November 18,2005 — The Clarion
Sports
Page 11
Climbing slideshow a hit
with outdoor enthusiasts
by Hunter Holmes
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, Nov. 29 a
slideshow in Dunham Audito
rium was put on by Looicing
Glass Outfitters, the Carolina
Climbing Commission (CCC) and
the Brevard College Outing
Club. The slideshow was on
Climbing in North America, it was
done by Fred Beckey.
Fred Beckey’s name is
known throughout the climbing
world. He first began climbing
in 1936 at the age of thirteen and
at 82 years old he is still going
strong. He spoke about climb
ing in Alaska, the southwest,
and the Canadian Rockies. All
of the speaking was based
around his incredible collection
of slides that he has taken over
the years. The show, on top of
the fact that he is a living leg
end, made the event a great ex
perience.
The night started at 7:00
p.m. with a silent auction that
had a lot of great items up for
bidding including a rope, a tent
and a pack; all bought for a tre
mendous value. The doors into
the auditorium opened at ap
proximately 7:30 p.m. and, soon
after, a representative from the
CCC came up and told the crowd
of about 70-100 people that all
of the proceeds from the show
and the silent auction would go
towards the goal of buying Lau
rel Knob.
Laurel Knob, a classic
climbing destination, is only
about an hour away from
Brevard, and is the tallest rock
face east of the Mississippi. The
problem is that the mountain is
privately owned, the landowner
is selling it to the CCC for a great
bargain.
After the introduction, a
representative of Looking Glass
Outfitters began Fred Beckey's
introduction. He first thanked
the crowd and the speaker, tell
ing what most people already
knew about the fact that he has
been climbing since the 1930’s
and over the years has had more
first assents than anyone on
earth. This means he has
climbed more unclimbed rocks
than anyone else ever has.
His climbing partners are
legends in their own rights. One
of the most famous being Yvon
Chouinard; the founder, owner
and CEO of the clothing and gear
company Patagonia. The
slideshow was full of phenom
enal climbs and expeditions
Beckley has led or taken part in
over the years. It was a great way
to get out, see some great pic
tures, and listen to a living leg
end.
The
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www.brevard.edu/darion
Extra time with Adam:
Third time’s a charm
by Adam Beeson
Managing Editor
For a few short weeks this
winter, many Brevard students
saw hope in their persistent
desire to stop football from
coming. Unfortunately, their
pleas fell short, and after two
men quickly resigned from the
head coaching position, Mr.
Bobby Poss stepped in. And
this one looks like he will last.
So please students, take a
minute and join me in throwing
in the towel. Whether you like
it or not, football is coming. And
while I feel your pain, let’s make
the most of the latest reports
from the gridiron.
Bobby Poss is a great se
lection to head up a program
that’s been extinct for now 56
years. With five high school
state championships under his
belt and a remarkable 241-89-1
(.730) all time coaching record,
Poss is just the guy our ath
letic department was looking
for. And 1 am confident that
we’ll understand why in his
some of his earliest actions as
head coach.
But how about those other
two? Frankly, the actions of the
previous coaches, both NCAA
Division II assistants, were not
only selfish but awfully imma
ture. Hey guys, maybe you
should tell your wives that
you’ve applied for a job in
North Carolina before inform
ing them it’s time to move 500
miles from home.
Some people really know
how to screw a small town like
Brevard. Sounds to me like
they should put down the pig
skin and take up a role in the
government, maybe then they
would be admired for aban
doning people in need.
And then there’s Bobby
Poss. Sure he’s never been a
head coach in college football,
but this guy has had over 28
years of coaching experience.
He’s been a recruit on one side,
sending high school students
from western North Carolina to
colleges around the country.
Now he has the opportunity
to recruit on the other side,
bringing kids from around the
country to western North Caro-
lina. I’m confident that the
contacts he’s made through
out the years will be greatly
beneficial to the program.
Alright, I know what
you’re thinking. I’ve turned
into an advocate for Brevard
College football right? That’s
not exactly the case. But I re
ally do think that when you are
placed in a situation with no
way out, you might as well
make the best of it.
So let’s welcome Coach
Poss and show him some sup
port. He’ll be a good fit in the
Brevard community. Now if we
could just get him to work on
our mascot...
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