Club Sports
Illustrated
A UREC Publication December 14th Edition Featured Story: Alpine Ski Tis the Ski-son
Issue No.
91
In This Issue 04 06 08 10 12
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Alpine Ski Tis the Ski-son Featured Story Archery Don’t Nock It ‘Till You Try It!
Cycling A First Year Racer’s Perspective
Equestrian No Shows, New Friends- A Non-Competing Perspective
Fencing On The Road Again
Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
December 13th Edition of Club Sports Illustrated Designed, Published, & Edited by Jarod York UREC Publicity Programmer Articles by App State Students Photo Cover by: Courtney Forbis
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Women’s Lacrosse Into The Future
Women’s Rugby Ain’t No Season Like an AHO Season
Snowboarding Spring in a New President
Executive Corner Wrapping Up a Great Semester
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Tis the Ski-son
Courtney Forbis
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Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
Jonathan Gibson
Alpine Ski
Claire Biaggi | Club Sports Representative
It’s official, the season has begun, and the slopes are open. The Alpine ski team is ready to “shred the gnarr” and start competing. We finally have our Competition team with nine women racers and ten men athletes, as well as a significant amount of skiers doing our Developmental team. Sugar Mountain opened over Thanksgiving, and that means that we already had a few teammates hit the slopes over the break. Our season passes for Sugar are also ready, which means that we’re gearing up for the competition season.
Having a season pass to Sugar implies that we can ski whenever, which is fantastic considering that we are only 30 minutes away from the mountain. We are also the only collegiate race team in North Carolina that has access to a mountain, thus giving us an advantage at our upcoming races. As for practices, we haven’t had many, because the weather changes so suddenly and assignments are piling up before finals. But on November 19th, Dr. K hosted an
informative classroom session where he discussed how the early season is the best time to improve your technique, as well as the importance of edge angles, keeping the upper body stable, and the best distance for ski season. On behalf of the Alpine Ski Team, we are so excited to get this season underway and beat all the teams that we competed against last year. We will see you soon USCSA. Let’s go Dirty South! Tis the Ski-son to be jolly. Fa-la-la-la-la!
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Rowan Parris
Archery Shannon Reynolds | Public Relations Chair When people think of Club Sports, Archery usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Most people think that it is a dated sport that really doesn’t benefit us in any way. It’s true, most people are not running around, searching for their next meal anymore. Archery is so much more than just meandering through the woods, shooting and killing things. Over 90% of the people actually in the club aren’t in it for hunting purposes at all. For most archers, it is about setting a goal for yourself to hit the bullseye and stepping out of your comfort zone. It gives you courage, confidence, and a feeling of happiness when you can finally shoot and
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not miss the target. Archery also teaches us that it is okay when you fail, like when you miss the target completely, or somehow end up breaking your arrow. It teaches you to get back up, brush off your shoulders, and try again. Archery also gives everyone the chance to meet and talk with other people. I have never been apart of a group that is so helpful and non-judgemental. I have personally seen people who come into the club, scared to death to talk to anyone, and then after a semester they turn into one of the most talkative people on the team. I love hearing the excitement in their voice when they tell
Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
me how they got new arrows, or they got a nice grouping. This club has changed many student’s lives, including my own. Like most new students, I struggled to find my place at Appalachian State my freshman year. Archery has taken me under its wing, and given me the chance to make new friends, and gain the confidence that I needed. The most important lesson of all, is that it taught me to always move forward. Have we got your attention? Come check us out at our next meeting on January 30th in Belk Library Room 114 at 7:30 pm to see what we’re all about!
Don’t Knock It
Till You Try It!
Rowan Parris
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A First Year Racer’s Perspective
Matt Sloyer
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Cycling
Wheeler Davis | First Year Racer
One of the main reasons I came to Appalachian State was the cycling. Boone is less than ten miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Rocky Knob mountain bike trails are right outside of town, and there are two great bike shops within a mile of campus. But, what I didn’t know much about was the Appalachian State Cycling Club. I had seen people wearing the App State Cycling jerseys at a couple of races I had done in highschool, and I had met one rider on the team, but I didn’t know who organized the club or what benefits it provided. At the first club meeting I was excited to learn that the club had sponsorship from the school and numerous local businesses which helped us cover our expenses and get discounts around town. I also met a bunch of great people who raced competitively and learned that the team raced throughout the school year. A couple of weeks later I did my first collegiate cyclocross race in Virginia Tech. My teammate, Garrett, and I did the category A race. Sitting on the start line, I was intimidated
by the other racers. They all looked strong and confident. However, during the race, the biggest challenge turned out to be the conditions. It had rained in the morning, and the riders how raced before us had ripped up the grass so that most of the course was mud. My tires were losing traction in a lot of the corners, and I found myself on the ground twice within the first lap, and out of contention for the win. The rest of the race I tried minimizing my losses and crawled (or I guess I should say pedaled) back from sixth, to fifth, and eventually to fourth and I was able to hold that position until the finish. I was disappointed not to be on the podium, but Garrett had finished second, so it wasn’t a bad day for the team. The next race weekend was two weeks later. It was a dual conference race which meant that cyclists from the ACCC and the SECCC came out to race. The field was about twice as large as the race in Virginia Tech and the competition was even stronger. I had a better first lap and found myself in a group of four chasing the top five. The course was dry and
fast, so after the mania of the first lap trying to stay near the front, the rest of the race was a test of power. I gave it my all but unfortunately fell behind the chase group and ended up in ninth. The rest of the season will be really exciting. There is twoday dual conference race in Hendersonville on December 8th and 9th and, thanks to contributions from the team, I will be racing at the Collegiate national championships in Reno, Nevada in early January. I have a lot of training to do to be ready for this tough end of the season, but it’s easy to be motivated when there are so many people on campus to ride with. Even though I’ve only been a part of the cycling club a couple of months, it’s something I’m very passionate about and plan to be a part of for the rest of my time at Appalachian State.
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No Shows
New Friends A Non-Competing Perspective Equestrian
Hailey Plymire | Non-Competing Captain
An interesting aspect of Appalachian States Equestrian Team is our Non-Competing division. When joining, members have the choice of competing in Western, Dressage and Huntseat riding, but they also have the choice to not compete in shows at all. With this option, students can still enjoy being a part of the team and be coached in lessons weekly but not have the pressure to go to shows. I joined the Equestrian Club last fall as a part of the NonCompeting team. I had never shown before, and just wanted to focus on bettering my own riding. I quickly found myself immersed in a fun group of people with similar interests. This is my third semester on the team, and I now am the Non-Competing Captain. I get to enjoy weekly meetings with some of the best people, meet new friends, and ride weekly
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without the stress of having to prepare for a show. This team can provide an escape for people who immerse themselves in school while allowing people to continue doing what they enjoy. We also love and welcome having beginner riders who want to try out the sport. The team can help bring people together who have similar interests – and that has certainly been true for this semester. With an hour drive to our barns you have the opportunity to get to know the people in your group. While traveling to my lessons I have been able to get to know some of the best people. This semester, a carful of five girls, all unique in their own ways, were brought together by a common love of equestrian – and after ten weeks we have formed a tight knit group.
Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
Rachel Hintermeister is a senior Psychology Major who holds the group together, not only as the driver, but the mom. Every Thursday, like clockwork, she drives to pick up her carpool and begins the trek down the mountain. For the second semester in a row, I claim passenger seat next to Rachel; I spend most of the drive twisted around in my seat to talk to the girls behind us. As the second oldest, I jokingly claim the second mom title while Rachel and I get to laugh our heads off at the three girls in the backseat. Taking up the backseat are three different but so alike first-years. Maya Townsend, who hails from Vermont sits with Grace Judy and Emma Gwynn weekly to travel to Foothills Equestrian Center. When I first had to create
Maggie Elmore
carpool lists for this semester, a job I have as captain, I never imagined the group I set would become who we are today. Used to a semi-quiet ride, this semester’s drives have always been loud with laughter, shouts, and stories have been a lovely change. Every week I look forward to the drive with these girls and anticipate what our lesson will be like. Even though we’re five college girls “ballin’ on a budget” (Rachel Hintermeister), we always have dinner Thursday nights after our lessons; grouped together with our half chaps and the smell of horse in different restaurants in Lenoir. We also have our newly minted tradition of loud singing to throwback songs during our drive back, only to stop for dinner at our favorite Wendy’s in Lenoir around 8:30 every week. The real questions
each week are whether Rachel will actually finish her meal and how many fries Emma will manage to steal from people. Through the team and our weeks together, we have started group messages and Snapchat streaks – along with Girls Nights in and Holiday Parties. We enjoy the weekly meetings with the full team together Wednesday nights as it is just another opportunity to giggle and catch up. We’re in full support of each other and frequently take time during our drives to give advice, vent, rant, and work through problems together. Throughout the ten weeks that we have had lessons we have all grown closer than I ever imagined. I personally have opened up to the girls in the car, and in that found overwhelming support.
not well known here, is a great place to form new friendships, find new opportunities, and find the time to grow not only as a rider but as a person. I am grateful for the opportunities I have within the team and how they have helped me grow as a rider during my year and a half a part of the club. I highly encourage anyone who wants to try something new, loves animals, or has been riding their whole life to come out and join the team. We all come together to enjoy what we all love doing. Whether we’re going over executive PowerPoints, discussing volunteering, planning bonfires or team get-togethers we always have a great time. We love meeting new people and are always looking to expand who is a part of our family.
The Equestrian team, though
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On The Road Again Fencing
Lauren Brackett | Secretary
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Unfortunately, after a hectic few days of planning and scheduling, our home tournament scheduled for last weekend was cancelled. The teams at other universities faced issues regarding their transportation, and because of this, we were not able to host the tournament. After that disappointment, we were excited to travel to compete at NC State University for the first time this semester, where we fenced squads from UNC Charlotte and East Carolina University.
perfect opportunity to get back on the strip after a few weeks off from traveling. This event was our last tournament of the semester and we are proud to have ended it on a high note. NC State was kind enough to provide turkey hats instead of medals for those who placed. This was definitely a fun surprise and made for a memorable trip! Many of our teammates live in the Raleigh area, so it was great to have some friends and family fans on the sidelines over the weekend.
This was an individual mixed tournament and it was the
Outside of practice and competitions, members of
Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
our team enjoyed attending the home football game versus Georgia Southern earlier this month. Despite the insanely cold weather, we had a great time cheering on the Mountaineers to an awesome victory. Additionally, the officers have decided to host our first annual secret Santa gift exchange within the team. With practice time slowly coming to an end, we are making the most of our days and hoping to finish the semester strong! Check out our Facebook page view more pictures from our tournament at NC State.
Lauren Brackett
Lauren Brackett
Emily MacDonald
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Into The Women’s Lacrosse
Maddie Marcellino | Club Sports Representat
As our Fall 2017 season has ended, our team has turned from the fields to the libraries in preparation for finals. The officers of club lacrosse stress the importance of academics. You can spot us rocking our lacrosse apparel together studying. Our end of the semester team bonding event is coming up! We plan to eat a lot of pizza and pasta and do a Secret Santa gift exchange. Scarfing down melted cheese and bread with fellow lady laxers is a pre-finals week necessity.
Nick Marcellino
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Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
Our Spring tour Mountaineer M approximately s confirmed to att including UNCC NC State, and H University. We expand our tou further as vario are still getting This tournamen March 24-25th a Fields. Specific known and ann the final schedu semester. Our to designed by the Emma Bouma a finalized and w
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rnament, the Meltdown, has six teams ttend so far, C, UNCW, High Point hope to urnament ous teams back to us. nt will be on at State Farm times will be nounced once ule is set next ournament tees, e sensational are being we cannot wait
to promote our teams with these awesome shirts. We look forward to another successful Mountaineer Meltdown! Come by to cheer on the Neers and enjoy the game of lacrosse. We plan to continue to add to our roster next semester. We will be holding another interest meeting in addition to participating in UREC/Club Sports sponsored events. Girls of all skill range are welcomed. The majority of our games (and apparel) happen during the Spring semester.
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Ain’t No
Season Like an
AHO
Season Women’s Rugby
Allyson Kern | Club Sports Representative The season for fall semester has officially come to an end for AHO women. AHO ended the semester with a match against UNC Charlotte on November 18th. The match was challenging and AHO took the L on this one but these women never gave up and supported each other until the final whistle was blown. This match showed how AHO has grown as a team and how individual players have grown throughout the season. Several
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rookie players had a chance to play in their first matrix match and they played hard and gave it their all. This semester AHO has become a family on and off the field. From recruiting 12 new players, having our first ever rookie camp, playing 8 rugby matches, to hosting a tournament, eating countless family dinners, and 5 weekends of traveling together and spending several
Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
nights snuggling on the floor of someone’s house after a hard played away match. The season has been packed full of good wholesome memories. Rookie Kieran “big nasty” Smith said “This semester was amazing. I have learned how to play rugby and made lifelong friends that I never thought to have in such a short period of time.” Rookie Katie Sorrell also reflected on her experience this semester “There’s been a lot of moments where I knew I made the right decision to be a part of the team, one of them was laying on the floor of our president’s apartment after a nice family dinner and cuddling and laughing with my teammates about who knows what. And then it hit me, not only do I have a family back home but one in Boone too.” Our president Mikhala Dougher said one of her favorite memories this semester was the team’s rookie reveal. At the beginning of the semester each returning player gets a rookie to encourage and mentor and shower with their love throughout the semester. The rookies typically don’t find out who this person is till rookie reveal. This was a very sweet night where everyone dressed up classy and many cute words were said and a few tears were shed. I think all AHO women would say this season has been a success. Though we had some tough losses, we never gave up or stopped encouraging each other. We’ve shared many laughs and weird inside jokes
as well as many heart to hearts and have stood by each other through the rough patches. We’ve tackled together, rucked together, scrummed together, gained many bruises and scars together and made trys together. This team is growing stronger each day and we don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Grayson Arthurs
Kieran Smith
Kaitlyn Reed
Danna Latiolais
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Spring in a New President Snowboarding Stephanie Shapiro | Vice President Gabe is finishing his senior year in Recreation Management with a concentration in parks and recreation. He also is super involved with leadership across Appalachian’s campus using his leadership minor. He has become an emerging Leaders coordinator for the Student Engagement and Leadership office. Although Gabe is super busy all the time with school work he loves to get outside as a recreation major when he can. Gabe says he will miss the squad rolling down the mountain penguin style. He has been heavily involved with the snowboard team from
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the start of our freshmen year. Gabe was my first friend I made coming to Appalachian. As a novice rider, I was nervous to join the team my first year. Gabe finally convinced me and I was so excited to join the team with a friend. Gabe talks me into a lot of things but that was the best decision I had made coming to App State. We both have grown over the years on the team and it’s great to see Gabe’s leadership take over so naturally. He became the Vice president for his sophomore and Junior year. It was only right to let him become president his last year. He has done so much for the
Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
team over the years and it will be said to see him graduate this December. As hard as it is to see him leave we know he will do great things post-graduation!! We will send him off with a well-deserved party and ceremony of passing the team banner on to me. I will try my best to step up to the level that Gabe was this year. Cheers to the next step in life, Gabe! The team will miss you! Best of Luck!! Stephanie (New Prez) and the rest of the team
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Executive Officer Bryce Helms As the fall semester is wrapping up, I would like to take a moment and thank each and every one of our teams for a fantastic semester! It was so much fun to see each team accomplish a variety of different goals. The next few weeks are going to extremely busy for the executives. On the week of December 4th, one representative from your team will attend a meeting for budget points. On the week of December 11th, tier system meetings will be going on!! This coming up Sunday, December 3rd, Kevin’s committee is having a dodgeball tournament to raise money for the local Humane
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Society. Everyone should come out and support a great cause, it will be lots of fun!!! In the last few weeks of the semester, we have a lot to look forward to! During out last council meeting on November 28th, we received a lot of positive feedback from each team and things we could potentially change for next semester. We have high expectations for spring semester and sure it will go just as smoothly as this semester has. I hope everyone has a nice relaxing winter break and I look forward to coming back next semester and doing it all over again. Thanks for a GrEaT semester!!!
Club Sports Illustrated // Issue No. 91
Wrapping Up a Great Semester Bryce Helms
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To learn more about club sports go to :
clubsports.appstate.edu Executive Officers KEVIN MEYER
meyerkc@appstate.edu
EMMA BOUMA
boumaec@appstate.edu
MIKHALA DOUGHER
doughermo@appstate.edu
BRYCE HELMS
helmsba@appstate.edu
COURTNEY FORBIS
forbiscj@appstate.edu
Coordinators for Sports & Activities ALEX PURVIS
ERIN SANDERS
purvista@appstate.edu
sandersec1@appstate.edu
JOE CARTER
cartercp@appstate.edu
APPSTATECLUBSPORTS
APPSTCLUBSPORTS