The first Ringgold County Boys' Basketball Tournament was held February 28 - March 1st, 1919, at the Mount Ayr high school gymnasium. Tingley's team participated in this first tournament and all the other consecutive annual tournaments.

Tingley Vindicator, April 6, 1914

A nine composed of mostly boys from the Tingley high school went Saturday to Ellston and played a nine composed of mostly boys from the Ellston high school. The score was 9 to 8 in favor of Tingley. This was the first baseball gave of the season.

Tingley Vindicator, 1912

Two of the fastest, best, and most closely contested basketball games played in Tingley were those of Friday evening when the girls' team from Mt. Ayr High School played the girls' team from the Tingley High School and the boys' team from Mt. Ayr placed the Tingley boys, both Tingley teams winning.

A $35 house greated the contestants, indicating the interest in the games. Eight or ten automobile loads of enthusiastic supporters of the teams from Mt. Ayr accompanied them, this evincing their popularity.

Well Mt. Ayr should be proud of their teams, for they did excellent work and made the Tingley teams work hard to win. The girls' teams played the nicest game, keeping within the line but it was rather tame beside the wild rushes of the boys who played according to college rules, the lines being abolished according to this year's rules and players allowed to field the ball from any place within the court, making it seem like a football game and reminding one of old college days. Really it is becoming more dangerous than football because the players are not protected with sufficient clothing or guards to prevent accidents of which there were three minor ones during the boys game.

Following is the line up of the teams and the score:

Tingley Vindicator
Tingley, Ringgold County, Iowa
March 22, 1923

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Not, this is not young Wild West Shooting Cowboys but Mr. ECKERMAN'S wagon taking the Tingley High School basetball team over the bumpy road to Shannon City. On Thursday the Tingley High School basketball team composed of Captain Milton McDOWELL, Wayne OVERHOLTZER, Chester BRECKENRIDGE, Harry ARCHIBOLD, George KESTER, Willis JACKSON, and Laverne ZARR, headed by Coach J. E. STACY, left for the Simpson College Invitational Tournament at Indianola via Shannon City and the Great Western Railroad. After a trip marred by long waits for trains, they arrived at 8 p.m. The first game of the tournament was played the next morning.

Tingley Vindicator, October 28, 1926

A large number of baseball fans went yesterday to Des Moines to see the famous "Babe" the great "swat king" Irvin BISCHOFF of Tingley, who was pitching for one of the teams, "fanned" the great Babe when he went to bat, and that is an honor enough for "Bish" and Tingley. However, "Babe" made three home runs in the game.

Tingley Vindicator, 1928

Tingley held their first track meet at Tingley in 4 years - a dual with Diagonal - and won 7 out of 10 first placings.

At the county track meet, entered by 7 schools, the mile relay team of Ivan BROWN, Lyndon RICHARDs, Raymond BUCHANAN, and Howard WEEDA received a trophy cup for their win. Others who placed in events were HOOVER, IVES, CHRISTOPHER, LONGCOY, and RAWLEY.

At the district meet Raymond BUCHANAN broke the county record when he pole vaulted 10' 10".

Tingley Vindicator, March 26, 1929

B.B. boys entertained by J. E. OVERHOLTZER, as promised early in season. Evening spent playing progressive rook, eating oyster stew, home made ice cream and cake.

Tingley Vindicator, April 4, 1929

In Physical Training the girls have two baseball teams and are progressing rapidly with Miss McLINTOCK as coach.

Tingley Vindicator, 1929

Tingley won the County Track Meet by winning 6 out o 14 firsts and both of the relays. Many medals and four dandy trophies were won by the THS boys.

Tingley Vindicator, 1935

Tingley High School's baseball team finished 2nd in the County Tourney, then two weeks later defeated Mt. Ayr (the County Champs) 2 to 2 in 2 extra innings. They ended the season with a 16-3 record. Receiving baseball letters were Clare JOHNSON, Neal WEEDA, Lawrence JOHNSON, Donald HATHAWAY, Lawrence HICKS, Earl HENDERSON, Doyle HUNTER, Billy NEALIS, Clair HUNTER, and Mark BEEN.

Tingley Vindicator, July 23, 1936

The Tingley kittenball field was the scene of numerous contests each week. They had a fine field, brilliantly lighted, and free from hazards since Ira SMITH removed his barbed wire fence from around his garden.

The Tingley girls have new suits of brown and yellow and present a neat and attractive appearance.

The flood lights on the kittenball diamond were changed to shine more clearly on the diamond and not dazzle the eyes of the fielders.

  BACK ROW, L-R: Lyle LAIRD, Wayne VANDERPLUYM, Smiley JOHNSON, Warren GILES, Francis SMITH, Irven COFFMAN, Doyle COFFMAN, Mac BEEN, Alfred Casey JONES, Ellis HILL, Harry SKARDA, Coach PIDGEON.

FRONT ROW, L-R: Howard VERPLOEGH, Mark BEEN, Earl HENDERSON, Bill BUCK, Clair HUNTER.

Tingley Vindicator, 1936.

Those hitting over .300 were Billy NEALIS, Harry SKARDA, Bob SHARP, Elton WERNER and Lyle LAIRD. Other players were Merrill JOHNSON, Clair HUNTER, Doyle and Erwin COFFMAN, Mark BENN and Howard VERPLOEGH.

Tingley Vindicator, May 21, 1936

The Athletic team, accompanied by Mr. MANNERS and Coach BERRY went on their annual "fishing trip." Departing from Tingley about 7 o'clock P.M. the boys pitched camp on the banks of Grand River near Westerville shortly after nightfall. Everyone enjoyed a fine outing. Fish and sleep were decidedly missing. The next day the sleepy-eyed fisherman journeyed to Shannon City and lost the baseball game 3 to 1, and Earl HENDERSON fractured his right ankle while sliding to second.

Tingley Vindicator, 1939

The Five-Mile Conference (organized in 1936) was made up of the following schools: Tingley, Ellston, Beaconsfield, Shannon City and Arispe. The Tingley H.S. boys basketball team won the Five-Mile Conference crown. They won 16 out of 18 games with single game high score of 73 and a low of 17. Players were: Paul BUCK, GARLAND, LAIRD, JOHNSON, SKARDA, Alfred JONES and GILES.

THS had a good season on the baseball diamond also in 1939. Later a Tri-City Club baseball team was organized with star players from Tingley, Ellston, and Shannon City.

Tingley's SKARDA was named to the all-county first team at the 1939 Ringgold County Basketball Tournament.

  BACK ROW, L-R: Coach ORWICK, Harold BALL, George DAILEY.

MIDDLE ROW, L-R: Lyle TROXELL, Burl REYNOLDS, Raymond BALL, Harold SMITH, Clell BLUNCK.

FRONT ROW, L-R: Dean GARLAND, Darold BLAUER, Duane ROUSH, Dean BRECKENRIDGE.

PEP SQUAD: Hester HENDERSON, Marilyn BEEN, Roberta JOHNSTON, Pauline HILLEBRAN, Lucy WEEDA, Agnes SWANSON, Barbara HOOVER, and Jean BRECKENRIDGE.

Tingley Vindicator, 1940

Tingley hosted the County Baseball Tournament with 5 teams entered. A Donkey Ball game was held in September, 1940. It was stated it would be a good show and one that no one should miss. They would have had good lights and plenty of good seats. The admission was 10 and 20 cents. (Thirty years later the Tingley Lions brought donkey ball back to Tingley and it still was a good show for 75 and 150 cents!!)

Track was reorganized in the spring of 1940 and THS got off to a good start by winning the Tri-School meet in Shannon [City]. Those who won events were BALL, BLAUER, SWANSON, GUESS, ROUSH, BRECKENRIDGE and SWANSON.

Tingley Vindicator Abstracts, 1941

Track success continued as Tingley won the Five-Mile Conference. Records set by the Tingley boys that year were: 100 Yards: 11.1; 220 Yards: 24.9; 880-Run: 2.18; Shot-Put: 37' 6"; Broad Jump: 17' 10"; 880-Relay: 1. 41.6. Banners were awarded for winning relay teams and a trophy for the winning team.

Girl's basketball was reorganized in 1941 (See Tingley Story of 1954).

The girls on the basketball team in 1941 were Ferne WOOLLUMS, Pauline HILLEBRAN, Lucy WEEDA, Mary Alice BOYD, Dorine MANBECK, Cleone OVERHOLTZER, Eloise WALTERS, Dorothy ZARR, Joyce OVERHOLTZER, Mardell BEEN, and Peggy MOHR.

Tingley Vindicator Abstracts, 1942

Raymond BALL qualified for the State Track meet in the 880-yard run and placed 3rd.

Tingley Vindicator Abstracts, 1943-44

In 1943 the Tingley girls basketball team won the first place trophy in the Ringgold County Tournament by scoring a 26 to 23 victory over Beaconsfield. This was only Tingley's second year of competition.

The Tingley boys team also won their first county trophy by finishing third in the county tournament. The trophy was a basketball which was much appreciated because of the shortage of leather and rubber.

The girls team continued to improve in 1944 - winning the conference and placing 3rd at the district tourney. The boys conference ended with Tingley and Shannon City tied.

The Five-Mile Conference held a basketball jamboree at the Shannon City gym for the benefit of the Red Cross Ambulance Fund and the large turn out from all the communities was much appreciated. The games were exciting from start to finish. The Tingley Boys were the only team, either boys or girls, to stay in the "play" for the full game. That means they had high score at the end of each quarter and played a different squad each time.

Tingley Vindicator, January 24, 1946

The Tingley girls won [the] County Tourney 28 -24 over Beaconsfield.

BACK ROW, L-R: Doris ENGLAN, Lillian BLUNCK, Ava Jean KLINE, Helen O'NEAL, Ella Deane DeVRIES, chaperone Maxine NICHOLS, Coach Howard VERPLOEGH.

FRONT ROW, L-R: Charlotte PETERSOHN, Evelyn DeVRIES, Joyce OVERHOLTZER, Eloise WALTERS, Margaret TROXELL, Marilyn KESTER.

During the 1946 tournament, Tingley's boys secured third place, defeating Mount Ayr in an overtime game.

BACK ROW, L-R: Avery WOOLLUMS, Bryon BENDER, Harold GROUT, Robert IIAMS, Donald NEFF, Ross CLOUGH, Dale GROUT, Coach Howard VERPLOEGH.

FRONT ROW, L-R: Doyle REYNOLDS, Kenny KIBURZ, Marvin JOHNSON, Lloyd WEEDA, Noel SENEY, Bob ENGLAND, Don WRIGHT, Elbert SKARDA.

BACK ROW, L-R: Superintendent Gladys KIBURZ, Jack ENGLAND, Byron BENDER, Donald CLOUSE, George PETERS.

MIDDLE ROW, L-R: Avery WOOLLUMS, Bob IIAMS, Coach Howard VERPLOEGH, Donald NEFF, Walter ZARR.

FRONT ROW, L-R: Harold GROUT, Kenney KIBURZ, Keith Van SICKLE, Lloyd WEEDA, Milo BEEN, Doyle REYNOLDS.

Tingley Vindicator, February 21, 1946

Last Wednesday nite, while on a B.B. trip to Orient, three H.S. students had a close call when they were overcome by carbon monoxide gas in a car in which they were riding. Between Creston and Orient, Don WRIGHT, who was riding in the back seat of a car driven by Floyd WALTERS, noticed he was ill and spoke to the girls riding with him. Margaret TROXELL and Ava Jean KLINE; they did not answer. Mr. WALTERS stopped the car and found both girls unconscious. The girls were revived and taken to Orient, but no doctor could be found so they were taken to the Creston Hospital where they spent the night. Neither girl suffered any serious effects of the experience. WRIGHT was not overcome and was able to play with his team that evening.

Tingley won 3rd place over Mount Ayr in overtime play at the 1946 county basketball tournament.

Tingley Vindicator Abstract, 1948

The little boys of Tingley High School pulled a surprise basketball victory out of the bag when they stopped the talented Mt. Ayr Raiders cold with a 38-36 win.

NOTE: THS had only 28 high school students at the time.

Howard VERPLOEGH attended an intensified 10-day swimming instruction course in Illinois and taught free Red Cross lessons at the Mt. Ayr beach. Rides were pooled from Tingley and many kids from the Tingley area learned to swim at the Mt. Ayr lake.

Remember HOW MANY kids HALM'S truck could haul? Vienna RICHARDS and Iola FERGUSON once hauled 13 kids in a car!

  BACK ROW, L-R: Ellen EIGHME, Linda RICHARDS, Wanda SWIGART and Robert REYNOLDS.

MIDDLE ROW, L-R: Anne O'NEAL, Evelyn STEPHENS, Coach Mr. McGINNESS, Joan HANNAH and Doris JOHNSON.

FRONT ROW, L-R: Lyla CLOUGH, Captain Marilyn KESTER, Co-Captain Charlotte PETERSOHN, Marlene GILES, Donna FERGUSON and Roberta SWIGART.

Tingley Vindicator Abstract, 1950-51

Cheereaders at THS were ALMOST unheard of because nearly everyone was on the team. But for the 1950-51 basketball season, teacher Marian O'NEAL organized sixth graders - Hugh FERGUSON, Von TULL, Myrna ENGLAND, and Bonnie SANDERSON - to lead yells. They wore black slacks and long-sleeved orange satin shirts. These were found in a school storage. The shirts were worn by a Pep Squad in 1940.

Tingley Vindicator Abstract, 1951

The Tingley girls skunk mascot was uncaged at the 1951 athletic banquet. The expert needlework was done by Rosie BLAUER, Editha OBERMEIER, and Edith McINTOSH. This original stuffed skunk sat in the center circle during warm-ups at many games, including the State Tourney in 1952 and 1954. Because of wear and tear, "Flower" was replaced by two skunks in 1956 and they made an appearance at the 1957 state tournament.

Tingley Vindicator Abstract, 1951

In the fall of 1951, the THS baseball team accomplished a first when they earned a trip to the state tournament. A victory over Yale at the district tourney in Lorimor advanced the Tingley team. Squad members seeing action in the big win were seniors - Lyle MINNICK, John OVERHOLTZER, Allen COFFMAN, Ken JOHNSON, Guy PETERS; junior - Bob LUPHER; sophomores - Howard TULL, Dean BASTOW; and freshman - LeRoy GILES.

  For the first time in the history of tingley High School! Yes, we got beat in the first round by Rock Valley. And who is Rock Valley? The 1951 fall State High School Baseball Champs.

We're proud of our boys.

A year ago some of them played baseball for the first time - only a few had ever played in a regulation game. This was the same group of boys who this fall won three tough ball games to win a Sectional title and then roared through three more teams in the Districts to reach the finals.

They were finally beaten on a cold dreary day in Gowrie, but the memory of how Tingley won its first District title in history will last much longer than that 7 to 0 score against Rock Valley in the State.

To the boys themselves, we should say, "Well done," and we hope it will not take nearly as long to reach the finals agin as it did for the first time.

How did it happen?

Well, in the first game of the Sectional, it was Blockton, with Kenny JOHNSON pitching good ball and Allen COFFMAN, Red GILES and JOHNSON each getting two hits. It was Tingley 8 to 3 the winner.

Then came Gravity. This time it was LUPHER and JOHNSON sharing the pitching with some lusty hitting by the entire team and we were into the Sectional finals 9 to 6.

The Tingley boys had never won a Sectional title until this one, but they were not to be denied in this one, as Redding was the victim, 10 runs to 1, and gave JOHNSON his third pitching victory of the tour.

Not it was on to the District at Lorimor, with TREYNOR as a first-round opponent. In this one, it was a combination of powerful hitting and a beautiful one-hit pitching performance by Bob LUPHER that made an easy 14 to 2 victory possible. The game was called at the end of 5 innings since Tingley has a 12 run lead. JOHNSON collected 3 hits to lead the power parade, with COFFMAN and TULL getting 2 each. GILES, MINNICK and OVERHOLTZER also collected a hit in this game.

Next came Yale. They, too, felt the wrath of Tingley bats, and a 4 inning 15 to 3 victory was the result. JOHNSON gave up 3 hits to win his 4th tour game, while his mates were getting 10 hits to make his job easier.

The District final was a different story. In this one, Lorimor furnished the opposition and proved to be a much tougher opponent. Tingley scored 3 runs in the top of the 7th when the roof fell in on the Lorimor pitcher. BASTOW and OVERHOLTZER walked to start the inning. Then COFFMAN doubled to right center, scoring BASTOW to make it 5 to 2. JOHNSON walked to load the bases and MINNICK came through with a ground single over 2nd to score BASTOW. Two more big runs were scored before they got the side out and Tingley led 9 to 2.

This was more than enough as Lorimor could not score in their half of the inning and Tingley was in the State Tournament. JOHNSON pitched his best game in this one, allowing just one scratch hit to win his 5th game of the tourney series.

Then came that cold dreary Saturday at Gowrie and a tough Rock Valley team to end any State Championship hopes, 7 to 0. They boys could do nothing right in this one, and Rock Valley could do no wrong.

The power in the Tingley bats, which had produced 38 runs in 3 District games, suddenly left complete, as only Al COFFMAN could solve Rock Valley's pitching for Tingley's 2 hits.

However, it was a terffic season, with Tingley gathering a total of ten wins against only two defeats. For a team that has played ball for only a year, they were great; and Tingley fans will never forget the thrills they brought!

1952 Girls Basketball Team

  Tingley, the first Ringgold county team ever to play in a state girl's torney, made a gallant stand at the Drake Fieldhouse, pulling the upset of the first round to defeat highly-favored Churdan, 56-54, and going down before the heavy siege guns of state champion Reinbeck in the second round, 69-35.

The magnitude of its accomplishment can be realized when one considers that Tingley has only 14 girls in high school, nine being on the regular squad. Coach M. H. OBERMEIER reinforced his Might Nine with Karen OWENS, eighth grader, and Sue RICHARDS from the seventh grade to make eleven. The latter was the only grade student to play in the meet.

The Orange and Black featured Donna FERGUSON, a right-handed pivot post player, who liked to shoot soft shots on a left-handed swing. She finished with fourth-high total of quarter finalists, a field goal percentage of 48% and a free throw average of 75%.

Other members of the Tingley front court were tiny Anne O'NEAL, a five-foot forward with a good set shot, and Linda RICHARDS, the playmaker. Freshman Jenesse OVERHOLTZER was an effective post guard, and the scrappy seniors, Ellen EIGHME and Doris JOHNSON, helped give Tingley a season's record of twenty-four wins and four defeats. A unique Tingley feature was its rarity of fouls.

In the Churdan game, Tingley went over nine minutes without a foul. In the Reinbeck game, the Ringgold county team fould in the first nine seconds.

  

The Tingley High School gym was retired for games since 1953, after two games in '52 and three in '51. The famous balcony was removed in 1956, but many will remember the pull-up stairway that trapped you until half-time (unless you were a teenaged boy and could swing down), the bang boards installed on the wall, the sliding mat over the furnace room door, and having chairs set up under the balcony that were on the playing floor, the home court advantage because you knew where to angle the ball to miss the light fixtures. [Also the paper roll-up score board.]

  BACK ROW, L-R: Coach OBERMEIER, Howard TULL, Dwayne OVERHOLTZER, Kenneth GROUT, Dean BASTOW, Bob LUPHER, Daryl FERGUSON.

FRONT ROW, L-R: Leroy GILES, Ron TULL, Dietrich GESCHKE, Charles CLARK, Alan O'NEAL, Jim McINTOSH.

Tingley Vindicator Abstract, 1954

The Tingley Terrors captured the hearts of the crowd with their courageous stand against smooth Holstein, entirely unexpected. But with only a minute and a half left in the game, Holstein nursed but a 62-60 margin and it was only by forcing Tingley to come after the ball that the final 69-62 score was so great.

Given small chance in the tournament after a first half that looked bad against Williams in the opening round, Coach M. H. OBERMEIER'S posed girls came back with a vengeance then, romping to a 56-52 victory, and never let up against HOLSTEIN.

Jennie OVERHOLTZER, Tingley's pivot forward, had the attitude of a champion, and she played like one. Linda RICHARDS, the other big scorer, was an expert long shot, and Myrna ENGLAND covered the floor like a midget comet.

Back court, Sue RICHARDS, time and again, intercepted passes. Mary Jane MINNICK, a substitute, bolstered a sagging defense in the Williams game. Mary Sue PRTICHARD, at the post, was especially effective in the Holstein game, holding LEONARD to six baskets. Karen OWENS was a good floor guard.

Highlights of the Holstein game were OVERHOLTZER'S swing shot that tied the score 16-16 at the first quarter gun, and Linda RiCHARDS' long shot that tied it again at 58 with only four minutes left.

Probably the team that overcame the greatest handicap in reaching the state tournament finals was Tingley, a school that didn't play a single game on its home floor all season. It even had to move to Afton for some practice sessions.

There's a reason. Tingley's gym is only 40x30, and when you get six players in one end of it, you'd think you were on a crowded street car. The baskets are smack up against the wall, eliminating any chance of driving in, and 100 spectators fill the seats.

But despite such limited facilities, Tingley turned out a team that won the hearts of girls' tourney fans, coming from behind to take the measure of Williams inthe opening round, then going down in a heart-breaker before Holstein, ultimate third-place winners. And every man jack in Tingley watched those games. If there had been a fire in Tingley at state tournament time, no one was left in town to put it out.

The Queens of the Court who get such respect from Tingley fans include five farm girls: Jenny OVERHOLTZER, Myrna ENGLAND, Karen OWENS, Mary Jane MINNICK, and Helga GESCHKE. The rest - Mary Sue PRITCHARD, Linda and Sue RICHARDS, Lucy DAILEY, Betty JOBE, Darlene GILES, and Shirley BLAUER - live in town. Ordinarily they practice from 11 to 12 in the morning, but when an after-school session is necessary - and the bus has to leave - Coach OBERMEIER loads the farm girls in his car afterwards and takes them all home.

Working out a Tingley schedule requires a new technique in the annals of Iowa high school activities. OBERMEIER, known in this area as "Obie", who also is superintendent and a 1924 graduate of Iowa Wesleyan, makes a deal with schools he plays twice during the season. Both games are played on the other team's floor. For one game, Tingley is the home club and pays the bills. For the other, Tingley is the visiting outfit, and gets a guarantee.

There is one exception: Redding. When Tingley is the home team against Redding, OBERMEIER rents the Shannon City gym, and plays the game there. Against larger schools such as Lenox, Seymour, or Leon, only one game a season is scheduled, that played on the floor of the large school, with Tingley being the visitors.

Ringgold county is a hot-bed of girls basketball.

"This year there were four teams in our county which could have been in this state meet," OBERMEIER said, "Beaconsfield, Redding, and Ellston, besides us."

Tingley beat Ellston three times and was the only team Ellston failed to lick at least once. Beaconsfield fell to Tingley twice, but knocked off OBERMEIER'S charges once. With Redding, Tingley divided. Redding is coached by Maurice CARR who brought Maloy to the finals a few years ago.

Before tournaments, Coach OBERMEIER takes his Tingley girls to Afton to practice in Afton's gym. In practices at Tingley, he uses the entire floor as "half a floor."

With the Tingley boys' team, which went to finals of the district, the same problem arises and the same solution is reached.

  Coach OBERMEIER is pretty proud of his girls. "Garnavillo wouldn't let my Linda RICHARDS stand out there and shoot, as they did Seymour. Linda would make 'em."

And he went on to point out that coming from behind to beat Williams presented no particular mental hazard to Tingley.

"We beat adair in the first game of the district the same way we beat Williams. Must like the Williams game, it looked like we were whipped in the first quarter. Adair was ahead, 17-10. But we hooked them in the third quarter, same as Williams. We won in an overtime when Myrna ENGLAND stepped up to the free throw line, AFTER THE GUN, and calmly dropped one throug."

Then they beat Guthrie Center, 51-43, in the finals.

Seven of the Tingley Girls are on the honor roll, which may account for their adeptness at figuring out another team's offense. Linda RICHARDS will be valedictorian of ther class. ENGLAND, OVERHOLTZER, and Sue RICHARDS are straight "A" students.

Coach OBERMEIER went to Tingley in 1940, started girl's basketball in 1941. His present girl's chaperone, Cleone OVERHOLTZER JOHNSON, was on his first team. She is Jennie's sister. That first time [they] won one game, its last of the season.

"You'd have thought we won the state tournament, we were so happy."

The next year, Tingley lost only two games, one in the waning seconds to Cromwell, which went to the state finals.

In 1944, OBEMEIER decided to give up school work, and bought the Tingley drug store. In August, pleas by Beaconsfield lured him to their superintendency, although he retained residence in Tingley, driving back and forth. For the next five years, still living in Tingley, he served as superintendent at Shannon City, five miles away, where his girls' teams won the county tournament four of the five years, won the sectional three years, and lost in the finals of the district twice.

In 1950, he returned to Tingley High as superintendent and coach. His Tingley girls have been in the district tournament three of the last four seasons.

A large caravan of cars met in Arispe Saturday night and escorted "Obie" and his team of basketball girls, returning from the State Tourney in Des Moines, to Tingley, in grand style. It was estimated that there were fifty cars in the parade. They were taken to the high school gym where long tables were set for the girls team and also for the boys team, which was being honored as the first Tingley boys team ever to win a sectional tournament. The tables were decorated to resemble a basketball floor, with minature baskets standing at each place to serve as place cards.

The center table was centered with a huge chocolate cake, shaped and decorated to resemble a basketball. The cake was baked and decorated by Mrs. Edith McINTOSH, who as part of the brief program, read a poem she had written, in which every girl and boy on the basketball squads was mentioned.

A supper of sandwiches, potato salad, potato chips, and hot chocolate was served to the guests of honor and other attending (about 200).

Tingley and the surrounding community is justly proud of their teams.

Track was revived again in 1953 at THS. Four boys (Dean BASTOW, Daryl FERGUSON, Jim McINTOSH, and Kenny GROUT) advanced to the Class C State Meet. Dean BASTOW placed 3rd in discus and Daryl FERGUSON placed 4th in pole vault.

1954 found Dean and Jim entered in the state discus again. Jim McINTOSH placed 3rd at the state meet in 1955 and 1956. He also placed 5th in the shot put as a senior in 1956. Kenny GROUT was a state meet mile runner again in 1955.

In the fall of 1956, Coach Obie took Hugh FREEMAN and Jim McINTOSH to Iowa City to enter the State Indoor Track Meet. Hugh won 1st in the pole vault and Jim 3rd in broad jump.

Hugh FERGUSON, as a THS senior in 1957, scored 13 1/2 points at the District Class C Meet (1st in pole vault and discus, and tied for 2nd in high jump.) He then set a new state record in Class C pole vault of 11' 6 3/4".

Jerry JOBE placed 7th at the State Meet in the discus throw in 1959.

The boys of 1957 were County Tourney runnerups - improving to County Champs in 1958.

  The 1955-56 Tingley Boys' High School team was under the direction of Coach OBERMEIER. Members of the team were Von TULL, Jim McINTOSH, Hugh FERGUSON, bo CLYMER, Larry GILES, Jim JOBE, Jon O'NEIL, Melvin RICHARDS, Richard PALMER, Dean EIGHME, and Larry ENGLAND.

Tingley's Nomads, without even a gym of their own, chopped off the heads of a number of southwestern Iowa teams, and came to the state tournament again with a 22-3 record. Back in 1954, four of these girls - Sue RICHARDS, Myrna ENGLAND, Mary Sue PRITCHARD, and Mary Jane MINNICK - had helped bring Coach M. H. OBERMEIER to the state finals, and in 1952, when she was in the 7th grade, Sue RICHARDS had again performed the honors.

But this time, things couldn't have been worse. Tingley ran into a State Center power plant in its first encounter. Exit Tingley 62-36.

Marylin MINNICK, a freshman forward, counted a free throw to start proceedings, then after a State Center basket, Myrna ENGLAND hit a field goal. This was Tingley's last lead. The Nomand's drive around offensive kept them in the ball game, but their chances of winning were small.

ENGLAND made 19 points, Brenda BROWN 12, MINNICK 3, and Norma SUTHERLAND 2. Ruth GROUT and Janet RICHARDS also got into the game. In addition to starting guards, PRITCHARD, Sue RICHARDS and Mary Jane MINNICK, Patricia HILL and Janetta SALTZMAN played.

Selected by balloting by sports editors of 1,900 coaches and officials on basis of season play prior to state finals tournament:

Second Team All-State, Anne O'NEAL, forward 1953

Second Team All-State, Linda RICHARDS, forward, 1954

First Team All-State, Sue RICHARDS, guard, 1957.

  The 1957 Tingley Boys Basketball team were County Tourney runnerups - improving to County Champs in 1958.

In 1957, Kellerton and Tingley were tied at 40 points after regulation play. Tingley's Hugh FERGUSON was the tournaments high scorer but Kellerton rallied in the second half, beating Tingley 48-42.

At last, in 1958, Tingley won the tournment championship, defeating Diagonal 47-43 with Larry GILES as Tingley's high scorer.

1959 was the last year Tingley High School was opened.

  The last boys basketball team for THS in 1959 enjoyed a very successful season with a 15-4 record. In the finals of the district tournament they were beaten by Blockton 68-47, a team they had defeated twice in regular season play.

Many young people of the Tingley area continued to participate and achieve in sports following the Tingley school's reorganization into the Mount Ayr Community High School.

1960 Jerry JOBE set the school record in the shot put and football throw.

1966 the girls basketball team played in the state tournament and Tingley girl squad members were Diana and Debbie RICHARDS, Sally BRECKENRIDGE, and Carla RIGGS.

1971 Kent BLUNCK wrestled to 4th place at the state meet. John ALLEN set the school discus record and then in 1972 was 3rd in Class A state meet.

  1973 Bob and Rich JOHNSON were members of the Mt. Ayr Community boys basketball team that played in the state tourney. Bob (a guard on the 1st team) was noted for his ability to hit the long shots and his uncanny jumping skill for his size.

Ginny SKARDA was a runner on the school record distance medley and shuttle hurdle relay teams.

Joy KIBURZ was on the school record 1600-meter relay and medley teams and ran at the state meet in '73 and '74.

1975 Rich JOHNSON and Pat WEEDA were both starters on the boys basketball team that played at the state tourney. (Rich was no doubt one of the best H.S. B.B. players to come from our area.

1976 Jeanine JOHNSON was onthe 400-meter relay team that ran 52.2 at the state meet (school record). In 1977, Jeanine was a member of state shuttle hurdle team that ran 1.06.2 (still [1983] a school record). Sheri WOOD and Jeanine shared the school high jump mark and both ran at the 1977 state meet on the 880-relay.

1982 Bill McINTOSH ran on the 3200-meter relay team that holds the school record of 8.27.0.

Mary Ann WEEDA qualified for the girls state track meet.

The Mount Ayr Community High School girls softball team advanced to the state tournament for the first time, and Mary Ann WEEDA - short stop, Lori MORRISON - 1st base, and Debbie REED were squad members.

SOURCES: Ringgold County History Compiled and written by the Iowa Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Iowa, Sponsored by Ringgold County Superintendent of Schools, Mount Ayr, Iowa. 1942.

Mount Ayr Record-News, Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa. February 10, 2007.

AVITT, Mike. Pages and Pictures from the Past. . .Ringgold County, Iowa 1855-2005 Pp. 33, 60-4, 73-4. Paragon Publications, Inc. Mount Ayr. 2009.

Tingley Vindicator, Tingley, Ringgold County, Iowa. May 28, 1903.

Tingley Vindicator, Tingley, Ringgold County, Iowa. September, 1918.

Tingley, Iowa Centennial: 1883 - 1983. Pp. 169-83. PSI, Inc. Belmond IA. 1983. Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library, September of 2011

Compilation by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2011