Plan CC 2035 emerges The city’s 20-year development plan has finalized
photo by Amber Quaid
Open Mic Spotlights Local Talent by JESSE DE LEON graduate adviser
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photo courtesy of Plan CC
Mayor Nelda Martinez looks over the plans for the area affected by Plan CC 2035.
by AMBER QUAID managing editor
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orpus Christi is about to have a 20-year plan that changes the way downtown looks, feels and incorporates living space. The plan called Plan CC 2035 has detailed the improvements and changes that will take place in the downtown area for the public to review. June 15 was the last day to review and submit comments on the plan to have an answer given to the community before it was finalized. Throughout this year the city planning committee has held several open houses and public meetings to discuss the plan in detail, to have a Q&A session and to answer any questions that
they were unable to be answered in the previous meeting. “Does ‘growth’ in Plan CC mean development on vacant and agricultural land—also known as ‘greenfield development’--or redevelopment of vacant or underutilized sites in the older parts of the city?” Annika Gunning, city project manager, responded “Plan CC provides for balanced growth over 20 years through infill and redevelopment, greenfield development within the current city limits, and through planned development of selected areas for annexation. Plan CC envisions both the development of walkable, urban villages with diverse housing types and conventional single family subdivisions.” This question had numerous inqui-
ries and many Corpus Christi residents wanted to know about the green impact of the plan. There were also many questions as to how this would affect the college community and the youth of the city. “Do you think that there will be a youth voice for the next generation in raising the bar for education and developing the city?” “There are groups like the Young Professionals of the Coastal Bend that are already working to improve Corpus Christi,” Gunning said. “But it would be wonderful to see more young people active in efforts to improve educational achievement and create a more vibrant city.” see PLAN CC on page 3
Soccer camp in full swing for summer
ong before there were glitzy television showcases like American Idol and The Voice, there were the more down-to-earth gatherings held at countless coffee houses and live music venues across the country which were commonly known as “open mic nights.” These rather unassuming and more accessible opportunities to grab the spotlight were designed to give local singers, musicians and performers an opportunity to experience what it was like to face a live audience while getting more than a little attention. It is a longstanding tradition that is still practiced today at local venues like Corpus Christi’s House of Rock. The popular downtown venue enthusiastically welcomes fledgling singers and up-and-coming songwriters, as well as a wide variety of performance artists when it hosts its highly popular Open Mic Night every Tuesday evening. “We try to keep the local music scene alive and this is a great way to get everyone together,” said Stephanie Garcia, one of House of Rock’s managers, who also serves as the venue’s marketing and public relations representative. see MIC on page 5
Community, kids brought together through skills, hardwork by GERI LEMMONS feature Reporter
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his summer soccer is having a soccer camp for boys and girls ages 5-16 and 13-18 at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi at the Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer and Track Stadium. One of these camps will be held in June while another one will be held in July. The first camp will be June 9-12 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The second
INDEX OPINION 2 | NEWS 3
camp will be July 13-16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This is the third summer that the Islander soccer team will be hosting these camps along with some clinics that provide help for prospective athletes who want to gain more skills in regards to soccer. Anne Houliston, the assistant women’s soccer coach, said that their camps provide a fun and safe environment where kids can learn and develop their soccer skills. It gives
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kids “the opportunity to interact and learn how to work within a team.” Using their players as coaches provides each child with a role model that they can aspire to be like. “It provides us the opportunity to work closely with kids in the community,” Houliston said. “It allows us to show off our beautiful campus and facilities to parents/participants. As we are growing as a program it is
ENTERTAINMENT 5 | SPORTS 7-8 |
see Soccer on page 7
VOLUME 26, ISSUE 17
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opinion
06.18.2015
ISLAND WAVES
a student publication of
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
island waves staff JAMIE FINK web editor
Call her Caitlyn
AMBER QUAID
managing editor
KELSEY FLORES copy editor
JUSTIN VU NGUYEN
advertising assistant
THI NGUYEN
layout assistant
KARA HERRERA layout assistant
GERI LEMMONS
photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.com
features reporter
VIVIEN SANCHEZ news reporter
WENDY MOORE faculty adviser
AMY KOTULSKI staff adviser
JESSE DE LEON
graduate adviser
contact us 6300 Ocean Drive Unit 5783 Corpus Christi, TX 78412 (361) 825-5862 write us a letter The Island Waves accepts letters no longer than 250 words. Letters are subject to editing. Send letters to the editor via email at: editor@tamucc.edu. about island waves The Island Waves is a student-produced publication at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The newspaper is printed weekly, except during summer sessions. Since A&M-Corpus Christi has no journalism department, Island Waves is supported by student fees and advertising sales. Any student or University employee may submit material for publication consideration. To become a contributor, e-mail or call the Island Waves editor.
IslandWaves @IslandWavesToGo
by JAMIE FINK Web Editor
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arlier this year since the Federal Communications Commission declared that the Internet should be free and belongs to the people, we have done our best to show them what we do with free Internet –“break” it. It all started the very first day when we “broke” the Internet with runaway llamas and the now iconic black/blue or white/gold dress. Also, who could forget when Kim Kardashian’s magazine photos caused us to enter a spiraling, frantic comatose. But a couple of weeks ago, we did it again, over another magazine cover photo featuring someone with connections to Kim Kardashian. Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, openly introduced herself to the world as a transgender woman. Caitlyn’s debut expanded the separation that was already noticeable between those on the so-called right and left. Caitlyn also sparked a revolution among thousands of Americans who had never felt the courage to speak their truth before. As a journalist I am expected to be two things: fair and balanced. I always strive to be these things because it makes me a better writer and it provides accurate information to my readers. My job is to provide the information and to let the audience decide where they stand. I am told to be unbiased, to leave my religion at the door of the newsroom or place that I write. When something arises to that like Caitlyn Jenner’s story, my first reaction is to take to my religious background and try to make sense of the situation. Before you quit reading, I can guarantee you this isn’t what you think it will be, so I urge you to continue reading until you finish the article. Rumors flew around for months that after Bruce’s separation from Kris Jenner, that he was slowly becoming a woman. Bruce then starred in a one-on-one interview with Diane Sawyer about how he has never been happy throughout his life, because he felt that he had been living as the wrong person. Jenner, the former gold medal Olympian, announced to the world that he has always felt that he was in the wrong body and was a woman. On June 1, Bruce made his transgender transformation into a woman public as the world saw Caitlyn for the first time. Caitlyn made her debut on the cover of ‘Vanity Fair’ magazine with the title “Call Me Caitlyn.” The cover surfaced on Twitter, to where it went viral in a matter of minutes. The photo was accompanied by the Twitter handle for Caitlyn’s official Twitter account. Jenner’s account reached 1 million fol-
lowers in a little over four hours, setting a world record. The backlash from the religious and conservative communities was both shocking and utterly disgraceful. I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma my entire life, before moving to south Texas this past year. I moved from one very conservative, religious part of the country to another. I grew up in church my entire life. I continue to attend church every Sunday and grow in my spirituality, but as the reactions to Caitlyn’s announcement began spilling in, my heart became troubled. I saw close friends take to social media to join in on the enraged banter toward Caitlyn; people who I grew up with attending church and knowing the type of person they really are. I could not believe what I was reading. If there is one thing that I have gained and grasped from being a Christian and growing up in a Christian household, it is to love unconditionally. In a moment of rage and pride, friends and people all across the country released words that should have never been said. None of us are Caitlyn and none of us have lived her life and seen the things that she has seen. I cannot begin to understand what Bruce went through, or what Caitlyn is and will continue to go through in this life. I am unsure if the saying is just something accustomed to the south or not, but I recall hearing over and over in my short life that if I did not have anything nice to say, then I should not say anything at all. This was obviously forgotten by those who had heard it before. There is one thing, however, that I can do for Caitlyn. I can do as I was commanded. I can treat her as my neighbor and treat her the way I would want to be treated. I do not know about anyone else, but I want to be loved and I want to be loved unconditionally. This is what I can do for her. I can give her the respect that she deserves. I can love her the way that I am loved. I am no better than Caitlyn...or Bruce. I have never won an Olympic gold medal, taken in three young women and one young man, and made them feel welcome and give them a father when they needed one. I have never felt that I was living as the wrong gender my entire life. I have never publicly announced that I am becoming a woman, but there is one thing that I am 100 percent sure
on. If I was ever to feel this way and try to acknowledge a struggle such as this to one person, let alone the entire world, these are the things that I would need. These things that would help me try to understand myself, and understand that humanity is better than everyone indefinitely declares we are. For I will continue to see and live as if the glass were half full. It was something that Caitlyn deemed important to herself and important enough that she no longer needed to live in seclusion and fear. She felt that it was something everyone needed to know, whether we would agree with her or not. Her story has become an inspiration. I, myself, have done nothing grand enough to spark an inspiration in thousands of people. I hope someday to be able to accomplish a feat so grand. I hope to lead and to live a fruitful life, inspiring others to always do their best. To never be afraid of things they do not understand, to live out their dreams even if their dreams seem unrealistic. We must stop criticizing Caitlyn. We must silence our hateful speech for it is doing nothing but making us more spiteful. We must quit damning the LGBTQ community and those who falter in different ways than our own. No one is perfect, as much as we all strive to be and like to think of ourselves as. We will never be perfect, no one will. My mistakes are different, however they are not smaller than anyone else’s. My decisions are those that I make for myself, not someone else. I will live with those decisions for the rest of my life. Just as Caitlyn will live the rest of her life with the decisions she made, and I will respect them. Because I know that Caitlyn would respect the decisions I made for myself. I respect the decisions that Bruce made, and I know that Bruce would also respect mine. So I urge you do something. Speak to someone who you know is a member of the LGBTQ community. Ask them their story, find out a little bit about them. They are not monsters and they are certainly not freaks. They are human. Love them, listen to them, and try to understand them. Be open and accepting of them, for you are no better. You have faced your own battles and made your own decisions, and those that are around you have accepted those decisions because they care for you. Just as we should surround those in this community for the decisions they have made and give them the love that we have received. CALL HER CAITLYN!
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ISLAND WAVES
PLAN CC continued from page 1 In the development of this plan the city incorporated public participation (citizens, business owners and other stakeholders) and used a Citizen’s Advisory Committee and knowledgeable persons in order to keep the plan on track. Further continued public involvement regarding the plan includes an annual progress review in a public hearing. Those persons that make up the main part of the team, who are responsible for the plan are: Nelda Martinez, Mayor; Philip Ramirez, chair planning commission; Ron Olson, city manager; Annika Gunning, project manager. Knowledge persons (consultants) include Goody Clancy, prime consultant; Stantec Urban Places Group, Plan CC lead; Peter Kwass, consulting economic development; W-Zha, commercial market analysis; Zimmerman Volk Associates, housing market potential; Tischlerbise, cost of services analysis; and Kailo Communications Studio, public outreach. Some residents are looking forward to seeing the plan in action. “[I] Spent a few hours looking this over,” said Melissa Stovall Childs, Corpus Christi resident. “Very aggressive. Filled with wonderful ideas, projects and ways to improve CC. Already a lot of work has been done. This one might be
photo courtesy of Plan CC
Corpus Christi downtown is changing and each area will be impacted differently. A break down of each section shows what the whole plan entails.
the one to make the difference, like the city leaders in the 1920s.” While some citizens have other ideas on what the city should be doing. “Plan CC right now should be
to Pave Our Streets,” said Corpus Christi resident Phillip Davis, “Nothing else matters.” For more information one can go online to www.plancc2035. com, Facebook.com and use the key
word Plan CC 2035 or contact the city planner by email at AnnikaG@ cctexas.com or by phone at 8263008. Gunning said, hard copies of the plan are available in every public library.
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06.18.2015
ISLAND WAVES
THE SUMMER IS JAMMIN by the Bay
by AMBER QUAID managing editor
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heCorpusChristiParksandRecreation is hosting their 26 Bay Jammin’ Concert and Cinema Series. This event includes a live music concert every Thursday and a film every Friday night running June 4 to Aug. 14. This series will be held at the Cole Park Amphitheater located in downtown Corpus Christi. “I enjoy taking my kids to see the movies,”saidMichaelRodriguez,Corpus Christi resident. “It’s a free event that we all enjoy.” The concert and cinema series is free and open to the general public. There are vendors that sell food and drinks but coolers are allowed. All shows and films arekidfriendlywithextraeventsthatare geared towards families. The concerts beginat7:30p.m.andrunsuntil9:30p.m. whilethefilmsbeginatdarkandrununtil themovieisover.Thisyear’smovieroster includesboxofficetitlessuchas“BigHero 6,” “Cinderella” and “The Boxtrolls.” “The movies are great,” Maria Garza, Beeville resident, said, “My kids loved it last year.” The concert and cinema series included such bands as Neal Edwards and Reckless Abandon, Flat Broke, Jillette Johnson, Latin Talk, El Jefe and Jeff Anderson Band, Aloha Dave and the
Tourists,TimePilots,AnotherLevel,Kevin Higgins & Barbara Malteze and Hilda Lamas Band. The bands cover a variety of genres- from rock, country, world beat, jazz, blues and more. “WOW, a blast from the past,” said Susan McRoberts, Corpus Christi resident, of the Aloha Dave band. It is suggested that families bring chairs, blankets or other items to sit on. Coolers and food items are welcomed into the park. Basic necessities such as bug spray and water are recommended. Restrooms are located on the backside of the amphitheater. Sponsorsforthisyear’seventinclude: Sound Vibrations, David W. Phillips Attorney,RedRoverandImagingFrames, Price’s Chef Restaurant, Cassidy’s Irish Pub, Executive Surf Club, The Beach96.5, Vernon’sBar,Hester’sCaféandCoffeeBar, Nuevo Café, House of Rock, Hurricane Alley, Concrete Street, Amphitheater, DurrillPropertiesandBrewsterStreetIce House. For more information go to www. cctexas.com, find them on Facebook – Bay Jammin Concert & Cinema or call 361-826-3417.
SUMMER 2015 CONCERT SCHEDULE (Thursdays, 7:30p.m.–9:30p.m.) June 18 - Mike Guerra and Trisum (Classic Rock, Blues, Jazz, and Variety) 25 - Steven James & The Jaded (Texas Indie Rock Band with Country Roots) July 2 - David Martinez Band (Alternative Rock) and Ian Moore & The Lossy Coils (Power Pop, Roots Rock and Blues) 9 - Any Colour You Like (A Tribute to Pink Floyd) 16 - Bay Rock Orchestra (Variety, Art Rock, and Pop) 23 - Aloha Dave & The Tourists (Surf Music, Rock, Shag, and Reggae) 30 - Another Level (Old School, Funk, R&B, and Dance)
read more on summer events at ISLANDWAVESNEWS.COM by JESSE DE LEON graduate adviser
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ummer in the Coastal Bend is all about getting out and enjoying all that the area has to offer. If a truly unique experience is on ones bucket list look no further than Hurricane Alley. The popular family fun venue has beenthesiteof countlesslazyafternoons in the sun and this summer the venue is offering up a truly irresistible recipe for fun. EveryTuesdaynightHurricaneAlley combines the images and sound of some ofthebest-knownfilmswiththesoothing relief of making a big splash to create something called Dive In Movie Night. “Thispopularattractionisspecifically tailored to appeal to the entire family,” said Jim Kunau, General Manager of Hurricane Alley. “I am the one who signs off on the movies that are shown, and I just finalized the schedule.” Kunau is a seasoned pro when it comes to staging a special event like the Dive In Movie, as he spent a considerable amount of time managing various Six Flags water parks in Texas during the earlier part of his career. Having executed this special feature in the venues that he previously managed he saw the attendance numbers and ticket sales
increase significantly. Kunau says that the combination of what he has learned along with the very valuable sense of teamwork that he has created with his staff has lead to at least one very surprising movie choice on this year’s movie schedule. “The Goonies’ (the 1985 Stephen Spielberg film) was one of last year’s most successful movies. It is a local cult classic,” he said. “Corpus Christi definitely loves The Goonies!” In addition to that crowd-pleaser, this summer’s lineup for Dive In Movie Night includes the appropriatelythemed “Sharknado,” the edgy “Armageddon,” and the ever-popular “Frozen,” just to mention a few. “My kids love all kinds of movies, but I hate to see them just sitting on the sofa zoning out,” said Sandra
Arcaute, mother of three. “Coming out to Hurricane Alley for Dive In Movies is a great way to see one of our favorites while staying very active,” she adds. While Drive In Movie continues to be a hit with Hurricane Alley patrons of all ages, Kunau is quite eager to unveil still yet another special event that is geared toward the 18 and over crowd. “Wave Rave will allow patrons aged 18 and over to enjoy the park in a slightly different way,” Kunau said. “While our primary goal is to be a family-oriented water park, every third Friday we offer an evening filled with DJs, dancing, bikini contests and plenty of splashy fun.” “After a long week of classes and studying, me and my friends plan to
take the big dive at Hurricane Alley’s Wave Rave,” said Shonna Robinson, a student taking summer classes at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. “After the pressure of doing all my school work, as well as the Coastal Bend heat, cooling off at Hurricane Alley is the perfect mini-vacation from it all.” So whether one is searching for some good clean family fun at the Dive In Movies, learning to surf on the newly added wave simulator or gearing up for an unforgettable party at the Wave Rave, Hurricane Alley is the place to be for a seemingly endless summer of fun.
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06.18.2015
ISLAND WAVES
During House of Rock’s Open Mic Night, students gain experience by taking the stage and performing every Tuesday night.
MIC continued from page 1 “Our goal is to make the Open Mic Night versatile so that anyone who wants to participate can be a part of it, and we open it up to aspiring performers of all ages,” she said. Garcia notes that while younger entrants are the norm for Open Mic Night, the number of kids who take to the stage sharply increases during the summer months. Garcia said more often than not the experience of being on stage and hanging out afterward quickly turns them into regular House of Rock patrons. She attributes this to the fact that once younger music fans get a taste of the club’s one-of-a-kind atmosphere they keep coming back for more. “The first time I went up on stage, I was more than a little nervous,” Adrian Sifuentes said. The young singer and songwriter accompanied himself on guitar and even though he was plagued by some serious stage fright just minutes before going on, he still remembers it fondly. “That is what kept me going as a writer, and after my time on stage,
I started coming here (to House of Rock) to check out all kinds of live music,” he said. While Open Mic Night does attract several guitar-toting hopefuls, Garcia is quick to point out that the range of participants extends well beyond the realm of music. “We have all kinds of performers like stand-up comedians, magicians, and even some who recite their own poetry,” she said. “Whatever contestants do, Open Mic Night is all about emphasizing the experience of the performance itself.” No one on the House of Rock staff is more familiar with that experience than Matt Martinez. He has served as the host of Open Mic Night for the past four years, and his quick wit and obvious love of music make him the perfect master of ceremonies for such a unique event. “We get about 15 performers per week who take the stage,” Martinez said. “Sign up is at 8 p.m., and we get started soon afterwards.” Each performer has approximately 15 minutes to wow the very lively House of Rock audience.
WHAT: WHERE:
WHEN:
Open Mic Night
House of Rock 511 Starr Street Every Tuesday night- sign in at 8 followed by performances MORE INFORMATION:
texashouseofrock.com
With all of his experience, Martinez has doubtlessly seen it all. So what kind of advice can he offer anyone new to House of Rock’s Open Mic Night?
photo courtesy of House of Rock
“Don’t get the fear man,” he said with a chuckle. “Just get up there and do the thing that you’re going to do, and clean up after yourself when you’re done.”
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Entertainment
06.18.2015
ISLAND WAVES
by VIVIEN SANCHEZ reporter
Movie Review
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teven Spielberg waited 13 years to release another “on the edge of your seat” dinosaur loving movie. Watching the trailers to Jurassic World, I instantly thought, “so this is Jaws but with flare?” Without giving away any major scenes I can tell you that the movie did resemble some of his past movies but it had me wanting more the entire two hours and four minutes. The movie is based off a new hybrid of dinosaurs that mankind is just not prepared for. Throughout the story one will notice new creatures and that they have interesting character traits. What is impressive is the technology used by the park and the scenery of Costa Rica that will make you think, “Man I would love to go to a park like that,” that is until you witness the giant beast ripping people apart. Which reminds me… Yes this movie is rated PG-13 but it is not like the original Jurassic Park from 1992. I would assume you realize that the animation is larger and louder (if you watch it in Imax 3D, even more so) and that alone is enough to have children scared to death as the ride in the back seat looking over their shoulder hoping a T Rex is not going to creep up on them. Please keep you’re under age children at home so you can fully enjoy the experience. Yes I said experience not movie because that is what this movie felt like. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard played their parts well as the two completely different personalities have to work together to defeat the mysterious new dinosaur. It is always nice to see character growth in movies like this and they did a fantastic job keeping up with today’s modern family. Pratt of course brought a dash of humor to the movie whenever possible but a couple other characters did not hold back. Ty Simpkin, who plays Gray, the
photos courtesy of io9.com
younger brother in the story, had everyone smiling as he reminds us of how we were at his age. He is passionate about dinosaurs, smart, curious and always on point when taking a jab at older brother Christopher, played by Brandon Richardson. These two had chemistry as if they were real brothers. There are a couple of other familiar faces in the movie but I will leave that for you to discover. Like I said earlier there are several similarities from past Spielberg films that I recognized and I found myself referencing back to the original movie and comparing characters, but do not let that stop you from purchasing a ticket. Like many directors they have a signature that they put into their work and that is what is done here. It does not ruin it one bit. In fact it made me smile to hear the same type of music and notice same character traits throughout the move. Watch “Jurassic World” in theatres preferably in IMAX 3D because it is completely worth it.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR ACHIEVE PARTNER
To learn more or become an Achieve Partner please visit achievepartnership.tamucc.edu
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sports
06.18.2015
Basketball camp inspires youth by GERI LEMMONS feature reporter
This summer from June 8 to 28 the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi basketball team and coaches will be putting on a basketball camp for children ages, seven to 17 who want to learn some of the fundamentals of basketball. These camps are put on for kids who want to learn all there is to know about basketball. They will learn something different each and every day. The first camp is called Day Camp Session One and will be held June 8 to 11 from 8 a.m. to noon. They will learn fundamental work in areas for their game, station work, contests, and fiveon-five league play, they will get a drills packet to take home, a free camp t-shirt and a basketball. The second camp children can participate in is called shooting camp. This camp is held on June 13 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and it lasts for one day. During this camp the kids will have the opportunity to work on their shooting skills. They will teach basics of good jump, free throw, and off the dribble shooting and they will also
have another opportunity to take a drill packet home and a free camp T-shirt. The other camp is called the Islanders Bitty Bally camp. This camp is held June 22-25 from 9a.m. to noon. At this camp the participants will learn different basketball activities such as passing, shooting, defense, and dribbling. They will also have the opportunity to do some fun basketball games. One camp is day camp session from June 22–25 noon to 4 p.m. and this will also be a camp where participants will learn more things about basketball, like how to improve on their skills and what they can do to become a better player. Another camp is the High Potential Camp, which is for grades 9 through 12 from the 27 to the 28. This is an overnight camp that will have the participants stay in the campus dorms. Day one is from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and day two is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is a camp where participants will have the opportunity to have competitive league games where they get to work with the coaching staff and get valuable feedback. Terry Johnson, the director of basketball operations, said it is important for the participants
ISLAND WAVES
Day Camp June 8-11 8am- noon
Shooting Camp June 13 9am- 1pm High Potential Camp grades 9-12 June 27-28 day 1: 6pm-10pm day 2: 8am- 4pm
Bitty Bally Camp June 22-25
Day Camp June 22-25 noon- 4pm
9am- noon
By Vivien Sanchez
because its quality teaching about the fundamentals of the game of basketball and it is fun. “Basketball camp allows kids in the community to spend time with the student athlete and get to know them,”Johnson said. “Camp is important to the school because it brings more visitors to the university so more individuals in the community know and can receive more information about the university.”
To register for these camps all one has to do is go to www. islanderbasketballcamp.com and there one will find all the necessary information needed to register for one of these camps. The camps price range from $50 to $100 to $130, depending on which one the athlete wants to participate in. Last year there was about 200 to 250 participants, this year they are expecting the numbers to increase.
SOCCER continued from page 1 As we are growing as a program it is important that we build our relationship with our local community to encourage kids to come out and watch our team preform.” During day one at the camp participants will learn dribbling/ Coervers. Day two they will learn passing and receiving, while on day three they will have a shooting day. Day four they will celebrate the Women’s World Cup, in June and July, by having lots of fun activities where each participant will have an opportunity to participate in an activity where each of them will represent a country that is competing in the competition. The players will have the opportunity in many different activities to showcase the skills they learned from their time at camp. The participants will also have the opportunity to have some more fun while cooling down from the heat by visiting the Dugan pool from 2 to 3pm that is located at Texas A&M UniversityCorpus Christi. There is also a residential camp for the overnight campers that will take place on July 22-25. They will be working on technical work like covers, foot skills, distribution, goalkeeping instruction, and will also have the opportunity to work on some competition skills too. They will also have the opportunity to ask some questions about playing soccer in college and what it is like. With these camps the number of people who come and participate each summer has continued to grow. Their
photo courtesy of TAMUCC.edu
With these camps the number of people who come and participate each summer has continued to grow.
day camps last year brought in at least 50 kids. While residential camps range between 30 to 50 kids. This year they are expecting more than 90 kids and they are expecting this number to keep growing. For more information go to goislander.com/information/camps.
“It provides us the opportunity to work closely with kids in the community,” -Anne Houliston, Assistant woman’s soccer coach
With these camps the number of people who come and participate each summer has continued to grow.
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and
06.18.2015
Volleyball digs into Islander athletics
by JAMIE FINK web editor
T
exas A&M University-Corpus Christi proudly celebrated the grand opening for the newly created sand volleyball courts on Friday, June 12. The Island University released a statement earlier last month announcing the addition of sand volleyball to the university’s intercollegiate athletic program after the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced that sand volleyball would have an NCAA tournament and championship starting in the spring of 2016. The sand volleyball courts were built inside the Dr. Jack Dugan Family Soccer and Track Stadium located at the Momentum Campus after the Island University and Islander Athletics announced the addition of women’s Sand Volleyball for the 2015-2016 school year.
First Lady Kathy Killebrew takes a time to fit in a quick volley with Islander volleyball members.
“Sand volleyball is one of the fastestgrowing sports in the nation and we are positioned perfectly to compete in this arena,” said Dr. Flavius Killebrew, President and CEO of TAMU-Corpus Christi, in an online press release. “Our volleyball team is already very strong and the addition of sand volleyball allows our female athletes to expand their skills by playing throughout the year.” With the addition of sand volleyball, the Island University now has 16 sports competing at the NCAA Division I level. “We started a little over a year ago discussing the addition of sand volleyball to our athletic program,” Scott Lazenby, Athletic Director, said. “Our university being located on its own island with plenty of sand made our question of should we add sand volleyball quickly change to why would we not?” The program will be coached by the current Islanders Volleyball staff, led under the direction of head coach Tony Graystone. The 2015 season will mark Graystone’s seventh season as head coach for the Islanders. Graystone recently picked up his 400th career victory this past season. “We are one of only three schools in the Southland Conference to have sand volleyball,” Graystone said. “It’s a big deal for us to get a program started and get a jump on the rest of the conference for when the time comes to when we have a conference tournament, for an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.” The Islanders join Houston Baptist and the University of New Orleans as the only schools in the Southland
photos by JAMIE FINK
Members of Islander Volleyball team Chelby Stanford, Haley Day, head coach Tony Graystone, Ivy Baresh, and Hailey King pose for a quick photo during the Sand Volleyball courts grand opening.
Conference to field sand volleyball teams. Because the Southland Conference requires a minimum of six schools to participate before having a conference tournament, the Islanders will not have an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament come next spring. “Our scheduling will be a little different this first year just because we don’t have a conference schedule,” Graystone said. “We will play a more regional schedule, which means we will travel a bit more than usual.” Graystone said they are looking into weekend tournaments in South Carolina, Florida, and even on the west coast. The sand volleyball season runs during the 2016 spring semester, with the NCAA championship being held in early May. “Because the sport is becoming so
popular and we have the geographic location that is perfect for it, it was important that we take advantage of this situation,” Lazenby said. “When students are looking for a school that has sand volleyball, we can tell them yes we have it. Other schools in the state and our conference can only say, well we’re thinking about it.” Lazenby stated that the courts are minor details away from being officially completed. The courts will be used during the sand volleyball offseason as a source of training for all Islander athletes. Strength and Conditioning coaches will use the courts as a tool to help build leg muscle and stamina for all programs. For all the latest news and progress on Sand Volleyball, and all other Islander Athletics, visit goislanders.com or go to the official Go Islanders Facebook page.