HONORS CONTINUE TO ROLL IN FOR RICHIE SHAFFER

Providence High School rising senior Richie Shaffer has filled more than one room in his home with honors from his baseball achievements.  The 2008 Greater Charlotte Hot Stove League Player of the Year recently added one more honor, one that includes a trip to California to play in the world famous Dodger Stadium. 

Richie was honored by Aflac during an on-field presentation held at Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves.  Richie has been selected to the 2008 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game roster. Along with ten other high school stars, Richie was honored by Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, who presented them with their official team jerseys.(complete release)

PARK SHARON 8U  AND 10U ALL STAR TEAMS PLAYING WELL

The 8U All Star team placed 4th in the Area 3 tournament.  The third place team was unable to participate in the 3rd Place Mini Play-off tournament at St. Stephen's Optimist Park in Hickory on July 5 so Park Sharon was bumped up.  This will allow the 8U team an opportunity to compete for the 10th spot in the State tournament.  Tournament results include a 1st round loss to West Union (18-13), a  2nd round win over Indian Trail (16-5), a 3rd round win over Anson County (17-14), and a 4th round loss to Olde Providence (10-6). 

8U all star team members include; Connor Armistead, Conner Fagan, Clint Fowler, Michael Hickman, Josh Barnett, William Flynn, Drew Gardner, Parker Ledford, Sam Edwards, Donald Fontana, Reed Hedberg and Matt Shriver.

The 10U All Star team were Area 3 Runners-up, which also qualifies them to advance to their State tournament at Eastern Randolph in Liberty, NC on July 11-15.  Tournament results include a 1st round loss to Surry West (8-2), a 2nd round win over Stewards of the Game (6-2), a 3rd round win over China Grove (10-0), a 4th round win over Surry Central (8-5).  A 5th round re-match with Surry West ended with Park Sharon on top (9-5) leading to a 6th round win over Stumpy Creek (4-3).  In the Championship game, Park Sharon played hard, but in the end the North Piedmont Americans won 9-4. 

10U All Star team members include; Conor Anderson, Graham Cooper, Courtland Graves, Cal Mason, Bo Blight, Ethan Ferguson, Ian Hanline, Patrick McElravey, John Coleman, Logan Foster, Chris Linick and Austin Smith.

SOUTH MECK’S VERY OWN RICKY BERENS HEADED TO THE OLYMPICS!

It’s a long way from his neighborhood pool to Beijing China, but Ricky Berens, a graduate of South Mecklenburg High School will compete the journey next month in the Olympics.   Ricky qualified last night for the 200M Freestyle event with a spectacular effort in the final round of US Team Trials.   Way to go Ricky!

SOUTH CHARLOTTE SPORTS REPORT CHEERLEADING CAMP A HUGE SUCCESS

The first edition of the South Charlotte Sports Report Cheerleading Camp was held at Ardrey Kell High School last week.  The group of over 50 cheerleaders and coaches worked hard all week to learn more about cheerleading, dance and tumbling.   The staff of coaches gave their all in an effort to help area girls become more advanced in the sport.

Keep an eye out for future cheerleading programs from The South Charlotte Sports Report.

MYKAELA WILLIAMS DELIVERS ON THE SOFTBALL FIELD AND IN THE CLASSROOM

by Jen Rosene, Ardrey Kell High School

When the going got tough on the softball field at Ardrey Kell High School this spring, the Knights knew they could count on Mykaela Williams to deliver.  Whether it was a key hit or a diving catch in the outfield, Mykaela was always prepared to help the Knights win a softball game.

Mykaela, the daughter of Mike and Sarah Williams, is a rising junior at Ardrey Kell High School. With a batting average of .329, Williams was awarded the Offensive Player of the Year for the Knight’s 2008 season.  Mykaela  also earned Southwest 4A All-Conference honors and was named to the South Charlotte Sports Report All-South Softball team this spring.(complete story)

Congratulations to the 9U Weddington American  All-Stars on their winning the 2008 Little League "Tournament of Champions" The Red Dawgs had an outstanding tournament, going 6-0 while dominating some of the toughest competition in the region!

1st Row (L-R) Christian Bolo, Connor Rudy, Stephen Ridge, Mike McKeown, Austin Colonna.
2nd Row: (L-R) Jake Wotell, Andrew Pendergast, Nick Cooper,Josh Cardwell, Jason Cornatzer, Brett Loren.
Back Row: Head Coach Stacy Cooper, Asst Coach Jeff Cornatzer

NEIGHBORHOOD SWIM TEAMS CREATE QUITE A SPLASH

You know it must be summer when you ride by a neighborhood pool and find 100 cars parked outside and 400 people surrounding the pool.  Inside the cool water one will find the neighborhood kids giving their best effort to top a rival neighborhood in the Greater Charlotte Swim League.   Thousands of kids throughout South Charlotte are busy this month with two to three swim meets a week and daily practices.

One such team would be the Southampton Hurricanes.   Located just a stones thrown from Ardrey Kell High School, the Southampton neighborhood team is coached by Eric Robinson.  Coach Robinson leads the team through a daily one hour practice to prepare for upcoming swim meets.(complete story)

The South Charlotte Sports Report Basketball Camp was held last week at Ardrey Kell High School.  The large group of kids ranged in age from 5-14 years of age. A talented group of boys and girls worked hard all week to improve their basketball talent level under the guidance of a dedicated staff of basketball coaches.  A second basketball camp is planned for August 11th-13th.