Thursday, November 14, 2013 • 55
sports
OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal
Cross Country, From back cover
BIET Riders Qualify for Regional Competition The Birmingham Interscholastic Equestrian Team’s high school and middle school teams have both qualified for regional competition after a weekend of competition at Clairmont Show Stables in Sterrett Nov. 2 and 3. Other participants in the Southern Equestrian Challenge IEA Zone 4 Region 1 competition were Vintage Creek Farm of Sterrett, Saint James Equestrian Team of Montgomery and Four Seasons Farm of Athens, Ga. In the Nov. 2 event, the BIET team won first place in the high school competition and second place in the middle school competition.
Gorman, From back cover
Spartans boys’ basketball team that won the state 6A title last winter. “Everyone was so supportive,” she said. “All my teachers were great, and the entire school was excited about volleyball and what we had accomplished.” As the only upperclassman on the Mountain Brook roster, Gorman saw her team from a unique perspective as it developed over the course of the season. “One reason we were underestimated is because on paper we were a young team with a lot of sophomores and freshmen,” she said. “But they had been playing volleyball for a long time and had a lot of on-court maturity. They also had a high skill level. It all added up.” Gorman said being the only senior on the team was more of a privilege than a burden. “I thought it would be a lot harder than it turned out to be,” she said. “The juniors and the other girls all played important leadership roles. I was just one of many, so there really wasn’t too much pressure on me to be a leader.” Mountain Brook coach Haven O’Quinn and her staff also deserve a lot of credit, Gorman said. “The coaches were crucial to our success,” she said. “They encouraged us to have fun every time we stepped on the court, and that mindset helped us play more loosely and aggressively.” The season was satisfying for Gorman on a personal level as well. Having played setter for three years, she moved to hitter for 2013. Gorman
Both the BIET high school and middle school teams won second place in the Nov. 3 event. BIET has completed its regular season and is preparing for regional competition at the Georgia International Horse Park in March. Team members are Arden McCullough, sixth grade, Westminster School at Oak Mountain; Sophia Giattina, 11th grade, Indian Springs School; Sadie Tauxe, eighth grade, Mountain Brook Junior High School; Cameron Shepherd, Ashlea Robinson, Madelyn Foster and Zoe Kuykendall, eighth grade, Simmons Middle School; Shelley Treleaven, had set the all-time career setter record for Mountain Brook, but Sara Chandler Mitchell didn’t miss a beat as the new starter in the position. “To be a good setter, you have to be selfless and understand the strategy of the game,” Gorman said. “Your job is to distribute the ball to the right people and be the workhorse of the team. Sara personified that for us this season.” Although Gorman excelled in volleyball, the sport wasn’t her entire life. She is ranked second academically in Mountain Brook’s senior class and is a National Merit Finalist. Gorman doesn’t plan to play volleyball in college and lists Notre Dame, the University of Virginia, Yale and Vanderbilt among her likely choices of schools. “I know everyone says this, but the key to doing well in school and playing sports is smart time management,” she said. “I have to admit I’ve hit some bumps and didn’t always follow my own advice. It’s so tempting to just sit and chat during free time, so you have to discipline yourself to buckle down and do the work when the opportunity comes.”
10th grade, Stonecreek Montessori Academy; Catherine Burley, eighth grade, Chelsea Middle School; Amelia Sorrels and Bethany Sorrels, 10th grade, Pell City High School; Maddie Waddell, eighth grade, Briarwood Christian School; Ryelee Jordan, 12th grade, Thompson High School; Rebekah Sims, 12th grade, Evangel Christian School; Mattie Harden, ninth grade, Oak Mountain High School; Isabel Pickett, 11th grade, Spain Park High School; and Bella Bice, sixth grade, Red Mountain Community School. Clair Allison is the team’s head coach. Gorman began playing volleyball in fourth grade when she signed up for a church league team. “Most kids start looking for a sport when they are that age,” she said. “My mom had played volleyball when she was young and enjoyed it, and maybe I just gravitated toward it. My dad enjoyed volleyball, too, so I sort of followed them.” By the time she reached her senior year of high school, Gorman had become one of Alabama’s most highlyregarded players. She earned All-State honors as a junior and played in the North-South All-Star game last summer. While championship trophies and individual recognition may be a lot of fun, Gorman said volleyball’s greatest rewards weren’t tangible. “What playing volleyball really did was teach me about the importance of perseverance,” she said. “We had some great victories when I was playing but also some terrible losses. The most important thing is that when you hit some rough patches, you pick yourself up and keep going.” Claire Gorman and Mountain Brook picked themselves up all the way to the Elite Eight.
ever put out there,” said Lady Spartan coach Greg Echols. “We placed a junior, a sophomore, a freshman and two seventh-graders in our top five. Everybody was part of something special, and I told the girls before the race just to have fun.” Junior Jessica Molloy was Mountain Brook’s top finisher, taking second to Hewitt-Trussville’s Veronica Lyle. Nicole Payne of Oak Mountain took third in the event, while Sydney Steely of Hoover finished fourth. Madeline Held of Spain Park was sixth. Frances Patrick of Mountain Brook and Catherine Bunch of Vestavia Hills finished eighth and ninth, respectively. The Lady Spartan duo of Parker Cobbs and Anna Littleton finished 12th and 13th, respectively. In Class 6A boys’ competition, Mac Macoy of Vestavia successfully defended his individual title, completing the course in 15:44.50. The Rebels finished second in team competition, losing to pre-meet favorite Auburn. The Tigers totaled 47 points while Vestavia trailed with 57. Mountain Brook was fourth with 121 points, and Hoover followed in fifth with 143. Macoy won the individual crown despite being hampered by an injury. “Because I was hurt, I missed out on some training,” he said. “But on race day, the adrenalin kicked in. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. Peyton Price of Vestavia was fourth in the boys’ competition. Cole Stidfole of Oak Mountain was 14th, and Davis Kelly of Mountain Brook was 15th. Homewood sophomore Andy Smith was the star of the boys’ Class 5A competition, taking first place with a time of 16:14.60. Smith led the Patriots to the team championship, as Homewood totaled 33 points to easily outdistance runner-up Scottsboro. John Carroll Catholic was fourth with 145 points. “I knew we could do it, but I also knew that anything can happen,” said Homewood coach Lars Porter. “Smith got the job done, and it’s exciting for him to win the individual title as a sophomore.” In the individual standings, John
Gardner of John Carroll was third. Mike Rohdy and Fulton Williams of Homewood were sixth and seventh, respectively. Alex Ngei of Homewood was 10th, and Hunter Poole of Homewood was 15th. In girls’ 5A competition, John Carroll turned in a strong thirdplace performance behind champion Scottsboro. The Lady Cavs totaled 76 points, as the Lady Wildcats took the competition with 59 points. Lawrence County was second with 68 points.
In Class 6A boys’ competition, Mac Macoy of Vestavia successfully defended his individual title, completing the course in 15:44.50. Journal file photo by Bryan Bunch
Bella Restrepo led the John Carroll runners with a fifth-place finish. The sister combination of Lindsey Granier and Lauren Granier finished seventh and ninth in the run. Becky Thelman of Briarwood was fourth. In boys’ Class 1A-2A competition, Dylan Pausic of Shades Mountain Christian was second in the individual run, completing the course in 16:42.40. In team competition, Westminster-Oak Mountain finished fifth with 138 points, as Montgomery Academy took the crown. In girls’ Class 1A-2A competition, Westminster-Oak Mountain finished third with 55 points behind first-place Montgomery Academy and runner-up St. Bernard. Maddie Hoagland of WestminsterOak Mountain was runner-up in the individual competition with a time of 19:31.80. Other Westminster-Oak Mountain runners placing were Sarah Kate Lipperd, 10th, and Camilla Lemons, 13th.
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