april 11th

April 11, 2014

2 CLUB SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /// April 11th, 2014

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

email us [email protected]

or call us at theStudent Recreation Center(828)262-2100

Director of UREC:Joe [email protected]

Director of Club Sports:Erin [email protected]

Club Sports Specialist:Hannah [email protected]

Publicity Programmer:Miles [email protected]

Executive Officers:Jessie [email protected]

Ashley [email protected]

Tyler [email protected]

IN THIS ISSUE04

06 - 16

07

08

10

11

12

14

15

16

17

18 - 19

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19

Snowboarding - Where the Snow at?

Great Victories

Women’s Ultimate

Men’s Ultimate

Women’s Volleyball

Women’s Basketball

Equestrian

Women’s Rugby

Women’s Lacrosse

Swimming

Executive’s Corner - Jessie Harrelson

Team Updates

Fencing

Triathlon

THE April 11th Edition of the Club Sports Illustrated

Designed by Miles Elliottwith assets from Marcie Ried

Cover Photo provided by Triathlon Team

April 11th, 2014 /// CLUB SPORTS ILLUSTRATED 3

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Let’s be real here for a moment, I know everyone is asking themselves, what in the world does the snowboard team do now?

There is no snow..... But honestly, snowboarding season never ends. Yes, the local resorts are closed but that seems to never stop our team. Snow or no snow the team is involving themselves with the gnarly sport of snowboarding in some way or another. There is no such thing as the end to the season in a true snowboarder’s vocabulary. Sure thing, the snow season is gone undoubtedly, however that drive for excitement never leaves a snowboarder.

The snowboard season only makes up about half the year for most people, but that doesn’t mean that snowboarders sit around twiddling their thumbs during the off season. From skateboarding and surfing to mountain biking and hiking, most snowboarders spend as much time outdoors during the summer as they do in the winter. In relation to the Appalachian Snowboard Team, this lifestyle applies in every aspect. The members of the team are constantly rolling up in any part of the outdoors and activating the constant yearning for excitement, fun, and adrenaline.

In the off season, team rider Breck Faison longboards in his spare time. Longboarding is a very fun and active sport. It is a

“You can just do your own thing and create your own style, very similar to snowboarding.”

by Katrina Matza, Secretary

Wherethesnowat?

Photo Provided by Snowboard Team



good sport if you just want to cruise around to relax, or feel the thrill on bombing a hill at 30-40mph, or anything in between. Breck confidently states that he loves longboarding because “You can just do your own thing and create your own style, very similar to snowboarding.” I think for a lot of people, it’s something that can relax and just free people’s minds up. When Breck was asked why he longboards in the off season, he cheerfully responded saying, “Man, it’s about that state or mental relaxation you don’t get from anything else. All is good when on my board. It takes away all life’s/societies drama. Helps free my mind so I can live a happier life and think clearer. The feeling is exactly how I feel when I snowboard, but with the absence of the fun of snow. ”

There is no doubt in my mind that the entire Appalachian Snowboard Team gets dispirited in the absence of snow, but think about getting a present every day, to the snowboard team that is the snow season. We get the present of snow and the merriment that accompanies it. Excuse me if I get a little hippy on you, but living in the mountains and riding fresh fluffy snow or hitting up the park every day or just being outside immersed in stunning nature like good ole Boonetown, it’ll make your bones ache and will change your life in ways you won’t be able to imagine until you experience it all. Thus no matter the season the snowboard team is glad to call the beautiful Boone, North Carolina their home in and out of the snow season.




GreatVictories

In this special our Club Sportsathletes offer an insider viewof and the secrets behind thegreatest Club Sports victories


Great VictoriesOne of the Nonads’ greatest victories this year would probably have to be the intense game they played against the club women’s team from Asheville – “Trashville.”

As an outsider looking in, you might not expect Trashville to be any good at all. They are a pick-up team essentially, recruiting anyone who has the means to get to the tournament and the skills to stick around and play. But they are a force to be reckoned with, they won the Blue Ridge Blowout in 2012, and came out ready to fight their hardest again this past November. But the Nonads had other plans for this game. The secret to their victory: there was no secret. The Nonads came out victorious by using the skills they had been working on in practice, expertly timed cuts, smart throws and patience were all aspects of their game that helped lead them to winning the game. “It really came down to our teamwork and hustle on the field,” said Jordan Ericksen, a senior on the team, “we had really great flow during this game, and that cohesiveness is always a major factor in all our wins.”

“...the Nonads had other plans for this game.”

WOMEN’S ULTIMATEby Ingrid Humphrey, Secretary

Photo Provided by Women’s Ultimate Team


Throughout the history of the Nomads program there have been many successes and many failures.

There have been victories and defeats. Usually when our team sets out to play a nationally ranked opponent, our team has one thing in mind, and that is to play hard and do our best, regardless of if we win or lose.

It was a cold morning in February of 2013. The Nomads were on the second day of playing at the Queen City Tune Up in

Charlotte. The previous day we had gone 0-4, and this morning we were determined to not go home empty handed, without a win. On this morning we knew that we would be playing the nationally ranked Michigan

Magnum, a team we had played the previous year and lost to. We wanted to come out and shock the world, just like our football team did against the same school a few years ago. Something was different with the team this morning though, there was a fire lit under us. We came out focused, hyped up, and ready to play.

The game began and each team was trading points, the small team from Appalachian State was hanging with the big guys from Michigan, and it could not have been more fun to be a part of. Not once in this game did

“Something was different with the team this morning though, there was a fire lit under us. We came out focused, hyped up, and ready to play.”

Great Victories

MEN’S ULTIMATEby Austin Olive, Secretary

Photo Provided by Men’s Ultimate Team


anyone think we would lose, and I think that is a big part of why we won. The team kept their heads up and let nothing get to us, we just played solid Ultimate against a good team. Eventually we found ourselves at Universe point, (the next point to score wins) coming out on offense. This is it, we just have to stay calm and keep possession of the disc to win. Michigan pulls and comes down in a zone look,

which throws off the offense, but just for a split second. We regain control and Justin Allen throws a massive flick huck to our current captain Jeff Nordgren, who goes up strong against a Michigan defender and comes down with the game winning catch. The team immediately rushed the field and everyone was hysterical in their celebration. For me and many others, this is the most memorable victory we have had.

Great VictoriesPhoto Provided by Men’s Ultimate Team




Women’s club volleyball has had more than a few victories this school year.

We have all worked hard on and off the court to make this year a success. But our greatest victory was accomplished this past week by the national team in Reno, Nevada where club volleyball nationals were held. From the very start on Thursday April 3rd, our team went 3-0. Day two our team went 1-1, losing 13-15 against a challenging team from Arizona.

Saturday we made it to the semi-finals for D2 schools which is the farthest App State volleyball

has ever gone at nationals. In semi –finals we lost another close game to the same team we had lost to the previous day. That school ended up being the D2 champions. But our greatest victory was not just about our technical skill against other teams. Our greatest victory 100%

“... it was amazing to witness how we all came together in crunch time and showed our love for the game.”

came because of the heart I saw my teammates play with. Every single girl on our team was so hyped up and encouraging, it was amazing to witness how we all came together in crunch time and showed our love for the game. To be a part of this team in such moments was the highlight of my year with club volleyball.

At the end of the week I’m sure we were all tired of traveling and a little sick of each other, but I wouldn’t trade those moments for the world. Our greatest victory will go down as one of the best times for Appalachian State Club Volleyball.

Great Victories

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALLby Priya Ford, Vice President

Photo Provided by Women’s Volleyball Team


I think all sports fans can agree that a buzzer beater can be one of the most exciting aspects of the game.

That adrenaline rush you get when theres only 10 seconds left on the clock and you’re down... but somehow you find a way to pull it out. What’s the secret? Communication, execution and a little bit of luck. At the beginning of their 3rd game, the womens basketball team didn’t start off strong. They fell behind by halftime and they weren’t sure how to come back from Clemson’s tough offensive play. They put up a fight in that second half and ended up

giving Clemson a run for their money. Although one of their best players suffered an ankle injury late in the game... the girls played through it. They were there for a reason and this was the semi finals. The atmosphere doesn’t get more intense than that. It all came down to the last few plays where both teams were tied with 2 minutes left to go and neither team was

“It all came down to the last few plays where both teams were tied with 2 minutes left to go and neither team was giving up.”

giving up. All they had to do was pull ahead; communication and execution were key with that next possession. The play in the final 20 seconds was set for Carly Hall to come around the screen at the top of the key to hit the game winning 3 pointer but she missed... the ball bounced off the rim and straight into Beth Pittman’s hands under the basket and she put the ball back in the hoop for the winning lay-up. There’s no better feeling than coming out with that great win, the win that came down to the last second. The coaches and players ran onto the court and they all celebrated the win together, which made it one of the greatest victories of the season.

Great Victories

WOMEN’S BASKETBALLby Elena Kacan, Secretary

Photo Provided by Women’s Basketball Team


The secret Behind the Equestrian Team’s greatest victory is that of teamwork.

Individual riders are nothing without their teammates, coaches, and family and friends to back them up every step of the way. The Equestrian Team has three marvelous coaches, Sarah, Dana, and Roy, who have given this team everything that they possibly can in order for us to be prepared for competitions and do our very best. All of our coaches are experts in their

specific disciplines of riding and work hard to schedule lessons for the team. They find times for each individual rider to come to the barn and brave the weather, class, and homework schedules to work on their specific issues,

whatever they may be, while in the saddle. Not only do they train us several days a week, but our coaches also give up their personal lives to come to horse shows with us at various universities on the weekends; to help us rise to the top of the ribbons whatever the cost may be!

One of the biggest components that is absolutely necessary for victory is our team Captains. Nikka Hronis, Alison Davis, and Katherine Uva are our three current Captains for Dressage, Hunt Seat, and

“Individual riders are nothing without their teammates, coaches, and family and friends to back them up every step of the way.”

Great Victories

EQUESTRIANby Morgan Erlenbach, President

Photo Provided by Equestrian Team


Western competing teams. This entire year they deal with the paperwork of traveling, making sure everyone is safe, and also that we have successful rides at shows. What would a rider be without someone making sure that their riding attire is ship-shape, someone making sure that they are at the draw table and mounting their horses at the correct times, and someone to give them advice before they enter the ring?! They are an essential part of the puzzle to both team and individual victory at shows! And finally, what I see as the most important element

to achieving success at a horse show is your family. No matter what drama happened at school that week, or how your lesson went, your family is always going to tell you, regardless of what the judge and the ribbons say, that your ride was absolutely fabulous and that they are proud of you!

While the competitions may be over for the Appstate Equestrian Team for this school year, the team wants to wish Nikka Hronis a special good-luck this weekend! She is the only member of our team who is fortunate enough to have

earned a spot at Intercollegiate Dressage Nationals! In the past, ASU typically gets a “Wild-Card” spot at Nationals, but this year there were not enough schools in our region to offer one. Nikka lead our region in her division for a large majority of the year, and she is incredibly deserving! A fair amount of our team members will be following her on her journey to success at Averett University in Danville, Virginia, if you want to watch Nikka compete at a National level make sure to wear Appalachian Apparel and come watch, the university is a close drive!

Great Victories

Photo Provided by Equestrian Team


AHO Women’s Rugby recently played a game against the College of Charleston this past Saturday the 5th.

With a crushing victory of 96 to 12 the AHO Women’s Rugby team of Appalachian State University will travel on the nationals for the third year in a row, you read right, third year in a row!!! Despite the fact we have some AMAZING and I mean AMAZING players on our team, talent can only get you so far. Before every game our captains write a quote on rubber bands for us to wear around our ankles when we play. One quote that has stuck with me the past few years is as follows: “Hard work

beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”. For our team this holds true, because yes we have great, skilled players but we never stop striving to be better. We are always working to better ourselves personally and as a team. We struggle just like anyone else or any other team, but we never let it keep us down. We keep fighting and pushing no matter what happens, in practice, in a game, just in life.

“We keep fighting and pushing no matter what happens, in practice, in a game, just in life.”

We are a very hard working and determined group of women. We are a family, we are there for one another through anything and this is why I think we are so successful on the pitch (rugby field) because we have a team chemistry that I personally have never experienced before. No other team we have played has displayed the amount of chemistry and commitment to the game and each other as much as we have. I think this is the secret behind our victories, our commitment, love of the game and each other and family truly family. We don’t just have one victory we have many, because every time we step out on to that pitch and play AHO rugby, play how we play, win or lose, we will always be victorious.

WOMEN’S RUGBYby Kelly Castanho, President

Great VictoriesPhoto Provided by Women’s Rugby Team


As a limited contact sport, women’s lacrosse is a skillful game full of technicalities and deliberation.

Although physical strength is an important aspect of the sport, it may not be the determining factor for a win. The secret behind ASU’s women’s lacrosse team’s greatest victory is playing a skillful game. The girls of this team are smart,

skilled, and persistent. When it comes to winning, giving up is not an option. Staying positive and supportive of one another, regardless of the foul, often means more to this team than any one person’s physical strength. This past weekend,

the team traveled to Axton, Virginia to take part in the 3rd annual Pomerstone Classic tournament. Despite a few tumbles, the girls were on their toes prepared to play some great teams, including Duke University. After losing in double overtime to Elon University, the girls of Appalachian took on East Carolina University. Although ECU is known for playing a game full of pushes and fouls, the App girls pulled out a win with their determination and integrity.

Great Victories

WOMEN’S LACROSSEby Carolyn Genay, Treasurer

Photo Provided by Women’s Lacrosse Team

“When it comes to winning, giving up is not an option.”


After nine long months of rigorous training, the Appalachian State Swim Team has just finished up practices for the East Coast Swimming Championships in Atlanta, Georgia.

Every year, our national swim meet takes place at Georgia Tech. In preparation for any big meet, swimmers train a little differently than they would mid season. With the expertise of a previous collegiate swimmer, our coach Richard Miller has designed practices that will help us produce our fastest times of the year.

The art of fast swimming begins with something we call tapering. In the context of swimming,

tapering refers to the reduction of yardage in practice leading up to a big competition. Ask any competitive swimmer, this is best time of the season.

In the sport of swimming, a hundredth of a second can be the difference between first and second place. For this reason, swimmers do everything they can to “shave” off time. We are no exception. Every year we have our annual shaving party

“In the sport of swimming, a hundredth of a second can be the difference between first and second place.”

the night before nationals. Only swimmers will truly understand the importance of shaving before a big meet. While shaving adds an obvious physical boost to your racing, it also has a significant psychological effect on swimmers.

With the East Coast Championships ending this past weekend, the Appalachian State Swim Team did extremely well. With over 60 teams in attendance, we placed in the top 25. Our top men’s relay of Jake Barnes, Kyle Cicenia, Ryan Franz, and Robert Compton broke three previous school records. We also had personal best times from many of our swimmers. As we finish out the year with our last home meet, our team is already looking forward to another successful season.

Great Victories

SWIMMINGby Kyle Cicenia, Captain

Photo Provided by Swim Team


This week was definitely one of the most excited councils we've had yet.

We had a ton of new athletes join us for the team standing petitions, which made it that much more interesting. It sounded like all of our teams have had great seasons, and have started preparing for next year by electing their new officers. The tier standing petitions went great, we were able to vote all three teams in

EXECUTIVE’S CORNERby Jessie Harrelson, Club Sports Executive

question into a good standing tier. Congrats to Ice Hockey, Triathlon, and Climbing for representing your teams so well and moving up into good standing! Also, we were able to elect our new Executive Officer team for the 2014-2015 year. We had a ton of great candidates, and I know the Council had some tough decisions to make. We would like to welcome Philicia Gibson, Ian McNeill, and Katherine Uva to the Executive Officer positions for next year!


This past weekend the Appalachian State University Fencing Club set out once again to NBS Gym of Raleigh, North Carolina for their special housewarming tournament to help in celebrating their full move-in to their new location.

NBS gym is home to the Raleigh Fencer’s Club, where club member Alex Fogleman fenced during his high school years. This tournament was different in that it was an unofficial format, which allowed some of the club’s non-USFA registered members to compete and get a feel for how fencers from other clubs fence, as well as what the competitive experience is like.

This tournament proved to be a neat first time experience for many of the club’s new members, including Keif Wiltshire, Carleton Stuecker, and Amanda Martinez. Returning fencers were Bennett Hatfield, Sean Cobb, and Josh Danford. A few members, Josh Danford and Alex Fogleman, assisted by acting as officials for a few bouts. Appalachian fencers did quite well in the tournament. Carleton Stuecker made it to the second round of the epee tournament, and Josh Danford

made it to the third round. In the foil tournament, Amanda Martinez, Keif Wiltshire, and Sean Cobb were not able to make it to the second round. Bennett Hatfield made it to the second round.

The Raleigh Fencers Club has also made it a point to announce several other events that will be going on nearby that have immense potential for up and coming members and veterans alike to improve their abilities, including a special camp to be hosted by five time Olympian fencer Michael Marks, and a Refereeing Clinic to be done not long afterwards and overall present exciting opportunities that club members can benefit from.

Team Update

FENCINGby Alex Fogleman, Member

Photo by Chandler Jenkins

“This tournament proved to be a neat first time experience for many of the club’s new members”


An exciting new phase in Triathlon Team has begun.

We are working fervently with Coach Bob Willix, taking our training to the next level. The past week and this coming week have been spent doing time trials for our biking, swimming, and running. Our workouts will now be based on these times, so each individual athlete will be training at a level specific to them. This will optimize our workouts and

“This will optimize our workouts and open up great possibility for improvement.”

open up great possibility for improvement. Our coaching is focused on preparing for the White Lake Triathlon on April 13th. We are so excited for this new leadership, and cannot wait to see how this race goes!

Team UpdatePhoto Provided by Triathlon Team

Photo Provided by Triathlon Team

TRIATHLONby Allison Crook, Secretary

CLUB SPORTS ILLUSTRATED /// April 11th, 2014

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