But, they told him they were crushed they came so close to a championship only to lose.

“It was heartbreaking,” Hufnagel said.

The Eagles lost to Freedom, 81-69, in the 2009 championship.

Now a senior, Haley Pisarcik was one of several Eagles runners fighting back tears last year.

“I’m not a very emotional person, but it broke my heart,” she said.

Pisarcik and the Eagles had a different reaction to this month’s WPIAL Elsa Peretti Sevillana earrings track championship. Shortly before 7 p.m. that evening, Hufnagel told his team it had clinched the WPIAL championship. The girls erupted in cheers and jumped up and down inside the track at West Mifflin High School’s Titan Stadium. The Eagles beat Freeport, Shady Side Academy and Southmoreland.

The win capped a remarkable season in which the Eagles went undefeated in dual meets.

But it was the memory of last year’s crushing defeat that motivated Pisarcik all season long. She said she thought back to the Eagles’ loss in the 2009 team track championship every time she competed in a dual meet this season.

“It just kind of tore me up,” she said. “That made me want it this year even more.”

Winning the team track title was the team’s No. 1 goal this season, Hufnagel said. Though track, at its heart, is an individual sport, Hufnagel said that is not the way he coaches.

“We keep it as team-oriented as possible,” he said.

Many times that means maneuvering his top athletes to compete in different events so the Elsa Peretti Sevillana Mesh bracelet can score as many points as possible.

The approach was new for Pisarcik when she joined the team as a freshman. In middle school, Pisarcik said she competed as an individual and there was little team emphasis.

But after four years on Hufnagel’s team, “I always consider team first,” she said.

Pisarcik was one of those runners who competed in several events this year. Though her strength is in distance, Pisarcik won the 100-meter race at the WPIAL team championships. She also won the 800- and 1,600-meter races.

Junior Cassie Raymond won the 200- and 400-meter races, the long jump and the triple jump.

Hufnagel said having versatile runners is a great advantage for the team in dual meets.

“We try to spread out our athletes as much as possible to get the most points,” he said.

He also said he has a couple versatile freshmen who will be important contributors to the team in the future.

That team-first approach is evaporating as team events are done for the year. Elsa Peretti Sevillana pendant, the Eagles are turning their attention to individual championships.

Between the girls’ team and the boys’ team, which Hufnagel also coaches, South Park sent 30 student-athletes to last week’s WPIAL championships.

The 1,600-relay team of Pisarcik, Raymond, Shelby Lindsay and Danielle Carmen won a WPIAL championship, as did the 3,200-meter team composed of the same runners. In that race, the Eagles set a meet record.

Pisarcik and Raymond each finished the day with three gold medals. Pisarcik won the 800-meter race and Raymond won the triple jump.

South Park’s teams will send 17 athletes to the PIAA championships, Elsa Peretti Sevillana ring Friday at Shippensburg University.

Michael Sanserino: msanserino@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1722.

We want to hear about your favorite Valentine’s Day. It can be a funny memory (the time your husband treated you to a candlelit dinner of frozen pizza and Diet Coke). Or maybe something special happened (you got engaged or received a sentimental gift). It could even be an annual tradition (your kids anxiously await tiffany mom’s heart-shaped pancakes).

We’ll run our favorite tales of tenderness in the Packet and more online at islandpacket.com. Send us your stories (and photos) by Feb. 9.

Stories and photos can be submitted to Tom Robinette, features editor, by e-mail, valentines rings features@islandpacket.com, or by mail to P.O. Box 3650, Bluffton, SC 29910. Photos also can be dropped off at the Bluffton office, 10 Buck Island Road.

For more information, call 843-706-8136.

Credit: The Island Packet, Hilton Head Island, S.C.

The Palmdale Senior Center will host a Valentine’s Day Celebration for people 55 or older on Friday, Feb. 13 from 10:45 to 12 pm. The Palmdale Senior Center is located at 1002 East Avenue Q-12. The event is free.

Entertainment will be provided by “Let Us Entertain You” and the Senior Center Songbirds. tiffany jewelry Valentine “goodies” and door prizes will be given away. Lunch will available on a first-come, first-served basis, with a $2 donation requested.

“We’re encouraging seniors to stop by and spend time with loved ones or meet someone new at this romantic gathering,” said Palmdale Recreation Coordinator Jennifer Tallakson.

For more information about the meal program for seniors, please silver rings call the Senior Center at 661/267-5551.For more information about US Fed News contract awards please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, US Fed News, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

John Mlynar, 661/267-5115.

If the answer to any of the above is “Yes,” you might consider getting your family purple rubber bracelets that read “complaintfreeworld.org.” The bracelet is a visual aid to help people be mindful of how much they kvetch.

It’s the age-old think-before-you-speak advice.

Fresno resident Jennifer Cross e-mailed me about the bracelets given out at the Church of Religious Science’s life enrichment center in Fresno. The church leaders, Jim and Fawnda Runyon, gave members the bracelets earlier this year. The Runyons had heard about the complaint-free world movement introduced in July silver key rings by the Rev. Will Bowen of the Christ Church Unity in Kansas City, Mo.

“It makes you cognizant of what’s coming out of your mouth,” Fawnda Runyon says. “A lot of people bellyache. Our philosophy is that your thought processes create your life. This helps people have positive, uplifting thoughts. The bracelets are a reminder to look for the good in people.”

Cross says it has brought a positive change to her family.

“It brings such an awareness to things we say and do every day,” she says. “It has been really great for my three daughters, who complain and bicker constantly.”

The idea is to wear the bracelet on either wrist. When you find yourself complaining or silver necklaces criticizing, you move the bracelet to the other wrist. The goal is to keep the bracelet on one wrist for 21 days, so not whining becomes a habit.

Runyon was kind enough to send me two bracelets — one for me and another for our daughter, Natalie. My husband? We seldom hear a discouraging word from him, so he doesn’t get one. I explained the concept to Natalie.

“How is this supposed to stop me from complaining?” she asked, putting on the bracelet. “This isn’t going to work. It’s dumb.”

“Umm, you’re complaining about the bracelet,” I told her.

Natalie moved the bracelet to her other wrist.

“Well, you complained about me complaining,” Natalie points out.

Perhaps the Cross sisters could offer anecdotal evidence on the effectiveness of the bracelets. I spoke with Morgan, 16, a junior at Central High School East Campus; Emily, 14, an eighth-grade student at Rio Vista Middle School; and Mallory, 12, a sixth-grade student at Steinbeck Elementary School.

Morgan admits at first she thought the bracelets were a dumb idea. However, it was something her family could use.

“We complain a lot,” she says. “Our parents complain more than we do. They tiffany bangles complain about bills and how much money they have to give us.”

She has seen improvement.

“They are doing a lot better,” she says.

Morgan has explained the bracelet to friends at school.

“Some think it’s kind of cool, and other people think it’s stupid. That was my first reaction to it, too.”

Emily says the bracelet makes people “less whiney.”

“At first, I thought it was dorky, but it makes you aware of the Golden Rule,” she says.

Emily has noticed a positive change in Morgan.

“It’s a big change,” she says. “Her complaints are down to almost half.”

Mallory says the bracelet works.

“It helps you get along with people,” she says.

But perhaps the complaint-free world supporters didn’t count tiffany rings on sibling rivalry.

“We’re sisters,” Morgan says. “We aren’t going to completely stop fighting.”

I tell Mallory that Natalie is an only child, thus avoiding sibling sniping.

“Smart choice,” she says.

I’m not complaining.

The columnist can be reached at maguirre@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6482.

The musical celebration “The 1940s Radio Hour” is the holiday production at the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro this year. And yes, you read that correctly, the Commonweal, where drama is usually the bill of fare, is staging a musical.

“Actually, the group we have here is a good group in vocal talent,” said Carl Lindberg, who is directing his first show at the Commonweal.

The play is set at a New York radio station and takes place on Dec. 21, 1942. America has now been involved in World War II for more than a year, and as the war pulls more and more people away from their homes, the Christmas season seems more important than ever. That’s especially so for Biff Baker, a young musician who is about to leave for duty with the Army.

The colorful cast of characters also includes the high-anxiety station manager; a young,Tiffany Keys Sinatra-like singer; a classy woman who knows all the standards; and a bevy of young and enthusiastic performers, including Biff’s girlfriend.

“The thing that struck me from the beginning and continues to entertain me is the characters,” Lindberg said. “They’re just delightfully passionate and fun to watch.”

The show includes the traditional Christmas songs “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Jingle Bells,” but is more heavily stocked with songs of the ’40s: “(I’ve Got a Gal in ) Kalamazoo,”"Love is Here to Stay” and “How About You?” among others.

In the cast are Eric Bunge, David Hennessey, Tim Sailer, Stela Burdt, Stan Peal, Troy Iverson, Stef Dickens, Irene ErkenBrack and Sheldon Rogers.

“We’re working toward having some interaction with the audience,” Lindberg said. “We’re hoping we can get someone up dancing.”

Lindberg is a member of the Commonweal’s apprentice class for the current season. He holds silver bangles a master of fine arts in directing from Western Illinois University.

“I’ve been here since May,” he said. “It just happened that Hal (Cropp, Commonweal artistic director) was looking for someone to direct the holiday show. Well, here I am.”

Lindberg said he was not overly worried about directing his first professional production. “I was excited to get started,” he said. “To any degree, if there’s not some sort of nerves, then it’s not worth doing. What we do involves getting in front of people and risking something every time.”

If the title of the show sounds familiar, it’s because the Commonweal staged “The 1940s Radio Hour”silver rings for the 2000 holiday season at its former home next door to the new theater.

Oh, goody.

As a recovering Christmas missive writer I’m probably a little more critical than someone who has never had the addiction.

When I quit cold turkey, six years ago, I vowed that if by the time I was ever two paragraphs into a Christmas newsletter and I had an uncontrollable urge to introduce the writer to my 12-step program, that I’d just ball it up and give it a toss.

I can’t tell you how hard that vow has been to keep.

They say good things come to those who wait and, in this case Tiffany Keys, the waiting has produced fewer and fewer of the life’s-too-good-to-be-true sonnets in our holiday mail.

To those who have eliminated our names from your ho-ho-ho mail merges, thank you.

Thank you for not finally breaking down and sharing your great-grandpappy’s recipe for Christmas Squirrel Stew.

Quite frankly, I’ve never found that an apple takes the “wild” taste out of any animal that wasn’t specifically farm-fed with the precise intent and purpose of ending up on my dinner table.

Thank you for not sharing the photos of your vacation in Tahiti last winter.

As much as you enjoyed the trip those photos only would have reminded me that, while you were tanning on the beach with an umbrella drink in your hand, I was stuck in Kansas considering treatment for frostbite.

Oh, and just between us, the photos you sent from your winter in Hawaii; I knew that tiffany bangles couldn’t be you on the beach, even if the picture was taken from the balcony of your 22nd-floor hotel room.

What gave you away?

I’m pretty sure it was the bikini. It left little to the imagination and, well, there was way too much of you in some places and not nearly enough in others.

Thank you for not asking me to logon to your new Web site where I’d get a ringside-seat of your granddaughter’s graduation from nursery school and her little brother’s graduation from diapers.

You shared them earlier this year on Twitter and Facebook. That was very thoughtful of you, although I do suspect, at some point, your grandson might file a dandy of a lawsuit against you.

Thank you for not inviting us — again — to your vacation home in the Rockies. I know the air smells like pure heaven and the snow makes everything look like a picture postcard.

However, the last time the Big Guy tried to ski he spent the rest of our vacation recuperating.

And that heavenly smell? To me it smells suspiciously like evergreen and pine, both of which I’m allergic to.

So, thank you so much for not sharing your entire year en masse.

I much prefer a quick e-mail now and then or a phone call, sharing good news, asking for help tiffany rings or asking for prayer all through the year.

I like knowing your children are all well, happy and employed.

I like knowing when they’re not, as well, at the time its happening, if for no other reason than you don’t have to shoulder that burden alone.

Christmas is about celebrating life.

Life is worth celebrating all year long — warts and all.

Linda Brown is marketing director for The Ottawa Herald. E-mail her at lbrown@ottawaherald.com

By The Chronicle

A limited supply of H1N1 flu shots will be available from 9 a.m. tiffany to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the South Tower Pharmacy, 417 S. Tower Ave., Centralia. A $10 donation will be accepted but is not required.

Only the following priority groups will be able to receive the vaccine (subject to change depending on type of vaccine available — injectable or nasal spray — and quantity available):

–Pregnant women (vaccine may not be available at this site)

–Ages 2 through 24 years old (vaccine not available for those 6 months through 2 years old)

–Ages 25 through 64 years old with chronic medical conditions

–All health care and emergency medical workers

–All adults, children and teens who care for infants under 6 months old.

Workshop Assists Seniors With Medicare Enrollment

By The Chronicle

Open enrollment time for Medicare will continue through Dec. 31. necklaces Two workshops will be held regarding changes to Medicare D prescription drug coverage to assist seniors with getting information to help make decisions about health care and prescription drug coverage.

The first workshop will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Vernetta Smith Chehalis Timberland Library, and the second workshop will be held Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Centralia Timberland Library. Both days will have speakers from 10 a.m. to noon and a workshop for individual assistance from the Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance program from 1 to 3 p.m.

Speakers will include professionals from the Lewis County Health Department, SHIBA, Hall’s Pharmacy, and Assured Home Health and Hospice.

For more information, call Valerie Mason at the Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging at 748-2524 ext. 101 or 748-2288.

Evergreen Playhouse Seeking Volunteers and Holding Auditions

By The Chronicle

The Evergreen Playhouse in Centralia is looking for volunteers and potential tiffany bangles board members to help choose and produce plays and other events presented year-round.

For more information visit http://evergreenplayhouse.wordpress.com or its Facebook page by searching “The Evergreen Playhouse.”

Auditions will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday for “Over the River and Through the Woods” at the Evergreen Playhouse, 226 W. Center St. For more information call director Norma Rogers at 262-0712.

Shop for Christmas, Help Fight Cancer

By The Chronicle

Team Remembrance is hosting a “Guilt-free Shopping Day” from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at 18139 Sunshine Lane S.W., Rochester.

There will be Pampered Chef, Cookie Lee, Tupperware, Mary Kay, Stampin Up tiffany rings and more in one convenient location.

A portion of the proceeds, with some vendors giving half or all, will be donated to the American Cancer Society.

State Senator Sylvia Allen, Navajo County Supervisor David Tenney, Mayor Rick reduced tiffany Fernau and the district director from Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick’s office spoke to hundreds of schoolchildren, teachers and their parents at the second stop on the statewide Capitol Christmas Tree tour on November 10, 2009.

“We’re very proud of Show Low’s donation of time and resources to this project,” said Mayor Fernau. “The White Mountains will be on display for all the nation to see.”

Supervisor Tenney quipped that it was “about time we showed the nation that we have Christmas trees here that don’t look like saguaro cactus.”

“More importantly, I wanted to point out that this is a Christmas tree,” Supervisor Tenney said tiffany bangles. “I think the nation would do well to remember why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.”

Senator Allen challenged all the schoolchildren to make a Christmas wish.

“I want you to make a wish that you could show more love, give more service and show more kindness this holiday season,” Senator Allen said. “I think that if we all wish for that, this tree will give people hope whey they see it in the Capitol.”

District Director Virginia Turner also sent congratulations and well-wishes on behalf of Congresswoman tiffany rings Ann Kirkpatrick, who could not be present for the event.For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.