Reporter Caitlin Schmidt's Fave Five of 2020

I learned about Dustin and Annie's impending nuptials while working on another story and worked fast to ensure I'd be able to cover it. What was supposed to be a private ceremony atop Mt. Lemmon turned into an on-ice wedding during half-time, and I was thrilled to go behind the scenes with the couple and their families as they celebrated their special day.

— Caitlin Schmidt

Jaely John tucked a loose strand of her mother’s red hair back into place with a pearl-capped bobby pin. With everything perfect, the pair linked arms and began their walk down the aisle toward Annie Powers’ soon-to-be husband.

As an instrumental version of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” played overhead, Dustin Powers smiled broadly at the sight of his bride, glowing in white.

The couple exchanged handwritten vows, their parents flanking each side, and sealed the union with a kiss.

The wedding attendees — all 3,750 of them — roared. Red hockey pucks floated down onto the Tucson Arena ice.

The newlyweds — wearing their custom-made “Bride” and “Groom” Roadrunners jerseys — walked off the ice and slipped away for a few minutes together before returning to greet family and friends.

There was, after all, a game to watch.

Read the full story here.

I'm a dog lover through and through, so there's not much explanation to this one. After seeing a fantastic E:60 piece by Mina Kimes about a dock diving dog and his 15-year-old trainer at the start of 2020, I made it my goal to write about dog sports for the Star. I put out the word on social media and within an hour, one of my animal shelter volunteer friends connected me with Tamison and Selene. This story and the accompanying video makes me smile every time I think about the fun we had creating them.

— Caitlin Schmidt

Selene Rife’s fawn-colored hair shone under the arena’s florescent bulbs as she paced back and forth in anticipation of the race ahead. Her dark brown eyes surveyed the course that lay in front of her: A series of hurdles leading up to a box 51 feet away.

The stakes were high, but the pressure wasn’t all on her. Selene had three other teammates in this particular race, each one equally focused on the task at hand.

The horn sounded and her first teammate was off and running. A few seconds later, it would be Selene’s turn. She saw her teammate approaching and took off toward the start line, hoping her timing was right for a nose-to-nose pass.

Selene’s legs seemed to fly over the four jumps, her feet landing hard on the box, which launched a neon green tennis ball into her mouth. She held it tight between her teeth as she ran back through the course in reverse.

She passed another teammate and crossed the finish line, dropping the ball as she lunged for the fur-covered bauble tug dangling from her owner’s — one of her human teammates — hand.

Selene, a 7 year-old Belgian Malinois, is a born competitor, according to her owner and trainer, Tamison Rife. When she was six months old, Rife — who lives in Vail — took Selene to Sierra Vista and began training her on her friend’s dock, thinking it would be fun to do from time to time.

Read the full story here.

This is the kind of article that reminds me why I became a reporter. These brave young women came to me with stories that were easily verified and backed up with evidence, much of which they already had ready to go (a reporter's dream.) In the weeks after the story ran, 12 other athletes ended up coming forward to support their claims. The reporting process for the articles weren't easy, as listening to people relive their trauma is painful, and the publication process took its toll. But I felt proud that these people were putting their trust in me, hoping to make a difference for future UA runners. Three months after this story ran, the UA made major changes to the cross country program's staff, replacing both of its coaches.

— Caitlin Schmidt

On Halloween night 2017, University of Arizona junior Thea Ramsey was home alone while her track and field teammates attended coach Fred Harvey’s annual team party.

The first-year member of the cross-country team had transferred to the UA to study in neuroscience, which her previous university didn’t offer.

While she was studying she received — and ignored — a phone call from a male teammate with whom she said she had an uncomfortable encounter the week before and had asked him to leave her alone. Then several more calls. Then he started banging on her doors and windows.

“I locked the doors and windows, turned off the lights and hid,” Ramsey, now 22, told the Star.

She reported the teammate to her coaches the next day and said she was shocked that no one seemed particularly concerned, even though she had told coaches just a week before that he had kissed her without consent while the two were studying, then threatened to hurt himself after she pulled away.

The coaches took no action, she said, and the male athlete was allowed to keep competing even as other team members reported him to coaches for sending a naked Snapchat video and making disparaging comments about sexuality and about people living with disabilities. He was finally dismissed from the team in early 2019 after a different student took out a protective order against him.

Ramsey is one of eight women — all former members of the UA track and field team — who contacted the Arizona Daily Star earlier this summer to detail incidences of sexual harassment, bullying and even assault by teammates, both women and men. They said their complaints were dismissed by coaches, who often attempted to discourage victims from telling teammates, friends and family members what they were experiencing. In several cases, they said, coaches failed to report allegations of sexual discrimination to appropriate authorities as required by federal law.

Among their claims:

• Female athletes were subjected to public weigh-ins and required to track food and calories consumed — practices experts say can cause and perpetuate eating disorders.
• Some runners were pushed by coaches and support staffers to overtrain, often while injured, raising their risk for injury or permanent damage.
• Less successful athletes were ignored or punished for breaking minor rules, while some more successful athletes were given repeated passes for breaking team and school rules.
• Serious mental health issues were neglected or glossed over by coaches.

Read the full story here.

A decade ago when I was working as a bartender in Marana, I had no idea that I'd someday be a reporter and would never have been able to imagine writing about the daughter of one of my customers for the cover of the sports section. I remember Jamie's dad showing me photos of her as a child and telling me about his smart-as-a-whip daughters who were going places in life. Fast forward to 2019 and I just about fell out of my chair when I stumbled onto Jimmy's Facebook page and the videos of his state-ranked MMA fighting, STEM-loving daughter, the same little girl I heard about all those years ago. I knew I had to write about her and was so happy when I finally got the chance. Jamie is a powerhouse in every sense of the word.

— Caitlin Schmidt

Jamie Ledbetter sits outside a fighting cage at her northside MMA gym surrounded by medals, belts and banners exalting the mostly male fighters with whom she trains, and explains how she fills her days.

She’s involved with the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics Competition through Sonoran Science Academy (SSA), where she is a junior.

Her passions are STEM and MMA. There are training sessions at APEX and NAGA fights and team T-REX and NHS, and, well …

“Everything is an acronym,” she says.

Ledbetter, 16, is much more than a fighter and a future engineer. She carries a 4.7 GPA and ranks at the top of her class. She’s also involved in student government and in math and robotics clubs that compete at a national level.

At one point last year, Ledbetter ranked in the top-200 in the country for math — and first in Arizona among jiujitsu competitors age 16 and under.

It’s all part of her detailed life plan.

Read the full story here.

This was one of those stories that fell into place perfectly after a nearly year-long effort. I first learned about the Jones family last winter and set out to write a story about the mom and dad who met as teens on the track, got married and produced two racecar-driving youngsters. Scheduling issues and then COVID got in the way, and by the time the dust cleared, the story was an even better one. Kelly was getting ready to return to the track after several years away and I was thrilled to get to spend two days at the track with the Jones family, watching them prepare for the race and being in the thick of it for her big moment. It was the most fun I've had on an assignment in a long time and after months of phone interviews, I was able to write with the color and detail that comes from being on-location and in the action. The story wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't been there, and I'm so proud of the final product.

— Caitlin Schmidt

Kelly Jones slipped her feet into weathered, black-suede Alpinestars racing shoes last Saturday for the first time in 16 years, taking a rare moment to herself during what she knew would be a long and busy day.

She last wore the shoes as an 18-year-old, racing cars on the very same track on Tucson’s southeast side. Her mother, Denise Germain, had found them in her closet earlier Saturday.

They still fit, the soot-colored suede emblazoned with red accents clinging to the curves of Kelly’s feet.

She put the shoes on and just like the fairy tale, magic happened. Kelly had already found her Prince Charming more than two decades ago, racing go-karts as kids and, later, competing against one another as teenagers at the Tucson Speedway.

Kelly, 34, has spent the past decade raising her two children. She’s also been helping her husband, Dustin, run their landscaping business during the week. On the weekends, she worked the pits as he or the kids raced.

On Saturday, the roles were reversed as Dustin and a crew of friends and family doted on Kelly and her truck, making sure everything was perfect for her long-awaited return to the track.

Read the full story here.