O - Play by Play

INSIDE
Vol. 8, No. 1,
October 24, 2011
3Coolest
Sport
3Indian
Uprising
Youth
hockey in
Roanoke
Roanoke
players aid
Catawba
8
11
3Field Goal
for the
Ages
‘The kick’
of 1960
18
2
Play By Play
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Dave Sarmadi has an important message for his
many Southwest Virginia customers…
“Come see me in
Leesburg; I’ll make
it worth the drive!”
S
ince closing his Roanoke dealership last year, Dave has become affiliated with Dulles
Motorcars, a superior automobile dealership based in Northern Virginia. He has joined
forces with his two longtime friends, Senior Saghafi and Kevin Saghafi, who handle six outstanding franchises — Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Kia and Subaru.
Dulles has been voted the No. 1 dealership in Loudoun County, and is proud to have served
more than 21,000 happy customers since opening in 1990. Dave’s goal is to make Dulles
Motorcars the No. 1 dealership of its kind in the state of Virginia, just as he accomplished
previously with Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi.
“I want to thank all of my Roanoke Valley customers over the past 30 years who have put me
where I am today,” Dave says. “I haven’t let you down in the past; if I can help you, please
give me a call.”
Dave Sarmadi and Dulles Motorcars make a perfect match — both are committed to impeccable customer service and both understand the importance of wide selection, attractive pricing, easy financing and a capable sales, support and service staff. We have 800 cars on site,
the area’s best selection — and we’re open seven days a week!
Dulles Motorcars is located less than 3½ hours from Roanoke, not far off Interstate 81. As
Dave Sarmadi says, “Come see me; I’ll make it worth the drive!”
107 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, VA 20175 • 703-777-7077 • Kia, Subaru
211 Catoctin Circle, SE, Leesburg, VA 20175 • 703-777-5055 • Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram
dullesmotorcar.com
PLAYMAKER
OCTOBER 24, 2011
3
Play By Play
were one shot behind Dominion’s Sam Stilwell, who took
individual honors by virtue
of a sterling second round 66.
Stilwell’s 66 included six birdies on the front nine. Coupled
with his opening round 76,
Stilwell edged Brediger by the
thinnest of margins.
Cave Spring, which finished
second in state competition
in 2007 (Group AA) and 1998
(Group AAA), was playing
without the services of Drew
Lagan, who missed this year’s
state tournament due to a knee
injury. Picking up the slack for
Lagan were Drew Board (who
placed 16th individually at 152)
and Jessie Hart (tied for 18th
at 154).
The last time a Cave Spring
golfer won a state championship was Keith Myers (Group
AAA) in 1978.
Spotlight
Nick
Brediger
and the
Cave Spring
golf team
P
aced by the 36-hole score
of 143 by junior Nick Brediger, the Cave Spring golf team
placed second in the Group
AA state championship played
in Front Royal Oct. 10-11. The
Knights team score of 612 (306
each day from its top four players) was six shots behind team
champion Western Albemarle.
Brediger’s steady rounds of
even-par 71 and one-over 72
Bill Turner
Tim Smith
T
Brian Hoffman
he Roanoke College senior captain
has been leading the
Maroons cross-country team all season,
earning Old Dominion
Athletic Conference
runner of the week
honors three times.
Smith had won three
meets this fall at press
time, his most recent
performance being a
26:05 in an 8K race in
Pennsylvania Oct. 8,
beating a field of 220
runners.
Smith, a Cave Spring
graduate, transferred
to Roanoke from the
University of Richmond.
Playbook
Page 10
Opinions
Todd Marcum............................................ 4
Mike Stevens............................................ 5
John A. Montgomery.............................. 7
Mike Ashley............................................. 19
Danny Cruff
Christian Moody ...................................... 6
Articles
Youth Hockey Lays the Framework.....................................................8
Larry Basham’s Turning Heads in Vinton..........................................10
Net Gains: Lauren Sledd Excels in Two Sports...............................12
Joe Greenway Establishes Himself at Concord..............................13
Softball Player Takes her Game on the Road..................................14
Fleming Taps Second Hall of Fame Class..........................................15
Bill Edmunds, a Legend of the Games..............................................18
Bill Turner
Page 12
Extras
Playmaker Spotlight.......................3
Ask A Ref...........................................6
Snapshots of the Season...............9
Brian Hoffman
Roanokers Catalyze Catawba’s Resurgence................................... 11
Photo courtesy of
Roanoke College
Sponsored by:
4
Play By Play
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Good catch, Doc – it made the difference
I
TODDS
AND ENDS
by Todd
Marcum
is the glory of high school football.
“I have a passion for football,”
says the perennially smiling
Chumbley. “I like the physical side
of the game.”
Over the past two seasons,
the William Fleming player
moved from fullback/linebacker to where the big boys
play, the offensive line.
“We put Tyler on the offensive line because we need
guys who can comprehend a
scheme,” says Colonels head
coach Lee Johnson. “At 180
pounds, he is definitely undersized. As a player, what
he lacks in size, he makes up
with work ethic. He doesn’t
mind doing what’s needed for
the team.”
Life in the O-Line has its
share of bumps and bruises.
During two-a-days almost
three months ago, Tyler was
accidentally speared in the
back of the left calf by a teamPhoto courtesy of David Conner
f you like high school
football, you’ll love Tyler
Chumbley.
“I just love the idea of being
out there with other guys, going
through the same things and trying to get better as a team,” says
the undersized junior offensive
lineman.
Tyler carries the banner for the
guys who know they will never be
an NFL star, but just like the game
and play every snap to the best of
their ability. I might argue that this
Tyler Chumbley
Players in this Issue
Publisher/Editor John A. Montgomery
Graphic Designer Donna Earwood
Contributors
Mike Ashley
Rod Carter
Leslie Coty
Danny Cruff
Donald Earwood
Brian Hoffman
Sam Lazzaro
Bo Lucas
Todd Marcum
Gene Marrano
Joyce Montgomery
Christian Moody
Mike Stevens
Bill Turner
Dan Vance
Primary cover photograph courtesy of Bill Edmunds
P.O. Box 3285, Roanoke, VA 24015
(540) 761-6751 • E-mail: [email protected]
On the Web: www.playbyplayonline.net
and at www.facebook.com/playbyplaysports
©Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. No part of Play by Play may be reproduced by any means
or in any form without written permission from the publisher. Play by Play is published every
fourth Monday. Deadline for submissions for the November 21 issue is November 7.
What to do if you suffer
a sports injury
W
hile this is not intended as medical advice, most minor injuries can be treated using the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression,
and Elevation) method to relieve pain, reduce swelling and speed
healing. Follow these four steps immediately after the injury occurs and repeat for at least 48 hours.
Call a doctor when:
• The injury causes severe pain, swelling or numbness
• You can’t put any weight on the area
• An old injury hurts or aches
• An old injury swells
• The joint doesn’t feel normal or feels unstable
• Despite precautions, an injury will not heal
• Momma tells you to
mate. News flash…when a twohundred-pounder torpedoes into
the back of your leg with a helmet
unexpectedly, it hurts. The ache
was something Tyler carried with
him on and off. At times it simply
throbbed; at other times the pain
was so intense he could hardly
walk, but he gritted his teeth and
kept going to work.
“It would heal a little, then
get worse…heal a little, then get
worse,” says Tyler, who never
missed a practice during this period.
A few weeks later, the injury
bug bit again. At the beginning
of September, he started having
problems breathing. His parents,
David and Pam Conner, took
him to a doctor and the initial
diagnosis was a simple case of
bronchitis. The leg was examined
at the same time and the injury
was thought to be a strain. Tyler
soldiered on. It could have been a
fatal mistake.
Johnson and his staff had been
watching Tyler carefully after the
diagnosis, but when he voluntarily pulled himself out of the E.C.
Glass game, everyone wondered if
it might be more serious.
“I knew if I stayed in, I was going
to pass out,” Tyler remembers. “I
didn’t want to do that.”
“It wasn’t like Tyler to take himself out of the game. Like everyone
else, we thought it was bronchitis
because he’d already been to the
doctor,” Johnson says.
The Conners checked back with
their family doctor who was concerned that the injuries had shown
no progress. Tyler was referred to
orthopedic specialist Dr. Alfred
Durham, the thought being there
might be a tear in the muscle. After one leg measured an inch-anda-half larger in circumference
than the other, Durham was pretty sure he knew the problem. The
bad news was that the injury to his
calf had caused a blood clot. The
worse news was that two pieces
of the clot had broken off and migrated to Tyler’s lungs, which was
causing the breathing problems.
It was a condition that could have
been fatal.
Durham immediately transferred Tyler to the hospital where
he underwent a pair of surgeries,
one to install an “umbrella” above
the clot to keep another clot from
going to his lungs. He was in the
hospital for four days.
“It’s the first time that I can remember not dressing for a game
during football season,” Tyler says.
“I felt it was a real blessing that
his parents took him to the orthopedic and caught it,” Johnson says.
“No one had a clue....It’s a blessing,
nothing short of it.”
While Tyler is on the shelf for
the rest of this season, his outlook
is good. He should be ready to play
baseball in the spring and should
be back for his senior campaign
none the worse for wear. While
Tyler won’t be in the lineup, Johnson and the team will benefit from
Tyler’s sideline enthusiasm for the
rest of the season.
“My teammates have been
great,” Tyler says. “They asked
about me and checked up on me
all the way through. When I came
back in the locker room, they were
all there to meet me.”
A team player knows his teammates will always be there for
him.
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Play By Play
Division I moment, Division III setting
OPEN
MIKE
The 2011 Stagg Bowl will be played Friday, Dec. 16
at Salem Stadium. Tickets are available at the Salem
Civic Center box office, 375-3004
Photos courtesy of Bridgewater Sports Information
I
t’s been 10 years since the
Stagg Bowl was last played in
primetime and while the game
itself returns to that coveted TV
time slot this December, it reby Mike
mains to be seen if Cinderella will
again appear in a starring role.
Stevens
In case you weren’t part of the
overflow crowd that rocked Salem Stadium in 2001, let me remind you
that Cinderella, Rocky Balboa, the Milan High School basketball team,
Buster Douglas, Harry Truman and every other great underdog was
well represented by Bridgewater College as the Eagles took on mighty Mt.
Union.
Most football fans remember Bridgewater was a scoring machine that
season and entered the game unbeaten at 12-0, but few remember that
just three short seasons earlier the Eagles were a dismal 0-10. In fact,
Bridgewater had three seasons in the 1990s when it failed to win a single
game, yet in 2001 the school was on football’s biggest stage.
“I can remember sitting around with members of our administration
the night before the game, looking at each other and saying, ‘Would
you have ever “thunk” it?’ It was a neat time in our professional lives to
be a part of something like that,” says Bridgewater head football coach
Michael Clark.
Clark brought his wealth of experiences as both a player and coach
from his days at such storied programs as Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and
VMI to a place where competitive football was nothing more than an oxymoron. Bridgewater was the
Old Dominion
Athletic Conference’s doormat,
whipping boy
and automatic
“W” all rolled
into one before Clark and
a
supportive
administration
changed
the
culture on the
Rockingham
County
camIn the 2001 Stagg Bowl, Bridgewater scored
pus.
“I remember on the first offensive play of the game but
walking to work ultimately lost to powerhouse Mt. Union
early around 7 a.m. the Monday before the Stagg Bowl and seeing people lined-up outside of our administration building on
campus,” he says. “When I found out they were standing in line
to buy tickets for the game, I couldn’t believe it. It was a first for
Bridgewater.”
Students and faculty members bought every single ticket in
the school’s original allotment in less than two hours, forcing Salem officials to get in a car and hand deliver to the campus another batch of
tickets that also were gobbled up in a heartbeat.
“There’s not a lot of times when a Division III ticket has a hard dollar
value, but we knew this was one of those rare occasions when our sports
information director was contacted by several ticket scalpers,” says Clark.
The game was not only considered a sellout, but the fans from both
schools came early and turned the Taliaferro Complex parking lot into
one of the biggest outdoor parties the city has ever seen.
“The fans from both sides produced the largest amount of trash, mainly bottles and cans, of any event ever held at the Civic Center,” says Carey
Harveycutter, Stagg Bowl game manager.
“If there is an officially sanctioned event, the Brethren community will
5
Bridgewater football coach Michael Clark: ‘Who would have “thunk” it?’
look for a reason to party,” says Clark. “In this instance, the event was way
bigger than the game itself.”
Those Brethren had plenty to celebrate when their Eagles scored on the
first play of the game. The 67-yard touchdown strike from Jason Lutz to
Marcus Richardson served notice to the Purple Raiders and the record
crowd of 7,992 that the Eagles belonged. Mt. Union eventually won the
game 30-27, but not before the two teams amassed nearly 1,000 yards of
offense and proved that Division III football could hold its own in primetime.
“The broadcasting world has changed so much since then, but on that
particular Saturday night we were the only football game on TV, and
these teams put on an amazing performance from the first snap to the
end,” says Brad Bankston, commissioner of the ODAC.
Bridgewater hasn’t made it back to the Stagg Bowl since that historic
night in 2001, while Mt. Union and Wisconsin-Whitewater have assumed
ownership of the game. No matter who makes it this year, Clark guarantees they won’t be left out in the dark.
“Playing this game at
night will give all involved
a Division I moment in a Division III setting,” he says.
“Certain accomplishments
stand the test of time and
I know that the 2001 Stagg
Bowl will always be one of
them.”
It’s certainly something
no one in Salem has forgotten, including the trash
men.
Former Jefferson hoops great dies
Lewis Mills, a native Roanoker who helped lead the Jefferson High
School basketball team to the Group I state championship in 1955,
died in Richmond Oct. 12 following a long neurological
illness. He was 74.
Mills was involved in sports for most of his life. A
first-team all-state guard known for his ball-handling
prowess, Mills served as co-captain of the Magicians
along with 6-foot-8 post player Dick Kepley. Mills was
named MVP of the state tournament and then enjoyed
a successful college career at Virginia Tech. He was Lewis Mills
inducted into Tech’s Hall of Fame in 1991.
Mills served as head basketball coach for the University of Richmond
from 1963-74 and as athletic director at Virginia Commonwealth
University from 1976-86. He also served five years as AD for Western
Kentucky in the late 1990s.
6
Play By Play
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Now is best time to enjoy most sports
Ask A Ref
To inform fans of the games’ finer points, Play by Play publishes “Ask A Ref,” a chance for fans to ask a question about specific
sports rules, preferably those related to high school or the NCAA.
Questions can be sent to [email protected].
This month we have a sandlot football question. It will be answered by Play by Play contributor Christian Moody, who has
officiated high school football for more than 20 years.
Q.
I went to a sandlot game recently and a team was called
for intentional grounding at the end of the game when
they were spiking the ball to stop the clock. Obviously
they were grounding it, but I thought in that situation it was legal.
A.
It is legal, but there are still requirements within the
rules to make it legal. The quarterback must take the
snap hand-to-hand and must spike the ball immediately.
A team cannot spike the ball to stop the clock from a shotgun
formation, and the quarterback cannot step back or run around.
He has to do it quickly.
Internet photo
O
h, October, how I love
you.
Is there a better month
than October? If a year had six
months of May and six months of
October that would suit me fine.
But of those select two, October
rules.
Really, sports fans, is there a
time that’s more fun?
I’m not writing a weather piece. Kevin Myatt writes a brilliant column for The Roanoke Times and roanoke.com about weather. No other
columnist should mention it unless there are lives or massive insurance
claims at stake. Airy-fairy columns about how pretty the first warm days
of spring are should never see ink on paper. But seriously, how great are
those first nights of autumn when a sweatshirt is needed to go to a football game?
Of course it’s the weather that makes October great. Highs in the 70s
and lows in the 50s with only an occasional rainy day…what’s not to like?
OK, enough about that. Let’s look at the sports. They’re all there in their
glory. That’s another great thing about October. No matter what you like,
it’s there.
Football rules the fall. Who disputes me? The NFL hasn’t hit the halfway point yet but it’s not something that will ever be a low point of interest, so might as well call it king. As a Miami Dolphins fan I must admit
the season really is over, but maybe the team can be so bad it can earn the
rights to draft Andrew Luck. I really hoped he would come out last year
and go to Carolina, but Luck in Miami would be OK with me.
College football in October — does it get any better? Football on campuses amid the colored leaves, the warm days, kicking off in the afternoon and ending after sunset: that’s a slice of Americana that most sports
fans count among their favorites.
Blacksburg and Charlottesville are marvelous places to see a college
football game. I’ve been to games in October in Clemson, Chapel Hill,
Winston-Salem, Durham, Annapolis, (dare I say it?) Morgantown, and
they’re all beautiful, but my bucket list includes seeing a game at William
& Mary, Appalachian State, Furman, Michigan, Wisconsin, West Point
and even Nebraska. October would be the best time to go to all of those
places.
Who’s up for a road trip?
High school football is winding down but the games are huge. The big
rivalry games are mostly played at the end of October and district championships, along with playoff berths, are being decided. A cool night,
where the aroma of popcorn and hot dogs hangs in the air along with the
drumbeat from the band and the chants of the students…it doesn’t get
any better than that.
Football and October are such an obvious pair, but not as obvious as
baseball.
They called Reggie Jackson “Mr. October.” No heroic
baseball deeds have ever led
to a player being dubbed “Mr.
June.” The World Series is on,
and for a Midwest boy like me,
it’s great to see the central region of the country dominate
the championship series in
each league. No Northeast.
Boston and New York reckon
themselves close to the center
of the baseball universe, but I
would stack St. Louis next to
either of them. And I say that
as a Chicago Cubs fan.
Reggie Jackson, “Mr. October”
Detroit is the team that’s
from the farthest east and Texas is the farthest west. Both were American
League finalists. My father grew up outside Detroit and was a lifelong Tigers fan. Glad to see them make it as far as they did.
The National League came down to Milwaukee and St. Louis, a battle
of beer brands. There’s Anheuser-Busch versus Miller. The Cardinals play
in Busch Stadium. The Brewers, whose nickname is a tribute to those who
create beer, play at Miller Park. Only 374 miles separate the ballparks, but
most Americans who enjoy a cold, hoppy beverage have a definite preference between the brands.
Playoff baseball has a special feel to it, and it only happens in October.
College basketball is soon to get underway. The problem with early season college hoops is that the games are seldom interesting. They are usually gross mismatches played for money or record, but there are occasional early-season tournaments that have fun pairings. The problem is
that those games mean nothing.
In most years the NBA starts in late October, but I hear that’s not the
case this year. Frankly, that’s fine. They can cancel the season and I won’t
shed a tear. I’ll just be happy not to have the NBA playoffs dominate 95
percent of sports talk radio come spring. I think the first round itself lasts
in the neighborhood of five weeks.
The lack of pro basketball, I’m hoping, will focus attention on hockey.
Not sure that will be the case, and a lot of people are dead-set against
liking hockey, but watching a game in high-definition television is an experience that may boost the popularity of the sport.
Here’s the thing about hockey: I miss it. I miss the Roanoke Express,
when Frank Anzalone paced behind the bench and Dave Stewart and
Michael Smith led the team from the backline. I miss the excitement in
the civic center when John Brophy brought the hated Hampton Roads
Admirals to town, or the Richmond Renegades came in to go 10 rounds.
I don’t know if professional hockey can ever again be viable in Virginia.
But when it was, that sure was fun.
I know it’s possible to see college hockey at the civic center. It’s club
hockey, but it’s a good watch and a lot of fun to attend. College hockey
starts in October just like the pros. Check it out.
Finally, getting back to the weather, is there a better time to get out and
play golf? The only drawback is having a ball make its way under fallen
leaves. Sometimes I might lose a ball that way because, for some reason,
the woods tend to be full of fallen leaves and my shots occasionally make
their way off the beaten path.
Being on a golf course when the colors are vibrant and the air is pleasant sure beats baking in the summer heat. October tends toward warm,
calm days — the best possible for touring 18 with a friend.
Better enjoy it now. November is right around the corner, and no one
ever says how much they’re looking forward to November weather.
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Play By Play
7
Surgeon shares how he improved his serve
O
ne of the most rewarding things in this business is
when you encounter a good
story told especially well. A heartwarming story, enhanced by some
sort of sports backdrop, presented
in a lucid, inspiring, creative or
clever manner — that’s what it’s
all about for me.
Sometimes you find the whole package.
It’s what we strive for within the pages of Play by Play — and on occasion, we get it. Considering the lineup of subjects and the capabilities of
the contributors whose work we are featuring, I believe the frequency of
such an occurrence is increasing.
In the past month, on a larger stage, I unexpectedly found an example
of what I’m describing.
The New Yorker Festival, a prestigious forum sponsored by the esteemed magazine, is held in Manhattan every fall. Conceived by
editor David Remnick, a prolific author as well, the conference features a wide array of presentations in various venues around the
city. This year’s program was held Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Friday evening
through Sunday afternoon, and included speakers Steve Martin,
Malcolm Gladwell, Nancy Pelosi, Amy Poehler, Joyce Carol Oates
and Owen Wilson, among several dozen others.
Artists in various disciplines
share their stories, their opinions, their secrets and their
advice. Nearly 80 percent of
the tickets to the more than 40
weekend presentations sold out
the first day they went on sale.
This was the second festival
that I’ve attended. Last year’s
program included luminaries
James Taylor, Alec Baldwin,
Steve Carell and Seth Meyers.
I dragged my Joyce along with
me this year, but her attendance
won’t require much prodding in
the future.
That’s because one of the most
impressive speakers we heard,
Dr. Atul Gawande, likely will be
on next year’s docket as well —
judging by audience reaction.
Gawande’s topic, “Do Surgeons
Need Coaches?,” played to an
SRO audience Saturday morning
at the School of Visual Arts (SVA)
Theatre on West 23rd Street.
Dr. Atul Gawande
Gawande’s speech is the cover
story of the Oct. 3 New Yorker, a neat tie considering the magazine hit the
streets as we were arriving in the city.
I have been an avid subscriber to The New Yorker for nearly 20 years,
ever since I heard novelist Sharyn McCrumb recommend the publication. McCrumb, a local who has made an international name for herself,
told a group of aspiring writers that the best way to improve one’s craft
is to read the best on a regular basis. Within hours of that comment, I
started a subscription. I haven’t been disappointed.
The magazine touts its annual renewal rate of 85 percent, a statistic
I fully accept in part because The New Yorker prides itself on accuracy.
Good luck on finding a mistake in it. They employ 16 full-time fact checkers.
The New Yorker regularly features long pieces, painstakingly researched and beautifully written, by its stable of gifted authors. In its
86-year history, the magazine has employed some legendary writers,
including E.B. White, Philip Roth, J.D. Salinger and John Updike. The
long list of contributors glitters with celebrated names.
Among its current crew is Gawande. Writing for The New Yorker is a
sideline for him. The son of Indian immigrants, both doctors, Gawande
is a Boston-based cancer surgeon and Harvard medical school professor who has a penchant for writing, and has penned more than 40 pieces
in the magazine since the late 1990s. Last year, I heard him speak at the
festival about end-of-life issues; his presentation hooked me for his future
speaking engagements. I was already a fan of his writing.
Gawande has authored three best-selling books, “The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right,” “Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance,” and “Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science.”
His Wikipedia entry reads in part, “He is known as an expert in reducing error, improving safety, and increasing efficiency in surgery and has
written extensively on medicine and public safety.” I would unabashedly
add that his writing style is riveting.
He is a 2006 MacArthur Fellow, meaning he received a $500,000
grant. This stipend is called the “genius award,” presented each year
to about 20 United States citizens who “show exceptional
merit and promise for continued and enhanced creative
work.” Gawande is the real deal and I encourage you to
read him, whether you want to be a better writer or simply
a better person.
(The fact that a doctor has found the time and has the talent to write for one of the most respected magazines in the
world, a role that most full-time writers can only dream of, is
quite the story in itself.)
I should mention that Gawande has a lot of other talents. In
college he aspired to be a rock star. He was a Rhodes Scholar
and delivered the commencement address at Harvard Medical School 10 years after he earned his medical degree. He’s also an
athlete, tennis being his best sport. Growing up in Ohio, Gawande was a
player of some promise, although he says his exposure to national tournaments cured him of any unrealistic expectations.
In the early 1980s he enrolled at Stanford, an outstanding academic
institution and coincidentally one of the best college tennis programs in
the country. Gawande knew he was not of the Cardinal caliber in that regard. But he still plays tennis occasionally, and it was while hitting balls
during a break in a medical conference that Gawande got the idea for his
festival speech.
Gawande says that the pro that was hitting balls with him (charging
$125 an hour for the lesson, the surgeon noted), offered some advice as
to how the doctor could improve his serve. Now Gawande, who says that
his serve was the best part of his game when it was at its peak, was taken
aback at first, but then realized his “coach” knew what he was talking
about. By the end of the session, Gawande says he had added speed to his
serve and that it’s now about 10 mph faster than it ever was. Since he’s 45
years old, Gawande was elated.
Gawande got to thinking about his primary line of work and how
coaching might improve his technique in that area.
“Doctors are supposed to coach themselves,” Gawande said in his 2005
commencement address. “We have no one but ourselves to buck us up.
But we’re not good at it.”
Gawande was afraid that surgical performance had peaked, and wasn’t
sure what to do about it. He says that if Rafa Nadal and Michael Jordan
and professional singers employ the services of coaches, he had to ask
himself, ‘Why shouldn’t surgeons?”
Gawande began to research his theory, knowing that coaches are
abundant in many professional fields, and became particularly intrigued
with coaching success in the field of education. He spent time in Virginia,
traveling to schools within Albemarle County, and watching how coaches work with teachers.
Gawande has since found his own coach, a retired mentor who helped
Gawande get started years ago. Gawande says that while it can be a bit
unnerving for everyone concerned when patients ask, “Who is that guy
in the corner?” during medical consultations — in the end, any patients
who raise eyebrows during the process are generally placated.
Gawande maintains that just like he couldn’t see what was inhibiting
his tennis serve, none of us can see our performance like an impartial
expert. His success rate as a surgeon has improved.
Maybe there’s an idea here as to how to be a better writer?
8
Play By Play
OCTOBER 24, 2011
‘Coolest sport in the world’
by Bo Lucas
Photos courtesy of Roanoke Valley Youth Hockey
I
ce hockey is one of the
fastest sports there is. The speed
of players on the ice eclipses that
of most other non-mechanized
sports. According to local hockey
players, it’s “the coolest sport in
the world.”
And apparently it’s one of the
most fun, too. Come watch these
enthusiastic youngsters on the ice
at the Roanoke Civic Center and
see for yourself. If you are tempted to join in the action, hurry and
contact the Valley Youth Hockey
Association. Their next instructional clinic begins in early November. It’s open to aspiring young
athletes 5 and up.
The Valley Youth Hockey Association can be reached by calling
(540) 890-4659 or by visiting their
Web site at http://www.vyhroanoke.com.
Ice hockey is one of those sports
where every player is involved in
the action virtually the entire time
he or she is on the ice. This continuous involvement provides many
benefits. Physical conditioning,
team camaraderie, responsibility
and enjoyment are just a few.
These reactions from players
themselves really put this experience in perspective.
Cole Devine (6, Learn to Play,
Highland Park Elementary): “I
love to go fast with big steps. I
think Learn to Play is cool because
they teach me to do things that my
dad can’t.”
Jack
Kenney
(6, Learn to Play,
Highland
Park
Elementary): “I
like skating fast
and shooting and
passing. I like
watching the older
kids play.”
Mason Esworthy (8, West Salem Elementary):
“I love playing
hockey because it
is the fastest game
in the world. It is
cool to skate fast and play well. I
love my teammates and being part
of our team. I’ve gotten to know
lots of kids from other schools and
we travel together to play hockey
games.”
Madison Caldwell (9, Mites,
Glenvar Elementary): “I love to
skate fast. I also like playing goalie, wearing all the equipment and
making great saves. I love being
part of a team.”
You may love it, too.
The Valley Youth Hockey Association (VYHA) of Roanoke provides the opportunity for aspiring
young boys and girls to become a
member of one of their ice hockey
teams. All ages from 5 years to 18
years old are welcome. It doesn’t
matter if they never played hockey
before, or even if they haven’t skated before. VYHA has a place for all
experience levels. While skating
experience is a plus, it’s definitely
not a requirement. The association offers a “Learn to Play” program that teaches these novices
everything they need to know to
become ice hockey players. Equipment is also available to rent.
The Learn to
Play program is
an
eight-week
clinic that teaches the essential
skills including
“safety, rules, positions, skating,
s t ic k-h a nd l i ng ,
shooting
and
game play.” This
age-appropriate
instructional program is made up
of two groups, Future Stars and Rookies.
The Future Stars clinic is for boys
and girls age 5-8. It’s all about having fun on the ice. VYHA promises
“Our Future Stars will love playing structured games designed to
teach basic skating/hockey skills.”
The Rookies clinic is for novice boys and girls 9 years old and
above. These sessions focus on
competitive games and activities that develop the skills necessary to participate on their house
league and travel league teams.
This fall these two groups will
introduce nearly 50 new players to
the exciting realm of hockey.
More experienced players may
sign up for the house league and
travel league teams in their appropriate age groups. These leagues
offer team membership in each
age group and provide players
with scheduled games against
other organized teams. The house
teams play games against other
teams within the local organization. The travel teams provide serious players the opportunity to
compete at a higher level versus
teams in various leagues throughout the Mid-Atlantic states.
The VYHA has five age-based
house teams and five travel teams.
The 6-8 year-old group is the
Mites. They currently have 25plus players in the house league
and 15 players on the travel team.
Mites are divided into majors and
minors. The Squirts are 9-10 yearolds. They have 15-plus players in
the house league and also on the
travel team. The 11-12 year-old
Peewees also have 15-plus house
and travel players. For the 13-14
year-old Bantams and the U16 and
U18 Midgets, 12-plus players make
up each team on the in-house and
on the high school travel hockey
squads.
The Valley Youth Hockey Association of Roanoke is a not-forprofit sports organization. This
magnanimous group of volunteers is led by a board of directors.
Key members of the board include
President Rodney Ferguson and
Vice President Steve Esworthy.
Ferguson’s day job is with the Roanoke County Fire/EMS as Battalion Chief. His son has played for
the various VYHA teams throughout the years, and is nearing the
end of his career with them. Esworthy is an editor with Cengage
Learning Solutions. He has two
younger children who are just getting started in the program.
Another notable member of the
board is Dick Sher. Sher’s longtime commitment to hockey in
this area is legendary. Esworthy
elaborates on Sher’s contributions
saying that “special recognition
is due Dick Sher, who serves on
our board and is the director of
the VYHA Learn to Play Program. Dick is a retired college math professor who took up playing hockey
in his 50s. Now in his mid-70s, Dick
has put his boundless energy to
work for Valley Youth Hockey and
its newest participants through
the Learn to Play Program.”
(Sher was featured in a September 2009 Play by Play adult hockey
article that can be accessed online
at playbyplayonline.net.)
Development and retention of
new talent is a critical element for
any organization. Sher’s success
with these Learn to Play groups
is instrumental in the continued
success of the VYHA. Sher has a
special way with these young athletes and instills his love of hockey
in many of his protégés.
Members of the VYHA are well
aware of the competition for these
young participants’ time and energy. They must continue to provide
a quality program to attract these
novice athletes to their sport.
Esworthy iterates “kids (and
their parents) have almost limitless options for their entertainment and athletic pursuits. In
order to attract and retain young
boys and girls to our sport, our organization believes that we need
to offer a fun, safe and positive
learning environment. Our coaches realize that we have a responsibility to not only teach our players
the game of hockey, but we know
that it has to be fun for the players.
“As a coach, I step onto the ice
for each practice and each game
with the thought that I want to
capture the fun and excitement
of that first time a kid steps on the
ice and skates to where they want
to go. It’s empowering for these
See YOUTH HOCKEY, Page 17
OCTOBER 24, 2011
9
Play By Play
7
Sweep at Metro Invitational Cross Country at Green Hill
Brian Hoffman
Photo courtesy of Jenna Adams
Cave Spring High School individuals (right) dominated the Roanoke County race in early
October, with Knights Katie Fortner (18:20.58) and Cody Seymour (15:40.59) winning
their respective divisions. Double winners were in vogue as the Blacksburg High School
girls and boys won the team competition.
Bill Turner photos
Snapshots of the season
7
Meeting Rick Dempsey
7
Weekend in Dallas
7
Photo courtesy of Natalie Newman-Yost
Roanokers Rob Yost and Natalie Newman-Yost (below) visited Cowboys Stadium Sept. 26 when Dallas nipped the Washington Redskins
18-16. Rob, who is employed by Owens Corning, was taking business
clients to the game. The $1.15 billion stadium
features an HD video screen (visible above
their heads) that is 160 feet wide.
7
Former Roanoker Carol Adams (above) had the opportunity to meet
the former Baltimore catcher and get his autograph after an Orioles
game in September. Dempsey, the hero of the Orioles 1983 World
Series, is currently a broadcaster with the team. He is one of only
six catchers to be named Series MVP.
Times-World Baseball Team Identities
Play by Play has learned the names of the players in the 1933 photo we published this past spring.
According to Ralph Berrier of The Times, they are: Front: Homer ‘Little Bud’ Terry, George Terry
(both sons of Homer, Sr.), and Jimmy St. Clair. Second row: Elwood ‘Itchy’ Butler, Mack Powell,
Charlie Shank, Herb Nash, Kermit ‘Corky’ Mitchell, Carl Kendrick, and Homer ‘Bud’ Terry. Third
row: Carl ‘Cricket’ Thomas, Luke Wilburn, Russell Smith, Pug Jackson, Conrad Stultz, Claud
‘Cocky’ Barbour, and Red Owens. Berrier got his information from Jo Ann Terry, who coincidentally
submitted the photo to The Times as part of the paper’s recent 125th anniversary celebration.
Remember the Wolverines
Brian Hoffman
Andrew Lewis High School players from the 1971 football team (above) held a 40th reunion in late September at Salem
Stadium. Those on hand were: (from left) Coach Dale Foster, Dick Tate, Coach Bill Winters, Carl Lowe, Steve Fagg, Gary
Graham, Mark Blevins, Ben Boyd, David Heath, Grant “G”Sprinkle, Dwayne Wheeling, Bob Long, Coach Danny Wheeling,
Billy Sample, Melvin Dickerson, Robert Marmaduke, and James Penn. This is the team that lost in Victory Stadium to T.C.
Williams High School for the Group AAA state championship, a game that was an integral part of the “Remember the Titans”
2000 movie starring Denzel Washington.
10
Play By Play
OCTOBER 24, 2011
LJ Basham knows
‘it’s not all about him’
ing runner in Botetourt’s Hunter
Duke.
ever before have I seen
On the field this season, Basha young athlete stick out so
am continues to run the ball as
much from the others, yet
he always has, but has also taken
paradoxically fade so quietly into
on some quarterback duties for
the background. Versatile, trecoach Robert Shepherd’s Vinton
mendous, humble and quiet. All
Junior Razorbacks, an extension
these adjectives describe Larry
of the Vinton Seminole teams that
Basham, the kid who very well
dominated in the past. In one of
could have a bright athletic future.
his highlight plays at quarterback,
In Vinton, it is hard to find a
LJ found Dalton Shepherd in the
person who doesn’t already know
end zone to pull ahead with 1.5
his name, in spite of the fact that
seconds left in an Oct. 5 win over
he has just recently begun sixth
the Botetourt Cavs, showing the
grade at William Byrd Middle
comfort LJ has found with the ball
School. He’s shredded football dein his hand and the pressure on.
fenses across the area so convinc “He thrives on competition
Larry ‘LJ’ Basham (No. 26, above) has emerged
ingly that other coaches come into
and when he plays better teams,
as a sandlot football star at an early age yet mangames these days with specific
it brings out the best in him,” the
ages to keep his priorities in proper perspective
game plans for Basham more than
elder Larry says. “We’ve played
the team he plays for. At age 12,
about him.
his friends. The games he plays are
this [particular] coach so many
his résumé reads well: two SandFor LJ, it restill so pure.
times that he game plans just for
lot Super Bowl titles in three conally is still
“It’s really important,” says LJ
him [LJ]. He beat them with his
secutive trips from 2007-2009 and
just about
bashfully, about keeping the game
arm and that’s the first time he’s
yardage and touchdown totals
playing
more about fun at this point in his
really had to change everything
that would make Barry Sanders
and having
life.
in the midst of a game because he
blush.
fun with
“You don’t want it to feel like it’s
has weapons around him now to
a job,” says his father, Larry. “You
do that. I’m glad that it makes him
want him to just go out there and
happy that he can get everyone
enjoy doing it. At the end of the
else involved.”
day, if he’s not having fun, there
“I just listen to my coaches and
is no point in doing it. I’ve never
the things they tell me,” LJ adds
head him say ‘you know, I’m pretty
about being the focal point, but
November 5, 2011 • 10 am start
good.’ I have never
also making othheard him talk
ers around him
about any of his
better. “I’m not the
accomplishments
only person [out
and I think that’s
there].”
rare for an athlete
It’s an unselfto not sit back and
ishness that Bashlook at your body
am has developed
of work, no matter
in part because
what level you are
of the unselfon. I think he just
ishness of playgoes out and plays
ers around him.
and
whatever
hapHe
specifically
Proceeds
pens,
happens.”
notes
five
guys in
benefit:
As
the
primary
former
and
curVirginia
offensive
weapon
rent
teammates
Canine
5K Run - $35
for the Vinton
Bryson
Byrd,
Recovery
Team
Seminoles in years
Jaylen Wheeler,
Runner with dog - $40
past, LJ helped
Dalton Shepherd,
take the team to
Jon Dalton and
1 Mile Walk - $35
the
aforemenAustin Haymaker
tioned
Sandlot
Suwho have helped
Walker with dog - $40
per Bowl appearhim become the
ances, capped by a Basham was making baskets
player he is. But
20-14 victory over on a 10-foot goal at age 5
even outside of
the Cave Spring Knights at Salem
those five, LJ remains humble in
Stadium in 2009, in which Bashknowing that his accomplisham
scored
all
20
points,
including
ments would not be much without
Register now!
an 82-yard run. Last season, the
teammates. He knows he doesn’t
www.CommonwealthGames.org
Seminoles fell short when Basham
have to do it all.
did battle with another outstandSee BASHAM, Page 17
Dan Vance
N
Danny Cruff
Speaking of
blushing, the kid
simply known to
friends and family as LJ probably already has
had that reaction reading the
first paragraphs
of this story.
That is the astounding thing
about him; he
understands
that it is not just
by Dan Vance
5K Run & 1 Mile Walk
Danny Cruff
Big Lick Vet Tails and Trails
OCTOBER 24, 2011
11
Play By Play
nearly eight per set
over a two-game
stretch to earn the
honor.
Young is a defensive stalwart for Catawba, and part of a
core of juniors that
has been instrumental in the team’s
early success this
season.
“She’s a go-getter, a fireball,” says
Hamric. “She’s a
very good defender,
left-handed,
and
she’d probably be a
good hitter at this
level but we need
her too much on
defense to sacrifice
playing her there.”
Richardson,
a
sophomore who had
her choice of playing
small college basketball or volleyball,
T
ucked away in North
Carolina, about halfway
between Charlotte and
Winston-Salem, Salisbury, N.C., is
the home to Food Lion, Cheerwine
and a pretty good little volleyball
team at Catawba College.
Coach Ginger Hamric passed
450 career wins this year, her 22nd
season coaching, the last seven
for the Indians. Her team is off to
a solid 14-6 start this year, in part,
thanks to some talented players
from the Roanoke area.
Photos courtesy of Catawba College Athletics
by Mike Ashley
Jenny Young (above) and
Emily Richardson (left, No.
8) have helped propel the
Indians to a 14-6 record
“I had never heard of (Catawba),
to be honest,” says one of those
players, Salem native Emily Richardson. “But I really like it. It’s a
nice little school and town.”
They must be nice. Catawba was
one of just five schools that won
an appeal from the NCAA in 2006,
to continue using the nickname
“Indians,” when they were able
to prove that the local native Catawba Indians actively supported
them.
The campus is about a threehour drive from Roanoke, and
Hamric has made that trek often,
but particularly in late winter to
come watch the popular Shamrock Festival and Showcase, a
prominent volleyball competition.
That’s where she first spotted
Richardson, and she had also
seen another now-Indian
mainstay, junior defensive
specialist Jenny Young, play
there.
Young, a Patrick Henry
High product, was South Atlantic Conference Specialist
of the Week in mid-September after a remarkable performance in a win over Tusculum. She had a school record
55 digs in the game, and averaged
DAV
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30 Years
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Brian Hoffman
Young and Richardson help
Catawba Indian uprising
At 6-feet, Richardson was a strong
player at the net for Salem High
leads the team in blocks and has
been a fixture in the lineup since
stepping on campus.
“Emily’s a middle blocker and
she has really improved since last
year,” says Hamric. “She was starting and playing a lot as a freshSee CATAWBA, Page 16
12
Lauren
Sledd
Net gains
Play By Play
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Cave Spring’s Lauren Sledd excels in volleyball and tennis
T
he concepts are simple
and strikingly similar. Hit the
ball across the net in a fashion
the opponent cannot return. Tennis and volleyball look very different, but they have much in common, including being a passion for
Cave Spring High School senior
Lauren Sledd.
As the years tick off, the accolades come in bunches. On Oct. 11,
in a volleyball match with archrival Hidden Valley, Sledd became
the Knights all-time leader in service points and aces. Even though
WINN
ERS
The libero cannot attack in the
typical way — a mighty swing,
striking the ball above the net —
but Sledd knows how to place a
ball so it can’t be returned. She has
212 career kills.
“She has a powerful back row
attack, she’s like a front row player
on the back row,” says Cave Spring
coach Tamalyn Tanis. “She does
her job so well. We have a lot of confidence in her. Her tennis swing really complements her volleyball.”
Bill Turner photos
by Christian Moody
such statistics are fairly esoteric,
to hold an all-time record in volleyball at Cave Spring, given the
history and tradition that sport
has at the school, is a major accomplishment.
Sledd relegated former Knight
Lauren Clary, who went on to play
Division I volleyball at Radford
University, to second in both categories. Sledd also has nearly 1,100
career digs at press time, second in
the Cave Spring record book, with
a good shot at holding that record
before she ends her time in the red
and black.
The dig is the key, she says.
Keeping the ball off the floor and
passing it to the setter at the same
time is a talent that’s vital to a
team’s success. To that end, she
plays the libero position, a defensive specialist who is allowed
more freedom in substituting, but
must play in the back row.
for the direction.
Morgan Shannon, a senior with
a booming right arm, knows how
to hear Sledd.
“I’m just in tune with her voice,”
Shannon says. “After playing
together five years I have complete trust in her when she tells
me where to hit. I love the way
she brings so much energy to the
team.”
Tanis calls it swagger. She says
Sledd is the floor leader who exudes so much confidence, the rest of the
team feeds off her.
“The swagger factor
is what we count on
most from Lauren.
She keeps it light,
keeps it loose out
there,” Tanis says.
It’s also nice to
see her take the ball
for service, knowing
she has only missed
64 serves in her
Sledd receives strong support from her father,
Cave Spring career.
Tracy Sledd, and her mother, Carol Hall
That’s less than one
Tanis says the leadership Sledd
a match. Her serve is deadly and
brings to the court is beyond meaaccurate.
sure. One of five seniors on this
Sledd says the tennis serve has
year’s squad, Sledd has been a
a lot of shoulder turn and a snap
member of the varsity team all
at contact that works in volleyball.
four years of high school. She says
Plus, tennis requires precise footshe has a feel for her teammates.
work, a skill that benefits volley “I’m not there setting the kills,
ball players, as well.
but I’m in the back telling them
It all comes back to tennis, bewhere to hit,” Sledd says. “I read
cause tennis is the first love. Volthe blocks and I can say hit it to the
leyball is a Johnny-come-lately.
line or hit it in the middle.”
Sledd didn’t take up volleyball un Even with all the noise in a
til she was the ripe old age of 11.
crowded gym, the Knights know
See SLEDD, Page 16
how to communicate and listen
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13
No ordinary Joe
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Play By Play
Greenway working overtime for Lions
Bill
Turner
break
prior to
an 11 a.m.
class, and
then he
works
as socc e r
t rainer from
1-7. He has
a 7-9:30 night
class that day,
too.
with
Even
this kind of
scheduling
Bill Turner
J
oe Greenway always
figured being involved in
sports kept him “out of trouble.” Growing up in Roanoke
County, he was too busy playing
his beloved sports to ever do much
wrong, and well, he has taken that
idea to an extreme now as a senior
at Concord University.
Not only is the Hidden Valley
High School product one of the
Mountain Lions’ leading tacklers
and a team captain, but when
he’s not playing and practicing
football, he’s a student-trainer for
men’s soccer on Concord’s athletic
training staff.
“I have to average 15-20 hours a
week in the training room,” says
Greenway, who puts in similar
hours, if not more, in football. “It’s
pretty rough. It wears you out.”
Take Greenway’s Tuesdays this
fall. Please.
Third-year football coach Garin
Justice, who has his team’s full attention since turning the program
around during his tenure, has
Tuesday and Wednesday practices
scheduled at 5:30 a.m. Tuesdays
are particularly tough for Greenway the player, the student and the
trainer.
After getting out of practice
at 8 a.m., he has a
quick breakfast, and
heads to an
8:45 class.
He has a
shor t
The Greenways have it down to
plays because of
squeeze since his
an art following Joe these days.
that. He has
sophomore year,
They bought a 2010 Subaru Outmade
himself
Greenway estiback just to haul the family to Coninto a great footmates that he has
cord for games.
ball player.”
only missed “a
Following in his brother’s cleat Justice’s trust
handful of classsteps worked out pretty well for
in Greenway is
es,” and he’s a
Joe, too.
so complete that
pretty decent stu “It was kind of nice because I
Greenway serves
dent. He would
didn’t have to adapt much because
as the team’s
have to be with
I already knew everybody here
only “speaking
this schedule.
because of my brother,” he says.
captain”
each
Greenway is
“High school football to college
week. Justice roone of four athfootball is a big adjustment but it
tates the seniors
letes on the trainwas a little easier for me because
as captains for
ing staff among
of Matt.”
the pregame coin
36 total students
What wasn’t easy was dealing
toss each Saturin the program.
with an 0-11 season that first year
day, except for
The powers that Joe Greenway currently ranks
in 2008. “I had never had a losing
Greenway. Grebe at Concord second in tackles for Concord
season all the way through high
enway is always at midfield to call
have already announced in the fuschool,” says Greenway. “Coming
the toss and tell the officials which
ture that they’re no longer going to
up here and going 0-11 was really a
options the Lions will exercise.
let athletes work as student trainshock. You never know how much
That’s only fitting because when
ers. It’s just too much. Call it the
winning means to you until you
Greenway got to Concord, he
Joe Greenway Rule.
don’t do it.”
thought he was going to major in
So maybe Greenway is taking
The 5-10, 215-pound outside
broadcasting and pursue his love
it out on opponents on Saturdays
linebacker has been a big part of
for sports that way. Soon, though,
this season. Concord is 4-3, three
turning things around at Concord,
the lure of the training room drew
victories coming on consecutive
from 0-11 to 6-5 in 2009, and 8-3
him in from video and audio tape
weeks, and Greenway is second in
last season. He is well on his way
to rolls of white athletic tape.
tackles with 67, and tops in tack “I had a good trainles for loss with eight, including a
er athletic trainer in
sack. He also has three intercephigh school — James
tions and a couple of fumble reHargenrader, and he
coveries.
was an influence,” says
In a 38-7 win over West VirGreenway. “This field
ginia State in September, he had
interests me. I’m fas16 tackles, a sack and two intercinated by how people
ceptions, showcasing the kind of
get hurt. I know that
player he has become the last two
sounds bad but the huseasons.
man body and how it
“Joe’s the epitome of a guy that
works has always interif you come in and do the right
ested me.”
things all the time and bust your
Greenway actually
tail and do exactly what coachcame to Concord at the
es ask, you’re going to become a
Greenway scores for Hidden Valley in 2006
behest of his parents,
great football player,” says Justo completing his 1,200 hours
Frank and Mary Beth, because
tice. “When I first got here he was
of work in the training room to
older brother Matt was already
coming off his freshman year, and
help earn his degree, and then
there. A sports-loving family, the
he was a little undersized, a step
he hopes to pursue post-graduGreenways could make one trip
slower and not strong enough. He
ate work in physical therapy and
on football Saturdays and see two
was all those things but the one
start rehabbing athletes instead
sons play Joe’s first two years —
thing you saw was he was a great
of just downtrodden football
when Matt was a starting fullback
person, a great student, a smart
programs.
for the Lions before he graduated.
kid that wanted to be great.
“It’s been great for me here be The five Greenway kids have al “He just kept on working and
cause I’ve gotten a lot of clinical
ready had a pretty big impact on
working and working and workhours here, a lot of experience,”
the collegiate sports landscape.
ing. Now he’s fast enough. Now
says Greenway.
Older sister Mary, who went to
he’s big enough. Now he’s one of
And Concord seems to have
Cave Spring, was a two-time Allthe strongest guys on the team.
gotten more than their money’s
Southern Conference selection in
And he’s still the same kid who’s
worth, too, Joe.
softball at UNC-Greensboro.
intelligent, and makes football
Photo courtesy of Concord University
by Mike Ashley
14
Play By Play
Bier at the beach
Maroon hopes to play internationally next summer
14 RBI).
With the Knights at Cave
Spring, Bier was a shortstop/right
fielder/DH, earning numerous
postseason honors. She made AllTimesland first team and All-state
second team during her tenure.
No slouch in the classroom either,
she was a two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete and graduated
in the top 10 percent of her class.
The double major (International Relations and
Criminal Justice) “fell in
love” with the Roanoke
College campus and chose
to stay close to home. Bier
also wanted to stay active
in the local community.
Making the jump from
high school softball to Division III college was a bit
harder than she expected, even though Lindsey
Moore, her head coach
at Cave Spring after Mast
left, had tried to prepare
her.
by Gene Marrano
Photos courtesy of Roanoke College
A
lea Bier has never
been on a plane, never
ventured farther from Virginia than Florida by car. Now she
hopes to jet all the way to Aruba to
play softball. Bier, a Cave Spring
graduate now attending Roanoke
College, has been selected to participate in a tournament for USA
Athletes International, which
brings together competitors in
a variety of sports, from all over
the world, to play in an Olympicstyle atmosphere while they learn
about other cultures.
At usaai.org the organization
describes itself as a non-profit
“dedicated to giving amateur athletes and coaches the opportunity to participate in international
Olympic-style sporting events
throughout the world, while also
allowing them to broaden their
educational and cultural knowledge of the world through the experience.” In the past 18 years it
has grown from one baseball team
going abroad to more than 60 annual tours, more than 900 athletes
in seven sports and travel to 14
countries.
One of those athletes will be Bier
— provided she can raise enough
funds to cover her travel and housing costs. “They send athletes pretty much all over the world,” says
Bier, who was selected by softball
coaches connected with the USAAI program. The overall cost for
the trip, including transportation
and passport fees, should run her
about $3,500-$4,000.
“It fosters a lot of goodwill within the country [where the games
are held],” says Bier, who also looks
forward to the time scheduled for
athletes to visit the community
away from the softball field. There
will also be time to hang out on
the beach in Aruba, a resort island
off the coast of Venezuela that is
property of The Netherlands.
Bier, who made it as far as the
Group AA state semifinals under
former Cave Spring head coach
Beth Mast, has played at second
base and in the outfield at Roanoke College for head coach Mike
Mitchell. Bier started all 36 games
as Maroon freshman, hitting .313,
and 27 of the 28 games she played
as a sophomore last season (.338,
periences in my life, something
that not everybody gets to do — to
talk to the face of softball today,”
Bier says.
Bier has also allowed herself to
think about going pro — like Finch
has done — via a minor league
softball circuit started by one of
her former assistant coaches at
Roanoke College, Rick Anderson.
“It’s for players like me from a DIII school that are good, but didn’t
OCTOBER 24, 2011
selected for a USAAI tournament
this past summer but the Bent
Mountain native couldn’t come up
with the money. She’s determined
not to let that stop her next year,
and has already put funds aside
from a part-time summer job. Bier
could use some help however, and
is seeking tax-deductible contributions (USAAI is a non-profit after all) for the Aruba jaunt, scheduled for June 18-25, 2012.
Bier will compete with softball
players from all over the United
States, including several from
Indiana State University, Larry
Bird’s old school, which is also
supplying the head coach. They’ll
play teams from Aruba and other
countries that were assembled by
organizations similar to USAAI.
Cave Spring graduate Alea Bier has played second base and the outfield
for Roanoke College, batting well over .300 her first two seasons
Now Bier is trying to pass on
what she learned about a game
that was “so much faster” at the
college level, at least at first. This
past summer she helped coach
softball travel teams and emphasized that message. Keeping her
hand in the game by coaching
is one of her long-range goals. “I
would love to coach one day…at
the high school level [or] on a travel team,” says Bier, “I feel the need
to give back what I’ve been given
from my coaches.”
Bier has seen the U.S. National
team play several times during
barnstorming stops in Salem in
recent years. She rubbed shoulders with superstar pitcher Jennie
Finch during a camp the Maroons
helped run in Radford several
years ago. “We got to interact with
[her] — it was one the coolest ex-
want that pressure in college [from
big time sports]. They didn’t get
the attention that D-I players get.”
Roanoke College holds its own in
fall ball games against Radford
University, which has assured Bier
she could compete against players
from higher level schools.
Playing professionally, even
for another year or two after college, would be “beyond amazing,”
says Bier, who can’t see herself not
playing somewhere, on some field,
for many years to come.
Noting that many softball teams
are coached by men, who learn the
game from seminars and the like,
Bier believes being a female coach
might constitute an advantage:
“To have somebody who’s actually
been there would be completely
different,” she says.
Bier is not sure who nominated
her for the Aruba trip, which will
take place next June. She was also
Teams will play one game a day
for a total of six during their stay in
Aruba. “I’ve never been to another
country, I’ve never even flown on
an airplane,” says Bier, who says
her trip, if she can raise the money,
is about more than softball: “For
me [it’s also about] getting to know
other cultures, being able to experience that.” Being abroad would
also complement her international relations major. “It fits in really
well,” she says.
Contact her at anbier@mail.
roanoke.edu
for
information
about how to make a donation, or go directly to her Web
site link and make a contribution
at
http://usaai.org/payment?user=4724&trip=241254.
“It’s a great opportunity for me
[and] it’s warm,” chuckles Bier. “I
never thought I’d get the opportunity to play at an international
level. I think that’s cool.”
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Play By Play
15
Impressive in its own right
illiam Fleming High
School’s 2011 Athletic
Hall of Fame inductees had a hard act to follow after
the inaugural class last year. That
first group included two future
NFL players (Lee Suggs, John St.
Clair), a former Colonels basketball player who went on to be a
big time Division I women’s coach
(Charlene Curtis) and a Virginia
Tech football legend (Donald Divers). Not to mention former head
football coach and athletic director George Miller, who took Fleming to a state title game in the late
1990s and also starred in several
sports as a Colonel more than 40
years ago.
The 2011 Hall of Fame group,
who was selected by a committee
and will be honored Dec. 17, isn’t
too shabby, either:
Monica Cabbler ran track in the
1990s, earning all-state honors,
and then went on to the University
of Georgia. The NCAA All-American was also a U.S. Olympic trials
qualifier. Cabbler, who now finds
endorsement opportunities for
athletes, will travel from California for the induction ceremonies.
Don Woods played football,
basketball and track as a Colonel in the 1950s (earning all citycounty, district, region, and state
honors) then competed at Virginia
Tech (football) and Austin Peay.
Sherley Stuart, a multi-sport
coach and athletic director at
Fleming for two decades, led the
Colonels to a 1985 AAA outdoor
track state championship.
Bob Lenoir, a football, basketball and track star, went to Emory
& Henry to play football, and then
came back to Fleming to teach,
coaching football, wrestling, baseball and golf. Lenoir also enjoyed a
long stint as a high school football
and basketball referee, officiating
ODAC college basketball games as
well.
Lenoir returned to Fleming as a
football line coach for Fred Smith
(HOF class of 2010), leaving behind
a head coaching position in Buena
Vista. Don Lee retained Lenoir on
his staff when Smith retired.
Corbin Bailey (football, track,
basketball) was a key member of
the state football and basketball
championship teams and was the
1954 Roanoke Valley B’nai B’rith
winner. Bailey went on to play
Stuart, who also coached football in college while he earned a
master’s at North Carolina A&T,
before returning to Fleming, was
the Colonels head football coach
for more than a decade. He was
also a Fleming baseball coach.
As for being named to the Hall of
Fame, says Stuart, “Any time others recognize someone’s accomplishments, it’s an honor. You’re
very appreciative that others [value] the time you spend working
with kids. It’s super…that others
even think about you. It’s the first
time I’ve been in something like
this.”
You can even say there is “royalty”
in Stuart’s family — grandAt the ribbon cutting of William Fleming’s new facilities in 2010, Bob
son
David
Prince is the celebrated
Lenoir (center) was surrounded by local celebrities and dignitaries
quarterback at cross-town rival
Patrick Henry. Prince, a junior, has
football at Virginia Tech.
McGeorge and others on the
received scholarship offers from
The late Kenneth French was
selection committee continue to
both Virginia Tech and Virginia.
a coach and athletic director
seek input from the community as
Prince once lived in the Flemfrom1954-86 (football, basketball
they assemble the 2012 HOF class.
ing school district before the famand wrestling). Many members of
Announcements made at Fleming
ily moved. “His whole life was
the first two William Fleming Athsporting events and on the school
wrapped around the [Fleming]
letic Hall of Fame classes enjoyed
Web site solicit nominations. As
blue and gold,” Stuart says, but
careers that overlapped and develthe school dates to the 1930s, there
“you play where you live; this is
oped friendships along the way.
are hundreds of bona fide sports
life.”
“I was at his bedside when he
stars to consider.
Lenoir spent two years as a
[passed away],” says Lenoir of his
A donation made this year has
student at Fleming after his famlongtime friendship with French.
led to construction of a new disily relocated from North Carolina.
“He was my idol [and] the reason I
play case, away from the school’s
French was his line coach when
went into coaching.”
trophies and ribbons. “Those inLenoir was a Colonel. He ques The 2011 honorees will be recogdividuals [selected] needed their
tions his selection as a Hall of
nized at a reception before Flemown section to be represented,”
Famer, but adds that “to go in with
ing plays a varsity boys’ basketball
says McGeorge. “The more I get
Sherley Stuart and Coach French
game on Dec. 17 against Chrisinto this the more names pop up,
is my highlight. I’m just tickled to
tiansburg. Memorabilia from the
and the more I learn about the hisdeath.”
hall of fame group will be placed
tory of Fleming,” he notes.
McGeorge
in display cases set up
says that being
outside the cafeteria. The
part of the selechall was created in part to
tion committee
let current students know
has taught him a
about the sports legacy at
thing or two, even
Fleming, and some of the
though he was a
accomplishments of forColonel himself.
mer Colonels when they
“I’ve learned so
moved on to the next level.
much about the
Troy McGeorge, head
history of Flemof the selection commiting and the athtee (he played football
letes that have
and basketball at Fleming,
gone through the
graduating in 1986), said
school,” says Mcit “just worked out” that
George,
whose
the two first classes were
daughter was a
connected in so many The inaugural hall of fame class included John St. Clair and
recent basketball
ways. French, for example, Lee Suggs, both of whom enjoyed several years in the NFL
star for Fleming.
“thought the world of Bob
“I’m just amazed. It’s such a rich
Lenoir,” says McGeorge. “I’m glad
The school spans three campushistory, people who put their heart
they’re going in together.” Mces (including what is now Breckinand soul, and almost their lives,
George has his own connection to
ridge Middle School) and several
giving back to the community and
this group: Lenoir and Stuart were
eras, including almost 40 years
giving back to William Fleming.”
his driver education teachers.
pre-integration.
Gene Marrano
W
William Fleming selects its second HOF class
Catawba
From Page 11
man, which is very unusual for a
middle blocker but she did a nice
job, and is even better this year.”
UNC-Greensboro transfer Savannah Tomlinson has plugged
in alongside Richardson to shore
up Catawba’s blocking, and Young
and outside hitter Kaitlyn Whitmer, a former Franklin County
High standout, headline a junior
class that has led the Indians’ fast
start this fall. Whitmer, who was
born in Roanoke, was secondteam all-conference and all-region last year.
“Jenny and Kaitlyn, and all the
juniors all started last year so we
had a core coming back,” says
Hamric. “That experience is what
has made us a lot better.”
Not that the Indians were that
bad last season, finishing 14-13.
Of course that was Hamric’s fewest wins in five years for a program
that has had 14 20-win campaigns
Sledd
From Page 12
Her father, Tracy, had her learning
tennis at 6.
“Tennis is big in my family,”
Sledd says. “My dad played tennis
and I started taking lessons early.
He also played volleyball which
made me want to play that, but I
played tennis first.”
Excelling at either sport required sacrifices. At first, tennis
took a back seat. Once volleyball
started, Sledd joined a travel team
and was on the Roanoke Junior
National team for three years.
“I missed tennis,” Sledd says. “I
made a decision I want to play tennis in college.”
So a change was made. She enrolled in Johan Kriek’s Roanokebased tennis academy and made
that her focus. She scrapped travel
volleyball and considered giving
up playing for the Knights.
“We’re really thankful it all
worked out for tennis and volleyball,” Tanis says.
No doubt. While her Cave Spring
teammates are playing volleyball
tournaments all over the eastern
United States, Sledd is playing
tennis tournaments miles from
home and doing well. She hopes
to have an offer from a college
soon so she can settle the issue of
where she’s going. If that happens
by the spring, she will likely take
the court for the Knights’ tennis
Play By Play
since 1986.
“I think we work well together
this year,” says Young. “We’re just
pulling it together and communicating better, having fun. We’re
definitely having fun out there this
year.”
Young came to the small school
(enrollment 1,300) because of the
exercise science program. She
hopes to someday be a personal
trainer and run her own business,
making folks more fit and helping
them with nutrition. Right now,
she’s eating up the way her team is
playing.
“I’m really hoping we can go far
in the postseason,” she says. “If we
keep working and playing smart I
think we’ve got a chance.”
The Indians went to the NCAA
Division II Regionals in 2008 and
2009, but haven’t won an SAC
crown since 2002. With only two
seniors on the roster this season,
the future is bright, too.
In some situations, it might be
team. If the offer isn’t there come
spring, Sledd thinks the exposure
through Kriek’s academy is a better way to catch the attention of a
college coach.
She ranks 14th in the state in the
girls 18 Division.
“A great winner in tennis is just
as sweet as a kill for our team in
volleyball,” Sledd says.
She practices both sports in season, but make no mistake about
Sledd’s priorities. As a studentathlete, the student still comes first.
She is sporting a 3.7 grade point
average and knows that the classroom is the ultimate arena where
success will be defined. Along the
way happen to be the courts.
The team-versus-individual aspect of the two sports is the most
obvious difference, but that variation does not factor in to her appreciation of the games.
“I love tennis, and the individual competition, but I love being
part of my [volleyball] team,” Sledd
says. “Everyone on this team, we
really love each other. I wouldn’t
want to be on any other team.”
That team has only one goal —
win the state championship. After
making the state semifinals the
last two years, the Knights hope to
hang their fifth state title banner
in their gym this year, and anything short will be a disappointment. But when it’s over, tennis will
be Sledd’s focus and passion.
OCTOBER 24, 2011
hard for an unproven player to
come in and contribute as a freshman the way Richardson did last
season.
“That was such a great opportunity,” Richardson says. “It opened
a lot of doors for me to grow. I
thought it was really cool to come
in and play at this level. I was
shocked.”
Coming out of Salem High, the
6-foot Richardson found she had
better volleyball options than basketball, and that helped her make
her decision. She also just fell in
love with Catawba. “The professors really work with you here and
there’s a real feeling of community
since it’s a small school,” she says.
Richardson is majoring in elementary education and someday
hopes to teach.
Hamric credits her trips to the
Shamrock Festival, Roanoke’s annual junior volleyball buffet, with
discovering Richardson, Young
and Whitmer, although she also
Edmunds
saw Young play for PH at a Wake
Forest summer camp, where
Hamric is a coach.
“The level of volleyball in Roanoke is pretty good,” says Hamric.
“It’s better all over the East Coast
with more and more year-round
play. Tamalyn Tanis and her husband Mark (see related story on
page 12) have done a great job in
Roanoke with that tournament.”
Last year, 228 teams competed
in the event, all performing in
front of coaches representing 56
different colleges.
This year’s tournament is scheduled March 10-11, and it has become one of the largest nationally-sanctioned USA Volleyball
tournaments and showcase opportunities for juniors on the East
Coast.
Veteran coach Hamric serves
up a final, knowing word. “I know
it’s good for Roanoke as far as the
economy but it’s awfully good for
volleyball, too.”
Photo courtesy of Bill Edmunds
16
Cave Spring’s 1960 10-0 team. Edmunds is on the back right
From Page 18
kicked it through from 28 yards.”
Edmunds also points to a memorable play against George Wythe.
“Our scouting noted that George
Wythe had the unusual tendency
of rushing the punter, then immediately sending the line back
downfield to form a blocking
wedge. Our punter took the snap,
hesitated and tossed a shuttle pass
to our halfback in motion. He went
running down the field right behind the George Wythe defense.”
The ruse set up the only score of
the game in the 6-0 Cave Spring
win. “That play put Cave Spring on
the map,” Edmunds notes.
Edmunds points to his players
and assistants as the keys to his
coaching success. “I had three
great assistants in Ray Waskey,
Tommy Jones and Jack Lindsey.
And our players were a tight-knit
team — like family.”
Ask Edmunds to single out an
outstanding player or top performer and you won’t get a name. “I
couldn’t pick one out,” he says with
a smile. “They were all so good.”
Edmunds received the ultimate recognition as a coach on
Sept. 9 when he, along with his
Cave Spring coaching successor,
the late Charlie Hammes, had
the field at Dwight Bogle Stadium
named in their honor.
As Edmunds stood at midfield
along with his wife, Becky, his
name was unveiled on the end zone
scoreboard. “I was completely surprised they were going to do this
until I got a letter in the mail,” Edmunds says. “It’s quite an honor.”
Thirty-eight of Edmunds’ former players returned for the ceremony. It was a perfect convergence — players whom Edmunds
credited for his coaching success
joining the coach those very players credited for being the brain
behind their teams’ legendary
legacy.
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Youth hockey
From Page 8
17
Play By Play
remain frozen
for much of the
winter. Skating and playing
hockey outside
is a regular
winter
pastime.
E s w o r t h y
summarizes
this crucial issue. “As an organization it is important to us to
take those first few tentative steps
toward getting a full-time ice rink
back in the Roanoke Valley. The
Roanoke Civic Center is a great
home for our organization and the
staff at the RCC has been an incredibly supportive and thoughtful partner for the VYHA. As the
Civic Center attracts more and
more entertainment events, ice is
getting harder and harder to come
by. We believe that having another
ice surface in the Roanoke Valley
offers a great synergy with the Roanoke Civic Center.
“Having a full-time ice rink
greatly enhances the opportunity for a return of professional ice
hockey to the Roanoke Valley and
offers greater opportunity to col-
leges and universities in the
area. We very
much want to
explore options
for public-private
partnerships that could
bring an ice
facility to the
Roanoke Valley
that could act
as an engine for economic development and greatly increase quality of life.”
Perhaps Roanoke could build an
“indoor” snow skiing park on the
slopes of Mill Mountain similar to
the world-famous one in Dubai.
With the natural mountain terrain
and the moderate temperature
here in Roanoke, it must be more
feasible than the one in the 120º F
desert of Dubai. And what avid ski
enthusiast wouldn’t want to stop
on the way home from work for a
couple hours on the slopes. The financial benefits could be substantial. See pictures and info at http://
www.skidubai.com/ski-dubai/
photos.
Of course it would come with an
obligatory ice skating rink.
it was a good experience,” Larry
says, while his son nestles mod “It’s taken some of the pressure
estly on the family couch as the
and anxiety from him. I remember
topic of middle school football
before games he used to be really
and getting to partner with former
uptight and now, it’s just like ‘listeammates and opponents alike
ten to music or talk’ because he
when they put on Terrier jerseys
knows he has other people around
comes up.
him that are capable
“We’re going to
of making plays,”
be a good team,”
Larry notes.
LJ chimes in,
LJ thinks his team
cracking a smile
has a shot at a Super
as these differBowl return after a
ent thoughts run
one-year absence.
through his head.
“It’s my last year
As efficient as
in rec and I want to
LJ has been on a
win it the last year,”
football field, he
he says. “I’d be really
also excels on the
upset [if we didn’t].”
basketball court
Next school year,
where he likes
LJ will be greeted
playing
point
with something he
guard. In 2010,
hasn’t had to deal
he left the Vinmuch with in his
ton Recreation
very young playing Basham with former William League behind
career: a complete Byrd great Derrick Palmer
to focus on AAU
change in coaching.
and coach Gary
But leaving Shepherd and his sysWheeler’s Virginia Terriers. LJ
tem behind for a school system
has been playing AAU basketball
program doesn’t seem to scare the
since he was 7 years old, but with
shy star.
Wheeler’s stacked Terrier team,
“I’ve been down that road and
he has flourished. And as any kid
would, LJ loves the travel aspect
of the AAU scene, noting a trip to
Myrtle Beach as his favorite.
During that trip to Myrtle Beach
for Nationals, an opposing team
from South Carolina tied a game
at 42 with just over 10 seconds left
during one of the games. Before
Wheeler could even call timeout,
the ball was inbounded to Basham, who made his way up the floor
and hit a floater with five or six
seconds remaining for the win.
Basketball has been one of the
important areas of LJ’s life, no
matter how recognized he is for
his football accomplishments. The
Bashams previously lived across
the street from a park and his parents, Larry and Carol, remember
how passionate he’s been about
basketball since those days where
he would go across the street and
shoot from the time they got home
from work until it was almost his
bed time. He’s been able to score
on a regular-sized basketball goal
since he was 4 or 5, they say.
Wheeler, who also spent several
years as a football assistant coach
for LJ, is continually impressed by
the youngster not resting on his
laurels and working hard to get
better.
“LJ always has the drive to be
the best at whatever he does,”
Wheeler says. “He takes the challenge to be the best player on the
field or court. Some kids shy away
from that but LJ embraces that
and strives to be the best. He is
not a very vocal leader by nature,
but every kid that plays with him
will follow him and do whatever
it takes to win in football and basketball.”
It may be no surprise in ways
that LJ has blossomed as he has.
Sport has played a vital role in
his family over the years, dating
back to 1966 when his great uncle,
James ‘Hoolie’ Childress, Jr., was
integrated into the William Byrd
school system as a high school senior and went on to average more
than 30 points per game during
Terrier basketball season. He was
also named All City-County in
football. The Childress lineage has
brought several Byrd standouts
over the years, including LJ’s aunt,
Lisa, and cousin, James III.
LJ’s father also had his share
of fun on the gridiron, playing at
William Fleming High School and
Ferrum College.
kids to step onto the ice and learn
a completely new skill — one that
many people can never do successfully. Imagine how empowering it is to be an 8-year-old kid and
be able to do something well that
most of your friends and neighbors can’t do.”
Perhaps the most important element in the success of this hockey
program is the generous cooperation of the Roanoke Civic Center.
Their willingness to keep the ice
down through most of the winter
makes it possible for VYHA teams
to play scheduled games.
In previous years when various
professional hockey teams played
in Roanoke, Salem or Vinton,
having ice throughout the winter
was assured. The Salem Rebels of
the 1970s insured that the Salem
Civic Center had ice throughout
their venture. Various teams located at the Roanoke Civic Center
throughout the years kept ice on
their floor through the winters.
The Lancerlot Ice Arena in Vinton
was an asset until it was destroyed
in 1993 by a massive snowstorm
that collapsed the structure. The
Basham
Danny Cruff
From Page 10
Courtesy of Roanoke Valley Youth Hockey
Ice Station in North Roanoke also
provided significant ice time until
it closed in 2006. Now the Roanoke
Civic Center provides the only
consistent ice around.
Several collegiate hockey teams
also benefit from the Roanoke Civic Center’s benevolence. Virginia
Tech, Roanoke College, Radford
University and VMI all practice
and play games on this ice. Public
skating sessions at the civic center
occasionally provide the general
public with a venue to enjoy skating.
These hockey clubs and ice skating enthusiasts in the region make
up a sizable coalition of proponents for consistent ice time. The
mutual cooperation of these proice groups and the Roanoke Civic
Center management has provided
the essential ice time so far. They
all benefit from each other’s successes.
There is a strong movement
among these proponents to identify other potential sources for ice.
Ice hockey in the South doesn’t
share the luxury of the sport’s
proponents in the North. Just
a half-day drive north of here
ponds, lakes and backyard rinks
18
Play By Play
OCTOBER 24, 2011
legends of the games
Edmunds: master of the sleight of hand
The “unexpected factor” presented the need to tip off the officials. “I’d go to them before a
game to explain the trick play
we had for that night,” Edmunds
says, chuckling. “It got to the point
they’d see me come in, yawn, and
say, ‘here we go again.’ One night
I started explaining the play and
told them the field lights would go
off during the play. Believe me, I
got their attention then.”
Edmunds points to a key game
and a specific play that were cornerstones of his 11-year coaching
tenure that produced a 65-31-11
record.
“The biggest game was the 10-7
win against Franklin County on a
final-play field goal that secured
our 10-0 championship season in
1960. I don’t think I’d ever seen a
field goal kicked in a high school
game before that win.”
by Bill Turner
T
Bill Turner
Photo courtesy of Bill Edmunds
Bill Turner
here is little doubt
the landscape of high school
football has changed in the
last 25 years. Complicated play
calling, rigorous condi- Legends of
tioning and a the Games
high level of
Sixty-ninth in a Series
coaching expertise have become the standard
for Friday night lights.
But one of the greatest forerunners of coaching ingenuity came
onto the Roanoke scene in 1956
with the opening of Cave Spring
High School, and the hiring of
Duke University graduate Bill
At the field-naming ceremony, (from left) Becky and Bill Edmunds were
Edmunds to lay the foundation for
joined by officials Dr. Lorraine Lange, Steve Spangler and Fuzzy Minnix
Knights football.
of establishing a football program.
wins began mounting. But Ed A Roanoke native, Edmunds
“Along with principal Con Davis
munds knew he still needed
had established himself as a standand assistant principal Elizabeth
something to keep his players’
out end at Jefferson High School
Powell, we picked out the school
interest. Along came the solution
under longtime Magician head
colors, scarlet red and black, along
that would forever establish the
coach Rudy Rohrdanz. Edmunds’
with the official school mascot,”
Edmunds legacy — unconventalent was recognized early, he
Edmunds, now 81, says. “Origitional formations and crafty trick
being one of three players on the
nally we were the Black Knights.
plays. Local high school football
Jefferson junior varsity team while
But, it quickly became apparwas about to witness an evolution.
still a student at Lee Junior High
ent that the name was associated
“I took formations and made variSchool. He moved to the varsity
with a villain, so it was shortened
ations,” Edmunds says. “Every day
in 1947 and was an integral part
to simply the Cave Spring Knights.”
at practice it was something differof three straight Jefferson teams
Edmunds says the name Black
ent. The players thrived on it.”
that contended for state champiKnights unofficially hung round
Edmunds says he tried to introonships. His senior year, in 1949,
for years, and is still reflected in the
duce a new trick play every week.
Edmunds earned all-state honors.
mural that adorns one end of the
“Trick plays are great if they work,”
He received a football scholarship
current Cave Spring gymnasium.
he says with a laugh. “You could
to Duke where he played on the
“We had nothing to start,” Edonly pull it off once.”
freshman team in 1950, and was a
munds explains. “No field, no se But, the unusual plays typically
roommate that year with a figure
niors, we practiced at Back Creek,
did work, and fans watched in anthat would become famous in basand for a special occasion would
ticipation. “Our plays were comketball circles, Lefty Driesell.
move practice to the VA (Veterans
plicated,” Edmunds remembers.
After his freshman year, EdAdministration) Hospital field in
“We spread the entire field with
munds left Duke to serve 2½ years
Salem. I had 18 players that first
our formations; we’d put our ofin the military, joining the Army’s
year, most of whom knew little
fensive line at one sideline; we’d
82nd battalion. He returned to the
about football. We were potenput the quarterback in motion and
Blue Devils in 1953 where he retially easy meat.” The first Cave
snap the ball to another player.
tained his scholarship and played,
Spring squad played an abbrevi “It hasn’t been that long ago
although sparingly, until his gradated schedule and, despite the adsince you started hearing about
uation in 1956.
versities, went 4-1-2.
teams employing spread offenses
That year brought the opening of
But, according to Edmunds,
and signaling in plays from the
Cave Spring High School, with Edit was those
sideline. Heck, we were doing both
munds returnplayers
who
of those 50 years ago.”
ing to Roanoke
advanced the
One of Edmunds’ favorite forto become a hisprogram
immations involved putting an eighttory and physim e a s u r a b l y.
man line at one sideline, with the
cal
education
“Those
kids
center, a guard and the quarterteacher at the
were great,” he
back toward the center of the field.
new Brambleton
remembers.
The set-up could send the opposAvenue facility,
“The players lising defense into chaos. “If they
more
recently
tened and did
overplayed our line, the quarterthe site of the
what they were
back would take off with the snap,”
middle school
told. There were
Edmunds says. “If they played it
which was disno questions.”
straight up, our guard could step
mantled
this
As the proback, making the center eligible to
past summer. He
moved
catch a pass. Nobody knew what to
also took on the Originally the Black Knights, Cave gram
the
expect.”
challenging job Spring chose to drop the adjective forward,
Edmunds and Galen Conner (left)
vividly remember 51 years ago
The kicker that day was current
Vinton resident Galen Conner.
Does Conner remember the game?
“Like it was yesterday,” he says.
“It looked like the game was
destined for a 7-7 tie,” Conner remembers. “We got a late interception from Joey Collins and
QB Bill Alvarez followed with a
swing pass to Roger Nichols that
Nichols took to the 15-yard line
after breaking three or four tackles. The clock was running out and
we were out of timeouts. Franklin
County got a penalty that stopped
the clock with three seconds.
Coach Edmunds said, ‘We’re going
to kick a field goal.’
“Nobody in our time had kicked
a field goal,” Conner says. “Rarely
did they kick extra points. Coach
Edmunds had the courage to call
that play. I just closed my eyes and
See EDMUNDS, Page 16
OCTOBER 24, 2011
Play By Play
Football, biscuits, fall Sunday mornings
A
s I get older, seems like
the simplest things can bring
back a flood of memories, I
said, knowing that I was shifting
by Mike
into Old Man gear.
Ashley
Sometimes a good dog food
commercial makes me tear up.
I was planning a tailgating party — one of my favorite endeavors (more the actual tailgating rather than
the planning) — and we had to work with a noon kickoff.
Noon kickoffs stink (unless you’re a sportswriter covering the game,
then they are wonderful. I’m a little schizophrenic
on this topic, depending on my duties on any
given Saturday). This Saturday I was anxious
to tailgate with friends and family but the
whole noon thing puts a crimp in the
schedule.
Do you have breakfast in the
parking lot out of the back of your
Toyota Highlander? Brunch? Early
lunch? Can you get everyone up
and moving fast enough so you can
lounge in a parking lot, rubbing elbows with other fans who are trying to figure out what they’re going
to eat off their cheap paper plates,
too?
We finally settled on someone
bringing ham biscuits for a brunch
right before kickoff after we all got
up early and went out for breakfast. Then we packed some cold cuts,
cheese, condiments, bread, chips, pickles and
those fancy little toothpicks with the frills on top for a postgame repast
while the parking lot cleared. You can never over-tailgate, I’ve learned.
It goes hand-in-hand with the most important thing I learned in college — that you can never have too much ice.
Anyway, it was hard to think of ham biscuits and football and not think
of my mom. I was transported back to when I was a wee lad — okay, okay,
I was never actually a “wee” lad, but I was younger and living at home,
and Sundays included a big feed right after church just before the NFL
games kicked off.
As a blossoming football fan, I had the major homefield advantage of
going to church right across the street from my house. That meant on a
good morning when the Rev didn’t go overtime, I was out the door and on
the couch soon after noon.
I got out of my Sunday best in record speeds and depending on the
homework load I had put off until Sunday, most of my obligations were
over, save parking my carcass in front of the TV for the next seven hours
or so.
The ham biscuits come in because that was my favorite Sunday meal:
country ham, Mom’s homemade biscuits, eggs, grits and fried apples.
The weekly ritual helped make me the man I am today in more ways than
one. And being the Momma-loving, God-fearing Southern boy I am I
wouldn’t give back a single Sunday grit.
Our kitchen table was set so that when you sat on my side, you could
look to the right through the doorway into the living room and follow
whatever was on TV. Mom sat at the head of table so I was always sort of
looking that way so it didn’t seem so rude.
And I was a teenager, for Pete Rozelle’s sake, so I was supposed to act
sort of distant and unfocused. Truth is I was honed in on those biscuits,
ham and fixin’s. I made polite conversation. Back when I was young
I could multitask like that — eat, talk to my mom, not miss a down of
the football game, plot an English paper in my head, fret over my lack of
popularity with the fairer sex and then wonder if all this was somehow
interrelated.
Pass me another biscuit, please.
Some Sundays, if I was feeling a might poorly and stayed home from
Sunday school and church, I got the full plate of Sunday football fare back
SIDELINES
19
before the advent of ESPN and the three-hour pregame show. We had two
networks on the big console Magnavox and three if the winds were blowing in from Lynchburg and WSET just right.
Generally you just tuned in to Channel 7, if I remember correctly, and
the odds of me remembering correctly are getting less and less each passing day. I remember the Notre Dame football show with highlights narrated by Lindsey Nelson. How they squeezed a whole game into 30 minutes I don’t know. Live sporting events today can barely squeeze a quarter
or a couple of innings into an hour.
I wasn’t a big Fighting Irish fan but that was part of few college football
highlights available back then. The other was the Virginia Tech football
coaches’ show, which I first remember with Charlie Coffey. Okay, I actually don’t remember Charlie Coffey on the show and Tech fans have been
trying to forget him for a long time.
Then it was Jimmy Sharpe. The “Hokies were Sharpe, dadgummit.”
The team still wasn’t very good but Sharpe was pretty entertaining. Anyone else remember Roscoe “Too 2 Fast” Coles?
Bill Dooley showed up my senior year of high school and the show was
a little drier though the football started to get better. Jeff Charles was
“The Voice of the Hokies” by then, and a highlight of my sporting life was
later sharing an office suite with him when I worked at Tech. Over in my
half of the office, where we had the Nerf basketball hoop, it was a thrill to
play against him and have him doing silly play-by-play of the action. Jeff
Charles calling my name!
Now, after an exchange of punts, we move to action later in this column.
Then it was the old CBS “NFL Today” show, the gold standard of pregame shows. Late breakfast tasted better with Brent Musberger, Irv
Cross and the ill-fated Jimmy the Greek breaking it down for me. I think
I can still make a pretty strong argument that Phyllis George may be the
perfect woman.
Of course, I don’t know how good her biscuits are.
20
Play By Play
It’s a team effort.
JoIn Kroger In goIng green.
OCTOBER 24, 2011