IN THISISSUE

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SPRING IS IN THE AIR07

08 PREPARING TO COMPETE

10 A TEMPORARY HIATUS

Director of URECJoe Carter, carterjr@appstate.edu Director of Club SportsErin Sanders, sandersec1@appstate.edu

Activities CoordinatorChelsea Watson, watsoncg@appstate.edu

Publicity ProgrammerAlyssa Gribble, gribblead@appstate.edu

Executive OfficersPhilicia Gibson, gibsonpn@appstate.eduIan McNeill, mcneillim@appstate.eduKatherine Uva, uvakr@appstate.edu

MAKING THE BEST OF WINTERWEATHERWOMENS LACROSSE

WOMENS ULTIMATE

FENCING TEAM

CYCLING TEAM

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Publicity ProgrammerAlyssa Gribble, gribblead@appstate.edu

Executive OfficersPhilicia Gibson, gibsonpn@appstate.eduIan McNeill, mcneillim@appstate.eduKatherine Uva, uvakr@appstate.edu

For more information on any of the club teams, visit the website:clubsports.appstate.edu

email us at: clubsports@appstate.edu

or call us at the Student Recreation Center(828) 262 2100

The March 6thEdition of the Club

Sports IllustratedDesigned by Alyssa Gribble

WEEKEND IN ATHENS

EQUESTRIAN HUNT SEATAND WESTERN TEAMREGIONALS

12 CLUB SPORTS PHOTO COMP

14 EASTERN’S QUALIFIERMENS ULTIMATE

WOMENS BASKETBALL

EQUESTRIAN TEAM

WOMENS LACROSSE

he season that we have been

waiting for is finally here! A

few weekends ago your Lady

Mountaineers started the

season off with a great start as we took on

the UNCG Spartans. We came out victorious

with a score of 14-2. The next weekend, we

traveled to Charlotte to play against UNCC.

It was our first time playing Charlotte away.

Since a good portion of our team is from the

Charlotte area, a lot of friends and family

were able to come out and cheer us on. After

a cold game and an intense battle the game

only came down to a few goals. Unfortunately,

we didn’t come out on top. We are looking

forward to the possibility of UNCC again at

the end of the season.

The weather has taken a major toll on our

practice and game schedule. We are doing

our best to practice with the weather that

has occurred over the past weeks, however

it has been a challenge. We have been

taking advantage of the poor weather by

doing various team bonding activities, such

as working out together at the gym, going to

other club sports events, going to events on

campus and just hanging out together over

dinner. We believe that team bonding off the

field equates to good communication and

dynamics on the field.

With our main season in

full swing we are eager for

nicer weather and for our

conference games to begin.

We have added seven new

girls to our roster and are

excited about what they will

contribute to this team. A full

schedule of games lie ahead

and we are ready to crush

whatever comes our way and

have a blast while doing it.

After spring break on March

22nd, we will travel to

Duke University to play two

conference games against

the Blue Devils and NC State. Then the

next weekend, we will be hosting our home

tournament, the Mountaineer Meltdown,

where five plus teams will be in attendance.

So mark it on your calendars and come out

and support us!

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WRITTEN BY:

KATIE VAN GURP,

CLUB SPORTS ILLUSTRATED CHAIR

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WE ARE EAGER FOR NICER WEATHER AND FOR

CONFERENCE GAMES TO

BEGIN

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WRITTEN BY:

CORRIE MALONE,

SECRETARY

he snow is melting, the

ground is thawing, the

sun is shining, and we

reaaaady, we reaaady!

After more than two feet of snow

and ice, five practice cancellations,

and one tournament postponed, the

Nonads are ready for some sunshine.

The snow storms throughout February,

plowed over the Nonads ability (and

desire) to practice, travel, and play.

Access to the proper indoor facilities

is limited, and productive practices

have been scarcer than a full day of

classes. In response to the lack of

Vitamin D, the Nonads are feeling a bit

like frosty- plump and iced-covered.

But as spring whispers her sweet

song across the land, the Nonads are

starting to shout with joy. Our spirits

are defrosting, the ice is melting, and

we can finally feel our hands and

toes again! In anticipation of the

blooming flowers, the Nonads are

planting the seeds for the bountiful

harvest. The winter weeds have been

cleared and with a little sunshine, the

Nonads will be cultivating new land!

With a spring home tournament and

regionals in the bright future, we are

ready to work hard and get back out

on the field. Spring is in the air, and

so are we (laying out and catching

disks that is…)

WOMENS ULTIMATE

THE NONADS ARE READY FOR SOME SUNSHINE

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lthough the Fencing Club has not

participated in any tournaments

yet during this semester, we

have been discussing traveling

to attend two tournaments this semester and

hosting a tournament at a date that has not

been determined yet. The tournaments that

the Fencing Club is planning to attend are a

Divisionals tournament being held in Raleigh,

North Carolina on March 7 and 8, 2015 and a

tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee on April

25 and 26, 2015. Several fencers stated that

they are expecting to attend these events, so

we are thankful that we get to experience

spending time with them when we’re not

fencing. Even though we have not fenced

at any tournaments yet, I am confident that

the Fencing Club will adequately support

the image of Appalachian State University’s

Mountaineers at the tournaments.

The Fencing Club will have a positive

performance during the Divisionals

tournament in Raleigh, NC; the tournament

in Knoxville, TN; and the tournament that we

are expecting to host at the back of the

basketball court in the Quinn gymnasium at

a date that is currently undetermined. This

confidence I am experiencing is originated

by the significant growth in the skills put

forth by the fencers that I have noticed

since we started teaching many new fencers

in January. The other officers and myself

have accomplished the task of training the

fencers through expressing both our explicit

knowledge and our tacit knowledge, and this is

truly a noteworthy feat since tacit knowledge

is harder to explain than explicit knowledge

and the fencers are starting to gain more tacit

knowledge through learning from Carleton

Stuecker, Vlad Vedock, Ryan Smith, Sean

Cobb, and myself; fortunately, this effective

“

”

WE ARE EXPECTING TO HOST A

TOURNAMENT IN QUINN

FENCING TEAM

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training that we have exerted thus far can be

transferred to training newer employees at

an organization sometime during our careers

by learning how to teach others effectively.

Because we have been training to participate

competitively while also training to direct

bouts, “fencing matches,” the Fencing Club

should collectively get prepared to host a

tournament on-campus soon.

We need to decide upon a date for the

tournament we are expecting to host in the

Quinn gymnasium and do more preparations

for hosting the tournament soon. The

uncertainty about the date of the tournament

cannot adequately prepare any of the fencers

for the tournament, and we need to ensure that

we have all of the materials and equipment

necessary to host the tournament while

minimizing any issues we may experience.

The experience gained from attending the

tournament could also improve a fencer’s

resume since directing bouts and participating

in the tournament since the fencers are

able to demonstrate leadership while also

creating strategies to increase their chances

of winning the bouts. Participating in this

tournament and the two other tournaments

that we are planning to attend will be great

for promoting Appalachian State University,

providing a unique learning experience for

the fencers, and being able to potentially

improve the resumes of the fencers.

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WRITTEN BY:

DAVID LONGWORTH

PR OFFICER

The cold gripping the east coast has provided

a number of adverse effects for our team and

conference. Snow has cancelled more than just

school but also our last two race weekends. Each

week we gear up to go but more often than not, we receive a

painfully written cancellation notice.

This lack of racing has opened the door for new training techniques.

The team has started a successful bobsled team and cross country

ski team (Both allow us to use our cycling lycra). We assume to find

more interest as this cold drags on and more of our athletic minded

friends learn to brave the cold. Out on the training grounds of

strawberry hill we have a team dog to help dig us out of the snow

when our bobsled team crashes at high speeds. Our same four

legged companion ventures the Greenway and Moses Cone with us

on team xc ski sessions. Either way you can tell that the cold has

had an adverse effect on our riding but cabin fever has helped us

to remain active and embrace all that the high country has to offer.

When desperate we do still ride, but much like a hamster on a

wheel, we don’t go anywhere. We hold indoor trainer sessions to

work on our fitness.

The William and Mary race weekend which was cancelled two

weeks ago has been pushed to this upcoming spring break

weekend. Where we hope to maintain our lead of the conference.

The course should be relatively flat and blocked from the wind so

look out for a sprint finish in any race.

Make sure to check out our home race, The Foothills Cup, on the

weekend of April 18th

WRITTEN BY:

CRAIG STEWART,

SECRETARY

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CYCLING TEAM

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THE LACK OF RACING HAS

OPENED THE DOOR FOR NEW TRAINING

TECHNIQUES

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/

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FACEBOOK.COM/ASUCLUBSPORTS

@ASUCLUBSPORTS

@APPSTATECLUBSPORTS

FOLLOW US TODAY!

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After two tournament wins to start out

the spring season, the Nomads headed

down to Myrtle Beach, SC to compete

in the Eastern’s Qualifier tournament.

The trip started out smoothly with many

Nomad cars stopping at Zaxby’s on the

ride down for their famous kickin chicken

sandwiches, although we keep shouting

them out, they keep not responding to our

emails. Never the less Saturday morning

started out like many have this year for

the Nomads, cold and rainy. This didn’t

damper the boys from Apps spirits as they

warmed up to the Little Einsteins remix.

The first game Saturday was against

regional foe Georgetown, who App has

had a notoriously chippy history with.

Much to Georgetown’s demise, App came

out guns-a-blazin popping off breaks left

and right like it was the Fourth of July.

With a comfortable lead App started to

put the game into cruise control and coast

MENS ULTIMATE

WRITTEN BY:

RYAN SCHANZ

SECRETARY

out with the W. This was all going to

plan until the train was derailed when a

Georgetown defender made a dangerous

play on a disc that Nomad senior Ryan “

No Fly Zone” Schanz had just corralled.

The Georgetown player went right into

Schanz’s left knee, knocking him out for

the rest of the day and the tournament.

The Nomads used this dirty play as a

rallying cry, after this point they broke

Georgetown two more times to secure

the 13-7 victory.

Next up for the Nomads was Washington

University of St.Louis and Georgia

Southern, two games in which the

Nomads handled business as usual and

left the opposing squads in the dust.

Rounding out Saturday play the Nomads

played sectional opponent NCSU, who

got the best of the Nomads in a sloppy

rainy game that would secure the top

of the pool for NCSU. Business was

not done for the Nomads though, the

final game of the day to put them into

the championship bracket was next and

it was a showdown with UCONN. The

Huskie squad was small so the Nomads

planned on crushing them with their legs

and deep bench. With stellar play from

many rookies the Nomads took and early

lead and were able to hold this all game.

Notable efforts on Saturday included Eric

“Conk” Conklin and Austin “12” Olive, who

both played their roles to perfection.

Saturday night included Mexican food and

rest, which the Nomads didn’t get enough

of because they are never satisfied.

Sunday’s are what you play for all year

long, they are what the Nomads practice

for, they are what the Nomads live for.

Playing Sunday in meaningful games

isn’t something App has always done, but

its where App wants to be, and we got

out wish this time, Playing #20 nationally

ranked Auburn. The Nomads started the

game hot, hot like you read about, and

were able to carry this into a 8-6 halftime

lead on Auburn. Senior Adam “Loosey”

Russell had blood on his jersey minutes

into the game, he isn’t sure how it got

there but fortunately it came out in the

wash later. The Nomads were on cloud

nine until the Auburn squad put their foot

into the ground and grabbed three quick

breaks to stun the Nomads and finish

the game up 15-13. The disheartened

Nomad squad would go on to take 8th

place in the tournament and get back to

Boone safely after hitting a snow storm

on the drive home. The Nomads are

currently ranked 39th in the country and

look to jump up a few more spots when

they head down to Statesboro, GA for

Southerns the weekend of March 21.

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“

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THE OVERALL DEPTH OF OUR TEAM SHOWS EVEN THIS EARLY INTO

THE SEASON

his past weekend, the

Appalachian State Women’s

Club basketball team loaded

up our cars and made the five-

hour road trip down to Athens, Georgia. We

competed in our second regional tournament

at the University of Georgia, in hopes of

taking home first place. Despite having many

previous tournaments, this one felt like our

first as a new team, with four new players, and

one of our regular starters out with an injury.

App came out strong in our first game against

Georgia State, and ended the first half with

a significant lead. By the second half, it

was clear that our day of traveling was not

working to our advantage. State had narrowed

the point difference to four points with six

minutes left. However, our girls managed

to dig in, and pull out a win to start off the

tournament strong. In our second game, our

team came out ready and played our most

cohesive game of the season, utilizing our

speed and ball movement. We were no match

for the Clemson Tigers and finished the

game with a 52 to 29 victory. With that win,

we finished at the top of our bracket, which

placed us against UNC Greensboro for the

second time of the season. Unfortunately we

fell short three points, in a devastating loss.

Although we didn’t come out with the win,

we proved to ourselves that our hard work

and effort does pay off, and our team had

improved exponentially since the first time

we played them.

When we were not on the court, we had the

opportunity to watch the Intramural Men’s

team that traveled to compete as well. For

us girls, it was especially awesome to be able

to watch our coaches play. Sometimes we

forget that they are players as well as coaches,

and it was a blast watching them have

the opportunity to show off all their skills

against a tough group of opponents. Also, with

having 4 new girls travel with us, we had an

opportunity to grow into a more unified team.

We got to know each better as people and not

WOMENS BASKETBALL

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just players. We visited an infamous Georgia restaurant

called the Varsity. We loved it so much that we had to

go back another time before we left.

We had a great time in Georgia and, despite the result,

are proud of what we accomplished. We look forward

to getting back in the gym to work towards our goal of

winning the national tournament.

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WRITTEN BY:

SARAH RAFTERY,

MEMBER

he Equestrian Team’s Hunt

Seat and Western seasons

have come to a close after

a very cold weekend of

competing at Averett University and at the

Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in

Chatham, Virginia. To qualify for regionals,

riders have to point out of their divisions by

accumulating 36 points during the regular

show season. Five hunt seat riders, Haley

McCune, Cori Rash, Lex Lott, April Kaiser,

and Molly Bostancic, and one Western rider,

Pressley Laton, qualified for regionals in

their levels.

On Saturday, February 28, April Kaiser and

Molly Bostancic competed against each

other in a heat class for advanced walk

trot canter, and Lex Lott and Cori Rash

competed in the other heat class to secure

a spot in the final class for the day.

During Cori’s heat class, she rode a horse

named Kiwi. “He was a lot like Gabe, one

of the horses at our barn, so luckily I

rode him the night before. I went in with

no expectations and tried to just ride

and relax.” Her mindset obviously paid off

because she was called back to ride in

the final class. Where she received a well-

deserved fifth place out of thirteen riders

on a horse named Ollie.

April commented on her experience as

well, “I got a great draw [horse], and I am so

thankful to have gotten the chance to go

to regionals in the first place. We all had a

wonderful time with lots of team bonding.”

Lex Lott shared the same opinion, stating

that her ride and her competition were

tough, but that it was fun to ride and

support her teammates. Because she will

be graduating, Lex is thankful that she had

a memorable last IHSA show.

Molly drew a difficult horse named Terry.

The horse’s handlers told her that he was

lazy, but he turned out to be quite the

opposite, especially at the canter. During

the class, she had to resort to dropping

her crop so that she could hopefully slow

him down. The horse also did not like for

people to be in his face while riding (he

does not like for people to pull on his

mouth constantly), so Molly stated, “It was

hard to find the limit between slowing him

down and being too much in his mouth.”

Haley McCune competed in the intermediate

flat and intermediate fences classes. For

her flat class, she drew the same horse

that Cori had, Ollie, finishing in sixth place.

Haley described Ollie as “a 17-year-old

been-there-done-that horse who was born

at Averett and trained by Averett.” She said

that he was a very straightforward horse

who was not afraid to tell on her when she

did something wrong.

As for her fences class, she said: “I rode

Kappii, a big horse with a very adjustable

T

EQUESTRIAN TEAM

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ALL OF OUR

COMPETITORS

HAD GREAT

EXPERIENCES

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step. He was very responsive to leg and seat

aids. If I wanted to speed up, I would close my

leg, and if I wanted him to slow down, I used

my seat. Kappii was brave and honest over

fences. He would jump from a short spot or a

long one without much complaint. He was a

very fun ride, and I rode my best course of the

semester.” Haley came in third place, a great

end to a great semester.

On Sunday, March 1, Pressley Laton competed

in the intermediate division at the Western

Regionals in Virginia. She drew a horse named

Jackie, a mare owned by Western Carolina

University. “Jackie was the best horse I have

ever drawn in IHSA. I kept a tighter rein than

usual, but because she doesn’t like you to be

in her face, it was constant collecting and

releasing with her. Her jog and lope were

impeccable, and it was seriously the best ride

I have ever had in IHSA. Unfortunately, I loped

instead of jogged the last part of my pattern

because I had an awful lapse in memory,

so I was not called back for the final class.”

Pressley hopes to be lucky enough to draw

Jackie for another show during the upcoming

show season.

All of the regional competitors from the

Appalachian Equestrian Team had great

experiences, and all of the returners look

forward to hopefully competing again next

year in Regionals.

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WRITTEN BY:

PRESSLEY LATON,

WESTERN TEAM CAPTAIN

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