Canadian’s high school and middle school crosscountry teams looked strong in Saturday’s Wolf Creek Classic at Lake Fryer. In their first competitive outing, the eighth-grade boys team completed the 2-mile course first overall, led with a 1-2-3 finish by Julian Dominguez, Jose Vargas, and Juan Vargas.

Born in West Covina, California, Wendy Wright’s family relocated to Texas by the time she was 3 years old. Wendy’s father was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad as a pipe fitter and had accepted a position in Cleburne. When she was 12, the shop that employed her father closed. Facing unemployment, Wendy’s father signed on with the Union Pacific Railroad, and she, and her father and stepmother, relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas.

If you want to halve the time it takes to roast or grill a whole chicken—spatchcock it! The term “spatchcock” is rumored to be 17th-century shorthand for “dispatching the cock.” This technique involves splitting the chicken by removing the backbone so you can flatten it, resulting in crispier skin and quicker cooking. I also find it much easier to marinate the bird. — KIM MCKINNEY

Whether you’re looking to add a bit of beauty to your porch or making the most out of space in the backyard, gardeners can grow any vegetable in a container that they would normally grow in the ground.