Winston-Salem's first indoor football
team makes big announcement
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
Although the Winston Wildcats don't officially begin
play until 2016, the team had a very productive weekend.
The Wildcats is Winston-Salem's first professional
indoor football team and on Saturday, Oct. 17, the team
held its first official open tryout. The tryout was open to
anyone over age 18 who has already completed high
school.
Less than 24 hours before the tryouts were scheduled
to begin, the Wildcats announced that offensive lineman
La Vance Ginyard would be joining the program. Ginyard
is from Charlotte and is expected to play a big role in the
Wildcats' first season.
The news was announced on the Wildcats official
Facebook page on Friday, Oct. 16. The post reads: "We
are pleased to announce that we have reached contract
terms with another player for the upcoming football camp
and season."
Ginyard is the eighth player to sign with the Wildcats
since officials from the AIF League (American Indoor
Football League) announced they would be joining the
league in late June.
During the tryout, coaches evaluated Wildcat hopefuls
while they completed drills that showed their speed,
strength and overall knowledge of the game. The drills
were similar to drills that NFL coaches use to evaluate
college prospects.
The AIF League was started in 2005 and has teams in
a number of major cities around the nation, including
Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. The
Wildcats will compete in the league's Southern Division,
which is the league's largest division.
John Morris, CEO of the AIF League, said the team
and the league will play a major role in the community
and will continue to spread indoor football across the
South.
The League is expected to add another team in North
Carolina in the coming season.
"We feel that with this addition and with the previous
ly announced teams, that the AIF blueprint for league suc
cess is further cemented," said Morris. "We will play a
major role in the community and will lead the way for
indoor football in the region."
The Wildcats will hold another open try out on
Saturday, Nov. 14 at 9 a.m. Tryouts are held inside the D1
Sports Training Facility, 1901 Mooney St.
Rose gives the people what they want
panel
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The ESPN analyst speaks with
The Chronicle one-on-one
BY TEV1N ST1NSON
THE CHRONICLE
Most basketball fans know the impact the Michigan
Fab Five had on the landscape of collegiate basketball in
this country.
In 1991, the Wolverines changed how the game was
played when they became the first Division I program to
start five freshmen. These were no ordinary freshmen, all
five players (Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juan Howard,
Jimmy King and Ray Jackson) were McDonald's Ail
Americans and each could have been the star on a number
of other teams. The five All-Americans also helped to
bring a popular "Hip-Hop" style to the court with their
long baggy shorts and "in your face" attitude.
Jalen Rose, who played point guard for the
Wolverines from 1991 to 1994, may be the most well
known and outspoken member of the Fab Five. After
playing 13 seasons in the NBA Rose, hung up his basket
ball kicks and picked up a microphone. Rose is currently
a sports analyst for ESPN/ABC.
Recently, Rose added author to his resume when his
first book "Gotta Give The People What They Want," hit
store shelves on Oct. 6. The book is a colorful collection
of stories about basketball and life that will give fans
insight and understanding they cannot get anywhere else.
While on tour to promote the new book. Rose made a
quick stop in Winston-Salem to host the Champion
Fashion Show at the HandsBrand headquarters. During
his visit. Rose took time to sit down with The Chronicle
Sports to discuss his new book, the Fab Five, The Jalen
Rose Leadership Academy and the late Stuart Scott, who
grew up in Winston-Salem.
WSC: Thank you for taking the time to sit down with
me today. I know you're a busy man so, I'll try to keep it
brief.
Rose: No problem, thank you for reaching out. It's
always a pleasure to help a fellow journalist.
Photo submitted by Jakn Rose
WSC: Everyone knows the impact the Fab Five had
on the court, but the team also had a huge social impact as,
well. Could you tell me a little more about that?
Rose: The social relevance part came into play after
we all became brothers. A lot of people overlook the
brotherhood that we had back at Michigan. We all made a
sacrifice by going to Michigan, and that's when we first
realized that we were all for one. For the itiost part, we
were all from the same type of neighborhoods and we
wanted the fans to see us for who we were. That's why we
started wearing the baggy shorts and black socks. When a
lot of people thought we were bad for basketball, we
didn't care because we knew we had our brothers standing
with us.
WSC: You opened the Jalen Rose Leadership
Academy in the fall of 2011 in your hometown of Detroit.
Why did you decide to open a school?
Rose: Growing up in Detroit, I was always thinking of
ways I could influence the city that had lost a lot of its
roots and home-grown talent due to the closing of manu
facturing factories, and I felt like I could do that with edu
cation. I wanted to bridge that education gap for inner city
kids so they could get the same quality education that the
suburban city kids get, even though they get less money
from the government.
WSC: Its been over 20 years since you left Michigan.
What made you decide that now was the right time for the
book?
Rose: You know what, at age 42, you start to mature
and you start to reflect. Just like when I did the Fab Five
documentary, I wanted to end the story. The next day,
whatever happened was like falling on the sword, good,
bad or indifferent. I'm just owning it and that's how I felt
about the book as well. To me, once the book hit shelves
on Oct. 6, the next chapter of my life began on Oct. 7.
WSC: As you know, your late colleague Stuart Scott
attended high school in Winston-Salem. What type of
influence did he have on you and your career?
Rose: Great Question. Thank you for asking me about
him. Stuart was not only a mentor for me, but my brother.
The same time we were looking to make an impact on the
court, Stuart was making the same type of impact with the
media at ESPN. With the catch phrases, integrating Hip
Hop, having style and flavor, Stuart was a real game
changer. Before he took that chance, our voices weren't
necessarily being heard by the masses. Losing Stuart was
a major loss, not just for the ESPN family but for society
because he was a good man.
WSSU SPORTS
WSSU's Tonia Walker appointed
to athletic association position
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE .
Winston-Salem State University Director of Athletics
Tonia Walker has been appointed to a position on the D2
Athletic Directors Association's Board of Directors, and
has been voted as the president of the Central
Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA) Athletic
Directors Association.
Walker will serve a three-year term as a D2 ADA
board member.
The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to
provide educational and networking opportunities;
enhancement of acceptable operating standards and
ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and
understanding of the profession of Division II athletics
directors.
Walker is in her second year as director of athletics at
Winston-Salem State University, and has been an integral
part of the Winston-Salem State University Department of
Athletics successes for more than a decade. Walker has
occupied nearly every administrative position within the
department. She was appointed director of dthletics on
May 1,2014.
"I count it a privilege and an honor to represent
Winston-Salem State University and the Central
Intercollegiate Athletics Association on the D2 Athletic
Directors Association's board", said Walker. "I look for
ward to working with an outstanding group of extraordi
nary leaders as we continue to elevate the Div. II experi
ence for all student-athletes, coaches and administrators."
The D2 ADA is the first organization of its kind to
provide educational and networking opportunities;
enhancement of acceptable operating standards and
ethics; and establishment of the overall prestige and
understanding of the profession of Division II athletics
directors. The National Association of Collegiate
Directors of Athletics (NACDA) administers the D2
ADA.
Walker has also been voted as president of the CIAA
Walker
Athletic Director's Association.
As president, she will help in coordination, adminis
tering, and promotion of intercollegiate athletic competi
tion within the Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association.
The responsibilities of the association include sched
uling regular season and championship competition.
Responsibilities are coordinated through the operations of
the CIAA Office. Administrative responsibilities include
the development of legislation.
"We are excited to offer a
program that provides a way
to look deeply at and truly
engage in the societal issues
surrounding all sports for all
age groups."
-Bradley Jones, dean of Wake Forest's
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
NBA
'rom page B1
award-winning director
and producer whose Oscar
nominated documentary,
"Hoop Dreams," won
every major critics prize
and journalism award in
1995. "Sports storytelling
students will graduate with
the expertise to tell the sto
ries behind the stories of
the 24/7 news cycle ? the
ones that fuel conversa
tions."
When the idea for a
master's degree in sports
storytelling was proposed,
Gilbert immediately knew
he wanted to draft Chris
Webber for its faculty line
up.
"I'm excited to bring
real-life experience to the
program. Sports are my
passion and telling stories
about sports is my new
career," said Webber. "I've
been involved with the
NBA for nearly 25 years,
and I understand firsthand
how sports, business, race,
gender and economics
mesh. Sports storytelling
gives us a platform to
explore these issues in an
academic setting. I'm look
ing forward to not only
sharing my own experi
ences, but learning from
students how sports has
had an impact on their own
lives."
Gilbert first met
Webber while filming
"Hoop Dreams" when
?
Webber
was just a teenager. In
2012, they launched
Webber Gilbert Media
Group, a multimedia pro
duction company that pro
duces feature films and
documentaries focusing on
the intersection of sports,
i
cul
ture and society.
Chris Webber's two
seasons as part of the
fabled "Fab Five" at the
University of Michigan in
the early 1990s and his 15
years as a power forward in
the NBA laid the founda
tion for his current success
as a broadcaster, business
man, philanthropist and
steward of African
American culture. He has
earned the distinction of
being a "thinking fan's
player-analyst" for his
work on NBA-TV's "NBA
Gametime Live" since its
launch in October 2008.
Webber is a game analyst
and color commentator for
Turner Sports.
Bradley Jones, dean of
Wake Forest's Graduate
School of Arts and
Sciences, said Wake
Forest's program is unique.
"There are programs in
sports journalism and
sports marketing and sports
media production, but
Wake Forest's storytelling
I
program will focus on the
academic connections
between sports and culture.
Several Wake Forest com
munications professors
including Ron Von Burg
and John Llewellyn are
committed to working with
the DFP to create a pro
gram with challenging
coursework that will pre
pare graduates for careers
from long-form documen
tary film creation to story
telling across multiple plat
forms such as short films,
mobile apps and websites,"
said Jones. "We are excited
to offer a program that pro
vides a way to look deeply
at and truly engage in the
societal issues surrounding
all sports for all age
groups."
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