Column: Help my former coach in the fight for his life

This From the Sidelines column appeared in the July 25, 2018 print edition of the News Journal…

I have mentioned before that I was a member of the North Laurel Jaguars football team back in the early-to-mid-2000s, when Corbin’s own Greg Duncum was serving as head coach.

Years later, I have found myself in the position of covering Corbin High School athletics for the News Journal while Coach Duncum is back in red and white as a member of the Redhounds’ football coaching staff. It’s been a cool experience getting to see him on Friday nights again during the past several seasons, but I recently heard the bad news that he is now fighting for his life against a form of cancer known as myeloma.

Of course, this was very troubling to hear, and I am certainly hoping and praying that Coach Duncum will successfully kick this disease’s butt. I’ve been seeing some social media posts lately where he has been undergoing treatments, and he seems to be in good spirits. That is very encouraging to see. Hang in there, coach! We all know you can do this!

As for how you can help support Coach Duncum in this fight, Mr. Ethan Cima has designed a t-shirt that is currently available to purchase at Southern Glitz Boutique on Master Street in Corbin. I encourage everyone who is able to go by the shop, speak to Madison or Bailee O’Kuma, and tell them that you’d like your #TeamDuncum shirt. They can be made in any size, and all of the proceeds will be donated to helping Coach Duncum through this difficult process.

Again, I was very sorry to learn that my former coach was going through this, but I also know that he’ll continue to do whatever it takes to overcome the situation and continue to be with us for many, many years to come. I would like to personally wish him the best of luck, and let him know that if there is anything I can do for him, I’d be more than happy to help.

Before I wrap up this week’s column I would like to mention just a couple of other things. First, congratulations again to the 12U Corbin baseball All-Stars on making it back to the state championship tournament in 2018. It ended up not going our way in the end, but just making it is a big honor. I hope that all of this year’s All-Stars are very proud of what they accomplished together this summer. They certainly should be.

Also, just a quick reminder that the 2018 NIBROC festival is just around the corner. As always, many fun events are being planned, so if you’d like to be involved go ahead and see what you need to do about getting signed up. Be sure to contact us here at the News Journal offices about playing in either our annual cornhole or 3-on-3 basketball tournaments. We look forward to seeing you there!

Finally, with August just days away, we are getting very close to the kickoff of a new high school football season. I believe I mentioned this in last week’s column, but I’ll say it again just in case you missed it – our annual high school football season preview section will be included in the August 15 edition. I hope you’ll check it out, and see what each of our coverage area teams can expect in the weeks and months ahead.

That’s all for this week. Remember to head over to Southern Glitz and ask about your #TeamDuncum shirts. Until next time, thanks for reading and I’ll see you on the sidelines!