34 • Thursday, June 27, 2013
sports
Meredith Wins USTA Tournament
Madeline Meredith of Vestavia Hills won the girls’ 14 segment of the 2013 Southern Boys & Girls’ 14 Closed tennis tournament which concluded June 27 in Macon, Ga. More than 160 competitors from nine southern states - Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee participated. Meredith, a 5 seed, defeated the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on her way to the championship.., With her partner, Ally Bojczuk of Franklin, Tenn., Meredith was runner-up for the doubles championship. Meredith currently trains at the Saviano Tennis Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Rebels Barnett Nominated for FCA Athlete of the Year
Anderson Barnett, a senior at Vestavia Hills High School was nominated by the Vestavia coaching staff as the 2012-13 FCA Athlete of the Year. Anderson, a three-year letterman was the starting center on the 2012-13 Rebel’s offensive line. Throughout the last four years of high school, Anderson attended and lead Bible studies for current athletes at Vestavia. He has also attended FCA camps in the summer
with Vestavia Hills Coach Buddy Anderson. The son of Michael and Linda Barnett, Anderson is planning to attend the University of Alabama in the fall and major in accounting.
The A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club will host the Bam Bam B’ham Jam youth basketball tournament for boys and girls ages 10-12 on July 13. The event is at the club’s South Park location, 2900 South Park Drive Southwest. The tournament honors the memory of Seth Fingerman, known as “Bam Bam.” According to club officials, Fingerman was 25 when he committed suicide in December 2012, depressed over his health and personal life. Basketball was his passion, and he always wanted to have a positive impact on kids through basketball, officials said. Fingerman helped his high school basketball team at Jefferson Christian Academy to win two state championships and was tournament MVP his senior year. A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Clubs inspire and enable young people in the Birmingham metro area, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring adults through sports, fine arts, camps and leadership programs. Fingerman’s family, including his parents Cathy Fingerman and Dr. Irwin Fingerman, his brother Levi and his sister Shera, are recruiting volunteers to staff the tournament. A Facebook page, Bam Bam B’ham Jam, has been set up, and online donations can be made at the A.G. Gaston website, http://aggbgc.org/ donate/. Net proceeds will help erect new bleachers for the clubs.
From Back Cover
The new coach said Hoover fans can expect an aggressive team, both in attitude and style of play. “I like to be aggressive on the base paths and in everything we do,” Wright said. “I believe in keeping our opponents a little off-balance.” Wright paid tribute to her predecessor. “I do feel like I’m following a
Mudcats Win State Title
The Mountain Brook Mudcats 11U Baseball Team won the USSSA 11U A State Championship in Fultondale on June 9. The Mudcats finished the State Tournament with a 5-1 record while beating the Spain Park Jaguars 10-1 in the finals. The Mudcats were also runners up of the USSSA Sub-State Championship held in Cullman on June 2.
The Mudcats are, from left, kneeling: Mac Lidikay and Mac Scott. Standing: Jack Cushman, Will Yarbro, Aaron Vajda, Alex Gauld,, Thomas Latimer, Beau Hubbard and Emerson Richie. Back: Ryan Slaten and Edward Berry. The Mudcats are coached by Patrick Hubbard, Jimmy Gauld, Todd Richie and Allan Vajda.
Birmingham Flight Claims Fourth grade Basketball Championship
The Birmingham Flight won the 4th Grade YBOA Alabama State Championship in May.
Gaston Tourney Honors Birmingham Athlete
wright,
OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal
legend in Coach Brown,” she said. “He was Hoover’s coach when I was in high school and had already built the program into a powerhouse. His championship seasons are the standards I’ll be measured by, and rightly so.” Success in softball seems to be embedded in Wright’s genetic makeup. In high school, she earned all-state honors as a pitcher while leading Mortimer Jordan to the Class 5A state crown in 1999. She was named Gatorade Player of the Year in
The team members are from left, front: Garrett Smith, Vestavia; Collin Chappell, Hayden; Zack Tucker, Hoover; Marcus Williams, Hoover and DJ Fairley, Hoover. Back: Coach Mark Smith, Chip Culpepper, Hoover; Will Crowder, Gardendale; Colby Carter, Hoover and Coach Brent Carter. Not pictured: Hudson Wood, Vestavia.
Rebelettes Win 8U Girls’ Softball League Title
The Rebelettes playing in the 8U Recreational Youth League in the Vestavia Hills Girls Softball Association beat the Bombers in the semi-finals and in dramatic fashion overcame a 10-6 deficit to beat a very good Purple Panthers team 11-10 in the championship game. Team members are, from left, front: Anna Lockhart-Marchese, Emma Mitchell, Jordan Collar, Cristina Jaimes, Sofia Willey, Christiana Belcher, Ella Gallaspy, Abby Gallasp and Lilli Myers. Back: Erik Marchese, Chris Willey, Michelle J. Belcher, Shawn Collar and James Gallaspy.
Alabama for 1999 and 2000. Wright accepted a scholarship to the University of Alabama, where she helped the Crimson Tide reach four NCAA regional tournaments and the College World Series in 2003. She earned a spot on the Academic AllSEC team in 2004. Before taking the Mountain Brook job four years ago, Wright coached briefly at the collegiate level, with short stints at Texas A&M Corpus Christi and the College of Charleston. Wright said her passion for soft-
ball was the key to her accomplishments with the Spartan program. “Mountain Brook has had a lot of success with other sports, so maybe softball didn’t get the publicity that some of the others did,” she said. “When I got there, it was important to be an advocate for the game. I thought that if I was passionate for softball, it would be contagious for the girls.” Although Wright said she has had the opportunity to meet with only a few of her Hoover players, she has
already hit the ground running in her new job. “I haven’t moved into my office yet, but I’m already working,” she said. “I’ll be busy this summer with camps and tournaments. I’m very excited about this next step.” Brown wished his successor the best. “We had a really young team this year, but there was a lot of talent on the field,” he said. “Erin is coming into a good situation. I think she’ll do very well.”