Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / March 22, 2012, edition 1 / Page 18
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SportsWeek j March 22, 2012 Submitted Photos Tre Young (top position) competes against teammate Jarred Haney during a practice session. m m ? -* -a ? bpilepsy doesn t limit Tre Young BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE Epilepsy is a chronic neu rological disorder that is greatly misunderstood. Burrell "Tre". Young of Atkins High School is eager to do his part to change that perception. Young was diagnosed three years ago, and the 15 year-old sophomore has not let the disease prevent him from engaging in his athletic pursuits as a varsity wrestler for the Camels. "Having epilepsy doesn't mean that you're handi capped," Young said. "As - long as you take the proper medication and your seizures are under fairly good control, you can do whatever you put your mind to." Young will share his insights and experiences as part of next ... l, >?Lr:Jn I wccK a rvius Speak Up!" pro gram, sponsored by the Epilepsy Foundation. The three-day program for youngsters ages 8-18 is set for April 1-3 in Washington, D.C. "I'm looking forward to talking to people in Congress," Young said. "Having the opportunity to cnpal matpc mp jpvun inunvj IIIV feel like I can make a differ ence. The way I see it, every body has their flaws. Epilepsy will not hold me back." Patricia Gibson is acutely aware of the issues and chal lenges that people with epilepsy face. Gibson, a highly-regarded expert on the disorder, is an associate pro fessor in the Department of Neurology at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Additionally, Gibson is the director of the Epilepsy Information Service, a nationwide hotline for epilepsy patients and their family members. As the advisor for Young's teen sup port group, Gibson has observed how Young has moved forward with his life in spite of his condition. "Tre is a dynamic young man," said Gibson. "The way he approaches things, it's like him saying that yes, he has epilepsy, but epilepsy doesn't have him. Tre has made the commitment to do what it takes to manage his epilepsy and still live his life to the fullest." Natalie Young admitted that she had an uneasy feel ing about her son's decision to wrestle. As Tre's mother, she was still fearful, even though she had the assur ances of doctors and coun selors that it was OK for him to participate. It took some time for her to get to the point where she could even watch her son wrestle and remain worry-free. But it didn't take long for her to notice the changes. "Wrestling is the last thing I thought he might try," said Mrs. Young. "It's such an intense sport. Since Tre started wrestling, he's got a lot more confidence. And I ______ ____r joke with him that he has a little swagger about himself. Socially, he's developed some great friendships on the wrestling team that he might not have had otherwise." "'Of all sports, wrestling seems like the most unlikely choice for anyone who has a history of suffering seizures. Young's story is especially inspiring when you consider that he recently finished his first year of wrestling as a pure novice. Young didn't win any titles, and he fin ished the regular season with a 4-20 record. Even so, Young's accomplishments cannot be accurately meas ured by wins and losses. The ultimate victory is based on Young's ability to learn a new sport while at the same time competing and improv ing his skill level with each passing week. While Young was never con vinced that he picked the wrong sport to participate in, he did have recurring thoughts about what might hap pen if he had a seizure at prac tice or during an actual competi tion. -i 1 used to think about it all the time!" he said. "But after my first three matches, I saw where every thing was going to be OK. So, since then, I haven't thought about it at all." Atkins wrestling Coach Brent Gerald knows better than anyone just how far Young has progressed. He watched Young embrace the rigorous practices and the intense competition and kept coming back to learn more and he continued to get bet ter. "By the end of the sea son, he was more like a strong candidate to be our team MVP as opposed to being our most improved wrestler," Gerald said. "When 1 look at how he was when he first started, and compare that to how he is now, it's like night and day. Tre is the toughest kid 1 have and he battled through every match, regardless of how the match went. The bottom line is that he won't lay down for anybody. Tre has the heart and the desire to be as good as he wants to be." In nearly every match, Young, 5-feet-8, 120 pounds, was always at a disadvantage due to his lack of experience. Even so, he never wavered in his desire to improve and he never thought about quitting. "In all those losses, I'd get pinned, but I know I gave it my best," he said. "I can be as good as or better than the people I wrestled against. But to do that, I must stay committed and stay dedicat ed. As long as I do that, one day, I'll win and become a champion. I know I can do this. " For more information, contact the Epilepsy Information Service at I 800-642-0500. Young (/Uuns/iJioeefo' falcons/ SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE The Winston-Safem State University Rams baseball team com pleted a 4-0 sweep over St. Augustine's College over the week end, to push their record to 20-14 overall and 8-2 in the CIAA. Sheldon Jones, Scott Wells, Adam SatanofT and Joseph Herbert all picked up victories, while Ryan Vickers picked up a save. The WSSU Rams won game #1,2-1 and game #2, 15-1 at BB&T Ballpark in Winston Salem on Saturday. The Rams won 6-3 and 8-3 on Sunday at Rich Field in Mocksville. German Reyes swung the hot bat, hitting .571 on the four game set, going 8 for 14 with 8 runs scored and 8 hits that included 3 doubles, 2 triples and a home run. He also knocked in five runs, while slugging an incredible 1.286. Dominique Fitzgerald hit .500 going 2 for 4 with a double, and Jonathan Wells also hit .500, going 1 for 2 with a run scored. Aaron Jones was 5 for 11 (.455) with four runs scores and two doubles, while Jacob Nunn was 6 for 14 (.429), Paco Martin 6 for 15 (.400), Brandon Harrison 5 for 13 (.385) with one home run, and Devin McLemore finished the week end 5 for 14 (.357) with four runs, two doubles and a team-high 6 RBIs for the weekend. Fitzgerald WSSU Photo by Garrett Garms German Reyes scores. Photo courtesy of VSU Jernail Hayes, sec ond from left, with teammates Leslie I Cole, Natasha Hastings and Sanyo Richards-Ross. VSU Coach helps Team USA win silver SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE Virginia State University Assistant Track & Field Coach Jernail Hayes competed at the Indoor Track & Field World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey frnm March 0?11 She was a member of the Women's USA 4x400m relay team, which brought home the silver medal by plac ing second to Great Britain by a mere three-one-hundredths of a second, 3:28.76 to 3:28.79. These were the two fastest times run in the world this year. Team USA left the Atakoy Athletics Arena after the final day of the World Indoor Championships with the most onlH mpHflk in tpam hi?itnrv Tpam VISA bettered the mark of eight gold medals it set in 1993, 2003 and 2010. The weekend's performances brought Team USA's total medal count to 18 for the World Indoor Championships, which is second only to the 19 medals it won in 1999. Great Britain was second in the medal count with a total of nine. "I was very pleased. We had a young team and we were able to come through. They had challenges and I couldn't be more proud," said Rahn Sheffield, Team USA women's coach. "The U.S. always has a good tradition. Today was an example of symbolic footsteps. We walked in the same foot steps as the great athletes in the past." This was Hayes' first national team, as she prepares to make her first Olympic Team this summer at the US Olympic Trials held in Eugene, Ore. (June 22- July 1). "I feel very blessed and fortunate that I was able to repre sent our country at the World Championships. Our VSU Track & Field student-athletes have seen firsthand how hard work, discipline, consistency and encouragement can help you reach your goals," said Hayes. "1 have had tremendous support from the student-athletes, administration and the entire VSU fami ly - I couldn't be more excited right now!" Sheffield Submitted Photo The Tarheels, a L left, cele- I ?jl hrate their I Jl win, while I H the Blue II 9 Devils, ? right, cele brate their good game. Little 'Heels beat pint-sized Blue Devils SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE In another Hanes Hosiery Youth Basketball thriller, the #3-seeded Tarheels defeated the #1-seeded Blue Devils 42-32 to win the 2012 Winter League Championship for the 6-10 years-old division. The Tarheels jumped out to an early 12-2 lead behind the outstanding play of Javon Cobbs, Zach Gibson, Lee Scales and William Capizzi. The Blue Devils made a good run in the second half behind the shooting of Jordan Timmons, Micha Gainey and Nyguel Young. The Tarheels were too strong in the end, with Cobbs pouring in 18 points and Gibson going inside for 12 more. The Tarheel defense was led by Richie Szacila, Malik Little, Malachi Little, William Capizzi and Lee Sales. The Blue Devils were led by Young with 12, Timmons and Gainey with 10 each. Jada Willis and Keyon Smith led the Blue Devils defense. Center Director Art Blevins was again pleased with this year's turnout of kids, their great attitudes and the improvement of skills by each player from day one to the end of the sea son. "We really appreciate the outstand ing job that the Wake Forest Law stu dents did as volunteer coaches and men tors," he said.
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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