LIONSBRIDGE FC CAMPS TO BEGIN ON WEDNESDAY
HEY, PARENTS!
SUMMER CAMP BEGINS NEXT WEEK!
Phase 3 will be here next week... just in time for Lionsbridge FC Summer Youth Soccer Camps!
Registration is open for all five July sessions, including Yorktown (day and night camp), Newport News (day and night camp), and Gloucester (night).
All campers will receive instruction from Lionsbridge FC coaches and players, a camp t-shirt from All-Pro Tactical, and a ticket to a future home game.
Lionsbridge FC has taken a number of health and safety precautions to reduce the risk of COVID-19, and more information on that can be found below in RED.
CAMP SCHEDULE:
Gloucester / Woodville Park:
July 1-2 (Wed-Thu: 5pm to 7pm)
Yes! Registration is Open!
Yorktown / McReynolds Sports Complex:
July 6-10 (Mon-Thu: 8:30am to 2:30pm; Fri: 8:30am to noon)
Yes! Registration is Open (keyword search: Lionsbridge)
July 13-16 (Mon-Thu: 5:45pm to 8pm)
Yes! Registration is Open (keyword search: Lionsbridge)
Newport News / Warwick HS:
July 20-24 (Mon-Thu: 8:30am to 2:30pm; Fri: 8:30am to noon)
Yes! Registration is Open!
July 27-30 (Mon-Thu: 5:45pm to 8pm)
Yes! Registration is Open!
CAMP DIRECTORS:
Chris Whalley
Lionsbridge FC head coach
Chowan University head coach
Tennant McVea
Lionsbridge FC assistant coach
Old Dominion University associate head coach
COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS:
All campers must bring and use their own equipment (ball, water bottle, towel, etc.). Sharing will not be permitted.
Parents or guardians of campers and camp staff will be required to complete a daily COVID-19 symptom screening questionnaire prior to arriving each day.
Camp participants will be subject to additional regulations as required or recommended by local, state, and federal health authorities and parks & rec departments. This may include, but may not be limited to, physical distancing, daily temperature checks, etc.
Coaches and staff will wear protective face coverings.
While such measures may be an inconvenience, Lionsbridge FC and our camp partners are all committed to meeting health and safety protocols to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19. Failure to participate according to these guidelines may be a reason for dismissal without a refund.
Simply put, we intend to provide a safe, healthy, and fun environment for campers, coaches and staff!
Local Swimming Team Powers SEVA and Coast Guard Blue Dolphins (CGBD) to Merge
(Note: A special thanks to coach Jeff Kincaid of SEVA for giving me the heads-up on this merger. Mr. Keith's original article was posted yesterday at swimswam.com, and edited for posting here at VPS)
By Braden Keith and Jim McGrath
The Coast Guard Blue Dolphins (CGBD) and SEVA Seahawks, two of the top USA Swimming club teams in Hampton Roads, have agreed to merge swimming operations under one umbrella, effective September 1 of this year. The combined team is expected to have more than 325 year-round swimmers and 20 employees serving Newport News and surrounding areas in Southeast Virginia.
At the 2020 Virginia Senior Championships in early March, one of the final meets before competition across the country was halted, the CGBD team finished 3rd overall while SEVA finished 13th overall.
Jack Bierie of the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins will emerge as the head coach of the combined program.
“I am very excited about the unification of the two programs,” Bierie said. “I feel that combining our coaching staffs and programs will have a positive impact on the swimming community and make us one of the premier programs in the US. It has been a long time coming and I look forward to working with their staff and families.”
Bierie, a 1984 US Olympic Trials qualifier, joined the team’s coaching staff in 2006. He works under the club’s CEO and senior coach Steven Hennessy. Hennessy has been with the club since 2000 and served in his current position since 2008.
“Bringing together the talent, experience, and spirit of each organization will create a new chemistry of swimming excellence on the Peninsula,” Hennessy said. “Discussed many times in the past, we have finally made it happen because of the vision, courage, and determination of the leadership of both teams. Unifying our programs is exciting for the swimmers, the families, coaches, and our swimming community. Working alongside outstanding swimmers, families, and staff as one is a dream come true for those of us who have labored long at creating a united program.”
Dave Henderson, the head coach of SEVA, also expressed excitement about the merger.
“It is exciting to start working with the combined resources of both teams including swimmers, staff, and member parents,” Henderson said. “Together, we will offer expanded programming and achieve a higher level of competitive success. The combination of our programs will offer the Peninsula and Hampton Roads community learn-to-swim, stroke technique instruction, Masters (adult) swimming and additional options for youth competitive swimming. We will have programs for very young children all the way to adults that are well into their 90’s and all ages in between. The staff will become the most experienced not only in our area but in the United States. Our community will benefit the most and will want to be a part of the team. I look forward to being a part of a new beginning.”
Henderson has 37 years of coaching experience and was the head coach at SEVA for 18 years. His primary on-deck focus is the team’s age group elite program.
Among CGBD’s most accomplished alumni is 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Christine Marshall, who trained with the Blue Dolphins in her youth until matriculating to Texas A&M, and continued to represent the club at the USA Swimming competition.
A spokesperson for the club says that the conversation began in late January of 2020, before the global coronavirus pandemic took hold in the US, and that the new club has started practicing.
(Archives) 1968 Olympian Tommie Smith promotes healthy living at Hampton youth track event
By Jim McGrath (published in Daily Press on January 20, 2015)
HAMPTON -- On Oct. 16, 1968, Tommie Smith stepped on to an Olympic track in Mexico City and officially became the fastest man in the world, winning the gold medal in the 200-meter dash with a time of 19.83, a mark was the world record for 11 years.
It was the second-most significant thing he did that day.
You may need help with the names, but you know the picture. After winning the race, Smith, flanked on the medal podium by college and USA teammate John Carlos, and Australian silver medalist Peter Norman, thrust a black-gloved fist toward the humid Mexico City sky. The picture that captured Smith's right fist and Carlos' left became an iconic image of the Olympics, and a key event of the Civil Rights movement.
On Sunday, Smith raised his arm in another gesture, but this one was to fire the starting pistol for the first race at the first Tommie Smith Indoor Youth Track Meet and Health Fair, held at the Boo Williams Sportsplex. The meet, hosted by Hampton's William and Charlene Moore and the Technique Track Club, included more than 600 athletes from four states and the District of Columbia. There will be a similar outdoor meet in late May at Hampton University's Armstrong Stadium.
While the historical event of 1968 may have been recognized by more people, the meet, the first indoor event to bear Tommie Smith's name, is fueled by another great cause — the need for youths to exercise and eat healthy.
"This brings about positive change," said Smith, who at 70 (born on D-Day, June 6, 1944) still bears a strong athletic presence. "We focus on health, but we also look at things of organization, like the importance of being prompt. We use track and field as part of the program."
It's a message that Smith and his wife, Delois, are taking around the world. They are based in Atlanta but "probably make two or three trips each month," said Delois Jordan-Smith.
While the travel is burdensome, the by-products of their presence are evident.
"Because of the involvement of Dr. Smith (he recently retired after 33 years as a sociology professor) and other representatives, we have the opportunity to give our kids a chance to make healthy choices in life. It would seem like we're only focused on SOLs (Standards of Learning) and grades, but we want to work with the social and emotional development of each child, to create a well-rounded individual," said Kimberly Judge, principal of Newsome Park Elementary in Newport News, one of two pilot schools that will receive health and educational services as part of the Youth Movement Initiative of 100 Black Men of America.
"We focus on how to address our youth's health and wellness," said Dr. Jeremiah Williams, president of the Virginia Peninsula chapter of 100 Black Men. "We take care of health first, but we'll also visit the schools weekly to read with the students, and we do things such as Secret Santa every Christmas. We commit a lot of resources to this, and our aim is to get the community involved. I love it."
The Health and Wellness initiative started 14 years ago in Oakland, Calif., but has branched out to several other cities, making the most impact in the District of Columbia, and now Hampton Roads.
Health screenings, conducted by biology and nursing students from HU, gave an indication of some of the program's elements.
"We will meet weekly with students and their parents," said Michelle Penn-Marshall, biology chairperson at HU. "We'll measure their height, weight, and BMI (body-mass index), give them cooking lessons and show them how to prepare healthy snacks. We also show them how to budget their money and eat healthy."
The significance of the event was lost on few spectators. Newport News Mayor McKinley Price was in attendance, as well as 100 Black Men national president Charlie Hill and track Olympians LaTasha Colander and Bershawn "Batman" Jackson.
Colander, a Portsmouth native who anchored the gold-medal 4x400-meter women's relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, spoke of the importance of the inaugural meet.
"This ignites the flame and inspires youths," said Colander, who was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in April. "The younger generation hasn't experienced the track and field world. They don't realize that we run track meets in football stadiums all over Europe. It's bigger than what we see, and they should know that you can have a future, and a profession in track."
HU track coach Maurice Pierce mirrored the feeling.
"Tommie Smith is my childhood hero," said Pierce, who has coached several Olympians, including Francena McCorory, whose 49.48-second clocking in the 400 meters was the fastest women's time in the world last year. "I hope that people realize the historical significance of today."
Before the meet, all of the competitors were summoned to the infield, where Smith addressed the youngsters.
"Today is a day of historic recognition. You have a legacy that will last for the rest of your life. Consider yourself to be winners, regardless of your time or place. Today, in you, a winner is born!"
After the opening race, Smith met with fans, both young and old, in the auxiliary area near the front entrance. While the older visitors spoke of his impact on their lives, some of the younger kids in line gained a valuable history lesson.
Amirah Critz, 9, had her first opportunity to speak with Smith. As she received her autographed picture of the three Olympic medal winners on the medal stand, her eyes brightened up and the young lady announced her newfound revelation.
"You're famous!"
(Archives) Francena McCorory, Allen Iverson headline Lower Virginia Peninsula Hall of Fame class of 2017: Lisa Dillard, Yvette Lewis, Keith Witherspoon, Bev Vaughan Selected
(Note: Just a reminder as to why it is so much fun to cover sports here on the Peninsula in Hampton Roads, Virginia. This article is from 2017. (Photo) L- Former Bethel HS Track Coach Eddie Williams, R - Francena McCorory
The Athletic Hall of Fame of the Lower Virginia Peninsula will hold its triennial inductions Aug. 13 at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton.
The hall, which is operated through the City of Hampton, inducts a maximum of six individuals each cycle, as well as two others who are recognized as contributors.
This year's slate will be full. The athlete inductees are Allen Iverson, Francena McCorory, Bev Vaughan, Lisa Dillard, Yvette Lewis, and Keith Witherspoon.
The contributor awards go to Linwood D. "Butch" Harper and Bob Hintz. Harper is a longtime youth athletic figure in Hampton, while Hintz coached basketball at Bethel before moving on to become a longtime broadcaster with Hampton's Local Sports Channel, where he has served for many years.
Four of the inductees are best known for their exploits in track and field. McCorory (Bethel High, Hampton University) won three NCAA championships for the Pirates before striking Olympic gold twice, in 2012 and 2016, as a member of the 4x400 relay. She is also a former American record-holder in the indoor 400 meters, and she won the world outdoor 400-meter crown in 2014.
Lisa Dillard was a six-time outdoor state champion for Tabb (100, 200, long jump), then ran for one season with Christopher Newport (1986-87), where she won five individual Division III national championships, while setting national D-III records for the indoor 55 meters and long jump and outdoor 200 meters and long jump. From there, Dillard transferred to Clemson and won six individual ACC titles while earning All-American status four times. She was named to the ACC's 50th-anniversary team.
Lewis (Denbigh and Menchville High, HU) scored 48 points to win an outdoor state title for Menchville by herself in 2003 before competing for Coach Maurice Pierce at HU, winning an indoor and outdoor NCAA title in the triple jump. Lewis later moved on to compete as a professional in the 100-meter hurdles. She won the 2011 Pan-American Games title for the U.S. team and finished her career competing for the Panama team at the 2016 Olympics.
Lewis, now an assistant coach at Norfolk State, may be the first woman ever to run under 12.7 in the 100-meter hurdles (12.67) and triple-jump over 45 feet.
Witherspoon won the 1971 AAA triple jump for Huntington at 49 feet, 4.5 inches, which tied the existing state record. Moving on to the University of Virginia, Witherspoon was a three-time All-American in the triple jump and set Cavalier records in the long and triple jumps. His indoor and outdoor triple-jump records stood for 36 years. His success has continued well into adulthood, as Witherspoon has set the masters' (40 years and over) world indoor triple-jump mark of 49-11.
Bev Vaughan is originally from Portsmouth but is best-known on the Peninsula for establishing the women's athletic program at Christopher Newport, where he served as athletic director from 1967 to 1987. Under his guidance, the Lady Captains transitioned from independent status into the Dixie Conference, from junior-college club teams to Division III national champs. Vaughan doubled as the school's first men's basketball coach and won 204 games in 14 seasons.
The best known of the inductees is Iverson, who led Bethel to state championships in both football and basketball in the school year of 1992-93. Both his 948 single-season points in basketball and five interceptions in one football game are Virginia records.
Iverson played two years for John Thompson with Georgetown, where he was a consensus All-American, before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1996. Iverson was named the league's MVP in 2001 and led the 76ers to the NBA Finals.
At 6-1, he is arguably the best "small man" in NBA history, and last year, the 11-time All-Star was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Will There Be High School Sports in the Fall? My Two Cent Scenario to Play Ball
Yesterday, The Virginia High School League issued the following statement, which can be found on its website at vhsl.org.
"(Charlottesville, VA)) — The Virginia High School League released guidelines on Friday alongside Phase 1 of reopening the state regarding out of season practice for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year.
After receiving numerous inquiries from school divisions, the VHSL says it will continue to follow protocols and guidelines. This means that currently, out of season practice and all activities this summer are canceled until further notice.
The current relaxing of the Governor’s stay at home order applies to businesses and schools remain closed as well as in-school facility use are still off-limits.
The VHSL said in a release that after Governor Northam declares schools can re-open and guidelines are provided for the reopening, the organization will work with the Executive Committee to set protocols and guidelines for resuming athletic activities.
“We ask every member school to support the Governor’s directives and the DOE during this time,” said VHSL officials. “Every decision will be made in compliance with those orders and will continue to be made with the best interest of our student-athletes and the public. Safety will always be our number one priority.”
More information on the Virginia High School League can be found online."
By the verbiage of the statement, this does not cancel summer practices, as the decision can be reversed after further review. The powers that be will meet again next month, unless there is a decision to congregate and reconsider sooner.
However, many skeptics took this as the next step of the process to cancel fall sports, or at least push their seasons forward to next spring.
Can fall sports be played this year? Maybe, but it will depend on a certain set of circumstances.
Here is my thinking. Generally, one school is designated for a school system's summer school, and an assistant principal is chosen from a host of applicants to be the principal of the summer sessions. In Arlington, summer school is slated to take place at Washington-Liberty, while in Prince William, Potomac High in Dumfries has been designated as the location.
Yesterday, I asked an assistant principal in Northern Virginia about the possibility of conducting summer school. The response surprised me - "We don't know yet." In the meantime, many summer teaching positions throughout the state have remained unfilled. For those checking the calendar, summer school would be starting in 4-5 weeks, and because many schools are not teaching new material, or in some cases, issuing grades other than pass/fail, how can a teacher objectively determine who should fail a course and be forced to remediate with a summer session?
Anyhow, that is my rationale for either canceling summer school, or making it virtual for those who may choose to attend for academic reinforcement.
While this not directly relate to sports, it does serve as a reason to keep the buildings closed until August.
Point 2 -- Northern Virginia will not reach Phase 1 for at least two weeks. I can't imagine that the coaches at Westfield and Stone Bridge will be silent if Oscar Smith and Maury are allowed to practice for a week or two before they can. The starting date has to be a uniform one, and current VHSL regulations require that a player participate in 20 days of practice before being allowed to play in a game. There will be no two-week warm-up session, followed by the start of competition. There will have to be three-and-a-half to four weeks of practice.
My scenario would probably have practices start on August 10, with the four weeks leading into Labor Day weekend. Games would begin on Thursday, September 10. If the bye week is eliminated and schools have to play ten games in ten weeks, the regular-season finale would be on November 14.
If the VHSL decides to revert its former decision of allowing the top eight teams from each region into the playoffs, and whittling it to a Final Four, we could save a week of post-season play, and the state championships could commence on December 12. If the decision is made to include a bye week, it would be postponed to the 19th.
Then again, if there is a marginal growth in COVID-19 cases and deaths throughout Virginia after the implementation of Phase 1, then this proposal goes out the window. But this will be a test of self-discipline as the teams with the most athletes continuing to dutifully stay conditioned will have a strong advantage from Day 1. The underlying message. Stay in shape and stay tuned!
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