Splash

ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" has been a big ratings splash since it aired last summer. Could it possibly have some local effect on happy feet? "Oh Lord, no," said Tesa Walls, 17, her arms propped on the shoulders of Sean Steininger, also 17. "I've just always liked dancing. " Walls and Steininger are not alone. They're prancing to "one, two, cha-cha-cha," thanks to Mykol Hamilton, a Centre College psychology professor who moonlights as a dance instructor. Walls laughs while Steininger looks straight ahead, his silver wallet chain bouncing against his jeans.

Beep. Beep. It's a sound that reverberates off the water, off the ceiling, and through the minds of every George Rogers Clark High School swimmer. Sometimes it causes celebration, many times disappointment. It separates the average from the good, the good from the great, and the great from the champions. It's the sound of a timer, and according to Clark swim coach Jessica Dye, time is what "swimming is all about. " "My goal as a coach is to push swimmers to lower their time," the new coach said.

Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater's eyes were filled with joy when an attendee of the annual Festival of the Fourth thanked him for the event. "That's what it's all about," he said. "It's a town that comes together to have 25-cent hot dogs, pony rides and watermelon. It's what a small town should be ... it's to value the families. " Those sentiments were echoed throughout the day as about 2,000 festival-goers enjoyed a parade that featured 30 entries, followed by arts and crafts, patriotic music performed by the Jessamine Jazz Ensemble and, of course, 25-cent hot dogs grilled up by Wilmore public works employees.

Mandy Faulconer gets excited every time she arrives to her office at College Park Gym. Although most of her surroundings have been in place for an extended period of time, once glance at the construction zone near her office sends out a wide smile across her face. "I look out this window every day and I see something new and different," she said with a smile. "The other day, I was in a meeting about the colors of the pool, and it was just exciting to see everything that actually goes into it from the ground up. " Faulconer, recently hired as aquatics manager/programmer at the Winchester-Clark County Parks and Recreation Department, can already envision swimmers and others stepping into the indoor pool currently under construction at College Park.

LEXINGTON (AP) - John Calipari told the Kentucky faithful that he is "humbled and excited" to lead such a "storied program" Wednesday when he was introduced as the Wildcats' basketball coach. And though Calipari cautioned the Kentucky faithful that he was not the "grand poobah" or the "emperor", he received a king's ransom to leave Memphis. (Note: click here to see a pdf of Calipari's contract with the University). Before the press conference Kentucky's athletics board approved an eight-year, $31.65 million contract that will make Calipari the highest paid coach in the nation.

Jodie Meeks seems to be enjoying everything about the NBA draft evaluation process and is still not showing any signs that he's ready to stay put at Kentucky for his senior season. Meeks, UK's leading scorer last season when he was one of the nation's top 3-point shooters, has worked out for various NBA teams including Oklahoma City, Detroit, Washington, Atlanta and Minnesota. He's also gone through the NBA draft combine - and he still has more workouts scheduled before the draft later this month.

It was a teamwork building exercise, racing against time and another team to see who could fill a barrel with the most water in one minute at the Bluegrass Christian Camp this week. The only problem, the barrel had 40 3/8-inch holes that team members must use their fingers, toes and body to plug, top photo. Zach Lunsford, 14, bottom left photo, discovered there were a lot more holes with water pouring out than he could plug. In a total test of trust, Traci Barnes, 17, fell backward into the arms of several campers during the “trust fall” at the camp, bottom right photo.

Matthew Brewsaugh was cleaning up around the Bunny Davis Recreational Complex pool after another fun but long day of lifeguard duty. But he noticed something going in the pool that would mean his day wasn't over yet. "I had finished leading some lessons and had gotten all the kids out of the water," he said. "As I was taking out the trash, I noticed that a little girl had jumped back in the pool. " The 4-year-old girl was frantically trying to tread water. She was in trouble.

For those unfamiliar with cross country competition, the events are run just like the name implies. And, occasionally, that cross country run means a romp through creeks. Such was the case Saturday at the annual Berea Invitational at Berea College as 564 runners from across the state converged on Alumni Field to cross hill, dale and creeks over the 5k, 4k and 1600-meter courses. Barring an unexpected spill, runners made it to the finish line clean, but dripping dry. A tumble on the banks after crossing the creek produced a few muddy finishers.

Just one year after grabbing the reigns of the West Jessamine Colts basketball team, head Coach Bart Flener has already made an indelible mark on the program by winning a district title over perennial bully Lexington Catholic and nearly pulling the upset over the Henry Clay Blue Devils in the first round of the region. This year, Flener and the Colts return with a huge chunk missing from last season's team - five seniors who accounted for most of the scoring and valuable upperclassmen leadership.