1. "Our children have fond memories of taking swimming lessons there, but now
that we have grandchildren...that decrepit relic is the very last local place we
would ever take them when they visit. What a stark, incongruous contradiction
that is in a proud town that boasts remarkable jewels like Hudson Family Park,
the library, Arts Place, the fairgrounds, John Jay Center, Jay Community Center,
Museum of the Soldier and Jay County Historical Society, along with countless
other special attractions." - Roger Domingo, Portland
The current poor condition of the Portland Pool is well documented. Built in
1960, the pool has served the community well, far beyond its expected lifespan.
Plans for a new facility include a competition pool, lazy river, slides, a beach
entry, and other features the current pool doesn't offer. The Portland City Council
in May voted to pay 68.4 percent of the cost for the facility with a cap of $2.25
million.
A campaign has been launched with a goal of raising $1 million. This amount,
plus what the city has agreed to pay, is what is needed to build the new pool and
facility estimated to cost about $3.3 million. The campaign is being overseen by
a Steering Committee that includes John Young, Chair, Rob Weaver, Vice-Chair,
Pam Bennett, Doug Inman, Joe Johnston, Eric Rogers and Jane Ann Runyon. A
campaign cabinet has been formed and consists of Ami Huffman, Phil Frantz,
Ron Freeman, Cindy Denney, Brad DeRome, John Moore and Bev and Steve
Arnold.
Over the next few months, you may be contacted to consider a donation to this
exciting new Water Park project. You may also make your tax deductible donation
directly to the Portland Foundation, designated for the Portland Water Park,
located at 112 East Main Street. The campaign will run through 2014, however,
pledge payments may be made through 2015.
The Preliminary Project Schedule targets July 1, 2015 for opening the new pool.
Your donation will help make it possible for future generations to enjoy the
Portland Water Park with its many added features.
Portland Water Park
Artist Rendering
www.thecr.com The Commercial ReviewPage 12
Sports
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Portland Rocket golf
outing set for Sept. 28,
see Sports on tap
Colts travel to Cincinnati
in preseason finale,
see story page 11
By CHRIS SCHANZ
The Commercial Review
The details of April 23 are
cloudy for Morgan Alberson.
For Morgan’s mother Kim, the
memories are a little clearer.
“I remember watching the
actual accident happen,” Kim
said, recalling the evening her
daughter suffered a neck injury
on the softball diamond.. “For
some reason I was thinking Mor-
gan was in left field.”
But Morgan was in right field,
and had just collided with her
teammate, center fielder Alyssa
Bluhm. Morgan, now a sopho-
more at South Adams High
School, took off to her right after
a line drive in the gap. Bluhm,
then a senior and now a fresh-
man at Taylor University, broke
from her position in center field
also in an attempt to make the
play.
Morgan caught the ball as
Bluhm fell into her left knee. The
collision dislodged the ball from
Morgan’s glove and sent her sun-
glasses flying off her face. The 15-
year-old fell backward and hit her
head on the ground.
Then, Kim realized it was her
child involved in the collision.
“I saw them both on the ground
and I was thinking in my mind,
‘I’m not going to be that parent
that goes out on the field,’” she
said. “By the time I got out there,
Alyssa and Morgan were both up
and kind of starting to walk off.”
As she walked off the field,
Morgan recalled the pain she was
feeling.
“My neck didn’t even hurt,”
she said. “I remember my knee
hurting really bad.”
After South Adams trainer
Becky Werst performed some pre-
liminary tests on Morgan, she
advised Kim and Jeromy Alber-
son, Morgan’s father, to take her
to get checked for a concussion.
“Becky tried asking me ques-
tions,” Morgan said. “I really
don’t even think I answered them
correctly because I was out of it.”
But after the game, Morgan
was adamant that she didn’t hit
her head.
“She kept telling us she hit
(Alyssa) and twirled like a balleri-
na,” Jeromy said.
However, grass and a green
stain in her hair suggested other-
wise, so Kim and Jeromy went to
Adams Memorial Hospital.
During the drive to Decatur,
Morgan said she could feel every
bump her father hit, and Kim
said her daughter kept saying she
had a strange feeling in her neck.
“She even made a comment
that was like, ‘I sure hope I don’t
have to wear one of those neck
braces,’” Kim said.
See SSppaarreedd page 11
By CHRIS SCHANZ
The Commercial Review
I couldn’t help but smile
when I saw her on the
court.
As I walked into the Jay
County High School gym
Aug. 14 to shoot photos of
the volleyball scrimmage
between the Patriots and
South Adams Starfires,
one of the first things I did
was try to spot Morgan
Alberson on the court.
I heard she was playing
again, but I had to see for
myself.
I couldn’t believe it, see-
ing as nearly four months
earlier she had been seri-
ously injured.
But there she was, play-
ing as if nothing ever hap-
pened.
While her recollections
of that late April day may
be in bits and pieces, such
is not the case for me. I felt
just as involved in the play
as she and her teammate
Alyssa Bluhm were, and
all I did was take pictures.
Pictures that, as it turns
out, helped give Alber-
son’s doctors a more clear
idea as to what happened
on that life-changing
spring evening.
See DDrriivveess page 11
Alberson’s return brings smiles
‘Felt that God spared her’
The Commercial Review/Chris Schanz
Morgan Alberson, a South Adams High School sophomore, shows the X-ray and neck
brace she had to wear after fracturing her C7 vertebrae when she collided with a teammate in
late April while playing softball for South Adams as a freshman. Alberson, 15, has made a full
recovery and has been a crucial part of the Starfires’ volleyball team this season.
South Adams
sophomore
recovers fully
from neck injury
Line
Drives
WOODBURN — In the
blind draw held this morn-
ing for the Allen County
Athletic Conference vol-
leyball tournament, Jay
County drew the Southern
Wells Raiders in the quar-
terfinals.
Jay County (4-1) will
open its
first ACAC
tournament
at 7:15 p.m.
Oct 7 at Heritage.
The tournament will
have two quarterfinal
matches at 6 p.m. Oct. 7
with two to follow at 7:15
p.m.
The 6 p.m. matches will
feature Leo against South
Adams and the host Her-
itage Patriots against
Woodlan. The winner
between South Adams and
Leo will play the winner
between Jay County and
Southern Wells in the
semifinal round.
Bluffton and Adams
Central will square off in
the other quarterfinal at
7:15, with the winner
advancing to play the vic-
tor between Hertiage and
Woodlan.
The semifinals will be at
6 p.m. Oct 9, with the finals
to follow at 7:15 p.m.
Willis medals
MARION — South
Adams High School junior
Sydney Willis shot a 40 to
lead the Starfire girls golf
team to a 185-215 victory
Wednesday over the East-
brook Panthers at Arbor
Trace Golf Club.
Wills made one birdie
and three pars on her way
to her third straight match
medalist honor.
Kelli Lehman followed
Willis with a 46, and
Alleigh WIngler was close
behind with a 48.
Jaci Gorrell rounded
out the team score for
South Adams with a 51,
and Amy Schwartz was
the No. 5 Starfire golfer
with a 52.
Jay Co.
draws
Raiders
Local
roundup

2. The Commercial Review
Thursday, August 28, 2014 Sports Page 11
Scoreboard
MMaajjoorr LLeeaagguuee BBaasseebbaallll
Cincinnati 7, Chicago Cubs 5
Chicago White Sox 3, Cleveland 2
N.Y. Yankees 8, Detroit 4
Atlanta 3, N.Y. Mets 2
Pittsburgh 3, St. Louis 1
Texas 12, Seattle 4
Tampa Bay 3, Baltimore 1
Philadelphia 8, Washington 4
Toronto 5, Boston 2
Kansas City 6, Minnesota 1
Oakland 5, Houston 4
San Diego 3, Milwaukee 2 F/10
L.A. Dodgers 3, Arizona 1
L.A. Angels 6, Miami 1
San Francisco 4, Colorado 2
Standings
MMaajjoorr LLeeaagguuee BBaasseebbaallll
NNaattiioonnaall LLeeaagguuee
CCeennttrraall DDiivviissiioonn
W L Pct GB
Milwaukee 73 60 .549 —
St. Louis 71 61 .538 1½
Pittsburgh 69 64 .519 4
Cincinnati 64 69 .481 9
Chicago 59 73 .447 13½
EEaasstt DDiivviissiioonn
W L Pct GB
Washington 75 57 .568 —
Atlanta 69 64 .519 6½
Miami 65 67 .492 10
New York 62 71 .466 13½
Philadelphia 61 72 .459 14½
WWeesstt DDiivviissiioonn
W L Pct GB
Los Angeles 76 58 .567 —
San Francisco 70 62 .530 5
San Diego 62 70 .470 13
Arizona 55 78 .414 20½
Colorado 53 79 .402 22
Local schedule
TTooddaayy
Jay County — Girls golf vs. Richmond
– 4:30 p.m.; Boys soccer vs. Delta – 5
p.m.
Fort Recovery — Boys golf at St. Johns
– 4:30 p.m.; Cross country at Bellmont
Invitational – 5 p.m.; Volleyball at St.
Johns – 5:30 p.m.; FRMS football vs. St.
Henry – 5 p.m.
South Adams — Girls golf at East-
brook – 4:30 p.m.; Boys soccer vs. East-
side – 5:30 p.m.; Boys tennis vs. New
Haven – 5 p.m.; Volleyball vs. Bellmont –
6 p.m.; Freshman volleyball vs. Bellmont
– 5 p.m.; FRMS volleyball vs. Bellmont –
5 p.m.
FFrriiddaayy
Jay County — Football at Blackford – 7
p.m.
Fort Recovery — Football vs. North
Union – 7:30 p.m.
South Adams — Football vs. Bellmont
– 7 p.m.
TV schedule
TTooddaayy
12:30 p.m. — Major League Baseball:
Chicago Cubs at Cincinnati Reds (WGN)
1 p.m. — Tennis: U.S. Open – Second
round (ESPN)
6 p.m. — Tennis: U.S. Open – Second
round (ESPN2)
7 p.m. — NFL Preseason Football:
Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals
(WNDY-23, FOX-55)
7 p.m. — Tennis: U.S. Open Tennis –
Second round (ESPN)
8 p.m. — College Football: Chick-Fil-A
Kickoff – Boise State vs. Ole Miss (ESPN)
10 p.m. — College Football: Rutgers
vs. Washington State (FS1)
FFrriiddaayy
1 p.m. — Tennis: U.S. Open – Men’s
second round and women’s third round
(ESPN)
6 p.m. — Tennis: U.S. Open – Men’s
second round and women’s third round
(ESPN2)
7 p.m. — College Football: BYU at
Connecticut (ESPN)
7 p.m. — Tennis: U.S. Open – Men’s
second round and women’s third round
(ESPN2)
7:30 p.m. — College Football: Jack-
sonville State at Michigan State (BTN)
8 p.m. — Major League Baseball:
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
(WGN)
9 p.m. — College Football: Colorado
State vs. Colorado (FS1)
10:30 p.m. — College Football: UNLV
at Arizona (ESPN)
11 p.m. — High School Football: De
La Salle (Calif.) vs. Jesuit (Calif.)
Local notes
FFaallll jjuunniioorr lleeaagguuee ffoorrmmiinngg
The Portland Junior League is forming
a fall baseball league for boys ages 5
through 9.
The league will be played Sunday after-
noons from Sept. 7 through Oct. 5 at the
Portland Junior League fields.
Cost is $10 per player, and forms are
available at www.pjlball.com or by calling
James Myers at (260) 726-5088.
Deadline to register is Sunday.
IInnddiiaannaa BBaannddiittss ttoo hhoolldd ttrryyoouuttss
The Indiana Bandits travel baseball
teams will hold tryouts for the 2015 sea-
son from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Roush
Park in Bluffton.
Teams include 14-and-younger, 13-
and-younger, 12-and-younger and 11-and-
younger and is based on age as of May 1,
2015.
Estimated cost to play is $300 and
includes uniforms. Fundraising opportuni-
ties are available and encouraged.
For more information, contact Troy
Joloja at (260) 820-2710.
HHoollyy TTrriinniittyy ttoo hhoosstt 55KK
The Holy Trinity church will host a 5K
run/walk on Sept. 6.
The race will be at 9 a.m. at Holy Trin-
ity Church in Bryant.
Cost is $15 if registered by Sunday
and t-shirt will be included. Race day reg-
istration begins at 8 a.m.
For more information, contact Rhonda
Alig at (260) 997-8385.
AAddaammss CCoouunnttyy CChhaalllleennggee uunnddeerrwwaayy
The 2014 Adams County 5K Run/Walk
Challenge is now underway.
Registration forms are available at
www.adamscountyfoundation.org, and the
series fee covers registration to all
events, including shirts for each event.
The next race is the Catch Your Breath
5K Walk/Run.
The race will be held at 9 a.m. on
Sept. 13 at the River Greenway Trailhead
at Evergreen in Decatur.
For more information, contact Alexa
Markley at (260) 724-2145 ext. 1537.
RRoocckkeett ggoollff oouuttiinngg sseett ffoorr SSeepptt.. 2288
The Portland Rockets will host its
annual golf outing Sept. 28 at the Port-
land Golf Club.
Cost for the four-person scramble is
$240 per team, and includes cart rental.
Prizes will be available for the top
three teams, and there will also be a
50/50 drawing.
Hole sponsorships will also be avail-
able, and there will be a lunch and fellow-
ship following the tournament at the
Greazy Pickle in Portland.
For more information, contact Randy
Miller at (260) 703-2003.
GGeett yyoouurr qquueessttiioonnss aannsswweerreedd
Do you have a question about local
college or pro sports?
Email your question to cr.sports@com-
cast.net with “Ask Ray” in the subject line
for a chance to have it answered in an
upcoming column.
••••••••••
To have an event listed in “Sports on
tap”, email details to cr.sports@com-
cast.net.
Sports on tap
Follow us
on Twitter,
@commreview
Continued from page 12
The photo sequence —
her and Bluhm chasing
after the ball, the two of
them colliding, what
appears to be a serious
knee injury and Morgan
falling back and slamming
her head on the ground —
is something I will take
with me for the rest of my
life.
When I first glanced at
the photos that chilly
Wednesday, my initial
reaction was that she had
injured her left knee. It
was bent in ways that
would appear as if multi-
ple ligaments were shred-
ded.
I later found out news I
never wanted to hear.
I captured Morgan
breaking her neck on cam-
era.
I’m proud of the series
of action photos I got, but
the circumstances left a
guilty feeling in my gut.
Which is why I had to
see first-hand the Starfire
sophomore back on the
court where she belongs.
I ended up getting more
than I bargained for that
day.
Jeromy, Morgan’s father,
spotted me from the crowd
and came over to intro-
duce himself to me. I had
spoken with his wife Kim
on the phone, but had
never met either of them
in person.
It was then that I asked
them if I could write a
story about Morgan’s
recovery, and we started
talking.
“The doctor said (she
was) done with sports,”
Kim said.
Jeromy chimed in, “I
think Kim thought forev-
er. He said her softball sea-
son was done and her club
volleyball season was
done, but then we would
go from there.”
After hearing about the
severity of her injury, I
wasn’t sure she’d ever play
again.
I had the same reaction
as her and her parents.
Our first thought was
paralysis.
But seven games into
her sophomore season,
Morgan has been a crucial
part of the South Adams
volleyball team’s 5-2
record. She tallied a sea-
son-high 13 kills in a win
Tuesday over Eastbrook.
She also added three
blocks and a dozen digs.
One of the perks of this
job has definitely been the
opportunity to meet amaz-
ing people.
One of the downsides,
though, is seeing some of
those same struggle imme-
diately following poten-
tially serious injuries.
Seeing Morgan on the
court a few weeks ago —
I’ll get another chance
Sept. 23 when South
Adams comes back to Jay
County — was a relief for
me in knowing she had
made a full recovery.
It’s not very often some-
one so young can go
through a horrible experi-
ence and have the result
end up so favorably.
Seeing her on the court
again doing what she loves
will always put that smile
on my face.
Continued from page 12
Hospital stay
When the Albersons got to the
hospital, Morgan had X-rays
taken of her head and her knee.
One of the nurses even men-
tioned the recently added green
stripe in her hair, thinking her
teenaged patient had put the
color there on purpose.
As the Albersons waited on
results, they had an opportunity
to watch a replay of the collision
— the game was recorded and put
on a webcast.
“All the sudden there was a
knock on the door,” Morgan said.
“I remember the doctor rushing
in and he was like ‘hold your head
still.’”
Morgan continued to move her
head, and that is when the doctor
put his hands on her chin and the
top of her head and said, “hold it
still, your neck is broken.”
The force of her head hitting
the ground fractured the C7 ver-
tebrae at the base of her neck.
Jeromy said the doctor had a
sense of humor to him, so his ini-
tial reaction was that he was jok-
ing.
Morgan had other thoughts.
“I couldn’t believe it honestly,”
she said, adding she thought she
would have to wear a halo. “I
would rather die than wear one
of those things.”
Then, serious thoughts contin-
ued to run through her head —
would she be paralyzed, would it
be temporary and would she lose
feeling in her legs?
“I remember crying,” Morgan
said. “I honestly, uncontrollably
could not stop crying the rest of
the night. The whole night was
just a mess.”
Felt at peace
While Morgan was being
prepped for her CT scan to check
if there was any further damage,
she was overcome by a feeling of
relief.
“I got this peace over me,” she
recalled. “I was still crying, but I
was like ‘everything is going to be
OK.’ I had never felt that way
before, but I could feel that people
were praying about me.”
After the scan, her feeling
became a reality. She looked at
her phone and found she had text
messages from friends and family
asking if she was OK.
“It was amazing,” she said.
The scan revealed no further
damage, but Morgan would have
to wear a neck brace for a couple
weeks.
“He kind of eased our mind a
little bit,” Kim said of the doctor.
“It kind of eased my mind as a
mom that she was not going to be
paralyzed.”
Recovery
The collision was on a Wednes-
day, and two days later Morgan
returned to school. The questions
and concerns from her fellow
classmates continued.
“What shocked me is a lot more
people cared than I thought there
would be,” Morgan said. She later
found out a prayer circle was cre-
ated for her. “It shocked me per-
sonally because I didn’t think a
lot of people cared.”
Two weeks later Morgan was
able to take her brace off. Howev-
er, everything wasn’t back to nor-
mal for the two-sport athlete
because she was not allowed to
participate in physical activities.
“From not being able to do any-
thing — not being able to bend
down to grab anything or take a
shower — I could not imagine
being paralyzed for the rest of my
life,” Morgan said. “I like to do
things myself.”
Bending down to take things
out of her locker was a struggle.
If she dropped her pencil in class,
someone else had to pick it up for
her.
Even though she wasn’t
required to wear the brace any-
more, Kim said she continued to
do so while she slept.
But it was the break from
sports that hit Morgan the hard-
est. She missed the rest of her
freshman season on the Starfire
softball team and was forced to sit
out several of her club volleyball
team’s tournaments.
“I took it really hard, honestly,”
she said. “This whole summer
from having off from everything,
it kind of destroyed me inside. I
couldn’t do what I love to do and
all my friends were doing it.”
Morgan also had to be a specta-
tor as her family spent time in
Florida at Disney in early June.
“I hated it,” she remembers. “I
cried a lot there too because I
couldn’t do anything.”
Return to action
Morgan was given clearance
from doctors to begin playing vol-
leyball again July 1. But with an
IHSAA-mandated moratorium
week slated to begin that day, she
spent time in open gyms in the
latter part of June to ease her
way back into the sport.
“That first time she went to
open gym she was just so happy,”
Kim said.
As she stepped onto the court
for the first time after her injury
just two months prior, Morgan
didn’t feel the least bit nervous. It
was almost as if she hadn’t
missed any time. But, she felt she
had to show herself she could
continue playing volleyball.
“My goal was just to prove to
myself,” she said. “All of these
people were watching me.”
A few days after open gyms, in
which she was only allowed to
pass, the coaches said they were
having a tough time limiting her
in practice.
“She was doing more than she
was supposed to,” Jeromy said.
“The coaches were trying to keep
her out of it and it didn’t work.”
It felt good for Kim to see her
daughter return to competition
when South Adams traveled to
Jay County on Aug. 14 to scrim-
mage the Patriots. Seeing his
daughter make it safely through
the match was a relief for Jeromy.
“I never thought of any of my
kids getting hurt,” Jeromy said,
adding he was becoming more
worried about Morgan returning
to action, a feeling usually
reserved for Kim. “That initial
first time back was like ‘uh oh.’
After that I never thought again
about her getting hurt.”
Telling her story
People still ask the Albersons
questions as to how Morgan hurt
her neck.
“Honestly, it’s such a long story
that I shorten it,” Morgan said,
adding people become surprised
when they find out she did it play-
ing softball since it is not a con-
tact sport.
Jeromy and Kim, though, use
pictures to accompany their
telling of the tale.
“What I do is get my phone out
and show the pictures because it’s
easier than telling the story,” he
said. “Their whole attitude
changes once I get my phone out
and show them the pictures.”
Morgan’s injury was life-
changing for everyone in the fam-
ily. Not only did it make them
question whether or not Morgan
could play sports again, it helped
them grow spiritually.
“I just felt that God spared her,”
Kim said. “I think (she) did a lot
of soul searching and growing
through the whole experience.”
Spared ...
The Commercial Review/Chris Schanz
In this Aug. 14 photo, South Adams sophomore Morgan Alberson, right, goes up for the
attack as Jay County senior Emily Westgerdes attempts a block during a scrimmage. Alberson
returned to the volleyball court this season after fracturing her neck during a softball game in April.
Drives ...
By JOE KAY
AP Sports Writer
CINCINNATI — Robert
Mathis might as well enjoy
it.
The Colts linebacker will
get to play the final presea-
son game tonight against
the Cincinnati Bengals at
Paul Brown Stadium. Then
he begins a four-game sus-
pension for violating the
NFL’s policy on perform-
ance-enhancing sub-
stances.
He claims he used a fer-
tility drug to help his wife
get pregnant.
The Colts (0-3) won’t be
allowed to have any contact
with Mathis while he’s sus-
pended. They’re expecting
him to stay in shape and be
able to make an impact as
soon as he returns.
“He knows that,” coach
Chuck Pagano said. “We
don’t even have to tell him
that. I kid around, but he’s
the one that made that deci-
sion.
“He’s got something to
prove, something to give
back to those guys. I’m not
worried at all about how
he’ll be once he returns.”
The Colts and Bengals (1-
2) aren’t likely to play
many of their starters
tonight. Both teams are
mostly happy with how
their starting units have
looked in the first three
preseason games.
Colts take on
Bengals tonight