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Chief apologizes over Sterling shooting

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 10:23am

Associated Press

A Louisiana police chief apologized Thursday to his city and to the family of a black man shot and killed by a former police officer in 2016, saying the officer should have never been hired.
During a news conference, Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul and a police lawyer detailed repeated problems with Officer Blane Salamoni that they said should have raised red flags long before Alton Sterling was shot and killed.
Paul was not the chief during the shooting, which launched days of protests over police treatment of black people.
In particular, the lawyer, Lee Hamilton, said Salamoni had been arrested for a physical altercation prior to joining the police department, which normally would have prevented him from being hired. He also failed to disclose his arrest in his application, Hamilton said.
The chief said the Sterling shooting was part of a well-documented pattern of “unprofessional behavior, police violence, marginalization, polarization and implicit bias by a man who should have never ever wore this uniform.”
“I want to apologize to the family of Alton Sterling and also to his kids. We’re sorry because he (Salamoni) should’ve never been hired,” Paul said.
Salamoni and officer Howie Lake II encountered Sterling after responding to a report of a man with a gun outside the Triple S Food Mart.
Federal authorities, who opened a civil rights investigation immediately after the shooting, said Salamoni yelled that 37-year-old Sterling was reaching for a gun in his pocket before shooting him. The officers recovered a loaded revolver from Sterling’s pocket.
Lake helped wrestle Sterling to the ground, but didn’t fire his gun.
The shooting death came at a time of intense scrutiny across the country over the treatment of black people by police.
Two cellphone videos of the shooting quickly spread on social media, leading to nightly protests.
Many of the protesters complained about historic tensions between Baton Rouge police and the city’s African American residents. The police chief addressed those concerns Thursday, acknowledging past problems with law enforcement behavior.
“While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future. And I sincerely apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in building barriers in communities of color in the city of Baton Rouge,” Paul said.
Both state and federal officials declined to prosecute the officers, but Salamoni was fired in March 2018.
He appealed and under a settlement announced Thursday, he’ll be allowed to voluntarily resign retroactive to March 2018 instead of being fired. He will not receive any compensation, Hamilton said. And Paul emphasized that he’ll never police city streets again.
Hamilton listed numerous problems discovered about Salamoni during the investigation. Hamilton said Salamoni regularly used profanity and unnecessary force during his work.
He even had problems with other officers. In one instance, Hamilton said Salamoni had a “blow up” with another officer that was so troublesome it caused another officer to say that if something wasn’t done about Salamoni, he could “eventually kill someone.”
“What became apparent from all the evidence presented to the chief was that Mr. Salomoni had a propensity for acting outside of the standards established by the BRPD for command of temper and use of force,” Hamilton said.

Rotary Club happenings

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 10:21am

Submitted Photo
Morgan City Rotary Club members heard at a recent luncheon from Maya Madise, a current Morgan City Rotary Club Scholarship recipient, about her college life. Shown from left are Madise and Jakob Dworaczyk, Morgan City Rotary Club president.

Teche Eucharistic Procession slated for Aug. 15

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 10:19am

The fifth annual Eucharistic Procession down Bayou Teche will take place on Thursday, Aug. 15. The date is important for Roman Catholics as it is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, patroness of the Acadian people and of Acadiana.
It is also a day that marks the 254th anni versary of the arrival of French-Canadian immigrants who brought the Catholic faith to Acadiana after enduring great trials and suffering. Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC, organizer of the event, notes that “having a Eucharistic Procession by boat on the waters of the Teche rather than by foot in the streets makes a lot of sense. Fête-Dieu du Teche on the Feast of the Assumption recalls our rich Acadian history and, in a way, re-enacts the journey made by the Acadians 250 years ago.” The Acadians were persecuted for their Catholic faith and sent into exile from Nova Scotia. Many ended up settling in Louisiana. Fr. Champagne explains that having a boat procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of the Assumption involving priests, religious, and laity is basically what happened in 1765.
“In order to serve the Acadian settlers in the Attakapas district, Fr. Jean-Louis de Civrey accompanied the Acadians on their journey down the Bayou Teche. Fr. Civrey became the first resident priest. In his records, Fr. Civrey refers to his new home as “la Nouvelle Acadie” and his new parish “l’Église des Attakapas (Attakapas Church)” and later, “l’Église St-Martin de Tours (St. Martin de Tours Church)”. It is believed that St. Martinville is named after the Church. Having the Catholic Priest accompany the Acadians on their journey to Acadiana is indicative of our ancestors’ great allegiance to their Catholic Faith, especially the Eucharist and Our Lady. Fête-Dieu du Teche today relives that original experi-ence of the Acadians.”
Hundreds will travel by boat to celebrate this occasion in honoring the Blessed Sacrament and the Acadian heritage. Last year the event was held on the Vermilion River to help celebrate 2 the centennial of the Diocese of Lafayette. Thousands traveled from throughout Louisiana and beyond to participate in the event. Many participated in the Eucharistic Procession by boat and others traveling by car and gathering along the banks of the bayou at the various stops. Fr. Jeremy Zipple, SJ traveled from New York to do a documentary on the Fête in 2017. He recounts, “I found the whole thing incredibly moving. It was beautiful to see an entire town coming together for prayer. It’s a sense of communal identity we just don’t see much any-more in the Western world.” Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, D.D., a native son of Acadiana and the current Bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette, will begin this year’s event by celebrating the Mass of the Assumption in French at St. Leo the Great Church in Leonville at 8 am.
The Solemnity of the As-sumption of the Blessed Vir gin Mary (August 15), is a very important feast in the Catholic Church, but espe-cially for the Diocese of Lafayette. It is the Feast of the Acadians who settled here in 1765. The Acadians originally sailed to Nouvelle-Écosse (Nova Scotia) under the star of Our Lady of the Assumption and again during the Grand Dérangement. The Acadian flag, both Canadian and Louisiana Acadian, highlights the centrality of Our Lady of the Assumption for the Acadian people. The gold star on a white field represents “Our Lady of the Assumption”, Patroness of the Acadians. When the first settlers departed France for the New World, the Virgin Mary was highly revered. It was a period of great devotion to the Virgin. The King of France, Louis XIII, and Pope Pius XI declared the Virgin Mary the pa-troness of the kingdom, (Patronne de Royaume) and Patroness Saint of all the Acadians in Canada, Louisiana and elsewhere. On August 15, 1638, France and her colonies were consecrated to Mary under the title “Our Lady of the Assumption”.
Fr. Michael Champagne, CJC, the organizer of the unique event, explains that during Fȇte-Dieu du Teche “the Blessed Sacrament will be fixed on an altar on the lead boat under a canopy, with a pair of adorers in adoration be-tween the towns visited. Another boat will carry the statue of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Eucharistic Procession will stop and disembark at makeshift altars along the Bayou Teche for recitation of the Rosary and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. For those who are unable to participate by boat, all are invited to join for Mass at St. Leo the Great in Leonville at 8 am and then to drive and gather at any of the planned stops along the banks behind the various churches along Bayou Teche. Priests will be available at each stop for Confessions.”
Bishop Douglas Deshotel, who will begin the day with a French Mass of the Assumption at St. Leo the Great in Leonville, notes, “I have been edified by the devotion and participation of so many priests, deacons, religious and lay faithful. I think such a public Eucharistic celebration is an excellent manifestation of the new evangelization that we so desperately need.”
Bishop Glen Provost, a native son of the Diocese of Lafayette and bishop of Lafayette’s daughter diocese, the Diocese of Lake Charles, reflecting on Fête-Dieu du Teche says, “Let us remember that the Acadians and French who first settled in our area were Catholic, and in the case of the Acadians were expelled from Nova Scotia primarily because they were Catholic.
It is our history we remember. It is our faith we celebrate. It is our Lord we adore and worship.” Fr. Champagne adds, “We need a day that is a true ‘feast day,’ in the old sense of the word - a holiday that’s truly a Holy Day … where we can really, all day long, have a feast day. Such is our celebration Fête-Dieu du Teche!” In his homily at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church last year Bishop Provost quoted Lafayette’s second bishop, Bishop Mau-rice Schexnayder who pre-dicted, “The waters of the Teche will be drained to the ground before the people of Acadiana lose their Catholic Faith.” Such a large throng of faithful gathering on the Feast of the Assumption for Fête-Dieu du Teche points to the veracity of the good bishop’s prophecy.
To register a boat for the procession, send an email to fetedieuduteche@gmail.com or download a registration form at http://www.fetedieuduteche.org/registration19.pdf Once the registration form is completed and waivers signed, either mail them to 103 Railroad Ave., St. Martinville LA 70582 or scan the completed forms and email them to the above email address as an attachment. The boat coordinator will contact you with details. The procession will travel at about 8 mph and thus only motorized vessels are allowed. Catholic schools are encouraged to send their students or a representative group to be present at the opening French Mass in Leonville with Bish-op Deshotel, at one or more of the stops along the procession, and especially to participate in the final foot procession in St. Martinville. Church parishes, ecclesial movements, KC and St. Peter Claver councils, Catholic schools, etc. are encouraged to register a boat and decorate it accordingly.
Pope Francis Grants Fête-Dieu du Teche Participants
Plenary Indulgence
Pope Francis, through his Grand Penitentiary, His Eminence Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, has granted a ple-nary indulgence to partici-pants of FȇteDieu du Teche on August 15, 2019.
The indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly participate in the opening Mass at St. Leo the Great in Leonville, to those making the procession by boat down the Teche, and to those who participate at the various stations along the bayou in the recitation of the Marian Rosary and Benediction.
This grant is under the normal conditions which means that the faithful must intend to gain the indulgence, perform one of the indulgenced acts as given above, be in the state of grace and have received the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Penance within 20 days, receive Holy Communion, pray for the Holy Father’s intention, and be free from all attachment to sin, mortal and venial.
For more information, visit the website www.fetedieuduteche.org or Fete-Dieu du Teche on Facebook.

Itinerary for Eucharistic Boat Procession on Bayou Teche
Thursday, Aug. 15
(Feast of the Assumption of Mary)
8 a.m. Holy Mass in French with Bishop John Douglas Deshotel, D.D. at St. Leo the Great Church, Leonville
9 a.m. Procession from St. Leo’s to Leonville boat land-ing
9:30 a.m. Boat Procession departs
10:20 a.m. Arrive at Ar-naudville and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
11:45 a.m. Arrive at Cecilia and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
1:35 p.m. Arrive at Breaux Bridge and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
3:15 p.m. Arrive at Parks and disembark for Rosary and Benediction
4:45 p.m. Flotilla arrives at St. Martinville; Foot Procession to Notre Dame de Perpetuel Secours for Benediction
5 p.m. Procession from Notre Dame to St. Martin de Tours Church for Benediction
5:30 p.m. Procession down Main Street to Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel for Solemn Vespers & Final Benediction
6 p.m. Solemn Vespers and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at Mater Dolorosa Chapel
** Confessions will be available at all stops in mobile units along the Procession

Jim Bradshaw: Even early birds were too late for Hadacol show

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 10:10am

By JIM BRADSHAW

Hadacol made history in Lafayette on Sunday, Sept. 3, 1950, when its Good Will Caravan staged the biggest show the town had ever seen, and also created its worst traffic jam.
The first of two shows was at a packed Blackham Coliseum, where “would-be early birds” found they weren’t early enough, according to Laurraine Goreau’s account in the Lafayette Advertiser. “A good-humored crowd of 12,000” had already filled the seats.
All of them came in cars, “all choking every main route,” Goreau wrote. “Some folks never did get there — ‘cause they learned while still technically en route that a second show was going to be given in the Southwestern Louisiana Institute stadium. That reversed the flow, with enough cross-currents to rival the Mississippi.” The crowd that made it to the old McNaspy Stadium “overflowed seating and walking space and spilled over to the student stand on the opposite side.”
All it took to get in either show was a box top from Dudley LeBlanc’s elixir, that, according to testimonials published in a month-long build-up to the show, would cure practically any ailment.
“Before I started taking Hadacol I was troubled with colds,” said “a pretty young girl” from Ville Platte. “What Hadacol has done for me is amazing.” A businessman from Kansas was “generally run down,” but, after only his fourth bottle of Hadacol, his “energy and vitality” returned so much that he could do a day’s work, then fish until midnight. Just three bottles of the stuff were all a Baton Rouge lady needed to calm her nerves, gain weight and regain her lost appetite. A Nashville mother testified, “My four-year-old son had little appetite and his cheeks were pale. He now takes Hadacol and his cheeks are rosy and he has a wonderful appetite.”
Local stores did their part, advertising sales on Hadacol to make the coveted box tops easier to get. At Walgreen’s the big bottle, normally sold at $3.50, was on sale for $3.39; the $1.25 size went for $1.19. Either box top got you into the shows.
Film star Mickey Rooney was billed as the big attraction to the shows. Other performers were “the popular hillbilly star” Roy Acuff, country comedienne Minnie Pearl, Sharkey’s Dixie Land Band, “and 30 other great performers.”
The crowd loved them all, but, according to Goreau, “they gave their hearts to Connee Boswell ... a vivid personality, a voice like honey [that] poured both smooth and hot, all from a native Louisianan who had triumphed over physical infirmity by ignoring it.”
Boswell was crippled by polio as a child and sang from a wheelchair. She was actually a native of Kansas City, but was reared in New Orleans, where she began a career as a jazz vocalist. She was said to have been a major influence on the great Ella Fitzgerald.
At the SLI stadium, “despite the fact that the stage consisted of the beds of two trucks parked end to end, the troupers gave a show that made up in zest what it lacked in trappings.”
When it was all done. LeBlanc, “jubilant over the reception Lafayette gave Hadacol” promised, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” He’d announced at the beginning of August that he was retiring from active participation in Louisiana politics to devote more time to his business, “because almost 600 people depend upon me for the best livelihood they have ever enjoyed.”
After the Lafayette shows he promised that in 1951 he was going to “charter a streamliner train of 25 or 30, or even more, cars” for the caravan.
He said he would spend $1.5 million “for the greatest show on [train] wheels” and that he would go “even to two million or three million if developments warrant it.”
He did charter the train in 1951, but, alas, it turned out that developments didn’t warrant it.
Almost exactly a year after the big Lafayette show, LeBlanc announced he’d sold his magic tonic, and only a few weeks later the new owners said the caravan, then touring in Iowa, would remove “free riders” from the train.
The tour was scheduled to continue through Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas before returning to Louisiana, but was canceled completely only a week after the first announcement.
It seemed there were a few debts to be paid before it could resume.
But that wasn’t LeBlanc’s problem any more. Freed from his business responsibilities, he “unretired” from politics to run for governor against Earl Long, Hale Boggs, Bill Dodd and some other colorful politicians in a campaign that turned out to be almost as entertaining as the Hadacol caravan.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, "Cajuns and Other Characters," is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

WILBUR CARTER

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 9:36am

Wilbur Carter, 60, a native of Jeanerette, La. and a resident of Houston, Texas, assed away Monday, July 29, 2019.
Visitation will be on Saturday, August 3, 2019 at 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Jones Funeral Home Chapel in Jeanerette with funeral services beginning at 11 a.m. Interment at Our Lady of The Rosary Cemetery in Jeanerette.
Mr. Carter is survived by a sister, Carolyn Carter Hall, two brothers, Nelson (Rebecca) Carter and Donald (Sharon) Carter.
A host of nieces, nephews and relatives.
He was preceded by his mother, his father, and a sister.
Visit jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.

MARILYN ANN PATRIZIO

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 9:36am

Marilyn Ann Patrizio, 82, of Knoxville, Tennessee formerly of Franklin, Louisiana passed away Friday, July 26, 2019. She was a long time member of Sacred Heart Cathedral. Marilyn spent her life working in child care and retired from Knox County School System after 20 years of service. She was an avid square dancer and camper, and was member of the K Town Campers.
Preceded in death by her husband Angelo Patrizio, parents Clisme and Mildred Chauvin, sister Vera Cormier and brother C.T. Chauvin.
Survivors inlcude children Shanda O’Neil and husband Tom, Shawn Scarbrough and husband Alan, Charles Comeaux and Chad Comeaux, grandchildren Ben Ashe, Mac Scarbrough and Delaney Scarbrough, and great grandchildren Gabriel Scarbrough, Isaac Hall, Lucy and Sophie Ashe. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Beverly Chauvin of Franklin, Louisiana.
The family received friends Sunday, July 28, 2019 followed by a Rosary Service at Berry Highland Memorial, 5315 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37919. Family and friends gathered Monday, July, 29, 2019 for an Interment Service. Friends and relatives may leave their thoughts and memories at: www.berryhighlandmemorial.com

HOWARD JAMES BODIN SR.

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 9:35am

August 3, 1940 - July 30, 2019
Memorial services for Howard James Bodin Sr. will be held Monday, August 5, 2019, at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Franklin. Rev. Chad Hebert will conduct the service. A gathering of family and friends will be held at the church Monday beginning at 9 a.m.
Howard, a native and lifelong resident of Franklin, was born on Saturday, August 3, 1940, the fifth of six children born to Edward Bodin Sr. and Emily Bodin, and passed away at the age of 78 on Tuesday, July 30, 2019, just four days shy of his 79 birthday. He was a veteran of the United States Army, having honorably served in the Vietnam War. He retired in 1995 from Texaco following 30 years of service, and also worked for himself for most of his life as an electrician. He especially enjoyed visiting with friends over coffee at many of the local “Coffee Clubs” and loved watching old Westerns.
Survivors include his wife, Sue Hebert Bodin; his son, Howard James Bodin Jr. and his wife Caryn; his daughter, Denise Bodin; his daughter, Kristy Bodin; three grandchildren, Hayley Hiles, Timothy “TJ” Hiles Jr., and Hannah Bodin; his brother, Michael Bodin and his wife Elodie; his sister, Audrey Minor and her husband Gerald; sister-in-law, Micki Bodin Young and her husband Karl; and numerous nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward J. Bodin Sr. and Emily Hebert Bodin; and his brother, Edward J. “Ed” Bodin Jr., his infant brother, Olan Bodin; and an infant sister.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that memorial donations be made to First Baptist Church, PO Box 1147, Franklin, La. 70538.
A heartfelt thank you is extended by the Bodin family to Dr. Steven McPherson, the staff of Franklin Foundation Hospital, and the staff of Franklin Health Care Center for their loving care given in his time of need.
Family and friends may view the obituary and express their condolences online by visiting www.iberts.com.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Ibert’s Mortuary, Inc., 1007 Main Street, Franklin, La. 70538, (337) 828-5426.

LSU is No. 6 in Amway Coaches Top 25 football poll

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 9:19am

The Associated Press

The preseason Amway Top 25 football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, final 2018 records, total points based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th, and last year’s final ranking:
Record Pts Pvs.
1. Clemson (59) 15-0 1619 1
2. Alabama (6) 14-1 1566 2
3. Georgia 11-3 1447 8
4. Oklahoma 12-2 1415 4
5. Ohio State 13-1 1368 3
6. LSU 10-3 1218 7
7. Michigan 10-3 1155 14
8. Florida 10-3 1103 6
9. Notre Dame 12-1 1100 5
10. Texas 10-4 1038 9
11. Texas A&M 9-4 893 16
12. Washington 10-4 834 13
13. Oregon 9-4 787 NR
14. Penn State 9-4 699 17
15. Utah 9-5 642 NR
16. Auburn 8-5 606 NR
17. UCF 12-1 436 12
17. Wisconsin 8-5 436 NR
19. Iowa 9-4 343 NR
20. Michigan State 7-6 313 NR
21. Washington State 11-2 274 10
22. Syracuse 10-3 227 15
23. Stanford 9-4 200 NR
24. Iowa State 8-5 169 NR
25. Northwestern 9-5 161 19

Others Receiving Votes: Nebraska 152, Boise State 118, Mississippi State 111, Miami 94, Army 91, Kentucky 79, Virginia Tech 64, TCU 63, Southern Cal 47, Utah State 32, Fresno State 32, Virginia 30, Cincinnati 25, West Virginia 24, Memphis 24, Oklahoma State 20, South Carolina 15, N.C. State 12, Duke 10, Boston College 5, Appalachian State 4, Baylor 4, Florida State 4, Houston 3, North Texas 3, UCLA 2, Temple 2, Arizona State 2, Minnesota 1, Mississippi 1, Tennessee 1, Troy 1.

NCAA unveils new enforcement arm with outside investigators

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 9:11am

By RALPH D. RUSSO, AP College Sports Writer

The NCAA introduced Thursday a new arm of rules enforcement made up of independent investigators, advocates and decision-makers to handle complex cases involving serious infractions.
Creating a new process for dealing with some high-profile infractions cases was one of several recommendations made last year by the Rice Commission on college basketball. The commission, created in response to an FBI investigation into college basketball recruiting, concluded the NCAA’s existing investigation and enforcement structure was rife with potential and perceived conflicts of interest.
The current investigative process relies on schools self-reporting and self-investigating. The committee on infractions, which determines whether schools should be penalized and how, is made up of high-ranking administrators from NCAA member schools and conferences.
The Independent Accountability Reso-lution Process will be comprised of four groups, including the Complex Case Unit, which will conduct investigations and provide representation for schools and individuals accused of violations. Among those chosen for the CCU were former FBI Director Louis Freeh, who investigated the role of Penn State officials in the Jerry Sandusky child sexual-abuse scandal, and attorney Tom Mars, who has recently helped several high-profile football players gain immediate eligibility from the NCAA after transferring.
The Independent Resolution Panel will conduct hearings, decide whether violations occurred and hand down penalties. The panel has 15 members that will work in groups of five on cases referred to the Independent Account-ability Resolution Process.
“The folks that were identified that will serve in these different capacities ... will all be individuals who have no direct affiliation with any NCAA member schools,” Naima Stevenson Starks, the NCAA’s vice president of hearing operations, told the AP.
“Although this is not a legal process, we do have individuals that have legal backgrounds. Arbitrators, particularly for those individuals that will be the adjudicators in this process,” she said. “We’ve got a few folks that are former student-athletes so they will have some perspective on athletics and that experience at a college campus, but no one who was closely linked in time with a direct affiliation with college athletics.
“We do have a few individuals who may have had some direct involvement either at the national office or in the membership, but it would have been a good amount of time since that experience was relevant.”
Members of the Resolution Panel will serve yet to be determined terms, likely ranging from 2-4 years. Stevenson Starks said the goal is to have some experienced members on the panel to complement new members.
Stevenson Starks said a request for proposal was used to solicit firms and investigative entities that had an interest in joining the Complex Case Unit. A search firm was used to identify candidates to serve on the Resolution Panel.
“There will be orientation to appropriately position all the various folks that will be involved with the Independent Account-ability Resolution Process to try to get them up to speed,” Stevenson Starks said. “On the one hand the independence was of the utmost importance, but it also leads into the need for some additional ramp up since these folks will have not been familiar with the operation of college athletics and the rules adopted by the membership.”
All potential infractions cases still will be initiated by schools or NCAA enforcement. There are three ways to request a case be moved to IARP.
“A school that is involved in an in infractions matter in the existing structure could request to have their case removed to the independent structure. The vice president of enforcement can make that request as well. And the last entity that can refer a case is the (Division I) committee on infractions,” Stevenson Starks said.
A five-member Infractions Referral Committee will determine whether cases will be moved out of the traditional enforcement process.

U.S. boxing captain Fuchs fights back after bout with disorder

Fri, 08/02/2019 - 8:58am

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO, The Associated Press

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Ask U.S. boxing team captain Virginia Fuchs about her toughest fight and she’ll tell you it was far from a ring.
She felt the knockout in her mind and it was a long count. In boxing it’s only 10 seconds that can sometimes seem like a lifetime. Here, it lasted a whole month, and it was only at a hospital where she regained her feet.
Fuchs is back in the ring at the Pan American Games in Peru’s capital less than six months after she received in-patient treatment for a bout of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a condition in which a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive behavior.
“Boxing is the peace, the easy part of my life,” Fuchs told The Associated Press after she won a fight on Tuesday and advanced to the final in the flyweight category. “I know that sounds funny, but yeah, outside the ring is the challenge in my life.”
The 31-year-old spent February at a hospital. It could have been longer, she says, but the Pan Am Games were in her sight since she began boxing 10 years ago.
In the ring in Lima, she has felt light, at ease, at last standing on a solid base. She moved quickly and threw sharp punches against Venezuela’s Irsimar Cardozo, and after the fight, she raised her arms in victory while The Beach Boys’ “Surfin’ USA” blared from the arena’s speakers. She even stopped to high-five the crowd in the stands and take selfies. Sometimes, though, she still feels pain.
“I’m still struggling with my OCD today. But the treatment did help in teaching me some skills just to help when I’m in a really tough situation. It kind of brought me back so I could get a hold on it,” Fuchs said clenching her fists covered with tape.
Fuchs grew up in Houston and tried all sorts of sports. Her dad taught her how to water ski and she joined the swim team. She also played softball, soccer, basketball and volleyball. She got into running in high school. On her first track meet in freshman year, she broke her school record in the one mile and two mile race. She then ran cross-country for Louisiana State University. In her freshman year, she met a professional boxer who took her to a gym to practice her first punches. The coach saw potential and knew she’d go far.
When the Inter-national Olympic Comm-ittee announced in 2010 that they were including women’s boxing in the program for the London Games in 2012, she moved back home.
“I started training for my Olympic dream and built my way up to becoming number one,” she said. To focus fully, she moved to the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. The training paid off when she won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
Then, she took her winning streak to the Olympic test event in Rio de Janeiro, where she won gold, and nearly made it to Rio 2016.
“Even though I won the Olympic trials there’s that second qualification process ... the International qualification process and that’s why I came short,” she said. “That was really devastating because I came so close.”
Last year, she won the bronze medal at the world championships and at this year’s Pan Am’s, she regarded as the U.S. team’s top boxer. Now she’s going for more: “Since I haven’t made it to the Olympics yet, I decided to go for Tokyo.”
Boxing remains her salvation and joy.
“I feel so relaxed here,” she said smiling. She wiped sweat from her face and later fixed blue socks embroidered with the American flag and the letters of her alma mater of LSU.
“When I’m in the ring, all those OCD thoughts, all the struggle in my life outside the ring is gone,” she said. “That’s why boxing brings me happiness, and I really don’t know where I would be without it.”
Fuchs also credits the support of her family and her teammates, who lovingly call their captain “the pirate” when she tells them that they’re all on a journey to find gold.
“My parents are so excited. I’m sure they’re going crazy right now. They knew that I came here to get gold - everybody knows I’m going to get gold. I’m the pirate! Silver is ok, but I need gold in my treasure chest!” she said laughingly.
On the road to Tokyo 2020, she said she also wants to fight to help break the stigma associated with OCD and other mental illnesses.
“There are people who are struggling with OCD and any mental health and they should know that they’re not alone,” she said.
“You can still be successful, conquer your dreams and do anything. You just got to remember that every day is not going to be easy. You’re going to have hard days, but if you always believe in yourself, you’ll make it through.”