Oak Ridge Today

Baseball photos: Oak Ridge beats Karns, top district team; Senior Night tonight

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The Oak Ridge Wildcats beat the Karns Beavers, the number one team in the district, at home 4-3 in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. Pictured above is pitcher Spencer Wilson, who pitched the last nine innings. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Note: This story was last updated at 11:30 a.m.

The Oak Ridge Wildcats took down Karns, the top team in District 3-AAA, at home in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 19. Here are pictures from the game.

The Wildcats (14-14, 5-9 District 3-AAA) play at home tonight against Campbell County (2-24, 0-13). It’s Senior Night and the last district game of the season. Events start at 5 p.m.

“Pack the stands and rock the house to send off 2016’s Senior Wildcats as district play comes to an end,” the team said.

We’ll add more information to this story as we can. In the meantime, you can see baseball game highlights on the ORHS Baseball Twitter feed here.

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Oak Ridge Coach Mark Garrison is pictured at right above with Spencer Wilson and Ian Campbell of the Wildcats during a 4-3 win over Karns at home in 11 innings on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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Atomic City Sportsmen Club has annual golf tournament on June 18

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The Atomic City Sportsmen Club has its 15th Annual Golf Tournament on June 18 in Oak Ridge.

The golf tournament starts at 8:30 a.m. June 18 at Centennial Golf Club at 101 Centennial Boulevard.

The entry fee is $75 per person and $90 on the day of the event (strictly enforced).

There is lunch, range balls, a goodie bag, and door prizes.

Contact Larry Gipson at (865) 254-1346 or any sportsman for more information.

Glow Ninja 5K Run returns to Oak Ridge May 7

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Ninja-Group

Submitted photo

 

Registration is now open for the Third Annual Glow Ninja 5K race in Oak Ridge on Saturday night, May 7.

The “glow race” will kick off with the sounding of a gong at 8 p.m. Martial Arts demonstrations, hosted by event sponsor Progressive Martial Arts of Oak Ridge, will start at 7 p.m. To register for the race, visit www.ninja5k.com.

The race features a board-breaking opportunity for each participant at the finish line, which is one of the highlights each year.

“Progressive Martial Arts will be on site leading exciting, new demonstrations, and everyone is encouraged to dress up ninja-style for the event,” organizer Terri Reedy said. “Events like this one are sweeping the country because people are looking for something fun to do as a family. We hope to see the whole family dressed out in martial arts uniforms, or as Ninja Turtles, Karate Kid, Kung Fu Panda, etc.” [Read more…]

NRA Foundation awards grant to Roane State Shooting Sports Team

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The Roane State Community College Shooting Sports Team recently received a $4,800 grant from the NRA Foundation.

The team will use the grant to purchase needed equipment such as shotgun shells, cleaning materials, and earplugs.

“The grant from the NRA Foundation will provide the tools we need to properly maintain our equipment,” team coach Kenny Carey said. “We greatly appreciate the foundation’s support for our athletes.” [Read more…]

Hospitality Houses welcome next generation of volunteers

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The Gold TN Fury girls team donated personal and household products for use by guests of the two Hospitality Houses. Team members include Emmaline Estep, Navy Gentry, Kannon Green, Caton Harris, Cadha Kirkland, Faith McGhee, Camayah Moore, Vivian Newton, Amari Stewart, and Kylee Thompson. Team coaches are Paige Green and Aaron Green. (Photo courtesy MMC)

 

A fifth-grade basketball team recently visited the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center to deliver items they had collected as part of their team’s service project. The Gold TN Fury girls team donated personal and household products for use by guests of the two Hospitality Houses.

Tennessee Fury is a faith-based AAU basketball organization founded to physically and spiritually impact youth in East Tennessee through competitive athletics. As part of the program, teams complete a service project. The 10 members of Gold TN Fury chose the Hospitality Houses as their project and learned a lot about the Houses and volunteering during the process.

The Hospitality Houses are offered free of charge to patients who must travel for cancer treatment or wound therapy, both of which require frequent trips to Oak Ridge for extended periods. The Houses are also open to families who have traveled to be with loved ones in the Acute Care Unit at Methodist. The houses are supported solely through charitable contributions. [Read more…]

Close to 2,000 rowers race in more than 300 boats in SIRA Championship

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About 1,900 rowers competed in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on April 16-17. Pictured above is a Stetson University crew at the start of the 2,000-meter course on Sunday, April 17, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

About 1,900 rowers from 61 programs raced in the 2016 SIRA Championship in Oak Ridge on Saturday and Sunday.

Featuring 322 boats, it was the largest SIRA regatta ever.

SIRA, the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association, has been holding its championship in Oak Ridge for almost 30 years.

The Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau said the city’s rowing course has been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water, and SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge, and the one this past weekend had 61 teams.

Racing started Saturday morning with time trials, which were followed by afternoon heats and semifinals. Finals were from 8 a.m. to 1:05 p.m. Sunday. [Read more…]

Myers: Community should do more to honor former Wildcat Jennifer Azzi

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Jennifer Azzi

Jennifer Azzi, left, is pictured above in this photo from a gold medal celebration in 1996. (Photo courtesy David Clary via Alex Myers)

 

Growing up in Oak Ridge, I learned quickly that the folks here love their high school athletics. All it takes is one trip to historic Blankenship Field on a fall Friday night to get a sense of how this town feels about sports.

However, recently it’s occurred to me that there has been a terrible injustice to one of our own. One of Oak Ridge’s most decorated athletes has gone relatively unrecognized to my generation.

Jennifer Azzi is the athlete I’m talking about. From right here in Oak Ridge, Azzi graduated and went on to play Division One basketball at Stanford. While at Stanford, she compiled a list of accomplishments that would impress any sports junkie. Helping Stanford to win their program’s first women’s basketball national championship, Azzi was also named Final Four MVP. While this alone should be enough for her to be celebrated around town, Azzi didn’t stop there. She was named the 1990 Naismith National Player of the Year, and for those who are unaware, that’s essentially college basketball’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. Azzi was also named Pac 10 player of the year for the 1989-90 season. She was a two time Kodak All-American for her play during the 1988-89 and 1989-90 seasons.

Azzi went on to be an eventual first-round draft pick in the WNBA draft.

And if that didn’t make your jaw drop, here’s the icing on the cake. In 1996, Azzi helped make not only East Tennessee proud, but her country proud as well when she and her teammates on the USA Women’s National Basketball Team won a gold medal in the 1996 Olympics held in Atlanta. Let’s face it, she wasn’t good; Jennifer Azzi was simply amazing. [Read more…]

Rodriguez scores four as Wildcats dominate Anderson County

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Wildcats Jose Rodriguez against Anderson County April 14, 2016

Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez (11) scored four goals for the Wildcats during a 5-0 win over Anderson County at home on Thursday, April 14, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez scored four goals during a 5-0 win over Anderson County on Thursday, and the Wildcats dominated the Mavericks in total shots, 40-1.

Some of those shots went wide right or left, though, or high, and not all were on the goal frame. Rodriguez was credited with 14 shots, including four in the first 11 minutes, and he scored two goals in the first four minutes of the second half.

Oak Ridge Coach Jeff Trombly said he was pleased overall, but the Wildcats (8-5, 6-0 District 3-AAA) failed to finish too many of their scoring chances. Too many shots were at the Anderson County goalkeepers, Trombly said. That’s a sign that players are getting anxious in front of the net and need to look at their shots, he said.

“We’ve got to clean up our finishing,” Trombly said. “We created enough chances, but you’ve got to finish your chances.” [Read more…]

Rowing championship, largest in SIRA history, is in Oak Ridge this weekend

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Crews passing the crowded Melton Lake Park peninsula. (Photo credit: Rob Welton)

 

By Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau

Few partnerships have stood the test of time quite like that of the Southern Intercollegiate Rowing Association (SIRA) and Oak Ridge. For almost 30 years, SIRA has been holding their championship in Oak Ridge.

Oak Ridge and its beloved rowing venue have been attracting rowers since the late 1970s with its calm, flat water. SIRA rowers were among the first to compete in Oak Ridge back in the 1980s. Today, the regatta attracts more than 50 collegiate men’s and women’s rowing teams to Oak Ridge. In fact, the 2016 regatta will be the largest in SIRA history with 61 teams participating.

While SIRA offers races in many different boat categories, all eyes will be on the Men’s Eight race. Perennial men’s powerhouse teams (such as University of Michigan, University of Virginia, and Purdue University) will battle for SIRA’s ultimate prize—Men’s Eight Gold.

“The men’s eight final promises to be a brutal slug-fest; there are no clear favorites at this point,” said Marc DeRose, Explore Oak Ridge director and veteran rowing coach. “I also expect the heats to be just as competitive.” [Read more…]

Soccer photos: Oak Ridge-Halls

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Oak Ridge senior forward Jose Rodriguez (11) scored the first goal in a 3-1 win over Halls at home on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

At 4-0, the Oak Ridge Wildcats are undefeated in District 3-AAA, and the team’s goal is to go undefeated in the district this year, Coach Jeff Trombly said.

In their last district game on Thursday, the Wildcats beat Halls 3-1. Here are more photos from the game. We’ll add photo captions as we can.

See additional photos in this story on the game.

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Pictured above are Oak Ridge senior Matt Warmbrod (5) and Halls junior goalkeeper Tyler Anthony. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

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Pictured above is Halls freshman Hayden Sobas (23) during a 3-1 win for the Wildcats at home on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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Wildcats’ goal: Finish undefeated in district

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Oak Ridge freshman Will Dallas (23) and Halls freshman Hayden Sobas (23) go for the soccer ball during a 3-1 win for the Wildcats on Thursday, April 7, 2016. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

At 4-0, the Oak Ridge Wildcats are undefeated in District 3-AAA, and the team’s goal is to go undefeated in the district this year, Coach Jeff Trombly said.

In their last district game on Thursday, the Wildcats beat Halls 3-1.

Their other district wins were against Campbell County on March 15, Central on March 22, and at Powell on April 5.

Oak Ridge is 6-5 overall. [Read more…]

Brown wins, sets record as ACAC asserts presence at championships

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Tais Brown Age Group

Tais Brown takes the podium in his 200 Fly victory. (Submitted photo)

The Atomic City Aquatic Club completed its Short Course season in style in two recent sectional championship meets, the Age Groups for qualifying swimmers under 15, and Senior Sectionals for qualifying swimmers 15 and over. The special swimmers who made the cuts had simply incredible swims.

Tais Brown, 12, was spectacular at Age Groups. He set a team record in the 200 Fly, taking first place at the meet against the best swimmers from 10 states. He also placed fourth in the 100 Fly, fifth in the 50 Fly, and ninth in the 1650 Free, earning points and qualifying for finals in all of those races. He also competed in the 50 Free, 100 Free, and 100 IM, obtaining personal bests in the 50 and 100 Free.

Harper Houk, 14, made ACAC’s presence felt in the 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 Breast, 200 Breast, 100 Fly, and 200 IM, getting personal bests in the 100 Back, 200 Back, and 100 Fly. [Read more…]