Club Sports Illustrated, August 28th Issue by App State Club Sports

IN THIS

ISSUE 4

SWIM. BIKE. RUN. TRIATHLON

GETTING BACK IN GEAR EQUESTRIAN

A YEAR OF FIRSTS ARCHERY

10 AND THE YEAR BEGINS WOMENS SOCCER

MEN’S ULTIMATE BEGINNING MEN’S ULTIMATE

CYCLING CYCLING

Director of UREC

Publicity Programmer

Joe Carter, carterjr@appstate.edu

Jessica Dixon, dixonjm5@appstate.edu

Director of Club Sports

Executive Officers

Erin Sanders, sandersec1@appstate.edu

Coordinators for Competitive Sports Chris Carr, carrcp@appstate.edu Heather Marshall, marshallha@appstate.edu

Olivia Chason, chasonom@appstate.edu Chad Deaver, deaverce1@appstate.edu Patrick Sekel, sekelp@appstate.edu

RELAX, GET TO IT. WOMEN’S LACROSSE

MEN’S SOCCER MEN’S SOCCER

19 ALPINE SKI Alpine Ski

LOOKING AHEAD SNOWBOARDING

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

24 NEW YEAR. NEW BEGINNINGS. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

25 EXECUTIVE CORNER

For more information on any of the club teams, visit the website: clubsports.appstate.edu email us at: clubsports@appstate.edu or call us at the Student Recreation Center (828) 262 2100

The August 28th Edition of the Club Sports Illustrated Designed by Jessica Dixon Cover Photo taken from Club Sports Library

Triathlon

Photos Submitted by: Will Rumley

Who’s got that summertime sadness? The Triathlon team surely does not! Summer is a great time to go out and compete in some races, and we had many athletes that did just that. Our athletes took advantage of the warm water and the beautiful weather, and participated in many triathlons near and afar. As for me, I completed in an Olympic triathlon in the great city of Baltimore, Maryland with a buddy of mine I met at school. Picking a city that is foreign to you to do a triathlon makes your race much more entertaining. The Maryland hills proved to be a challenge on the bike portion of the race but the views of all the farms outside the city made it much more exciting, especially when you are cheered on by a bunch of mooing cows (thanks cows). A friend competing alongside you is also a great thing to have when doing a long race like an Olympic triathlon. We had fun cheering each other on and celebrating at the finish line by clinging our Gatorade bottles together and taking excellent photos with our fancy new medals. Tom Nolan and Carson Miesfeldt of our team did their first half ironman triathlon over the summer in Williamsburg, Virginia. The half-ironman triathlon is about four times the distance of the races our team normally does, so it’s safe to say that the App State Triathlon Team is very proud of Tom and Carson for completing the race. You may be asking what Tom and Carson had to say after the race? Short and sweet: “We looked way better before the race, than after.” Many other athletes competed in races in North Carolina. Races where App State was represented: Lake Logan International Triathlon, Asheville Sprint Triathlon, Lake James Sprint Triathlon, Greensboro Sprint Triathlon, High Point Sprint Triathlon, We are extremely proud of all of our athletes and we’re “geared” up and excited for a fantastic season of races; we think this year will be the best one yet!

WRITTEN BY: CAROLINE HELLEN SECRETARY

Equestrian

The Equestrian team is excited for a new year. After only loosing three seniors last year, we are excited to be bringing most of the same members back! However, we are even more excited about recruiting new members to join our family! In addition to these two things the Equestrian team is happy to announce that we have found a new Western team coach. The Western team decided early in the year that they were going to start the search for a new coach. This was no easy task due to the fact that there are not many Western barns or trainers in the area. The team kind of stumbled upon our new coach, Crosby Reed of Mimosa Hills Farm in Morganton, through a google search. At the end of the semester last year, members of the Western team took a few lessons with Crosby and felt very comfortable with her knowledge and teaching style. Another plus is that Crosby had ridden on a collegiate team herself at the University of Kentucky. The Western team could not be more prepared to take on this year with Crosby as their coach.

Photos Submitted by: Haley McCune Part of the decision of being on the Equestrian team is deciding whether or not you would like to compete. The majority of the team chooses to compete. Each team has their own shows. The Dressage team has an average of three to four shows a semester, where they compete at Wake Forest, Emory and Henry, Virginia Tech, and at our home barn. The Hunt Seat team always has a busy fall semester show schedule averaging at five shows. They compete and travel to Elon University, High Point University, Averett University, and Virginia Tech. The Western team shows are set up into weekends, where there is a show on both Saturday and Sunday. They travel to St. Andrews, Martin Community College, Campbell, and Liberty. Team members carpool to shows and share hotel rooms when necessary, allowing the opportunity for members to get to know other members better as well as more opportunities for team bonding. The first horse show is to be held the last weekend of September; this is a Hunt Seat show. The Western and Dressage teams both have shows shortly after. For the noncompeting members, the team elects a social chair every year to plan and organize events for the team that helps us to get to know one another better.

In the past, some of these events have been tailgating at football games, hiking local trails, getting dinner at a local restaurant, and more. Our social chair this year is Megan Hoover, a senior who is very excited about getting the team involved in volunteering with Horse Helpers and other events on campus. This is a great way to help the community while also getting to know team members better. We are excited to see what she has planned for this year. The Appalachian Equestrian Team is looking to make this the best year yet! We are hoping to gain new members and grow closer together as a team. If you would like more

WRITTEN BY: HALEY MCCUNE PRESIDENT

Archery

A year ago I walked through the Club Expo as a freshman having no clue what I wanted to do. I had signed up for way too many clubs already but when I reached the Appalachian Archery table, I decided one more couldn’t hurt. I had shot a bow maybe once at a summer camp ten years ago, but the members welcomed me with open arms anyway. I wrote down my email, went to an interest meeting and I was hooked. I know many people have the desire to try to shoot a bow, I assumed I would I try it out get my fix and probably not stay very involved. I was very wrong. I went to the first practice, where I met the people who are now my closest friends. A coach put a bow in my hand and led me to the shooting line where he helped me line up a shot and release. I missed. By a lot. That didn’t matter though, the coach stood attentively next to me while I lined up another shot and… missed again, and again, until finally I hit the target. People who I had known for an hour congratulated me after I hit the target the first time. It was an amazing feeling, a feeling that never goes away no matter how many times you hit a target. An excited calm. I continued to go to practices every week and meet new people. The extraordinary thing was no matter how good or bad a person was at this sport, everyone was welcomed with open arms. It’s a really comforting feeling to have people accept you for who you are and believe in your ability to do better. I know that I have the support of my teammates whether I am having a great day or bad one. That is probably the best thing about this team, we encourage each other, we support each other, and we believe in each other.

The first time I went to a tournament I it was one of the biggest ones that is held in the nation. It is called the Rinehart 100 and it is a two-day shoot of 100 targets. It took fourteen hours to complete, seven hours on Saturday and seven hours on Sunday. I had been shooting for a couple months now and I was starting to get the hang of it, but this weekend would be the real test of whether or not I could make it as a long-term archer. The team and I trekked through miles of woods shooting target after target. These targets were huge! One target was a copperhead snake the size of large dog and I also shot at a couple life-sized dinosaurs. What I also saw at this tournament was that no matter where you were from or how long you had been shooting, by picking up a bow and trying, you became a part of a huge community that you don’t even realize existed until you’re a part of it. The hundreds of people at this tournament were linked by a love of a sport. Every stranger I met at the Rinehart 100 was encouraging, friendly, and respectful. Having been involved in organized sports my whole life I can tell you that this was a first for me. These men and women never let competition get the best of them. They were competing against their last personal best as much as they were competing with the people around them. So, even after fourteen hours of hiking, losing arrows to the woods from missed shots, and a sore shoulder, I still loved what I was doing. I loved it even more than before I had started. Over the course of last year I saw the Archery Club grow into a team and then a family. At the end of last year I was elected for an officer position. Another first. I rejoice in the fact that I now get do everything I can to help make this team, this family, the best it can be. This will be also be our first full year as a Club Sport and we could not be more excited to see where this will lead us. It’s a huge step to become a Club Sport and like everything else, the Archery team will do it together.

Photos Submitted by: Kaitlyn Reed

WRITTEN BY: KAITLYN REED PR OFFICER

Photos Submitted by: Carly Wilson As both President and Senior I have many things to look forward to in the upcoming year. One of those things is the Women’s Club Soccer team and all aspects of it. From returning players to new players to the officers who will be running the team, there is nothing negative about this year. Losing only three seniors last year, the bulk of our team will be returning to play this year. We ended last season on a high note, really coming together as a team and family making for a very successful run. We hope that with the unity and dedication we brought to the table last year will carry on through this year. As we enter the season we do have a few changes, and not just in officers. We have entered a new division with just as competitive, if not more so, teams as last year’s competition. We will be playing big name schools known around the country for their soccer such UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, and Duke. With this new competition comes new challenges, but the team is ready. Leading this new chapter of our clubs history are the

newly elected officers. Mary Gorry will be acting Vice President and will now take her leadership further than just the center midfield. Rachel Baran will be our Treasurer taking on not only the grueling task of goalkeeping, but of budgeting as well. Antonia Meyers will be our Secretary adding much needed personality to both on and off the field. Emily Mercer will be in our new position of Club Sports Rep., but that doesn’t make her new to the team and leadership role she’ll be playing. As a whole we could not have asked for a better set of officers and returners this year. Together we will tackle the new division and make new friends with all the new recruits we have coming in. Our first games will be home games, which is always exciting. Not only will everyone get a chance to come out, but also we get to meet up with ECU again. This rivalry began last season at the NCSU Tournament where we beat a tough ECU in group play, but fell to fatigue and injury when we met again in the semifinals. With the games at 1-1 both ECU and us are ready to play again. And we’re ready to win.

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soccer We look forward to our home games not just for the competition, but also for the fun of hosting. Not only will it be a great chance to have everyone come out, but also a chance for friends, families, and other teams to see what we are made of. Finally the last piece that will make this year a good year is the newly made

Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Soccer team. We will now have a brother team to go to tournaments and games with while also supporting each other whether it is at practice against each other or games cheering for each other.

officers, and a great season to build from last year, we only have room to grow.

All in all this season looks to have the makings of a great year. With new a division, a solid group of players and

WRITTEN BY: CARLY WILSON PRESIDENT

Men’s Ultimate At this time last year, former Captain Kevin Byerly told the team that “each day of the season would be an upramp” for the Nomads. The year went exactly like that for the ASU Men’s Ultimate team. Starting the Fall season with rookie development, the Nomads were viewed by other teams as the underdogs for the 2015 Spring season. However, the team opened the spring by winning their first two tournaments and then qualifying for regionals. The 14 seniors led the team to finish 6th, tying the teams best ever finish. This year most of those 14 seniors are out of eligibility, but a strong sophomore and junior class plan to help build the Nomads from the

ground up. They are prepared and excited to welcome a new freshman class to the Nomad’s values of humility, perseverance, honesty, and hard work. This Fall the team hopes to build a strong core of skills and experience to build off of for the competitive Spring season. Although they may be viewed as an underdog again, the Nomads plan to play tough and make noise in the ultimate community. In order to achieve their goals, Captain’s Benj Thomsen and Mikko Rich-Voorhees plan to develop skills as a team and improve overall athleticism in order to over-power some experienced teams that they will face. Last year, alumni and coach

Eric Woolridge helped the Nomads qualify for Regionals, and he will be happily welcomed back this year to offer his years of wisdom and encouragement to the young team. Although a young team, it is one hungry for its chance back to the top, and one full of potential that is ready to be shown on and off the field this year. The returning players are prepared to step into positions they may not be used to, and to help teach the new players as they were taught in the years past. Although any building year may come with struggles, hard work and love for the game will keep the Nomads challenging other East Coast teams.

WRITTEN BY: CHRISTIAN SOLBERG SECRETARY Photos Submitted by: Christian Solberg

The off-season for collegiate cycling is a great time to travel, enjoy the summer weather, and even race some more. Many returning members of the Appalachian State Cycling team spent their time traveling to race outside of the collegiate team. Riders competed in local events throughout North Carolina and the south, the Tulsa Tough, World Cup XC in Windham, Red Hook Crit London, and many other races large and small. Some members took advantage of this time to explore the globe and take a break from racing and training travelling to scenic locations in Southeast Asia and South America. For those who were able to stay in Boone, the days were beautiful, warm, sometimes spontaneously pouring rain, but filled with much less traffic than during the fall and spring semesters. The incredible weather along with the challenging terrain and great group ride scene tends to retain riders wishing to train for summer racing. This year the cycling team wants to reach out to cyclists who enjoy the sport at more of a leisure level. While the team has a rich history of fast racing, and national championships both team and individual, there are many students looking to enjoy the high quality riding that the area has to offer, without racing. To include all aspects of cycling many members of the team help lead weekly social group rides to get people up and active, whether they are involved with the team or not. These rides give cyclist an opportunity to meet other people that enjoy the outdoors two wheels, as well as individuals experienced in the cycling community to help with everything from bike maintenance, skills, routes and other useful information.

Coming off a very successful 2014-2015 season in the ACCC conference the team hopes to bring in a lot of riders of all skill levels to help lead the conference again. Although we have lost many successful racers to graduation, many incoming freshman and transfer students have been getting involved and showing promise of filling these shoes. For students who wish to try racing out, collegiate cycling is a good way to dip your toes in the water with cyclists who are also new or very experience. Collegiate cycling also is a very cost efficient and beginner friendly way to test the waters of racing. The team is able to absorb some of the costs associated with racing such as hotel cost, apparel, and racing fees with the help of many very helpful sponsors. With the new talent, seasoned veterans, a fresh new crew of officers, and incredible sponsors the Appalachian State Cycling Team is excited to enter the new upcoming season of racing.

Photos Submitted by: Jacob Richard

WRITTEN BY: JACOB RICHARD VICE PRESIDENT

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lacrosse

A new school year comes with a flurry of emotions and thoughts, but one of the most exciting things is the beginning of the fall lacrosse season. There are so many new things to be excited for, like beating ECU or even Duke, but one of the best things is new additions joining the team. As a freshman last year, I was equally excited and nervous to become a part of a team that was mostly returning players. However, as cheesy as it might sound, they welcomed me and all the other new players with open arms. They made it known to us how excited they were about what we would bring to the team.

provide new leadership. Her name is Rachel Meadows, and she recently moved here from New Jersey with her husband who is a physician here in Boone. She played lacrosse at the collegiate level at Old Dominion University and graduated Cum Laude with a degree in communications. She has previous experience in coaching teams, including being the head coach at Drew College and a defensive coordinator at Centenary College. Rachel brought some much needed guidance toward the end of last season at our UNC Wilmington tournament, and we look forward to having her again this year!

An awesome opportunity we have this year is having a coach that will

Along with a new coach, we have new group of officers who will fearlessly

be leading our team together. Hayley Wilson is our new President. She was previously our Secretary, and is a senior majoring in Recreation Management. Lexi Uva is our Vice President, and also served in this position last year. She has a major in Psychology with a concentration in Health Studies and is a junior. Caty Bredeson is our Secretary, and has experience in this position from last year. She is a senior, and is majoring in Exercise Science. Kate Roche is our new Treasurer, and is a senior majoring in Art Education. And finally, I am Emma Evans, and I am the new Club Sports Council representative. I am a sophomore, and am currently taking Pre-Nursing classes.

We have all been planning and preparing for the season and cannot wait for everyone to get together! We are so excited to finally play as a team to get ready for the upcoming tournaments and scrimmages. We will begin practices this coming Monday the 31st at State Farm, and if you are even remotely interested in playing this season, we encourage you to come out! A new season always brings new energy and new skill, and we are pumped to see what is in store for us this fall!

WRITTEN BY: EMMA EVANS CLUB SPORTS COUNCIL REP

Photos Submitted by: Emma Evans

Men’s Club Soccer is finally back on the map at Appalachian State University! After a pain staking application and approval process, club President Ryan Bateson received the good news just before Spring Break 2015. Men’s Club Soccer returns to Appalachian State University this Fall and with it widespread excitement in soccer players, both young and old, across campus. The talent pool here at App State is extensive and has been teeming with players anxious to get back on the field in a truly competitive manner since I witnessed the club dissolve almost three years ago. Ryan has brought this opportunity back with the help of Vice President Louis Sabourin, Secretary Austin Cuave, Treasurer On Ya, Club Sports Representative Logan Smith, and Faculty Advisor Shea Tuberty. The team even managed to secure a spot in the Atlantic South Conference of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) over the summer. The club will compete with UNC Wilmington, Clemson, USC, UNC Charlotte, and more in the Atlantic South Conference; to see the full conference check out region2soccer.org. We expect to be a highly competitive member of the league after a convincing 4-0 victory over UNC Charlotte in a scrimmage during the spring semester. Everyone seems to have one eye on the Clemson tournament, which is expected to be the highlight of the season and will take place over the weekend of September 26th. If we qualify through conference play and it is deemed fiscally possible, we will travel to the regional tournament in Florida where we will play the best clubs in NIRSA’s Region 2. As an organization we would like to thank Ryan and all those involved for putting in the work to give the rest of us a chance to do something we love. Finally, we would like to thank you, the reader, for taking an interest in our club and its progress.

WRITTEN BY: AUSTIN SCHMID MEMBER

Photos Submitted by: Dylan Cross The Appalachian State Alpine Ski Team is eager to for this coming season to begin. Soon snow will be upon us, and it will be time to hit the slopes at Sugar Mountain. With multiple Appalachian State racers placing in the top five in many events last year, this upcoming season looks to be a promising one. The team is anxious to see what our new members will bring to the team as well. Until the snow arrives, we have awesome dry land trainings planned. The team looks forward to building strength and agility that will benefit us when the racing does begin.

WRITTEN BY: DYLAN CROSS CLUB SPORTS COUNCIL REP

WRITTEN BY: STEPHANIE SHARPIRO TREASURER Snowboarding

As the fall semester begins so does the planning for the upcoming winter season. As much as the team loves Fall weather, we’re eager for the first snowfall. Last year the Women and Men’s team both placed 2nd for Giant Slalom and 3rd for Freestyle. We plan to work hard to represent Appalachian State in the best way possible again, as well as having fun! We look forward to the season’s schedule and hope to have a lot of road trips with the team no matter where the races are held. With the new upcoming season comes new faces. One of our favorite things to do for team members is to come up with nicknames for them as the season goes on. Giving out nicknames helps keep the races and practices fun which is what they are all about. We also have a tradition of having new members watch the game of Gnar and understand the life of a gnarcat. We look forward to having new people join the team and see them love the sport of snowboarding as much as we do. As many students dread the snowfall and cold weather, we praise it. If we had a choice we would have wanted it to start snowing yesterday. We are looking forward to heavy snowfalls and cancelled classes. No matter what the weather is, if the mountain is open you bet you can find the team out there. Even when the slope isn’t open yet, you can find team members out around campus on some of the first snow days setting up rails and jumps. As I talk to returning team members it seems like everyone is ready for the first race of the season to

kick off after winter break. Ross, a previous team member said, “I look forward to shredding that fresh ice with the crew” and another team member, Raggedy Anne continued to yell, “THREE FER DALE”. The Snowboard Team has become a close knit family and everyone can’t wait to be reunited as well as adding new gnarcats to the family. We’re pumped for this year’s races along with all of our shenanigans that come along with it!

Photos Submitted by: Stephanie Sharpiro

WRITTEN BY: SARAH RAFTERY SECRETARY

Photos from Club Sports Photo Library

HEY THERE FELLOW MOUNTAINEERS! ARE YOU AS EXCITED TO BE BACK IN BOONE AS THE WOMENS CLUB BASKETBALL TEAM?!? Eager to start this season, we all agreed that this summer would be a chance to get a head start on fundraising. Last week we had our first big fundraiser and were very pleased with the large turnout. By partnering with Chipotle we managed to raise over $300, which will eliminate players paying out of pocket for at least one tournament. At Club Expo, we managed to speak with over forty interested girls and were more than pleased about having fifteen girls at our first practice. After a few drills to warm up, we were able to get back in the groove. The remainder of our time was spent scrimmaging, and by the looks of it we expect a very successful season and hopefully a national championship. With only six returners and one player having more than an entire year under her belt, we were not sure what to expect. However, we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be more pleased with how this season is going and cannot wait to play in our first tournament; which we will be hosting at the SRC September 26-27. Despite the talented teams attending, we strongly believe we have a team more than capable of bringing home a title for Appalachian Club Sports.

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Volleyball

Photos Submitted by: Riley Dixon

Women’s Club Volleyball finished strong last year with one national team competing in the national tournament in Kansas City, and the other two regional teams finishing strong in their last tournaments. Even though Volleyball powered through last season, President Priya Ford and other members of the Executive Board, want to make changes within the club. According to the President Priya Ford, she has big dreams for the upcoming season. “This year I want to make sure that club volleyball becomes more established and recognized on campus. I want to continue hosting home tournaments, have fundraisers, volunteer, and create more relationships with other organizations on campus. So far we have continued our relationship with the varsity volleyball team but I would love to see club volleyball interact more with other club sports.”

Club Recruitment Chair, Samantha Creech, feels strongly about the atmosphere that surrounds Club Volleyball. “When I transferred to Appalachian my sophomore year, I started playing club. I loved it. My team and I all became really good friends and because of that we played well together. I want to have team bonding experiences and have this club feel like a family so we all can play well.” So far, Women’s Club Volleyball has had an open gym with a group of Men interested in starting a Men’s team and also had the two head Volleyball coaches from the Varsity team come and talk to us about supporting each other. Team placement are on August 26th and August 30th. With the great turn out at the open gym, Club Volleyball is expecting a great season.

WRITTEN BY: AYRON WALKER SECRETARY

Newer Executive Board members, such as Riley Dixon, a fourth year club volleyball player and now the Vice President, have ideas about the new season as well. “I want better communication between the officers and the members of the team so everyone knows what is going on,” says Riley. Many of these new Executive Board members have been playing in Club Volleyball since they were freshman or transferred and have enjoyed the friendship, competitive sport and everything that comes along with Women’s Club Volleyball.

WRITTEN BY CHAD DEAVER, CLUB SPORTS EXECUTIVE

As Club Sports welcomes in a new year, we also welcome new faces. Three new executives will be taking over: Chad Deaver of the Ice Hockey team, Patrick Sekel of the Baseball team, and Olivia Chason of the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lacrosse team. All three are very excited to be involved with Club Sports this year. We also welcome Chris Carr and Heather Marshall, who will be coordinating competitive sports and facilities. On Wednesday August 26 the first Club Sports Council meeting was conducted. We received updates from all 21 teams, discussed how the meetings will be conducted, and expectations of everyone involved. We then broke up

Olivia Chason

chasonom@appstate.edu

Chad Deaver

into committees that include Publicity, Community Service, Fundraising, Budget Points, and Team Unity. Each committee went over their purpose, and also some goals that they wish to accomplish over the next year. All three executives continue to work hard getting ready for the upcoming year. Medical consent forms and travel forms will be the main focus for the upcoming weeks as the executives do everything they can to make sure their teams are ready to travel when games start. The executives are looking forward to a fun year with Club Sports, and hope you are too!

deaverce1@appstate.edu

Patrick Sekel

sekelp@appstate.edu

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