The Amazing Appleknockers theSoutherm.com
The "Amazing Appleknockers," the basketball team from tiny Cobden that took second place in the state high school tournament in 1964, have become a legend in Southern Illinois and beyond.
But legends sometimes can fade.
Two Cobden High graduates were afraid the team's story would eventually be lost unless it was written.
Teri Campbell of Cobden and Anne Ryman of Phoenix - friends since grade school and cohorts on the high school paper - talked about doing a book. Years ago, they created a website that still gets comments from all over the country.
They began work on the book in 2003. Eight years later, "It's finally done," Campbell said.
"The Amazing Appleknockers: Illinois' Cinderella Basketball Team of 1964" seems destined to keep alive the story of a team that kept winning against much larger schools. In 1964, teams were not divided into classes based on enrollment. Some opponent schools had more students than Cobden had people. Its population was just 900; the school had only 147 students in 1964.
The authors interviewed team members, coach Dick Ruggles and fans, and pored through scorebooks and newspaper stories about the team.
Though collaborating might have been easier if they lived in the same town, or the same time zone, "the world has gotten a lot smaller with email," Campbell said. "We wrote separately, then edited the chapters over the phone. We had a similar vision on how the story should be done."
Campbell is a basic skills specialist at John A. Logan College. Ryman is a reporter with the Arizona Republic newspaper.
To celebrate the book's publication, a book signing, and reunion of the 1964 Appleknockers, is being planned for 2 to 5 p.m. June 4, at StarView Vineyards in Cobden. Most team members will be there, along with Ruggles, who now lives in Nashville. In Ruggles' first year there, Cobden went to sectionals; in year two, it placed second at state. "He could be the mayor of Cobden today," Campbell said. "He was that well loved."
Ryman said she was amazed Ruggles "would remember dialog word for word," and that so many details emerged from teammates and fans.
"It's a small enough town that everyone shares in the sorrows and triumphs," she said. "It's neat to see that kind of pride."
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Details
A new book, ‘The Amazing Appleknockers: Illinois' Cinderella Basketball Team of 1964,' by Anne Ryman and Teri Campbell, is a hardcover volume with 329 pages and many photos of the team that defied the odds to place second in the state basketball tournament. It sells for $28.
A book signing and reunion of team members is planned from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 4, at StarView Vineyards, 5100 Wing Hill Road in Cobden.
Copies of the book also are available at Phases Salon, Cobden Village Hall, StarView Vineyards and the Union County Historical Society Museum, all in Cobden, 710 Bookstore in Carbondale, The Bookworm in Carbondale and Marion, and from Lusk Creek Publishing at www.luskcreekpublishing.com
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Book Co-Authored By JALC Faculty Member To Have Second Printing
Written by Teri Campbell and Anne Ryman, The Amazing Appleknockers chronicles the 1964 state run of the Cobden High School Basketball team.
The Amazing Appleknockers: Illinois’ Cinderella Basketball Team of 1964, written by Teri Campbell and Anne Ryman, has been reissued in a second printing. This is only months after the first 1000 copies had been distributed.
Published by Lusk Creek Publishing of Makanda, The Amazing Appleknockers explores the on and off court dynamics that constructed the 1964 Cobden High School basketball team.
Published in May of 2011, the first 1000 copies have been distributed locally: the Logan Bookstore, 710 Bookstore, the Bookworm (Carbondale and Marion locations) and several places in Cobden and Anna; and electronically, through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.
“It’s a great story,” Teri Campbell, an advisor for the TRIO program,Assistant Coordinator of Public and Sports information and life-long resident of Cobden, said. “We wanted to get [it] documented before it was too late.”
“I knew after one of the first interviews with the players, when he gave us three hours of his time, we didn’t have a choice…We pretty much made the commitment [to write the book] then,” continued Campbell.
Campbell and Ryman spent eight years researching, compiling and editing their materials all in an attempt to have the final product published.
“We knew we were going to document it somehow and a website was one of the first things we thought of,” added Campbell. AmazingAppleknockers.com began as a commemorative effort but soon turned collaborative in nature.
Campbell also said, “The basketball stories were exciting, it was just that there was a lot of interesting stuff that went on behind the scenes.”
Anne Ryman, a native of Cobden, now resides in Phoenix Arizona. The distant between collaborators was one hurdle each had to strive to overcome.
The 1964 Appleknockers pose with a line of achievements below them.
“The book took quite a bit of time to research and write because it is a true story. We both work full-time so we worked on the project on weekends, vacations and evening,” Ryman said of the experience.
Campbell adds, “Our collaboration was distant. We would write separately then get on the phone or on email and edit together.”
According to Campbell, publishing was the biggest hurdle.
“I don’t like that end of the business because it is very impersonal. You have to be used to it; you have to be ready for rejection.”
Campbell told the Volunteer News, “SIU press had turned it down, U of I press had turned it down. Others now that I can’t recall, turned it down.”
However, luck pursued as Campbell was introduced to an individual associated with Lusk Creek Publishing.
“One day I was out at Starview Vineyards in Cobden. There was a lady talking to a friend of mine, the owner, and she was thinking about doing a cookbook for the Wine Trail,” said Campbell.
It turned out that the woman talking to Teri’s friend was from Lusk Creek Publishing.
Campbell continued, “So I started talking to her [about the book] and she said, ‘well send me a manuscript.’ That was the first publisher to ask for a manuscript.” Within a few weeks, Campbell and Ryman had a publisher.
“When I make a commitment to start something I’m going to finish it,” added Campbell.
Both Campbell and Ryman say this was their first book, though each would like to write another.
As far as the future for the story of The Amazing Appleknockers, Ryman said, “…hopefully [it] will inspire young people in this and future generations. It’s a story about the value of community, team work and overcoming obstacles. In my opinion, it would make a terrific movie!”
Post Published: 01 September 2011
Author: Nick Flowers
Found in section: Campus News, Sports
Book celebrates '64 Cobden Appleknockers basketball team theSouther.com
COBDEN - Anne Ryman and Teri Campbell grew up in Cobden hearing stories about the 1964 Appleknockers basketball team.
Hoping to preserve the memory of the team that beat the odds and progressed to the state championship game, the two decided to write the "The Amazing Appleknockers: Illinois' Cinderella Basketball Team of 1964."
The authors and some of the players were present for a book signing Saturday at StarView Vineyards as were hundreds of fans. Campbell said she was amazed by the turnout.
"I'm glad everyone has such fond memories and passion," Campbell said.
Ryman said they wanted to make sure that the stories they heard as children would be preserved and known by future generations. She said there was about eight years of research for the project and everyone they talked to added more and more to the story. She said former coach Dick Ruggles was especially helpful.
Ruggles signed books, chatted and laughed with fans. He said he was amazed that so many people came out for the event. He said the authors did a great job writing about a great team, which narrowly lost the championship game to Pekin.
"I'm just a fortunate guy who was at the right spot at the right time," Ruggles said.
Ryman said she and Campbell were thrilled to be able to write the book but said the signing was a day to remember and appreciate a basketball team from a small high school in Southern Illinois that captivated the region.
"We really did this project for the players and the town," Ryman said. "We wanted to make sure everything was written down. The players deserve every bit of (the praise)."
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Posted in Local on Sunday, June 5, 2011 3:00 am | Tags: Cobden Appleknockers, Cobden, 1964 Appleknockers, The Amazing Appleknockers, Teri Campbell, Anne Ryman
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St. LOUIS POST DISPATCH article titled Wine Road Leads To Hidden Treasures In Southern Illinois by Tom Uhlenbrock on Aug 30 2009 includes the following:
NEW BOOK PROVIDES A HANDY GUIDE TO AREA WINERIES
A new book — "Exploring Southern Illinois Wineries" — would make a handy guide for a road trip visiting up to 30 wineries in the area, including the 12 on the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail.
Due out in September, the book's authors, Matt Bliss and Kelly Drew, have compiled road maps, a history of wine in the region, the grape varietals, touring suggestions, a guide to wine tasting, lists of lodging and restaurants, hiking guides to natural attractions and useful websites. Each winery has at least three pages dedicated to it with photos and wine lists.
The 224-page book has 17 full-color spreads and 13 full-page photos.
The book is being put out by Lusk Creek Publishing (1-612-730-3907, luskcreekpublishing.com). It will be available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
The cost is $18.95 — about the price of a bottle of Southern Illinois red wine.
Daily Egyptian article on Matt Bliss, author of Sandstone Warrior: A Bouldering Guide to Southern Illinois
Another way to enjoy nature
Chris McGregor
chrism@siu.edu
Published: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Updated: Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Matt Bliss has problems.
Bouldering, a style of rock climbing which does not require all the gear commonly associated with rock climbing, looks at each rock as its own problem.
The climber then attempts to solve the problem, said Bliss, author of “Sandstone Warrior: A Bouldering Guide to Southern Illinois.”
Participation in bouldering only requires climbing shoes and a crash pad, he said.
“Bouldering in general versus rock climbing is a little more obtainable for more people,” he said. “You do not need as much formal training, and it is easier for people to get interested in.”
Bliss said he wrote his book to showcase the popular bouldering destinations in southern Illinois and to give climbers a guide to the areas.
The book features driving directions, trails, camping areas and food in the area.
“If you know nothing about the area, you could have the book and find the good bouldering down here,” he said.
There are so many bouldering destinations in southern Illinois that multiple books would not be able to list them all, said David Chancellor, vice president of So iLL Holds, a company which manufactures indoor climbing holds.
“There is roughly one thousand miles of sandstone climbing in the area,” he said.
Bliss said although he has traveled around the country, southern Illinois still features his favorite type of stone and most enjoyable climbing experiences.
Ian Pendergast-White, a graduate assistant of the outdoor adventure program who runs the climbing wall in the Recreation Center, said bouldering is a great way to spend time with friends.
“I enjoy bouldering because it tends to be more of a social atmosphere, you go out with a group of buddies all trying the same thing,” Pendergast-White said.
He said southern Illinois is especially good for bouldering with friends because it features world-class destinations without the large crowds usually associated with climbing hot spots.
Chancellor said the bouldering experience is unique in this region because the high quality of the rocks is rare in the Midwest.
“I grew up in the St. Louis area and my second climbing trip was to southern Illinois to a little place called Jackson Falls,” Chancellor said. “I instantly fell in love with the beauty of area and the climbing.”
He said the rock formations are very unique to the area and is an exceptional playground for climbers.
“The sandstone here is very unique in the sense that it lends very well to climbing,” he said.
Each climber stressed the importance of respecting the environment and preserving it for future generations.
"This sport is kind of a lifestyle and a different way to enjoy nature. Rock climbers in general are very conscious of their environment,” Bliss said.
Chris McGregor can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275
SICKY GNAR GNAR
TEACHING THE WORLD HOW TO GET TOTALLY RADICAL
THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2009
So Ill Guidebook
Last week while I was interneting I found out that the new So Ill Bouldering Guidebook was available. There had been rumors for a while now that a sweet new guide was going to come out and I was very psyched to find out that it wasn't some super cruel hoax. I ordered it on the spot.
I was very pleased three days later when Katie found it in our mailbox. After chasing her down and prying it from her hands I opened it up and was pretty happy with the initial look and feel of the book. It's a nice size and seemed to be very well put together and polished.
After looking through it for a couple of days I'm very impressed. This is how guidebooks should be. Beautiful color pictures and incredibly clear topos and directions. We have all seen the poorly done guidebooks and while they can be endearing in a certain way, the So Ill guide is a good testament to what should be a standard. There were maybe 4-5 areas that I didn't know about and two of those are pretty major areas that are seemingly very worthwhile. He also included topos for Elephant Rocks in neighboring Missouri. Having been there many years ago, it was nice to see what some of the problems actually were.
One thing that I appreciated a lot was the brief history write up in the front of the book. I'm a nerd when it comes to climbing history and I'm pretty sure that the "history" section is my favorite part of all guidebooks. Matt Bliss did a great job with this one.
Definitely a worthwhile purchase. After I actually go down there again I'll try to update everyone on whether or not the directions helped us not get lost. Unlikely.
POSTED BY STEVE SCHULTZ AT 10:02 AM
Urban Climber Magazine Aug/Sep 2009
BLOC BATTLER
Matt Bliss’ recently released SANDSTONE WARRIOR is the first exclusive bouldering guidebook for Southern Illinois (SO ILL!). As one of the area’s developers, Bliss knows the score -- his 232-page book contains info on 450-plus problems at 12 areas, including directions, amenities, area policies, and nearby attractions. The guide details the area’s bouldering history (John Gill is credited with the earliest activity), and there’s a section on local bouldering ethics, too. With clear area maps, photographic topos, and tons of full-color actions shots, Sandstone Warrior is just the book for those looking to get So Ill.
SoiLLBouldering.com
