As people left the first All-Arkansas Preps banquet, the same comment was heard numerous times.
Ranging from Ray Dillon -- president and CEO of Deltic Timber, one of the sponsors -- to parents and athletes, the feeling was unanimous: It was a class event that was well run.
Going into the fourth dinner to honor high school athletes from all over the state in 10 sports, the banquet has grown into the single biggest sports dinner focused on high school athletes and coaches in the state.
That first year, the guest speaker was Peyton Manning, and his question-and-answer session with Keith Jackson was both entertaining and informative.
Drew Brees was just as good in the second year.
Last year, Dick Vitale raised the bar with his energy, enthusiasm and respect for high school and college athletes.
There will not be a letdown this year as one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Cal Ripken Jr., headlines the June 18 event at the Statehouse Convention Center.
Ripken played his entire 21-year career with the Baltimore Orioles and earned the nickname "The Iron Man" for starting a major league record 2,632 consecutive games at shortstop or third base. That bested Lou Gehrig's mark by 502 games, a record he held for 57 years, so it is safe to say Ripken's record may never be broken.
Ripken had 3,184 hits and 431 home runs in his career. He was named to the All-Star team 19 times.
His name is synonymous with baseball and a squeaky clean image.
His love for baseball has not lessened since he retired in 2001. He has his own youth league baseball tournaments, and he has foundations to help adults learn to read and to assist young people academically.
In 2007 he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first year he was eligible. He currently works for Turner Sports as a baseball announcer.
His continued involvement with young people -- and he is a difference-maker -- will make this banquet very special.
The banquet is presented by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and also is sponsored by CHI St. Vincent's, First Security Bank and Arkansas Select GMC.
More than 300 Arkansas coaches and athletes will be honored that night. For more information on sponsorship or buying tickets, go to allarkansaspreps.com.
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This time of year, and for months to come, is when organizations have fundraisers with golf tournaments.
There are too many great tournaments to list them all, but probably the most fun is had at the Pat Summerall Memorial Celebrity Classic, presented by the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
This year's tournament is June 6 at the always pristine Chenal Country Club.
Each team is paired with an Arkansas celebrity, either a Hall of Fame inductee or a local personality.
When former Hall of Fame board member John Bailey brought Wilson Sporting Goods on board, the prize package became one of the biggest in the South.
John passed away last year, but Wilson has stayed with the tournament to honor him.
This year's tournament has been tweaked to make the after-tournament awards presentation more fun as more prizes will be awarded through drawings. There are also autographed items from the Dallas Cowboys, rounds of golf at several golf courses, gift certificates from numerous restaurants and use of a summer home in Hot Springs Village.
The tournament is competitive, but it is a day of fun in the sun.
To be part of the action, contact Terri Johnson at (501) 663-4328.
Sports on 05/11/2016