Community Comes Together To Ensure The Asheville Lacrosse Classic Continues
The Asheville Lacrosse Classic will be held this weekend thanks to the work of several organizations that came together in the face of recent flooding that threatened to shutdown the tournament. The Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission (ABRSC) says the games will be held June 16-17, 2018 at the Buncombe County Sports Complex and Sand Hill-Venable Elementary School.
The recent heavy rainfall and the subsequent flooding of the John B. Lewis Soccer Complex put the tournament in jeopardy of being able to continue. On May 29th, the John B. Lewis Soccer complex was flooded with more than 10 feet of water and the four fields from that facility were lost for the tournament. Since, the soccer complex was scheduled as the playing venue for 40 of the 100 teams competing in the tournament, the event was at risk for cancellation or a move to another city unless additional fields were secured.
ABRSC and the Asheville Buncombe Youth Soccer Association (ABYSA) worked with Tournament Director Trent Brown to explore the options. Turf renovation projects and a severely cold winter made finding replacement fields difficult. “We spent several days and countless hours looking for potential options and solutions to replace the John B. Lewis Complex,” said ABRSC Executive Director Demp Bradford. “You really never imagine that you will lose the use of artificial turf fields for an event.” Bradford and ABYSA Executive Director Mike Rottjakob reached out to the Explore Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau, Buncombe County Parks and Recreation and the Buncombe County Schools for assistance.
Buncombe County Parks and Recreation made two more fields available at the Buncombe County Sports Park and Buncombe County Schools added a field and available parking at the adjacent Sand Hill-Venable Elementary School. The staffs of ABYSA and Buncombe County Parks and Recreation have been working this week to get all of the fields lined and ready for the tournament. “Our community partners truly came together in the last week to make sure that this event was able to remain in Buncombe County,” said Bradford. “We had a lot of community leaders working behind the scenes to help put the pieces together and we cannot thank ABYSA, Buncombe County Parks and Recreation and Buncombe County Schools enough for working with us and the Explore Asheville CVB to make this tournament possible. It would have been very easy to cancel the event, but our community rallied together.”
With 100 teams, the Asheville Lacrosse Classic uses over 2,000 hotel rooms in Buncombe County for the weekend with an estimated combined indirect and direct spend of close to $2.0 million into the economy. This is the fifth consecutive year that the tournament has been completely sold out with 100 teams competing in Asheville. Teams from all over the southeastern United States attend the two-day tournament.
Asheville City Soccer Club Launches “Just Play” Initiative
Anyone can play. Anytime, anywhere. All you need is a ball.
Asheville City Soccer Club is proud to introduce "Just Play,” an initiative to broaden access to soccer in our hometown. Just Play strives to break down systemic barriers in American soccer, starting in our own neighborhoods.
Imagine every kid in our community having a soccer ball, pick-up games in the street or any available space, and a style of play in Asheville that is as diverse and electric as the global game.
“From our Club’s launch in 2017, we aspired to present a local solution to the effort in American soccer to produce players who can compete on the world stage,” says ACSC President Ryan Kelley, “The United States has won three World Cups, and we know from the women’s side and countries around the world what it takes to produce world class talent,” says Meghann Burke, Director of Public Affairs.
Just Play is founded with the belief that playing soccer leads to positive outcomes across a wide range of areas, including health, academic achievement, psychological well-being, and future career success.
“With Just Play, we seek to strip the game down to its purest form, to bring back the simplicity that makes soccer the beautiful game. We believe that the next generation of American soccer must be as diverse, creative, and resilient as the game demands if we are to compete on the world stage.”
Just Play is implemented through four pillars that focus on what makes the world's game beautiful: its simplicity.
Pillar 1: All you need is a ball. Asheville City will donate a ball to an economically disadvantaged youth in our community in the name of every season ticket holder.
Pillar 2: Play anywhere. The world over, the game is played in streets, alleys, and on dirt patches. Beginning this fall, Asheville City will feature open play pickup at Open Streets Asheville and will support street soccer and pickup games throughout our community.
Pillar 3: Connect with role models. We know it matters when kids see role models who look like them and have shared experiences. The world's game is diverse and so is Asheville City Soccer Club, and we will play with and teach the game to youth citywide.
Pillar 4: Get inspired. Asheville City renews its commitment to free or discounted admission to all games for children 12 and under.
Asheville City Soccer Club features premier women’s and men’s soccer in the WPSL and NPSL, respectively. Both teams call Memorial Stadium in downtown Asheville home. The men kickoff vs. Myrtle Beach on Friday, May 4 at 7pm, and the women kickoff vs. Chattanooga on Saturday, May 5 at 7pm. Game day tickets are $10, and children 5 and under are free. For more information, visit www.ashevillecitysc.com.
More than 250 athletes test their limits in Asheville CrossFit competition
Cheers, determination and a whole lot of sweat poured from athletes at the WNC Agricultural Center where the inaugural Appalachian Games, a CrossFit competition hosted by Asheville’s Summit CrossFit, was held on Saturday.
More than 250 CrossFit-enthusiasts signed up to test their limits on deadlifts, pull-ups, snatches, and other exercises. CrossFit is a fitness program based on performing functional movements at a high intensity.
Athletes competed in teams of four in four different WODs (workouts of the day) and were scored based on a combination of reps completed, calories burned and time. Individual tests could also earn more points for one’s team.
Teams, with clever names such as Flex Appeal, Hakuna Masquata or Buns n’ Guns, were divided into men’s, women’s and co-ed brackets as well as broken into scaled competition, athletes who modified to a slightly lower weight for exercises and RX competition, athletes using heavier weights.
The event also featured vendors, who offered catered food for athletes and spectators.
The final WOD, aptly titled “One More,” tested the athletes requiring them to sprint around the Expo Building carrying a weight and then as a team complete 75 each of deadlifts, pull-ups, reps of lifting a barbell from shoulder to above their heads and lifting their toes to a pull-up bar all before finishing a 600-meter run. The aim was to finish in the fastest time.
For non-CrossFitters the workout could sound daunting, but the teams faced the challenge head on. Almost every team made it back to their station before the 15-minute time cap. One team of women, named the Silver Bullets for their declared advanced age, even completed the challenge while sporting fake mustaches to disguise their true identities from the competition.
Biltmore Volleyball Academy Gears up to Host the 22nd Annual Jr. Hi Neighbor Tournament
Biltmore Volleyball Academy Gears up to Host the 22nd Annual Jr. Hi Neighbor
Tournament play will showcase tops teams from across the region
Asheville, NC – April 6, 2018 – Biltmore Volleyball Academy (BVA), Western North Carolina’s premiere volleyball club, will host the 22nd Annual Jr. Hi Neighbor Volleyball Tournament throughout Asheville and the surrounding areas on Saturday, April 14 and Sunday, April 15. The Carolina’s first two-day tournament draws over 100 teams and an estimated 3,500 players, coaches and attendees from across the southeast. Admission is $4 per day or $7 for a two-day wristband. Children 18 and under are admitted free.
BVA, the longest running club in Western North Carolina, is known for hosting a top-notch tournament. The Jr. Hi Neighbor Tournament is the largest volleyball competition in the area for young women ranging in age from 13-18 years old. Tournament play is broken into five divisions including 12/13, 14, 15, 16 and 17/18. Spectators are encouraged to attend and watch the highly competitive matches.
“This year’s tournament has 115 teams participating, which not only has an economic impact for Asheville, but an impact on volleyball in Western North Carolina. The tournament will showcase the talent that we have here in WNC along with talent from around our region," states Tournament Director, Rhesa Edwards.
Formed in 1995, BVA has created an exceptional club equipped with the most experienced coaching staff in Western North Carolina. Current staff includes former and current college coaches and players from Florida Tech, East Carolina University, Campbell University, Eastern Connecticut State, UNC Asheville, Mars Hills University, Montana State University, Barry University and Winthrop. The staff is dedicated to enriching young women’s lives through development, education and fitness in the sport of volleyball and preparing them for elite collegiate play. The club has played a strong role in producing some of the highest caliber volleyball athletes in WNC. In addition to tournament and travel competition, the club regularly hosts clinics, training sessions, summer camps and even private training sessions.
To learn more about Biltmore Volleyball Academy and the Jr. Hi Neighbor Volleyball Tournament, please visit them at www.biltmorevolleyballacademy.org and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BiltmoreVolleyballAcademy. The tournament action will be held throughout the region, including locations such as Mars Hill University, Asheville High School, North Buncombe, AC Reynolds, and Hendersonville High Schools.
About Biltmore Volleyball Academy
BVA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to promote and enhance volleyball in Western North Carolina by providing a safe and enjoyable atmosphere for all ages and levels to develop. BVA is the premiere club in WNC offering the highest level of coaching, including UNCA, Mars Hill College and area high school coaches. The Jr. Hi Neighbor Tournament provides scholarships for local athletes through the Jordan Hodges Scholarship Fund, for players who demonstrate a passion and commitment to the sport and are in need of financial assistance. The Fund is in memoriam of the promising young volleyball player Jordan Hodges, who was killed in an automobile accident in 2009 at the age of 14. To honor her and help others follow their dream to play volleyball, over a hundred scholarships have been awarded since its inception.
The Inaugural Ville to Ville Craft Brew Relay Set For April 14, 2018
The Inaugural Ville to Ville Craft Brew Relay
ASHEVILLE KICKS OFF INAUGURAL CRAFT BREW RELAY.
Asheville, NC - April 2018 – Asheville is set to serve as the destination for an exciting new adventure race. The Ville to Ville Craft Brew Relay will take place on April 14, 2018, with teams of runners covering 73 miles of scenic byways between Asheville, NC, and Greenville, SC.
This unique relay is designed to celebrate the region’s outstanding craft beer
tradition and its majestic natural beauty. "Our goal," states director Zack Hall, “is to deliver a top-notch event people can do with their friends, that matches the breathtaking beauty of this region.”
Fifteen hundred runners and beer enthusiasts from 35 states, D.C, and Canada will start their day-long journey at the historic Highland Brewing Company, Asheville’s first brewery. Teams of six runners will each run two legs ranging from 3.5 to nearly 10 miles along the course. Every team will utilize a support vehicle along the 73-mile course, transporting runners from one designated transition area to the next. The first leg will run from Highland Brewing Company to the popular Mountains to Sea Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway before heading south. Stops along the course include Fletcher, Hendersonville, East Flat Rock and Travelers Rest, SC as runner’s head towards a festive finish line celebration in Downtown Greenville, SC.
“We are excited to be one of the host cities for this new event which will bring in athletes from across the country,” said Demp Bradford, Executive Director of the Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission. "You can never totally quantify the impact of an event, but we find that new sporting events like this expose individuals to our community and their experiences in Asheville encourage them to return to enjoy the area again. We welcome all of the runners and hope that they have a great experience and return for next year’s event,” he added.
Interest in the event has been high since it was announced, as the race filled its available 250 team slots less than three days after opening registration in March of 2017. Similar relay races exist across the nation; however, very few have a focus on craft beer. "Frankly, we were blown away by the overwhelming response," said Hall.
Although the race is sold out, the welcome reception at Highland Brewing Company is open to the public and will feature food trucks, live music, and of course lots of local craft beer. Welcome festivities run from 4 pm to 8 pm on Friday, April 13th. Registration for the 2019 event begins on April 16th with a limited number of 350 teams. More information about the relay can be found at www.villetovillerelay.com.
