What’s Up in Local Sports

By Calvin Hastings

What a game!   Last Thursday, the Crest Lady Charger softball team downed Fred T. Foard by a 1-0 score to advance in the state 3A softball playoffs.   Crest’s Katelyn Spangler drove in Brooke Powell to score the game’s only run in the bottom of the 13th inning.   The Tigers had threatened in the top of the 13th  but had a runner thrown out at the plate trying to steal home.   Both starting pitchers went the distance.    Bailey Smith picked up the win on the mound for the Lady Chargers while Foard freshman, Lexe Shubert, took the loss.   The Lady Chargers improved to 21-1 on the season.

On Tuesday, the Crest Lady Chargers won again with a 5-0 win over Asheville-Erwin.  Baily Smith tossed a one hitter and struck out 15 Lady Warrior batters as the Lady Chargers improved to 22-1 on the season.  The Lady Chargers will face either Enka or Franklin on Friday afternoon for a shot at going to the State Champoinship round.

The season ended Tuesday night for the Cherryville Lady Ironmen after a  6-1 loss to South Stanley.  The Lady Ironmen finished their season with a 20-6 record.

Hats off to the Carolina Express 18 and under girls AAU basketball team for winning the 15 and under AAU state basketball championship in Indian Trail last week.   Area team members included: Ace Easter from North Lincoln Middle; Kaylin Monday of Lincolnton Middle; and Kayla Burchett of North Lincoln Middle.

The season ended for the Kings Mountain Lady Mountaineers girls softball team as they fell to St. Stephens by a 5-2 score.   The Lady Mountaineers end their season with a 14-7 record.

The season ended last Friday for the East Gaston Lady Warrior softball team as they fell 4-1 to Lake Norman.  The Lady Warriors finished 18-3 on the season as the Mega-7 3A/4A Conference Champions.

The Cherryville Ironmen baseball team was eliminated last Friday by Bishop McGuinness by a 6-3 score.   It was Bishop McGuinness who elimated Cherryville from the State 1A basketball playoffs back in February.   The Ironmen finished 16-9 on the season.

Bessemer City’s baseball team was also eliminated last Friday by Albemarle by a 12-2 score.

The Lincoln Charter Lady Eagles won their first ever state playoff game last week with an 8-3 win over Hendersonville High School on Tuesday.   The team is coached by Mark Schild.

Former East Lincoln Mustang, Greyson Schram, led the NCAA Division II in slugging percentagle for Concord, West Virginia with a 1.103 average.  Schram hit .508 this past season and was named the Atlantic Region Player of the Year.   Schram also blasted 20 home runs and drove in 81 in 38 games.

Kings Mountain’s Morgan Childers continues to pile up honors at USC-Upstate.   Childers is now USC’s career leader with 84 wins, 32 shutouts and 963 strikeouts.  The Lady Spartans finished 41-15 on the season.  Childers was named all-tournament posting three tournament victories.

Former West Lincoln star, Payden Houser, made second team All-South Atlantic Conference after hitting .404 with five home runs and 29 RBI’s in 44 games.

Grier Middle School made it three in a row last week after winning the Gaston County Middle School Soccer Championship with a 3-0 win over Stanley.  Grier finished 11-1 on the season while Stanley finished 10-2.

Hats off to North Gaston’s Marleena Reid.  Reid brought home two State Championships in the 100 meter and the 200 meter dashes at the State 3A Track and Field Championships at North Carolina A & T.   Forestview’s Dominque Breedlove won the boys 300 meter hurdle  3A State Championship with a time of 39.39.   The Crest Chargers placed second overall to Asheville.   Crest’s Kendall Kee won the state title in the 100 meter dash and the Charger 800 meter relay team took the top spot.  The team consisted of Raheim Ledbetter, Kendall Kee,  Harvey McSwain II and Jason Ross.   The four also won the State 400 meter relay title.

West Lincoln’s Ashely Rhyne has signed a letter of intent to play softball at Walter State Community College in Morristown, Tennessee.  Rhyne earned both an academic and athletic scholarship.  Rhyne posted a 16-6 record this season on the mound striking out 228 batters in 173 innings of work.   She also had a career batting average of .515 with two home runs and 20 RBI’s. Rhyne was named to the All-State team and was named a 2009 District 6 2A Co-Pitcher of the Year.

The Hickory Tornados ended the season for the Crest girls soccer team last Friday with a 2-0 win in the State 3A quarterfinals.   The Lady Chargers ended their season with a 12-8-3 record.

The season ended last Friday for the Crest Charger baseball team as they fell to Patton by a 5-3 score.  The Chargers ended their season with a 19-5 record.

Hats off to Crest’s Jay Robinson.   Before losing to Patton, Robinson fired a one hitter to lead the Chargers past Hickory by a 7-0 score last Wednesday night.   The only hit was a first inning double.

The North Lincoln girls soccer team were eliminated in the third round of the State Soccer playoffs by a 5-0 score to Cuthbertson.   The Lady Knights ended the year with a 15-6 record.

Congratulations to the North Lincoln Middle School Lady Panther basketball team!  The girls made school history after a 50-39 win over the Crest Dragons to win the conference championship.  The team went a perfect 13-0 on the season.

North Lincoln has a new head basketball coach.  The school named Eric King as its new boys head basketball coach and Lynn Rhyne as the new girls basketball coach.   King comes to North Lincoln from Bunker Hill where he was head varsity basketball assistant.   King replaces Mike Hainrihar who posted a 12-38 record in two seasons.   Rhyne replaces David Johnson who resigned after posting a 37-18 record in two seasons.   Rhyne has been at North Lincoln as the girls volleyball coach.

Hats off to Gardner Webb’s Christa Fullwood.  Fullwood was named to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division Mid-Atlantic All-Region second team.   Fullwood is a three time Big South First Team member and also a member of the Big South All-Academic Team for the second straight year.   Fullwood led the Lady Bulldogs with a .389 average with 10 home runs.

Congratulations to the Gaston United Soccer Club’s 13 and under Blue team.  The team brought home the State Championship President’s Cup in Greensboro last weekend with a  3-0 win over Charlotte Soccer Academy.

Former South Point Red Raider, Markus Duckworth, helped lead North Greenville to the National Christian College Athletic Association Championship last weekend in Mason, Ohio.   North Greenville took the Championship Game by a 7-6 score over Bluefield.   Duckworth hit .430 with one home run and 50 rbis along with 38 stolen bases.

The Gastonia Grizzlies have added two more signings.  They include Andrelton Simmons from Western Oklahoma and Dillon Wilson from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.  Baseball America projects Simmons, a shortstop, as a 3rd or 4th round pick in next month’s Major League Draft.   Simmons is hitting .439 with seven home runs and 31 rbis.  Simmons is the team’s closer and has an earned run average of 0.62.   Wilson is a left handed pitcher and has posted six wins for Arkansas Little Rock.

Hats off to East Lincoln’s Kasi Benskin.  Benskin has been named the Sonic/Fox Charlotte’s Scholar Athlete of the Week.   Benskin plays soccer for the Lady Mustangs and the school will receive a $500.00 donation in her honor.

Former East Lincoln Mustang, Greyson Schram, is up for the Tino Martinez Division II baseball Player of the Year Award.   Schram plays second base for the Concord Mountain Lions and is one of six finalists.   He helped lead Concord to a 29-9 overall record.  Schram was the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s Triple Crown Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year and he also won the Daktronics Atlantic Regional Player of the Year Award.  Schram hit .508 with 20 home runs and 80 rbis in 38 games.

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The Wave Rider Team at Kings Mountain Middle School recently raised $1000 for Wendover…the Kathleen Dover Hamrick Hospice House in Shelby.   The Wave Rider Team is Karen Burton’s 7th grade class.   Several members of the class has had family and friends who had been touched by Hospice.   The class sold 2,000 suckers for 50 cents each for one month to raise the money.  Other teachers that helped included Cynthia Cook, Camille Sain and Margaret Spangler.   The $1000 check was presented to Kim Callahan, Director of Nursing Services at Wendover.   If you would like to know more about Hospice please visit their website at www.hospicecares.cc or call 704-487-4677.

Higher Learning Childcare Academy in Kings Mountain opens their doors with a ribbon cutting ceremony!

Rubbin’s Racing in NASCAR

By: Clint Spencer

If you are a regular reader of my article then you know that I report each week on what’s happening in the world of NASCAR.  This week for whatever reason, I felt the need to go in a different direction and question the City of Charlotte.  If you watch the news or read the newspaper, then you already know the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system is laying off 500 teachers.  Now, I may be a little biased considering I am a teacher myself, but it does not make sense considering all the money pouring into the Charlotte area in the month of May alone.

Let’s consider everything that has taken place already this month.  The Charlotte Bobcats made the playoffs and sold the Cable Box out every night.  When is the last time that happened?  People had to park for the game paying as much as $10-$20.  Downtown restaurants and bars brought in revenue they never budgeted for because they never expected the Bobcats to make the playoffs.  People needed a place to stay, so downtown hotels collected money they never expected.  Then take into account the big swim meet that was in Charlotte earlier this month that had all the big stars of swimming in town.  Again, hotels fill up and so do parking lots.  And if that wasn’t enough, Sarah Palin and the big guns of the NRA came to town for a few days.  You know just as well as I do that those cowboys had a good time while they were in the city.  Hotel rooms were all booked up bringing in who knows how much a night.  Parking lots and downtown parking must have been a mess.

As the NRA was leaving town, the NASCAR fans were pouring in.  You had the opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, you had last weekend’s All-Star Race, and on Sunday you had the induction of the first class into the Hall of Fame.  And let me tell you, NASCAR fans will spend money.  I spent all last weekend at the track, and I don’t see how some fans can afford to spend the money they do.  Hotel rooms near the track were as much as $289 a night, and a good seat can cost over $100.  Gas stations were filled with fans purchasing gas, cigarettes, beer, ice and food. It was ridiculous. Where is all the money going?  Here’s the best part, there is still more to come.

This weekend we have the Coca-Cola 600 which brings with it Food Lion Speed Street.  This festival is a zoo.  Parking is impossible to find and the streets are full of race fans, once again SPENDING MONEY.  Hotel rooms are slammed to the gills, Anheuser Busch and Miller are working over time just to supply our region with enough beer, and convenience stores have sold out of every “Git R Done” lighter that they had.  Where is all the money going?  I have never claimed to be an economist or a good editorial writer on top of that, but the pieces don’t fit together.  With all the money the City of Charlotte has brought in this month, they should be gearing up to hire new teachers for next year instead of laying them off.  The society in which we live in has gone to h$$l.  We have lost sight of what’s important.  While hundreds of teachers lose their jobs, somebody’s pocket is getting fatter.

Prediction for The Coca-Cola 600:  This driver won his way into The All-Star Race by winning the Sprint Showdown.  And even though Kurt Busch may have won the race, this driver in my opinion had the best car.  He was awesome on the long runs, and that is exactly what you need for 600 miles.  If he would have had a few more laps he would have caught Busch.  He finished second last weekend and this weekend he claims his first win with new team Michael Waltrip Racing.  Look for Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #56 in victory lane.

Be The Champ of NASCAR Pick'em!

By Rusty Stroupe

www.rustystroupe.blogspot.com

As you know from some of my previous columns, I have reconnected with a number of friends from my past thanks to the internet. And with each passing day, those folks become more special to me.

I spent two summers as a church camp counselor during my college years. I’ve lost touch with most of my fellow counselors from those summers, but I’ve been back in touch with a few of them lately.

George was one of my bestest buddies and favorite sidekicks one of those summers. We spent most of our time trying to show off to the girls- each trying to outdo the other in athleticism, wittiness, outdoorsmanship and other feats of manliness that college guys do to try to impress people.

But, there was never any resentment or competitiveness between us. We were tight. In fact, one of George’s utterances is a constant in my life even now. I’ll always remember the day and the context in which he made the statement now etched in my memory.

When you’re in charge of a group of small kids at a summer camp, you are an eye blink away from utter chaos at any given point in time. George and I both knew this and worked hard to maintain control of the wild things whose entertainment, safety, and general well-being were our responsibility.

I observed George in action one day when he was unaware anyone was watching. His kids had obviously drank too much Bug Juice (kool-aid) because they were all jumping around like they had ants in their pants. A couple of them were hanging on his arm begging him to go swimming. Others were screaming something about creekwalks or what not.

At one point, an exasperated George, speaking to no one in particular, looked heavenward and exclaimed, “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.” It was one of the most appropriate and funniest proclamations I had ever heard in my life.

I pull out George’s quote for my own personal use quite often. Being a coach, you have to remind folks every once in a while who’s in charge. Ditto for being a father and the head of the household.

I was reminded of that fact on a recent bus trip with our baseball team. As we neared our destination, there was some discrepancy as to which route would get us to the stadium the quickest. The bus driver, an assistant coach, three players and my cellphone GPS each possessed opposing opinions on the matter.

At one point, the bus driver heard three people say to go right as another advised we should go left. Since the one who said “Left” spoke last and loudest, we went left.

Later on, when we pulled up to the stadium 30 minutes behind schedule, I had to say it- “Too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”

These words of wisdom seem appropriate in a number of modern venues if you ask me. Perhaps if the right people would accept responsibility and lead properly, the followers wouldn’t complain so much and feel the need to set out on their own.

George probably didn’t invent the phrase, but I’m giving him credit for it because I like the quote and I like George- mainly because he showed me how to be a good chief.

Don Gibson Theater

What’s Up-town Shelby

By Janet Workman Berry, CPF

Frame Masters Gallery & Gifts, Shelby, NC

www.framemastersgallery.com

When Mary Sparrow Smith breaks out her paintbrush you can be sure she is about to create something very special.  Mary is an artist.  She paints on walls, canvas and paper, painting all subjects such as landscapes, animals and people portraits. To just say Mary paints portraits is an understatement.  She captures the very essence of a personality with her paintbrush.  Her portraits are destined to become family heirlooms.

Mary started her career as a Graphic Artist/Illustrator for Spectator Magazine in Raleigh.  That was back in the early 1990’s.  For fun she was painting murals and custom painted furniture.  She says, “Along the way I was fortunate to have a few amazing friends who pushed me to try painting things I didn’t believe I was able to do, portraiture being one of them.”

Murals have been a big part of Mary’s artwork.  Murals take a great deal of planning even before the actual work is begun.  Mary said, “After my client chooses a design, I have to calculate the size to fit the wall space while keeping the subject to scale.  I work on scaffolding to reach the top of an area and sometimes even flat on my back to get details for lower images.”

People portraits and murals are just two facets of Mary’s portfolio.  She is the mother of three.   In order to be a stay-at-home parent, Mary has chosen to put mural painting on hold for now.  She has marketed her portrait art via the Internet.  “Through the Internet I have found a niche market for pet painting and portraits.  I am very grateful for the interest in my pet portraits and donate a portion of my earnings to animal rescues. ” Added Mary,  “It seems I have developed a wonderful little following of amazing customers…when I got my own dog,  he received gifts from all over the globe…Japan, England, Australia and all across the United States.  I couldn’t believe it.”

Although Mary really loves painting animals her real passion is portraiture.  “There is something very satisfying about capturing the spirit of a person on canvas,” says Mary.  Until recently, she had focused primarily on children, with her own children being captured during each stage of their lives.

Last summer Mary was introduced to Mrs. Don (Bobbie) Gibson.  Mrs. Gibson was looking for an artist to capture the heart and soul of her late husband in a portrait to hang in the new theatre venue in Shelby, The Don Gibson Theatre.

Mary did capture the heart and soul of Don Gibson.   She also captured the twinkle in his piercing green eyes.  Any angle from which you view this portrait, Don’s eyes are looking at you.  Frame Masters Gallery was commissioned to custom frame Don’s portrait and install it in the main hall of the Don Gibson Theatre.

To see what amazing portraits Mary has painted visit her web site www.marysparrowsmith.net.  To schedule a portrait, phone 704-480-8899 or email wmsmith@carolina.rr.com with any questions.

Be Inspired, Be Different, Be Uptown Shelby !!!

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Michael Bridges

CCC Welding Student Takes First Place at American Welding Society Competition

Cleveland Community College welding student, Michael Bridges of Blacksburg, South Carolina, took home top honors at the American Welding Society Carolina-Virginia competition held on Friday, May 7, at Isothermal Community College.

Bridges competed alongside other welding students from many NC community colleges including; Central Piedmont; Catawba; Craven; Davidson; Surry; Wilkes; Pitt; Rowan Cabarrus; and AB Tech. Students were given a blue-print reading from which to build a part and complete all welding positions with correct and square measurements within a three-hour time limit. With his win, Bridges was awarded $800 worth of welding equipment, including a new Lincoln welding hood.

He is the son of Brandon and Sherri Bridges and the grandson of Phil and Laura Orr, Darrell Navy and Maryann Elliott. Bridges and his wife, Molly, reside in Blacksburg.

CCC student Rocky Millwood of Shelby took home sixth place at the competition. He was awarded $100 in new welding equipment. He has one daughter, Amy Millwood, and lives in Shelby.

Both students are completing their diploma and certificates in welding technology. CCC welding instructors, Tim Wisher and Dana White were instrumental in helping students prepare for the competition.