Courtney Hagen / LJWorld.com

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Courtney Hagen

Recent stories

Worldwide swimmers find home in Lawrence: By Courtney Hagen; November 29, 2006; Marianne Klovning hits the pool everyday with the Lawrence Aquahawks in a place thousands of miles from her friends and family. Seventeen-year-old Klovning came to Lawrence this year from Mordfgordeid, Norway to attend Lawrence High as a foreign exchange student.
Aquahawks take on extreme challenge: By Courtney Hagen; November 15, 2006; Most swimmers spend hours upon hours in the pool perfecting one or two strokes to swim in a fast paced race to victory. For the Lawrence Aquahawks, that technique was a different story this weekend. Over 250 swimmers hit the starting block over the weekend for the first ever Aquahawks I.M. Xtreme (or IMX) Challenge meet.
New volleyball team draws hopefuls to Southwest: By Courtney Hagen; November 8, 2006; Saturday Teri Huslig stood in a gym full of people and flying volleyballs. She quickly deflected the balls off her arms, knees and feet. Huslig fought fatigue from a basketball game earlier in the day, but stuck it out for nearly two hours in hopes of making it onto a brand new volleyball team.
Soccer stirs passion among area youth: By Courtney Hagen; October 25, 2006; Teenagers that jumped on the soccer bandwagon at a young age have reaped the benefits of having years of experience in the sport as game competition increases. Thirteen-year-old Jackson Mercer, who plays for the Kansas Soccer Academy Renegades has played since his parents signed him up for recreation leagues when he was in kindergarten.
Area soccer organization hopes to get foothold for the future: By Courtney Hagen; October 18, 2006; Five-year-old Anna D’Ercole teeters down the soccer field at Youth Sports Inc. wearing the baggy and sagging jersey of her older sister, Alex. Carefree and laughing, not always sure of the real direction or point of the game, Anna and her friends are there to have fun. Outfitted to emulate their older siblings on the field, these pint-sized soccer players are only beginning to learn the value of the game.
Fall baseball provides players with boost for the next level: By Courtney Hagen; October 11, 2006; The Holcom fall baseball season will end this weekend. Instead of a tournament or trophy to mark a victorious season, league players will walk away with seven weeks worth of new knowledge and skills.
Lawrence youth among many who stood tall at triathlon: By Courtney Hagen; September 27, 2006; When Zach Andregg hit the starting block at the pool at the Lawrence Aquatic Center during the IronKids triathlon Sept. 17, he was prepared.
Longtime Cougars coach still enjoys his role: By Courtney Hagen; September 27, 2006; Coach Chuck Newman has volunteered thousands of hours over the past 40 years coaching the Lawrence Cougars youth football team.
IronKids participant lives up to the name: By Courtney Hagen; September 27, 2006; The IronKids Triathlon Sportsmanship award went to 7-year-old Matthew Solcher last weekend. Not necessarily because he was the quickest or the strongest, but because he kept going.
Kaw Valley soccer kicks off Club season: By Courtney Hagen; August 30, 2006; The Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. opened its Club and Recreation seasons on Saturday at Youth Sports Inc. The festivities, however, almost did not happen.

Recent photos

Kenton Knowles, a home builder and designer, stands inside what he calls his "Tom Thumb" home. The 120-square-foot building is made almost completely out of recycled materials. It also has passive solar heating and a solar panel on the roof.

Bell Schwartz, left, and Olivia Schonewise prepare for the ball during a drill at the Lawrence MAVs 12 and under team try-out on Saturday at Southwest Junior High School. Fourteen players tried out for the new team, nine were selected to play.

Kiley Mosiman passes the volleyball with a teammate from the Lawrence MAVs 14 and under team. Mosiman wa son hand at Southwest Junior High School on Saturday to assist with try-outs for the new 12 and under Lawrence MAVs team.

The U9 Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. Pink Panthers try to defend their goal as Angels players challenge it. The Pink Panthers and Angels played each other on Saturday at Youth Sports Inc.

The U9 Kaw Valley Soccer Assn. Angels (red) and Pink Panthers (blue) battle it out on the field during their season opener game on Saturday. The two teams played at Youth Sports Inc.

Full photo list