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Articles by Steve Kirk
Memphis Grizzlies: Fan perspective on the big talking points
Grizzlies superfan Steve Kirk assesses the 2021-22 season for his team, and then casts an eye ahead to the 2022-23 campaign for Memphis. Where my love for the NBA and the Grizzlies came from... I travelled to America with my brother in 2014 with very little interest or knowledge of basketball. My main reason for travelling was to see some NFL (New Orleans Saints) and college football (Mississippi State Bulldogs).
Bartlow's Dread Machine - Original Soundtrack, by Steve Kirk
released September 29, 2020 Bartlow's Dread Machine game created by Clayton Kauzlaric Published by Beep Games, Inc. Developed by Tribetoy and Beep Games, Inc.
Love Walsall
You can hate the Baggies, you can hate the Blues, you can hate the Wolves; as Villa supporters that is expected of you but you are required to love the Saddlers. That is the law. I have no idea whether the feeling is ever reciprocated because I havent spoken to a Walsall supporter for at least fifteen years, but somehow I rather doubt it. The last one I spoke to did not like our condescending attitude towards them, which I am about to tell you about.
Diving deep into restorative aquaculture
How tech is transforming our understanding of the ecological benefits delivered by New England’s renowned shellfish farming sector “If you like the taste of a lobster stew, served by a window with an ocean view…” (Old Cape Cod, by Patti Page – 1957) When it comes to famous seafood regions of the world, it doesn’t get much more iconic than New England.
Intersection: National Veterans Wheelchair Games
The National Veterans Wheelchair Games wraps up this weekend at the Orange County Convention Center. The games includes sports like Quad Rugby, an already contact-heavy sport, and that does not change with wheelchairs in the mix. “They did a documentary on it called ‘Murderball’ and now you know why,” says Steve Kirk, president of the Central Florida chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Each year, the National Veterans Wheelchair Games brings in two new sports.
How a Common Language for Cyber Threats Boosts Security
Steve Kirk is the vice president of federal at Fortinet. Cyberattacks are increasing in frequency, and government agencies are under constant attack. This nonstop assault is facilitated by the rapidly growing complexity of today’s networks. Cloud-based services, internet-of-things devices, bring-your-own-device programs and wireless connectivity have dramatically expanded the threat landscape, creating a greater number and diversity of vulnerabilities.
Lakers win defensive struggle on the road over Spartans
CONNEAUT — The manner in which the Conneaut Spartans and Pymatuning Valley Lakers boys’ basketball teams have begun there seasons have been a polar opposite of one another.The Lakers dispatched Badger in their season opener by 21 points, while the Spartans were on the wrong end of a 37-point rout.When the teams took the floor Tuesday evening at Conneaut High School, though, it ended up being a close game, with the Lakers eking out a 46-38 victory.
Falcons fall to Tigers
JEFFERSON — The Jefferson Falcons girls basketball team may have lost more than just their season opener Thursday evening at Jefferson High School.The Falcons fell 50-39 to the Newton Falls Tigers and in the process lost their returning leading scorer from last season team, Maddie Bean.“Early in the game, the girls got demoralized a bit losing Maddie (Bean) with a knee injury.” Jefferson coach Steve Locy said.
Peoples, defense lead Geneva past Lakeside
SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP – After a disappointing, 30-29 season opening loss to Willoughby South on Saturday, the Geneva Eagles girls basketball team looked to rebound Wednesday evening as they traveled to Lakeside High School to face the Dragons.The Eagles did so, soaring to a 64-19 victory Lakeside, led by a ferocious pressure defense.Against South the Eagles turned the ball over 32 times, compared to just 10 against the Dragons.
Fast start carries Spartans past Dragons in season opener
CONNEAUT — The Conneaut Spartans girls basketball team opened the season in fine style on Friday night.The Spartans started the contest playing a 3-2 zone defense that gave the Lakeside Dragons fits, en route to a 55-38 win.Conneaut forced turnovers and got out into transition, producing quality looks at the basket. The result was a 16-2 lead after one period of play.
Moving up the ranks
AKRON — Cory Morrow has come a long way since graduating in 2012.Morrow, a first team All-County performer in his senior season at Geneva High School, had some interest from some smaller universities, but Akron stood out.“I had some interest from some smaller Division II schools right away,” he said.
Four county teams play in preview at Edgewood
ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP – For those who wanted to get a glimpse of girls' basketball before the regular season started, Edgewood High School was the place to be on Saturday night.Conneaut, Grand Valley and St. John and Edgewood competed in the fourth annual basketball preview.The preview included every team getting the opportunity to face each other teams in attendance, which resulted in six total contests.
Leading the way | Local Sports | starbeacon.com
CLEVELAND — Caroline Lapish and Shelbie Sporcich played integral roles for the Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) cross country team this season.Lapish, of Madison and Sporcich, of Edgewood, led the Challengers during NJCAA Cross Country National Final Saturday at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas.The freshmen were the school’s top two runners as Tri-C posted 12th in the team standings.
4 Key Areas to Consider When Solving the Cybersecurity Talent Gap
Steve Kirk is vice president of federal at Fortinet. He is a cybersecurity professional with 17 years of experience, 11 of them with Fortinet. Prior to Fortinet, he worked for network security company Secure Computing, 3Com and Foundry. Kirk has 26 years of experience supporting the U.S. federal sector. He is a graduate of Radford University.
Bridging the cybersecurity talent gap
According to the Cybersecurity Jobs Report, there will be 1.5 million global cybersecurity openings by 2019. This shortfall is fueled in part by efforts to combat the dramatic increase in cybercrime, as well as by the constantly shifting the security landscape that makes finding qualified individuals for critical roles difficult. The talent shortfall is a known quantity, but the solution to this crisis is unclear. Why? It’s a known unknown, as Donald Rumsfeld might say.
Agriculture closes offices in 5 states after threats
The USDA facility pictured above houses the office of the secretary, not one of the offices closed Aug. 30 due to threats. WASHINGTON (AP) — The Agriculture Department has closed offices in five states after receiving anonymous threats. USDA spokesman Matthew Herrick says in a statement on Tuesday that the department had received "several anonymous messages" that raised concerns about the safety of USDA personnel and facilities. He said six offices are closed until further notice.
FedRAMP surveys users on vendor prioritization
The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) is evolving how it selects vendors to provide security assessments, authorizations and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services, and is offering an online survey to get feedback before it finalizes its criteria for prioritization.
Selecting the right valve to fight fugitive emissions
Limiting leakage of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from valves is a business imperative for chemical manufacturers. Process plants must curb such emissions to comply with increasingly stringent regulations, and to protect workers, communities and the environment as well as the company’s bottom line and reputation.
Forestall Fugitive Emissions
Limiting leakage of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from valves is a business imperative for chemical manufacturers. Process plants must curb such emissions to comply with increasingly stringent regulations, and to protect workers, communities and the environment as well as the company’s bottom line and reputation.
Lending a helping hand
Dik Pavolino described his friend Dan Craft as the type of person to go out of his way to help his students and players at Harbor and Ashtabula high schools.Now, Pavolino is hoping for people to try to do the same for Craft.
Standing tall | Local Sports | starbeacon.com
Standing at 6 foot 5, Austin Patton received plenty of interest of playing at the collegiate level.Among the many schools looking into the Jefferson graduate's services was Football Bowl Subdivision program Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference.In the end, though, Patton didn't find himself signing with a big school, instead decided to go to a smaller school closer to home in Allegheny College. Located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, the Allegheny football program plays in Division III.
Accepting the Challenge
During Tyler Maylish’s sophomore season at Jefferson, he played with some Falcons who went on to play baseball at the collegiate level.It was at this time the catcher realized that he, too, had a realistic chance to go onto the next level, and once his senior season rolled around, he decided to start looking into some colleges.“During my sophomore season I was playing with some guys who I knew were going to play on the collegiate level, and that’s when I thought I could potentially make it...
Special success | Local Sports | starbeacon.com
The Ashtabula County Special Olympics team was able to take home 42 total medals (18 gold, 16 silver, 8 bronze) during the Special Olympics Summer Games in June at The Ohio State University.The event sees participants from all walks of life — men, women, boys and girls — starting at age 8 going all the way up to over 30.
Becoming a Prince
Like many young athletes, Jefferson’s Emily Smock dreamed of being able to play collegiate basketball.It took until she stepped onto the court at the junior high level, though, before she began to take her dream seriously. Smock then found out that it wasn’t just a dream, but a solid possibility.“Playing in college has been a goal of mine ever since I started playing basketball at six years old,” Smock said.
Turner's promotion
Curtis Turner has made his way up the ladder of the St. John boys basketball ladder slowly.He has been involved with Herald athletes for the last decade, beginning by coaching the seventh grade basketball coach in 2006.
Grand River Academy wins LEL again
The Grand River Academy Eagles baseball team finished off a strong spring season by claiming the Lake Effect League championship with an impressive 9-1 victory over Lawrence last month.GRA had a rocky start to the regular season starting out 2-4, but as the season went on it started to build momentum with wins over Horizon Science Academy and St. Martin to move into third place in the LEL at 4-4 to start the conference tournament.The Eagles drew St. John in the semifinals, a team that had...
Little Leaguer Poploske tosses perfect game
Ashtabula Tiger Little League pitcher Cohen Poploske knows he can be a little intimidating on the mound for a 12-year-old.That fact was evident last week when the standout tossed a perfect game against the Ashtabula Reds last week at Nappi Field.The 12 year old standout attends Superior Intermediate in Ashtabula and registered an impressive 17 strikeouts in just six innings of action as the Tigers cruised to 12-0 victory.
Hot start not enough for Perry vs. NDCL
JEFFERSON — The Perry Pirates baseball team could not capitalize on an early lead as they fell to the Notre Dame Cathedral-Latin Lions, 6-5, Wednesday afternoon at Haven’s Complex in Jefferson.Perry (14-12) got to NDCL (13-10) pitcher Jake Butler early in the first, as the Pirates got on base with three consecutive walks and another walk that sent a Pirate home for the first score of the contest.
Barrientos' last hurah
Karen Barrientos has already reached new heights for the Cuyahoga Community College long-distance programs, being the only five-time All-American in school history.The Lakeside graduate will be looking to add to that tally when she competes at the National Junior College Athletic Association Outdoor Track and Field Championships on Tuesday through Thursday at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas.
Falcons hold on | Local Sports | starbeacon.com
JEFFERSON — No lead is safe in a baseball — a lesson Jefferson coach Scott Barber hopes his Falcons learned Friday evening.Enjoying a five-run lead heading into the sixth inning of a Division II sectional final at the Havens Complex against Lakeview, the Falcons saw that lead evaporate as the Bulldogs went on to drop four runs on Jefferson starter Colten Wilber.Jefferson managed to hold off Lakeview in the end for a 5-4 win, but Barber said he made sure his Falcons realized they can’t think...
Heralds trounce Lions
The St. John Heralds used hot hitting to dominate the visiting St. Martin Lions on Tuesday 23-2 at Smith Field in Ashtabula.The Heralds got it going offensively early and often, scoring four runs in the first inning of play, that featured a Nate Severino double that sent two runners home.St. John kept pouring it on as it registered three runs in the second inning as well as five in the third.
Spartans shine despite shortened schedule
CONNEAUT — The Conneaut Spartans have struggled completing a full slate of tennis matches this season.Not that it’s the Spartans, fault, though. Bad weather has rained out a few matches, and makeups are hard to reschedule because many of their opponents have to place priority over non-conference matches as the regular season come to a close.Outside of that, however, Conneaut coach Dave Simpson has had little about which to complain this spring.
Trusting his defense
PERRY — Agains the Conneaut Spartans Saturday, Riverside starting pitcher Chad McTaggart elected to trust his teammates.Those teammates repaid his faith in him two ways — on defense and at the plate. The Beavers poured 16 runs on the Spartans, and they committed no errors en route to a 16-0 win at Perry High School.“My curve ball and slider were really working well for me out there today,” McTaggart said.
GV wrestlers headed to Disney
Four Grand Valley Wrestlers will have an opportunity to compete at the 2016 AAU Disney Scholastic Duels in Orlando, FL at the ESTN event Center on June 12.Juniors Austin Mathis (heavyweight), Nathan Rasmussen (152 pounds), Cody Rhodes (152 pounds) and Bradley Turner (182 pounds) have all qualified for the event by competing for the Titan Wrestling Club in Aurora, OH.Rhodes, who took home sixth place at this year’s Division III state tournament, and Mathis, who also was a state qualifier,...
Lakers power past Mustangs
ANDOVER — The Pymatuning Valley softball team took what was a close contest with rival Grand Valley on Wednesday and turned it into a rout with a big sixth-inning outburst.Leading by one run headed into the bottom of the sixth, the Lakers plated seven runs to clinch an 11-3 win in Northeastern Athletic Conference action at Pymatuning Valley High School. The Lakers (4-4) rattled off seven consecutive hits in the inning, including a pair of home runs by Samantha Kidd and Paige Sloan.
Shields leads Spartans
After falling just one game short of a district title in 2015, the Conneaut softball team is under new guidance this season with first-year head coach Rich Shields.Shields takes over former coach Nick Armeni stepped down after a successful stint with the team.Conneaut athletic director Jim Campbell didn't take long to find his replacement, settling in on the current Conneaut physical education teacher.
Club Ashtabula to add boys
The Club Ashtabula Junior Olympic volleyball program is looking to expand and add an all-boys team beginning next season.There are currently two boys playing for the program on the 10U team — St. John’s Jensen Yarosh and Kingsville elementary Noah Vencill — and the team has won all three of the tournaments in which it has competed this season.Club Ashtabula director and assistant coach Stephanie Kubec said she believes it is time to expand and add a boys program after recent heckling of her...
Cheering to the top
Debbie Seenarine Wilson created the Fusion Cheer and All Stars program at the SPIRE Institute as an attempt to separate kids from the negativity that can occur when it comes to cheerleading.The 1984 Geneva graduate explained that the environment around the program has fit that description quite well so far.“The program started really as an outreach and a safe place for young people who wanted to get into cheerleading,” Wilson said.
Carter takes home title
Geneva’s Abby Carter claimed a state championship at the Knights of Columbus free throw shooting competition last month.The 13-year-old seventh grader has competed in the event each of the last three years, and was finally able to break through and claim the top spot.
Building for the future
Justin Street paid his dues to become the Lakeside varsity baseball coach.The Howland graduate played four years at Hiram College as a catcher, and after becoming a science teacher for 10th through 12th graders at Lakeside High School, he was put in charge of the junior varsity squad for four seasons.
It's time for a reunion
Amateur Softball Association county commissioner Mike Castrilla is organizing Ashtabula County’s first-ever slowpitch softball reunion, which will take place from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on June 11 at Softball City in Ashtabula.A graduate of St. John, Castrilla played baseball at Youngstown State University, lettering in the 1966 and 1967 seasons, but as he aged, he has gotten involved in softball more and more.
GV holds off Rootstown
ORWELL — The Grand Valley boys basketball team was able to use a strong first half to defeat the visiting Rootstown Rovers by a final score of 50-44 Tuesday evening in a Division III sectional semifinal at Grand Valley high school.The Mustangs (13-10) came out of the gate rolling, using crisp passing to get easy looks at the basket. At the same time GV limited the Rovers' effectiveness with a stifling zone defense.
Taylor has special year
Geneva middle school wrestler Charles Taylor had an impressive 2015-16 season, posting a perfect 26-0 regular season record.The 14-year-old seventh grader at Geneva competes in the 205-pound weight division and helped lead his team to an overall record of 20-1 as Geneva won the Chagrin Valley Conference.Taylor said his goal coming into the season to post an undefeated record and it was near the end of the season he began to realize it was a legitimate possibility.
Spartans top Huskies
CONNEAUT — The Conneaut (9-13) girls basketball team picked up an important, momentum building win over the visiting Cardinal Huskies 34-33 on Monday night.The win was a final tuneup for the Spartans ahead of a showdown at Newton Falls in a Division III sectional semifinal on Wednesday.The first period of play saw the Spartans jump out to a quick 11-0 lead behind hot shooting from mid-range, but Cardinal (7-15) forced several turnovers allowing them to attack in transition, ending the frame...
Fairport skips past St. John
The St. John (10-11) girls basketball team fell to visiting Fairport Thursday evening at St. John high school, as the Skippers hot shooting was too much for the Heralds as they lost, 48-27.Fairport (7-13) came out of the gates on fire from distance, posting 18 points in the first period of action behind four early 3-pointers from Skippers Taylor Wilson, meanwhile the Heralds struggled to find any offensive rhythm of their own as they trailed 18-4 after one.St. John coach Nick Iarocci...
Lakers show improvement in win
ANDOVER — It's been a rough season for a young Pymatuning Valley squad, but coach Jeff Compan has seen some improvement throughout the year.Following a 43-41 win over the Maplewood Rockets on Monday at PV High School, Compan couldn't help but look back and praise how far the Lakers have come as the regular season is coming to a close.“We play a lot of young girls and our inexperience definitely showed up here tonight with the late game fouling and turnovers,” Compan said.
Lizards win sectional - Star Beacon: Local Sports
In order to qualify for the District tournament a wrestler must take top 4 in their respective weight division at sectionals and the Lizards had 12 such finishers: Ayden Gillespie (second place, 56 pounds), Ethan Dufor (fourth place, 64 pounds), Justin Jury (third place, 67 pounds), Quinton Gaines (fourth place, 70 pounds), Kurt Corrigan (first place, 79 pounds), Kyle Diller (first place, 82 pounds), Josh Diller (fourth place, 86 pounds), Andrew DiSalvatore (third place, 90 pounds), Iziah...
Dragons fall short - Star Beacon: Local Sports
In a highly competitive first frame of action on the Dragons' senior night, both team started the game locked in defensively as open looks at the rim were scarce. Harding (9-9) got two easy baskets in transition to break the scoring drought and held an 11-9 lead after one. The Raiders started the second period strong scoring six-straight points to begin the quarter. Lakeside answered with a run of their own and at one point cut the lead down to a single point.
Mustangs rumble past Cardinals - Star Beacon: Local Sports
The Mustangs came out of the gate with a full-court pressure defense that forced Bloomfield (1-10) to commit several turnovers, giving Grand Valley the opportunity to get out in transition and score some easy baskets. The Mustangs found themselves up 29-4 after one. Grand Valley continued their strong effort in the second holding the Cardinals to just 4 points in a second consecutive period.
St. John's defense stymies Northeast - Star Beacon: Local Sports
The Heralds started the game off strong on both ends of the floor scoring 21 points in the first frame behind a smothering pressure defense that allowed St. John to attack and get some easy scores in transition. Northeast (2-9) struggled with ball security and were unable to get any easy looks at the basket as the Knights found themselves down 21-2 after one. St. John didn’t let up in the second period as its attacking defense continued to overwhelm the visiting Knights.
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