i4sports Magazine - January/Febuary 2014

Roundup of local teams’ state championship seasons Jan/Feb 2014

Your local sports connection

Icy Affair

Get Fit

50 years of hockey in Huntsville

Solutions for your resolutions

Born to Coach

Panther’s coach destined to lead

i4sportsonline.com

You served our CountrY. Let us serve You. regions Mortgage is proud of all our brave men and women who have served in uniform. We offer VA Mortgage Loans to all veterans and to those currently serving in the military. each home loan features a lower down payment and a stable monthly payment that never changes. Plus, one of our friendly Mortgage Loan originators will work with you to help meet your needs every step of the way. It’s just another way we try to make life better.

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Nominate a deserving student athlete for Athlete of the Year Our Athlete of the Year program recognizes outstanding student athletes for their athletic, academic and community accomplishments. In May, two student athletes (one male, one female) are selected from the weekly winners as Athletes of the Year and each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

For more information, visit huntsvillehospital.org/aoy.

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January - February 2014

Features

6Enthusiasts Get Fit flock to CrossFit and Bootcamp 14 Affair on Ice

Huntsville and hockey go back 50 years

18 #hoops

Sparkman standout has Kentucky all a-twitter

22 Blazer of Glory Trojan star chooses UAB

26 Born to Coach Krystle Johnson destined to lead Panthers 28

14

Photo by Paulette Berryman

Departments 10 Health Factor Burn More, Store Less

12 Training Edge

Choose the right training program

28 Championship Seasons These are the champions...

.com

PO Box 18951, Huntsville, AL 35804 256-683-3580 info@i4sportsonline.com

Publisher

Greg Mordecai greg@i4sportsonline.com

Managing Editor

Budd McLaughlin budd@i4sportsonline.com

Digital Editor

Scott Seeley scott@i4sportsonline.com

Sales and Marketing

Kim Mordecai kim@i4sportsonline.com

Photography

Gregg Gelmis Lissa Hinely, Chris Jenson Greg Mordecai, Dane Moorefield Paulette Berryman

i4sportsonline.com

Extra features, photos and more

Contributors

Sam Barr, Mike Easterling, Andy McCloy Budd McLaughlin, Scott Seeley, Chris Welch Copying or reproduction, in whole or in part, of this publication without the permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Copyright 2014 i4sports. All rights reserved.

i4sports Magazine is published six times per year.

To order a subscription, visit i4sportsonline.com or call 256-683-3580

On the Cover

Gregg Gelmis specializes in sports and action photography. He took the cover photo of Tasha Wiley at Crossfit Moontown.

You can see more of Gregg’s work at http://werunhuntsville.smugmug.com

i4sportsonline.com 5

No Need For You To Carry These Ladies’ Groceries Tasha Wiley is wife, mom, engineer and one tough cookie thanks to CrossFit

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I

By Chris Welch t’s a cold, blustery kind of December night that would make most folks hunker down inside their warm homes, but not inside the spacious metal building off U.S. 431 South near Hampton Cove. As LMFAO’s “Sexy and I Know It” cranks out of the sound system, 10 men and women are pumping iron, hoisting huge barbells in the air and dropping them – making a distinct clang – grunting as they arch their bodies up to an iron bar for

Tasha Wiley shows her daughter the ropes. Tanya makes her four to five sessions a week of CrossFit a priority in her busy life.

Photo by Gregg Gelmis

i4sportsonline.com 7

beastly pull ups called muscle ups and stretching their arms between two hanging rings for an Olympic-like maneuver.

Yep, it’s safe to say CrossFit isn’t your mom’s Jazzercise class.

“These women don’t need you to carry their groceries to the car,” Andrew Mann, owner of the Moontown Crossfit center, said with a smile.

No offense to those who enjoyed dancing around and like Richard Simmons in tight leotards and sweatbands in the 1980s and ‘90s, but this is really “Getting Physical” – the new challenge for 20-to-30-somethings, wives/moms, husbands/dads, even 3 to 5 year old toddlers – especially as people look for ways to get fit in 2014.

Other programs in the Huntsville area include Joe Martin’s Adventure Bootcamp for Women, Reboot, a bootcamp in the Hampton Cove area for men and women who tend to shy away from the gyms; SWEAT, a relatively new facility that offers a variety of classes, including the Navy Seal-originated TRX. Californian Greg Glassman started CrossFit in 2000 with the first affiliated gym in Seattle, Wash. By 2005, there were 13 affiliates and today there are more than 7,200, including several scattered across Madison County.

“It really exploded,” Moontown Crossfit owner Andrew Mann said of the CrossFit program. “Everybody likes to be challenged and overcome something difficult. It’s like walking into a math test, acing it and feeling good. The philosophy is be great at nothing ... but good at everything.”

In this particular hour-long class, there’s a couple of stay-at-home moms, a husband/engineer, FBI agent and a mom/wife/engineer. The typical CrossFit workout includes a warmup, skill development segment and the high-intensity “workout of the day” or WOD. A coach encourages and monitors the participants and activities, which could appear very daunting to some.

“Oh, I really think it is for everybody,” said Tasha Wiley, a 36-year-old engineer, wife and mom of 3-year-old Addison, who also who takes the CrossFit Kids class, when asked if anybody could do it. “This is so different. It never gets boring.”

Wiley was 31, had just gotten married and seen some results with a personal trainer before and after the wedding, but then hit the dreaded plateau many gym rats encounter. “I’d 8 i4sportsonline.com

Photo by Gregg Gelmis

lost a few pounds and inches quickly in the beginning, but I was spending an hour a day, five days a week working out and I just felt like my progress was at a stalemate – and I was getting bored,” Wiley said. “A friend of mine had mentioned she had started CrossFit and when she described it to me, I immediately thought, ‘Wow. That sounds intense.’”

Wiley watched a CrossFit class and then went through a free 5-minute workout doing as many reps as possible of 10 squats, 10 burpees and 10 box jumps. She left exhausted ... and all in for CrossFit. “Watching the class was pretty incredible,” she said.

“Everyone, even the women in the class, was doing heavy power cleans with a barbell. If you’ve never touched a barbell, there’s something intimidating about just watching someone lift it - and then hearing that loud thud when they dump the weight and it hits the ground.

“After the class, the owner/trainer gave me some personal instruction on proper form for squats, burpees and box jumps. Of course, I wanted to impress him, so I went all out and didn’t stop. A couple of the girls who had just finished their class encouraged and cheered me on through the last couple of minutes. I got in the car and thought I was

going to throw up the entire way home. I couldn’t believe that a 5-minute workout had made me sweat so hard. So, as they say, I drank the Kool Aid and I was hooked.”

Wiley said the actual classes last about an hour and everyone does the same warmup, skill work and WOD. She attends classes four to five days a week and, with the support of her husband, makes it a priority. She will get up at 5 a.m. before work or come at night after if there’s a conflict.

If she can’t attend for some reason, she does pushups in her office. She never makes an excuse or says “I don’t have time to do it.”

The newly “My body has responded to CrossFit opened Sweat in a way it’s never responded to any other Fitness offers small exercise,” she said. “I sleep better, I have a ton more energy and endurance, I’m group personal happier and more confident, and I’ve met training facility with some of the most amazing people and certified trainers. have developed some of the most wonderful friendships I’ve ever had – all because of CrossFit. “People ask me all the time, ‘Where do you find the time?’ My honest response is, ‘It’s important to me, so I make the time.’ Sure, I give up an hour of sleep some mornings and there are plenty of nights I don’t have time to watch any TV, but it’s worth it to me. It’s the one thing I get to do that’s just for me and, again, as a working mom, I just feel having something that’s just for me is absolutely essential to my well-being and sanity.”

Jeidi Pippins said the relatively new Sweat Fitness is not a group aerobics facility with group fitness instructors, but a “small group personal training facility with certified trainers creating, coaching and modifying their programs to keep each individual at the upper edge. The classes can take beginners, intermediate and advanced students because the trainers can modify the programs for each individual.

The TRX Training was developed by NAVY Seals and uses the TRX Suspension Trainer, a portable apparatus that leverages gravity and the user’s body weight to develop strength, balance, flexibility and core stability.

“The nylon ropes allow for each person to take on as much or as little body weight as needed in order to perform movements,” Pippins said. “Where it really humbles even the most fit individual is that every movement requires a tremendous amount of core strength. Whereas a bicep curl using traditional weights leaves your back and abdominal muscles mostly at rest, the TRX requires all of these muscles to be fired up at all times.”

Photo by Gregg Gelmis

Photo by Gregg Gelmis

i4sportsonline.com 9

Burn More, Store Less

By Sam Barr, ACSM

H

ave you ever wondered how some people can eat anything they want without the risk of gaining weight, while others carefully monitor their food intake and still struggle to stay fit?

This is based on a bodily process called metabolic rate.

Simply put, metabolism is the process of breaking down food into nutrients the body absorbs and uses for energy. The speed at which the breaking down occurs, the metabolic rate, depends on several related factors: the number of calories you consume, the number of calories your body burns to stay alive, calories burned during and after exercise, and the calories you burn based on your individual genetic makeup.

Any calories that are consumed and not burned will be stored as fat, which will sit as an energy reserves until it is needed. This is where you come in.

How can you increase your metabolism? Well, there’s not much you can do about your genes (they only account for a measly 5% of total daily calorie consumption anyway), which means the best way to rev up your metabolism is to increase your body’s need for energy. Just like a fire will burn more wood the hotter it gets, your body will burn more fat the more energy you expend.

Let’s examine some ways you can rev up your metabolism to shed unwanted weight by inducing greater fat burning and less fat storing.

Health Factor

another place to be active is a great start.

Beginning modestly with walking or light cardio several hours a week and progressing will help insure consistency and prevent injuries. Make it fun by exercising with a friend, playing a sport or game you enjoy, or by keeping logs to mark your progress.

You don’t have to commit to spending hours in a gym each day; any additional movements throughout your day, including using the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away in the parking lot, and doing some much needed yard work around the house can burn more calories than you might think.

As long as you’re moving, your burning, and your metabolism and waist band will show it!

Meal Frequency

Each time you eat, you communicate to your body its state of being. When the body doesn’t get enough food, it assumes a state of starvation, and begins to store fat as a Exercise survival mechanism. Alternately, when the body receives An obvious way to speed up your bodies energy use adequate nutrition, it infers a state of well-being and uses is to increase the demand for energy. Your body burns a cer- energy liberally. Therefore, by eating frequently, you reassure tain number of calories just to stay alive (called your BMR- your body that you aren’t going to starve and that it should Basal Metabolic Rate) based on factors like height, weight, store as little fat as necessary. and age. Increasing amounts of aerobic and resistance based So while many people think skipping meals will help exercise have been proven to accelerate fat burning and inwith weight control, they’re actually slowing their metabocrease your BMR, so you burn more calories lism, thus burning less calories and storing even while you sleep! more fat. Eating quality foods in modest Sam Barr is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer who graduated Cardiovascular exercise for sustained amounts every 2-3 hours throughout the day from Auburn University with a periods at low intensity, or brief bouts at keeps your metabolism constantly active and BS in Nutrition and Dietetics and high intensity, has been shown not only to deters binge eating. is pursuing a Masters Degree in Nutrition.

He works as a group burn calories, but target fat cells for energy.

By planning ahead and having snacks and personal trainer.

Supplementing strength training can add and meals made out the night before, you For personal and/or group muscle tissue, which burns calories 3 times training, contact Sam at can have healthy food on hand when your sambarrau76@gmail.com faster than fat tissue. Finding a gym or stomach starts to grumble. This will keep 10 i4sportsonline.com

Portion Control

Quality over Quantity

“Clean your plate. There are starving children around the world.� While this sad mantra may be true, the idea that eating everything in front of you will somehow alleviate the global hunger crisis is a bit far-fetched. De-programming ourselves to not feel inclined to eat everything just because it’s there is a great step in controlling meal portion sizes. As it takes your stomach 15-20 minutes to relay the message of satiety (fullness) to your brain, eating slower may cause you to eat less, store less, and burn more.

Assess your fullness levels throughout the meal and make a decision whether to continue eating or save the rest for later.

Eating smaller meals lowers calorie and fat intakes and conditions your body to ingest only what it needs.

Although much of the information regarding weight management focuses on the quantity of calories, the real culprit is the quality of those calories.

For example: say your allotted calorie amount for lunch was roughly 520 calories. You have a choice to visit McDonalds and get a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, OR, eat

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a meal from home consisting of Chicken, Wild Rice, Green Beans, Grapes, and Milk- all for LESS calories than the burger.

Which is better? By picking the second choice, you were able to eat an entire meal full of quality protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins and minerals that your body will use to refuel and energize. The burger offers more calories with minimal nutritional value, and will probably leave you hungry.

By choosing quality over quantity, you can actually eat more food and keep your calories down. Make choices like whole grains, baked over fried, vegetables and fruits, low fat, and unprocessed foods to improve your diets quality.

Exercising more frequently, eating smaller meals, eating more often, and eating quality foods are all great ways to boost your bodies use of calories and help you burn more and store less. Implementing some of these strategies may help you shed some unwanted weight, gain energy, confidence, and stamina to take on any challenge 2014 can bring on!

Photo by Summer Richards Neal

your metabolism active and you focused on the task at hand, not when the next meal is.

Metabolic Training

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By Andy McCloy

Over the past few years a new awareness has been created regarding Metabolic Training (MT). With the emergence of Crossfit and Boot Camp style programs people have been introduced to the benefits of high intensity interval based training and its benefits. What is metabolic training and what you should look for when selecting a program?

Metabolic Training 101

So what is Metabolic Training exactly? The definition that I share most often comes from fitness expert BJ Gaddour. BJ defined Metabolic Training as “The ultimate fusion of anaerobic strength training and aerobic cardiovascular exercise.”

Most metabolic programs utilize your own bodyweight, medicine balls, kettlebells, dumbbells, and even barbells to improve strength and power while incorporating running, jumping, sprinting, and other exercises like “burpees” to crank up your heart rate and maximize metabolic disturbance. Sounds like fun huh? If programmed correctly metabolic training just might be the fastest way to attaining the body you deserve! However, if you end up in a program where these exercises and training variables are randomly thrown together and poorly coached you just may be in for a trip to the emergency room instead of a trip to the beach to show off your physique!

The Good

Metabolic training is very powerful at destroying body fat and forging lean muscle. Most metabolic training programs use high intensity work periods to JACK UP your metabolism, develop strength and create a large “AFTERBURN” effect. This “AFTERBURN” effect is called EPOC or Excessive Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption.

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Training Edge

What you should look for when selecting a training program

In short this means you are in a oxygen debt and because of this research has proven that your metabolism can stay elevated for up to 48hrs after your last training session! If your program or trainer is pairing up the correct exercises with the optimal work to rest ratio your body will be put into overdrive and become a calorie burning machine!

Metabolic training also improves insulin sensitivity. This is a key factor in losing body fat.

One of the biggest benefits of metabolic training is its ability to fight off Metabolic Syndrome - a combination of medical disorders that, when occurring together, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

It affects 1 in 5 people in the US and prevalence increases with age.

Another benefit of metabolic training is its flexibility.

MT can be used in conjunction with heavier weight training programs or serve as the main mode of strength training for someone who is involved in a more “aerobic’ sport/ hobby.

The Bad

Metabolic Training must be done properly. ALL training must be done properly. You’d think this is common sense but in the world of fitness common sense seems to have lost the battle to “Intensity.” I’m all for training hard but most people who begin a new program have not been consistently training. Those who have been consistently training still usually overestimate their current level of fitness. If you were to put them on a program that was too intense for their needs or current fitness level you now have a recipe for disaster. Sadly, you see this more often than not.

Exercise selection is one of the most important variables that must be addressed in any program. The exercises

that are chosen should have flexibility. You should be able Assessments and Evaluations: The biggest problem I to regress and progress them to accommodate any level of see with most Metabolic Programs is that there is no asfitness. This is easy to do with many exercises like pushups, sessment of movement quality. Don’t fall for the “we assess rows, and squats. Over the past few years it has become you while you are training” angle. They should be doing “cool” and “trendy” to use odd implements that ANYWAY! How in the world do I when training to give the appearance of a know what to have you to do and at what Andy McCloy provides strength “hardcore” training program. level if I haven’t even assessed the way you training and performance Flipping tires and swinging sledgehammove in the first place? enhancement services with Body Creations, Inc (BCI) mers has become a staple in many programs There should be some type of orientawww.andymccloy.com I see. These exercises certainly have benefits tion or class that teaches you the exercises and we use them periodically with some and movements that you will be using durof our highly trained athletes but the risk out weighs the ing training. If this does not exist, I’d question the quality of reward. the program. Safety FIRST! In regards to the general fitness market this is simply a The key to maximum metabolic disturbance is to use bad idea. I’m sure someone is reading this now going “I flip compound movements that involve the “4 knots.” The 4 tires and I’m just fine”, or “ I hit the tire with a sledgehamknots is a term that is used to describe the shoulders and mer and I absolutely love it and I’ve never hurt myself.” hips. Burning a ton of cals and cranking up your metaboThat’s great and I am glad they have worked for you lism is all about moving the shoulders and hips under load. but I can tell you this. 90% of the tire flipping I see is done At BCI we utilize variations of what we call “The 6 Primal with a rounded back. Loaded spinal flexion is a recipe for Movement Patterns” and build in other highly metabolic disaster. Deadlifting with other implements provides the exercises. The 6 Primal Movement Patterns are squatting, same benefit with less risk. lunging/stepping, pushing, pulling, bending/hinging and When most people swing a sledgehammer its basitwisting. cally an exercise in futility. They can’t swing it hard enough Your program should include soft tissue work , activaor fast enough to increase metabolic demand or develop tion work, mobility/stability exercises, and improve the way power. I have also personally witnessed people smash you move and feel. themselves in the head with sledgehammers during training All exercises should be able to regressed and progressed and this was a pretty qualified athlete. and this should be explained upfront My point being is there is no standard of exercise selecFind a program that is always coaching tion that exists across the board for all training programs and systems. Choose safety over intensity when selecting If your trainer is dancing and just shouting out words your exercises. of encouragement he or she may be missing the fact that Another “bad’ component of some metabolic training Client X is about to rupture a disc due to poor squatting programs is they are simply too intense all the time. If you technique. We are all about having fun while training but train at level that is to intense for extended periods of time our job is to coach you through these workouts and to eventually your body will break down. ensure your safety!

As a coach we should emphasize technical execution Ask for a trial and assess the environment. Take over intensity and build in deload weeks where the training note of how the people in the program interact. This intensity is adjusted to allow more recovery. Its common could be a huge key to success. Being involved in a place now to feel the need to PR (personal record) every group program creates a TEAM atmosphere that is very time you workout and for the general fitness fan this will powerful. lead to them breaking down sooner than later.

Ask about support services. At BCI we provide nuYour program should be intense enough to produce tritional resources and a ton of support when you join the results but not so intense you can’t recover from session to program. We want to see you succeed and we are dedicated session. to giving you all the tools you need to accomplish your

What to look for

First and foremost don’t fall for the marketing hype.

Everyone markets themselves as an “expert’ or “the best.”

Ask questions and do lots of research.

goals.

The days of having to walk on a treadmill to get cardiovascular stimulus are over! If you want to get lean, strong, and improve your conditioning this type of training can help you!

i4sportsonline.com 13

A 50-year affair on ice

T

Huntsville and Hockey

By Budd McLaughlin

The “Hockey Capital of the South” It’s not just a phrase then-Gov. George Wallace proclaimed in 1986 for Huntsville. It’s an honor earned.

After all, there’s been organized hockey in Huntsville for more than 50 years.

Yes, more than 50 years.

Besides also having the only NCAA Division I hockey program south of the Mason Dixon Line, here are a few other reasons why it’s hard to argue with the nickname: The UAH Chargers won three straight national club hockey champi-

onships in 1982-83-84.

The Chargers won NCAA Division II national championships in 1996 and 1998.

The Chargers were in the NCAA Division I national hockey championship tournament twice (2007 and 2010) and the Division II tournament four times.

The Huntsville Channel Cats won the Southern Hockey League championship in 1996.

The Channel Cats won the Central Hockey League championship in 1996.

Organized hockey in Huntsville started in 1962 at the Ice Palace.

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The Channel Cats won the South East Hockey League championship in 2004.

The Huntsville Havoc won the Southern Professional Hockey League

championship in 2011.

In 1996, when the Cats and UAH won their championships, Huntsville became the first American city to win a professional and NCAA ice hockey championship in the same season – and still is.

The NHL’s Nashville Predators played their first-ever game – an exhibition game – in Huntsville, not Nashville.

And it all started in 1962 at a little rink just off Governors Drive, then-known as Fifth Avenue, when one Sunday afternoon a mom wanted a dad to take the boys skating because they were “kinda driving us crazy.”

Fred Hudson got the boys in the car and drove to the Ice Palace, which was owned by Ben Wilcoxen, whose name is on Huntsville’s Municipal Ice Complex.

“It had been a while since I skated but I guess I looked like I knew what I was doing doing because Ben asked me if I had been a hockey player,” said Hudson, a Connecticut native. “He asked if I had interest in starting a youth hockey program.”

Wilcoxen wanted the YMCA involved, Hudson said.

By Monday, Y Director Lawrence Cross had 60 kids signed up to play View more hockey. vintage photos on Hudson said he was prepared to i4sportsonline.com have the kids wear work gloves and Courtesy of rolled-up magazines as shin guards.

Fred Hudson But Cross had a stack of catalogs and told Hudson to pick out what he needed.

So, the first Huntsville hockey players had the finest equipment available in 1962 and were ready for their first practice.

“The 60 kids had their equipment and we had about 60 ‘coaches’ show up,” Hudson said.

But, just because they had top-of-the-line gear, well …

“I had them lined up and blew the whistle,” Hudson said.

About half of them fell.

Just one player skated to the other end of the ice; he was the son of a Canadian soldier stationed at Redstone Arsenal.

Hudson devised some drills and eventually the kids were playing hockey.

The players were fast learners and, two years later, the program was invited to an international youth hockey tournament – the Silver Stick. i4sportsonline.com 15

Soon after, Huntsville was asked to host a Silver Stick tournament and still does.

But, the program outgrew the YMCA, mainly because of the expense of running ice hockey teams. Ed Ragland, a local businessman and a member of the YMCA board, got the ball – or, puck – rolling for a separate organization to run hockey.

The Huntsville Amateur Hockey Association was born.

HAHA became a dominant youth hockey organization in the South and produced talented players, some who would be the founders of a program that would become synonymous with hockey in the South – the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

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The UAH Chargers One night in 1978, the Von Braun Civic Center hosted a college club hockey game that included Vanderbilt University. In the audience, were Wayne Zeek and Joe Ritch, both alumni of HAHA. Not overly impressed with the talent on the ice, Zeek told Ritch that Huntsville can have club hockey and probably be successful.

Ritch, a local attorney and UAH graduate, got the university to back a club program that took the ice in 1979 and was in the Southern Collegiate Hockey Association.

Zeek was a goalie on the team and Ritch was the coach.

The first Chargers team was made up primarily of Huntsville players, several who had played hockey in college elsewhere. Other players were among those who had moved here from Michigan and elsewhere.

Though the Chargers lost their first home game – “We were more concerned about how we looked in front of our families,” Zeek said – they rolled through the SCHA and won the championship.

The Chargers, with basically the same lineup, repeated as SCHA champions the next season after destroying the “competition” by a nearly 9-1 margin in every game.

Ritch beefed up the team’s schedule in 1981, playing schools such as Illinois, Illinois State, Duke, North Carolina and others, along with its SCHA schedule that included Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Auburn. To play the harder schedule, he “recruited” players by placing an ad in “The Hockey News.”

The response was amazing and so was the team. The Chargers featured a lineup with players from Michigan, the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta, as well as a core of Huntsville players.

Nicknamed the “Von Braun Bullies” for their physical, intimidating style, the Chargers again rolled through their schedule and were invited to the Jofa Invitational National Club Championship tournament in Boulder, CO. They would face the likes of Penn State, Northern Arizona, SMU, Colorado and Marquette – and they would go through undefeated, capped off by a 14-2 smashing of SMU in the championship game.

The UAH administration saw it had some-

thing good on its plate and Ritch suggested the school find an “actual” hockey coach. The seeds were being sown for the Chargers to go varsity.

The Cats played four seasons in the CHL, winning the championship in the 1998-99 season.

Huntsville had a franchise the following season, but new ownership changed the name to the Tornado and that team lasted just the 2000-01 season and the Rocket City was without pro hockey for the next two years.

Real college hockey Doug Ross, the coach of Kent State and a member of the 1976 U.S. Olympic hockey team, answered an ad in, yep, “The Hockey News” for the UAH coach’s position.

Ross moved the team out of the SCHA and into the Central States Collegiate Hockey League. The competition was tougher and UAH lost in the championship game. However, the Chargers repeated as national club hockey champions by winning the national tournament. They made it three in a row by winning the 1984 tournament.

In 1985, the Chargers went varsity and joined the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The school’s other teams belonged to the NAIA, so it was a natural fit.

However, the NCAA is the way to go and UAH became a Division I program in the 1986-87 season. But, there was no conference and the team struggled as an independent for several years before the NCAA established Division II hockey in 1992.

Here, the Chargers flourished. They reached the Division II national tournament four times over the next six years, winning the national championship twice and runner-up the other two times.

The pro game comes calling

Seeing the success of hockey on the college level, the East Coast Hockey League started the Huntsville Blast in the 1993 season. The team lasted only a year because the ownership was not local and not involved but it sparked local business leaders to bring another minor league team to Huntsville.

The Huntsville Channel Cats came about in 1995 when two Knoxville men placed a team in Huntsville in the newly formed Southern Hockey League. The Cats had a rambunctious style of play and won the SHL championship.

However, the SHL folded and Huntsville moved into the Central Hockey League – one of the most respected and known minor league.

NCAA Division I

Meanwhile, UAH had moved up to Division I and was a founding member of College Hockey America, a six-team league. The Chargers won the CHA regular season title in 2000 and 2003 but did not win the league tournament which included an automatic bid to the NCAA national championship tournament.

However, UAH won the league tournament in 200607 and faced Notre Dame in the first round of the national tournament, falling 3-2 to the top-ranked Irish in double overtime.

The Chargers won the last CHA tournament in 200910, the league was folding, and advanced to the NCAA tournament, only to lose to top-ranked Miami 2-1.

UAH is now in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, which includes long-time rival Bemidji State.

The Havoc is born After the Channel Cats and the SEHL folded following the 2003-04 season, Keith Jeffries, who operated the Cats, started the Havoc in the new Southern Professional Hockey League.

The team is in its 10th season and won the SPHL championship in the 2009-10 season.

The hockey capital

In the meantime, HAHA changed its name to North Alabama Hockey Association and has nearly 600 players in its fold.

There is now a strong youth program called The Thunder which places kids in the junior level of ice hockey.

And it all started at a little rink with a bunch of kids who fell on their faces in the first workout.

“When it started in ’62, I never imagined it would be like this,” said Hudson, the father of Huntsville hockey. “It’s been a fantastic ride.” i4sportsonline.com 17

Kentucky basketball all atwitter about Sparkman standout Alexis Jennings

i4sportsonline.com 18

#hoops

Twitter followers get the inside scoop on @Lexissjanay3, Sparkman’s Alexis Jennings

W

By Chris Welch

Photos by Gregg Gelmis

When most high school teenagers get home on a school night they: (A) Call their boyfriend/girlfriend/ BFF (B) Get on their Facebook to check out the latest drama going on at school (something like the Facebook spoof actors James Earl Jones and () do in the Sprint commercials) (C) Post a photo on Instagram (D) Do some ... homework?

Or, if you’re Alexis Jennings, a senior on the Sparkman High School girls basketball team and one of the top prep players in the nation – ESPN rated her the No. 9 post player in the country and she signed early in Novemeber with Kentucky – you go home and tweet to your 810 followers on Twitter. As of Dec. 10, she had sent out over 20,000 tweets as @Lexissjanay3.

“No such thing as a lucky win *shrugs* it was faith,” Jennings tweeted, probably in response to somebody else’s sour grapes tweet after the Sparkman girls edged rival Hazel Green 41-39 at the Trojans gym.

Jennings hit key free throws down the stretch and stole a pass with 13 seconds left to preserve the win, which improved the Senators to 9-1 at the time.

It’s a good bet many of her Twitter followers were eagerly awaiting what she had to say after the game, including her newfound hoop friends from the University

i4sportsonline.com 19

of Kentucky, who can’t wait for her to arrive in the Bluegrass State.

When she committed during the early signing period, picking Kentucky over Georgia and Tennessee (Alabama and Auburn had coaching changes and didn’t show much interest, her mom says), she was warmly embraced by the UK fans, athletic department and players and welcomed to what’s known as “La Familia” on Twitter.

Among her followers are current UK women’s players Makayla Epps, Azia Bishop, Samaria Walker, Linnae Harper and Bernisha Pickett. *Gary McKnight ?@TenDem 14 Nov: “@lexissjanay3 Thanks for joining the family.” *UK Hoops ?@UKHoopCats 14 Nov: “Welcome to the family, @lexissjanay3! We can’t wait to see you in the Blue and White! #LaFamilia”

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*Coach D ?@MarkusDouglas21 14 Nov: “@lexissjanay3 is going to ball out at Kentucky!!!! #bbn” “It was nice,” Jennings said, referring to the congratulations on Twitter.

“I talked to a majority of the players when I made my visit and got to meet them and get close to them.

“I’m very excited about going to Kentucky. With our system, we run fast and it’s simliar to what they run at Kentucky. As you probably saw (during the game), I like to handle the ball. I wanted to sign early and get it out of the way so I could focus on our basketball season.”

Jennings was obviously focused as a junior, averaging 22.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.3 blocks and 3.2 steals while leading Sparkman to a 33-1 record. She was named first team Class 6A All-State, Alabama

Sports Writers Association Super 5 and a finalist for 6A Player of the Year and Miss Basketball. The lone loss to eventual champ Hoover in the Northwest Regional championship game was the only damper on the season.

“She’s a fantastic kid,” Sparkman coach Patrick Delay said. “She makes good grades, doesn’t have an ego and works hard. She even had the others kids come in for workouts (before the season) at 6 a.m.! They see her desire and this team is hungry.

Jennings mother, Tracy McCall began coaching at Sparkman in 1977 after her own successful basketball career at the University of North Alabama.

She rejoined the Spakman coaching staff last year as an assistant.

Sparkman Coach Patrick Delay

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“If my own daughter was like Alexis I’d be tickled to death,” Delay said.

This is where Alexis Jennings really shines. As well as she can do it all as a big post player – dribble, rebound, drain the 3-pointer and mix it up inside – Jennings’ greatest asset may be her character. While kids and adults alike are posting anything and everything on the Internet, many of Jennings’ posts focus on her faith and doing the right thing.

“Lord, thank you for allowing me to live and see another day,” is a frequent tweet Jennings sends out.

“It is a blessing just to wake up,” Jennings said. “Not every day is given. You need to fulfill your purpose on earth. If you can impact your own life, then maybe you can persuade others and they’ll be more successful.”

It helps to have a role model who is her mother, basketball coach and even on the faculty as Sparkman High School (working with curriculm). As Jennings also frequently tweets: “Praying to God tryn to live right but i still had to go out and get it..never had my father in my life.”

“It’s been good for our relationship – all of it,” says her mother ,Tracy McCall, who started coaching at Sparkman in 1997 after her own successful basketball career at the University of North Alabama. She rejoined Delay’s staff last year as an assistant. “As as a coach and mom I get the same amount of respect. I also work at the school, but we dont’ see each other that much and that gives her the space she needs.”

And, speaking of space, what about the space between Harvest and Lexington, Ky.?

Mom says no problem.

“Four hours, 20 minutes off Exit 93,” McCall says with a big smile. “It’s a nice drive down the Blue Grass Parkway.”

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Blazer of Glory

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Photo by Chris Jensen

Hazel Green star taking his basketball savvy and skill set to UAB

W

By Mike Easterling

Wonder if Auburn basketball coach Tony Barbee did any second guessing as a dramatic triple overtime game unfolded in front of him at Austin High School in Decatur on December 17?

According to Hazel Green senior Lewis Sullivan, the Tigers staff never showed interest in signing the 6-foot-7 combo forward who twice has been named to the Class 6A All-State first team.

He was also named the 6A Player of the Year for 2012-13.

“No, they didn’t’’ Sullivan said a couple of hours before posting 35 points and 18 rebounds in an 83-76 win over the Black Bears as Barbee, on site to recruit Trojans junior forward Ethan Stair, looked on from the stands.

Barbee and the Tigers would have no doubt received a strong look from Sullivan. His older brother, Frankie Sullivan Jr., was a scoring star for the Tigers who played his last season on The Plains in 2012-13 before moving to Italy and a professional career.

Instead, Lewis Sullivan signed with UAB of Conference USA in the early period. He chose the Blazers over SEC’s Mississippi State and Georgia.

“It wasn’t surprising, but they didn’t recruit him,’’ said Lewis’ and Frankie’s father, Frankie Sr. “Alabama and everybody else were behind him. He decided to go to UAB.’’ Lewis Sullivan, who called himself a “great student’’ and said he enjoys school, is qualified.

“He’s very humble,’’ Hazel Green coach Todd Jeffers said. “That helps him in the classroom.’’

The left-handed and sinewy Sullivan, a 195-pounder who launches 3-pointers around the perimeter while not slashing to the basket, started as a freshman after moving to Hazel Green with his family from Uniontown.

He was thrust into the state spotlight as a sophomore as he averaged a double-double en route to his first All-State selection after helping the Trojans make a run to the state championship game and a 22-13 finish.

Hazel Green lost 61-56 to Carver-Montgomery in the title game at the i4sportsonline.com 23

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1993 when it was a 5A school and the format featured eight teams before the field was trimmed to four in 1994.

Sullivan averaged a double-double that season, and for an encore averaged another double-double of 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds along with 2.1 assists as a junior. The Trojans were ousted from the postseason in 2012-13

by Madison County rival Sparkman

in double overtime of the Northwest Regional championship game, but Sullivan was state 6A Player of the Year after the Trojans finished 24-10.

Sullivan, the No. 6 prospect in the state according to ESPN.com, will obviously play a vital if not the key role in any success that comes the Trojans’ way. He and Stair are the only two starters that returned this season.

Photo by Chris Jensen

Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center, but that did little to take the luster off an otherwise memorable season.

The school had not been to a state final since coach Jerry Dugan led the Trojans to the 1967 2A title when the Alabama High School Athletic Association consisted of four classes.

The Trojans also made the school’s first state tournament appearance since

Jeffers said Sullivan’s court vision helps set him apart.

“He’s got an uncanny court awareness,“ Jeffers said. “He can exploit a defense when there’s an opportunity.’’

That’s something UAB coach Jarod Haase noticed.

“Lewis is a big wing with great basketball savvy and skill set,” Haase said shortly after Sullivan signed in November. “He is a tremendous passer and a very unselfish player who can “He’s got an also score in multiple uncanny court ways.’’ awareness. He can The Sullivans exploit a defense when moved to Hazel Green shortly after there’s an opportunity.”

Frankie Sr. relocated - Hazel Green after being laid off Basketball Coach to land a government Todd Jeffers job alongside Ronnie was already Crutcher, who was Lewis’ at Auburn. summer league coach with But Diane’s sons playing for the Trojans at brother’s kids Prethe time. cious and Jaylin Page, ages 13 Lewis said his mom, Diane, asked and 16 respectively, also moved and him if he’d like to relocate as well and live with the Sullivans. he said yes. Frankie Jr., who would As for chosing UAB, Jeffers isn’t later tell his younger brother to “stay surprised. on the right track’’ and “be your own “Location was the No. 1 thing,’’ man’’ through the recruiting process,

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Photo by Chris Jensen

Jeffers said. “He’s a mama’s boy.’’

Sullivan will talk to his parents and coaches before deciding what course of study to pursue at UAB. That can wait for now. He currently has plans to make it back to Birmingham and the state tournament final four.

“We can go all the way,’’ he said.

“We’ve got the pieces of the puzzle, we just got to get on the right track.’’

Born to coach Krystle Johnson guides Huntsville High

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Photo by Greg Mordecai

K

By Budd McLaughlin

Krystle Johnson was born to coach.

Her father is a coach and her mother is involved with the state’s AAU girls’ basketball program.

To top it off, Krystle told her high school coach at Hoover she was going to take her job.

Well, she didn’t get that job when it opened but was given the JV team and was an assistant at Hoover, helping the team to two state championships.

Then, came an opening at Huntsville High.

“It was a leap and I was scared,” she said.

But after interviewing, she was offered the job to lead the Panthers.

And, last year – her second with Huntsville, she was named the state’s coach of the year.

“God had a plan,” she said. “And it was to come here.”

The journey wasn’t a simple one for Johnson.

After graduating from Hoover, she went west to play at UCLA – but that didn’t work out.

And it almost caused her to leave the game.

“The style of play didn’t fit me,” she said. “I was starting to get unhappy and lost the love of the game.”

Then Bama came calling.

“The SEC is more my style and coaches who wanted me (while at Hoover) were still there,” she said.

Because she transferred, Johnson had to sit out a year – which she called a “humbling experience.”

Now she uses that to help her relate to her players when she has to bench them occasionally.

“I tell them ‘Whatever I say to you, it’s to help you, not hurt you,’” she said.

And the girls help energize her.

“I get excited by going to the gym,” Johnson said.

She is also constantly learning from other coaches.

Johnson said she had three high school coaches, three college coaches and three AAU coaches.

But that’s not a bad thing to her.

“I’m constantly taking other people’s plays,” she said. “I take a piece of them each day. You can’t be stuck in playing one style.”

The Panthers have adopted her style - or styles – of play and it has paid off quite well for the team. Huntsville returned four of the five starters from last year’s state championship team but, she said, the team lost its leader and had to adjust to that - as well as having a target on its back.

Though she is proud of what the team has accomplished on the court, it’s preparing the young women for “I tell them college and life that makes Johnson beam.

‘Whatever I say to “The players who you, it’s to help you, went Division I, I’m not hurt you.’” so proud of them to - Huntsville High get their bachelor’s Basketball Coach and master’s,” she Krystle Johnson said. “I want to help people change their lives.

“Watching these young ladies develop into adults is very rewarding.”

She said her relationship with the girls is like a “big sister” but they know she is the coach and have bought into her system.

“I give my all to the team and I hope they return it,” Johnson said. “If we play four complete quarters, we can do well.

“Hopefully, it will all come around.”

Photo by Greg Mordecai

i4sportsonline.com 27

Madison Academy continues to corral football titles

Championship Seasons

By Budd McLaughlin

B

efore the season, Madison Academy head football coach Eric Cohu told i4sportsonline, “We focus on forward looking. We’ve celebrated the championship; now it’s time to turn the page. We’re looking at 2013.”

Well, that focus resulted in a school-best 15-win undefeated season and second straight 3A state championship.

The Mustangs got out of the blocks quickly with a season-opening 48-6 win over defending 2A state champion Tanner. The Rattlers, though, recovered nicely from the blowout loss to win their second straight state title in December.

For Madison Academy, that was their signature style for the season.

The Mustangs rolled through their schedule with some reserves seeing as much playing time as the starters.

They had strong senior leadership from lineman Frank Williams and linebackers Taylor Ziak and Jamie Marshall.

But their strength was in the underclassmen - particularly Kerryon Johnson and Malik Miller.

The duo – Johnson a junior and Miller a sophomore - played key roles

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Photos by Greg Mordecai

on offense and defense in helping the Mustangs pile up huge offensive numbers while keeping the opposition at bay.

The Mustangs dominated Region 8, outscoring their seven opponents by a 347-64 margin. In non-region play, MA beat Cullman, the No. 10-ranked 5A team, 28-10 and dropped Central of Clay County 14-7, the 7th-ranked 4A team. The Mustangs handed Central the first loss on their home field.

And it prepared the Mustangs for what awaited them in the playoffs and the eventual 31-14 win over Leeds to repeat as state championships.

So, on to 2014 …

Snakes alive!

Championship Seasons

Tanner High on road to success-s-s-s-s-s

I

By Budd McLaughlin It’s quite an honor to have a road named after you.

And “Road of Champions” is quite appropriate for the road in front of Tanner High School.

All the school has done is brought home a 2A girls and boys basketball championship in in 2011, the boys track and field team won the state championship in 2012, the boys basketball team won the school’s fifth state title last February and the football team repeated as state champions in December.

While the Rattlers football rolled over competition last year, this year’s team was younger and stumbled out of the blocks with a season-opening 48-6 loss to 3A Madison Academy – which would go on to repeat as 3A state champions.

“Last year, we had a team that was kinda stacked,” Tanner head coach Laron White told the Athens News Courier. “This year we had a lot of younger guys that started the season with a blowout loss to Madison Academy. We just got better and better every week.”

The Rattlers did rebound and won their next eight games en route to their fourth straight Region 8 championship.

In the playoffs, Tanner trailed in every game – including the championship game against Washington County.

The team’s mettle was tested but they fought through, echoing the coach’s words by getting “better and better every week.”

Senior Hayden Stephens carried the team on his back, rushing for 2,142 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns. He was named First Team All-State.

Signal-caller JonJon Fletcher, a junior, rushed and passed for 27 touchdowns and was named All-State honorable mention for his efforts.

Their talents were on display in the playoff games, including the championship game when Stephens rushed for 159 yards on 23 carries and scored two touchdowns in the 21-13 win.

He was named the game’s MVP.

i4sportsonline.com 29

LEADER PACK Randolph Cross Country claims 9th straight state title

Championship Seasons

OF THE

By Chris Welch

T

he Randolph High School boys cross country team defeated LAMP (Loveless) Magnet School of Montgomery 35-49 in the Class 4A meet to win its ninth straight Alabama High School Athletic Association state title. Randolph, led bysenior Eshan King – second overall in 16:33.50 – managed to place all five of its scorers in the top 15 to keep its streak going.

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Randolph Coach James “Twig” Terwilliger said the Raiders went into the meet as a slight underdog to LAMP because they were unsure of the status of 11th grader Grant Ginsburg, who had been out most of the season with a stress fracture. However, Ginsburg, who ran with little to no pain in the sectional championships in Scottsboro, was cleared to run in the state meet, giving “new life to the psyche of the team,” Terwilliger said.

“The boys ran extremely smart, sticking to our race plan and execut-

ing it almost perfectly, something the boys had struggled to do all season long.”

The Randolph girls finished second in 4A to champion UMS Wright, 37-83 followed by Wilson 86 and Pope John Paul II Catholic with 111.

“Being ranked fourth, the girls really had no pressure on themselves as they really had nothing to lose,” Terwilliger said. “They raced their hearts out and executed their race plan to as close to perfection as they could possibly do within their abilities.”

Won I

By Chris Welch

for the

Road Westminster wins

first cross country title as its coach

leaves the country on a three-year mission

n January, Westminster Christian cross country coach Justin Huston leaves for a three-year World Harvest Mission trip to Mundri, South Sudan to serve as a pastor and teacher at the Ngalamu Theological College. He’s going to take a lot of special memories with him, especially after leading Westminster to its firstever state title in the Alabama Athletic Association, the Class 3A cross country championship.

Westminster blasted pre-meet favorite Cottage Hill Christian 34120 to win the championship. The Wildcats got a 2-3 finish from Ryan Ford and senior co-captain Cameron Sullivan and placed five runners in the Top 15 to win its first state championship since joining the AHSAA in 1992-93.

Ford ran a time of 16 minutes, 48.30 seconds followed by Sullivan in 16:52.50. Also making the Top 15 for Westminster and therefore All-State were Alex Gipson, ninth, in 17:13.90, senior co-captain Eric Farmer, 12th, in 17:17.90 and Ethan Gray in 17:23.30.

Championship Seasons “As I prepare to leave and pack up my life in to a couple of suitcases I am flooded by mixed emotions and thoughts,” Huston said. Marty Clarke also helped coach the team. “You can’t take your trophies with you. There just isn’t room in a trunk. Yet, the one thing that Westminster and especially cross country at Westminster has instilled in me is a sense of family.

“Going out with a state championship has been a great blessing, but it is the memories and the love we shared as a team that have truly made the difference. When you leave for missions you don’t simply leave some behind and exchange them for others. Those you’ve known become the springboard that gives you the strength and confidence to move extend that family feel even a continent away. In that way this team will always be a part of me, a part for which I am exceedingly grateful.”

i4sportsonline.com 31

Lady Patriots reclaim state volleyball crown

By Chris Welch

F

or the last four years, Huntsville High School had won the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state 6A volleyball title. This year, the crown again stayed in Huntsville, but there’s a new owner of it – the Bob Jones Patriots.

The No. 2-ranked Patriots, coached by April Marsh, swept four-time defending champ and No. 5-ranked Huntsville High School 25-20, 25-12, 25-18 in the state championship match. It’s the second state volleyball championship for Bob Jones, 46-12, who last won it in 2008. Bob Jones and Huntsville played twice during the regular season, with the Patriots winning both times. The Patriots were led by tournament Most Valuable Player Alexis Howell, how had 15 kills, 15 digs a block and an ace. Jeneva Salter added 18 kills, Melanie Hissam 10 digs and Erin Shockey 33 assists for the Patriots.

Salter and Shockey were also named to the all-tournament team.

Championship Seasons

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Huntsville High boys swim to second straight state title

By Chris Welch

F

or the second straight year, the Huntsville High School boys captured the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state swimming and diving championship in the two-day event on the Auburn University campus.

The HHS boys took the title with 261 points in the James E. Martin Aquatic Center. Madison County rival Bob Jones finished second with 234 points followed by McGill-Toolen 204 and Auburn 193.

In the girls meet, Auburn won the girls title with 239.2 points followed by Athens with 154, McGillToolen 145.4 and Huntsville High 140.

“It was quite exciting to win back to back,” Huntsville High School coach Allison Brol said. “We are very excited for our boys this year, and we are looking forward to seeing what next season for our girls team. They look promising.”

A total of five state records were set in the girls competition and four in the boys’ division. The Athens

Championship Seasons

girls 200-yard freestyle relay team of Kobie Melton, Lindsey Martin, Ellen Haapoja and Mallory Underwood set a new state record with a time of 1:38.50. The Bob Jones boy 200-yard freestyle relay team of Derek Sander, Chris Burrows, Andrey Tretyakov and Zach Harting also set a new time of 1:25.84.

Photo by Elizabeth Hinely

Photo by Elizabeth Hinely

i4sportsonline.com 33

Your Sports

Last labor of love - the final load of team laundry. Photo by Dane Moorefield

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STATE CHAMPIONS Congratulations to area teams on their championship seasons Bob Jones 6A Girls Volleyball Huntsville High Boys Swim and Dive Madison Academy 3A Football Randolph 4A Boys Cross County Tanner 2A Football Westminster 3A Boys Cross Country