The Bank of Holden has expanded its effort to support the efforts of local children and youth by sponsoring the first annual Bank of Holden Invitational baseball and softball tournament.

The tournament will take place Friday, July 22 through Sunday, July 24 at the Holden Ballpark. The games will begin at 6 p.m. and end at approximately 10 p.m. on Friday, will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at approximately 9 p.m. on Saturday and begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday with an anticipated end at 9 p.m. 17 area teams have signed up for the tournament, which includes 11 boys’ teams and six girls’ teams from the “coach pitch” classification.

“We wanted to do this as a public service after we found out the Shippy League would not be having a post-season tournament this year,” explained Terry Hedglin, Bank of Holden Vice-President. “We just decided to pick a division and have a tournament of our own... We wanted to give these kids something to play for.”

In addition to the ball games played for the tournament, which will be single-elimination, “Sluggerrr,” the Kansas City Royals mascot will make an appearance from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 23. He will be available for photos and autographs at that time.

A concession stand will also be available. All proceeds from concessions will go to the Holden Sports Association, in addition to any donations that are received at that time.

Trophies will be awarded to the winning boys’ and girls’ teams, and gold and silver medals will be awarded to the winning first and second place teams.

“We think the young people deserve an end-of-year tournament,” Mike Terry, Bank of Holden President said. “We plan to keep doing this on an on-going basis.”

The Bank of Holden sponsors and contributes to a number of youth-related activities in Holden including those activities that encourage academics, athleticism and sportsmanship, and according to Terry, this activity is no different.

“We support the youth of Holden,” he commented. “We want to give them the opportunity to take advantage of things such as this tournament... We support the youth of Holden academically, but we feel things like this are important, too.”

By Christi Stowe
News Editor

With the recent completion of a fountain and large stone planter at Mickey-Dillon Park, a small piece of vacant land on Second Street has begun to look a lot more like the beautiful downtown park planned by the Holden Area Chamber of Commerce.

According to chamber representative Jenny Sollars, workers with Elite Landscaping have just recently begun the initial phase of landscaping expected at the park. Eventually, Elite will place engraved paving bricks purchased by Holden citizens to make a walkway at the park. The ground surrounding the walkway will then be constructed of black dirt that will be hauled in and smoothed out before grass is laid.

“We are still taking donations,” Sollars said, “and although the first order of pavers is in, we may be able to make a second special order of pavers before they are placed.”

Sollars explained that once the engraved pavers are in place bare areas will be filled in with plain paving bricks. “Once those are in, we will have to pay to have the non-engraved pavers removed to place one that has been engraved in its place,” Sollars said. “Depending upon how much that costs, we may have to pass that on to the customer. Now is the best time to get in on the pavers before laying the brick.”

In addition, Sollars said the park will include memorial park benches that have already been purchased by citizens. The park will also have a fence in the front and back, an additional planter in the park’s foreground, and the sidewalk in front of the park will be replaced.

To purchase a paver or donate funds to the downtown park project, citizens are encouraged to contact Bill Lewis at the Bank of Holden, Dwight Anstine at Farmers and Commercial Bank or any other chamber member. In addition, the Holden Area Chamber of Commerce may be reached at 732-6844 or on the web at www.holdenchamber.com.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor

Community Is A Better Place Because Of Bill Terry’s Commitment, Involvement
Holden and surrounding communities lost a dear friend and huge supporter with the passing of Bill Terry last week. Throughout his years at the Bank of Holden, Terry and his family were always generous to the community and genuinely cared about the numerous organizations and volunteers who worked to make the town a better place to live.

In addition to numerous donations and pledges toward endless projects, he was involved himself as well participating in a number of service organizations and holding offices in many of them as well. It is no surprise that the same commitment and work ethic has passed down to his children who both joined him in the banking business.

Although large projects are always noticeable, through Terry’s guidance, he and the bank have helped a number of individuals and families as well who might not be where they are today without his assistance. A number of businesses, family homes and other ventures exist today because of his interest in seeing the community grow and in the residents who call Holden their home.

A very wise person once said, “All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others.”

All of us live our lives hoping to make a difference. Few, however, have the opportunity to look around a community and see such physical evidence that their endeavors did indeed impact not only the individuals who live here but the community as a whole.

Bill Terry helped people build houses and businesses and in turn, he built a great deal of respect between himself and the community he called home for so many years. Holden will forever be a better place because of his many contributions.

Our deepest sympathy to his wife Patricia and family . . .

Funeral services for Wm. L. Terry, 77, chairman of the board of the Bank of Holden, were held Tuesday, July 12 at Williams Funeral Chapel in Holden.

Terry became associated with the Bank of Holden in December 1957 and he and his wife, Patricia, purchased an interest in the bank in 1965 and he became president in August of 1971. In 1972, he became chairman of the board, a position he held at the time of his death.

Since coming to Holden in 1957, Terry had been active in all types of community work including holding the office of president of the Holden Chamber of Commerce. He was a lifelong member of the Optimist Club and a former officer of the Holden Jaycees and was a member of the First Baptist Church of Holden.

By Rusty Hartwell
Publisher

Doug Davis, a 1987 graduate of Holden High School and current resident of Defiance,Missouri participated in this year’s L' Etape du Tour bicycle race in France on July 11th.

Doug was selected to join a St. Louis area elite amateur squad of 10 riders for this event. The Etape is a single-day bicycle road race event held each year in conjunction with the annual Tour de France bike race July 2 through the 21st.

This year's Etape was stage 16 of the pro tour and covered 110 miles through the Pyrenees Mountains. The race started in Mourenx,France and end in Pau,France. It crossed several mountains including a 1,500 foot category two assent of the Col de Ichere, a 2,800 foot category one assent of the Col de Marie-Blanque and a 4,000 foot beyond category assent of the Col d'Aubisque.

The Etape is an elite amateur/semi-pro event typically held on one of the years toughest stages of the Tour de France. Past winners of this event have gone on to race in the Pro peloton. Davis belongs to the Gateway Cycling Team of St. Louis and was chosen to participate by the team’s sponsoring bicycle shop, Big Shark Bicycle Company. Those participating were among several teams including team Gateway, Big Shark, Velo-Force and Mesa, all of the St. Louis region.

“I began riding bikes in 1988 as a way to spend time with the family,” Davis explained. “We would do local and out of state tours like the MS150 and RAGRBRAI in Iowa. We also had a couple of family organized group rides across the state of Missouri. Those were some good memories that I'll always cherish.”

Davis said he continued riding, and dabbled in some racing from 1990 through 1994 but never really felt he had the guidance or desire to really be competitive. “My wife Angela, also from Holden, (1989 graduate) and I moved to the St. Louis area in 1995,” he said. “At that point, my career required weekly travel, and I pretty much hung the bike in the garage and didn't do anything for about 5 years. One day in 2000 after accusing my wife of shrinking my closes in the wash, I saw a picture of myself and I couldn't believe what I looked like. I said, ‘That's not the way I really look is it?’ After picking herself up off of the floor with laughter I said ‘I think I know what the answer is’. So rather than become a statistic, I decided to make a life change. I decided my high stress, high profile corporate career wasn't worth it.”

Davis decided to make some real changes in order to get healthy and make time for his family. “I had a two year old daughter at the time that I never saw, and my health was a wreck- high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and I was 50 pounds. over weight,” he reflected. “In 2001 I changed careers and now work for a local manufacturers’ representative firm as a sales engineer selling commercial boilers. I had to learn something totally new. I had been in the aluminum business since working at Stahls in 1991, but it was a healthy change of scenery. Being a local territory representative, I am now home every night by 5p.m. and rarely travel overnight.”

Over the next 2 years or more, late 2000 through 2002, Davis simply changed his lifestyle and decided to live more healthy by eating right and exercising. Davis said the bike was more for fun and exercise than racing at first. “I managed to latch onto a group of guys who all kind of had a similar life experience,” he remembered. “Each year we would all try to out-do the other in terms of being a little faster than the other on group rides.”

In 2001, Davis started competing in off-road mountain bike events. “My cousin, Mike Best, and I sort of fed off each other, and we had this little personal rivalry thing going,” Davis chuckled. “I always came out on the short end of the stick, but he was and still is a good carrot for me to chase. Mike is 6 years younger than me and was already in pretty good condition when I started to get serious about racing.”

Over the course of about two-and-a-half years, Davis was able to drop about 50 pounds, and in 2002 he reached 150 pounds and with 8 percent body fat, which is where he remains today. “I think I'm actually lighter than I was in High School,” Davis said, “but the thing in cycling is any extra weight you carry is just more weight you have to drag up the climbs with you. People spend tons of money in this sport to drop a couple pounds off their bikes for that reason.”

Then, just when Davis thought he was ready to set the world on fire in February 2002, something went terribly wrong. He had a skiing accident in Colorado that caused significant damage to his knee. “I had a tibia plateau fracture of my left knee and some minor ligament and cartilage damage,” Davis explained. “It had to be bolted back together, and the doctor said that I would probably be able to walk fine but doubted that I would be able to compete again.” As minor as it sounds compared to cancer, or other major ailments, this was a real eye opener and life changing event for Davis. “I realized how valuable good health and youth is at that point, and vowed that I would not waste another minute of my life so long as I had good health,” he reflected. “I swore to make the most of what I have, while I have it. I quit chasing money (to and extent, everyone's got to live) and started chasing life experiences.” With a lot of hard work, Davis was able to make a full recovery.

The full measure of Davis’ recovery was realized in 2003, when he won the Missouri state NORBA (National Off Road Bike Association) series for sport class riders and was ranked in the top ten nation-wide for sport class. It was also in 2003 that Davis began to shift his focus from off-road to road racing. “I finished second in the State Road Criterium that year for category four men,” he explained. “It was at that point that I realized that I had better potential on the road than off-road.”

Davis explained that in road racing, competitors start as a category five racer and progress up the classifications scale by accumulating points from race wins or high placings. “In 2004, I was able to place third in the state championship road race and first in some regional events which gave me enough points to move up to category three,” he said. “This year is also going well, and I just came off a win last weekend at the Webster Groves Criterium. Also, in the 2005 State Road Race in June, I finished the 104 miles in seventh place with a time of four hours, 25 minutes and 30 seconds. I kept an average speed of 23.5 MPH.”

Davis said he anticipates accruing enough points by the end of this racing season to advance to the pro one or two category. The main difference between a pro one and a category two is the level of sponsorship at that point. “If you choose to make it a full time career and are lucky to get sponsorship then you are a Pro,” Davis commented. “If you don't or if you are 36-years-old like I am now than most likely you will remain a category two.”

Davis said the best part of racing is the thrill he gets when he finishes in front of a field of 80 to 100 guys all 10, 15, 20 years younger than himself. “Believe me, I'm no gifted individual,” Davis commented, modestly. “It's just about how hard you work for something and how bad you want it. It's unfortunate that the prevailing stereotype in society is that when you hit age 30 you’re on the downside of your physical fitness and should retire to your easy chair and relax. That's a bad trap to fall into. By staying physically active I feel better at age 36 than I did at age 26. I think most people could say the same thing with just a little exercise, say one-half hour every evening. There's always time, you just need to schedule it.”

Davis said he is careful to give credit to his wife, Angela, and daughter, Olivia, for being supportive of his hobby. “Everyone knows the saying ‘If mama ain't happy, no body's happy,” Davis said. “I owe a lot to her for her support. It's a real juggling act for me. That's why I say it's important to schedule your week in advance and be organized with your time. Once you do that, you realize there is actually a lot of free time in the week that you normally wouldn't see.”

Organization and scheduling are important aspects of the Davis household since Davis trains approximately 10 to 15 hours per week and rides 200 to 300 miles per week.

“The Etape should be an interesting test because we just don't get the chance to ride those kinds of climbs here in the Midwest,” Davis said prior to the race. “There are some pretty good hills around Defiance where I live but nothing like that (in France). I'm generally a good climber, but I guess we will see.”

In addition to the Etape, Davis and his teammates will be touring the Alps on bikes and will follow the Pro Tour De France for about four days. “This will be Lance Armstrong's final tour and we are excited to watch the event,” Davis added.

Doug Davis is the son of Ralph and Carol Davis and the brother of Kevin Davis, all of Holden. As of print time Tuesday, Davis’ result in the Etape was not available.

By Christi Stowe
News Editor
©2004 The Holden Image
Site Designed, Maintained and Hosted by Suncoast Networks