Club Sports Illustrated: January 27th Edition

January 27, 2017

Club Sports Illustrated

Issue 78 A UREC Publication

An update on the App State Club Snowboarding team.

Page 12

In This Issue Executive Corner

3

Fencing 8

Moving Forward

Lunging Into A New Semester

Cycling 4

Women’s Rugby 11

Cyclocross Nationals

More Than A Sport

Equestrian 7

Snowboarding 12

Adventures In Grayson Highlands

Mid-Season Stride

January 27th Edition of Club Sports Illustrated Designed, Edited, And Published by Ian Hensley UREC Publicity Programmer Articles by App State Students Cover photo by: Stephanie Shapiro

2

EXECUTIVE CORNER

Timothy Hamilton

Ian Hensley After the first snowy tundra of winter 2k17 had finally melted we Executive Officer were back in the gym – maxing out on emails and achieving our personal records of how many words per minute we could type.

During a weeklong training the three of us, along with our professional staff: Eric Horth, Chris Carr, and Erin Sanders were developing plans for moving forward this semester. As the fall semester closed out with great success between our twenty-three Club Sports teams, we were eager and looking forward to continue our work with the program.

In this training, we learned about what excitement and challenges the spring semester brings to the Executive Officers. Sophie, who has diligently been working to unify the twenty-three Club Sports teams has made a lot of headway with improving our relations across campus. She has worked with varsity athletics and has currently set up a “Club Sports Night” at a men’s basketball game. This night is a huge step for our program!

Varsity has been amazing to work with and not only is allowing us to host this event, but is also recognizing us throughout the game. This is a great event to bring all of the club sports teams together to cheer on our very own Mountaineers.

Another big step we made in our spring training was assigning our end of the year projects. Each year the Executive Officers are given a chance to work on the banquet, symposium, and the budget proposal.

Sophie has taken on the challenge of our end of the year banquet. This banquet honors our current officers and all of the hard work they have

accomplished with their teams this year. She plans to keep the tradition of having food at this event, as well as honoring teams that that have gone above and beyond this year. She plans to make some minor adjustments as she moves forward with her project to ensure that this banquet will be one for the books!

Nikko has dedicated his time to working on the symposium. The symposium is held to welcome in the new officers for the upcoming year. With the symposium, Nikko is looking to make best use of the time that will benefit the newly elected. The officers will have a chance to learn the basics of the program, and formally work with their other officers in moving forward with their teams. Nikko is currently working on the venue of the event, and what the various stations/seminar will be. He plans to make this symposium educational, and a chance to learn the goals and mission of the Club Sport program.

As for myself, I am working on the budget proposal. This proposal is given to various administration from Student Engagement and Leadership, as well as other administration, faculty and staff. Currently, I am working very hard in reaching out to our peer institutions and their Club Sports programs to compare the numbers. As our own program continues to grow, we all want each team to continue to receive allocation, so that teams can compete in higher levels of competition.

Therefore, I am working to ensure this continues for our program moving forward into a new year.

Thanks for reading!

Article By: Angena LeBarre Executive Officer

3

Cycling

The Appalachian State University Cycling Team took on the USAC Collegiate National Cyclocross Championships during the winter break. With an unpredictable range of weather berating the city of Hartford, Connecticut the stage was set for a variable and dramatic championship week. Our National CX drove up north to compete against all collegiate teams in hopes of reaching the top step on the podium. With a whole season of competition behind our crew they were ready to give it all.

First off was the Men’s race fairly early in the morning. Byron captured an impressive fourth place, which is one of the best individual performances so far this year. Alan came in at a strong 15th place which was well in the top third of the field. Garrett suffered a mechanical issue which held him from finishing, but made sure he was ready to put it all on the line for the team relay.

4

CYCLOCROSS

The Women’s race followed shortly after with Alexandra being our lone wolf. Alex kept it smooth and clean to retain 10th place. That wrapped up the first of two days of racing, with only the team relay deciding what teams would stand on the podium.

The team relay consists of four laps, two male, and two female. The team consisted of Byron, Alex, and Garret with Alex taking an extra lap. The team fought hard against UVM and VTech, to get the bronze medal, which also helped add points to the overall team omnium. The CX team took home 2nd overall national team omnium, a step up the ladder from our third place in the MTB season. With a road season in the scope and a team filled with talent, we are looking forward to making it on the steps for three straight seasons.

Article By: Jacob Richard Secretary

Cyclocross Magazine

S NATIONALS

Sarah Garvick

Sarah Garvick

Sarah Garvick

Sarah Garvick

5

Equestrian

ADVENTURES IN GR

Kalista Nedoff

Rachel Hintermeister

6

Kalista Nedoff

RAYSON HIGHLANDS

While many students seek retail therapy after a long, hard semester, members of the Equestrian Team run to the mountains of Virginia for some adventurous horse therapy. Located about an hour and twenty minutes from Boone, Grayson Highlands State Park is most commonly known for its wild ponies that wander through the trails.

Some of the non-competing members decided to take an adventure to see the ponies as a celebration of completing another semester of college.

Grayson Highlands State Park is home to over one hundred wild ponies. In 1975, the U.S. Forest Service decided to release a number of ponies into this area to control the growth of brush. Since then, the herd has thrived and multiplied. The Wilburn Ridge Pony Association, established in 1975, helps maintain a balance between the ponies and environment. Due to the popularity of Grayson Highlands State Park, many of these wild animals have become very accustomed to visitors.

It is hard to resist not interacting with such beautiful animals when you have a heart for

equestrian, but you have to remember that they are wild life. The best way the team interacted with the ponies was photographing their beauty and grace. It’s so amazing to observe how they all interact within their herd. Some of the ponies enjoyed hiding in the shadows, but a lot of them enjoyed striving to be the center of attention. Our new pony friends definitely gave us a good laugh.

Grayson Highlands State Park is definitely a team favorite recommended for everyone. The Equestrian Team loves having new experiences with one another especially when it involves ponies and horses. The best part about being an App State student and being on a team is always having the accessibility to adventure and the best companions.

Article By: Kalista Nedoff Publicity Chair

7

Fencing

After a much-needed break, the fencing team is so excited to begin another great semester on the strip. During our six weeks off, our teammates spent their time traveling to new states, ringing in the New Year, and snowboarding at Sugar Mountain. Happy belated birthdays to Suryaveer, Maria, and Hunter, who all celebrated their special days over the break!

As usual, our spring tournament schedule is packed with tons of exciting tournaments hosted by teams ranging from Vanderbilt University to UNC Wilmington. Additionally, we are hoping to attend Nationals in Winston-Salem this April . Our website, appstatefencing.wixsite.com/asufencing, features the team’s most recent travel calendar for the upcoming semester so be sure to check in often for updates. Our cars will be charting lots of miles this semester, and I am excited to photograph every step of the way!

In addition to our multitude of road trips, we are also hoping to plan more team-bonding activities this semester to help us get to know each other better outside of practice time. Bowling nights, group fitness classes, and adventures on the parkway are just a few of the activities that the officers have in mind. Former officers created a

8

LUNGING INTO A

tradition out of the Macado’s appetizer special on Thursday nights, and we can’t wait to continue this long-standing weekly tradition into the new semester.

The club expo was a huge success and we’re looking forward to meeting lots of new faces at our interest meeting on Wednesday night. As the oldest club sport at Appalachian, we have a lot to be proud of and can’t wait to share our passion for fencing with our prospective teammates. Regular practices resumed on yesterday, January 26th at our usual time.

We welcome members of all experience levels at any point in the semester, so be sure to check out our Facebook and AppSync pages for updates if you are interested in joining the coolest club sport at Appalachian State. We encourage everyone to explore the variety of Club and Intramural Sports offerings and hope that you find a team that suits your interests!

Article By: Lauren Brackett Publicity Chair

Lauren Bracket

NEW SEMESTER

Maria Cilenti

Sean Cobb

9

Women’s Rugby

MORE THAN

mikayla Dougher

Allyson Kern

10

Club Sports

N A SPORT

Most people picture Rugby and can only visualize the apparent chaos of a game. They see crazy tackles and loud scrums that makes them wonder who in their right minds would play something so wild. However, the thing people do not realize is that rugby is an amazing and organized sport.

It is safer than it looks from the sidelines and it is played by wonderful athletes. The thing about Rugby is that it is more than a game, it has incredibly fulfilling aspects that people cannot truly appreciate until they have been a part of it.

The Team A Rugby team is more than a group of athletic women who compete together. Between the practices and games it is impossible to find a time where teammates are not hanging out in the library, grabbing a bite to eat or simply hanging out. Rugby is the sport that brought a diverse group of girls together, girls that probably would not normally have befriended because of different interests circles. One could ask any player on the AHO Women’s Rugby team how they felt being on the team and the answer would be the same: they love being a part of a dedicated athletic team and they value the friendships they have made over the

course of enjoying the game.

The Community Rugby teams do not exist in isolation, part of being on a rugby team is being part of the Rugby community. Even teams that are the biggest of rivals are able to come together after a match and truly enjoy socializing with each other. Those who play rugby truly enjoy playing the game and have respect for those who also play, so teams are able to compete against each other and then all go out for lunch. One of the best aspects of Rugby is the ability to travel to different cities, play an amazing game and make friends all over the region.

Rugby is a sport that extends beyond the pitch.

It is a fantastic sport that is a thrill to play, it is a way to make incredible connections with a diverse group of people and it is a welcoming community that stretches beyond any singular campus or team.

Rugby is more than a sport, it is an experience.

Article By: Layne johnston Team Member

11

Snowboarding Even though the weather is not cooperating, the Snowboarding team is well into midseason stride. Our first race ended up being canceled due to lack of snow, however, it turned into a fun filled weekend at the always exciting Wintergreen Resort. Oh, and what do you know? It was our first big snow event of winter too. Lack of snow? Pshh. When we got there several inches had fallen and continued to fall throughout the night making the first weekend of “competition” one for the books.

Because this weekend was a freebie, it was not much different than if were at App Ski. Our home mountain practices generally consist of park laps. Lots of park laps, and that is exactly what we did in Wintergreen. Fun Fun Fun. Our second “weekend” took place on MLK day at Sugar Mountain right down the street.

This one was struggle. Snow, as most of you know, was not in the forecast that weekend.

With day temperatures in the 50’s, mud boarding would have been a better name for our sport. Although, it was a fantastic opportunity for the team, as a whole, to get together and act a fool. When things move not so efficiently at the start gates we get a little rowdy. Priorities shift to Snowball fights and hilarious photos, with actual racing coming in last. Though, we pulled off a smooth 4th place in our first competition out of 8. No complaints here.

As far as comradery goes, traveling with the whole team is the bee’s-nee’s outa nine. Up until this point we had seen each other at App Ski a few times, have had some meetings and get togethers but nothing that really solidifies us as a unit. That is something we are really proud of calling ourselves. A unit, a team, a squad. We rally at the lift tops and always roll down the mountain in a wild pack of black and yellow, hootin and hollerin as we traverse

12

MID-SEASO the mountain and all the glorious pow that has been blessed upon us.

Our third and most recent competition weekend would be our first travel event.

This is what we look forward too. Getting out of town, road tripping with our favorite allies, and competing against rivalry schools.

Usually our journey starts Friday afternoon and develops into the night. With classes and labs, some members are not available to leave until late afternoon. Leaving Boone around 5 pm puts us in the Bryce, VA area in about 5 hours, 10-11 PM. With fairly early start times, 8-9 AM, most are in bed by….3 AM. Earllllllllly morning wake up, 6 AM or so. Then breakfast by our team cook. Generally leaving the house by 7-7:30 AM and it is a STRUGGLLE to wake up twenty-five snowboarders that early.

On the mountain we mostly compete in Giant slalom. Just like in the Olympics, we take timed laps around gates and see who’s the fastest. There’s also freestyle and rail jam events on less than frequent occasions. We stack up our best ten riders. Out of those ten, the three best individual results are tallied for the school and that places us against our competitors.

So far we are 4th in the USCSA conference and are looking to make it to regionals in February. As always we are riding just about every day at App Ski so if you see one of us, come say hello. Our next trip is back to Bryce, VA this upcoming weekend and we are pumped! That’s all for our season update and we hope to see you guys out there…

Article By: Patrick Clifton President

Stephanie Shapiro

ON STRIDE

Patrick Clifton Marisa Debich

13

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLUB SPORTS GO TO CLUBSPORTS.APPSTATE.EDU

Executive Officers

Nikko Weeman weemannk@appstate.edu

Angena LeBarre lebarreac@appstate.edu

Sophie Twarog twarogsr@appstate.edu

Coordinators for Competitive Sports:

Chris Carr carrcp@appstate.edu

Eric Horth horther@appstate.edu

Director of UREC: Joe Carter carterjr@appstate.edu

Assistant Director for IM + Club Sports: Erin Sanders sandersec1@appstate.edu

@AppStateClubSports

@AppStClubSports

Club sports@appstate.edu | (828)262-2100