Sick and tired of feeling sick and tired in these COVID-19 times? The Gaston County Family YMCA invites all in the community to participate in a free six-week STRONG challenge sponsored by Atrium Health designed to help transform spirit, mind and body.
“Now, more than ever before we need to recharge and refocus,” said CEO Sharon Padgett. “The COVID-19 pandemic has worn us down. It’s isolated us in so many ways. This challenge provides an opportunity to get active and healthier by yourself or as a Strong family.”
Opt-in to the free challenge today. Once you’ve signed up on the YMCA website, they will send you regular motivation, challenges, workouts and more, so be sure to to stay connected. Everyone in the community is invited to participate in the STRONG Challenge. Y membership is not required.
All participants are invited to participate in free YMCA Zoom online classes, receive access to virtual fitness classes from your favorite instructor and participate in pop up classes and events.
Challenge details- The STRONG Challenge officially begins Monday, Oct. 19, and you can participate from anywhere. Registration is open now at gastonymca.org. This free six-week challenge is open to all. You’ll receive regular email messages outlining weekly challenges. The commitment is only 20 minutes a day. There are plenty of ways to participate outside the Y, including outdoor and virtual classes. Complete the challenge and earn a cool T-shirt.
“It’s the perfect time to take back our lives, reenergize, achieve goals, feel better and stronger,” added Padgett.

(October 8, 2020 Issue)

For three high schools in Gaston County Schools, their commitment to outstanding sportsmanship has resulted in a special recognition from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA).
Stuart W. Cramer High School, Forestview High School, and Highland School of Technology earned the “ejection free” school status for the 2019-2020 year.  The status indicates that no student-athlete or coach was ejected from a sport for the year.
“We are pleased to recognize the coaches and student-athletes for their positive attitude on the field and on the court,” said Gaston County Schools athletic director Chad Duncan.  “More important than winning is exhibiting good sportsmanship and good behavior.  This is what we want to see all of the time at our athletic events.”
Here’s a look at what our schools had to say about their “ejection free” status for 2019-2020: 
Stuart W. Cramer High School
Athletic director Mike Patton: “As an athletic director, it feels good when your athletes and coaches are competing at a high level and doing it with good sportsmanship.  We are proud of this recognition for Stuart W. Cramer.”
Forestview High School
Athletic director Alan Stewart:  “Our coaches set a good example and have high expectations for our student-athletes.  We have stressed sportsmanship with our coaches, and they have passed it down to their athletes.”
Highland School of Technology
Principal James Montgomery:  “We are proud of our student-athletes and coaches for being recognized as an ejection-free school.  We strive to demonstrate sportsmanship at all times, and this recognition validates the efforts of our coaches and players.”
Gaston County Schools has had at least one high school to be recognized as “ejection-free” each year since the NCHSAA began tracking coach and student conduct in 1997.
Schools across the state with no ejections for the 2019-2020 year received a certificate of recognition at the recent NCHSAA regional meetings.  Unsportsmanlike acts such as fighting, taunting, profanity, obscene gestures, or disrespectfully addressing or contacting officials are reasons for an ejection, according to the NCHSAA.

Congratulations to the Gaston Christian School Skeet Team, Holy Thunder, on a very successful inaugural season. Corrie Cloninger finished first overall top female shooter in the conference. Corrie also shot a perfect 25 straight in one match. Her sister Josie Cloninger, finished second highest female in the conference. The sisters are pictured with Steve Matolka Skeet Team Coach, NRA – NSSA Coach/Instructor.
Gaston Christian School photo
 

NCHSAA Commissioner Que Tucker issued the following statement last week regarding the amended 2020-2021 Sport Calendar.
“You all have been waiting patiently for a decision from the NCHSAA relative to an amended sport calendar for the 2020-2021 academic year. Please keep in mind that these proposed dates are dependent on COVID-19 conditions improving across NC. However, last night the Board of Directors approved a framework we believe maximizes the opportunities for students in our membership to participate in athletics at some point during this school year, regardless of what plan is a school and/or school system operates.
The NCHSAA Board approved an amended calendar for the 2020-2021 school year in a special called meeting for this purpose on Tuesday, August 11 via Zoom. This calendar represents the hard work of the NCHSAA Staff, Board of Directors and various committees such as the City/County Athletic Directors, Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and the Sports Ad Hoc Committee. There is still much work to be done on the details of implementing athletic programs and contests during this pandemic, but we thank these committees and individuals for their hard work to bring us to this point.
We recognize that this is a lot of information to digest and drastically different from the way the sport calendar has been aligned for years in North Carolina. However, as we mentioned many weeks ago, “We will play again.” In that mantra we believe, and it is in that spirit that we present this calendar. It is the belief of the Board of Directors and our staff that this calendar provides us the greatest chance of providing interscholastic athletic opportunities to the students of the NCHSAA for the 2020-2021 academic year. We believe that this is the best path forward to a safe return to the field.
Our decision-making process has been careful and calculated, as we work to ensure the health and safety of all student-athletes, coaches and administrators during this unprecedented time. There is still much work to be done in regard to playoff formats, COVID-19 related rules modifications for numerous sports, securing potential playoff facilities and providing the safest possible regular season opportunities for student athletes. We are committed to that work and will continue to lead and govern interscholastic athletic programs across this state that support and enrich the educational experience provided by our member schools in such a manner to maintain the standards of excellence that the NCHSAA has become known for.”

The Conference Carolinas Board of Directors unanimously approved a plan to proceed with intercollegiate competition in conference-sponsored sports in the upcoming fall semester. Intercollegiate competition may begin no earlier than Sept. 18, 2020.
Belmont Abbey College is a Conference Carolinas member.
The decision was made in the best interest of Conference Carolinas student-athletes, coaches and administrators. Conference Carolinas member institutions may begin practicing in their championship/non-championship segments on Sept. 1 or when mandated by NCAA policy, whichever is later.
“During this pandemic, we are working to keep the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staff as our top priority,” Commissioner Chris Colvin said. “Our goal in Conference Carolinas is always to help our member institutions use intercollegiate athletics to achieve their overall mission. This decision by our Board of Directors, after careful consultation with our Directors of Athletics and local health officials, gives our member institutions time to focus on the resocialization process on each campus during the first few weeks of the semester and then move toward intercollegiate competition. We will continue to work on fine-tuning the safety protocols that will be implemented by all of our institutions.”
Conference Carolinas originally announced in May of 2020 that it would emphasize conference contests in the 2020-21 academic year and that it did not have any plans to reduce league contests in 2020-21. That plan is still in place.
Conference Carolinas institutions are continuing to work daily to create updated policies and procedures surrounding campus life, including intercollegiate athletics, that will allow students and student-athletes to return to campus as safe as possible. The conference is also continuing to work to create safety protocols and precautions around intercollegiate athletics participation.

Alumni Field, home to five Belmont Abbey sports programs, will be enhanced with a premier lighting system this summer, Vice-President and Director of Athletics Stephen Miss announced.

“The fruit of the vision, hard work, and generosity of tremendous donors and contributors, this $400,000 facility enhancement will benefit significantly the students who compete under the lights, the spectators who observe them doing so, and the entire Abbey community for years to come,” Miss said. “We are quite pleased to partner, once again, with Musco Lighting, the premier provider in the industry. The lighting system Musco installed at Abbey Yard was a game-changer for us, and we eagerly anticipate the new LED system at Alumni Field possibly having an even greater impact.”

The project includes Musco’s Light-Structure Green ™ lighting system with Total Light Control - TLC for LED and Green Generation Lighting ® Metal Halide technology on poles located near each corner of the field. The energy-efficient system provides 50% less spill and glare light than Musco’s prior industry-leading technology.

Fall sports schedules will be announced soon, but the lights will be installed and operational for the soccer and field hockey seasons. The lacrosse teams use the facility during the spring.



What They Are Saying About Alumni Field Lights

 John Keating, Head Men’s Soccer Coach: “Over the years, our soccer alumni have always asked if we ever planned to get lights. Many of their most vivid soccer memories from their playing days at The Abbey were of night games at away venues. To be able to create a great atmosphere and great memories at home, is going to add to the rich legacy of Belmont Abbey Soccer.”

Mike Lynch, Head Women’s Soccer Coach: “Lights on Alumni Field will enhance the student-athlete experience in so many ways from less missed class time, cooler temps to compete, and more fans able to attend. We are very excited!”

Meghan Smiga, Head Field Hockey Coach: “The lights allow student-athletes to minimize missed class and lab time and provide more opportunity for family and spectators to attend games on weekends and weekdays.”

Chris Barrett, Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach: “Adding lights to Alumni Field will just add to the student-athlete experience we offer here at the Abbey. It will allow us to get in full academic days on game days during the week, while also adding some excitement to the student body by providing them with more events to attend outside on beautiful Carolina nights!”

Molly Lehman-Lewis, Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach: “We are beyond excited to have the opportunity to compete under the lights. Alumni field has so much energy and this improvement will take that up a notch.”

By Alan Hodge
alan@cfmedia.info

Local athlete 85-year-old David Hostetler, Sr., has been recognized by USA Track & Field for his outstanding accomplishments in a number of Masters Event sports.

The Masters Events are for folks aged 30 to 100+ years in age. Hostetler competes against other athletes of his own age locally and in other places such as Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Yadkinville, and Durham. Sports he competes in includes a variety of track and field events.

Hostetler learned of his rankings after receiving a copy of the April/May issue of National Masters News.


“In 2019 I practiced the games daily,” Hostetler said. “I was well coached by Terry Martin.”

In the Throws Pentathlon Performance category, Hostetler was ranked first in the USA, first in North America, and seventh in the world. The category includes javelin, hammer, #12 weight, discus, and shot put throws. First place equals who obtained the highest point average of five events. The record is not for one game or month but for the entire year.

Another event category that Hostetler took part in is the Super Weight Throw. This event uses a 25-pound steel ball with a triangular handle attached.

When Hostetler’s chance to beat hos own 2019 record came, he gave it all he had.

“I used a centrifugal type throw,” Hostetler said. “My toes and knees felt like they went into the concrete throwing pad. I obtained an excellent lift with my body and my hands went high over my head. That ball went like no other I had ever thrown.”

The throw was a record setter and placed Hostetler number one in the 85-year-old bracket for the USA, North America, and the world.

Hostetler is also ranked in the 50 meter dash, long jump, and high jump categories.

No matter where he goes, Hostetler shows his Gaston County pride.

“I practice on most of the fields in Gaston County,” said Hostetler. “I wear my Gaston County, North Carolina t-shirts to all local, state, and national events. Win or lose, I love to meet athletes  and people, play games, and show the colors of my county. The coronavirus has no effect on me walking, on jogging, and staying in shape outdoors.”