TC entries up for Cornhusker State Games

Last year at the 2010 Cornhusker State Games, 38 area athletes headed to Lincoln to represent Thayer County. Of those, six brought home medals. The Games were held June 19-27, nearly a month ahead of schedule due to the 2010 USA National Games for Special Olympics event which took place in July. Contestants competed in archery, basketball, bowling, cycling, footstock, shooting, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and the triathlon.

This year, with the opening ceremonies slated for Friday, July 15, 45 athletes will represent this county in the 27th Cornhusker State Games.  The Torch Run, which is sponsored by the Nebraska National Guard and the Nebraska Air National Guard, and serves as the Games’ largest promotion during the month of June. Chester resident John Gillett was one of over 1,000 runners to move the torch along its course from the Wyoming border to Lincoln.

Thayer County contestants will compete in 15 sporting events including the adventure race, archery, armwrestling, basketball, bowling, cycling, footstock, Haymarket Dog Chase, racquetball, table tennis, tennis, torch run, track and field, trapshooting and  the triathlon. Represented communities include Belvidere (1), Bruning (2), Byron (2), Carleton (3), Chester (6), Davenport (5), Deshler (15), and Hebron (11).

Last year the only individual to bring home gold medals was track and field standout Cheryl Uhrmacher of Byron. Uhrmacher continues to set the standard in senior women’s track and field posting unbeatable scores in her four events and defending her titles from previous years. Uhrmacher won the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes with times of 18.28, 36.93 and 1:38.16 respectively. She then nabbed her fourth gold in the high jump with a leap of 3’6”. The Byron athlete is again registered to compete in the Masters Women 55-59 years division this year.

The Cornhusker State Games, which runs July 16-27 with opening ceremonies slated for the evening of July 15, is on pace to top 12,000 athletes.

According to the Cornhusker State Games website, entries have been received from 81 of Nebraska’s 93 counties thus far. Volleyball currently has the most entrants followed closely by soccer and basketball.

Organizers are happy with the entry numbers thus far in the new sports of skateboarding, which has 19 registered entries, and pickleball, currently at 34. The CSG Bass Brawl, a new addition to the fishing events, has 40 participants registered.

A handful of sports have already eclipsed 2010 numbers, including horseshoe pitching with 53 entrants, shore fishing with 24 and the Games largest individual-entry sport, volkswalk currently at 505.

If you know anyone from Thayer County who is registered under a team name or different county or who isn’t listed in the online event schedule at the CSG site, call the Hebron Journal-Register and let us know. We’ll be sure to recognize anyone’s efforts from our 11-community county.

For more information visit CornhuskerStateGames.com.