UNC Asheville Chosen to Host 2016 Big South Women's Basketball Championships

The Big South Conference Council of Chief Executive Officers has unanimously voted to award the 2016 Women’s Basketball Championship to UNC Asheville, it was announced today.
 
"UNC Asheville is excited to have the Big South Conference Women's Basketball Championship return to Asheville and our campus in 2016," stated Janet R. Cone, Director of Athletics. "Working with Tina Porter, from the Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, our staff, and the BSC, the Bulldog Athletics Association Board will serve as the Local Organizing Committee and is committed to making this tournament a great success for the student-athletes, coaches, and fans."
 
UNC Asheville will host all rounds of the Women’s Championship for the sixth time, second-most in league history, and for the first time in the 3,200-seat Kimmel Arena on Asheville’s campus. The 2016 tournament will be Thursday-Sunday, March 10-13 - just the third time the event will be played over four consecutive days.  Asheville previously hosted the Big South Women’s Basketball Championship in 1990, 1999, 2000, 2007 and 2008.
 
The Bulldogs won the 2007 Big South Championship held inside the Justice Center for their only tournament championship.
 
“The Big South Conference is excited to bring its version of March Madness to UNC Asheville and the mountains of North Carolina,” Big South Commissioner Kyle B. Kallander stated. “It is clear from the bid that UNC Asheville will do an outstanding job hosting the 2016 Big South Women’s Basketball Championship, and will provide an unbelievable experience for our student-athletes. We are appreciative of the commitment expressed by UNC Asheville’s leadership, Chancellor Mary Grant and Athletics Director Janet Cone, in supporting this event. We can’t wait for March!”
 
"We are extremely excited to be hosting the Big South Women's Basketball Championship at Kimmel Arena in March,” stated Bulldog head coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick. “I would like to thank our athletic director, Janet Cone, our Chancellor, Mary Grant, and the Bulldog Athletic Association for constructing and supporting a competitive bid giving the city of Asheville and our institution an opportunity to host our tournament. The majority of my colleagues in the Big South were passionate about bringing all eleven teams to one campus site and we are fortunate to have a city and university that is capable of providing a championship experience that will be second to none."
 
The 2016 Big South Championship will begin on March 10 with three opening round games, which will be available live on the Big South Network. The quarterfinals and semifinals will both be live on ESPN3, as well as the 2016 Championship game, which will be played at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. More information on the 2016 events, including finalized game times and ticket information, will be announced at a later date.

Source: uncabulldogs.com

SoCon Tip-Off Recap

Southern Conference Basketball Season has begun!

The buzz of the 2016 Southern Conference Basketball season has officially begun with our Tip-Off Celebration last night at Century Room above Pack's Tavern. It was a night full of excitement, joy, and the occasional chills, not to mention a room full of very influential, passionate people.

The event was incredibly fortunate to have coach Mike Young, Wofford, and coach Brittney Ezell, ETSU, to speak. Their speeches amplified the amount of energy in the room and gave the partners and sponsors who have dedicated their time to the tournament a sense of pride.

Coach Ezell made a clear point to discuss the amount of work that has been put into this tournament and how year after year there is something new herself and her team are able to enjoy on and off the court. "There are so many restaurants we can't eat at that the team wants to eat at, there are so many things the team wants to do, that we can't do. We are so thankful for all that Asheville does for us."

Coach Young's speaking points also electrified the room and were on everyone's mind at the end of the night. He discussed how the student athletes and the coaching staffs feel embraced and feel like superstars when visiting Asheville. "What you do for our players, to make them like a big deal, like this is the greatest tournament on Earth. They believe that, I believe that."

Members of the SoCon staff, the local organizing committee, and community members also honored City Councilman Jan Davis, who also serves on the Board of the ABRSC.  Davis has been pivotal in bringing SoCon to Asheville, and worked to support essential renovations at the US Cellular Center.  We are delighted to have Jan Davis, and his fellow City Council and County Commission members who were in attendance, serve this community and offer their support of SoCon.

Special thanks to Commissioner John Iamarino and his entire SoCon staff for helping make the Tip-Off Celebration an enjoyable gathering for all.

We are extremely grateful for everyone who came out, and look forward to a successful and exciting SoCon Championship event.

Link of Video Recap:  http://www.socondigitalnetwork.com/socon/video/socon-2015-16-socon-basketball-tipoff-celebration

THE BASKETBALL BUZZ HAS BEGUN!

Energy is building for basketball season, and especially for the 2016 Southern Conference Basketball Championships taking place in beautiful downtown Asheville at the U.S. Cellular Center's ExploreAsheville.com arena March 3-7, 2016.

Tickets will be going on sale in November, but the buzz is already starting among the city's loyal basketball fans, as well as members of the community who are excited to host such a big event. Member schools are starting practices, and coaches are fired up about a sizzling hot season!

People from near and far have been asking about how they can get involved in the action, so here are some resources for helping make SoCon 2016 a tremendous success, and some links for how to join in on the buzz.

VOLUNTEER! Click here and see how you can participate!

SPONSOR! Email ben@ashevillesports.org or call 828.713.5825

PURCHASE TICKETS!  For more information about the schedule & how to purchase tickets, click here.

HAVE A BLAST IN AVL!  For more information about local accommodations, attractions, & activities in the Asheville area here.

Cyclo-cross National Championship Schedule Release along with Lodging and Vendor / Team Information

USA Cycling announces the 2016 Cyclo-cross National Championships schedule with races taking place at Antler Hill Village on Biltmore Estate, January 5 – 10, 2016.  The complete schedule is available at usacycling.org/2016/16cxnationals.

Over 1,500 racers and an additional 6,000 spectators are expected to attend the 2016 Championships in Asheville, NC.  Visitors to the area can find a variety of options for lodging while they are in Asheville.  Special rate offers can be found at exploreasheville.com/2016-national-cyclo-cross-national-championship.  ExploreAsheville.com is also the source for additional information on exploring the Asheville area’s wonderful arts, culinary, outdoors and craft beer culture.

Also released today is information for companies that desire to be a vendor at the 2016 Cyclo-cross National Championships.  Vendors can reserve booth space to showcase their products to over 1,500 competitors, 6,000 cycling enthusiasts and thousands of Biltmore visitors during the championships. Booth spaces range in size from a 10’ x 10’ to 20’ x 50’ for companies looking to make a big impact. Reserve your 2016 USA Cyclo-Cross National Championships booth space today by visiting AshevilleSports.org/expo.
 
Teams may reserve space by also visiting AshevilleSports.org/expo. Team space options are 10x10 or 20x20 with the option to add on a 10x10 space. No product sampling, displays, test rides, or product sales are permitted to take place in the team area.  
 
Vendor and team spaces include a limited number of entry passes to Biltmore Estate with the option to add-on power, tables, chairs, tents, and additional wristbands as needed. 
 
Both teams and vendors will be required to provide certificates of insurance to the Asheville-Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, The Biltmore Company, and USA Cycling. Tent spaces over 10x20 will require fire marshal inspection.
 
Reserve your race village space by visiting AshevilleSports.org/expo and be a part of the action at the 2016 Cyclo-Cross Nationals event.

Lucas Owens, UNC-A baseball player & management major, interns at the ABRSC

WE ARE HONORED TO ANNOUNCE THAT LUCAS OWENS IS A PART OF THE ABRSC TEAM

Lucas Owens is from Forest City, NC and is a senior Management major with an emphasis in marketing at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Lucas has had thoughts of grad school but also has aspirations to work in sports management, maybe with a professional team or a sports related organization. He is on his fourth year playing at UNC-A as a catcher. Lucas has experience in coaching, mentoring, and event management, and enjoys all sports, traveling, and outdoor recreation. Lucas adds that he is appreciative for his opportunity to work with the ABRSC, and, “being able to live in a city not to far from home but far enough away.” 

BEER CITY BEATDOWN AT U.S. CELLULAR CENTER ON OCTOBER 10

The 2015 Hi-Wire Brewing's Beer City Beatdown goes downtown! We are excited to announce this year's event will be in the ExploreAsheville.com Arena at the U.S. Cellular complex in the heart of downtown Asheville. 

4-Person Team Competition has Rx, Scaled and Masters (40+) divisions. Teams can consist of All-Male, All-Female or Co-Ed (2 Female, 2 Male).

Beer City Beatdown benefits the Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity as a part of the Unbroken Series, which is a collection of fitness events designed to challenge athletes mentally and physically, while giving back to organizations and people working to help our communities.

Watch Soccer, Enjoy Local brews at Beer City Cup

The largest adult soccer tournament in the U.S. happens annually in Asheville, NC over Labor Day weekend. 

In its 6th year, the Beer City Cup draws teams from as far away as Wisconsin, Missouri, Maryland and Florida. Overall, 84 teams will come from 28 cities across 10 states to play for $7,000 in cash prizes over the two day event held September 5 + 6.

This is anything but your average soccer tournament. The Oskar Blues sponsored event combines top quality soccer with top quality beer in a top shelf town. To boot, the Beer City Cup is a fan and family-friendly event.

The spectator centered event culminates with the Finals on Sunday, September 6. The finals are held at conveniently located Memorial Stadium, which is set downtown up above the Tourists’ McCormick Field.

Free admission, local food trucks (Taste+See, Amazing Pizza Co. and CHUBwagon) and $2 beers from 12-10pm, make this an easy event to attend. This year the tournament will climax with fireworks which will be held in conjunction with the Tourist’s game, at 9:30pm.

For the 2nd year in a row, the Beer City Cup will partner with the Buncombe County Special Olympics. Last year’s contribution was around $1,000. This year, the goal is to reach $2,000!!

The tournament is played using a goal-friendly format with shortened games to increase spectator enjoyment. The teams play 8 vs. 8 across a normal field’s width. This allows two games to take place at once and each game lasts one hour instead of the traditional 90 minute match which is for 11 vs. 11.

Among the many reasons that Beer City Cup has quickly become so popular for players is the quality of the competition and the chance to play in front of crowds.

Blue Ion, from Charleston, SC has won the Open Division ($2000 cash prize) the past three years, and is returning to try to pull off a 4-Peat! This year’s tournament will feature some exciting new challengers including the 3X National Champs, the St. Pete Kickers, from St. Petersburg, FL. The Open Division final will be played at 7:00pm on Sunday the 6th, with the fireworks directly to follow.

The Co-Ed and Over 40 Division Divisions will play their respective finals immediately preceding the Open Division final at 5:30pm, and the Over 30 and Over 50 Divisions will play their finals at 4:00pm.

Asheville based teams did well last year with local “all-star” teams Zia Taqueria winning the Over 30 Division and Hotspur winning the Over 40 Division. In the always thrilling Co-Ed Division, Asheville based Frienemies lost in the finals to Raleigh based Easy Riders. KVARS, an Asheville based Latin team, represented strongly while losing in the Open Division final.

The 2015 version of the Beer City Cup will begin on Saturday, September 5. Games will run from 8am to 10pm at the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex in East Asheville and concurrently at Memorial Stadium downtown.

Only the strong will survive to play on the grand stage on Sunday at Memorial Stadium. Admission is free, beer from 7 local breweries will be available for only $2 and 3 food trucks will be on hand.

More information is available at www.beercitycup.com  

Email beercitycup@gmail.com with any questions. 

Micah Pulleyn Joins Team as Program Director

The Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission is proud to announce the addition of Micah Pulleyn to the staff. Micah will be focused on event planning and implementation.

Micah is a proud native of Asheville, and is delighted to serve her community with the Sports Commission.  She has experience that ranges from large-scale race management and community events coordination to teaching, coaching, and outdoor education.  She is also very involved in the community, helping to strengthen the arts, and volunteering for a number of non-profit agencies.

Micah enjoys trail running, cycling, CrossFit, triathlons, & hiking in our beautiful backyard.  She has coached swimming at her alma mater, Asheville High School, and continues to enjoy working with young athletes.  Her favorite young athlete is her son, Coletrane, with whom she lives in North Asheville.

Micah can be reached at 828.380.9287 or micah@ashevillesports.org

Mountain Xpress highlights upcoming USA Cycling Cyclo-cross National Championships

The Mountain Xpress featured the upcoming 2016 USA Cycling National Championships in the July 16th issue.  Read the story below or online at: http://mountainx.com/news/wheeling-and-dealing-2016-cyclocross-nationals-come-to-biltmore-estate/

“A relatively new sport that’s exploding in popularity in the U.S. is giving visitors yet another reason to come to Asheville. In January, the city will host the 2016 Cyclocross National Championships. Organizers expect the five-day event, scheduled for Jan. 6-10, to draw spectators and elite racers from across the country, including such cyclocross-heavy areas as New England, Portland, Oregon, Boulder, Colorado, and Louisville, Kentucky.

“I just started researching unique and a little bit off-the-mainstream style of sporting events,” says Ben VanCamp, who was hired in 2010 as executive director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission. “At the time, cyclocross was a brand-new concept to me; I found a video online of this kind of wacky sport, completely different from anything I’d seen before in cycling.”

Racers compete on a 1.2- to 2-mile course that includes tight turns, long straightaways, wooden barriers and exceptionally muddy sections or steep hill climbs that force racers to dismount and remount their bikes at speed.

Intrigued, VanCamp says he “reached out to Tim Hopkin in Hendersonville, who organizes the North Carolina Cyclocross Series and the North Carolina Grand Prix at Jackson Park” to discuss the possibility of hosting championships in Asheville.

In 2005, notes a February 2014 Associated Press story, “About 32,000 riders started one of USA Cycling’s cyclocross events; that number rose to more than 110,000 by 2012. And the number of participants at the national championships in Boulder earlier this month was up nearly 30 percent over a year ago.”

But the sport, notes Hopkin, who’s the director of Henderson County’s Parks and Recreation Department, is also “very spectator-friendly. It’s a multilap race, so the athletes will pass multiple sections multiple times, which makes it far more appealing and interesting to spectators and the racers themselves. It’s exciting to watch and exciting to participate in.”

Cyclocross isn’t the only kind of cycling that’s shining a spotlight on Asheville. Western North Carolina is one of the best places in the nation to ride a bike, and in May, the city hosted the Collegiate Road National Championships, which brought in Division I and II men’s and women’s teams from as far away as Oregon, Colorado and New England to duke it out here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. VanCamp was also behind that event, which will be returning to Asheville in 2016.

Hopkin, meanwhile, was the promoter for the N.C. Cyclocross Series. Now in its 19th year, the NCCX series holds races from Hendersonville to as far east as Raleigh and Southern Pines. The cyclocross season begins in the autumn and concludes with the world championships in February. In 2013, Louisville became the first U.S. city to host the Cyclocross World Championships. Next year’s edition will be held in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.

In the summer of 2011, Hopkin and VanCamp got together with others in the local cycling community, including members of Asheville Cyclocross (a bike-racing group) and Hugh Moran, the head coach of Mars Hill University’s cycling program, to discuss bringing the 2016 nationals to Asheville. Seeing real potential for landing the cyclocross nationals, VanCamp began focusing his attention on ’cross.

He consulted with a number of potential host sites, including Biltmore Estate, and that fall, the Asheville Sports Commission officially submitted a bid. After considering proposals from a number of cities across the nation, USA Cycling, the sport’s national governing body, decided in March 2012 to award the 2014 nationals to Boulder, this year’s edition to Austin, and next year’s event to Asheville.

“Our ability to show that we have a cyclocross culture in N.C., that we have hosted world-class events such as the North Carolina Grand Prix, I’m sure helped [USA Cycling] feel confident that the athletes and the people here understand and know what cyclocross is,” notes Hopkin, adding, “Their enthusiasm for having the nationals will definitely be a benefit to the event.”

Fitness regime
In the early 1900s, road racers seeking a way to stay fit until the weather had improved enough for road competition to resume began racing bikes across fields, up hills and even through river crossings; by the 1950s, cyclocross had morphed into its own unique sport in Europe. It took another several decades for the sport to arrive in the U.S., where it didn’t find much popularity until the last 10 years.

In Europe, meanwhile, television ratings for ’cross now rival those of the NFL in America, the Associated Press reports. One key reason for this is the greater opportunities this hybrid sport offers viewers.

To be sure, classic road events such as the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix attract large numbers of spectators. But once the surge of colorfully clad racers passes any given point, it’s difficult if not impossible for those folks to continue watching the race. Cyclocross, on the other hand, plays out on a short, closed course featuring a variety of challenges, including barriers to dismount and jump over, sandpits to ride through and, oftentimes, difficult conditions such as snow and mud.

The root of the problem
Next year’s Asheville nationals will come on the heels of a controversial 2015 event in Austin’s Zilker Park. In the wake of heavy rains and worse-than-expected soil drainage, the Austin Heritage Tree Foundation, which hadn’t been involved in planning the race, raised concerns that it posed a hazard to some old and precious trees along the route. Race organizers had conducted numerous walk-throughs with officials from the city and USA Cycling, park rangers and arborists during the planning stage, and twice-daily walk-throughs with Parks & Rec staff during the event. But due to a combination of miscommunication and disorganization, the Sunday races were abruptly canceled, and police were posted that morning to turn away racers and spectators alike.

Eventually, after long talks involving the organizers, the tree advocates and city officials, and a phone call from Texas native Lance Armstrong, the races were rescheduled for the next day. But in the meantime, the cancellation created logistical nightmares both for the elite racers contending for the various national titles and for anyone in attendance who’d bought plane tickets or booked hotel rooms and planned to return to work or fly home on Monday.

The organizers of the Asheville nationals believe they’ll be ready for whatever circumstances arise. Hopkin has already held January practice race weekends at Biltmore Estate the last two years, as finales to the 2014 and 2015 NCCX series.

“There are plans for all situations,” he notes. “We have slightly different terrain than Austin did. The majority of the course is on farmland, so it doesn’t have the same concerns, but there will be other unique things we’ve discussed and looked for.” The estate, says Hopkin, is aware that it could be facing a muddy week of cyclocross.

Both Hopkin and VanCamp say they appreciate Biltmore staffers’ professionalism and the diverse terrain available on the estate grounds. Meanwhile, the practice races have helped organizers identify and sort out things like parking, and the course design has been significantly improved each year. Particularly at the championship level, cyclocross events require straight stretches of pavement of a certain length, which were lacking during the first year of practice races. Construction around Antler Hill Village forced Hopkin to reroute the 2015 course, which now includes a desirable starting and finishing stretch.

Still, VanCamp concedes that logistics will probably be one of the event’s greatest challenges. Last January, Biltmore decided to extend its customary holiday celebrations into the new year, bringing additional guests to the estate and Antler Hill Village and exacerbating parking issues; this will be the case again next year. To insulate estate visitors from the sprawl of a national-level championship event, with its food and drink vendors, industry vendors and team tents, shuttles will ferry race spectators in from satellite parking, says VanCamp. Estate visitors, he notes, “are paying good money for an experience, and we don’t want to disrupt that experience for them. Really what we want is to expose them to cyclocross too. We’re excited about this opportunity, and we’re facilitating that as best we can.”

Breaking new ground
A one-time charge will admit racers and spectators alike to all five days of events, including access to the grounds and Antler Hill Village but not Biltmore House. There may also be special upgrade and lodging options, notes estate Public Relations Manager LeeAnn Donnelly, though prices haven’t been set yet.

“We’re hoping for a good turnout from the locals — as racers, spectators and volunteers,” says Hopkin. “It’s definitely a fun event to embrace and support, and hopefully the community, which has already embraced the sport, will support it with even more enthusiasm and really help showcase Asheville and WNC cyclocross.”

VanCamp agrees, saying, “I think the success of the event is largely going to fall to the cycling community and how well they support it. It’s going to be a large volunteer effort; it can’t be done with just ’cross racers volunteering. We’re going to need recreational riders to come out and support it; we’re going to need road riders to come out and support it, mountain bikers, everyone.”

Despite the many challenges, however, he anticipates a vibrant, lively event. “The nightlife is going to be huge. It’s going to be a crazy fun week for Asheville in January.”

To learn more about evolving plans for the 2016 nationals in Asheville, visit facebook.com/AshevilleCX16/timeline.”

— http://mountainx.com/news/wheeling-and-dealing-2016-cyclocross-nationals-come-to-biltmore-estate/

Blue Ridge Rollergirls Hosts School Yard Brawl

On July 11, 2015, the Blue Ridge Rollergirls All Stars (#64) will host a boys versus girls schoolyard brawl against the Carolina Wreckingballs (Columbia, SC) men’s flat-track derby team.  The Blue Ridge Rollergirls French Broads will confront the Rogue Rollergirls (Fayetteville, NC) earlier in the evening. Both games will be live at the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.

The French Broads bout at 5 p.m., and the All Stars skate at 7 p.m. These third home games of a promising season are sure to entertain and inspire loyal and new fans of the growing sport of roller derby. Be prepared to witness lines drawn in the sand as veteran and new skaters alike prove to the opposing Carolina teams that Blue Ridge has come to fight for a big win.

Beth Owenby, or Shadow of Beth, the co-captain of the French Broads and All Star skater, jokes that she may “throw rocks at the boys,” since it is a schoolyard brawl. Becoming more serious, she notes that she is “excited to be playing the guys. They are a talented group of players and it will be a challenging game for Blue Ridge.” 

The Blue Ridge Rollergirls will be honoring the Buncombe County Rescue Squad as their chosen charity for this bout.

Ticket prices are $13. Children 10-years-old and younger will receive free admission. We look forward to seeing you there!