Catching up after vacation

I'm back from a trip to North Carolina and South Carolina. I stopped at three sports venues on the trip.

The first stop was unplanned. We were heading up Interstate 20 in South Carolina, nearing Darlington, when I thought it would be neat to see Darlington Raceway. Nelson Stacy of Maysville won two NASCAR races at Darlington, including the 1961 Southern 500. There is a museum at the track, but I didn't want to take the time for a tour. I asked the lady at the desk if I could see the track. She told me to drive to Gate 39 and the security guard would let me in. I walked up a ramp and was at the fence between turns three and four. A man with Florida license plates also stopped by while I was there.

The other two stops were planned on the way home from the beach. I drove to Chapel Hill for a quick visit at the Dean Smith Center, home of the North Carolina Tar Heels. The front door was open, so I walked right in. There were a few other visitors taking photos. I walked around the concourse. It's a lot like Rupp Arena only newer, and I felt like the sight lines were better.

From there it was about a 20 minute drive to the Duke University campus in Durham. I was really looking forward to seeing Cameron Indoor Stadium, the home of the Blue Devils. The street leading to Cameron was closed for a construction project. I took a detour and parked probably a half mile from the facility. You would never guess the stone block building was a basketball arena. Once again I walked right in. The lobby (in the photo) is really small. A girls basketball camp was in full swing. I took some photos at court level before heading up the stairs to the upper level. It felt like I was stepping back in time compared to the modern arenas. Cameron opened in 1940. There are small concession stands and photo displays in the upper level concourse. Even the seats in the upper level feel close to the court. I'm not a North Carolina or Duke fan, but it was fun to visit the gymnasiums. It's a shame Rupp Arena is not on the University of Kentucky campus. Fans don't have an opportunity to pop into the Wildcats' home court like it did at UNC and Duke.

So much for my trip, now a few local sports highlights while I was gone:

• Mason County rising senior Sarah Fite was the runner-up in the Kentucky Junior Amateur in Bardstown. She lost to Mary Joiner of Franklin in a playoff. Fite fired a four-under 68 for the lowest score in the second round. Joiner and Fite finished regulation play tied at even par 144. Joiner birdied the first playoff hole to win the tournament for the second time in three years. Earlier this month, Fite won the Kentucky Section Junior PGA Championship Qualifier. The Junior PGA Championship is August 9-12 at Wannamoisett Country Club in Rumford, Rhode Island.

• 2016 Mason County graduate Tyler Lippert, who is headed to Eastern Kentucky University, tied for 8th place in the boys Kentucky Junior Amateur with a two-day total of three-over 147.

• Lippert and Jackson Frame, a rising junior at Northern Kentucky University, both qualified for the Kentucky Amateur. Frame shot a one over 73 and Lippert shot a six over 78 at the qualifier Monday at Northern Kentucky Golf Club. The Clark's Pump-N-Shop Kentucky Amateur is July 12-14 at Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland.

• The KHSAA mandated Dead Period began Saturday and runs through July 9.