Four-of-Six ASU Home Kickoff Times Announced

(courtesy ASU Sports Information)
BOONE, N.C. – With the finalization of the Southern Conference’s 2010 football television schedule, Appalachian State University announced kickoff times for four of its six regular-season home games on Thursday.

Appalachian’s first two home tilts versus Jacksonville (Sept. 11 – Hall of Fame Day) and North Carolina Central (Sept. 18 – Fan Appreciation Day) and its Black Saturday showdown with Furman (Oct. 30) will all start at what has become ASU’s traditional home game time – 3:30 p.m.

Kickoff for the Oct. 9 homecoming contest versus defending SoCon runner-up Elon will be at 3 p.m. to accommodate a live television broadcast on SportSouth.

Kickoff times for games at Kidd Brewer Stadium versus The Citadel (Oct. 16) and Wofford (Nov. 13) remain TBA. ASU athletics is working with University officials to explore the possibility of a non-traditional kickoff time for The Citadel game and the Wofford game is subject to the SoCon’s new flexible late-season TV schedule which allows the conference and SportSouth to choose the most appealing game to broadcast in that week’s SoCon Saturday on SportSouth.

In addition to the possibility of two televised regular-season games at The Rock, Appalachian’s season opener at Chattanooga (Sept. 4) and the Battle for the Old Mountain Jug at archrival Western Carolina (Oct. 23) will also be televised at 3 p.m. on SportSouth. In all, SportsSouth will feature the Mountaineers at least three times with the possibility of a fourth in its SoCon Saturday Game-of-the-Week package.

With two selections, Elon is the only other SoCon team currently scheduled to make more than one appearance on SportSouth, which is available in over nine million homes across six southeastern States. ASU’s road affairs at Samford and Georgia Southern will kick off at 3 p.m. (ET) and 2 p.m., respectively. The regular-season finale at Florida remains TBA.

Scottish Sporting Events Highlight Endurance, Skill, and Strength

Scots have traditionally placed great emphasis on both strength and endurance in athletic events. There are two main classifications that participants compete in; namely, heavy athletic events and light athletic events.

The heavy athletic events are some of the better-known ones and are often the events that come to mind when Highland Games are mentioned. Of these events, caber turning (or tossing) is the one that receives the most recognition and is most readily associated with Scots heritage. Although it is commonly called the “caber toss,” this event has less to do with tossing and much more to do with technique.

In the event, the caber, a tapered log, is placed upright with the heavy end in the air. The athlete must then lift the caber and “turn” it, meaning that the small end must end facing away from the participant. Points are awarded based on the final position of the caber in relation to the athlete. If it is at a 12 o’clock position (lying in a straight line with the athlete), the maximum number of points is awarded. Less points are awarded for other positions.

Also involved in the games are the heavy weight toss, the hammer throw, sheaf tossing, and stone throwing. In both the heavy weight and sheaf toss, the implements must be thrown over a horizontal bar that continues to be raised incrementally as the games proceed. Participants whose throws do not clear the bar are eliminated. The heavy weights are usually 28 pounds and 56 pounds in the men’s competitions, while the sheaf weighs 16 or 20 pounds. The sheaf is tossed using a three-tined pitchfork.

The two throwing events, the hammer throw and stone throw, have similarities to the Olympic events that now exist of the same name. However, the hammer throw has remained much truer to its roots. The implement thrown is basically a sledgehammer with a spherical head instead of a ball attached to a wire. The athlete also must throw from a stand instead of taking three or four turns as is done in the track and field competitions. The hammer can be either 16 or 22 pounds in the men’s competitions, and it cannot exceed 4’6” in length.

The stone throw (also known as stone put or clachneart) is almost identical to the shot put. The athlete must throw the 16-22 pound stone without using overhand, underhand, or two-handed techniques. In this event, the athlete can spin to gain momentum.

Light athletic events include long runs, sprints, and highland dancing.

A number of local athletes have achieved success at the Games. Joe Welliver, formerly of nearby Banner Elk and Avery County High School grad who currently resides in Wilmington, NC, was named Outstanding Amateur "A" Class Scottish Heavy Athlete in 2008 after finishing first in his division in the Sheaf Toss, 28-lb. Hammer Throw for Distance, 22-lb. Hammer Throw for Distance, and 56-lb.Weight Throw for Distance, as well as second place in the Clachneart and fourth in the 56-lb. Weight Throw for Distance.

“Competing and winning the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games was a great experience. I had been to several in my life and used to work on the mountain as well, and being apart of the spectacle was a great feeling,” Welliver said of his involvement in the Games. “The best part is the huge crowds when they are cheering you on. What may be even cooler is when you miss a height and you can hear thousands sigh all at once because they were all watching you. It was also a way for me to get to see some old friends and allow my family to see me compete in Avery County.”

One of the best examples of this type of event in this year’s Highland Games is “The Bear.” This race to the top of Grandfather Mountain is an almost-constant uphill battle for five miles. Only athletes in supreme condition can finish the race running the entire way.

Mary Chesnut Smith, a rising senior at local Avery County High School, has excelled in many of the field events. Smith was named Outstanding Women’s Athlete at the 2009 Games, where she finished in first place in the 880-yard dash and the two-mile run, with third place finishes in the women’s long jump and in the one mile run, the latter an event that fielded both male and female competitors.

Smith regularly competes in The Bear, inspired at a young age by watching her older brother participate in the event. Participation at the Games has been a family affair through the years, as her family has competed in relay races. Mary’s older sister Katherine and older brother Nathaniel have regularly participated in track and field events in previous Games from a young age.

“Winning the female outstanding athlete last year was a surprise,” Smith said. “Competing up at the Games is fun, and it’s not as serious as the regular track meets and competitions in school. The Bear is hard, but I like the challenge of running it.”

The only event that may be as grueling as “The Bear” in the Grandfather Mountain games is the 26.2 mile marathon. It has gained a reputation as America’s toughest marathon. That reputation comes from the all-uphill 13-mile stretch to end the race.

Of course, sprints are open to more discerning athletes that would rather not punish themselves with “The Bear.” Sprints of 100 yards, 220 yards, and 440 yards are offered along with the 880-yard run, one-mile run, and two-mile run.

In addition, there are also jumping events such as the long jump, high jump, triple jump, and pole vault.

For the serious athlete, the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games offers a stern test of body, mind, and will.

Little League District Tournaments Heat Up

Last Saturday was an active day for all four Avery County Little League District 7 Tournament teams.

On a picturesque afternoon to play ball, the Avery 9 and 10 year old teams hosted tournament action in Newland, while the 11 and 12 softball team opened its tournament with a game at Watauga and the 11-12 baseball team traveled to Wilkesboro to open tournament play against Wilkes American.

After defeats in opening round games, the 9 and 10 squads could neither afford a loss. Unfortunately for both teams, however, they met traditionally powerful district teams. In 9-10 softball Avery took on Wilkes American and despite a worthy effort, was eliminated by a final score of 23-2.

The 9 and 10 boys baseball team looked to rebound after its opening round defeat to Wilkes National, but ran into a buzz saw in the squad from Lenoir National. Avery played hard through the final out, but Lenoir simply had too much offensive firepower in a 12-2 victory.

In the 11 and 12 year old divisions, both Avery teams got their first taste of District tournament action. Avery’s softball team picked up a three-run, first inning inside-the-park home run from Jerrica Reiger, while the pitching of starter Emily Brown and a brilliant Avery defensive display made the lead stand up in a 3-1 Avery win.

Avery held Watauga scoreless in the top of the first and did all its offensive damage in the bottom of the opening inning. Kesha Garland drew a walk to lead off the frame. Kaitlyn Arbogast reached base on a hit to left field to set the table for Reiger, who blasted the first pitch she saw all the way to the left field fence. Both base runners scored while Reiger raced around the diamond before the Watauga defense could relay the ball back to the infield.

The damage in the first inning could have been significantly greater, but Avery stranded two runners in scoring position after the home run to prevent Avery from holding more than a three-run lead.

Watauga scored its lone run in the top of the second inning. The ladies from Pioneer land put two runners on after a base hit and an error. Avery traded a run for an out, however, when Watauga second baseman Athena Millsaps rolled an RBI groundout to Avery third baseman Charity Ollis. Starting pitcher Emily Brown worked out of the jam for the Avery squad to prevent any further runs from plating.

Avery left a total of five runners on base in the innings 3-5 but could not manufacture any insurance runs to earn extra breathing room on defense. In each of the final two innings Watauga threatened to score, but sterling defense was turned in by Avery. A 4-3 double-play ended the fifth inning, while a catch from shortstop Garland and flip to third baseman Charity Ollis turned the second double play in as many innings to seal the victory. Avery survives and advance to play this Thursday evening at 6 p.m.

“The girls played well. We had a couple of girls out on vacation last week and they came back and played great today. This is really exciting. We felt we could be competitive and thought this was a game we should win and we did,” Avery head coach Craig Reiger said following Saturday’s triumph.

Avery starter Emily Brown picked up the complete-game victory inside the circle surrendering only one run over six innings, while Jerrica Reiger’s three RBI proved more than enough offense to win the day.

“Jerrica’s hit was a big boost for us, and we were able to put runners on base in every inning, which is a great sign,” Coach Reiger said. “Emily did a great job hitting her spots and didn’t give up many walks, Pitching is such a key in Little League tournaments, and Emily pitched great today.”

Later Saturday afternoon, the Avery 11 and 12 year old baseball team traveled to sizzling Westwood Park in Wilkesboro to take on a tough Wilkes (American) All-Star squad. Avery scored early to grab a lead, but the Wilkes bats woke up with a 10-run third inning en route to earning a 16-2 win in five innings.

Wilkes drew first blood in the top of the first inning of play with a double and a base hit off Avery southpaw Stanley, who got the ball to start on the mound. Stanley did a good job of keeping the Wilkes hitters off balance for the majority of the first two innings, as he and the Avery defense held Wilkes to the lone run scored.

In the bottom of the first, Avery shortstop Brett Smith reached base on a one-out walk, and Stanley helped his own cause with a base hit. Both runners came around to score to put Avery out in front by a 2-1 score.

Neither team could crack the scoreboard in the second inning. In the top of the third inning, however, Wilkes seized momentum and turned a close contest into a rout. A total of 13 batters came to the plate in the inning as the Wilkes hitters were able to time the Avery lefty and hit a number of good pitches between fielders in both the infield and outfield. Luke Crowe came on in relief for Avery and surrendered a couple of hits before retiring the Wilkes side, but not before Wilkes built an 11-2 lead.

Avery managed only one hit over the final three innings off the Wilkes pitching staff who appeared to only strengthen as the game lengthened. The Wilkes offense scored five runs in the top of the fifth inning as both Crowe and Lucas Powell pitched in the final frame. Avery was retired in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the game due to the ten-run mercy rule.

“Wilkes did a good job of hitting the ball in the hole in that third inning, and we made a few mistakes in the field to help them out some,” Avery 11 and 12 year olds head coach Sherrill Rominger said following the contest. “Gabe pitched probably the best game he’s thrown this year, but they just had some good hitting and pitching. We kind of ran out of pitchers today with a couple of pitchers hurting. We also definitely will need to work on our hitting, but we have a good bunch of boys and they gave a great effort.”

Avery’s next game in the 11 and 12 year old baseball district tournament will take place this Saturday.

Musings and Ramblings: Mixed Martial Arts Popular on National and Local Scale

For the past four years, I have developed a deep appreciation and respect for a sport that, as recently as ten years ago, was a pariah in most of the United States and was struggling to earn legitimacy in mainstream sports.

The sport of mixed martial arts, or MMA for short, has come a long way in the past couple of decades since jiu jitsu ace Royce Gracie first made a name for himself at the inaugural Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1993.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, known to most simply as UFC with its world-renowned Octagon, began as a tournament-style format, without weight classes or time limits. MMA, then known as ‘NHB’ or ‘no holds barred’ quickly became popular.

Because of the sport’s brutality in the early years, it gained the attention of several politicians who passed legislation to ban the sport in most American states. Arizona Senator John McCain famously referred to the sport as “human cockfighting”, and even today six states, most notably New York and Michigan, continue to maintain its ban of mixed martial arts. McCain has since altered his stance in recent years following regulation of the sport, even stating in 2008 that “the sport has grown up. The rules have been adopted to give its athletes better protections and to ensure fairer competition.”

Today the UFC is the most popular and profitable of the large-scale MMA promotions. The company struggled for viability and fiscal survival until the company was purchased by casino owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who along with former personal trainer and current UFC President Dana White, realized the significance of working alongside state athletic commissions and sought to clean up the barbaric image and rules of the sport.

Today’s MMA is regulated in a similar fashion to professional boxing and kickboxing organizations. There are rules of combat in place which are strictly enforced and weight classes, and with the legalization of MMA, many state athletic commissions have opened the door for smaller scale local and regional fighting promotions and training schools to flourish.

North Carolina passed legislation governing Mixed Martial Arts in 2007. The rise in fighter safety along with state rules and legislation has helped to fuel a major interest in the sport and helped the UFC and other major fighting promotions to become bigger than ever and a billion-plus dollar a year business.

Mixed martial arts have become an interest as a profession to some local residents. One such individual is my friend Luke Moody who resides in Crossnore. Luke has been participating in MMA sanctioned events in multiple states, and has a passion for the sport that I have seen in few folks.

“I personally became interested in the sport back in the late 1990’s but only as a fan. It was not until June 6, 2003 that I saw UFC 43 when Randy Couture defeated Chuck Liddell to win the UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship and become the first man to ever hold a title in two divisions that I became interested in fighting,” Moody shared with me recently. “The drama around the Couture/Liddell fight was huge. The fight was so exciting and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I had done some wrestling but that fight and the allure of what it would be to have the opportunity to get into the cage with another fighter and prove that I belonged to be there, that is what made me want to compete in a big show and take part in mixed martial arts.”

Kris Vance, an Avery County native who currently plays semi-pro football with the Carolina Golden Knights, also participates in MMA and is training for an upcoming fight in Kentucky. He echoes a similar passion and dedication to the sport.

“The reason I became interested in MMA is because I wanted to try something with a lot of discipline and courage. The first fight I took was in 2006 against a former Kentucky state trooper on short notice who knocked me out in about 45 seconds,” Vance shared regarding his experience in the sport. “After that I told myself I would commit myself to getting better, so I have been learning new moves, working with other fighters, and watching training videos. Being a fighter is a thrill, and when you to go to the arenas kids look at fighters as heroes.”

MMA has skyrocketed in popularity in the past five years, as live events held on a monthly basis routinely sell out large arenas, with hundreds of thousands of fans purchasing events via pay-per-view.

For the past three years, I’ve had the privilege of watching virtually every UFC event with avid MMA follower C.J. Laws and his family at their home in the Heaton community. C.J. has been an MMA follower since its inception in the early 90s. He participated in martial arts at a younger age and was attracted by the various disciplines involved in the sport, telling me that he would have been a fighter had the sport been available at the time.

“Mixed martial arts incorporate all the martial arts and fighting skills,” Laws stated. “You have grappling, karate, kickboxing, wrestling, and punching. Back in the 80s when I was in martial arts, MMA had not been developed. I took part in karate tournaments, but it wasn’t until Royce Gracie came along that mixed martial arts came along and eventually you had the stricter set of rules and multiple fighting styles.”

Mixed martial arts has reached the mainstream in recent months, as ESPN and other networks are covering events and are airing shows dedicated to the sport. Chances are mixed martial arts will be worth checking out if you’re a fan of boxing or wrestling. Like any sport, MMA isn’t for everyone, but as the sport continues to grow one thing is for certain: the Octagon won’t be going away anytime soon.

Summer Football Camps Offer Specialized Training, College Exposure

For many young boys growing up in Western North Carolina, their aspirations include one day possibly growing up to be a football player. For a select few, the talent and abilities mesh with work ethic and other intangibles to produce a player that may reach All-Conference status in football/ In the team dynamic, some student-athletes play well enough to propel their school to capture prep championships at the conference, regional, and sometimes even the state level.

But what about those students who wish to have a legitimate opportunity to play football at the collegiate level? It’s common knowledge that unless a player is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind type of talent, college recruiters and coaches overlook smaller high school talent in favor of players who might have similar talent, but play under a brighter spotlight in a traditional football hotbed, a more urban setting, or a larger football classification.

Fortunately for aspiring college football players in Western North Carolina, a number of collegiate coaches, recruiting coordinators, and visionaries are making a point not to forget those talented kids who could be an asset to a college football program.

Just this summer alone, a number of Avery football players have taken part in collegiate camps. One such camp took place from June 25-27, as Mars Hill College hosted the fifth annual Blue Chip Football Academy. The academy is limited to rising sophomores through rising seniors, and bills itself in its mission as “for the serious high school player who wants to play college football.”

During this particular camp, one of many camps offered throughout the Southeast and nation as a whole, players are coached and evaluated by college coaches, of whom most are major decision makers for their respective schools. Academies like the Blue Chip affords localized student-athletes the opportunity for tremendous exposure to help them fulfill their goal of playing football at the next level. As well, it affords players to learn about weight training, nutrition, injuries, and stresses the importance of academics.

Academy staff for the 2010 event included assistant coaches, head coaches, or recruiting coordinators from 43 separate institutions ranging from prep schools to junior colleges to all divisions of NCAA football. Coaches from as far as California commit to working the camp, as the academy and other various specialized camps are prime settings to find players who fly under the radar but may offer great skills and leadership to a coach’s particular program.

“By far it is the best camp I have witnessed to get players the most exposure in the shortest amount of time,” one parent has testified about the importance of the summer camps. “It was a very competitive camp. The kids learn a lot of fundamentals, but it was a working camp and fundamentals were stressed. I wish I’d known about the camp before.”

Kim Blackburn, whose son Colton was among a number of Avery High football players to attend the Blue Chip camp, came away impressed with the academy and everything it had to offer high school players hoping to play college ball.

“I felt that the Blue Chip Camp was a great experience for any high school player that is looking to play football in college at some level. They were able to meet and have access to 40 coaches from all divisions, as well as be coached by them on seven-on-seven teams. This gave the boys a glimpse into a college coach’s mind as to what they expect of their players, as well as improve on their individual skills,” Blackburn said of the camp. “The most beneficial part of this camp as compared to some other camps is the amount of exposure and contacts that could be made in one location. It was a positive experience for the boys that attended.”

For information on the Blue Chip Football Academy, visit www.bcfa06.com or visit the websites of other respective regional schools who are holding high school camps throughout the summer season.