Injury-plagued ACA soccer perseveres

Written by Andrew Pearson for Asheville’s Citizen-Times.com

Aches and pains have been the norm for Asheville Christian Academy. And yet the Lions (8-4-3, 2-3-0) continue to persevere. They came into this week as one of just three state-ranked soccer teams from Western North Carolina. “I’ve been in coaching for 12 years, and I’ve never seen anything like (the injuries),” ACA coach Terry Hughes said. “Every time it feels like we’re starting to get over the hump, something else happens.” As many as six starters have been missing from recent games, but it hasn’t stopped the Lions from building up steam for the NCISAA 2-A playoffs, which begin May 12. ACA is currently ranked No. 7 in its private school classification.

Leading scorers Chandler Tinsley (12 goals) and Brittany Hand (nine) were among the healthy players who practiced on Wednesday. Tinsley is a sophomore, while Hand (who has also dished out a team-high five assists) is one of just four seniors on ACA’s roster. The others are Marisa Bakker, Stephanie Althausen and Jeanna Belz. Sophomore Sara Belz has matched Hand with five assists. NCISAA rules allow eighth-graders to compete for high school teams, and Sabrina Jones has posted six shutouts for the Lions.

“We’ve grown as a team (from the injuries),” said Tinsley. “If you look at the games where people have gotten hurt, it doesn’t look so good. But then there’s been a huge change because we’ve grown stronger.” ACA swept Swannanoa Valley rival Owen  this season and went 1-1 in games with Enka and Erwin. The Lions only have three Carolinas Athletic Association games left before the state playoffs, starting with a road trip to Asheville School on Friday.

They got a recent idea of how they stack up with fellow NCISAA 2-A teams by tying No. 5 Davidson Day, 2-2, on April 14. “I’m hopeful that we have things headed in the right direction,” Hughes said. “I can tell you this, I wouldn’t want to play us. These girls have overcome a lot and faced some tough competition. They’re not afraid of anyone.”

View the original article at:

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20120426/SPORTS/304260036

Mission Sports Medicine (the official provider of Sports Medicine for UNC Asheville) specializes in the treatment of all ages, levels and sports, providing care that includes prevention, education, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Call 888-798-4144 twenty-four hours a day to be referred to one of the Mission Sports Medicine Program clinics located throughout Western North Carolina.

Click below to see a video of track athlete Natalie Pearson, another Mission Sports Medicine success story.

Mission Sports Medicine specializes in the treatment of all ages, levels and sports, providing care that includes prevention, education, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Call 888-798-4144 twenty-four hours a day to be referred to one of the Mission Sports Medicine Program clinics located throughout Western North Carolina.

Judging by this winter’s weather, you’d never guess that there is competitive ski racing in this area. But not only is West Henderson’s Robert Purcell racing, he’s winning.

Robert is 17 years old and he grew up skiing at nearby Wolf Ridge Ski Resort, where he is currently a ski instructor. He began racing competitively four years ago, and his name has been high in the standings ever since. He competes nearly every weekend in a variety of race series that span from Maggie Valley to Virginia. The Crescent Race Series is a six-weekend long event staged at multiple ski areas in the region, covering about 20 ski clubs in six states. Robert recently won a Giant Slalom Race at Crescent, and his team looks to be a shoe-in for the Cataloochee Race Series win for the fourth year in a row.

Robert told me that the holy grail of competitive skiing is the US Olympic team. With a recent 5th place finish in the Southeast at a USSA (the national governing body for Olympic skiing and snowboarding) event and a stellar season that has earned him the right to compete at nationals this year, I can’t help but think that this local star has a bright future.

But Robert is a nice kid who doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously. After my interview the Wolf Ridge Ski School director told me Robert came in to their lodge recently with a tube of North Face brand chapstick he had just found on the slopes. He reasoned with the other instructors that since he was “getting free stuff” that technically meant he was “sponsored” by North Face. Everyone had a good laugh at Robert’s humorous yet slightly faulty train of logic. But keep up the good skiing and maybe someday Robert… someday soon.

Mission Sports Medicine specializes in the treatment of all ages, levels and sports, providing care that includes prevention, education, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Call 888-798-4144 twenty-four hours a day to be referred to one of the Mission Sports Medicine Program clinics located throughout Western North Carolina.

Veritas Christian Academy recently hosted the undisputed number one high school basketball team in the nation at UNCA’s Kimmel Arena in Asheville. Oak Hill Academy of Virginia is undefeated so far this season (39-0), and is famous for consistenly producing top-notch talent including Jerry Stackhouse, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo and Doron Lamb. Current Coach Steve Smith has coached 26 McDonald’s All-Americans and 21 players who have gone on to the NBA.

So let’s just say Veritas had a “tall order” on their hands Friday night. And by that I mean the really big guys that showed up on the floor in Oak Hill uniforms. According to some sources there are seven Division 1 recruits on the roster including McDonald’s All-American Tyler Lewis who has signed with NC State and 7-foot tall A.J. Hammons who is on his way to Purdue.

Unfortunately for our hometown heroes Oak Hill was not just tall, but also incredibly talented. The final score wasn’t good (a 100-39 loss)  but the show definitely was – and it wasn’t completely one-sided. Basil Deveaux led Veritas with 15 points, and put up a pair of dunks that whipped the 1,500-person crowd in to a frenzy.

This was the third time that the two teams have met, and the athletic department of Veritas is grateful for the money raised in sponsorships and ticket sales for the yearly matchup. “We just want to thank Oak Hill for coming down here and playing us, and we hope to keep that relationship going each year,” said Veritas development director Mike Morgan. “It was a good night”.

Mission Sports Medicine specializes in the treatment of all ages, levels and sports, providing care that includes prevention, education, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. Call 888-798-4144 twenty-four hours a day to be referred to one of the Mission Sports Medicine Program clinics located throughout Western North Carolina.

I recently saw a performance of Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas. I’m going to be honest, Vegas is not my kind of town. I prefer caves to casinos, moonlight to neon light, and organic to all-you-can eat. But on my last day before returning to Ashvegas I saw the Beatles “Love” version of this famous show. WOW! I was speechless (and this rarely happens). Seriously, there are barely words to describe the incredible feats of human movement displayed by these performers. They were strong, flexible, graceful, beautifully coordinated and apparently not subject to the same laws of gravity as you and I.

Though I struggled to take it all in, jaw dropped and mind boggled by all this talent, there was one thing I was sure of during the show. These folks were paying attention in Pilates class. In an ironic twist of fate I had experienced my first Pilates class the week before my trip. I say ‘experienced’ because I’m not sure I actually did Pilates. I’m terrible at following direction and I am comically uncoordinated. But more importantly, my core strength is approximately equal to that of a wet noodle. Later that week I was lamenting my struggle at class with one of my Sports Medicine colleagues. In her infinite wisdom she reminded me that all of the reasons that I had given for why I was so terrible at Pilates were the very same reasons that I should be doing more Pilates.

So I went back for another class. My friend Meagan teaches at Rose Pilates in North Asheville. She was very patient with me, and she knows that I could benefit from a little coordination, flexibility, core strength and balance – but who couldn’t? Although there are no Cirque du Soleil performances in my future, I can definitely see that Pilates could improve the way I perform in my daily life. So sign me up for some more classes, this clumsy noodle has some learning to do!

picture courtesy of UNCABulldogs.com

**UPDATE: The men’s basketball team won a first round overtime stunner against Arkansas Little Rock before losing to Pittsburg in the second round. This year’s finish makes the Bulldogs 2-1 in NCAA Tournament games - that’s more wins than any other Big South Program. **

UNC Asheville has made the national news again, and this time it’s the Men’s Basketball team in the spotlight. By beating Coastal Carolina to win the Big South Championship over the weekend, the Bulldogs earned a spot in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The Tourney Selection Show will be held this Sunday, and fans are invited to watch and celebrate with the team (for more info go to the UNCA website). Stay tuned for more info on UNCA’s trip to the “Big Dance”.

Not liking what the scale says lately? Did you make any resolutions this year to get more fit? Are you sitting on the couch right now thinking about how hard it would be to get started on an exercise program? Then the Couch to 5K program is perfect for you. In the spirit of similar programs across the nation, the Vance Rocket Run has developed a plan to get you across the finish line in a matter of weeks. But the best part about this program is that they are going to help get you there safely and smartly.  

If you are interested in the training program just come by - there’s no registration required and it’s all free. The group of running hopefuls meets 3 times per week at Carrier Park in West Asheville for about an hour. In conjunction with Mission Sports Medicine and Foot Rx, the Vance Elementary PTO has arranged for Health and Fitness professionals to give short presentations before each training session on topics such as nutrition, injury prevention, stretching, proper gear and healthy training methods.

The final goal is to run in the Rocket Run 5K (3.1 miles) on April 30th. The proceeds from the race will benefit the students of Vance Elementary so they can continue with more of their great projects like playgrounds, teaching gardens and a water catchment system. Get healthy, support a great cause and go to the Vance Kids Festival after the race to celebrate your achievement. Then go home and throw out that silly scale – it was broken anyways! For more information go to the Vance Rocket Run website – and have fun out there.

UNC Asheville Men’s Soccer goalie Lassi Hurskainen has become a national sensation this week. He posted a video a few days ago on YouTube showing off his soccer skills, and as they say – it’s gone viral. Over a million people have watched it since Monday. According to the story on UNCA’s website “So far, the video has appeared in major media outlets in the United States, Finland and England. Hurskainen has also been interviewed by journalists from France, Mexico and Japan. NBC Sports called the reel “impressive.” And rumor has it that the video will also soon be featured on ESPN’s Sports Nation.

But don’t just take their word for it, this guy is a superstar – check it out for yourself on The Huffington Post or CBS. And in case you’re wondering - his skills are for real, you can take my word for that. I have had the pleasure of working with Lassi at UNCA, and I am a very proud supporter of UNC Asheville Bulldog Soccer. Go Bulldogs!

First, there was the rumor (unsubstantiated) that the winner would be drinking beer out of the Championship Trophy that night. I got an official “no comment” on that question. Then there were the teams: with names like “Hellbenders” and sponsors like Asheville Brewing Company and The Bier Garden. It was becoming quickly apparent that this was nothing like the soccer tournaments of my youth. This was ABASA, the Asheville Buncombe Adult Soccer Association, soccer for grown-ups.

I had come for the Co-ed League’s year-end Finals. After ten successful years in Asheville, ABASA now counts over 800 people among its’ many teams, split into multiple divisions (Women’s, Co-ed, Over 40, etc). This night was the culmination of a hard-fought season of soccer, with some serious bragging rights on the line. But what I found to be so superb was that these folks weren’t taking themselves too seriously.  This was a very mellow, good-humored group of athletes.

I spoke with ABASA Vice President Eric Usher while I was there. Despite having just lost in the semi-finals, he was in a rather jovial mood. He explained that most of the teams are sponsored by Asheville-area restaurants and small businesses. It was common for them to eat and drink with their local sponsors as well as with other teams. There seems to be an inherent social element to ABASA that makes it a perfect way to bring together all that is cool about Asheville.

It was a close game, but in the end, “Verklempt” took home the Division 1 Co-ed trophy. Having worked the occasional soccer game at Warren Wilson College (WWC) I recognized some of their team. For example: Stacey Enos, WWC coach and winner of three National Championship titles during her time at UNC Chapel Hill. Like a lot of the players in ABASA Stacey has seen great success in her soccer career, but I’m not sure she’s ever been as jubilant as she seemed that night on the field with the trophy. Congratulations to the Verklempt team, and all the other Division winners this year. I hope that trophy “tastes” sweet.

FYI – ABASA’s next season begins in February. For more information go to: www.ABASA.info

Also: the video features music from ABASA soccer players Brushfire Stankgrass, be sure to check it out below!