VYPE U: Oak Ridge's Carson Cooper Wins Golf Tournament

Jan 24, 2020

I was able to attend a local high school varsity golf tournament this week where Oak Ridge's Carson Cooper placed 1st.

The tournament was played in a span of two days including a final playoff consisting of five holes. I caught up with the champion himself to gather what it felt like to win.

"My thoughts were full of relief and thankfulness to God," Cooper said. "When the ball went in, I was just happy that it was over and excited that I won."

Cooper dominated the course with a 4-under par round of 68 to tie for 1st at a total of 142, then birdied the 5th playoff hole to defeat Klein Cain's Matthew Spaulding for victory. "Matthew is a great kid and a really good player, his whole team was there following him and cheering him on, so to sink that birdie seemed like I had just beat the entire world," Cooper said with gratitude.

Cooper's preparation required encouragement from fellow teammates and patience during practice. "I knew that I would have to work hard to have a chance of winning and that's what I did," exclaimed Cooper, "Luckily I have some great teammates and parents who push me to be the best I can and that helps a lot!"

The Oak Ridge golf team consists of many great players who work really hard all year in order to perform at their best. The coach himself was grateful and proud of Carson and the whole team for how well they did.

As for myself, I'm glad I was able to experience everyone's support for Cooper when he won. I was also able to capture some of the other teammates great playing pictured below.

Lampasas' UT Baseball Commit Makes A Name For Himself In More Ways Than One

Lampasas' Ace Whitehead (left) was joined by Badger teammates at the 2020 VYPE Austin Baseball Photoshoot.

Move over Clint Eastwood, there's a new gunslinger in town. Ace Whitehead is his name and he's a multi-sport athlete at Lampasas High School. He jumped on the Central Texas scene as a freshman and sophomore, and turned up the dial so much as a junior that his public profile sits at a personal high going into his senior year.

It started with the 2019 Texas high school football season, when he recorded his best year to date with 4,982 yards and 75 touchdowns. He ultimately quarterbacked the Badgers' football team to its first UIL state semifinal appearance in 33 years.

"I think the most memorable thing was just how we came together as brothers and let everybody know what we're about here," said Whitehead. "We didn't listen to the outside noise or whatever. We just came together as a unit and gave it our all each Friday night."

But, Whitehead's on-the-field play wasn't alone in putting him on the map. He also received statewide attention for his unique name. Twitter users have described it as "QB Name of the Year" and a "quintessential Texas HS QB name", and it's been featured in media stories like the one you're reading.

"I like it," Whitehead said of his name. "I haven't ever really known any different, so it's just kind of normal to me."

"To be honest, it really surprised me when all of that kinda blew up," he said. "Around Lampasas, it's not really special or anything. It's just been my name that everyone calls me. My real name is Asher. My great grandpa's name was A.C and so my parents gave me the nickname "Ace" at birth and it just stuck."

The buzz continued in 2020 because college baseball programs were starting to show more interest in his athletic abilities and fans wanted an encore during the Texas high school baseball season. COVID-19 wouldn't let him top his fall performances because it cancelled the spring sport's campaign, but it still worked out for him. The 2021 recruit's name appeared in more headlines when his dream school, The University of Texas at Austin, offered him a baseball scholarship and he announced his commitment on June 17th.

"It's super exciting to have the opportunity to join a team that historically is one of the greats and one that had tradition like The University of Texas," said Whitehead.

"I've been a huge Longhorn fan my entire life," he continued. "I really can't think of a time that my favorite color wasn't burnt orange."

Before he relocates to the Forty Acres, Whitehead is hoping for high school sports to start and end around their normal time so he can accomplish more in his hometown.

"It's very important to my teammates and I to be able to represent our community again," he said. "I know that our senior class really wants to give it our all one last time for Lampasas."

For more sports coverage, follow Thomas (@Texan8thGen) and VYPE (@VYPEATX) on Twitter.

Looking to get more involved? Check out ShopVYPE for fresh gear that supports local schools and the VYPE U Ambassador Program. To sign up for the VYPE U Program, apply at VYPEU.com.

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VYPE DFW 2020 Volleyball Preseason Middle Blocker of the Year Poll

Volleyball season is RAPIDLY approaching! VYPE wants the fans to vote for their favorite DFW Volleyball player! This week, it's the Middle Blockers!

The VYPE DFW 2020 Volleyball Preseason Middle Blocker of the Year Poll is now live! Fans will have the chance to vote until Monday, July 20th, at 7 p.m.

Please note that the use of voting software or bots will result in a deletion of votes and a potential DQ from the contest. PLEASE try to keep this fair and fun for all involved!

All athlete polls and their content are only associated and created by VYPE Media and its staff. The content is not created or voted on by any corporate sponsor or marketing partner. Please contact VYPE Media directly if you have any questions, comments, or concerns around our Fan Polls.

<a href="https://poll.fm/10580015">VYPE DFW 2020 Volleyball Preseason Middle Blocker of the Year Poll (Poll Closes Mon 7/20 at 7pm)</a>

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Malatesta: Texas Educators, This is your ultimate test

Here's my take.

COVID-19 is here to stay. It's a way of life. It's not going away on September 1st or October 1st or next March 1st. There is not going to be a vaccine any time soon.

So, it's time to draw a line in the sand – to play or not to play. To do in-person school versus online.

Stop with this bleed-out of information. The Big 10 is not playing non-conference games; the NBA bubble; Major League Baseball playing in front of no one; school districts are going online learning and not playing sports.

Blah, blah, blah.

Make a DECISION! Have some courage. That goes for public and private schools and universities.

The Ivy League cancelled all fall sports. Bad decision, but at least they had the guts to MAKE A DECISION. The State of Louisiana has said they will not play football until they reach Phase 4 of re-opening, which is likely to not happen. Why? The state simply doesn't have the infrastructure or money to set up protocols to deal with COVID-19. This is coming from an LSU graduate, I know.

This is Texas, where high schools are woven into the fabric of the culture. The school binds communities from Houston to El Paso. And don't forget, participating in extra-curricular activities is a choice. If the risk is too great for a student and their family, don't participate. It's that simple.

So, rip off the Band-Aid and succumb to the fear of liability or get creative and get students back to school and participating in extra-curricular activities.

The reasons why sports and students should go back to school range from mental health to learning life-lessons on the field of play, in the classroom or in the band hall. I could literally give you 100 reasons why kids should go back.

Let's just take IN THE CLASSROOM.

Do educators understand the amount of cheating going on with online schooling from elementary school to college? Kids aren't learning anything. They are just finding away AROUND learning to get an A.

People, this is just the beginning. Before you know it, this online schooling is going to become the way of life. Let's just disconnect our kids some more. Great idea (sarcasm).

Ask any educator in any time period, because I have. Teens thrive with structure. They need discipline. They need positive role models like teachers and coaches. They need motivation. Are kids passionate about athletics, theater, ROTC and band or math? Extra-curricular activities are the juice that quenches the thirst for fun while at school.

Come on people, you remember.

…

So, here's why we shouldn't play…

We don't know how this virus works and affects people – young and old. We believe, over 138,000 Americans have died. With that uncertainty, there are 100 arguments against returning to universities or pre-schools.

So, our lives are paralyzed due to the fear of the unknown. To the fear of liability. No one wants a death of a student with an undiagnosed health condition or a grandparent on their hands. To the fear of getting a Virus – that by today's numbers has killed less than one-percent of those who have gotten the COVID-19 in the US.

…

So, let's circle back to the beginning. The numbers of cases are GOING to go UP. Students are GOING to get COVID-19. It's okay. We have to live with the new normal. It's not a death-sentence to 99-percent of the population.

These are tough decisions to be made – make one and don't look back.

I'm not a doctor, but my vote is to let the kids participate in school and extra-curricular activities. There will be another virus, trust me on that. Kids are looking for you to be BRAVE.

Here's the deal. Would you rather take a young person's motivation and dreams away while being mentored by some of the COUNTRY'S TOP EDUCATORS because of the fear of the potential unknown? Kids need teachers, coaches and ROLE MODELS more than ever. Like, EVER.

Ya'll are the educators. Ya'll have the doctorates. Come up with a plan and protocols, give students and parents a CHOICE and let's go, either way.

The future of this generation is depending on it. Or just let them TikTok the rest of 2020.

You think I'm joking.

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