expansion. “We started seeing that some schools were having more students [using Clutch Prep] than others. That’s the criteria we started using to pick our first wave of schools,” Souza said. “[The University] was one of them.” Souza, who is also Clutch Prep’s physics tutor, said their model is based on providing content, examples and practice problems.