> AMAZING GRACE: First Tee’s Grace Vaughan captures dream >> HUNTER COLE: Ex-Cav begins minor league career >> A’MIRACLE: Chesnee star on the fast track >> plus: Ric Flair visits Upstate >> facebook.com/upstategameday >> upstategameday.com
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PLEASE TAKE ONE
FRE E vol. 4, no. 4
A NEW
CHAPTER North Greenville’s LANDON POWELL finds that life is good again / pg 14
North Greenville baseball coach Landon Powell with daughter Ellie.
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Leading Off First Tee’s Grace Vaughan in Wells Fargo Pro-Am
>8 > 14
NGU’s Landon Powell opens new chapter with Crusaders
> 18
Chesnee track standout A’Miracle Scott
> 21
Dorman lacrosse garners support for downed competitor
> 22
Hunter Cole begins baseball journey in the minors
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J.L. MANN CELEBRATES STATE LACROSSE TITLE
The J.L. Mann Patriots defeated Bishop England 13-10 to collect their third consecutive state title at Chapin High School recently. Ashli Woodard and Ava Alvarez scored three goals apiece to pace the Patriots, who finished the season 17-3. Blakley Wilson, Lucy Ellison and Taylor Williams each scored twice, and Caty Brown added a goal.
GWINN DAVIS photo
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MAKING A DIFFERENCE The Fellowship of Christian Athletes continues to impact thousands of student-athletes and their families. See the many ways this unique organization reaches out.
BASEBALL BURNOUT Arm injuries have taken a toll on young baseball pitchers, many of whom have surgery before even reaching high school. We interview local experts for advice how to prevent and treat.
> > PLUS • Summer Fun • Spring Sports in Review & and much more!
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Sports Medicine Institute Injuries Can Happen Whether you are on the field or cheering on the sidelines, sports can mean a visit to the doctor. The Sports Medicine Institute at the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg is here to help your athlete get back in the game. Progressive programs combined with experts from orthopaedic surgery, physical therapy and sports medicine help your athlete achieve optimal results. The Sports Medicine Institute is headed up by John Lucas IV, MD. Dr. Lucas, a sports medicine specialist, is part of the Medical Group of the Carolinas, a group of 300 physicians in 22 specialties. The Institute offers a variety of clinics including: General Sports, Muscle and Bone Clinics – for comprehensive orthopaedic care of pain and injuries in muscles and joints Sports Concussion Clinic – for concussion or post-concussion symptoms Ultrasound-Guided Injection Clinic – provides precise delivery of medication in musculoskeletal injections
For an appointment or to learn more about the Sports Medicine Institute, call 864-641-7400.
9768 Warren H. Abernathy Hwy., Suite B, Spartanburg, SC 29301 • 864-641-7400 • SpartanburgRegional.com CHR0415
CLIPBOARD NEWS & NOTES FROM THE LOCAL SPORTS SCENE
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SCHSL moves to 5 classifications for 2016 season
Race info: http://go-greenevents.com/event/id/4657
By JOHN CLAYTON
On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
Michelle Dillard, center, with daughters Mallory and Chloe.
‘Team Michelle 5K’ slated for May 23 Dorman High School physics and chemistry teacher Michelle Dillard was admitted to Spartanburg Regional Hospital on April 19 with bleeding in her brain. She suffered a brain hemorrhage and is recovering. To offset medical costs, family and friends are organizing a 5K Fun Run/Walk at coming up Dorman on Saturday, May 23. Start time is 9 a.m. Race registration is $5 with the $30 purchase of a “Team Michelle” t-shirt. Participants may also run, walk-run, or walk.
For more information or to register, go to http:// go-greenevents.com/ event/id/4657 You may also use your mobile device to enter by scanning the QR Code.
Humphries, Thompson invited to NFL camps The Upstate will be well represented in NFL camps this summer. Former Dorman and Clemson wide receiver Adam Humphries signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent after the NFL draft concluded. Humphries was a wide receiver and return specialist for the Tigers. Former Boiling Springs and South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson signed a free-agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Thompson is reunited with former USC standout Bruce Ellington on the 49ers.Training camps open in mid-July.
High school sports in South Carolina will have a new look in 2016. The state’s long-standing system of four classifications for athletic and other competitions will be abandoned for five classifications. The S.C. High School League voted in April to change the classification format. The SCHSL currently awards state championships in four classifications -- 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A -- in most sports, but football is divided into subdivisions in 4A, 2A and 1A, bringing the total to seven state titles in the sport. The new format, which passed by a 10-5 vote, will create five state championships in all sports, including football. Student population and geography will be considerations in deciding the new classifications. Chapman Athletic Director and head boys basketball coach Greg Wilson said he believes the new system will help level the playing field among schools by lessening the gap among the largest and smallest student populations. “I’m excited about the format,” Wilson said. “Sometimes the gap between the smallest and largest schools in a classification has been 600 students or more, this will hopefully change that and close that gap.” For instance, Chapman, which has a student population of about 900, is currently among the smallest schools in 3A and in the same classification as South Pointe in Rock Hill, which has more than 1,500 students. A bill that would have created six classifications was voted down, 8-7. Another bill that would have forced private and charter schools competing in the SCHSL to move up one classification was tabled and will be reconsidered before the move to five divisions is completed.
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Adventure Camp Program is for tweens & teens that are looking for a more exciting camp setting to experience new adventures. Each week will have a specific theme which all activities, field trips & guest speakers are planned to emphasize. Activities will be focused on outdoor recreation adventures such as hiking, biking, caving, stand up paddleboarding; surfing; kayaking; and high rope adventures. There will be one overnight trip planned for each week. All staff are highly certified to teach each activity & participants do not need to know how to do the activities. Space is very limited due to the types of activities offered. Adventure Camp “By Air” 6/8/15-6/12/15 Adventure Camp “By Land” 7/6/15-7/10/15 Adventure Camp “By Sea” 8/3/15-8/7/15 Cost: $125 per session Ages: (11-14) Registration fee per week: $40.00 For more information contact Elizabeth Hardee at 864-804-5529.
TEEN’S ESSAY LEADS TO WELLS FARGO CHAMPIONSHIP PRO-AM
PROFILE in
COURAGE
An essay written by Grace Vaughan for the “Wells Fargo Succeeding Together” campaign gave her a chance to play with the PGA golfer of her choice in the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow. The essays dealt with how Grace has overcome adversity in her life.
First Tee’s Grace Vaughan captures dream By MATT SMITH
On Twitter @gamedaysmitty
T
here are only 73 miles of interstate between Grace Vaughan’s home in Chesnee and Quail Hollow Golf Club, home to the 2015 Wells Fargo Championship. Sixty-nine miles if you opt for Scenic Highway 11. Grace’s drive to the Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am was expected to be smooth, even if her journey to this point in her life has not been.
Vaughan was to participate in the Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am with a PGA golfer of her choice as the grand prize for a pair of essays she wrote for the “Wells Fargo Succeeding Together” campaign. Vaughan’s essays centered on the
Grace Vaughan volunteers helping with First Tee.
adversity she overcame growing up with hereditary spherocytosis, a rare blood disorder that also afflicts her father Jay and her brother Jake. In a strange way, it was Jake’s illness that saved Grace. Grace’s disorder went undetected at birth, but Jake was diagnosed immediately. As newborn Jake was being treated for
his symptoms, a hematologist noticed 3-year-old Grace looking sickly and severely jaundiced. A healthy toddler would have a hemoglobin level of 12.5-13.5 g/dl. Grace’s test revealed an alarming 3.0 g/ dl. She was rushed to the hospital and with emergency treatment, including a blood transfusion, her life was saved. Grace and Jake live relatively normal lives now, both golfing on high school teams, but a fever or strep outbreak will often mean a trip to the hospital. Grace finds herself even more susceptible after having her spleen and gall bladder removed in the second grade. But those hardships seem so far away as you listen to Grace talk about playing in the Well Fargo Pro-Am. “I get the first pick at the pairings party, but Rory McIlroy hasn’t committed to the tournament, yet. He’d be
THE VAUGHAN FAMILY: (l-r) Jake, Grace, April and Jay.
my first choice. Then Adam Scott. Well, maybe Phil Mickelson. There’s also Jordan Spieth, but he hasn’t committed, either.” Grace’s mother April also points out tee times may play a factor, “I think we’d rather have the 1 o’clock tee time over 7 am.” Grace’s excitement at teeing off with Rory McIlroy or Phil Mickelson or Jordan Spieth May 13th in Charlotte is matched only by her parents’ pride in the life she is leading. Grace, an 11th-grader on the Boiling Springs girls team, was named an Academic All-Region selection in recognition of her 4.5 GPA. She also leads Bible studies, is active in her school’s FCA program and volunteers with the First Tee program at both Woodfin Ridge and The Creek golf courses. First Tee executive director Fran Dunn praised Grace’s selflessness, “It’s never about her. It’s always about someone else. She has tremendous perspective because of all that she’s been through.” Grace was just as excited to speak about her time at Camp Courage, a function of the Greenville Children’s Cancer Center, “It’s a whole week at Greystone. There’s a ropes course, painting, swimming, great people. It’s awesome.” UGD
From her winning essay: “When I was 7 I attended Camp Courage and met other children that had also the same struggles. This past summer I received such a blessing, I was able to go back as a counselor to young children that have also been diagnosed with blood disorders or cancer. It was really special to spend a week together and share our stories of chemo, blood transfusions, surgeries and hospital stays because they learned that they are not alone in their struggles. It means so much to me to be able to share my story with these children and give back to the camp that changed my life. “
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Athletes in Action
photos by: • Steve Hinds • Les Timms III • Pete Cochran • Lorin Browning • John Clayton • Stephen Moore • Gwinn Davis / gwinndavisphotos.com - gwinndavis@gmail.com /
The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is just the extra.
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UPSTATE VOLLEYBALL CLUB, 16-NATIONAL CELEBRATES TOURNEY VICTORIES UPSTATE VOLLEYBALL CLUB - 16 NATIONAL, coached by NGUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Greg Mosely, captured first place in four tournaments during the 2014-15 club volleyball season. Above, the team celebrates victory in the Palmetto Volleyball Association Regionals, held in Charlotte, and below, the Hi Neighbor tournament, played at locations in the Asheville/Hendersonville area.
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SUMMER SPORTS CAMPS offer elite experiences for athletes NORTH GREENVILLE UNIVERSITY
VOLLEYBALL CAMPS
>> SKILLS & DRILLS DAY CAMP
JUNE 8-10
W
hatever your sport, summer is the perfect time to hone your skills. Area colleges, universities and high schools offer to chance to improve alongside other athletes, sometimes under the tutelage of college players and coaches. From baseball to lacrosse to equestrian, from half-day camps to weeklong overnight stays, there’s a camping experience to help many athletes have a fun, productive summer. • Summer camps foster independence. They teach children to do things on their own and help them gain self confidence and autonomy. Not only do sports summer camps do this, they also help children develop socially, intellectually, and athletically. Here are the
Open to BEGINNER to INTERMEDIATE PLAYERS ages 8-12
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JUNE 19-20
Open to JV, VARSITY, OR CLUB TEAMS GRADES 7-12
>> HALF DAY << FULL DAY
JUNE 22-25
Open to boys & girls Grades 1-9
LOCATION: THE WESTSIDE CLUB,
501 Willis Rd., Spartanburg
>> FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Contact NGU Womens Volleyball Coach
GREG MOSELY via email
gmosely@ngu.edu or go to www.ngcrusaders.com High Performance Prospect Camp space limited to 60 players. Payment must be delivered to reserve spot.
>> TERRIER << ELITE CAMP
JUNE 27-28
Open to HIGH SCHOOL players Grades 9-12
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CALL: (864) 597-4121 OR: (864) 597-4151
top five benefits of sports summer camps: • Sports summer camps teach kids to exercise and stay active. With childhood obesity at an all-time high, it’s essential to give kids an alternative to spending long hours online or in front of electronic devices. It’s important to their overall development, growth and health that they remain active. • Sports summer camps foster self discipline. In the future children will be faced with challenges that seem insurmountable. Through the lessons sports present, children learn perseverance and problem solving skills that provide the confidence and strength of mind to help them deal with any challenge. • Sports summer camps help kids dream and set goals. Many sports summer camps have superior programs and top notch facilities. Exposing children to balanced, well-rounded programs with excellent facilities helps them dream and set goals. • Sports summer camps offers valuable mentorship. The coaching staff is often the most advanced with the latest techniques and training styles. Exposing athletes to this caliber of coaching helps children develop trust, self esteem and a possible leg up to be recruited into a college sports program. • Sports summer camps are fun. The learning experiences at summer camp are positive, which create powerful opportunities for acquiring and retaining knowledge and developing teamwork and the value of hard work. - Excerpted from Camppage.com
USC UPSTATE BASKETBALL DAY CAMPS JUNE 8-11 & JUNE 22-25
• THE G.B. HODGE CENTER • 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. • Boys & Girls 7-15 years old • Daily instruction • Games & Contests • Campers are grouped by age & skill level • Meet & greet current players • Free camp T-shirt Registration at The G.B. Hodge Center: June 8 & 22, 8-9 a.m. Camp is designed to provide campers with basic fundamentals of basketball while also having fun. Campers will learn basic basketball skills including: ball handling, shooting, defense, passing, and rebounding.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
CALL: (864) 503-5297 email: KENTE HART khart@uscupstate.edu
A NEW
CHAPTER
SEAN RAYFORD PHOTOGRAPHY
Above, Landon soft tosses and son Holden takes his cuts at home plate at North Greenville. Below, Landon takes a swing at the plate while a member of the USC Gamecocks.
USC FILE PHOTO
Roadmap to North Greenville marked by life challenges, but now everything seems close to perfect again for ex-USC catcher LANDON POWELL By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
TIGERVILLE -- This is Landon Powell’s next chapter. The one after the saddest one. An overcast sky gives way to a setting sun just before twilight and North Greenville University’s baseball field is framed by blue mountains and evergreens in the distance waiting a few more days on spring. Despite the picturesque setting, Tigerville is a long way from the big leagues. But this is where it starts. This is where it starts over. Powell was hired as North Greenville’s head baseball coach last May after just one year as an assistant at Furman to turn around the Crusaders’ fortunes after an eight-win 2014 season. By late March, North Greenville had more than doubled that total and would finish the season at 29-23 after a blitzing run to the program’s first Conference Carolinas Tournament championship. By virtue of that championship, the Crusaders also received the team’s first NCAA Division II Tournament bid. “We’ve been playing some good
baseball, Powell said. “Myself and (assistant coach and former South Carolina teammate John Coutlangus) are bringing some different ideas and some different energy to the table here. Both of us played in the big leagues, so we have a little different mentality on how to approach the game every day.” Josh Black, second-baseman and outfielder for the Crusaders who followed Powell for Furman, is sold. “I’d run through a brick wall for the guy,” Black said. “And I don’t say that lightly.” It would be nice to say that baseball heals all things -- that it renews with the coming of spring all that has been lost. It’s the romantic notion of movies that find ball players in cornfields and have bats named, “Wonderboy.” Truth is, sometimes life is just too hard, even for all of baseball’s magic and myth. The “Prayers for Izzy” Facebook page had more than 42,000 likes. It was started soon after Izzy Powell and twin Ellie were born to Landon and wife Allyson, now a reporter for WYFF in Greenville. Izzy had been born with a rare autoimmune disease called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH. It caused her immune system to attack her tiny body. After fighting for months, Izzy died on Jan. 25, 2013. Powell’s playing career had been stymied by
Izzy Powell was born with a rare autoimmune disease called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or HLH. It caused her immune system to attack her tiny body. After fighting for months, Izzy died on Jan. 25, 2013.
GWINN DAVIS photo
Above, NGU baseball coach Landon Powell meets the officiating crew before the start of a recent contest. Right, the Powells enjoying family time at the beach with Holden and Ellie.
knee injuries but he was still that helped the family through playing, hoping to get back to its most nightmarish trial. the big leagues, when Ellie and “I believe she is (in heaven) Izzie joined big brother Holden right now singing and dancing in the Powell brood. Landon and twirling,” Powell told the had made his Major League New York Daily News in 2013. debut in 2009 with the Oakland “I look forward to seeing her A’s, which had drafted him in again one day.” 2004 out of South Carolina in A week before Izzy died, the first round. Powell signed his final profesDespite playing in only 123 sional contract, a minor-league games, Powell managed to catch deal with the New York Mets. Dallas Braden’s But when perfect game -- one pitchers and of only 19 in Major catchers were League history to report to -- with the A’s in Florida’s Grape2010, earning a fruit League a unique spot in bigfew weeks later, league history. Powell’s heart, But after mind and body Izzy’s diagnosis, were not quite he stepped away ready for basefrom the game. ball. The Mets By 2012, he was assigned him to LANDON POWELL back in Triple-A their Triple-A with the Houston team, the Las Astros’ affiliate in Vegas 51s. By Oklahoma City. June, he was a “I think for a lot of guys, it’s former pro baseball player, hushard to hang the cleats up beband, father and future coach. cause it’s all you’ve done you’re “Seeing Holden and Ellie up whole life,” Powell said. “You here with Allyson and running want to compete; you want to around the ballfield, I think, is be out on the field. For me, my good for him, and it’s good for body was changing and I had us,” said North Greenville Athan out. God let me know when letic Director Jan McDonald. it was time. I had a responsiMcDonald said Powell’s bility to come home. God gave commitment to his faith and me my path, so it was an easy his testimony surrounding decision.” Izzy and his family’s toughest It was faith, not baseball, moments played major roles
“I believe she is (in Heaven) right now singing and dancing and twirling.”
in hiring him at North Greenville, a Southern Baptist-supported university. “I always thought I would go into coaching or into the business world,” said Powell. “I got the opportunity to go into coaching when I first came home. I’ve been a baseball person my whole life -- my dad was a coach. We were a baseball family, so it’s a natural fit.” There are no roadmaps for life, and the ones to Tigerville are rare finds. But Powell, the former college star and first-round draft pick who married the jaw-drop-
ping-beautiful girl and was once part of perfection, is here with the setting sun winking from behind dour clouds. Ellie was in his arms moments ago. Allyson is watching beside the home dugout as Landon soft tosses and Holden takes his cuts at home plate. It seems close to perfect again. UGD
Landon and Allyson Powell during introduction as baseball coach at North Greenville. GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 15
“I almost died when I was a baby. I had heart problems.”
> Chesnee track standout overcomes an early beginning but survives and thrives. One could say she’s...
A’MIRACLE’ By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
S
o, what’s really in a name? In the case of Chesnee track star A’Miracle Scott, it’s the beginning of her story.
“I almost died when I was a baby,” said Scott, a sophomore at Chesnee High School. “I had heart problems.” Those problems were so serious that it appeared the newborn infant would be lost. But the heart that threatened to stop beating was strong enough to get Scott through that first day, and then another and another. It was, her family, said, “a miracle.” And thus the name, A’Miracle. Scott has grown into a normal smartphone-toting teenager with the heart problems of her infancy long behind her. She said her parents have been naturally protective of 18 upstategameday.com
her, but were fine when she told them she wanted to run. “They knew I’d always been fast,” Scott smiled. Scott started to realize just how fast when her name began to appear at the top of the time sheet at state track meets when she was still in middle school and competing for Chesnee’s varsity track team. “About seventh grade, I started to realize I could be good,” she said. “When I started coming in second at state.” As a sophomore, she is very good with potential to be even better. Scott has recorded a 12.49 in the 100 meters and a 25.9 in the 200, which she called her best event. Though primarily a sprinter, she has recorded a long jump of 16 feet, 3 inches. At 5-foot-7, she is still growing and still getting the attention of college coaches. She is getting early contact from colleges, including Kansas, a school she has never visited but one that intrigues her already. “It seems like a good school for me,” she said.
A’Miracle Scott takes the lead in the 100 meters at an early-season meet at Chapman High School.
Whether or not she becomes a Jayhawk or ultimately decides on another college destination, Scott said she thinks she can shave at least a half-second off her time in the 200 meters. Her ultimate hope is to add state championships to her resume over this and the next
two seasons. But she is not counting on a miracle, trusting instead in hard work and preparation as she tries to peak at the state meet. “I just have to try hard and give it my all in every event,” she said. “I expect to come in first at state.” UGD
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#prayforjack
The boys and girls lacrosse teams from Dorman raised more than $500 to help the family of Chapin’s Jack Enright with medical expenses due to a “crush fracture” injury to a neck vertebrae that occurred against Lexington. At left and below, Dorman players show their support for their downed competitor. A GOFUNDME website for jack Enright has been created to help the family with medical expenses.
http://www.gofundme.com/Pray4Jack
Cavs show support for injured competitor Freak accident paralyzes Chapin’s Jack Enright By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
L
acrosse continues to grow in the Upstate and around South Carolina, but it is still like the type of pond that you can throw a rock into and watch the ripples stretch to the shores. That’s what happened when Chapin’s Jack Enright suffered a “crush fracture” to a neck vertabrae early in the season during a game against Lexington. It was a freak accident that left Enright paralyzed from the waist down and the fledgling, expanding lacrosse community around the state stunned and saddened. A week before his injury, Enright and Chapin played Dorman in the Cavaliers’ season opener. Dorman won that game, but when the Cavs defeated J.L. Mann to essentially clinch the region championship, their minds were on Enright. “It was a time when they would’ve been expected to celebrate a big region win,” said Dorman Principal Ken Kiser. “But they wanted to take a team picture and show their support for Jack and his family.” Dorman’s boys team raised $350 to help the Enright family. Together, with another fundraiser held by the girls team when Chapin visited in late March, Dorman lacrosse players raised more than $500 to help the Enright family with medical expenses. Other fundraisers in the
Jack Enright (28) of Chapin in action against Dorman’s Drew Hendrix during an early-season contest.
Chapin and lacrosse communities have raised a reported total of more than $33,000 for the Enright family. “I thought it helped to bring the two teams together,” said Dorman junior girls lacrosse player Vinny Paddock. “It wasn’t so much about
competition, but a bigger cause.” Senior Dessia Davis agreed. “It was more than just a game,” Davis said. “We all went out and played together. It was fun.” Junior goalie Tanner Mills said Enright has been on the Cavaliers’ minds since the injury occurred, even as the Cavaliers strived for a perfect season. “It broke our hearts,” Mills said. “In a way he has inspired us to play to the best of our abilities at all times because who knows when it will be your last time playing? He’s inspired us to come together as a team to really come together. So as much as we can do as a team for him, we want to do because he’s done so much
for us.” Team photos from both fundraisers appeared on the “Pray for Jack” Facebook page, joining others from around the state and country showing support for Enright with the #prayforjack and #playforjack hashtags. >>
GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 21
NEXT LEVEL
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.
Hunter Cole arrived in Arizona for his first Spring Training in February and was assigned to the Class A Augusta Green Jackets. Here, he hits a double for the Georgia Bulldogs last March.
Baseball Journey
RECENT DORMAN / UGA INFIELDER HUNTER COLE ON A MISSION TO MAKE IT THROUGH MINORS TO THE BIGS By JOHN CLAYTON On Twitter @JCTweetsOn
T
he baseball journey of Hunter Cole has taken him from Dorman to Athens and from Cape Cod to the Cactus League. And it’s just getting started. Cole, who was drafted by the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants with the 778th overall pick in the 26th round of last year’s MLB Draft, arrived in Arizona for his first Spring Training in February. “It’s been a great experience so far,” Cole said. “This is a great organization with great instruction and a great support staff around you every day. They have all the resources you need to make yourself a better player and a better person.” Cole, who led Georgia with a team-best .319 average and tied for the team lead with three home runs last year as a junior, said he has already met Giants legends Will Clark, Orlando Cepeda and Gaylord Perry, a Gaffney native, in Arizona this spring. But the decision to leave Georgia after
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his junior season was a tough one, said Cole, who played with brother Dylan for the past two years with the Bulldogs after Dylan Cole transferred from Furman for his final two seasons. He waited until the signing deadline to ink his contract with the Giants. “I was about 36 hours from going back for my senior year,” Cole said of signing with the Giants. “Three days before the deadline, I was
HUNTER COLE
able to work out a deal, and I signed the day of the deadline. “It was definitely what I wanted to do. One of my goals was to sign professionally, and that’s what I’ve had the great opportunity to do.” But it took a trip to the Cape Cod summer league, an elite showcase for MLB hopefuls, to sway Cole’s decision. He signed with the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox and led the team with a .353 average with four home runs and 25 RBI in 22 games. “I knew I could play at the professional level, but think I had to prove it to some other people,” Cole said. After a solid month in the Cape Cod Baseball League, there was no one left to convince. Giants officials improved their offer and by mid-summer Cole found himself in Salem, Ore. with the short-season Salem-Keizer Volcanoes of the Northwest League. “I was drafted as a third baseman, but up in Salem, we had such a strong team, I moved around,” Cole said. “I played a different position every day -- third base, right field, first base and DH.” Then, one final move -- to second base. “I’m playing second base primarily now,”
said Cole, who had never played at the keystone before. “It’s been a change of angles and a change of scenery over there, but I’ll play wherever they want to put me.” After going 4-for-9 (.444) at the plate in a couple of rookie-league games, Cole hit .239 with four home runs and 10 RBI with the Volcanoes. At the end of Spring Training, Cole was assigned to the Class A Augusta (Ga.) Green Jackets, returning him to close to home. The Green Jackets are the Giants’ Class A affiliate in the South Atlantic League, which also includes the Greenville Drive and Asheville Tourists. So, the next steps toward Cole’s big-league dreams, which began on the diamonds of Spartanburg County, will take place close to home. And he carries with him the lessons learned here and during his three-year career at Georgia. “It’s one big process. You’ve got to stick with it, day-in and day-out,” he said. “It’s a tough game. It’ll humble you in a heartbeat. You’ve got to keep your head up and keep after it until somebody tells you that you can’t play anymore.” UGD
ENRIGHT / from page 22
“It was awesome to have a goal to play for -- to just raise up lacrosse and play together to help him when he was down,” said senior goalie Courtney Burgess. Dorman players said that Enright’s tragic injury has also served as a reality check for them. “It’s scary to see someone just like us -- it could’ve been anyone from our team -- a normal kid having their life changed forever like that,” said Cavaliers’ senior Frank Monitto. “We wanted to do something.” “It was really eye opening,” said Dorman senior Andrew Kiser. “To see him out there the week before, playing so well and then in the blink of an eye that happens, it makes you appreciate the game.” Dorman’s victory over J.L. Mann may have proven that the
Furman head lacrosse coach Richie Meade visits with Jack.
Cavaliers are ready to step into the state championship chase, but to Principal Ken Kiser, the players from both teams have proven something much more important. “So much is put on winning sometimes, but we want to teach
our students that all that will end one day and it’s important to give to your community and help others,” Principal Kiser said. “These kids have done that, and it was their idea. Nobody told them to. . . . I couldn’t be prouder of them.” UGD
Why everyone their ACL? Why is is everyone tearing theirtearing ACL? Here at Stack Velocity Sports Performance we take our athletes through an integrated assessment before we begin programming. Among many things there are two key areas that we look at in relation to knee health: 1) Valgus knee movement (Does squatting, jumping or landing elicit an inward collapse of the knees?) 2) An imbalance of strength and/or flexibility between the quadriceps and hamstrings. Outside of a collision caused ACL injury these two areas answer our original question. ACL injuries often are caused by improper movement mechanics and/or an imbalance between the strength and flexibility of the quadriceps to hamstrings. For more information call 864-560-5700 or email stackvsp@srhs.com; Facebook: STACK VSP Spartanburg; Instagram: stack_vsp_spartanburg
Gary Hazelwood M.Ed., CSCS, USAW STACK Velocity Sports Performance
Here is an exercise that we use at STACK Velocity Sports Performance to help prevent ACL Injuries. Exercise Buck Clam Shells
Sets/Reps 2 x 15
How to: Place a mini band around your knees. Lie on your back and pull your heels up to your glutes. Lift your toes and press your heels into the ground to raise your hips as high as possible. With your hips still raised drive your knees out and slowly bring them back together. Return your hips to the floor and repeat. GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 23
FIRST PERSON BRINGS NOSTALGIA HOME
W
Flair received an engraved plaque hen you grow up as I did, and a brick from the “house that splitting my childhood between the Grand Strand Flair built.” Wrestlers of a bygone era weren’t and Spartanburg, you couldn’t help puffed up Hollywood stars like The but be influenced by Ric Flair. Rock and John Cena. They didn’t When Flair made his appearlook as if they were crafted in a lab: ance at the Spartanburg County equal parts Arnold Schwarzenneger Library recently, a lot of references and Channing Tatum. Wrestlers were made to South Carolina as of Flair’s era were like street level “Flair Country.” What makes Flair superheroes. They special to many of us were famous in the is that he lived among way Hank Williams, us. He visited the same Jr. and the Marshall towns and Interstate 85 Tucker Band were exits we know so well. famous. You knew Those of us that they were in a differlived in the 1980s between Charlotte and ent tax bracket, but Charleston all have a you still might end Ric Flair story. Maybe up shooting pool we spotted him at the with one of them. Hilton in Myrtle Beach If you doubt or caught a glimpse of Flair’s impact on the him in the Columbia sports world, you airport. Some of us were need only to ask there for WCW Nitro today’s professional MATT in Greenville or sat behind athletes. The reigning SMITH him at a Carolina Panthers King of the NBA LeBron game. James calls Flair, “the Even if you were never a fan of creator of swag.” Colts safety Sergio pro wrestling, you knew the name Brown does a Ric Flair rant and “Ric Flair.” Spartanburg County Lidance following every Indianapolis victory. Brown’s impression is so brary Coordinator of Development good, Flair paired with ESPN to Amanda Newman was promoting the event and said, “No one asked who he was. Everyone, kids, older women, businessmen; everyone knew who Ric Flair was. We heard Wooos everywhere we hung a sign.” Even though Ric Flair was born in Minnesota, his career was birthed in the South. We claim him. More to the point, he claims us, “I feel like I’m home in Greenville, Spartanburg. Anywhere in South Carolina. Wonderful communities, wonderful people. It was Greenville on Friday’s, Spartanburg on Saturday’s and Charleston on Sunday’s. This is the birthplace of my career.” The cities were the birthplace, and the Auditoriums were the cradle. When they tore down the old Greenville Memorial Auditorium,
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South Carolina was known as “Flair Country” during the wrestler’s heyday in the 1980s. Ric Flair’s impact continues today.
make it a promo for NFL Sunday Countdown. The late sportscaster Stuart Scott, a North Carolina native, said “Ric Flair is in the category of people I’ve been awestruck by.”
Former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh brought Flair in to rally his players prior to their playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. Flair received the same response from that group as he got April 17th at the Spartanburg County Library, a standing ovation, a chorus of “woos” and a lot of smiles. The first time I interviewed Flair in 2012, I asked why he never left for Hollywood the way some others had done, including his friends Roddy Piper and Steve Austin, “Because I never wanted to live anywhere but between Charlotte and Myrtle Beach.” In our recent conversation, he almost sheepishly admitted to living in Atlanta now, as if he had betrayed “Flair Country” by moving further down 85. But the solemn, polished interview subject I was speaking with erupted into a powder keg of showmanship when a local television station asked him to cut a promo. Flair was directed toward
I told a local basketball coach I was on a camera and the Nature Boy slipped my way to cover the Ric Flair appearback into character and cut a promo as a sous chef would chop an onion. ance, his face turned deadly serious And then, without a deep breath, Flair and he flashed four fingers (the symbol softened his voice and engaged the of Flair’s Four Horsemen wrestling VIP’s with stories of Ricky Steamboat, stable.) The coach told me he had BlackJack Mulligan and Greg Valentine. grown up in North Carolina and how Perhaps, that moment is the best he had wanted to be Ric Flair. I knew illustration of who Ric Flair is to us. He just what he meant. Few would want is a legendary party seeker, but also a to pay the price that Flair had paid for gentleman. He is supremely confident, his fame, back surgery, 350 days on the yet respectful of his peers. Flair is a road, broken marriages, a lost fortune study in extremes and contradictions. and the burden of being famous. But As Flair exited the VIP meet-andso many of us simply wanted to “be greet and made his way upstairs, he Ric Flair” in the same way so many was showered with cheers and “woos” children of the 70’s wanted to “be Joe by fans from all walks of life: a college Namath.” professor from Pennsylvania, a bank In character, Flair often bragged vice president, a former bodybuilder, a Ric Flair and “The Four Horsemen” ruled the wrestling world of the about custom-made suits, alligator fire fighter and an entrepreneur helped 1970s and ‘80s. shoes, rolex watches while living in the fill the room. Each took his or her turn biggest house on the big side of town. Des Moines, Iowa in 2 hours and 10 minutes. at the microphone asking the 16-time champion But he was not just a Gordon Gekko disciple, Flair, a close friend to Steve Spurrier, was also a question. preaching “greed is good.” quick to point out he wouldn’t speak with any Some of those questions were personal, either For those of us that lived along I-85 or down Clemson fans. But he wouldn’t deny any requests about the death of his son Reid who had battled I-26 any time between 1974 and 2002, we knew on this night. Flair shook every hand, signed drug abuse or his failed marriages. Others were there was a work ethic behind his bravado. We every piece of memorabilia and posed for dozens about his time fundraising for political figures watched him sweat for it. We watched him earn it. of pictures. like George H.W. Bush or as a spokesperson for We were there and he knows we were there. There we were, with a man who had made the educational lotteries. He peppered in stories And what has become so unique about our and spent a dozen fortunes, famous the world of Terry Funk wrestling his Bull Mastiff, wearing relationship with Ric Flair is not that he’s importover, yet fielding each question with honesty and nothing but the NWA title belt; and Harley Race ant to us in Spartanburg and Greenville and Gaffconviction as if he were among old friends. When driving his Porsche from Kansas City, Missouri to ney, it’s that we are important to Ric Flair. UGD
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Meeting on your schedule, not ours. Face-to-face meetings. One-on-one relationships. How did Edward Jones become one of the biggest financial services companies in the country? By not acting like one. With more than 10,000 offices. Including the ones in Spartanburg.
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MKT-8275-A-AD © 2013 EDWARD JONES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 25
SPORTSDOCTOR
DR. JOHN LUCAS
Distinguishing Shin Pain
S
pring is one of my favorite seasons. After a long winter, the revitalizing sunshine and warm weather bring rebirth to the upstate. As the leaves begin to emerge, so do the spring athletes. Many athletes spend their winters hibernating indoors and – for many – training habits subside. Shin pain is a common complaint in our office, and spring tends to be a hot season for this. While there are various diagnoses that can cause shin pain – today we will focus on the ability to distinguish “shin splints” from a stress fracture. Perhaps we should start by defining both of these conditions. Shin splints – or medial tibial stress syndrome – is a poorly understood but very common complaint amongst runners. Many experts disagree on the exact cause of shin splints but theories range from inflammation of the periosteum (a layer of connective tissue enveloping the bones) to inflammation of the muscle fibers that attach to the tibia. On the other hand, a stress fracture of the tibia is a fatigue injury
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JOHN LUCAS, MD
SRHS Sports Medicine
of the bone from repetitive overloading that overwhelms its capacity to heal. It is imperative and sometimes difficult to distinguish these two processes. We often think of shin pain that occurs along the lower 2/3 of the tibia, occurs with repetitive activity (running, jumping, etc.), and improves with rest to be “shin splints”. Pain that is localized to a specific area of the tibia or “shin”, causes swelling, is worsening over time, or does not improve significantly after activity is concerning for a stress fracture. Other risk factors for stress fractures in general are a sudden increase in activity, smoking, irregular menses,
and prior history of stress fracture. We sometimes rely on advanced imaging such as MRI to help distinguish these processes. Xrays can be helpful but are usually do not show early changes in tibia or emerging stress injury. Treatment for shin splints is multi-faceted and usually involves NSAIDs, ice, and relative rest. Other interventions may include physical therapy and taping. If the diagnosis of stress fracture is made, then the athlete should rest from activity (to varying degrees depending on the patient and the location of the fracture). Depending on the patient, casting or booting may be needed. Surgery is sometimes
required for specific types of stress fractures that fail to heal. In summary, “shin splints” and tibia stress fractures likely represent similar pathologies on a continuum. Distinguishing “shin splints” and stress fracture can be difficult and should be done by a physician familiar with these complaints. Treatments for these two conditions vary and should be discussed with a sports medicine physician to best suit the athletes’ needs.
If you are concerned about an athlete or child, then please have them seen by a medical professional with expertise in sports medicine. Appointments at the Sports Medicine Institute with Dr. Lucas are available by calling 864-641-7400.
SPORTSFAITH
J
BUCKY ROGERS
Passing the baton
OSHUA 1.2 “Moses, my servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites.” God was calling Joshua to take up the mantle of leadership after one of the greatest leaders Israel had ever known, and he was sending Joshua on one of the most difficult journeys of his life. Pretty depressing way to begin a journey, right? While you’re probably not taking the place of someone who has recently died, every athlete at some point reaches the place where he is in the oldest group on the team. Obviously, for high school, that’s senior year. On good teams, the ones who have been there longest invest in and train the younger team members. They see it as their job to raise the standard of the whole team by setting the example themselves. Some of you are athletes who are following a strong group of
seniors on your team, and now it’s your turn. Others may be following a weaker group who didn’t lead as well as they could have. Regardless, for many of you, this coming year is your year. It’s time for you to take the baton and lead your team. So, how do you do that?
Lead by example.
You’ll never be able to lead your team to a place you haven’t been yourself. If your team needs more perseverance, they need to see you sticking it out to the very end. If they need more motivation, be the first one to express optimism and to get excited about the season. If they need to be in better shape, suck it up and get to running.
Let go of past seasons.
Whether good or bad, hanging onto yesterday can bog you down. Celebrate the win, and move on. Learn from the loss and move on. The important thing is
to keep the focus always on what is ahead. Resting in yesterday’s win or loss is only an option if you want to fail.
you.
Invest in someone.
Pick one or two on your team to intentionally invest in, and lead other seniors to do the same. Take them aside, spend extra time with them, and intentionally encourage them. Celebrate their big wins in practices and games more than you do your own. Not only will you help your team get better, you’ll be a rung in the ladder of someone’s life, helping them get to the next level.
Remember, people matter more than the game.
One day, you’ll look back at your life, and the games will have all faded away. The relationships you formed with people are what will last. Don’t get so immersed in the game that you forget the people walking this life right beside
Your Jordan River is waiting to be crossed. You have what you need to cross it. The question is, will you lead, or be content to follow?. UGD
Bucky Rogers is the Pastor of Students and Worship Arts at theMill in Spartanburg SC where he and his wife Julie have served for the past 7 years. They have 4 children and plan to adopt many more. Bucky leads IgniteSpartanburg, is on the advisory board for the International Center for Youth Ministry, has written curriculum for Student Life and Nav Press, speaks at various camps and retreats, is the author of ‘Rooted in the Ancient Words’, and blogs at www.buckyrogers.net
Rafe Mauran takes over as Carolina FC director Carolina FC recently hired Rafe Mauran as executive director after a search of nearly two months and more than 40 qualified applicants. Mauran formerly was with Rockdale Youth Soccer Association in Atlanta where he spent the past six years building RYSA to an over 1,200-member club. He was previously an assistant coach at Davidson College and was also at CFC from 2005-2009 while he was an assistant coach at Wofford College and then Limestone College. Mauran earned his bachelor of arts degree in psychology from the University of the South (Sewanee) 1998 before completing his master’s work in psychology, with a concentration in mental health counseling, at Springfield College in 2003. GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 27
PERFORMANCE
KEN FINLEY
Failure will make you better
I
remember it like it was yesterday. I’d made the jump from high school to college baseball and was facing my teammate, a two time all conference pitcher in my first practice. Having had a very successful high school career, I thought I was pretty good and prepared to continue this success at the next level. After being promptly overmatched in my first college at bat, I realized that I had a lot to learn about being successful at this next level of competition. The level I at which I had to work had to change to match the ability and talent level of the players I’d be competing against. In high school, I had built a reality that kept me content but wasn’t getting me better. Getting handled by a better prepared and experienced pitcher woke me to the fact that I was not prepared to excel where I now found myself. It was then that I decided to make a change in my effort level in practice. I really went to work, showing up early for practice and always being the last to leave. Fortunately I had really good coaching and I learn to also work smart. Was it hard to get to practice early and to stay late? You bet
back to work. Terrible practice? Relax and come back early tomorrow. Go up against a better player? Don’t back down and get after it.
but it gave me the confidence, preparation, and toughness I needed to be able to compete with better and more experienced players. Most players never know how good they could be because they never put themselves in a challenging position because they might fail. They will stay where they are comfortable rather than put themselves out there. The want to stay where there is no question they are one of the top players. Stay where it’s easy. I guess there is not really anything wrong with that, but if you want to truly reach your potential you have to get out of your comfort zone. Michael Jordan’s trainer insists
you must become comfortable with being uncomfortable. There’s one thing about failure and frustration, it can either destroy you or motivate you beyond measure to take yourself to a new level. For me it was motivation to do more than I had previously done to be better than I realized I could. Remember champions are champions not because they never fail but because they get back up after they get knocked down. And not only do they get back up, they come at you harder and with more determination than before.
The point is simple. You have to be willing to put yourself in uncomfortable situations where failure will be an option. If you fail and if you are pushing yourself it most likely will happen, you must come back with more determination than ever before. Failure can make you or it can break you. For most people reading this it will break them. Make it make you better. UGD Ken Finley is a physical therapist and certified youth speed and agility specialist. To learn more about his youth athletic development programs please contact Finley at kfinley@finleypt.com.
Have a bad game? Go
GWINN DAVIS MEDIA Photojournalistic photography Sports, News, Features, Event Photography > gwinndavis@gmail.com / 864. 915.0411 / website: gwinndavisphotos.com 28
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SPORTSFAITH
T
SETH BUCKLEY
The Nervous Jitters
here is nothing like those pre-game moments when you are warming up on the field or the court and the butterflies begin to wear your stomach out! Unless you have experienced it, there is no way to adequately describe it. The intensity would continue all the way until the first play, and for some reason, right when the ball snapped, the butterflies went away and it was game on. I asked my coach later into the season, “When will the butterflies stop Coach?” He looked at me and said, “Seth, you don’t ever want the pre-game butterflies to stop happening. If it does, you need to walk away from the game because then it doesn’t mean anything to you anymore.” I never forgot that statement and even now, watching my sons participate in sports, or when I step in to preach a sermon or sing a song, I still feel those “pre-game jitters” or butterflies. There is a big difference in the butterflies and actual fear. I have played with guys before that you could see were actually afraid and it was a
paralyzing feeling that they could simply not overcome. Because of this, they were not able to give their best and experience the euphoria of total release performance. Fear is something that all of us face from time to time but God has instructed us that if our faith and trust is in Him, we can essentially eliminate fear and experience a humble confidence that only comes through Him. When Joshua was given the task of leading the children of Israel, he was following a legend in Moses. There is no doubt that he was afraid and concerned about how he was going to be able to measure up in comparison to Moses. If he had wallowed in his fear, it would have held not only him back, but all of those he was leading. That is when God stepped in as we read in the first chapter of Joshua when God told Joshua in verse 9. “Be strong and take courage, do not fear or be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you.” Wow! What a vote of confidence! As a parent, sometimes we can help to dispel
fear by putting that hand on the shoulder of our child pre-game and expressing that unconditional love by saying, “I am so proud of you. Now go out there and give your best, but most of all…have fun!” As coaches, we must realize that we can do the same thing. We can release the crippling paralysis of fear in a player when we express to them the confidence that we have in them and that we will be right there to coach them through any situation. God is saying that to me and you. We can face life’s circumstances with a confidence in knowing that no matter what…God will be there…and we do not have to fear. Now that doesn’t mean that there
won’t be pre-game jitters… but when that happens…it is only reminding you that you are involved in something that matters to you! UGD The Rev. Seth Buckley is minister to students at First Baptist Church of Spartanburg. He is a former football player at the University of Alabama, where he played for legendary coach
NGU coach to host 2 volleyball camps in June Head women’s volleyball coach Greg Mosely and the NGU volleyball program will host two camps this summer including a “Skills and Drills” camp for ages 8-12 and a “High Performance Prospect” camp for ages 12-18. The skills camp will take place on June 8-10 from 8am to 12pm and is designed for beginner and intermediate level players. Campers will be split up into groups based on upon age as well as skill. Instructors will include high school and collegiate coaches as well as players.
Skills and drills will be held at Westside Club at 501 Willis Road in Spartanburg. Staff will be on hand starting at 7:15am for athlete drop off. A High Performance Prospect Camp will be held June 15-17 at the Westside Club. To register, please email Coach Mosely at
gmosely@ngu.edu.
Space is limited and payment must be delivered in order to reserve a spot. GAME DAY u upstategameday.com 29
Many parents are concerned about injuries in youth sports. This is a legitimate concern with the injury rates on the rise.
All-Sports Performance Training Finley Physical Therapy & Sports Training offers programs both individual and group to reduce the risk of injury.
Athletes are taught sport-specific skills that will help increase vertical leap, improve speed and core strength while reducing the risk of injury. Contact us today to see how we can help your young athlete.
864.342.0180 1420 Skylyn Drive / Spartanburg, SC facebook.com/FinleySports
Fortunately, in addition to reducing injury risk, the total athleticism of an athlete will be enhanced. Improvement in vertical leap, total speed and lateral quickness will change profoundly given the proper dedication to our training principles. Call today to learn more about how Finley Physical Therapy and Sports Training will change the way your athlete performs. We offer programs for adults as well recovering from or trying to prevent orthopedic surgeries including back injuries, tendinitis and other degenerative conditions.
THE CAGE ..... “Where players DO Work” “The CAGE has been my ‘home away from home’ for several years.... I am blessed beyond measure to have The CAGE at my convenience.” u CAROLINE CASH (USC Gamecocks softball athlete)
www.hitatthecage.com
THE CAGE IS UPSTATE SC’S PREMIER YEAR-ROUND INDOOR TRAINING FACILITY, committed to providing quality individual and team instruction & practice to develop the skills necessary to take your game to the next level.
NE W LOCATION 160 Tradd St., Spartanburg
• Batting Cages / Tunnels • Pitching Mounds / Bullpen Area • Infield / Outfield / Speed & Agility Training Areas - Video Analysis • Professional Individual Instruction / Lessons (By appointment) • Individual & Team Rental Specials .... CAll NOW FOR MORE INFO!!!
864-978-2599 Email us at: hitatthecage@gmail.com