Page 2 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Winter 2012-13

Winter 2012-13 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 3

By Charles Roberts

The gun-metal sky leaked asteady, cold December rain onthe final half-hour of theWeek 14 meeting between theBuffalo Bills and St. LouisRams. The Rams, a team thatplays its home games in thecomfort of a dome, pulled offa last-minute victory, wetfootball and all.

Heartbreaking, head-scratching losses havebecome something of a themefor this year’s Bills. TheTennessee Titans escapedwith a nail-biting Week 7 vic-tory by scoring a touchdownwith one 63 seconds remain-ing in the fourth quarter.Three weeks later, trailing 37-31 in New England, Billsquarterback Ryan Fitzpatrickthrew an interception from

the Patriots’ 15-yard line, withjust 23 seconds remaining.

Losing close games, cou-pled with a few blowouts,leaves the Bills searching foranswers.

“Yeah, we have to develop akiller instinct,” quarterbackRyan Fitzpatrick admitted.“We have to win those gamesif we want to be one of theteams that are sitting there atthe end of the year gettingready for the playoffs. Wehave to be able to win gameslike this. As an offense, wehave to be able to put themaway.”

“We are not making theplays to win ball games,” Billshead coach Chan Gailey said.“That is what winning teamsdo. Winning teams makeplays in the fourth quarter to

win ball games. We are notdoing that right now. We haveto do that or we will not. Wewill not get over the hump.That is what we are supposedto be doing. That is what I amsupposed to be getting themto do.”

Making a few plays in thefourth quarter, as Gailey men-tioned, is the differencebetween a playoff team andone that is on the outsidelooking in, a position the Billshave now been in for aleague-worst 13 consecutiveyears.

“We have not gotten overthe hump,” Gailey laterexplained. “That is where weare. We have not gotten overthe hump. We are close. I toldthe players today, ‘We arethree, four or five plays from

this record beingflipped to 8-5.’ Tome, we are a bet-ter football teamthan we werethree years agowhen we gothere. Now, we donot have as manywins to show forit at this point,but I believe wecan get there andI believe we willget there. I have agreat deal of con-fidence in thedirection we areheaded.”

Veterans, manyof whom havenever sniffed theplayoffs, are leftwondering whatcould have been.

“It’s tough,” veteran safetyGeorge Wilson, who droppedtwo would-be game-savinginterceptions against theRams, said. “I had two oppor-tunities and ended up justgetting one hand on each ofthose footballs and knockingthem down. It’s just tough tobe in this position now withall the opportunities we’vehad to this point. I stuck myhand out there and almosttipped it to myself, but itended up ricocheting off thepalm of my hand and bounc-ing away. Those are the playsthat you replay in your head,over and over, you know, hop-

ing and wishing that the ballwould have bounced yourway.”

The balls that didn’tbounce the Bills’ way couldlead to a major makeover,although general managerBuddy Nix has emphaticallystated that Gailey’s job is safe.What’s more, Nix and Gaileyhave both made mention thatFitzpatrick, who is undercontract through 2017, willremain the team’s quarter-back.

“Do I plan for next year?”Gailey asked, responding to aquestion about what thefuture holds. “Yeah, I do. SureI do. I think about players,

who will be here andwhat we need to do toget better. I think aboutthat all the time.”

Regardless of whetheror not Fitzpatrick is stillin town, it seems proba-ble that the Bills will goafter a quarterback,either through the draftor by signing a freeagent. West Virginia’sGeno Smith should bethe first quarterbacktaken in this year’s draft,followed by USC’s MattBarkley, Arkansas’ TylerWilson, Oklahoma’sLandry Jones andTennessee’s Tyler Bray. Amid-to-late-round guy towatch is Miami of Ohio’sZac Dyster, who this yearsurpassed BenRoethlisberger as theschool’s all-time leader inpassing yards.

If the Bills do add aquarterback, though, it’s notlikely that he will supplantFitzpatrick right away, unlessit’s a big-name veteran whocan step right in and make adifference.

Last year, the Bills signeddefensive end Mario Williamswith hopes that he was themissing piece, a player thatcould propel the team to thepostseason. After hearing thatFitzpatrick said the team islacking “killer instinct,”Williams summed up thestate of the team in two sen-tences.

“There’s something miss-ing,” Williams said. “I agreewith him.”

Bills in search of ‘killer instinct’

Photo by Joe ValentiRyan Fitzpatrick thinks the Bills lack “killerinstinct.”

By Charles Roberts

There have been a fewbumps in the road, but forthe most part, the BuffaloBills’ 2012 draft class has hada positive impact.Cornerback StephonGilmore, left tackle CordyGlenn, wide receiver T.J.Graham, linebacker NigelBradham and cornerbackRon Brooks have all madesteady contributions.

Gilmore, the team’sfirst-round pick, has beentargeted by opposing quar-terbacks often this season.Along the way, he’sendured his share of strug-gles— leading the team inpenalties—but seems toget a little stronger witheach game. He evenreportedly begged to bematched up on the oppos-ing team’s No. 1 receiver.

“He’s playing very well,”Bills head coach ChanGailey said of Gilmore, theformer South Carolinastandout. “He is doing agood job. He has become abetter player, to me, eachweek. He is becomingmore knowledgeable,understanding the gameand what he needs to getdone. I think he hasbecome a better player, eachweek. I cannot answer thequestion of where we wouldbe without him. I do notknow.”

“He is closer to being asecond-year player than he isa first year player,” Gaileycontinued. “Cordy Glennfalls in the same category. Ithink that those guys arebecoming more and moremature as they play andlearning every week.”

Glenn, who many project-ed the Bills to take with the10th overall selection,slipped to the second round.He’s missed three games thisseason due to an ankle injuryand has a handful of false-start penalties, but otherwisehe’s proved every teamwrong that passed him over.A starter right from the first

snap, Glenn has the look of aguy who could be a corner-stone at the position for thenext decade.

“When everybody is play-ing good, you are automati-cally going to have fun,”Glenn, a Georgia product,said. “When everybody isplaying good out there theneverybody is feeling good,

everybody is confident intheir abilities and ready towin and play hard.”

After losing speedy widereceiver Roscoe Parrish(Tampa Bay Buccaneers), theBills filled the void withGraham, a third-round selec-tion from North CarolinaState. He’s made a few rookiemistakes, such as allegedlyrunning the wrong route at acritical moment against theNew England Patriots, buthas become someone whoBills quarterback RyanFitzpatrick has lookedtoward.

“In looking at the offense,T.J. is a guy we brought in, aspeed guy that is going to beable to stretch the field forus,” Fitzpatrick said ofGraham, who hauled in a 51-yard reception during a

Week 13 victory. “I have tobe able to get him moreinvolved. ...I think he hashad a long enough period oftime here to get acclimatedand feel comfortable. And Iguess offensively speaking,having Cordy back and in it.He was playing well beforehe got hurt. We have to getthose guys involved.”

Bradham, a physicalspecimen who played hiscollegiate ball at FloridaState, was a fourth-roundselection in April. He hasdeveloped into one of thebigger surprises, earningthe starting strong-sidelinebacker job.

During training camp,Bills defensive coordina-tor Dave Wannstedt sangthe praise of Brooks, afourth-round pick fromLSU. However, a footinjury kept him sidelineduntil Week 9. Since mak-ing his professionaldebut, Brooks—likemany of his fellow rook-ies—has played like aseasoned veteran, attimes.

“I do not dwell onwhat could have been,”Brooks said of his injurysetback. “This is the

position that I was in andthis is where I am at now, sothis is where I am goingfrom.”

While the Bills’ seasonmay not have gone asplanned, the play of therookies was certainly a posi-tive note. And there was onlyone way for those develop-ments to unfold, accordingto Gailey.

“Experience,” he said.“We threw them in there andthey had to play. They con-tinue to get better and that isa credit to them to get better.A lot of people play, but donot get better. They haveplayed and become betterfootball players. The experi-ence has helped them growand they have used thatexperience.”

Rookies making an immediate impact for Bills

Photo by Mike MajewskiSeveral Bills rookies have madean immediate impact, includingStephon Gilmore.

Page 4 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Winter 2012-13

Sports & Leisure Magazine469 Virginia Street, Buffalo, New York 14202Tel.: (716) 876-2738, Fax: (716) 874-8289

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Publisher & Editor Marian GiallombardoAssociate Editor Jeffrey LevineFeature Writers Paul Adamo, Robert Caico, Rick Davenport, Mike Dyer, Mike Fox, Ivanthe Impaler, Ed Kilgore, Joe Kirchmyer, George Kuhn, Jeffrey Levine, Sloan Martin, AdamMcGill, Brian Michalek, Ron Montesano, Len Mytko, Gary Reeves, Charles Roberts, DaveSully, John Williams, Rick Zurak (golf editor)Chief Photographer Jeff BarnesStaff Photographers Ryan Bartholomew, Bob Conlon, Nick LoVerde, Joe Valenti, MikeMajewski, Holly MalinowskiCover photos Ryan Miller by Joe Valenti, Ron Brooks by Jeff Barnes, Mountain Coaster atHoliday Valley in Ellicotville, courtesy Cattaraugus County TourismAdvisory Board Phil Haberstro, Adam Lingner, Denny LynchContributing Writers David Brzkcy PT, Todd Etshman, Holly Malinowski, BrianMazurowski, Bob Plezia, Kyle Soppe, Bob Timkey, Nanette TramontLayout & Cover Scott Appleby, Graphic artist Liz SeivertCopy Editors and Office Assistants Len Mytko, Justin Vernold, John WilliamsPlease send your letters, questions, and comments to: Sports & Leisure Magazine, 192Louvaine Dr, Buffalo, NY 14223 or e-mail publisher@sportsandleisuremag.com. Pleaseinclude your name, address and phone number or your letter can’t be published. All lettersand responses become the property of Sports & Leisure Magazine, they may be printed, andare subject to editing. Sports & Leisure Magazine is circulated throughout Western NewYork and Southern Ontario. All rights and trademarks reserved. Reproduction in whole or inpart without the express written consent of the publisher is strictly prohibited. ©1997 -2013 Sports & Leisure Inc.Facebook: Sports and Leisure Magazine and Hugesportz.com

With only two weeks leftin the NFL regular season,it seems like the first 14games flew by. The Bills puttogether some impressivehighlights but also left fansstunned and disappointedat others. While runningback C.J. Spiller had astandout year, coming clos-er to etching his name inthe record books for yardsper carry, many of the Bills’rookies put together sea-sons beyond their years.First-round pick StephonGilmore has begged to belined up against opposingteam’s top receivers andafter working throughsome growing pains, getsstronger and strongerbetween games. Offensivetackle Cordy Glenn, whofell to the Bills in the sec-ond round, has been solidon the line and could be acornerstone for years tocome. Receiver T.J. Grahamhas filled in nicely for theinjured Roscoe Parrish

while Nigel Bradham hasearned the starting strong-side linebacker position.Although a foot injury side-lined him for the first eightgames, Ron Brooks has pro-vided good coverage fromthe cornerback positionand looked, like many ofhis fellow rookies, like aseasoned veteran at times.

While the NFL getsready for the playoffs,hockey fans have their fin-gers crossed that even apart of the 2012-13 seasoncan be salvaged. The Sabresemerged strong after a lock-out once before and thereare four key issues that theywill have to address to get aquick start out of the gatethis time around.

••••••••November marked our

15th anniversary. It’s hardto believe how much timehas passed. Anyone remem-ber Todd Collins? And whocould forget DominikHasek. Fifteen years ago I

was a wide-eyed novicepublisher. Today, thosewide-eyes use readingglasses while tweeting andposting to our Facebookpage. How things havechanged! And for the fif-teenth time, I am wishingeveryone a Happy HolidaySeason and a Joyous andhealthy New Year! THANKYOU for fifteen years!

••••••••This Winter edition is

dedicated to my mother,Shirley, who has a “special”birthday in January. Someof you may remember thatshe used to write the recipecolumn. Although we nolonger feature her recipes inprint, she is still cooking upa storm.

•••••••• On a sad note, one of our

drivers, Frank Schusspassed away this month.With great sadness we wishhis family all the best dur-ing this difficult time.

From the Publisher

Winter 2012-13 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 5

By George KuhnDisclaimer: At press time

the NHL lockout was still ineffect. We believe and arehopeful that both sides willreach an agreement and beginthe season. Accordinly, wepresent our Sabres season pre-view and hope you enjoy aSabres game very soon.

The Buffalo Sabres facefour key issues for theupcoming season. Toppingthat list is the status of goalieRyan Miller whose play dete-riorated following the MilanLucic incident last season.

Ryan MillerIt’s easy to note that

Miller’s numbers haveslipped since his VezinaTrophy-winning season asthe NHL’s top goalie in 2009-10 with a 2.22 GAA and0.929 SP, although they werestronger than his first twoNHL seasons. Miller’s Vezinaseason numbers were excep-tional compared to his careerGAA of 2.57. The HockeyNews recently ranked him asthe tenth best goalie in theNHL, high praise indeed butindicative that his reign asthe league’s best goalie was ashort one.

That Ryan Miller is theface of the Sabres franchisethere is no doubt. But as hiswins have declined from 41to 31 over the past two sea-sons while the Sabres havemissed the playoffs, previ-ously unthinkable whispersare being heard from Sabresfans to trade their franchisegoalie. So the issue is definedas: Is Ryan Miller the goal-tender to lead the Sabresback to playoff success?

The question may seemludicrous; Miller’s playoffperformance in back-to-backconference finals in 2005-06and 2006-07 were rock solid.But the blue and gold arenow a non-playoff team andMiller soldiers on with ayoung defense corps thatdoesn’t provide the samesupport that his veteran

teammates did in previousseasons. Miller finished lastseason with a strong secondhalf but it still wasn’t enoughto get the Sabres into theplayoffs. Does his strongplay lately show that Millerhas returned as an elitegoalie? The answerto that question willhelp determine theSabres playoff fate.

Goal ScoringThe Sabres have

the lowest goal-scoring group oftop-six forwards inthe league accordingto The HockeyNews. That meansevery other team inthe league can counton more productionfrom their top twolines than Buffalo.With the trade offormer No.1 centerDerek Roy and hishistory of point pergame production,this appears to be adownward trendthat may continue.The Sabres arecounting on CodyHodgson or TylerEnnis to emerge as aNo.1 guy at center,but neither player has a his-tory of big scoring numbersin the NHL.

Following a strong rookieseason (20-29-49), theundersized Ennis wasinjured and played only 48games but scored 34 points.So far during the lockout, hehas only scored eight pointsin 10 games in the Swiss Aleague. At only 5-foot-9,165-pounds, Ennis does notmatch up well defensivelyagainst the larger sized NHLforwards topping well oversix feet and 200-pounds.Ennis has a tremendous skillpackage that makes oppos-ing defensemen begin back-ing up if he even gets near aloose puck. But he still hasnot produced even a 60-

point season or shown thathe is durable enough to becounted on consistently for70-80 games annually

Cody Hodgson has scoredonly 43 points in 91 careerNHL games. With only 185pounds on his six-foot

frame, Hodgson will also behard-pressed to establishhimself as a defensive forcewhile protecting goalie RyanMiller. In fact, Hodgson wasa whopping -7 in his 20games with the Sabres lastseason.

The big hope is thatMarcus Foligno will contin-ue his strong play from lastyear. The son of former teamcaptain and fan favoriteMike Foligno, Marcus scored13 points and was a solid +6for Buffalo in only 14 games.His success was somewhatsurprising because he hadnot been a big scorer forRochester with only 39points in 60 games beforebeing promoted. Folignoshowed a strong take-the-

puck-to-the-net mentality,which meshed well with linemate Ennis who is of a simi-lar mind.

At 6-foot-3, 225-pounds,Foligno is the first truepower forward in franchisehistory. Fans with memories

of Cam Neely’s annual beatdowns of the Sabres knowwhat that type of player canmean to a team. Foligno’spoint per game AHL produc-

tion and strong plus minusduring the lockout show thathis development and abili-ties are trending upward.

Defense and InjuriesThe Sabres have suffered a

bit on the backline since thedepartures of veterans

Henrik Tallinderand Toni Lydmanfollowing the 2009-10 season. Thedefense corps is rel-atively inexperi-enced and is nowled by Tyler Myersand ChristianEhrhoff. Butinjuries to thosetwo players hurtthe team as Myerslost 27 games andEhroff 16 games.The Sabres strug-gled noticeablywhen either wasout of the lineup.Ehrhoff in particu-lar was missed forhis speedy puckrushing. Buffalowas only 9-18-8with one or bothnot in the lineupwhile going 30-14-3 when bothplayed. Avoidinginjuries to these

players is a key for theupcoming season.

While it’s all part of thegame that every team suffersinjuries, the Sabres defense

does not have the depth tocompensate for the loss oftheir top two players. In con-trast, the Bruins were able toloose high-scoring star cen-ter Marc Savard to concus-sion problems but were stillable to win a Stanley Cup inspite of his loss.

Toughness vs. Skill, the tradeoff

Let’s face it; Patrick Kaletanotwithstanding, the Sabresare not a tough team.Realizing that his core group(Miller, Thomas Vanek,Jason Pominville, PaulGaustad, Roy) has failedover the past two seasons,GM Darcy Regier shippedout Paul Gaustad and DerekRoy. Arriving from Dallas inthe Roy trade was forwardSteve Ott, a nasty buggerranked the NHL’s No.1 pestby The Hockey News. WhileOtt’s best scoring days arebehind him, he will help theSabres become a harder teamto play against. Maybe play-ers like Lucic and JordanTootoo will pause to consid-er the consequences of theiractions before runninggoalie Ryan Miller again.The question is, will theirnew grit help the teamimprove and offset the lossof skill in the Roy trade? Ifso, then maybe the NHLplayoffs will return toBuffalo soon.

Sabres’ season preview—whenever that may be

Photo by Joe ValentiRyan Miller, back to his old form?

Page 6 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Winter 2012-13

By Ed Kilgore

Although Bills ownerRalph C. Wilson is now 94years young and recentlyspent a short time in aDetroit hospital,don’t think for amoment Ralphisn’t still at thetop of his gamementally andeven physically.He isn’t comingto Bills gamesanymore, inpart I’m told,because hedoesn’t want tohave peoplemaking a fuss pushing himaround with his walkingaide, and also because hedoesn’t want to attend agame where he can’t walkaround on the field interact-ing with the fans before thekickoff.

Believe it or not, Ralphenjoys the sometimes testygive and take with Bills fans,which by and large showhim the respect he deservesas the man who gave theBills an NFL franchise overfour decades ago and waslater inducted into the ProFootball Hall of Fame.Ralph is even more frustrat-ed than the fans at the Billsnow 13-year absence fromthe playoffs, and the Billslack of recent success isn’tfor lack of trying on Ralph’spart.

But that’s the product onthe field, and most Bills fansare just as concerned withwhat’s happening—or nothappening—off the field asNFL franchises continuebuilding beautiful new sta-diums while Ralph WilsonStadium gets ready for afinal face lift, and questionsabout what happens afterRalph’s passing. Nothinghas changed since Wilsonmade it clear nobody in hisfamily will inherit the teamto continue its operation inBuffalo, and the team, wortharound $800 million, willbe sold.

This is where former BillsHall of Fame quarterbackJim Kelly, still a resident ofOrchard Park, comes in.Kelly is a savvy business-man who has a lot of influ-ential friends—one of thembeing Mr. Wilson—andKelly’s vow to do everythingin his power to keep theBills in Buffalo for years tocome is not an empty prom-ise.

It won’t be easy of course,

even though I strongly sus-pect, as do others, thatRalph does have some sortof plan in place even nowthat will help keep his lega-

cy in Buffaloalive.

The NFL, ofall the profes-sional leagues,is the mostreluctant toallow franchisemovement, andhas gone out ofits way to makeamends forowners likeRobert Irsay

and Art Modell who aban-doned cities for greener pas-tures. Cleveland, Baltimore,St. Louis, and Houston allwere awarded new teams atone point, although that’san oversimplification sincesome of the moves weredone based on the fact thejilted city would be reim-bursed, so to speak.

Now, Los Angeles isbuilding a new stadium andlooking hungrily at existingfranchises, and since NFLCommissioner RogerGoodell says the league willnot be expanding from 32teams anytime in the nearfuture, some cities are look-ing over their shoulder.Buffalo, interestingly, is notat the top of the endangeredspecies list, in part becauseof its emerging connectionwith Toronto and southernOntario. Jacksonville, andeven San Diego, are thoughtto be more vulnerable rightnow even though that canalways change.

A few months ago I wrotethat Kelly was becomingsomewhat of a “clearinghouse” for prospective Billsbuyers, quietly workingbehind-the-scenes with agroup of legal advisers withRalph’s blessing. Kelly hasnow acknowledged as muchin a recent interview onWGRZ-TV, saying he knewof several groups interestedin keeping the team inBuffalo, and all of them con-sist of people who have thefinancial clout and experi-ence to make it happen.Kelly also likes the factGoodell is a Western NewYork native from Jamestownwho openly wants the Billsto stay in Buffalo for manyyears to come.

Ultimately though, asmost things are, it’s aboutthe money. Wilson is able tocharge low ticket prices

because he has no debt, andno matter how many bil-lions a new owner has, atleast half of the big chunkwill be financed. Thatmeans a lot of debt.

What Kelly can’t say, andI know from another sourcedirectly involved with thecurrent vetting process, isthat any new owner notonly wants to keep the teamin Buffalo, but wants to be aparticipant in the eventualconstruction of a new stadi-um closer to the Canadianborder. Niagara Falls wouldclearly be the choice formany reasons, including theproximity to Ontario as wellas the available land tobuild a stadium and providethe parking space andaccess needed to make itwork.

Let it be mentioned herea recent dog and pony showwith fancy artist’s drawingsof a shiny new domed stadi-um at the Buffalo waterfronthas no substance whatsoev-er. None. For starters, I haveit on good authority theland on the waterfrontwould not be able to sustaina massive stadium withoutsubstantial and costly land-fill work. What they did inCleveland, for example,could never happen here forthat reason alone.

But, we’re getting a bitahead of ourselves, since anew lease to improve theRalph is nearly finalized asthis is written, which willbuy a few years but proba-bly in single digits.

Bills fans have yet toembrace the idea of playinga “home” game each year inToronto, but the fact is, themove towards a relationshipwith Canada by Wilson ispaying off now in manyways. Season tickets contin-ue to grow from southernOntario, and slowly butsurely the Bills are creatingnew fans in Toronto whocould have cared less fiveyears ago. The NFL isstrongly behind this mar-riage, and the NFL’s urge toexpand internationally iswhy they’re now also play-ing a regular season game inLondon each year.

A new stadium in NiagaraFalls, an owner dedicatedand qualified to expand andimprove the regional modelnow underway, and the Billsmay yet have a nice longfuture as the “Buffalo Bills.”

Now, about that on thefield thing again…

Jim Kelly calling signals for Bills to stay in Buffalo

By Leonard J. Mytko

Even though there isstill plenty of footballleft, another fantasy sea-son is coming to a close.So if you’ve clinched aplayoff berth, good luckin your fantasy footballplayoffs. On the otherhand, if you’re one ofthe many participantsalready looking aheadto next year, it’s alreadytime to start thinkingabout 2013. Instead offamiliar mainstays likeAaron Rodgers, ArianFoster and the Manningbrothers, this articlefocuses on some possi-bilities that couldbecome next year’sAlfred Morris or CecilShorts. And besides,there’s no better feelingplaying fantasy footballthan having an unheraldedplayer or two come throughbig for you.Ryan Broyles, WR, Lions

Things were appearing tohave been going the rookie’sway (22 catches, 310 yards,two scores) until a tornright ACL derailed his sea-son,. But heading into nextyear, the former OklahomaSooner standout will beright back in the mix atreclaiming his spot in thelineup alongside superstarCalvin Johnson. With TitusYoung taking a big stepbackward in his second yearand veteran Nate Burleson’sceiling now approachingthe low end, Broyles couldbe a potential big pick-up.Just follow his rehab.Reuben Randle, WR,Giants

He’s playing behind twotop receivers in Victor Cruzand Hakeem Nicks, butquarterback Eli Manningisn’t at all shy about findingnew favorites to throw to.So when you’re a rookie sec-ond-rounder with lots ofpotential, it’s a pretty goodpossibility he’d be a viablefantasy starter shouldopportunity present itself,especially if fellow wideoutDominik Hixon’s contractisn’t re-upped.Daryl Richardson, RB,Rams

Not to be confused with

Trent Richardson from theBrowns or even suggestingSteven Jackson is no longera solid fantasy back, but ifyou’re maybe looking for adeep sleeper heading intonext year, Richardson’s 5.1yards per carry on 466 yardsas a change-of-pace back issomething to keep a watchon. And for a seventh-roundpick out of little-knownAbilene Christian with analready strong family back-ground in the NFL, hecould launch himself intosomething special if giventhe chance.Jacquizz Rodgers, RB,Falcons

He’s increased his touchesby 49 from his rookie yearto this year so far and ifyou’re looking for a backwith feature role potentialfor next year, Rodgers is apretty good possibility forit. He’s eight years youngerthan Michael Turner and amuch better fit in Atlanta’spass-happy offense. So ifRodgers were to assume abigger role, he’d be a veryintriguing fantasy option.Mohamed Sanu, WR,Bengals

Given the opportunity toreplace Jerome Simpson asthe No. 2 wideout, Sanu hadcome on with 16 catches for154 yards and four scoresfrom Weeks 7 to 12 until astress fracture in his left footabruptly put an end to his

rookie campaign. Iteven makes youthink of the Rutgersproduct a little likewhat T.J.Houshmandzadehand Chad Johnsononce were to CarsonPalmer and whatSanu and A.J. Greencould become forAndy Dalton now.Dwayne Allen, TE,Colts

Definitely some-one to monitor goingforward, the Coltshave a whole array oftalent on the way up.There’s also widereceiver T. Y. Hilton,fellow tight endCoby Fleener, andrunning back VickBallard to pick from

as well. Basically, any up-and-comer next to quarter-back Andrew Luck’s name isfantasy relevant now. Nick Foles, QB, Eagles

It’ll be quite interesting tosee if this third-rounder hasa future in Philadelphia.Since taking over forMichael Vick in Week 10,Foles has thrown for 1,356yards and six total touch-downs, with 814 and five ofthose six scores coming inDecember. And that’s stilltough to judge so far, buthe’s definitely worth astrong look if he does landthe starting job for nextyear.Rob Housler, TE, Cardinals

One of the fastest tightends to enter the league cer-tainly has made an impres-sion moving up from thirdon the depth chart to first-string starter in just one cal-endar year. And despiteArizona’s bottom-five pass-ing offense, he’s caught 45balls for 417 yards andshould be more of a big-play/red-zone threat with amore stable quarterback sit-uation in place for nextyear.

Some others to remem-ber: Robert Turbin, RB,Seahawks; David Wilson,RB, Giants; Ronnie Hillman,RB, Broncos; Rod Streater,WR, Raiders.

Fantasy football: Project 2013

Photo by Mike MajewskiDwayne Allen of the Colts is just onename on the horizon for next year.

By Bob TimkeyWhile most of Western

New York is hunkered downin front of the TV during thetypical string of a dozen ormore whiteout winter week-ends, there’s a rare breed ofhuman that simply cannot liveindoors. Like its husky coun-terpart in the canine commu-nity, these mammals need tobreathe fresh air and stretchtheir legs outdoors, surround-ed by nature, no matterthe weather. Meet thewinter trail runner.

For many, the need toescape the four walls oftheir cage can be satiatedwith an easy 30 minutejog along neighborhoodstreets or a quiet trot inthe snow amongst frost-ed pines in their nearestforest retreat. For others,though, the experiencemust be amplified andgreatly elongated. Why?Because.

Sam Pasceri and his13-year-old son Dominicare, indeed, a rare breed.Sam’s love for long dis-tance running, especiallyon trails, lead him to runscores of miles along thebanks of the Erie Canalbetween Lockport andMiddleport nearly everyweekend. He logged somany hours on thecanal’s towpath and cameto know that trail so well thathe founded a 100-mile ultra-marathon race along his owntried and true training course.He aptly named the race the“Beast of Burden,” after theworking oxen for which thepath was engineered to pullcargo-laden barges along thecanal from Albany to Buffalo,nearly 200 years ago.

This Jan. 26, the Beast ofBurden Ultra-Marathon willcelebrate its fourth anniver-sary and attract nearly a 100

runners from throughoutNorth America and as faraway as Brazil. Among themwill be Sam and his son. WhileSam has completed several100 mile ultra-marathonsaround the U.S., ironically, hehas never been able to eke outthe entire 100-mile distanceon his own course during thewinter. It is, as the nameimplies, a real beast. This win-ter, his son’s goal is to com-

plete 50 miles on the coursealongside some of the world’sbest known and most accom-plished ultra-runners. And,you’d better bet, his dad willbe right beside him everysnowy step of the way.

You don’t need to set yoursights on such a challenge as a100 mile trail run to embodythe full joy of running out-doors in the snow. With a littleplanning and preparation, youcan have a complete adven-

ture this weekend that willreturn you to your own roots,no matter how many genera-tions removed you think youmay be, and unite you withone of mankind’s most pecu-liar breeds.

If you’ve been following theoutdoor articles we’ve pub-lished over the past couple ofyears, you’ll notice a themedeveloping here; properapparel is paramount to hav-ing an enjoyable outdoorexperience when extreme ele-ments are involved. I’ll take ita step further; there is no suchthing as bad weather, just bad

choices in apparel.Rule No.1: Keep your

feet dry. Choose goodquality athletic socks andwater proof trail-runningshoes or comfortable,lightweight boots.Wearsynthetic materials thatbreathe and air dry.Cotton is the enemywhenever moisture isinvolved, especially incold weather. For opti-mum comfort, beginwith a snug fitting baselayer, such as UnderArmour brand tights andtop. Layer a comfortablepair of nylon runningpants and jacket overthat. And top with waterproof snow pants andjacket. The snow pantsare optional and proba-bly only necessary if youexpect to be running indeep powder or extend-ing your adventure bysitting down in the snow

to rest. Zippers are a goodchoice on your top half, asopposed to crew neckpullovers, as just a few inchesof zipping or unzipping caneffectively regulate body tem-perature and help you warmup or keep from sweatingexcessively. A beanie or headband will keep your earswarm while exercising andgloves are a must. Once again,leave the cotton knit gloves athome with your other fash-ions. Bring something func-

tional that will keep yourhands dry and warm.

Use good sense to avoid pri-vate property or dangerousareas; just about any spacewith appealing scenery is agood place to run and fill yourlungs with one of life’s last freepleasures. Also be certain to

use reflective material andeven flashing lights if youdecide to run along the road.If you happen to choose theErie Canal Tow Path inNiagara County, be sure to saygood morning to Sam andDominic when they pass by.You’ll know them when you

see them.For more information on the

Beast of Burden 100 Mile Ultra-Marathon, visit:www.Winter100.com

Bob Timkey is an avid out-door enthusiast and Ironmandistance triathlete who lives andtrains in Western New York.

Homo Frigidus

Photo by Jeff TracyRichard Cook burns up the snowy trailin the Beast of Burden Winter 100Mile Ultra Marathon.

By Adam McGillAfter a blazing summer, it’s

finally time to dust off theboards and skis, and get backon the mountain. As always,new products have hit theshelves this season, so therewill be plenty of shredderslooking to upgrade their gear.To keep you looking freshthis boarding season, here is aproduct guide of some of thetop gear on the slopes thiswinter:

Men’s Gear

SnowboardsBurton Restricted Harvest

Snowboard: It has a littlemore flex to it than the previ-ous model, which gives itmore speed down the slopes,but also more flexibility. Theboard also features a jaw-dropping image of a bloodysevered head on it, which issure to be a favorite for theWalking Dead generation outthere hitting the slopes. TheRestricted Harvest board isone of the best freestyleboards this year, by one of thebest board companies.

K2 Fastplant: This newboard from K2 features a dollfrom an old Korn albumcover or some sort of TimBurton movie, as it has anobvious dark side. It is madewith K2’s patentedBambooyah indestructiblecore, insuring that it is flex-ible enough to movearound the slopes, but stillprovides a stable base forthe wildest trickster toland. This is easily thefreestyle board of the yearfrom K2.

SkisLiberty Helix Skis:

The Helix skis are theultimate big mountainskis out there this sea-son. They include StealthRocker technology in the tipsto keep them from breakingand ensuring riders a muchsmoother landing. These aresome of the smoothest skison the mountain this yearand will be a hot commoditythis winter.

BootsDC Judge Snowboard

Boots:The Judge boots fromDC have become the stan-dard of snowboarders inrecent years. The 2013 ver-sion has the internal ankleharness that DC has becomeknown for, plus it has aDouble Boa system thatallows riders to completelyadjust the boots’ tightness.The boots are mostly charcoalgrey with teal and orangeundertones. The DC Judge

boots will always be the topof the line and thus, some ofthe best boots money canbuy.

GogglesElectric EGB2 Goggles:

They offer 100 percent UVprotection, plus feature theAnti-Fog and Anti-Scratchinglens. The lens offers thelargest amount of peripheralviewing for riders, so theywill certainly see a lot ofattention this winter.

GlovesDakine Cobra Gloves: The

Cobra gloves are some of thewarmest out here for menright now. They are stuffedwith GORE-TEX lining andeven come with a Pre-CurvedFinger Construction designto make it easy to do grabs inthe air. Their patented brightblue design will be a huge hiton the powder this season.

Women’s GearSnowboards

Burton Feelgood Flying VSnowboard: This is the latestof the Burton’s classicwomen’s boards. TheFeelgood boards alwaysmake the female riders on themountain happy, as it is oneof the smoothest riding

boards from Burton.It also comes in several col-

ors, including purple, pink,blue, and gold. It will capturethe boarder interested inlooks, but also the boarderlooking for quality.

K2 High Lite: The HighLite is the ultimate all-aroundboard for female riders thisseason. It also has the newTweakendTM base, whichallows riders more ability toride with their weight on thebackend of the board withoutfalling. This is the perfect

board for inter-m e d i a t efreestyle rid-ers this sea-son.

SkisL i b e r t y

Envy PowderSkis: ThePowder skishave a very eye-

catching pow-der pink design.They have a

strong bamboob a c k b o n ethroughout thespine of the skis,which makes them

flexible, but alsomuch stronger thanthe average ski.These are some of theeasiest skis to controlthis season and willbe a great upgrade foranyone jumping from

a beginner to an inter-mediate role.

BootsDC Misty Boots: The

Misty boots are the onesignature boot from DCthis season for women.It will be a huge hitamong teenage riders,but they are also notoverly gaudy to keep the

older riders from sportingthem.

GogglesElectric EG1S Goggles:

The latest eElectric framesfor females are some of thehottest goggles on themountain. The most popu-lar frames are solid red withthe classic 100 percent UVprotection and the always-popular Ergonomic frames.These goggles are flying offthe shelves this December.

GlovesBurton Pipe Gloves:

These gloves look like cutemittens, but have theMicrofiber strength of ajacket. They are very light-weight, yet durable enoughto hold up through everygrab.

Snowboard and ski guideBy Andrew C. Minier

Winter is here and formany, the colder days andsnowfall signify the begin-ning of their most excitingseason. Last winter fellshort of expectations, giventhe meager contributionsof Old Man Winter.Bolstered by the fact ourski areas could endure thewarmest winter on recordand still serve up somegroovy turns through mid-March, area managementchoose to put the pedal tothe metal and accelerateinto the 2012-2013 season.

Across the region skiersand snowboarders will findnew chair lifts, lodgingfacilities, terrain parkexpansion and a host ofactivities and adventuresadded to make your experi-ence more enjoyable. Youcan ride a mountain coasterat Holiday Valley or flingyourself off a ski jump intothe Kissing Bridge Big AirBag. The Big Air Bag madeits debut during the KissingBridge Open House thisNovember where peopletook a leap of faith from a30-foot-high platform, flip-ping or flailing to a pillowpuff landing. In season,skiers and snowboarderswill be able to try out theirfavorite tricks and dialthem in with the air bagbefore taking them to theterrain park.Boots

Ski equipment has seenmajor changes over thepast several seasons. Theaddition of ultra wide pow-der skis and easy turningrockered skis have beenadded to choices thatalready contained shapedcarving skis and parkfriendly twin tips. For thisseason with one notablechange for serious racers(F.I.S. 35m turn radius) theskiers have never seen sucha variety of equipment tochoose from. The biggesttrend I see for skiers is amove to providing morecomfort while sacrificinglittle performance. Nothingcauses skiers more prob-lems than uncomfortableboots. Fischer offers vacu-um fit technology this sea-son. This boot is made of amaterial Fischer calls Vacu-Plast. When a skier standson a special platform whilewearing the boots theentire boot will moldaround the foot and pro-vide a custom fit experi-ence in just 25 minutes.

Fischer offers a completeline of boots in the VacuumFit line.

Dalbello Boots haveworked with legendaryfreeride skier Glen Plakefor years and they havecombined to provide a boot

that is sure to be afavorite for park,pipe and freeride

skiers. The Dalbello KR2Pro features a smooth flex-ing tongue, flatter stance(low ramp angle) and a fitthat addresses the commonpressure points withoutcustomization. On the cut-ting edge, or perhaps overit, is the Apex Boot System.Essentially, this is a softshell walkable boot similarto a snowboard boot (notmuch more than a bootliner with a lace system andrubber sole) combinedwith a two buckleexoskeleton providing sup-port and connection to aregular alpine binding setup. But fear not, if you stilllike your ski boots stiff andresponsive and built withonly performance in mind,aggressive big mountainboots and race boots willalways be there for thosewilling to endure a little(very little) discomfort forthe ultimate in perform-ance. As new and excitingniches of the sport contin-ue to develop, we will seeeven more evolution incoming years.Electronics

Perhaps the time hascome to recognize electron-ics as an equipment catego-ry. Social media has infil-trated every aspect of ourlives and that extends outon to slopes. Be carefulplaying hooky as it seemsevery other skier on the hillis filming their adventures(and yours) with a devicethat has changed the way

many young skiers viewthe sport. If a skierstomped his best trick andwas not filming point ofview with his Go Pro did itreally happen? Go Pro hel-met mounted cameras andsimilar devices allow skiersto easily film their adven-tures and share them onvarious social media plat-forms like You Tube.

There are many resorts tochoose from in our region.Each resort offers up some-thing different. There aretwo private clubs, BuffaloSki Club and Holimont andpublic resorts, KissingBridge, Swain, BristolMountain and HolidayValley. Holiday serves up animpressive array of activi-ties and is a destinationresort for many skiers.

Holimont and Holidayshare the charmingtown of Ellicottvillewith its many shop-ping and diningoptions. Closer to

home, Kissing Bridge is thechoice for an affordablequick getaway to ski theday away or ski under thelights and enjoying greatsnow conditions. If crosscountry is your preference,check out Byrncliff ormany of the regional trailand park offerings.

When the ski seasonends many resorts continueto offer outdoor recreation.Holiday Valley opened upthe Sky High AdventurePark last year and offers uptop notch golf, swimmingpools, dining and eating.Kissing Bridge hosted12,000 runners inSeptember, all of themfemale. On the heels of thatvery successful event theywill offer another all femaleevent June 1 and 2. TheKiss Me Dirty race serieswill be capped at 3,000 par-ticipants per day to providerunners with an active andexciting, yet not too over-whelming experience. Inaddition, Kissing Bridgeand Kiss Me Dirty haveteamed up to offer runnersthe option of riding a chair-lift from the lower portionsof the obstacle filled courseto the upper trails connect-ing the North, Central andSouth Areas. This is a mudfilled fun day you can feelgood about with a portionof the proceeds going towomen’s cancer research.More information can befound atwww.kissmedirty.com

Snow days

Community Sports ReportWinter is a great time to

visit the EnchantedMountains of CattaraugusCounty. From action-packedoutdoor adventures to uniqueshopping to cozy fireside con-versations … tailor your visitfor an unforgettable getaway.

Tackle some of the bestsnow in the East. Snow EastMagazine voted HolidayValley Resort the No.1 resortunder 1,100 feet andEllicottville the No.2 destina-tion village in the East. Sopack up your planks andboards and head over for someamazing day and night alpineskiing and slopeside fun. Takea break in the new 66,000-square-foot lodge. Whenyou’re tired of the slopes, ridethe Mountain Coaster throughsnow-covered woods for athrilling 4,805 feet of downhillexcitement. Pack up the kidsand make it a family day atHoliday Valley TubingCompany with two handletows and 12 lanes of slipperywinter fun.

On weekdays, ski the slopesof HoliMont, the largest pri-vate ski club in the U.S. Besure to check out their newstate-of-the-art high-speedquad chair and terrain parkadditions.

Parks and trails are callingyour name

Enjoy winter’s tranquility in

a cozy winterized cabin inAllegany State Park. Relax by acrackling fire or head out forsome cross-country skiing atthe Art Roscoe Cross CountrySki area with over 35 miles ofpicturesque trails, hiking,sledding or snowshoeing.Rentals are available.

Prefer a motorized sled?Cattaraugus County ownsbragging rights to over 400miles of gorgeous snowmobiletrails that crisscross the coun-tryside, including more than70 miles inside Allegany StatePark, offering many ways toexplore the areas on your sled.Call 1-800-331-0543 for con-ditions and a FREESnowmobile Trail Map.

Discover some of the bestice fishing on Quaker, Case orHarwood lakes and net freshBluegill, Brown Trout andPumpkinseed. Rent someblades or bring your own andenjoy great indoor ice skatingin Olean.

Traverse the intermediatemultiuse trails in your snow-shoes, hiking boots or oncross-country skis. Take the12-mile Pat McGee Trail con-necting Salamanca andCattaraugus, the 5.6-mileAllegheny River Valley Trailloop that meanders aroundAllegany and Olean, or makeyour own tracks on statelands. Stop at Pfeiffer NatureCenter for a nature walk and

feel the blanketing wintersilence in a pristine oldgrowth forest. Breathtakingvistas included!

Don’t let the white stuff stopyou from exploring theEnchanted MountainsGeoTrail or New York’s AmishGeoTrail that will lead you to atotal of 44 caches cleverlytucked away all over the coun-ty.

Create your own wintertour

The holidays are a magicaltime here. Watch a potterydemonstration and browseartisan-crafted woodworking,original fine art and wonderfulgift items at East Otto CountryAssociates.

Holiday Valley Resort inEllicottville will be open forskiing soon and will be run-ning its Mountain Coaster fora winter time slide down thehill.

“Oh the weather outside isfrightful …”

Warm up inside galleriesand museums, at stage pro-ductions and Native Americanmuseum exhibits. See a liveperformance presented by theOlean Community Theatre,Olean Theatre Workshop andSouthern Tier Symphony. VisitSt. Bonaventure University’sRegina A. Quick Center forthe Arts, for a free look at theold masters and changingexhibits. Stay on campus for

an Atlantic 10 men’s orwomen’s Bonnies BasketballGame.

Sip, Savor and Slumber inStyle

The Seneca AlleganyCasino and Hotel, with itsexpanded tower of new roomsand suites, offers an excitingdestination with games ofchance and some of the area’sfinest dining and luxury hotelrooms.

Everyone deserves a littlepampering – choose from finespas and indulge in a muscle-soothing treatment, then sit bythe fire with a steaming cap-puccino. You’ll find fittingaccommodations for thrifty tounlimited budgets includingJacuzzi guestrooms, swim-ming pools and fitness gyms.

Nibble on local treats, savordown-home cooking ordelight in gourmet offerings

accompanied by boutiquecrafted beer and wine.

Whether it’s a day, weekendor longer, The EnchantedMountains can’t wait to wel-come you!

For more information, call1-800-331-0543 today for

your FREE Visitors’ Guide,email info@enchantedmoun-tains.com or visit us atwww.EnchantedMountains.com.

Winter in Cattaraugus County

Community SportsReport

With lake effectsnow averagingover 200 inchesannually, theChautauqua regionin southwesternNew York is a win-ter lover’s paradisefor skiers, boarders,snowmobilers, andkids of all ages wholove to play in thesnow.

Near the Villageof Findley Lake,Peek’n Peak Resort& Spa offers slopesfor the novice to theexpert and learn toski/board programsthat quickly turnbeginners into pro-ficient participants.The resort lists 27slopes and trailsserviced by eightchairlifts as well asthree progressionterrain parks, half-pipe, and new forthe 2012/13 season,a BagJump landingbag. With state-of-the-artsnowmaking technology plusnatural snowfall, the Peekprovides a solid, groomedbase until March.

For those who prefer toride, five local snowmobileclubs groom and maintainover 400 miles of regionaltrails that traverse old rail-road beds, former trolleylines, open farm fields, heav-ily wooded areas, seasonalroads and everything in-between. Some trails stayclose to civilization whileothers are more remote.Weather permitting, trailsofficially open a week beforeChristmas and may stay openuntil mid-March.

For the best experience,visitors planning to snowmo-bile should plan the requiredNYS registration ahead oftime. Join a snowmobile club

and save half off the registra-tion fee, and support theefforts of volunteers whogroom and maintain thetrails. Access a registrationform online athttp://www.dmv.ny.gov/recre-ation.htm#snowmobiles.Riders should always checktrail and snow conditionswith a local snowmobile clubor call 800.242.4569 forupdated information.

Skiing, boarding andsnowmobiling are just halfthe fun of a wintry getaway.Accommodations, dining,and festivals fill the timebetween the slopes and trails.Visit Jan. 20 for a Currier andIves Sleigh Rally on theVictorian grounds ofChautauqua Institutionwhere horsemen bring theirsleighs for a competition ofskills and attire while specta-

tors come for thesplendid sights ofhorses and sleighsmoving along thehistoric streets.Regular weekendsleigh rides atC h a u t a u q u aInstitution beginearly in January andrun through the endof February. Fortickets and infor-mation, stop at theC h a u t a u q u aBookstore on BestorPlaza.

On Feb. 2, theJ a m e s t o w nAudubon Centerhosts a SnowflakeFestival withindoor and outdooractivities for theentire family.Outdoor events fea-ture Liberty, the res-ident Bald Eagle,along with snow-shoeing, crosscountry skiing,sleigh (or hay,depending on theweather) rides, and

winter camping and cookingdemonstrations.

Make plans for thePresident’s Weekend I.C.E.Festival in Mayville’sLakeside Park, Feb. 15-17.The annual winter festivalalong Chautauqua Lake fea-tures ice and snow themedevents and activities, includ-ing an Ice Castle whenweather permits. Fireworkslight up the wintry sky onSaturday night. The NYS IcePro-Am Tournament takesplace on Chautauqua Lakeconcurrent to the festival.

For a full schedule of eventsand winter attractions and afree trip planning guide to theChautauqua region, visit theChautauqua County VisitorsBureau’s website at www.tour-chautauqua.com or call866.908.4569.

Play and Learn in Chautauqua County, New York’s

Snowbelt Region

Photo: Cindy Abersold Ferraro, provided courtesy of theChautauqua County Visitors Bureau

With annual snowfall exceeding 200 inchesand over 400 miles of groomed trails,Chautauqua County is one of NYS’s best desti-nations for snowmobiling.

Winter Directory DOWNHIILL,SNOWBOARDING & MOREBristol Mountain, 585-374-6000www.bristolmountain.com

Holiday Valley, 716-699-2345www.holidayvalley.com

HoliMont, 716-699-2320www.holimont.com

Kissing Bridge/ColdenTubing, 716-592-4963www.kbski.com

Peek ’n Peak, 716-355-4141www.pknpk.com

Swain, 607-545-6511www.swain.com

CROSS COUNTRY &SNOWMOBILINGAllegheny State Parkwww.nysparks.com

Art Roscoe, Allegany State Parkwww.buffaloaudubon.org

Byrncliff Resort &Conference Center, 585-535-7300www.byrncliff.com

Cummings Nature Center,585-374-6160www.rmsc.org

Holiday Valley, 716-699-2345www.holidayvalley.com

HoliMont, 716-699-2320www.holimont.com

www.monroecounty.gov/parks

www.nysparks.com

Peek ‘n Peak, 716-355-4141www.pknpk.com

SKI CLUBSAdirondack Mountain Clubwww.adk.orgNiagara Frontier Chapter,716-564-2106,Genesee Valley Chapter,www.gvc-adk.org

Buffalo Nordic Ski Clubwww.buffalonordic.org

Buffalo Ski Clubwww.bscskiarea.com

Huggers Ski Clubwww.huggersskiclub.org

Lederhosen Ski Clubwww.lederhosenskiclub.co

Monroe Y Ski Clubwww.monroeyskiclub.org

NAR (Niagara Adult Racing)www.narracing.com

Rochester Nordic Ski Clubwww.rochesternordic.org

Rochester Ski Clubwww.rochesterskiclub.com

Schussmeisters Ski & Snowboard Clubwww.schussmeisters.com

SCOL (Ski Club of Lockport)skicluboflockport.com

SNOWMOBILENew York StateSnowmobile Association(NYSSA)

Go towww.nyssnowassoc.orgfor a listing by county ofNYS snowmobile clubsand other valuable infor-mation.888-624-3849http://nysnowmo-bilewebmap.com

Allegany CountyFederation ofSnowmobilers, Incwww.acfsnow.org

Cattaraugus CountySnowmobile Federationwww.enchantedmountains.info/what_to_do/snowmobiling.aspwww.snowmobilingWNY.com

Chautauqua Countywww.tourchautauqua.com/where_to_play.aspx

Wyoming Countywww.gowyomingcountyny.com

New York State Office ofParks Snowmobile Unit518-474-0446

SnowmobileRegistrationhttp://www.dmv.ny.gov/recreation.htm#snowmobiles

You must register yoursnowmobile if you operatethe snowmobile in NewYork State. A registration isnot required if the snowmo-bile is operated on the pri-vate property of the owneror private property theowner has a contractualright to use. A snowmobilethat is registered in anotherstate and owned by a resi-dent of that state, but isoperated in NYS, must get aNYS registration. A non-res-ident of NYS with a snow-mobile registered in anoth-er state can apply online fora NYS snowmobile registra-tion. A temporary NYS reg-istration is issued at theend of the transaction forimmediate operation of thesnowmobile in NYS.

OTHER INFOwww.weather.com

Genesee Region Trails Coalitionwww.grtcinc.org

Monroe County Sports Commissionwww.monroecountysports.org

www.monroecounty.gov/parks

www.nysparks.com

www.IloveNY.com

www.snowcrystals.com

If we have missed your club,please contact us and we willbe sure to include you nextyear.

Winteranglerswonder,will we

have ice?With the books closing on

another year, and the seasonsturning from autumn to win-ter, anglers across WNY won-der whether solid hard waterfishing opportunities willcome, or will the winter of2013 be a repeat of the unusu-ally mild winter season expe-rienced in 2012. Althoughmany hold their own predic-tions and prognostications,we will have winter, we willhave cold, and, with a littleluck, the hard water seasonwill bring many anglers toarea ponds and lakes, as thesport of ice fishing continuesto grow in popularity.

Ice Fishing BasicsThe first piece of equip-

ment an angler needs is asharp ice auger, or drill, with-out which one cannot accessthe water. Strike Master isarguably the most popularauger-maker, and they offer avariety of both manual andpower auger models. Manualaugers typically rangebetween $25 and $35 whilereplacement blades cost about$10 to $15. An ice scoop orladle should also be pur-

chased, along with the auger,so you can clear the hole ofslush and ice fragments beforefishing. Some ladles have tapemeasures on them—a greatfeature to look for as yourladle can double as an iceruler—to gauge the thicknessof the ice you are standing on.

Ice fishing rod and reelcombos are very affordable,and, like their open watercounterparts, come in a vari-ety of weights, from superultra-light to heavy action.Your best bet is to buy a fully-rigged combo, and manygood quality ice fishing rodsrange up to $50, but effectivecombos are easily found forfar less, often not exceeding$30; great news for anglers ona budget.

Terminal tackle usuallyinvolves either live bait rigs(simple hooks and sinkers) toweighted jigs, jigging rapalas,jigging spoons and the like. Ifyou wonder whether any dif-ference exists between youropen water jig head and an icefishing jig head, worry not,for the only real differencebetween these jigs is typicallysize, with ice fishing jigs usu-ally running smaller.

Ice SafetyAlthough many will right-

fully observe that no ice is 100percent safe, clear ice thatmeasures four inches orthicker is more than ample tohold a person of just aboutany size. Tricky times includeearly and late in the season,when ice is just forming andwhen it is about to melt, so itis strongly advisable to notfish alone. Safety gear toremember include ice picks,

which help youget a “grip” onwet ice in casethe unthinkabledoes happen, aninflatable PFD, oreven a standardPDF, a long ropewith knots tied init and a throw-able flotationdevice.

Best advice;however, is tocall ahead tolocal tackle shopsto get a goodreport of ice con-ditions beforeheading out.

Advanced GearA d d i t i o n a l

e q u i p m e n tadvances inrecent years cer-tainly contributeto the growingpopularity of icefishing, and chiefamong theseadvancementsare the portableice shanty.Anglers havemany makes andmodels, not tomention sizes tochoose from, yeteach ice shanty comes withboth pluses and minuses. Forinstance, Clam Corporationmakes both the Clam andDave Genz fish trapTM,which are sturdy, durable,comfortable, and relativelyheavy. Clam and Frabill alsomake tent-style pop-upshanties, like the IceCubeTM, which are spaciousand lightweight, not to men-

tion fairly easy to set up andtear down, but windy condi-tions oftentimes creates addi-tional challenges for thesenewer portable shelters.Prices for portable shantiesrange from $100 to well over$600, but with proper care,they will provide shelter fromwind and snow for more thanjust a few hard water seasons.

Popular WNY Places

Great places publi-cally accessible to icefish in WNYabound, when con-ditions permit. Hereis a short list ofplaces and species.With the new fishingregulations now inplace, the NYS DEChas worked to sim-plify the rules, mak-ing it easier foranglers to enjoy thisunique winter out-door activity. Checkyour FishingRegulations Guidefor exact rules andregulations for anybody of water youintend to fish:

NFTA Small BoatHarbor

Yellow perch;bluegill; pumpkin-seed; northern pike;crappie; and rain-bow smelt. You mayrun into a few troutas well.

Chautauqua LakeYellow perch;

walleye; bluegill;pumpkinseed; crap-pie, bullhead; andwhite perch.

Case Lake Yellow perch; brown trout;

rainbow trout; bluegill; andcrappie.

Bear Lake Northern pike; walleye;

crappie; bluegill; pumpkin-seed; and yellow perch.

Irondequoit Bay Yellow perch; northern

pike; bluegill; pumpkinseed;brown trout; and rainbowtrout.

Wilson Harbor Northern pike; rainbow

trout; brown trout; yellowperch; white perch; bluegill;and pumpkinseed.

Winter Trout FishingIf walking on water is not

your “cup of tea,” WNY offersoutstanding winter trout fish-ing, from the Lower NiagaraRiver to Cattaraugus Creek.Egg sacs and minnow presen-tations work great during win-ter, with early spring insects,like stone fly and mayfly larva,drawing action starting lateFebruary during most years.Certainly, cold weather cancreate ice cover along streambanks and over slower movingwater, but the right days canbring hours of winter fun,while showing light fishingpressure.

Remember, take a kid fish-ing, and give the gift that lastsa lifetime.

Rich Davenport is co-founderof WeLoveOutdoors.com, anavid Outdoorsman and memberof the NYSOWA. His works arealso published in NY OutdoorNews, Walleye.com and theBuffalo News. Rich is also theRecording Secretary for the ErieCounty Federation ofSportsmen’s Clubs, Secretary ofthe Western NY EnvironmentalFederation, member of the ErieCounty Fisheries AdvisoryBoard and is the Co-Chairmanand Region 9 Rep NYSCC BigGame Committee. Emailrich@weloveoutdoors.org.

Photo by Dane StockerThe time is nearing to get your auger and iceshanty and spend some time on the iced-overarea waters. At the time of this writing, no icecover exists anywhere in WNY, but colder tem-peratures are just around the corner.

Doctari’s Fishing Forum with Rich Davenport

Winter 2012-13 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 7

By Gary ReevesDefensemen in particular

should attain a high skilllevel in execut-ing their transi-tional skating.Tr a n s i t i o n a lskating usuallyoccurs when ad e f e n s e m a nretrieves anopen ice puckin his zonefrom a forwardskating posi-tion to a back-ward skatingposition facing the play inorder to pass the puck to ateammate. In many occa-sions a lateral movement isincorporated to pull awayfrom an oncoming checkerbefore stepping out into aforward skating position topass the puck.

When making a propertransition from forwardskating to backward skat-ing you must keep yourfeet moving, you don’t needto take a glide and jumparound. The moment youglide you turn off thepower and slow the wholetransition down. You mustcontinue your skatingstroke in order to maintainyour speed; keep the feetmoving.

To execute a transition tothe right from forward tobackward skating yourupper body and stick mustturn to the right in thedirection behind you. Thisenables you to load yourhips to that when the leftskate comes in from theforward skating stroke youimmediately “push behind”with your right skate whilemaking a quick pivot onyour left skate. Your leftskate is now ready to thrustas your first stroke in thebackward skating position.So what have youachieved? You continue toskate thrusting with yourright skate and left skateinto the backward skating

position without missing astroke. Always rememberwhen you make a turn to

the right youpush behindwith your rightskate in order toforce yourloaded hips intothe backwardskating mode. Ifyou turn to yourleft then pushbehind withyour left skate,repeating thewhole process.

When making a transi-tion from the backwardskating position the wholeprocess is reversed. To turnleft into the forward skat-ing position you mustallow the heel of your leftskate to arc into the rightskate. At the same time asyou begin this motion yourupper body and stick mustturn towards the forwardskating position. As theheel of your left skatemeets the right skate youare now “into a tripod”solid stance position. Atthis point you now pick upyour left skate stepping itinto the direction of theturn while thrusting withyour right skate and forcingyour hips into the turn.The left skate is now in aposition to thrust for thefirst stroke in the forwardskating position. This iscalled “skating your transi-tions the hockey way” withproper mechanics and bal-ance in order to absorbbody checks while doingso.

Caution: Many powerskating instructors teachwhat is called a “MohawkTurn” one of the mechanicstaught in the figure skaterspower skating manual toturn from forward skatingto backward skating andvice versa. I would like toquote the definition of a“Mohawk Turn” as definedby the power skating pro-

gram of the CanadianFigure Skating Association:“Mohawk, a change fromforward to backward orbackward to forwardaccomplished by changingfeet but, “Gliding” on simi-lar edges (i.e. inside toinside or outside to out-side) (e.g. turning from for-ward on one foot to back-ward on the other foot). AMohawk can be turned by“placing the heel of the leftfoot to the heel of the rightfoot, in a line, with toespointing away from eachother.” The turns should bepracticed in a clockwiseand counterclockwisedirection.”

Now, I would like anyhockey player who readsthis column to stand on theice with the heels of theirskates touching and withthe toes of their skatespointing outwards in astraight line. Next, havetwo of your teammatesstand one in front of you,and one in back of you.Now ask your teammate infront of you to give you agentle push up near yourcollarbone. Oh! I almostforgot, tell you teammatestanding behind to be readyto catch you. Obviouslyyou’ll be going down sinceyour skates are in a balancebeam position. Can youonly imagine what wouldhappen if you were to takea body check in that posi-tion!

Sadly, Mohawk turns arebeing taught across thecontinent because of thisprogram. We’re hockeyplayers, not figure skaters!This is only one example inthis manual where “A LittleKnowledge in the WrongHands Has Become VeryDangerous.”

For more informationregarding pro SkatingHockey skills clinics or indi-vidual and team clinics, callGary Reeves, 905.384.0508.

Honing your defensive skillsFantasyhockey

By Mike FoxYeah, I know. “Fantasy

hockey” almost soundsredundant at this point, withthe NHL embroiled in a labordispute for the fourth time inthe past 20 years. The RegularJoes of the world always seemto have trouble offering sym-pathy to either side of whatwe perceive as millionairesbickering with billionaires,and many fans have vowedthat when things finallyresume, they’ll disdainfullytell the NHL to drop the puckwhere the sun don’t shine. Butthe fact is we’re sports fans.Some of us might pout longerthan others, but history sayseventually we’ll all be back. Ifyou’ve been playing fantasyhockey long enough for theaddiction to sink in fully, thenyou won’t even have a choicebut to climb back on thebandwagon and……and care,so we may as well addresssome of the issues that aregoing to arise in all fantasyleagues eventually.

What’s the best way todecide if you should just pullthe plug on your league’s2012-13 season? This is self-explanatory if it’s anythinglike the last NHL lockout,when the league eventually86ed an entire season. If theykiss and make up and try tosalvage part of the season, thedecision to move forward thisyear would best be decided bya vote of your league mem-bers. If enthusiasm seems

high, schedule a draft ASAP,and play as if nothing everhappened. If interest is tepidat best, it might be best to justcancel your fantasy seasonand allow the wounds to heal.From a commissioner’s stand-point, it’s probably better tolose only one season than riskthe uncertainty of having tofind replacement owners atthe last moment, just to pacifythose who aren’t willing towait a year.

Assuming we scrap thisfantasy season, how do weproceed next year? That willdepend entirely on yourleague’s format. If it’s a freshre-draft league, and your draftorder is based on your previ-ous year’s results, you don’thave to be King Solomon toknow the logical path is tosimply employ the same orderyou would have used in 2012-13.

If you play in a save-playeror contract-style league, how-ever, then commish, you mayas well brew up a pot of strongcoffee, because you are aboutto earn your keep. Some fan-tasy owners in your leagues

will benefit from a lost year,while others will be affectedadversely, and all of them aregoing to have an opinion as towhat the righteous courseshould be. Once again, it’sprobably best to rely on a voteto make the most of the diffi-cult decisions, and hope thatyour owners vote for what istruly best for the league, notfor what is in their own bestinterest. While human naturesuggests that may not come topass, a vote is still likely a bet-ter recourse than risking any-thing from general acrimonyto full-blown mutiny shouldyou decide to fully take mat-ters into your own hands. Ionly hope that my co-com-mish and I can find a happymedium in our contractleague before the rest of theboys put the finishing toucheson that gangplank.

Believe it or not, theremight be a silver lining to allthis. After the Lost Year of2004-05, the ensuing season’sdouble-dip bumper crop ofrookies proved to be a boon tohockey in general, and partic-ularly to fantasy hockey.Remember when Sid the Kidhad a 102-point rookie year,but lost the Calder Trophy to aRussian fireball inWashington? Closer to home,that lost year gave a youngBuffalo netminder extra timeto develop fully in the minors,and he’s provided the Sabreswith at least 30 wins a yearever since.

OK, that might not exactlyqualify as a silver lining, con-sidering what the NHL hasput us through. Again. I guessI just can’t help but stay opti-mistic, because I am a fan, andI play fantasy, and yes, I care.

Game on?

Photo by Joe ValentiSid the Kid is a coveted roster player once a seasongets underway.

By Brian Mazurowski

Attaining a booming slapshot takes practice, butdeciding when to use itcan also be challenging.We talked withdefenseman T.J.Brennan and wingerBrian Flynn of theRochester Americansabout their approach toshooting.

Are there any easyrules for deciding whento shoot the puck on netor give it up to a team-mate?

Brian Flynn: Yeah,whenever you’re in troubleand you don’t see anythingit’s always a safe play tothrow it at the goalie’s feet.It’s so hard to score off shots,that you need betterrebounds and people to thenet, so whenever you’re introuble, throw it there.

Working along the blueline as a defenseman, how ischoosing your shot differentfrom working as a forward?

T.J. Brennan: Sometimesyou just have to look at theopportunities that are there.Sometimes just getting thepuck down low. That’s onething I need to work on isnot always taking the hard-

est shot. It’s sometimes justplacing the shot and gettingit down because guys are

there orguys ares c re e n -ing or

whatever, soit’s taking advantage ofopportunities that you haveto get your shot off whetherit’s hard or just laying it inthere. Sometimes a guy’s inthe lane, so you can’t justshoot it hard or it willbounce right off of him andgo right by you… I think thebiggest thing for anydefenseman is just getting itto the net. Even if it’s a softshot and it hits the goalie, it’salways giving a chance forforwards to get a stick on it,or for it to go in.

I don’t think kids realize ata young age that you don’thave to fire the puck 100miles an hour every time to

get a good scoring chance offyour shot.

TB: Yeah of course, butthe way I look at it, if you’regoing to work on somethingyou’d rather be told to beless aggressive than be more

aggressive. To putthat in shot terms,it’s better to beshooting as hard asyou can every time,and then go “heymaybe take a littleoff of it sometimes.”It’s easier to do thatthan “Hey, put a lit-tle more on it.” It’sstill a work inprogress for myself

to really know when to capi-talize on shooting as hard asI can, or just placing it andputting it in a good spot forthe forwards in front toscreen or tip. It’s a lot of readand react.

BF: I think the biggestthing, looking back for allthe young kids out there, it’snot so much how hard yourshot is, it’s all in your release,it’s all in how quick you get itoff. That’s the one thing I’velearned, the one thing towork on after practice every-day is just getting it, losing astickhandle and just rippingit on net as fast as you can.

Hockey Tips from the Pros: Picking Your Shot

Brian Flynn TJ Brennan

Page 8 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Winter 2012-13

By Adam McGill

The 2012-13 indoortrack season has alreadyleft the starting line.There are some veryaccomplished athletes inthe Buffalo area this win-ter, so this year’s indoortrack season will certain-ly be one of the mostexciting to date. Here aresome of the brighteststars in the WNY areathis track and field sea-son:Jazmin Dunham, BuffaloState College

Dunham (Rochester,N.Y.) is the team’s return-ing star this season. Sheis a two-time All-American and a seven-time SUNYACChampion in what hasno doubt been a magicalstart to a track career.The junior even has bro-ken the school record in the60-meter hurdles with a timeof 8.80 seconds. Dunham isprimed to have another hugeseason for the Bengals.Asia Henry, University atBuffalo

Henry (Rochester, N.Y.)has become a track legend inthe Buffalo area. She receivedsecond-team All-AmericanHonors in the 800-meter runin the 2011 outdoor season,becoming the first femaletrack athlete to receive NCAADivision I All-AmericanHonors in school history. Shealso amazingly was a part ofseven school recordsthroughout the outdoor andindoor season last year,which has only cemented herlegacy in Buffalo’s track histo-ry. Adam Hume, University atBuffalo

The pole-vaulter is launch-ing himself into Buffalo polevaulting history. Hume(Gansevoort, N.Y.) set aschool outdoor track record

in 2010 with a jump of 16-0.75 and will be looking totop that jump this year.Hume will be one of the focalpoints of the men’s field pro-gram in 2012.Miles Lewis, University atBuffalo

The Long IslandUniversity transfer had astrong first season with theBulls in 2012. Lewis (Coram,N.Y.) earned All-MAC hon-ors with a time of 21.33 sec-onds in the 200-meter dash,as he has quickly earned hisstripes within the conference.Jamiee McClary, Universityat Buffalo

McClary (Rochester, N.Y.)has been the team’s most pro-lific sprinter in UB history.McClary holds the indoorschool records for the 60-meter dash (7.60), 200-meterdash (24.45), 300-meter dash(39.61), and the 400-meterdash (54.84). She also holdsthe outdoor records of 100-meter dash (11.84), 200-meter dash (23.87), and 400-

meter dash (55.05).McClary is looking tofinish her amazingcareer strong and willadd a couple morerecords to her resumebefore it is all said anddone.Alex Ngabo, BuffaloState College

Ngabo (Rochester,N.Y.) set two schoolrecords in the team’s firstindoor track meet of the2012 season. The mid-dle-distance star fin-ished second in the3,000-meter run(8:34.54) and fourth inthe 5,000-meter run(14:53.88), but bothtimes were still fastenough for the sopho-more to capture a schoolbanner. This will likelynot be the last time thatNgabo breaks a schoolrecord, so catch this star

now while you can.Shaun Winter, Buffalo StateCollege

The junior jumper claimedfirst place in the long jump atthe Golden Flash Gala withan impressive jump of 6.96meters, beating out somevery strong Division I talentin the first indoor tourna-ment of the year. Winter(Grand Island, N.Y.) willanchor the team’s field pro-gram this season and the jun-ior still has a lot of jumps leftin his legs for the Bengals.Kristy Woods, University atBuffalo

This is Woods’ final seasonin Buffalo and the senior hasenjoyed a very memorablecareer for the Bulls. Sheearned a trip to the NCAANational Outdoor Track andField Championships in2010, claiming All-Americanhonors for a third place finishin the shot put. The throwerwill be looking to make adent in her final year inBuffalo.

2012-13 indoor track and field shining stars

Photo by Paul Hokanson/UB AthleticsAsia Henry is back for anotherrecord breaking season at UB.

By Jeffrey Levine

On Nov. 16, pitcher MichaelElwood made the move fromNCCC to the ACC when hesigned his National Letter ofIntent with Virginia Tech. Forthe sophomore pitcher, inkinghis signature was the next stepin a process that began overfour years ago.

“I played at Virginia Techwhen I was a sophomore inhigh school for a showcasetournament and fell in lovewith the campus,” Elwoodrecalled. “After that I alwayswanted to become a Hokie andplay baseball there.”

While the soon-to-be juniorplans to major in sociology, itis not hard to imagine that alarge part of what Elwood willbe concentrating on next fallwill be the many challenges ofplaying baseball at a Division Ischool as well as stepping ontothe rubber for the first time asa Hokie.

Elwood, a two-timeWNYAC All-Conference play-er, made quite an impressionduring his two years with theThunderwolves. He wasnamed to the NJCAA RegionIII All-Tournament team in2012 and helped propel theThunderwolves to theNational Runner-Up in theNJCAA DIII World Series. Inaddition to his 3-0 record onthe mound with a 1.53 ERA,Elwood also posted battingstatistics that read more likean infielder than a pitcher. Hehad an impressive .384 aver-age to go along with 63 careerhits, 41 RBI, 14 doubles andthree home runs.

Although he’ll certainly befocusing on his delivery, loca-tion and velocity at VT,Elwood will also have achance to help his cause frombehind the plate. “Coach[Hughes] said he liked whathe saw and he’ll give me anopportunity to keep hitting,”Elwood explained. “I’m notready to give it up. I love hit-ting. Give me the opportunityto keep hitting and see how Ido. I believe he is mostly inter-ested in me as a pitcher, but helikes my bat as well.”

Although there will certain-ly be a period of adjustment asElwood takes his game to the

next level, he is certain-ly not alone in makingthe transition. Over thelast three seasons, 17other NCCC playershave been awardedfour-year scholarshipsto play at Universitiesor Colleges. Even withspring ball in front ofhim, Elwood feels con-fident that NCCC andthe coaching staff havegiven him all the toolshe needs to succeed.

“ C o a c hClingersmith does agreat job preparing usfor the next level, bothon the field and makingsure we’re up to speedin the classroom aswell,” Elwood explained. “Heplayed at the DI level andknows what it takes to getthere. He does whatever ittakes to push us past our com-fort level to push us and makesure we’re good once we getthere.”

“Coach [Clingersmith]always tells us that if were notworking hard, someone elseis,” Elwood continued. “I real-ly took that to heart. “I’ve triedto push myself all the time, tomake sure I’m working harderthan the next guy. I’m alsopushing my teammates towork hard to get back to the[NJCAA DIII] World Series.Each one of us can move on toDivision I level.”

With just spring ball sepa-rating him from graduationand Virginia Tech, Elwood hassome unfinished business atNCCC; mainly bringing homea World Series title. “Lastyear’s loss shows us that wehave to work harder this yearif we want to take it all, if wereally want to win it,” Elwoodsaid. “We worked hard andsaw how close we got, all tohave it taken away in the blinkof an eye. Showed us as a teamthat if we want to win we needto work ten times harder so wedon’t come up short again.”

“My family lives in Texasnow, they just moved therethis summer,” Elwood added.“I need to get back to theWorld Series so they can seeme play down there.”

With that kind of determi-

nation, it should come as nosurprise that Elwood modelshis game after Randy Johnson,citing his hard-throwing, pres-ence on the mound and hisability to do whatever it takesto win. Not a bad skill set forthe 6-foot-5 pitcher to try andemulate. He is also as supersti-tious as any big league pitcher,always wearing the same neongreen undershirt from thetown of Cambria under hisjersey.

As he focuses upon a returntrip to the World Series thisspring, Elwood is also lookingahead to the second phase ofhis collegiate career at VirginiaTech. Ever since he picked upa glove as a kid and playedcatch with his dad, baseball issomething that Elwood hasnever wanted to stop doing.

“I hope to be playing probaseball after my collegiatecareer,” Elwood said. “I don’twant to stop playing. I want tobe out there as long as possi-ble.”

With 26 players drafted outof Virginia Tech over the lastdecade, there’s a good chancethat if he continues toprogress, Elwood could onceagain be able to take the nextstep in his already-decoratedcareer. If he does, Elwoodknows who was responsiblefor getting him there: “I’d liketo thank all my family andfriends. Without their supportI wouldn’t be able to be doingwhat I’m doing today.”

From NCCC to the ACC: Michael Elwood

Photo courtesy NCCC AthleticsNCCC pitcher Michael Elwood; asight that opposing hitters havedreaded to see.

Winter 2012-13 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 9

By Joe KirchmyerIt had to happen eventually.

With all his insight andbehind-the-scenes knowledgeof the Buffalo sports land-scape, you just knew it was amatter of time before EdKilgore would sit down andput his thoughts to paper. Theend result of that effort is hisnew book appropriately titled“As I’ve Seen It: Wide Right,No Goal and Other BuffaloSports Sagas.”

Published by Western NewYork Wares, Inc., the nearly200-page book is filled withfour decades worth of memo-ries courtesy of WGRZ’ssports guru and covers a vari-ety of topics, from his earlycareer days and shows such as“Bowling For Dollars,” to theheartbreak of “Wide Right”and “No Goal,” to the satisfac-tion of reaching the summit ofMt. Kilimanjaro in 2010.

“My book is a combinationof stories covering some 40years while sports director at

Channel 2, as well as storiesabout personal experiencesand Channel 2 history,”Kilgore said. “It all starts in1973, which was an amazingtime to come to Buffalo, inretrospect, since Rich Stadiumopened and the WGRZ-TVstudios at 259 Delaware Ave.opened as well.”

“The Bills had O.J. andwere on the verge of makingthe playoffs, the Sabres werered hot with the FrenchConnection, and the BuffaloBraves were just coming intotheir golden era with BobMcAdoo, Randy Smith, ErnieD. and the rest,: Kilore contin-ued. “Just four years later,Channel 2 acquired the rightsto Sabres TV and I handledthe intermissions, pre- andpost-game shows both on theroad and at home. This nine-year period of being on the‘inside’ led to many storiesthat I think readers will findinteresting.”

Known to friends and fam-

ily as Kim Kilgore until hetook his first job in broadcast-ing in San Antonio, Texas,after graduating from theUniversity of Missouri,Kilgore grew up inHermiston, Oregon. Hiscareer would eventually leadhim to Buffalo, where hefound things much to his lik-ing.

“Buffalo is a terrific place tolive and raise a family, and Iactually enjoy the change ofseasons and a heavy snow-storm or two,” Kilgoreexplained about his decisionto remain in Buffalo despitejob offers elsewhere. “My wifeDeb is also a Buffalo native,which was a factor a couple oftimes.”

As for his successful careercovering sports, there are twomoments that he considersmost memorable: Super BowlXXV between the Buffalo Billsand the New York Giants, andthe USA “Miracle on Ice” winover the highly favored Soviet

team at the 1980 WinterOlympics in Lake Placid.

The end of Super BowlXXV, unfortunately, alsoresulted in his mostcrushing careermoment.

“Certainly theend of SuperBowl XXV—‘Wide Right’—when I was stand-ing in the tunnelarea hopingagainst hope I’d begetting dousedwith liquid refresh-ments in the Billswinning lockerroom.” Coming in aclose second was the“No Goal” game—Game 6 of the 1999Stanley Cup Finals—when the BuffaloSabres lost to theDallas Stars in highlycontroversial fashion.

Aside from coveringthose memorablegames, Kilgore also hadthe opportunity to meet manyprofessional athletes as theypassed through the city. Andwhile there were some heatedmoments and the occasionalnose-to-nose confrontation,the easygoing Kilgore hasmade far more friends thanenemies.

“Certainly Rick Martin,sadly, was right up there,”Kilgore said as he reflectedupon some of the good guyshe covered as a member of themedia. “We were close friendseven after his playing careerwas over, and his zest for lifeand perpetual good mood

made him a joy to be around.I’d also put Thurman Thomasin there somewhere, becausedespite a

sometimes gruffand cranky exterior, he’s afun-loving guy who is also funto be around. Fred Smerlasand Jim Haslett are in thehonorable mention categorybecause they were so off-the-wall and unpredictable.”

The final chapter inKilgore’s book covers hisSummer of 2010 experienceof climbing Mt. Kilimanjaroin Africa. Ascending 19,340feet to the summit at the ageof 63 proved to be a life-changing experience in manyways.

“‘Epiphany’ is a good wordto describe the Kili experi-

ence,” Kilgore said. “I learneda lot about myself during thateight-day effort; that no mat-ter what the conditions orhow tired or sick I felt, therewas never the slightest doubtI would eventually stand atthe summit. The ‘moment’came on Day Six after sixhours of climbing up throughsteep rocks and scree (loosegravel) in seven degree tempsin the dead of night, windhowling, and the air so thinwhen moving from 16,000to 19,000 feet that breathingand even concentratingbecame extremely difficult.And then becoming awareit was getting lighter andwe were there just as thesun popped up over theAfrican horizon. Nobooming voice or angelsor anything, but I had thisoverwhelming sense thateverything—EVERY-THING—is somehow allconnected. That feelinghas not left me.”

And what’s the next chapterin the life of Ed Kilgore?

“I plan to work at least onemore year at Channel 2 parttime, and then whoknows? Maybe another bookor another mountain, but def-initely staying busy and run-ning, hiking and playing golfand traveling with Deb,” hesaid. “We’ll play it as it lies.”

Joe Kirchmyer, who coversthe Buffalo Bisons beat forSports & Leisure Magazine, ispresident of West Seneca-basedKirchmyer Media. To commenton this story, send an email tojkirchmyer@verizon.net.

From ‘Wide Right’ to climbing Kilimanjaro, Kilgore’s book covers the lows and the highs

By Todd EtshmanThe Rochester Lancers

began their second year ofplay in the Major IndoorSoccer League with thehope of being able tocompete with leagueleading teams inBaltimore, Missouri andMilwaukee.

The Lancers hadn’tbeaten an establishedMISL team since joiningthe league last year butovercame that hurdle inearly December with awin over Missouri beforean enthusiastic crowd atBlue Cross Arena.

“The makeup of thisteam is to competeagainst Missouri andBaltimore to see wherewe’re at,” first-year headcoach Jim Hesch said. “Ilike the overall group ofguys we’ve got. I thinkwe’re putting together aquality team that is goingto compete in thisleague.”

Hesch is only one ofthe Lancers with UpstateNew York ties, having previ-ously coached at Canisiusand SUNY Buffalo.

Defenseman KyleManscuk and Jake Schindlergrew up in Rochester andplayed for local high schools.

“There’s nothing betterthan playing for your home-town team,” Schindler, whohas 40-plus contingent ofyellow clad supportersknown as Team Schindler atevery home game, explained.“Across the ocean inEngland, you’re raised tosupport your local home-town team. I’ve been thatway my whole life. It’s justgreat to be able to play here.”

“Jake and I both grew uphere. The kids can relate tous and it’s something theycan strive for in the future,”Manscuk, who also suited upfor the outdoor RochesterRhinos last year, said.

First-year forward AndyTiedt from Akron, N.Y. saidhe was still adjusting to play-

ing the fast-paced indoor progame he watched as a kid.“It’s different from any out-door game you’ve ever seen.I’m still learning the ropesplaying with guys who knowwhere to be and when to bethere,” a humble Tiedt saidbefore he scored his first fivepoints of the season to helpthe Lancers defeat Missouri.

“The indoor game is defi-nitely a lot faster,” midfielderGary Boughton agreed.“Everything happens so fast,you must have good visionon the field and you have tobe one or two steps aheadconstantly.”

Boughton said althoughhe doesn’t have anything likea Team Schindler supportcontingent at games; hismother and friends attendingis close enough. “Having theguys from our area helps getthe word out,” he said.

The Lancers’ ageless lead-ing scorer, Doug Miller (43),has been a Rochester residentfor many years. Miller hasthe quickness and enthusi-

asm of a player halfhis age and fans canexpect to see an elab-orate post goal cele-bration every time hes c o r e s .Miller tied a leaguerecord with six goalsagainst Missouri andscaled the plexiglassto wave to fans aftera second quartergoal.

Hesch said theabundance of localplayers on the teamisn’t a marketingploy to attract morefans.

“It’s easier to getthe local guys here todisplay their talent ina combine or a try-out but at the end ofthe day, I pick thebest guys that aregoing to play for theclub,” Heschexplained. “Theyearn a spot, it’s notjust because they’relocal.”

Hesch said the more suc-cess the team has and themore well-known theybecome, the more playershe’ll have to choose from inthe future.Hesch wants his team to playa high-scoring, fast-paced,entertaining style the out-door game sometimes lacks.“We’re in the entertainmentbusiness. The outdoor gameof keeping possession orkeeping the ball, that’s notus,” he said. “I tell all ourguys you get in a spot on thefield where you can shootand score. We want to play ahigh pressure game wherewe try to make them [oppo-nents] make mistakes andcapitalize on those mis-takes.”

It’s a style that appeals tothe legion of young fans andfamilies that make up thehome crowd.

The Lancers play a 26-game regular season schedulewith 13 home games throughFeb. 24.

Lancers entertain fans with local players and offensive style

Photo courtesy Rochester LancersFirst-year forward Andy Tiedt (Akron,N.Y.) claims that he’s still getting usedto the quickness of the indoor game.Just imagine the damage he’ll do oncehe gets up to speed.

Page 10 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Winter 2012-13

By Bob CaicoThe Delaine Waring A.M.E.

Church on 680 Swan St. in the mid-dle of the revised Buffalo LarkinDistrict hosted an amateur card onDec. 14 . The nine-bout card fea-tured teams from St. Catherine’s,Rochester, North Tonawanda andBuffalo.

Steve Ryan (St. Kitt’s)dec 3-0 Greg O’Neal (St.Martin’s)

Niasheam Williams (St. Martin’s)dec3-0 Jared Ryan (St. Kitt’s)

Tyler Kruse (U.B.)rsc 2 Davon Kearney (St.Martin’s)

Jordan Adamson (St. Kitt’s)dec 3-0 Sequan Anthony (St.Martin’s)

Elvis Colon (Westside Boxing)rsc 1 Kyle Bennant (ThunderBoxing)

Jamere Johnson (St. Martin’s)dec 2-1 Jaylon Johnson (St.Martin’s)

Mike Stevens (Victory Gym)dec 3-0 Tyrese Jackson (St.Martin’s)

Sequan Anthony (St. Martin’s)dec 3-0 Dante Palmer(Lackawanna)

Josh Perez (St. John’s)dec 3-0 Jake Ventry (ThunderBoxing)

The last bout between Perez andVentry was voted Fight of theNight.

The Friday Night FightsInvitational team tournament con-cluded at the LUX nightclub onNov. 30. The third and final cardconsisted of only five bouts buteach one was very competitive andexciting to witness. The team tro-phy for most wins over the course

of the tournament, a total of 37bouts, went to the BuffaloNorthwest Community Center,

which is run by the host of theevent, Don Patterson. The NWCCteam won six fights and they werefollowed by Rochester’s St.Martin’s, the University of BuffaloBoxing Club and the WestsideBoxing Club of Buffalo with fourwins each. The results of the lastbouts as follows:

Jack Grady (UB)dec 3-0 Mike Hajdaj (NWCC)

Jake Ventry (Thunder Boxing)rsc-2 Josh Latore (EastsideBoxing-Erie)

Eric Plumeri (Westside)dec 2-1 Lane Thatcher (ROCBoxing)

Nick Bayer (Casal’s Boxing)dec 2-1 Omar Osman (ROCBoxing)

Dennis Romanowski (NWCC)rtm-2 Larry McGinn (ROCBoxing)

•••••••• The next big amateur event will

take place on Saturday, Jan. 12,2013, as the New York State GoldenGloves Championships will be heldin Buffalo. The Tralf on Main Streetwill hold the first night of competi-tion with the open division winnersof the state tournament advancingto the regional and then nationalchampionship opportunities.

••••••••Welterweight Kenny Abril of

Rochester scored a very importantwin on Dec. 7 in Las Vegas. Kennydefeated world-ranked DennisLaurente (43-5-5) of thePhilippines by an eight-round splitdecision. With the win, Team Abril(14-5-1) are hoping for a goodranking and a possible world titleshot in the near future.

•••••••• Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons of

Pretty Girl Promotions based inRochester has scheduled their sec-ond promotional adventure in theFlower City. The professional box-ing show will be at the Main StreetArmory on Wednesday, March 13.Local talent like Willie Monroe, Jr.,

Darnell Jiles, Jr., and Russell Jordanare scheduled to be on the card thathas yet to be completed.

•••••••• Turning Stone Casino in Verona,

N.Y. (just east of Syracuse) willhold their first card of 2013 on Jan.25. The card will be an ESPN2Friday Night Fights show with themain event featuring former worldchampion Serhiy Dzinziruk (37-1-1) against Brian Vera (21-6) for theWBO NABO middleweight title.The Turning Stone held four showsin 2012, three of which werenational television cards and theyseem to be a regular player now fortop-flight events.

•••••••• Welterweight Nick Casal (22-4-

1, 17 KOs) of Niagara Falls has adate for his return to the ringalthough no opponent listed as ofthis writing. Nick will travel to theRosecroft Raceway in FortWashington, Maryland onSaturday, Jan. 12th. We all wishCasal the best of luck in his come-back from his vicious attack backin June.

Local boxing happenings

By Mike Fox

Two score and sevenyears ago, Lamar Huntcoined the term “SuperBowl.” Since then, someplayers have used the gameas a venue fortheir 15 min-utes of fame,while othershave used it asa steppingstone toCanton. Thismonth’s quizprovides youwith someconversationstarters forSuper BowlSunday, whileyou’re waitingfor the grill toheat up.

1. EmmittSmith leads allplayers withfive careerSuper Bowlrushing TDs.Who rankssecond withfour?

a. FrancoHarris

b. JohnElway

c. ThurmanThomas

d. All of theabove

2. There have been 11occasions in which a playeramassed 140 or morereceiving yards in a SuperBowl game. Who was themost recent?

a. Jordy Nelson – S.B.XLV

b. Marques Colston –S.B. XLIV

c. Isaac Bruce – S.B.XXXIV

d. Shannon Sharpe – S.B.XXXII

3. Only two players havetwo career Super Bowlgames with ten or morereceptions, Jerry Rice andwho?

a. Wes Welker

b. Michael Irvinc. Deion Branchd. John Stallworth4. Kurt Warner holds the

record for most passingyards in a Super Bowl

game, with 414. Who rankssecond with a 377-yardeffort?

a. Kurt Warnerb. Drew Breesc. Ben Roethlisbergerd. Matt Hasselbeck5. Who is the only quar-

terback to twice attempt 50or more passes in a SuperBowl game?

a. Fran Tarkentonb. Jim Kellyc. Tom Bradyd. Jim Plunkett6. John Riggins holds the

record for most rushingattempts in a Super Bowlgame, with 38. Who rankssecond with 34 attempts?

a. Michael Pittman

b. Eddie Georgec. Franco Harrisd. Jamal Lewis7. Only two players have

won back-to-back SuperBowl MVP Awards, Bart

Starr and who?a. Tom Bradyb. Emmitt

Smithc. Terry

Bradshawd. John

Elway8. Muhsin

M u h a m m a d ’s85-yard touch-down againstthe Patriots in2003 was thelongest recep-tion in SuperBowl history.Who ranks sec-ond with an 81-yard bomb?

a. AntonioFreeman

b. Torry Holtc. Art Monkd. Rod Smith9. Two quar-

terbacks havestarted SuperBowl games fortwo differentorganizations,Kurt Warnerand who?

a. DavidWoodley

b. Ken Andersonc. Vince Ferragamod. Craig Morton10. There have been five

occasions in which a quar-terback has thrown four ormore TDs in a Super Bowlgame. Which of these quar-terbacks makes this elitelist?

a. Aaron Rodgersb. Tom Bradyc. Brett Favred. None of the above

Super Bowl trivia quiz

Photo by Joe ValentiTommy Brady has taken the Pats to five, count ‘em,five Super Bowls.

By Ivan the Impaler

Wrestling tickets make great giftsfor Christmas, Hanukkah, NewYear’s, Festivus, Epiphany, Kwanza,Yamamuri, Ishkabible or whateverholiday you celebrate this time eachyear.

For those with children, wrestlingbooks and magazines are valuabletools not only for entertainment, buteducation as well. Recent studiesshow that children who watchwrestling and read wrestling maga-zines score 4.7 percent higher on IQtests than children who watchwrestling and don’t read wrestlingmagazines.

Wrestling games are also great giftsfor the youngsters. An active mind is ahealthy mind, and a healthy mind isusually lice-free.

Parents are encouraged to watchwrestling with their kids, especiallythe younger set. Guide them throughmaterial that may be inappropriate.For the remaining 25 percent of theprogramming, guide themthrough storytelling which is illogical,which pretty much eliminates the restof the show.

Wrestling action figures are alsoenjoyable for the younger set. They’reespecially helpful in helping kidsbuild skills in role playing andConflict Resolution. Why waste valu-able energy on time-wasting dialogue,negotiation, mediation and consen-sus-building when a few simplebodyslams, yakuza kicks and suplexesperformed by plastic action figurescan resolve most differences quicklyand efficiently?

There are many great wrestling fam-ilies across North America: The Harts,Funks, Guerreros, Von Erichs, Anoais,Ortons and Hennigs are just a few.While your family may not be great inthe ring, you can be great outside of it.

Follow our tips, and you’ll be noless significantly wiser or richer thanthose who don’t.

UPCOMING EVENTSWed. Dec. 19 - WWE Smackdown -

Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY -7:30 p.m.

Sun. Dec. 30 - TNA Impact - TimesUnion Center - Albany, NY - 6 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 12, 2013 - NWA NY -Eagle’s Lodge - Buffalo Rd - Gates(Rochester), NY- 6 p.m.

Sat. Jan. 19 - ESW - St. JohnsburyFire Hall - North Tonawanda, NY - 6p.m.

Sat. Jan. 26- Neo Wrestling - FightClub Canada, Portage Rd.- NiagaraFalls, ONT, Canada - 7 p.m.

Sat Feb 2 - Kayfabe Dojo Wrestling -Pineapple Jack’s - 485 Spencerport Rd.-Rochester, NY - 4 p.m.

Sat. Feb. 16 - 2CW - site TBA -Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Mon. March 4 - WWE Raw - HSBCArena - Buffalo, NY - 8 p.m.

Sat. March 9 - Crossfire Wrestling -Merriton Community Center - 7 ParkAve. -St. Catherines, ONT, Canada- 7p.m.

Sat. May 4 - ROH - Ted Reeve Arena- Toronto, ONT, Canada - 7:30 p.m.

MASSIVE MEDIA“Wrestlevision Presents No Limits

TV,” is from Big Guy Productions,winner of 483 Emmys. For SuburbanErie County, it’s on Time-Warner Cable Ch. 20 every Saturdayat 4 p.m., with replays Mondaysat 11:30 p.m. New episodes will airbefore 2017…On Radio, it’s The PainClinic! Listen every Saturday at 10a.m. on WHTK-AM (1280) inRochester or on-line at www.feelthep-ain.net... Turnbuckle Talk is also onthe wireless every Monday night at 7p.m. on WBNY-FM (91.3) in Buffalo.Troy Buchannan is a co-host ...Finally,Wrestlevision is on the “social media,”The Twitter, The address, ironically, is@Wrestlevision.

UPCOMING HOLIDAY PRO WRESTLING CALENDAR

Answers1. d 2. a 3. c4. a–Warner also holds third placewith a 365-yard game.5. b 6. c 7. c8. a 9. d 10. d–The five are S Young, JMontana, T Bradshaw, D Williams andT Aikman

Winter 2012-13 SPORTS & LEISURE MAGAZINE Page 11