South Charlotte Sports Report“HOMETOWN TEAMS ... HOMETOWN KIDS”

Volume 6, Issue 5 June 30, 2011 - FREEwww.southcharlottesports.com

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After teetering on the edge of a cliff for many months, middle school sports in Charlotte-Mecklen-burg Schools will survive for one more year. Last week, CMS Interim Athletic Director Sue Doran an-nounced that a partial slate of sports would com-prise the 2011-2012 middle school sports programs. Sports chosen to live another day were; football, fall and winter cheerleading, volleyball, basketball and track and field. Sports that presently will not be of-fered include; golf, baseball, softball and soccer.

Over the last three years, CMS Superintendent Dr. Peter Gorman called for the elimination of Middle School Sports from the school budget. For the last two years, the program managed to escape the final cuts. Last year, the program operated off of athletic participation fees in middle and high school, a high school ticket surcharge and donations. Earlier this year, Dr. Gorman announced that the money gener-ated from the high school fees and ticket surcharges would remain inside the high schools, effectively ending middle school sports.

Now that year end accounting could be complet-ed, extra funds were found from the fees and ticket surcharges that could be moved back to the middle school sports budget. While the money is short of the $1.2 million dollar budget in 2010-2011, it is enough to offer a smaller version of middle school sports.

Tripp Roakes, Publisher of the South Charlotte Sports Report, has been a vocal supporter of keeping middle school sports alive over the last three years. He offers his thoughts on the 2011-2012 program.

“The most important aspect of the announce-ment is that middle school sports will live another day in CMS. We simply could not allow the program to come to an end as I think it would have been near-ly impossible to resurrect. Would I like for every sport to be back in the program? Of course, I would even like to see more sports added. Do I think there could be changes made to the program that will help it grow and prosper? Certainly. However right now, we need to focus on the positive fact that CMS did not bury the program. I am making a public plea to the larger businesses and community leaders that make their living off of the Charlotte families, to consider helping us find at least $300,000 more so we can put softball, soccer, golf and baseball back on the agenda for this school season. These are all equally valuable sports and I am hoping we can lo-cate the money to put them all back in place.”

“I certainly don’t feel like my work is done on middle school sports, we must find a way to fund the programs year after year in addition to closing the gap for this season. I will continue to work hard to create awareness for this important extra-curricular activity. The Save Middle School Sports Founda-tion was created a couple of months ago to serve as working grassroots group for middle school sports. I along with the foundation will be very active over the next few months.”

Along with Roakes, CMS District 1 School Board Member Rhonda Lennon worked tirelessly to keep middle school sports alive. Her advice and desire to help the entire community was vital to the success of the program.

Lennon adds her thoughts on the announce-ment.

“I am excited that the program that was put into place last year, with participation fees and an ad-ditional gate charges we will be able to keep a core

group of eight middle school sports alive at CMS. I am still hopeful that a corporate sponsor will help bridge the funding gap so we can offer all 13 sports that we have had in the past. The interest and en-thusiasm for middle school sports is great, now it’s time for the community to step up and preserve the entire program for the long term. Sports programs are just a great part of the school experience for all our students. Student athletes benefit from the skills learned both on and off the playing field/court. This is a great first step............now lets close the funding gap!”

Roakes, Lennon and others will now focus their efforts on finding the sponsorship dollars to complete the 2011-2012 program and then begin work on the future. Interested family members that would like to help them reach their goal are invited to register at www.savemiddleschoolsports.com

FOOTBALL CAMP

South Charlotte Sports

Football Camp

July 25-28

South Mecklenburg High School

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MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS LIVES TO PLAY ANOTHER DAY

Page 2 Volume 6, Issue 4

Play It Again SportsCommunity House Middle SchoolDick’s Sporting Goods – Matthews

MathnasiumSoutheastern Gymnastics

Steps N’ Motion – The FountainsOn Deck Baseball

Tokyo One ExpressExtreme Ice Center

Dr. Sellers Orthodontics Weddington Activity Center

Baskin Robbins (Highway 521)PCAA Baseball Complex

Nothing But NoodlesCarolinas Baseball Center

International Sports CenterTry Sports

Pet Essentials Jesse Brown’s Adventure

Jersey Mike’s (Stonecrest)CrossFit Charlotte

Laxer, Long and SavageGrand Slam USA

Papa Johns – Camfield CornersTebby Sports Medicine

Meridian Medical GroupQuimby and Collins Orthodontics

Charlotte All-StarsOmega Sports

Four Seasons Barber and SalonDunkin Donuts (Highway 521)

Fitness For WomenPalone’s Pizza

Sports Connection BallantyneSports and Fitness- Ballantyne

Sports Perf. Ctr. @ OrthoCarolinaPresbyterian Urgent Care – Blakeney

Premier SoccerCharlotte Running Company

Sports Clips (Promenede)Marvin Ridge High School

Marvin Ridge Middle SchoolCharlotte Catholic High School

Bird DentistryDr. Garden Dentistry

Robek’s Juice Run For Your Life Sports Orthopedic

SCRA Baseball ComplexSam & Carlies Deli

Tutoring Club of CharlotteHoly Trinity Catholic Middle School

The Q ShackThe Bagel Bin

Charlotte AquaticsWaxhaw Family Physicians

Architech Sports & Physical Therapy Winning Awards

Ardrey Kell High SchoolAmeritrust Mortgage

Dynamic Sports PerformanceSouth Library (Rea & 51)

Matthews Motor CompanyBuffalo Wings and Rings

New Point LearningGrace Academy

SwimMacGateway Travel

Park Sharon Athletic AssociationKinetic Spine SportsSalsaritas (Blakeney)

Showcase Baseball AcademyCiarla Fitness

Switchin KitchensJewish Community CenterWaxhaw Family Physicians

Covenant Day SchoolBeurlein Pro Fitness

Carolina CourtsNational Amateur Sports

Velocity Sports PerformanceGoddard School (Waxhaw)Subway (Camfield Corners)

Karate CharlotteHot Frickn’ Chicken

P I C K U P Y O U R C O P Y O F T H E S O U T H C H A R L O T T E S P O R T S R E P O R T

A T T H E S E L O C A T I O N S

SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORTCovering the Active Children and Families of Our Community

The South Charlotte Sports Report is published twice a month by The South Charlotte Sports Report, 9901 Zackery Ave, Charlotte, NC 28277. Phone: 704-341-0086. The South Charlotte Sports Report is distributed free throughout our coverage area in neighborhoods and local businesses. If you would like copies delivered to your business for distribution to customers, call 704-906-5466.

Story ideas and photo submissions are welcome for use on our website and in our newspa-per, email to Tripp@southcharlottesportsreport.com. Advertising rates are available upon request.

PUBLISHERTripp Roakes

GRAPHIC DESIGNERFrances Flowers

WEBMASTERScott Page

PHOTOGRAPHERS Greg ArthurGerry Wall

SALES REPRESENTATIVE Kristy Maher

INTERNAshley Miess

The SCSR Team!

Tune up your racquet for Queen City and USTA Leagues

Free pick up and delivery

in South Charlotte!

Rich Rushakoff - 704-821-0168(former stringer for Players Loft)

THE KIDS NEED A LITTLE HELP FROM CORPORATE CHARLOTTE

With the recent announcement that Middle School Sports has been saved for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools 2011-2012 season there comes both excite-ment and disappointment.

It’s exciting to know that the program didn’t get buried into a position that it could never recover from. Yes, all the sports are not in today’s plan to return, but the mere fact that a middle school sports program is alive is enough reason to celebrate. We must however place a limit on the celebration as many of the top par-ticipation sports in South Charlotte are not currently in the plan for the coming season.

Softball, baseball, soccer and golf are not part of the plan announced by CMS Interim Athletic Direc-tor Sue Doran. Yes, it’s a financial issue, only a cer-tain number of sports could be funded with the found

money. For the parents of a soccer, baseball, softball or golf student-athlete, there may not seem like a lot to celebrate. These teams are hugely popular in our community, but across the school system, some schools do not field teams in these sports.

So where do we go from here? How do we get these sports back on the CMS Middle School Map? I see two viable options out there.

1. Donations / Sponsorship from the corporate community in Charlotte. I go back to the fact that our city can raise millions and millions of dollars to host the Democratic National Convention and we can serve as home to many professional sports teams, some of the top hospitals in the country and be referred to as one of the top financial centers in the world, yet somehow we cant find $300,000 to fully restore the middle school sports program in CMS? So many of the leaders of each of the mentioned businesses played middle and high school sports. They recognize the value that comes from participation. $300,000 may seem like a fortune to most of our readers, but to these companies, it’s a drop in the bucket for their corporate giving and marketing dollars.

I need to add that CMS must be responsive to the needs of any corporation that comes on board with sponsorship dollars. A company should it choose, will need to receive ben-efits for their all important donation.

2. Club Sports at local schools. The second option is for the booster clubs of individu-al schools to step up and offer the missing sports and additional sports for their own stu-dents. This is a wonderful model that has worked extremely well for our neighbors across the Union County line. Sports come with a price and each middle school has the facilities in place to make these sports a success when the demand is there from the students.

I am a huge supporter of both of these options and I have begun work to look at both options.

I also want to renew my now three year old plea for CMS to create a Middle and High School Sports Planning Commission to prepare for future funding options. This call has fallen on deaf ears for three years now. I am thinking that after the roller coaster ride of the last three years, someone will finally agree with me and we can move forward with this effort.

In closing, I promise to this community that I will keep working hard to create aware-ness on this issue. I will also push the importance of the student-athlete concept as I don’t believe we should reward opportunity if the effort is not placed inside the classroom as well. I don’t care how many yards you ran a football if your report card is loaded with C’s, D’s and F’s.

I invite all interested families to register at the website of the Middle School Sports Foundation; www.savemiddleschoolsports.com We are going to need your help going forward to create the best program possible for our children.

For now, Play Ball!.

Tripp RoakesPublisherSouth Charlotte Sports ReportTripp@southcharlottesports.com704-906-5466

Volume 6, Issue 4 Page 3

STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

ARCHITECH SPORTS AND PHYSICAL THERAPY 8918 Blakeney Professional Drive Suite 120 | Charlotte, NC 28277 | Ph. 704-900-8960

www.architechsports.comPhysical Therapy for Athletes and Weekend Warriors * Sports Performance * Soccer Speed and Agility

Baseball Pitching Arm Care Evaluations * Female Jumpmetrics Training * Coaches Care Programs All programs in conjunction with Morrison Family YMCA

The two Student-Athletes of the Week will receive a Scholarship to Architech Sports and Physical Therapy for a Functional Movement Screen.

CORI FLOYDArdrey Kell High School graduating senior, Cori Floyd, is the Archi-tech Sports and Physical Therapy Student-Athlete of the Week. Cori the 18-year-old daughter of Eric Floyd and Graciela Ponjuan, spent her sophomore through senior years at Ardrey Kell after attending Covenant Day School as a freshman. She has lettered in track and field each year of high school. Cori played tennis for five years and was seeded fourth on Covenant Day’s team.

Cori competed in many track and field events, including long jump, triple jump, 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, 4x100 meter relay, 4x200 meter relay and 4x400 meter relay. She was the 2011 MVP in field events at Ardrey Kell and the 2008 MVP in track at Covenant Day. Although she started triple jumping only two days

before the conference meet, she became the conference champion and then the regional champion a week and a half later. Her best conference jump was 37-7, and her best regional jump was 38-1.

Cori, who loves math and science, took AP calculus AB/BC and AP biology. She completed her senior year with 5 A’s and 2 B’s.

Congratulations to Cori Floyd, the Architech Sports and Physical Therapy Student-Athlete of the Week.

NICK SANSOTTAButler High School graduating senior, Nick Sansotta, is the Architech Sports and Physical Therapy Student-Athlete of the Week. The 18-year-old son of Mario and Margaret Sansotta has competed in track and field for six years and has played football for five years. Nick signed with Appalachian State University to throw.

Nick threw shot put and discus for Butler’s track and field team. In addition to earning All-State honors in the shot put for both the indoor and outdoor seasons, he was the state champion in the shot put at the 2011 NCHSAA 4A indoor state championship meet and the runner-up at the 2011 NCHSAA 4A outdoor state championship meet. Nick was named the male MVP of Butler’s track and field team in 2010 and 2011. He earned All-Conference honors in track and field from 2008 to 2011.

On the football field, Nick played right guard and defensive tackle for the 2009 and 2010 state champion Bulldogs. He has earned All-Conference, All-Mecklenburg County and All-Observer honors in football.

A member of the National Honor Society, Nick carried a 4.1 GPA. He was one of the dozen senior scholar athletes comprising the Butler DREAM TEAM, a group dedicated to being drug, alcohol, tobacco and violence free. By speaking at DARE ceremonies and tutoring kids, the DREAM TEAM serves as role models to elementary, middle and high school students in the community. Nick also sings and plays guitar.

Congratulations to Nick Sansotta, the Architech Sports and Physical Therapy Student-Athlete of the Week.

SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

Charlotte Latin School graduating senior, Maggie Gardner, swam year-round for nine years, includ-ing seven years at Latin, five years at MAC and four years at Stingray Aquatics. The 19-year-old competed in the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 200 medley relay (butterfly) and 200 freestyle relay. Maggie began running cross country for Latin in sixth grade. Let’s go beyond the game with Maggie Gardner.

What are some of your athletic accomplish-ments?“This year I was awarded the Scholar Athlete

Award for the senior class at Charlotte Latin as well as the Spirit of Running Award in cross coun-try and the Heart of the Lion Award in swimming. Among senior girl swimmers, I contributed the most points in the state meets for my high school career.”

What is your best memory from running?“I was often encouraged and surprised by voices of neighbors, friends, coaches and family from what seemed like every corner of the Charlotte Latin trails during meets and practices.”

What will you miss most about cross coun-try and swimming at Latin?“I will miss the atmosphere of cross country and swimming at Charlotte Latin because it is one of camaraderie and spirit. No one person is valued above the rest – each athlete is treated with respect and allowed to grow to their potential.”

How did you perform in the classroom at Latin?“This year I faced a challenging course load of five AP courses. My favorite class was AP calculus BC with Dr. [Ken] Collins. I achieved high marks in

all of my classes as well as earning a gold key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition for my art portfolio. I was inducted into Cum Laude as a junior, and I am a National Merit Finalist. I will be attending Washington University in St. Louis this fall.”

What is the best advice you have ever re-ceived?“In swimming, I have always loved swimming backstroke, but my stroke tempo was never as fast as it should it have been. I had always heard “increase your tempo, increase your tempo,” but I never knew how to do it. Finally, when I was a freshman, one coach just told me to move my arms faster – like a windmill. It would seem obvious, but that one point helped me to drop 12 seconds in my 200 backstroke.”

As you look back on your high school and youth sports career, would you like to thank anyone for helping you to succeed?“All of my family, coaches and teammates were a source of strength and inspiration throughout my high school career. My coaches Dr. Collins and Mr. [John] Marklewitz were especially support-

BEYOND THE GAME WITH MAGGIE GARDNERWritten by Ashley Miess, Charlotte Latin School, 09

Page 4 Volume 6, Issue 4SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

Butler High School graduating senior, Caitlin Metz, has participated in com-petitive gymnastics for eight years and track and field for three years. In gymnastics, she competed up to level nine (10 is the highest level before elite or college). In the pole vault, she qualified for regional’s three years in a row and made it to the state meet her

senior year. The 18-year-old daughter of Mike and Cathy Metz, Caitlin also was a captain for both gymnastics and track and field. Let’s go beyond the game with Caitlin Metz.

What are some of your athletic accomplishments?“In gymnastics I was part of two state champion teams. In track I broke the girl’s school record for pole vault. I jumped 11 feet. I am ranked in the top 25 pole vaulters in the history of North Carolina. At state I placed sixth. I received second place at regional’s this year.”

Are there any obstacles you have overcome in order to succeed in sports?“My sophomore year I did really well and got fifth at regional’s, but my junior year I struggled with the mental part of the sport, but I was able to overcome that with help from my coaches and encouragement from my family and teammates.”

How did you perform in the classroom at Butler?

“In school I was ranked 30 out of 586, and my GPA was 4.4. My fa-vorite subjects in school have always been math and science. I especially loved AP biology in high school. I am attending UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall as an exercise science major.”

What other activities were you involved in outside of academics and athletics?“I was involved in a program called DREAM TEAM my senior year. I was selected to be a part of this team through a grueling application and interview process. DREAM TEAM is a group of 12 senior scholar athletes who are committed to being drug, al-cohol, tobacco and violence free while upholding high standards of moral excellence. We also served as men-tors and role models to elementary, middle and high school students in the surrounding area and in the state of North Carolina. This team became my family. We were all so close, and this group supported me and encour-aged me in every aspect of my life.”

What will you miss most about

participating in track and field?“My senior year I met an excellent coach in Greensboro that I began practicing with. Other athletes also worked with this same coach. He is the coach that helped me maintain my love for pole vault my senior year, and he helped me reach 11 feet. I will miss him and the bond I made with the other athletes most. It was a team outside of school like nothing I had ever experienced before.”

As you look back on your high school and youth sports career, would you like to thank anyone for helping you to succeed?“As I mentioned before about my coach in Greensboro, Van Hall, I have many thanks for him and all his love for the sport that inspired me to work super hard. I would also like to thank my high school track coach Debbie Bethay, who always sup-ported me and pushed me to be the best athlete I could be. I also have to thank the DREAM TEAM coach, Janet Prevatte, for her inspiring love for our cause and support for us.”

BEYOND THE GAME WITH CAITLIN METZWritten by Ashley Miess, Charlotte Latin School, 09

The MARA 7U All Stars won the Championship in the 7U Invitational hosted by WCWAA. Bottom Row: (L-R) Jackson Schoolcraft, David Garfinkle, Jacob Budzik, Jack Milligan, Collin McDougall, Brennen Weigert Middle Row: (L-R) Andrew Cox, Nicolas Krise, Jeremy Self, Kyle Bean, AJ Tolbert, Sawyer BartlesTop Row: (L-R) Coaches: Ben Krise, Steve Garfinkle, Robbie McDougall

CAMP WITH THE NAME YOU TRUST THIS SUMMER

WWW.SOUTHCHARLOTTESPORTSCAMPS.COM

FOOTBALL CAMP

South Charlotte SportsFootball Camp

July 25-28

South Mecklenburg High School

www.southcharlottesports.com

Volume 6, Issue 4 Page 5SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

The South Charlotte Mudcats won the South Charlotte Rec Invitational last weekend. Front Row: (L-R) Jake Karklin, Drew Gardner, Josh Neuman, Gavin Birkhimer, Matthew Winesette, Brandon PoplinSecond Row: (L-R) Jake Robbins, Nick Bordeau, Tim Townsend, Hunter Huckaby, Noah Richter, Caleb DeveauxBack Row: (L-R) John KarklinNot pictured: Jake Morrow, Sam Fink, Adam Hackett

The South Charlotte Mudcats will be hosting tryouts on Wednesday

July 27th at Olde Providence Elementary School at 6pm. The cost for the tryout is $20 for new

players, returning players are free. The Mudcats will field two 12u

teams and an 11 team. The Mudcats organization is headed by former

Major Leaguer Jake Robbins. The rest of the staff consists of former pro and college players. Please confirm your spot for tryouts by contacting:

Jake Robbins704-517-6399 or rhp4god@yahoo.com

orDerreck Birkhimer

704-726-8967 or abbygavin1@msn.com

Page 6 Volume 6, Issue 4

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Dynamic Performance Sports & Scholarship Fund – 704-737-7631

Volume 6, Issue 4 Page 7

Ryan Mas (Butler): Ryan finished his freshman year as a pitcher on UNC-Charlotte’s baseball team.Davis Austin (Latin): During his fresh-man season for Cornell University’s football team, Davis saw time on the travel team, was on the two-deep, and was part of the scout team at wide re-ceiver. He will be a sophomore this fall and has the opportunity to earn signifi-cant playing time.Luke Bard (Christian): Luke complet-ed his sophomore season as a pitcher for Georgia Tech’s baseball team with a 2.72 ERA.Shane Basen (Marvin Ridge): Play-ing infield for UNC-Charlotte, Shane made the NCCSIA Baseball All-State Team as a sophomore. He hit .298, scored 43 runs, drove in 35 and stole 15 bases. He had 17 doubles, the best on the team.Robert Blanton (Butler): Robert will be entering his senior season at cornerback on the University of Notre Dame’s football team. As a junior, he played in all 13 games and had a ca-reer-best 52 tackles.Justin Cheek (Ardrey Kell): A fresh-man guard on High Point University’s basketball team, Justin played in 24 games. Although an injury sidelined him for the final six games, he hit eight three-pointers and had 11 steals during the season.Ross Cockrell (Latin): A redshirt sophomore, Ross started all 12 games of Duke University’s 2010 football season. His 60 tackles, including a season-high 10 tackles against Wake Forest University, placed him at sixth on the team.Catherine Ellis (Catholic): Catherine

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played attackman for Presbyterian Col-lege and was a 2011 National Lacrosse Conference All-Tournament selection. During her freshman year, she saw ac-tion in all 18 games and led the team in draw controls with 52.Katy Foltz (Covenant Day): A sopho-more defender on Wheaton College’s soccer team, Katy played in eight games during the 2010 season.Bridget Hogan (Catholic): As a goalie on Presbyterian College’s lacrosse team, Bridget played in nine games her freshman season.Brian Holberton (Myers Park): In his freshman year at UNC-Chapel Hill, Brian hit .250 and helped the base-ball team make it to the College World Series.Allie Hovis (Ardrey Kell): Allie saw action in 14 games, 11 of which she started, as a sophomore forward and midfielder on Brevard College’s soccer team.Chelsea Ingersoll (Butler): Chel-sea hit .209 as a freshman on UNC-Charlotte’s softball team. She played catcher and infield.Michael Italiano (Catholic): A fresh-man midfielder on Ohio State Universi-ty’s lacrosse team, Michael had seven goals and four assists.Will Kamin (Christian): A kicker and punter for Richmond University, Will played in 11 games during the 2010 football season.Kalie Lang (Ardrey Kell): After play-ing softball at Northwest Florida State College, Kalie transferred to UNC-Charlotte, where she played pitcher and first base. Lauren Lefeber (Catholic): A sopho-more midfielder and attackman on Presbyterian College’s lacrosse team, Lauren played in all 18 games during the 2011 season. She had 12 goals and two assists.Katie Lutz (Weddington): In her se-nior season at UNC-Chapel Hill, Katie was a defender on the soccer team and saw action in four games in 2010.Chris Overman (Myers Park): Chris completed his sophomore year as a pitcher on NC State’s baseball team with a 2.39 ERA.Jenna Paley (Providence): Jenna was a junior on UNC-Greensboro’s cross country and track and field teams this past year. She competed in sever-al track events, including the 1,500-me-ter run, 5,000-meter run, 10,000-meter

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run and the mile.Richie Shaffer (Providence): Play-ing first base on Clemson University’s baseball team, Richie was named a second-team All-Atlantic Region selec-tion his sophomore year. He hit .315 with 15 doubles, two triples and eight steals. Richie led or tied the team in many categories with his 63 games, 62 runs, 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 128 total bases, 44 walks and slugging percent-age of .577.Spencer Shuey (South Meck): After redshirting the 2009 football season, Spencer had 18 tackles as a linebacker for Clemson University in 2010.Parker Small (Providence): As a middle hitter on Georgia Southern University’s volleyball team, Parker saw action in all 36 matches during the 2010 season. As a junior she ap-peared in 133 sets, averaging 2.76 kills per set.Chelsea Stamey (Butler): Chelsea played infield for UNC-Charlotte. She completed her sophomore season on the softball team in 2011.Melinda Vasconcellos (Marvin Ridge): At Presbyterian College, Me-linda played in all 18 games and was named to the 2011 National Lacrosse Conference All-Academic Team. A sophomore defenseman, she totaled 25 caused turnovers, the best on the team.Ashley Wagoner (Ardrey Kell): Ash-ley swam the 1,000-yard freestyle in her sophomore season for the East Carolina University swim team.Malai Walker (Latin): A junior sprinter on the UNC-Chapel Hill track and field team, Malai finished fourth in both the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash at the 2011 ACC Championships.Alex Watkins (Ardrey Kell): During his sophomore season as guard on the basketball team at Lenoir-Rhyne Uni-versity, Alex played in 20 games, start-ing in 15 of them.Alex Wood (Ardrey Kell): A sopho-more pitcher at the University of Geor-gia, Alex started in 15 baseball games. He earned SEC Pitcher of the Week honors in 2011.Tyler Zupcic (Providence): Tyler hit .350 and scored 47 runs for Appala-chian State University’s baseball team his sophomore year. He played outfield and was named to the SoCon Baseball Championship all-tournament team.

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

Page 8 Volume 6, Issue 4SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

SEND US YOUR TEAM NEWS AND STORIES!Tripp@southcharlottesports.com

This Bandits won the PCAA Majors Championship this spring. Bottom Row: (L-R) Brandon McMillan, Ian Stumler, Jack Ponitz, John O’Connor, Tiger GambleMiddle Row: (L-R) Zack Pacello, Chase Pikarsky, Tim Clinton, John Lee Rudolph, CJ Rudolph, Nathan HaskellTop Row: (L-R) Jay O’Connor, Gary Rudoloph, Scott McMillan

The Carolina Select Lacrosse 11U Elite Travel Team win the Summer Sizzle Jam in Atlanta, GA.

Top Row: (L-R) Carter Kendall, Jonny Luther, Austin Price, Chase Smith, Cole Davidson, Doug Dracon, Zach Kenley, Cody Diemont, Michael Burns, Preston Jones, Ben Lyon, Kendal BeatyBottom Row: (L-R) Finn Fleischman, Kyle Atlas, Adam Francischiello, Austin Leonard, James Shipley, Brian Jacobs, Jared Papke, Colin Geraghty, Tucker Duplessis Coaches: (L-R) Ron Fleischman, Head Coach DC Duplessis and Jim Burns

The MARA 10U Nationals All Star team won the CCBL Tournament held June 18-June 19. Front Row: (L-R) Caleb Schilly, Kyle Ziefert, Colton Floren, Brady Michelow, Noah Weisberg Middle Row: (L-R) Ryan Huesing, Michael Polk, Christopher Walton, Matthew Siverling, Nick King Back Row: (L-R) Coach Scott Casey, Coach Mike Ziefert Not pictured: Coach Doug Huesing, Mitchell Salvino, Jack Maloney

Volume 6, Issue 4 Page 9SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

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teAm Of the WeekCBC/ON DECK 12U ORANGE TEAM

The CBC/On Deck 12U Orange Team has been named the Buca Di Beppo Team of the Week, The 12U squad won the Silver Bracket of the Super Select Challenge Tournament on Fathers Day Weekend. The team will soon travel to Cooperstown, NY to play in the Cooperstown Dreams Park Tournament.

The players and Fathers posed together to celebrate their win.

Dr. Allen PrevetteSouth Park Dentist

w w w . s o u t h p a r k d e n t i s t . c o m

“Caring for South Charlotte Athletes and their Families for 20 years”

Bottom Row: (L-R) Greg Izzo, Austin Paradis, Preston Headden, Kyle Long, Zach Slone, Jason Merli, Will Madairy, Brandon Ashley, Zach Iverson, Avery Buskill, Thomas Kuchenbrod Not shown: Stephen Ridge Top Row: (L-R) Vinnie Izzo, Barry Paradis, Alan Headden, Mike Long, Kevin Ashley, Bob Merli, Mike Slone, David Madairy, Joe Iverson, Pat Buskill, Kurt KuchenbrodNot shown: Larry Ridge

The PCAA Diamondbacks won the Minors Championship this spring.

(From L-R) Connor Fultz, Kenneth Cochran, Garett Ferracio, Jackson Sadinsky, Carter Stockwell, Casey Roffler, Timothy Swimmer, Luke Roffler, Zach Eaker, Blake McKinney, Cameron Pociask Coach Fultz, Coach Pociask, Coach McKinney

Page 10 Volume 6, Issue 4

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Wired for Excellence Award Recognizing Academic and Athletic Excellence

Sarah Post

8125 Ardrey Kell Road Charlotte NC 28277704-443-0006

www.quimbyandcollins.com

Winning Smiles

JULIA CANTALUPOJulia Cantalupo has been named the winner of the Quimby and Collins “Wired for Excellence” Award. Julia, a rising 8th grader at Charlotte Preparatory School, is an all around scholar-athlete.In this past fall and spring Julia played club soccer for the U-13 Charlotte Soccer Academy Classic A team. In the fall she also signed up for her middle school tennis team at Charlotte Preparatory School. She played as the third seed on the team and went 7-1 in match play while attending all the practices and games of her club travel soccer team. In the winter Julia played for her middle school basketball team at Charlotte Prep where she made the starting five. It was a fairytale basketball season, for the first time in Charlotte Prep School history, the girls basketball team won the conference championship and the tournament championship. In the spring, while still playing club soccer she competed for her middle school soccer team and they finished 7-1-3 and Julia broke the school’s single season scoring record for a female soccer player with 10 goals. Her club team went on to win their division and she was the leading scorer on the team in league play. Quite an active year for Julia!

Julia also found success in the classroom as she made the high honor roll all three semesters and quali-fied under the Duke TIPS program to take the SAT in 7th grade.

Julia rounded out the year by making the U-14 Premier level soccer team with Charlotte Soccer Acad-emy and her academic achievement enabled her to be accepted to Charlotte Latin School where she will attend 8th grade this fall.

Would you like to nominate an elementary or middle school student for The Quimby and Collins Orthodontics Wired For Excellence Award? Send your nominations to Tripp@south-charlottesports.com

SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

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SOUTH CHARLOTTE THUNDER 8U BASEBALL

The South Charlotte Thunder 8U Baseball Club is now forming for the fall season.

Is your 8U baseball player ready to take a step forward with baseball? If so, please contact Tripp@southcharlottesports.com

Local Tournaments

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Volume 6, Issue 4 Page 11

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Q SHACK COACH OF THE WEEKGARY JONES

PARK SHARON SOFTBALLPark Sharon Athletic Asso-ciation softball coach Gary Jones has been named the Q Shack Coach of the Week. Coach Jones led the Ex-treme’s to a fun and exciting spring season. The team im-proved by leaps and bounds from the start of the season until the end. Coach Jones enjoys volunteering his time with the Park Sharon organi-zation. Congratulations to Coach Gary Jones for being named the Q Shack Coach of the Week.

To nominate your coach for this award, please visit The Q Shack or email tripp@southcharlottesports.com.

Located in The Providence Promenade10822 Providence RoadCharlotte, NC 28277www.qshackclt.com704-542-5959

INAUGURAL SEASON FOR WAXHAW POST 208 JUNIOR

AMERICAN LEGION TEAM American Legion Post 208 in Waxhaw is sponsoring a Junior Legion baseball team for the 2011 season, and the team is off to great start going 7-2 after nine games. For 2011, Doby Bridge Park in Fort Mill is serving as the home base. Post 208 will look to move back into Union County for 2012 when they will field both a Junior and a Senior team. American Legion baseball is highly regarded for its superior level of competition but, more importantly, for its patriotism and community spirit. You can follow them at www.leaguelineup.com/waxhawbase-ball208

The Post 208 team is comprised of talented high school ball players from Cuthb-ertson, Marvin Ridge, Weddington, Forest Hills, Parkwood and Providence Day: Front Row: (L-R) Coach Gary Reeves, Nick Contafio, Graham Wadsworth, Matt Toland, Chris Simpson, Carter Harris, Evan WestrudSecond Row: (L-R) Manager Andy Contafio, Drake Zupcic, Corbin Balzer, Damien Patterson, Joe Tietjen, Sean Mitchell, Kyle Pittman, Will Fussy, Coach Alan Webb, Asst. Manager Duane WestrudNot Pictured: Jake Ferry, Zach Featherstone

Page 12 Volume 6, Issue 4

Christy Takac at first base Having fun in the Team Carolinas dugout Kyra Timon tosses to first Sterling Strickland at bat

7th Grade MVP Casey Bigham with Tripp Roakes Action at third base

The mad scramble to reach first base. Team Charlotte, Class of 2011-2012 Team

The 3rd Annual Battle of the Border All Star Showcase reached an all-time high on the success meter last week. With 11 baseball and softball games at Winthrop University and Ardrey Kell High School, players from across the Carolinas battled for bragging rights on the border. Over 350 of the top baseball and softball players displayed the skills that earned them the title of all star in the Battle of the Border event. Participants ranged from middle school students all the way up to members of the Class of 2011. Players traveled from as far away as five hours to compete against the best the Carolinas had to offer. In the baseball event, over 40 college coaches and pro scouts attended the games to evalu-ate players. The Battle of the Border has become one of the top all star events in the Southeast in only three years.

Thousands of photos from the event can be viewed at www.scsractionphotos.com

Volume 6, Issue 4 Page 13

Class of 2013 Game MVP Brandon Donahue with Tripp Roakes

Chris Clare heads home following a home run at Winthrop

Nicholas Bruno delivers a pitch in the Middle School All Star Game

Tyler Roakes with his close friend, Logan Ratledge

David Pattinson on the mound. Max Wotell delivers another pitch.Jeremy Schellhorn prepares to fire away.

Middle School Game MVP, Jason Curtis, with Tripp Roakes

Page 14 Volume 6, Issue 4SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

HQ4Baseball & Softball Summer CampsGet the BEST TRAINING available from the BEST STAFF!!

Coach Hal Bagwell, Head Coach at 2009 4A State Champion Ardrey Kell H.S. leads an outstanding group of professional instructors, including:

Chet Greeson, Hopewell H.S.; Dan Hignight, Providence H.S; Travis Poole, Weddington H.S.; Jimmy Cochran, Hough H.S.; Shelton Grant, former

college player; Spencer Stecher, Ardrey Kell H.S.; Daniel Bilotta, Northeast M.S.; Jasmine Young, former college softball player & more.

Outdoor camp schedule for 2011:June 20th – 23rd: Myers Park Trinity, 101 Billingsley Road, CharlotteJune 27th - 30th: MARA, Arthur Goodman Park, 1200 S. Trade St., MatthewsJuly 11th – 14th: Myers Park Trinity, 101 Billingsley Road, CharlotteJuly 18th, 20th, 21st, 22nd: Olde Providence Park (SCRA), 3800 Rea Road, CharlotteAugust 1st – 4th: Steele Creek, 13530 Choate Circle, CharlotteAugust 8th – 11th: Myers Park Trinity 101 Billingsley Road, Charlotte

Camp Cost is $149 per playerAges: 7 to 15 Times: 8 am to 12 pm each daywww.hq4summercamps.com 704 423-0030

For younger players, HQ4Baseball & Softball offers our Little Sluggers Indoor Summer Camps. Designed for ages 4 to 7, our Little Sluggers Camps

teach young players the fundamentals in a fun, friendly way. The camps are held indoors at the HQ4Baseball & Softball Training facility.

The camp is 3 hours per day, from 9 am to 12 pm each day, Tuesday - Thursday. Cost: $79 for 3 day camp Dates: June 14th - 16th / July 26th – 28th

Call 704 423-0030 for more information.

Fall Tryouts starting July 6th!The HQ4 Clippers Developmental Travel Baseball Program focuses on player development, teaching players both the physical and mental aspects of the game as well as being instructed by professional coaches. Players are evaluated during the season to identify strengths and areas for improvement and receive Targeted Training on those specific skill iden-tified.

9U thru 16U FALL TRYOUT SCHEDULE: (Player’s ages as of 4/30/2012.) Go to www.hq4baseball.com click on more information under HQ4 Clipper Develop-mental Teams for tryout times for your player’s age group. There is no charge to tryout but all players must be registered for a tryout time by calling us at 704 423-0030 or sending an email to Clippers@hq-4baseball.com.

Charlotte Country Day School senior Andrew Gores signed with the Uni-versity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to play tennis. The 18-year-old son of Paul and Hilda Gores, Andrew has been playing tennis since he was 4. Despite tearing all of the ligaments in his ankle, Andrew went undefeated and led the Buccaneers to a state championship title this past season. Let’s go beyond the game with An-

drew Gores.

What are some of your athletic accomplishments?“I played four years of varsity tennis for Charlotte Country Day School. I got All-State and All-Conference all four years. My singles record was about 60-3. I had three undefeated seasons.”

How did you and the Country Day tennis team do this past season?“I went undefeated this year, and we won states. I had to sit out of some matches this year though because I tore all the ligaments in my ankle and wanted to postpone my surgery till after states. I had surgery on May 25. Playing this last season was difficult because I could only practice a couple of times a week for an hour because it started hurting too much.”

What is your best memory from tennis?“My best memory was probably going to Kalamazoo with my coach Calvin Davis. It’s the most presti-gious junior tournament in the USA, and the winner gets to play in the

US Open. But in general [my best memories are from] just traveling around the country with my coach. I have been traveling with him since I was about 12 years old and just all the people we have met along the way and all the talks we had on the long car rides. It’s really hard to pick out any specific moment.”

How did you perform in the classroom at Country Day?“I finished high school with a 3.0. I made the honor roll this year with a 3.5 GPA. My favorite subject is his-tory.”

What is the best advice you have ever received?“The best advice I ever received was that winning isn’t everything. A lot of times you can really learn from losses and get better from them. I used to always be really bummed out when I lost when I was younger and thought if I didn’t win a tournament it was a waste of a trip instead of learning from them.”

What led you to choose UNC-Chapel Hill? What are your goals for your college career?

“I actually had been a Duke fan for much of my life since my dad went there, but when I began my college search I realized that I saw myself at UNC much more then Duke. I knew a couple of kids on the UNC team and got along well with them. I felt like I clicked well with the coaches, and their philosophy is similar to my current coach’s as well. After my recruiting trip I could just really picture myself being happy there and knew it was where I wanted to go. My only goal for college is to win a NCAA Championship.”

As you look back on your high school and youth sports career, would you like to thank anyone for helping you to succeed?“My family and my coaches Calvin Davis and his son CC Davis. They were all extremely supportive and always pushed me to be the best that I can. My sister played college tennis at Davidson, and since I was younger than her growing up I feel like she set a good example for me of the kind of work ethic I would need to be able to play college tennis.”

BEYOND THE GAME WITH ANDREW GORESWritten by Ashley Miess, Charlotte Latin School, 09

Volume 6, Issue 4 Page 15SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT

The Park Sharon Blue Jays Minors team finished the regular season 9-3 and were named Regular Season Champions. They went into the End of Season tournament as the number one seed and won their next three games to be named the End of Season Champions.

Back Row: (L-R) Coach Tim Brown, Coach Eddie Blanton, Coach Daryl WebbMiddle Row: (L-R) Sam Hunt, Adam Dartnall, MJ Deal, Zach Webb, Beau SeateFront Row: (L-R) Jackson Scott, Zach Blanton, Nick Fontana, Nick Willson, Winslow Brown

The CSA u8 Fury took runner-up honors , losing 3-2 in the Finals in the Wran-gler McDonalds Greensboro Regional Soccer Tournament in to the defending champions from Greensboro. The Fury defeated teams from NC and SC and gave up only 3 goals in their 5 game run to the Championship game. Front Row: (L-R) Garrett Jordan, Ryan Hirsch, Daniel Mathew Back Row: (L-R) McMillan Davis, Caden Noonkester, Gannon Peters, Jarron James Coached by: Brian Davis and Chris Mathew

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The Park Sharon Athletic Association 16U Team won the Babe Ruth Spring Season Championship.

Kneeling: (L-R) Anthony Wasser, David Mains, Nick Allison, Grant Wholey, Daniel Willenzik, Doug Jampol, Trey Pagan.Back Row: (L-R) Asst Coach Gil Pagan, Asst Coach Bobby Allison, Andy Ferguson, Donovan Perkins, Luke Paff, Tim Copperwheat, Jimmy Doolittle, Head Coach Tom PaffNot Pictured: Robert Jessell

Page 16 Volume 6, Issue 4

Summer Camps

www.cbcbaseball.netSign Up Today!

South Park: July 11th-14thPark Sharon: July 18th - 21st

Team Instructional Camps Available By Request

IMPROVE YOUR GAME WHILE HAVING FUN