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UPWARD STARS PREPARE TO POWER A NEW CLUB SOUTH
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Ian Metts sustains a vicious hit against Gaffney in a 2011 game. ED OVERSTREET PHOTO
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Game Day
Q&A Dawkins Middle School volleyball coach Angie Thompson meets with her team.
MIKAYLA ZIRPEL IYA Minors Cheerleading Inman Elementary 3rd Grade Favorite subject: Writing
TINSLEY WHITTEMORE IYA Minors Cheerleading Holly Springs-Motlow Elementary 4th Grade Favorite movie: Mama Mia
HANNAH HORTON IYA Minors Cheerleading Inman Elementary 3rd Grade Favorite TV show: I, Carly
CHEYENNE REX IYA Minors Cheerleading Inman Elementary 4th Grade Favorite subject: English
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Dawkins volleyball coach Angie Thompson on cusp of reaching 500 career victories By JOHN CLAYTON
Dawkins Middle School volleyball coach Angie Thompson is on the cusp of a coaching milestone. Thompson, who has coached volleyball since 1994 and was formerly the school’s girls basketball coach, was closing in on the 500th win of her coaching career – all of them coming at Dawkins. “I don’t keep up with that kind of stuff,” Thompson said. “I want to win every game, but never counted toward a milestone or anything like that.” Heading into this season, Thompson was 261-4 as volleyball coach since 1994. As basketball coach from 1994-2009, she was 229-13. Combined, she was 290-17 before the season began. The Bearcats were 7-0 this season at press-time, leaving her just three wins away from 500 combined wins, according to unofficial records. The 500-mark could be attained by Oct. 1. Her career winning percentage at the school is .946. Despite the success at the middle-school level, Thompson said she never seriously considered moving to higher profile jobs.. “I’ve had some opportunities at the high-school level, but I’m just not interested,” she said. “I know what I’m doing at this level, and I’m OK at what I do. Once the ball is rolling, I just know what to do with getting the kids into club ball and stuff like that. “I don’t have any reason to go anywhere else. . . . And I like this age (teenagers) – people think I’m crazy – but I can relate to this age.” Thompson said she focuses on fundamentals on the court, but on team building and relationships off of it. “I like to see the difference in the kids when I first meet them in sixth and seventh
grade and then I get to see a lot of them go on and play in high school and in college. It’s great to see them grow that much,” she said. “The best thing for me isn’t the playing, but probably the relationships that I build with the kids.” In addition to practices and games, Thompson’s regimen also includes a “Walk to School Together Day,” supporting the Cavaliers at Dorman games and going to church together on Super Bowl Sundays. “Even the high school kids come back and go to church with us for that,” she said. They know I care about them. They know I don’t do it for the money. I do it because I love the game, and I care about them, too.” In addition to practices and games, Thompson’s regimen also includes a “Walk to School Together Day,” supporting the Cavaliers at Dorman games and going to church together on Super Bowl Sundays. Thompson, who also coaches many of the same players from Dawkins with Club South Volleyball, said the bottom line is caring about her players. “They know I care about them,” she said. “They know I don’t do it for the money. I do it because I love the game, and I care about them, too.” At the club level with Club South, Thompson’s 12U team took the Palmetto Region Championship in Charlotte and finished 31st in the AAU Nationals in Orlando.
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celebrating athletes & their accomplishments
The 13U CAROLINA MAGIC team competed in the Global World Series during the summer and won the overall championship in the 12U division. The team represented Spartanburg, Cherokee and Anderson counties. - submitted by Richard Duckett.
The 13U Major RiverRats baseball team returned from the USSSA Global World Series in Myrtle Beach with the championship after four days of competition. The RiverRats went 7-0 during the tournament. - submitted by Laura Gault
Contact Region 132 @ 864.574.1720 or browse to www.ayso132.org for more information
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from the sidelines
Thompson, Hannon deliver when called
G
reer’s Reese Hannon was rocket right arm to quell the supposed be sitting behind critics. “When I got here, I had senior starter Dakota confidence in myself. . . . I kept Derrick at Furman. my faith in God. I’ve always felt And Boiling like if I worked hard, Springs’ Dylan then my play on Thompson, well, the field would take a lot of folks said over.” he wasn’t even That confidence supposed to be at has been rewarded South Carolina. by confidence from If he wanted to Spurrier, a coach seriously play, then known for his he’d get caught in quick hooks with the numbers game quarterbacks from of Steve Spurrier Florida to the NFL to quarterbacks Columbia. and transfer to When Connor JOHN someplace like Shaw, who CLAYTON Coastal Carolina, the injured his shoulder team Hannon made his against Vanderbilt surprise collegiate debut against forcing Thompson into in early September. service, Thompson, a red-shirt “You want to compete against sophomore, took over and the best,” said Thompson, who preserved the win against Vandy had a solid 6-3 frame and a
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and then started and for a long time.” beat East Carolina That kind of handily before coming atmosphere is what off the bench to lead Hannon wanted at another lopsided victory Furman. against AlabamaIt’s come sooner Birmingham. than later for both of In parts of two the locally produced games and the start quarterbacks, who against East Carolina, have proved more Thompson threw for ready to meet their THOMPSON more than 500 yards respective challenges and five touchdowns and than anyone suspected. has given Spurrier the strongHannon drew praise from armed quarterback he has rarely Clemson coach Dabo Swinney coached. and impressed ACC television Hannon faced a similar broadcasters, while Thompson situation in Week 2 against could earn the starting role with Coastal Carolina when Derrick the Gamecocks over good friend was felled by a shoulder injury. Shaw. The former Greer star rallied That success is a testament the Paladins in the second half, to both players. Thompson calls throwing for 255 himself a “blue-collar” yards and four sort of guy who Spurrier touchdowns in a cited for his work in the triple-overtime film room and on the thriller. Furman field before the season lost 47-45 when began. Hannon’s game was Hannon’s 2-pointforged in Greer’s spread conversion pass fell offense, but he was plenty incomplete. smart enough to quickly But Hannon learn Furman’s pro-style earned Southern offense while managing a HANNON Conference freshman course load. Freshman of the But it’s also a testament Week honors, beating out former to some pretty good coaching Dorman running back Raymond by Bruce Clark and assistants at Smith (Wofford) for the award. Boiling Springs and Will Young Hannon’s reward was a start and his staff at Greer. the next Saturday at Clemson. Those coaches and countless Sometimes, you don’t get others over the years helped shape what you deserve – I mean, the grit and talents both players an Elon or Western Carolina have displayed over the past few would’ve been a kinder follow-up, weeks. but Hannon met the challenge Youth coaches, high school just as Thompson had done. coaches and supporters over the “The speed of the game is a years have made a tremendous whole lot different,” Hannon said differences in their lives and of his first appearance for the continue to do so in the lives Paladins. “Everybody here is fast. other young people across the It’s good to get a chance to play Upstate. against competition like this.” Not all of those players But for Hannon, the chance to will end up playing in front play with his new teammates was of thousands on Saturdays in even better. Clemson and Columbia, but the difference has so often been made. “These are the times and the guys that I’ll remember for a a And that’s the best side of lifetime,” he said. “I know I will sports. be close with my teammates, even the ones I just play with this year,
Fans in the Stands
WE WANT YOUR SPORTS PICS! please email to: les.timms @upstategameday.com photos by: • Les Timms III • Brenda Ledford
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Athletes in Action
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The difference between a successful person and others ... is a lack of will.
-Vince Lombardi
GAME GAME DAY DAY u u JUNE JUNE 2012 2012 11 11
BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA
Upward Stars to power a new Club South 50,000 sq.ft. facility at heart of volleyball club By LES TIMMS III
T
he home page of the Club South Volleyball powered by Upward Stars website reads like a who’s who of success on the national stage. • 61 National Qualifier wins • 40 coaches on staff • over 5,000 coaches trained • 15 top ten finishes • 142 All region, All state players • over 250 wins • 89% scholarship success LES TIMMS III PHOTO
Accolades flash across the screen and fade to be replaced by yet another, symbolic of a prestigious past sure to continue with a brighter present and future. In July, Upward Unlimited, long known for its childrens sports ministries in churches across the U.S., finalized the purchase of Club South Volleyball from long-time owner Jimmy Peden. The transaction began a new era into a more competitition-driven division of Upward called Upward Stars, and is allowing the national ministry to put resources locally into an already successful organization. “There comes a time when kids, as they get older, cross the line into a more competitive world,” said Caz McCaslin, founder and president of Upward. “We realized we were missing out on a need to have a positive impact on young people and their families at a more competitive level.” “Upward Stars originated one year ago. And we now have basketball teams and are holding elite soccer academies,” said Bill Palmer, acting club director and vice president of Upward Unlimited. The sky is the limit, and plans are to take Upward Stars in places around the country where Upward Sports serves over 2,600 churches, 500,000 young athletes and families, say McCaslin and Palmer. But first, Upward is determined to grow 14 SEPTEMBER 2012 u GAME DAY
Caz McCaslin, founder and president of Upward Stars; Bill Palmer, acting club director; Corey Helle, head of coaching, and Nahan Holm, vice president of Upward Stars, in the new facility.
where it is planted. On Oct. 13, the 50,000-square-foot Upward Stars Volleyball Center opens in the former Waccamaw Pottery (current home to Restoration Church) when it hosts the Peachtree Conference Middle School volleyball tournament. The renovated space will be brand new for volleyball, and will house seven new courts, seven new net systems, a 3,000-square-foot speed and agility performance area for athletes, offices, and seating for parents and spectators, plenty of parking, and a convenient Interstate 26 location. And it’s going to be “big.” Angie Thompson, head volleyball coach at Dawkins Middle School, and a Club South coach, is looking forward to the tournament christening of the venue. “It’s going to be big because it’s the opening of the new Club South,” she said. “Every team in our (11-team) conference will be there, and some of those players have not been exposed to Club South or Upward, so that will be a good experience for them to see.” Tryouts for the new club season begin for the younger age groups in late October
and extend into November for ages 14-18. Corey Helle, Wofford College volleyball coach, and head of coaching for UpwardClub South, had a vision for what the new facility should be months ago when negotiations began. “All top clubs have dedicated training facilities, so when we started talking to Upward, one of those was having a good facility,” he said. “If we want to be one of the best, we’re going to need to have our own facility. A good facility is important, probably second in importance to coaches and the leadership.” Seven courts will showcase the facility. In one corner, a training center is being set up with the latest in equipment for athletes to become stronger, faster, quicker. Adjacent to this will be an office, and a viewing area for parents. Parking for the Upward Stars Volleyball Center will be available toward the rear of the Restoration Church complex. One goal is to create a “college atmosphere” for the athletes, in addition to offering recruiting services, said Helle. With Helle’s contacts, the Wofford coach says he will be able to help the National team players get in touch with college coaches to advance to the next level.
Upward STARS Volleyball Center AMENITIES: >> SEVEN regulation size courts. >> SEVEN new net systems plus over >> 300 new volleyballs for training. >> CLIMATE control! (Heating/Air) For those Club South alums, you know the importance of this. 70 degrees all year. >> A 3000 sq/ft performance area (size of a volleyball court) fitted with a 40-yard sprint lane. This area will be equipped with new volleyball specific training and performance equipment. >> SEATING for parents and spectators. >> PLENTY OF PARKING. >> CONVENIENTLY LOCATED ONE mile off the I-26/I85 corridor. >> DRIVING TIME from Greenville, Simpsonville, Greer and Gaffney is the same as driving to the old location
WANT MORE INFO?
Scan QR code into smartphone or go to clubsouthvolleyball.com Also, “we’re going to stress not only our training program, but coaches who can mentor and offer life lessons to these kids. We want to continue our Christian values through the coaching process. I think that is something parents will be able to see,” said Palmer, a long-time volleyball dad who followed his daughter Stephanie for years through the Club South program. Stephanie is now a junior and starting
The Club South Parent / Player Orientation will be held at the Upward Stars Volleyball Center on Oct. 21 at 4 p.m.
Artist’s rendering, top, reveals what the Upward Stars Volleyball Center will look like upon completion. Photo above shows construction under way as the facility readies for an Oct. 13 opening.
setter on the Winthrop University volleyball team. Palmer notes that the club will offer all levels of development and training to help all players become “the best they can be.” Peden, who built Club South into a volleyball juggernaut from nothing, is thrilled to see his “baby” grow up. “This is extremely exciting from my perspective,” he said. “This was like a child to me. I built it over the years and had concerns of selling it. But I feel like it will ultimately be successful beyond my wildest dreams. They have every resource to make it happen. Their goals and dreams far exceed what I could do myself.” Peden has been serving as an advisor to the new group, and he’s pleased. “When people walk into the new facility there’s going to be a ‘wow’ moment,” he said. “It’s really going to be nice; one of the top volleyball facilities in the South.” GAME DAY u SEPTEMBER 2012 15
COVER STORY
CONCUSSION SYMPTOMS
> Headache or pressure in the head > Nausea or vomiting > Balance problems or dizziness > Double or blurry vision > Sensitivity to light or noise > Feeling sluggish > Concentration or memory problems Source: USA Football ED OVERSTREET / FILE
A vicious hit knocked IAN METTS out of a game last season and left him with post-concussion syndrome.
A concussion occurs when a blow to the head causes the brain to slam against the skull beyond the ability of the cerebrospinal fluid to cushion the impact.
Games of HARD KNOCKS LOCAL SCHOOLS RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT CONCUSSIONS By JOHN CLAYTON
S
partanburg High head football coach Freddie Brown spoke to his entire team after a live scrimmage against Lexington. But he was also speaking to one young, inexperienced player. The player, he said, dropped his head during drills, endangering himself and that is why he did not play in the scrimmage. Brown could not – and would not – allow him to play until the player knew absolutely how to protect himself from potential head injuries.
16 SEPTEMBER 2012 u GAME DAY
And that is a national trend in the wake of a generation of former professional football layers joining in a class-action lawsuit against the NFL because of concussions suffered during their playing careers that are now affecting their post-football lives. A concussion occurs when a blow to the head causes the brain to slam against the skull beyond the ability of the cerebrospinal fluid to cushion the impact. The impact that causes a concussion can cause bruising of the brain, tearing of the blood vessels and nerve damage. As expected, football reports the most incidents of concussions with rate of six concussions per 10,000 times young athletes got on the playing field.
But football is not alone. Lacrosse and soccer are next, according to studies. For girls, soccer led the way with 3.5 incidents per 10,000 trips to the field. According to the American Journal of Sports Medicine, the numbers of reported concussions went up exponentially between 1997 and 2008. Awareness may be one of the driving forces behind the increased numbers, and that is the mission of the Youth Sports Safety Alliance, which was formed in 2010 to “raise awareness, advance legislation and improve medical care for young athletes across the country.” Locally, people are listening. Dorman is one high school in the state performing “base-line” tests
ADAM RENWICK: SUFFERED CONCUSSION IN OCTOBER 2011 AND WENT THROUGH TWO MONTHS OF RECOVERY.
on their student athletes, a list that includes Beaufort among others. “This gives us a base reading to make a comparison with if one of our student athletes sustains a head injury,” said Dorman Athletic Director Flynn Harrell. “It’s one more thing we can do to help doctors make the right calls in these cases.” Harrell said the base readings are good for two years, but he wants to perform the tests again next year. Athletes are bigger, stronger and faster than during Harrell’s playing days at Woodruff. The equipment and medical training is better – Dorman has three athletic trainers on staff – but football is a violent game and injuries are a simple fact of life for the football player. Riverside head coach Steve Eoute ran down a list of a half-dozen injuries that have occurred during practice over the past couple of weeks at a recent Touchdown Club meeting. Two of them were concussions. No athlete, however, is immune to concussions, regardless of sport.
He played the rest of the game through the fog, but sat out the next two weeks with symptoms of postconcussion syndrome. During that time, he saw a neurologist before being cleared to play. “I had to do a memory test and make sure I had feeling in my fingers and toes,” Metts said. “Then, he cleared me to play.” Metts, who had also suffered a concussion during a scrimmage two weeks prior to the Gaffney hit, had been playing football since elementary school as had former teammate and current Dorman baseball standout Adam Renwick. And Metts said he was aware then of the risks of competing in football at the Class 4A level – the biggest high school division and one of the toughest regions in a football-crazed state. “The Dorman staff does a good job of making you aware of what the longterm effects can be if you’re injured,” Metts said. He also said he would do it all over again. “I’d play right now if they’d let me,” he said.
Football is not alone. Lacrosse and soccer are next, according to studies. For girls, soccer led the way with 3.5 incidents per 10,000 trips to the field.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Signs a player may have a concussion >> Appears dazed or stunned >> Is confused about assignment or position >> Forgets plays >> Unsure of game, score or opponent >> Loses consciousness (even briefly) >> Shows behavior or personality changes >> Can’t recall events prior to or after the hit or fall
RISK VS. REWARD Ian Metts’ helmet flew off into the Friday night air as he took the brunt of a hit from a Gaffney player on a kickoff return at Dorman. Metts doesn’t remember a thing. “I remember coming out of the locker room at halftime,” said Metts, now a freshman at South Carolina. “I remember the score on a board. I was just in a fog for the rest of the game.”
ED OVERSTREET / FILE
IAN METTS: REMEMBERS NOTHING OF DEVASTATING HIT IN 2011 GAME.
But Renwick, who is a Clemson baseball commit as a junior at Dorman, is playing a fall baseball season instead of football. He suffered a concussion during a football game last season. He remembers all of it.
Source: USA Football
WANT MORE INFO? Scan QR code into smartphone or go to www.usafootball.com.
GAME DAY u SEPTEMBER 2012 17
CONCUSSIONS: ATHLETES RECOUNT SYMPTOMS / FROM 17 The devastating hit. The two months of recovery with post-concussion syndrome. He was injured at the end of October and was finally back to his former self after Christmas, he said. Aside from being able to remember the hit and the events immediately following it, Renwick’s case was by the book for postconcussion syndrome. He said he couldn’t concentrate; he had headaches every day; he had blurred vision and sensitivity to light; and he was lethargic. “All that night and the day after, I felt fine,” he said. “But that Sunday after church, I first felt it. It just hit me like a brick wall. The night of and the day after, I think I was just in shock, pretty much.” Renwick said the concussion made him realize the risk he was taking. With his baseball future in the balance, he is now a one-sport athlete. “It kind of opened my eyes,” he said. “With my baseball future, I knew I had to give football up.” Like Metts, he had also suffered a mild concussion in the summer, and studies have indicated that those who have suffered concussions can be more prone suffering more of them.
Though he decided to give up football, Renwick said he would probably choose to play again if he had it to do over. But if he had a son who wanted to play? “I’d definitely make sure he was aware of what could happen,” Renwick said, alluding to a culture of football in which many players will not admit to being injured, allowing concussions to go undetected. “A lot of guys will get hit and go back in the game,” he said. “But you need to tell somebody if you’re hurt, so they’ll do the right thing.”
THE FUTURE Professional football could be at a crossroads that finds the violent hits that have been its calling card for generations no longer at terms with the injuries they can cause. Super Bowl winner Jim McMahon and perhaps the late Junior Seau, who committed suicide earlier this year, are just two of the former players who have suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopahy (CTE), a long-term result of multiple concussions. But college (it has been estimated that
a college lineman experiences over 1,000 subconcussive head hits in an average season) and high school football fields can also be danger zones. “I have patients now that are former football players that haven dementia, and you have to wonder if some of it came from the bumps they got on their head 30 or 40 years ago,” wrote Dr. Paul Schulz, associate professor of neurology at the University of Texas-Houston Medical School, in a blog. At Dorman, Harrell said the discussion that has been going on due to NFL injuries has made everyone more aware of the dangers and is making all sports safer. “There is risk in all sports -- that’s why we gave the base-line tests to everyone,” Harrell said. To that end USA Football, an NFL sponsored entity, has started its “Heads Up” program to teach young people how to play football with an emphasis on safety. But the most important ingredient is parental involvement, said USA Football Executive Director Scott Hallenbeck at a recent panel discussion in New York City. “Parents need to be a part of the equation if we want to change the culture,” Hallenbeck said. GD
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ALL EYES ON THE PRIZE
Clockwise, from left, Samantha Waters, Ciera Belue, and Laura Ford finished among Landrum’s top three runners at the Eye Opener, which the Cardinals won, on Sept. 1.
CARDINALS HAVE STATE TITLE IN THEIR SIGHTS
LOREN BROWNING PHOTOS
By JOHN CLAYTON A state championship comes with a medal, a ring and lifetime memories most of the time. But Landrum cross-country runner Ciera Belue wants a little more. “I want to ride on the fire truck,” said Belue, who has been a part of three state runner-up teams since Landrum won the Class AA/A combined state championship in 2009. “I’m tire of second place. I want to be able to ride in a fire truck in a parade after a state championship.” The Cardinals, who moved to Class AA from A this year, opened some eyes at the annual Eye Opener meet on Sept. 1. They won the highly competitive meet, essentially announcing themselves as contenders for a state title in their new classification with the victory. Belue is part of a juniorclass core of the team that also includes Elizabeth Walter and Sarah Cash along with senior Samantha Waters. Waters, Belue and Cash all earned all-state honors last year, and Waters has also come close to an individual state crosscountry title with a second-place finish in 2009. “We won it in 2009 and it was 2A and 1A,” Waters said. “Why not do it again?” Landrum head coach Jeremy Darby said winning the Eye Opener was a needed boost for the girls team after a pair of second-place finishes there. “I think it was a boost we needed to get going this season,” Darby said. “In the state rankings, we were behind a few of the 2A teams that we beat there, so I think we were able to say to ourselves that we’re a good team and we can set our goals high, not make any excuses and hope to attain some of them.” Waters agreeed. “It did a lot to build the team’s selfesteem,” she said. Under Darby’s leadership, Landrum has put together something of a cross-country
dynasty with the state title and three second-place finishes for the girls and three state championships and a runner-up finish for the boys team, which finished sixth in this year’s Eye Opener. Walter said while the Eye Opener may serve as a confidence builder for the team, the work put in over the summer with a new assistant coach Brian Reardon, whose full-time job is as a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, was the key to Cardinals’ fast start. “We’ve done a lot of work,” Walter said. “Especially core (training). We do core all the time.” But there is more to it than that, especially with Waters and the three juniors, who have competed together for several years. “We know we can depend on each other,” Cash said. Belue and Waters work together at the local Bojangles and that core group of winners admit that they spend a lot of time together --
sometimes too much. “Sometimes it’s like, I don’t even want to see you,” Walter said. “But we have sleepovers and we’re always together or talking to each other.” The combination of chemistry and good times has resulted in, well, good times for the Cardinals on the course and off. Seventh-grader Laura Ford has joined the mix this season as one of Landrum’s top runners. Ford is a soccer player running competitively for the first time as a way of cross-training for soccer. So far, so good. “I don’t get tired at all running during games any more,” said Ford, who was secondfastest behind Waters for Landrum at a Dorman meet in mid-September. At that meet, Landrum’s top five runners were all within 40 seconds of one another. They say their “pack running” has improved over the past year, perhaps enough to carry them back to a state title. And to the back of a fire truck. GD GAME DAY u SEPTEMBER 2012 19
Tee to green Golf comes naturally to Spartanburg High sophomore
ANNE TAYLOR HOUGH
A
T EIGHT YEARS OLD, ANNE TAYLOR HOUGH had been introduced to the game of golf through The First Tee Program but her first love was horseback riding. Then she won her first trophy. That was at Woodfin Ridge, playing in the Monday Series Golf Tournament and shooting a 40 to cinch her first-ever, firstplace finish. “Anne Taylor has always loved the look of golf, being around it and everything that’s associated with it,” says her mother, Anna. “She’s always been a natural at it.” That’s not too hard to understand, considering both of her parents are natural athletes: her mother, a USTA tennis player, and her father, Taylor, a competitive golfer and former member of the USC-Upstate golf team. They also own and operate The Creek Golf Club. Now 15 and a sophomore at Spartanburg High School, Anne Taylor is ranked 17th
in South Carolina and expects to expand her golf career within the next year, playing in tournaments throughout the Southeast with an eye of qualifying in the U.S. Juniors. She’s had several impressive finishes in competitions in North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina, including 13th overall in The Beth Daniel Junior Azalea Tournament at the Country Club of Charleston in August. A month earlier and closer to home, Anne Taylor won the Spartanburg County Women’s Amateur at The Country Club of Spartanburg. “I love the traveling,” Anne Taylor says of playing in so many tournaments, mainly during the summer. “I get to meet so many people and I enjoy the competition.” Regardless of how far golf takes her, Anne Taylor says she will never forget her roots. In fact, she’s an ambassador for The First Tee Program in Spartanburg, frequently serving as a speaker at various clubs and organizations to promote it. “I talk about how big of an impact The First Tee has had on my life and my game,” she says, explaining how the program, which
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY By Karen L. Puckett
CUTLINE HERE
ANNE TAYLOR HOUGH WAS INTRODUCED TO GOLF AT THE AGE OF 8 THROUGH THE FIRST TEE PROGRAM. SHE’S NOW ONE OF THE TOP-RANKED JUNIOR GOLFERS IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
20 SEPTEMBER 2012 u GAME DAY
is implemented in many schools in the county, focuses on the character and development of players on and off the golf course. On the course, however, golf has “opened many doors” for Anne Taylor, according to her father, Taylor. “The game allows you to meet many people and gives you the opportunity to play in college,” he says, noting that Anne Taylor hopes to play for a Division I school in a few years. The two-handicapper is well on her way to achieving that goal although she recognizes that there is always room for improvement. “I’d like to start shooting a better score,” she says. “I’m shooting well but my scores don’t always reflect that.” Taylor has seen an evolution of sorts in the women’s game in terms of scores. “The girls have really gotten competitive,” he says. “It used to be the level of play was around 79 or 80, but now it’s 64 or 65, phenomenal scores. If you shot a 73 to 78 three years ago, you’d be winning tournaments. Now you’re lucky to be in the top 10.” Anne Taylor acknowledges that golf can be a lonely sport. “There’s not anything that I don’t like about golf, except sometimes practicing. It’s me, my IPod and my dad,” she says. While her father has been instrumental in her career, he has had to do some practicing of his own when it comes to watching Anne Taylor compete in tournaments. “I’m becoming a better parent and less of a coach, and I’ve learned to step back,” Taylor says. Anna says her daughter’s mature attitude and devotion to practice have paid off on the course.
GETTING TO KNOW: ANNE TAYLOR HOUGH
HOMETOWN: Spartanburg SCHOOL: Sophomore, Spartan High School FAMILY: Taylor and Anna Hough, parents and owners of The Creek Golf Club; Garland, sister and seventh grader at McCracken Middle School HOBBIES: Playing church basketball, participating in Youth Life FAVORITE COURSE TO PLAY (BESIDES THE CREEK): Harbour Town, Hilton Head Island FAVORITE COLOR: Baby Blue FAVORITE FOOD: Chicken Fingers WHAT ANNE TAYLOR EATS BEFORE A TOURNAMENT: Chicken biscuit and Diet Coke
THE HOUGH FAMILY: Anna, Garland, 12; Anne Taylor, 15; and Taylor.
“She is able to multi-task between school and practice after school and tournaments,” Anna says, adding that it’s often a “family effort” to get Anne Taylor to tournaments. In addition the Houghs’ younger daughter, Garland, 12, is a competitive cheerleader and Friday nights they support her leading cheers for fans at Spartan High football games. “As with a lot of families with siblings, you learn to divide and conquer,” Anna says. “I’m just a mom who loves to watch my girls compete.” GD
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: English IF SHE WASN’T PLAYING GOLF, SHE’D BE: Riding horses FAVORITE MOVIE: “The Holiday” FAVORITE TV SHOW: “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” PET PEEVE: “People who walk slow in front of me at school” TALENT SHE WISHED SHE WAS BORN WITH: Dancing FAVORITE MUSIC GROUP: Matchbox Twenty WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT HER: “I’m scared of heights.” IF SHE COULD HAVE DINNER WITH ANYONE IN HISTORY, WHO WOULD IT BE AND WHERE WOULD SHE TAKE THIS PERSON? Marilyn Monroe, to eat at Taco Dog 10 YEARS FROM NOW: “I hope to be playing professional golf.”
GAME DAY u SEPTEMBER 2012 21
TRIUMPHANT RETURN BLUE RIDGE’S JUSTIN HOWARD OVERCOMES SERIOUS BACK INJURY By JOHN CLAYTON
GREER -- Justin Howard, a senior safety on the Blue Ridge football team, remembers very well the season opener against Wade Hampton in 2011. He saw it all from the sidelines after discovering a fracture of his L-4 vertebrae suffered during 7-on-7 workouts that summer. “I didn’t know how much I loved the game until I sat out pretty much all of last year,” Howard said. “I remember sitting out the Wade Hampton game and how devastated I was, so when I got to step on the field against Wade Hampton last week, it was very fulfilling. . . . It means a whole lot.” Howard, who started every game as a sophomore, was able to return for nominal action last year, but targeted 2012 for a true return to the game. Not even a broken thumb suffered in a scrimmage with Chesnee could stop him. After what he went through last year, Howard said he was determined to be in the starting lineup when the season opened recently at Wade Hampton. He was, and the Tigers came away with
22 SEPTEMBER 2012 u GAME DAY
a 27-13 victory. But soon after the injury, Howard said he had doubts about returning to the game. “The doctors said I could’ve played the whole season and it might hold up,” he said. “Or I could’ve HOWARD played the next play and I could’ve broken it. Obviously, it wasn’t worth the risk.” So, he became “Coach Howard,” attending practices and working with his fellow defensive backs all of last season. “He was an inspiration to a lot of our players and was one of our leaders,” said Blue Ridge head coach Wade Cooper. “That’s carried over into this year on the field as well as in the locker room.” Even though Howard said he learned a lot from viewing the game like a coach, staying on the sidelines was a test for him mentally, emotionally and spiritually. “It was difficult physically because I hurt,” he said. “It was difficult because I missed the game – I had to watch from the sidelines, but it was also difficult spiritually
because I just wasn’t sure what God’s plan was in all this, so all those aspects combined made it difficult. “It was difficult, but it was a journey and it taught me a little bit more about life.” Howard said he figured on playing college football as he headed into his junior season, but now, he isn’t sure if his body will hold up against the rigors of the college game, Even so, he may have discovered another path for his future. “Coaching is definitely something I’ll consider,” Howard said. “Not just because I love the game, but because I want to be able to help young people the way my coaches have worked with me.” For now, the black cast on Howard’s left arm will be wrapped in a white protective padding for practices and games, and that’s OK with him. He doesn’t want to miss a thing after a season spent mostly on the sidelines. “I’ve got one more year guaranteed of this,” he said. “So, I’m going to soak it up and enjoy it as much as I can.” (This story also was featured on GreerToday.com.)
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CONGRATULATIONS 2012 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS PEYTON ALLEN AND XAVIER KILLINGS Philippians 2:2-5 New King James Version (NKJV) 2 Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
GAME DAY uSEPTEMBER 2012 23
For anyone with the desire to play sports at the college or professional level, the road is long and hard. This regular feature is about local athletes, living their dream, competing at ...
LIVING BEYOND FOOTBALL FORMER FURMAN STANDOUT JOEL BELL FOLLOWING ROAD MAP BEYOND U.S. BORDERS By JOHN CLAYTON
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s the son of Southern Baptist missionaries, Joel Bell always needed a passport and a Bible. Years later, Bell still needs both as he doggedly pursues a career in professional football and begins study for a life after the sport dedicated to the ministry. He is playing for his fourth team and in his third league and is back North of the border for a second stint in the Canadian Football League, but has spent most of this season on the Edmonton Eskimos’ injured list. “I’d like to continue playing football for a while,” said Bell, who is in the first year of a twoyear contract with the Eskimos. The dream of the NFL for the former JOEL BELL Furman standout is still there, having survived the financially strapped United Football League, where Bell was the 2012 first-round draft pick of the league’s Las Vegas Locomotives. It’s still alive after two Grey Cup losses with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. But Bell says it is no longer the only thing, and that’s why he enrolled for online courses at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Ky., where he plans to attend physical classes in the offseason. “I thought I was a Christian, but I really wasn’t,” he said. “After I left Saskatchewan, I truly heard the gospel and what it really is, and that’s when my heart changed.”
24 SEPTEMBER 2012 u GAME DAY
Courtesy the Saskatchewan Roughrider Football Club
Joel Bell has spent much of his pro football career in the CFL. Here, Bell lines up at tackle for the Saskatchewan Roughriders last season. He is spending this season on injured reserve as a member of the Edmonton Eskimos.
After graduating from Furman, Bell, who spent much of his childhood in foreign lands such as Croatia and Egypt with his missionary-veterinarian family, got a shot with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, but was released in training camp. He has since gotten looks from several NFL teams, including the Dallas Cowboys, but no contracts. Even so, he has continued to work, honing the skills of a professional offensive lineman and hoping for another phone call from the NFL after his injuries heal and after playing the 2013 season with Edmonton. Meanwhile, he will be pursuing his work in Louisville for the next four years or so. “I feel like, as a Christian, that Christ is the one that we should draw our worth and joy from because He will satisfy you for all eternity,” Bell said. “A lot of us try to fill that void with other things.” Even football. While football is still Bell’s profession and an important part of his life, making it
to the NFL is no longer the “idol” Bell said he had made it earlier in his career. “A lot of us make idols of other things when our idol should be Christ,” he said. Bell said his belief that Christ is the center of all things gave him the mentality to face the severe ankle injury that has sidelined him for this season. And if his position as a professional athlete can be come a pulpit, then so be it. “Being an athlete is a good way to speak with people and get into their lives,” he said. “I’m encouraged about that. . . . I want to try an glorify God with whatever I do. There’s way more to this than we expect in modern Christianity. We have to work more for God and listen more and pray more. If we do that, the closer to God we become.” Bell said he found several coaches and players of similar faith in Edmonton and felt at home early on with the team. “I felt like this was really where God wanted me to be and that this would be a good season,” Bell laughed. “Then I got hurt. You never really know God’s plan.”
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GAME DAY u AUGUST 2012 25
Faith in Sports
UPWARD PICS by REV. SETHTOURNEY BUCKLEY OR FCA COLUMN
Playing time
I
Time on the field and the bench build life lessons
watched as the seen unfolded before me as though it were scripted. During the game, I noticed one of the younger players from the Dorman football team really down because he was not playing. I walked over to sit with him and talk with him and he made the statement, “all the hard work I did all summer… and now all I do is get to watch everyone else play…it just ain’t fair coach…it just ain’t fair.” I could see a world of hurt in
this young man’s that went much deeper than the game of football. During halftime, he sat by himself as though he were isolating the pain in the hopes that the night would soon end. Just before the players came together…I watched as Trey Robinson walked over to him to share words of encouragement. What an awesome moment to see this teammate recognize another teammate who was hurting, and offer words to encourage.
There are many times in sports where you don’t get to play as much as you would Rev. Seth Buckley is Minister to Students like, or your child does not get at First Baptist Spartanburg. the playing time that you think that they deserve. Usually, there is not a response to that complaint that will make you the players AND parents about say the phrase…“That’s ok….its perspective because there can be no big deal” because it actually is. way too much value placed on The challenge for each one of us a win, a statistic, or amount of is to recognize that these sporting playing time. The emphasis must events are simply that…sporting be placed on the life lessons that events. The life lesson that they we can learn, and that is to focus teach though can be all the on the things that really matter. difference in the years to come. Encouraging someone the way Some athletes learn that that Trey did takes a willingness the game isn’t fair and that life to deny yourself something isn’t fair. There are things that because you believe in something happen in life that when you look greater than yourself. at them…it is so easy to say… If you find yourself down that’s not fair! I don’t deserve because of a loss, amount of this! There are also times in our playing time, or your playing lives where we see others going performance, then I want to through that same roller coaster. encourage you to allow today to The important thing in each be the beginning of a new day, situation is perspective. because God has given you this The Apostle Paul had an day to use as you will. He will interesting perspective to say give you the strength to make the least. He had been beaten, today His masterpiece if you shipwrecked, mocked, and will take your focus off of your ridiculed, yet he had the courage circumstances…and spend time to say, “I have learned the secret thanking Him for His blessings. of being content in any and every For the extra blessing… situation, whether well fed or look across life’s locker-room hungry, whether living in plenty to find one of your teammates or in want. 13 I can do all things who is struggling and hurting through Christ who gives me and is in need of a word of strength.” As a coach, it is always encouragement! important to strive to teach
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GAME DAY u JUNE 2012 9
YOUTH FITNESS
How to prepare for the weight room
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he best high school and bench press. These are athletes are the best excellent choices along with a prepared and preparafew others (but that’s for antion starts in the weight room. other article.) However, most Strength training is kids are not prepared the foundation of for the rigors of a athletic success. high school weight A proper room, and certainly strength training not ready for the big program allows an three exercises. athlete to run fast, Acquiring the jump high, accelerskill to perform these ate and the make exercises well takes quick changes of time and practice that direction that can few young athletes make a defenders are afforded. Most KEN head spin. Even are thrown into the endurance athletes weight program and FINLEY can benefit from expected to do the strength training workout that athletes that can lead to more efficient four years older are completmovements and better enduring. Performing these when a ance. young athlete does not have the The foundation of many requisite skill and movement strength programs are the big can lead to diminish benefits at 3 exercises: squat, power clean best and injuries at worst.
Ken Finley demonstrates the sumo squat, which should be performed with the feet flat on the ground, the spine erect, and hips below the knees.
I would like to offer three excellent exercises to prepare a young aspiring high school athlete to start right away. These exercises when performed regularly will give a young athlete an edge in weight training and reduce the possibility of injury. In today’s article I will introduce the first of 3 exercises: 1. Sumo squat – squatting should be performed with the feet flat on the ground, the spine erect (neutral back and neck), hips below the knees and the knees aligned over the feet (not inside). To perform the sumo squat, bend over and grab the toes then drop the hips, keeping the elbows inside the knees. Let the elbows push the knees out.
If the athlete cannot keep the heels down or falls back, place a 2 x 4 under the heels. Gradually decrease size of lift until they get it without any help. Work to get chest up and back straight. (see picture). From this position you can reverse the movement by straightening the knees and then standing back up or from the end position stand up as if returning from the squat. Start training today by performing 6-10 reps daily. Stay tuned to the next issue of Game Day for the next two exercises. Ken Finley is a physical therapist and certified youth speed and agility specialist. To learn more about his youth athletic development programs you can contact him at kfinley@finleypt.com.
Have a story idea? contact editor and publisher LES TIMMS III les.timms@upstategameday.com 864.804.0068 28 SEPTEMBER 2012 u GAME DAY
GOLF ACADEMY
Pull down to drive the ball
T
eaching junior golfers is often a challenge, but possibly the most rewarding task I do. One problem that you generally see with junior golfers is an unwillingness or non-understanding of what you are asking them to do. Generally, a golfer of any level must exaggerate any new move to see a difference in their swing. Driving the ball is often one issue I KYLE see with golfers of OWINGS every age. Driving the ball is imperative to having clean contact and also compression to hit the ball far. One drill I often do with juniors is to start the swing down by pulling the butt
(end of grip) of the club to the ball. This drill creates drive and lag. Both components create power. Through my teaching, simply telling someone to drive the ball does not help, but doing a drill that over corrects the problem will. In the photo at right, you can see Jack Busch, a fifth grader at Anderson Mill Elementary School doing the drill. Jack is swinging up at the ball. When she does this, she tends to top a majority of her shots. When she pulls the club down with the butt of the club, you can see in the photo the downward angle of her downswing. A good thought to have is to think of yourself as the hammer and the ball as the nail. Drive the ball into the ground! This will produce more consistent contact. Happy Golfing! GD Reach the Kyle Owings Golf Academy at (864) 205-4221
Jack Busch, a fifth-grade student at Anderson Mill Elementary, does a drill to help her drive through the ball. Here, she pulls the club down with the end of grip and demonstrates a good downward angle.
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GAME DAY uSEPTEMBER 2012 29
Athletes in Action GREENVILLE AREA SCHOOLS
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Sometimes the football is not all that snaps during the game. Don’t throw in the towel, visit Orthopedic Specialties. For years, we have successfully treated Upstate athletes who have suffered sports-related injuries. So make an appointment with us, and get back in the game. We specialize in: • Treatment of Sports-Related Injuries • Knee, Hip, Shoulder Replacement & Revision • Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery • Surgical Treatment of the Back & Neck • Arthroscopic Procedures (Knee and Shoulder) For a complete list of procedures, please visit orthopedicspecialties.com or call 864-208-8800 to make an appointment.
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