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I. The Forgotten Virginia Military Rivalry
II. Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Professional Baseball: Breaking Records or Breaking Bodies?
III. British Homosexuality Repression and The Life to Come
IV. Published Roanoke Times Articles
To the typical Virginian, the name Windy White may simply suggest another late-winter snow storm overtaking the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, in Virginia sports lore, this name is one to remember. White was a cadet at the Virginia Military Institute in 1923, who also served as a star punter and halfback on the varsity football team. Unfortunately, as VMI prepared to play VPI (now commonly known as Virginia Tech) on November 29, 1923, White was in a Roanoke hospital suffering from chills, fever, and a bruised foot. The first half of the game at Roanoke?s Maher Field was a defensive struggle, and neither team managed to score. Miraculously, White ran onto the field at the beginning of the second half, drawing raucous cheers from the VMI sideline. Before the game?s end, White managed to score its only touchdown and kept VPI from scoring with his booming punts. Afterwards White didn?t get to celebrate the victory, as he quickly returned to his hospital bed. However, his surprisingly brave performance symbolized the intense rivalry that had formed between the two Virginia colleges.
The previous text is the introduction to a project I did in a Historical Methods class in fall 2005. I presented my research at the 2006 Virginia Social Sciences Association Annual Conference at the University of Richmond as well as the 2006 Virginia Tech Undergraduate Research Conference.
The project is available as a Microsoft Word Document File
Over the past two decades, Major League Baseball has become overshadowed by a single issue?performance enhancing drugs. Players have become body builders, adding pounds of muscle to areas that no generation ever had before; moreover, hitting records have been broken at an astonishing pace. Throughout all this, fans and critics everywhere speculate whether their favorite players are using ?the juice,? or not. Thus, people begin to wonder that if steroids are being used. Are they the reason that players are achieving success like never before? Or, is baseball simply experiencing an era of natural power hitters like never before? Regardless, it is safe to say that baseball will never be the same.
The previous text is the abstract for a research project completed in Technical Writing in summer 2006. The entire project is available as a Microsoft Word Document file.
Throughout the span of British Literature it can be seen that homosexuality has been a topic of great interest for many writers. However, over the past two centuries, the British society has attempted to repress homosexual desires due to the fact that such acts can be considered ?unnatural.? This fact was especially true in the era of British Colonialism, in which numerous new territories were gained and homosexuality was believed to hurt the image of the empire. In response, self-proclaimed homosexual British writers such as E.M. Forster published works in an attempt to criticize a nation that would repress its owns citizens? desires. In fact, Forster?s The Life to Come can be seen as a perfect symbol of the homosexually repressive and greed-ridden colonizing empire that Great Britain portrayed in the early twentieth century.
This passage is the introduction to an essay about the repression of homosexuality common to British Literature that I wrote in a spring 2005 British Literature Survey. The entire essay is available as a Microsoft Word Document file.
Runners say they hope that the Hokies' cross country team is entering a new era.
By Matthew Sams
Special to the Roanoke Times
BLACKSBURG -- Runner Natalie Sherbak admits there isn't a tradition of success in the Virginia Tech women's cross country program.
That hasn't stopped Sherbak from believing that the 2006 edition of Hokie runners could be the start of something special.
"Our goal is to start a tradition and be the first team from Virginia Tech that places well at the [NCAA] regional meet and go on to the national meet," said Sherbak, a junior.
Sherbak's hopes of starting a winning tradition at Tech have shown some promise so far this season. After placing first at three of their first four meets, the Hokies placed fourth in a deep field of 43 teams at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark., on Oct. 14.
Sherbak attributes the Hokies' early success to having a balanced team that focuses on improving daily.
"We've had a lot of time to train together to create a strong top five as well as sixth and seventh runners who are really pushing to get better," Sherbak said. "On any given day, one of the top five is the No. 1 on the team, so we're all consistently improving together."
Sophomore Tasmin Fanning said that collective effort has been a key to success this season.
"I think working in our top-five pack provides a lot of comfort in a race," Fanning said. "Knowing that your teammates are around you and working with you helps a lot."
The Hokies are a young team overall with only one upperclassman, Sherbak, in the top five. Virginia Tech cross country coach Ben Thomas said his team's youth isn't an issue.
"We do have a young group, but for their youth they're very strong," Thomas said. "The trick of cross country is always getting five girls running well at the same time. We finally have a distinct group of five that is very competitive, meaning they could be in the top 40 in our region."
Besides Sherbak and Fanning, the Hokies' top five consists of redshirt sophomore Jessica Fanning (Tasmin's sister), freshman Kelly Clark from Glenvar High School and freshman walk-on Fiona Gentles.
Thomas said his team has the potential to be a success this year and in the future.
"The Fannings have been All-Regional runners before, Natalie Sherbak has been just outside of All Regional, and Fiona Gentles and Kelly Clark are capable of being All Region," he said.
Clark, the 2003 Group A state cross country champion, was a highly touted recruit. Gentles' arrival on Tech's team is an interesting story.
Gentles is a foreign exchange student from outside Glasgow, Scotland, who came to Tech to study mechanical engineering. With a background running for a club rather than her high school, Gentles has had to adjust to the NCAA style competition.
"For Fiona this is a completely new experience," Thomas said. "The races are bigger, and she shows our other girls that approaching races without expectations, you can be really successful."
Gentles said the transition onto an American campus has gone more smoothly than expected. The hardest part has been growing accustomed to the training schedule.
"In Scotland I would train about three times a week, whereas here we've often had practices twice a day, and it took me a few weeks to get used to that," Gentles said. "But my suitemates are always willing to help me, and phone calls home once a week have made things a lot easier."
Tech's next outing will be the Atlantic Coast Conference championship meet at the University of Virginia on Saturday. There will be numerous teams in the field that were ranked in the most recent United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, including No. 2 North Carolina State, No. 14 Florida State, No. 16 Duke, No. 25 Virginia, No. 28 Boston College and No. 29 Tech. Sherbak said there will be a tough field in Charlottesville, but her team will do well if everyone is focused.
"The competition at the ACC meet will be as tight as anything. Your team can have a good day and finish second, or have a rough day and finish sixth," Sherbak said. "It'll really come down to us packing together and putting five runners in front of another team's top four runners. Basically, it's a matter of just going out and doing it."
Thomas said the ACC meet will be a stepping stone for his team. Not only do the Hokies want to improve on their ninth-place finish in 2005, they also want to gain a better understanding of the competition they will face in the NCAA Southeast Regional meet Nov. 11.
"Anywhere from the second through eighth position is going to be very tight. It means that we'll need to be consistent as a team and put our runners ahead of any inconsistent runners from other teams," Thomas said. "If we can do that, I think we have a good chance of finishing in the top three overall."
To view the online version of this article, go to Roanoke.com
Regime change has been positive for Radford University volleyball.
By Matthew Sams
Special to The Roanoke Times
RADFORD -- For the Radford University volleyball team, victories have been scarce the past few seasons. The Highlanders haven't won more than five matches since the 2002 season and haven't won a match in the Big South Conference since 2003.
This season is different. The Highlanders are an improved team. After consecutive victories against Big South Conference foes Charleston Southern University and Coastal Carolina University over the weekend, Radford's record is 6-10 overall and 2-3 in conference.
One of the reasons for an uptick in fortunes is a fresh approach to leadership from first-year coach Crystal Poskey.
"I think we just needed a simple change," senior team captain Rachel Newton said. "Our new coach is positive and she works us hard."
Poskey was a four-year all-conference selection for the Francis Marion University volleyball team. After graduating in 2001, Poskey became the volleyball coach at South Florence High School in Florence, S.C. Two years later, Poskey became an assistant coach at Appalachian State.
Poskey took the Radford job in June, saying it was an opportunity that couldn't be passed up.
"I have several ties to Radford with the previous coaches," Poskey said. "This is a beautiful place, and I was definitely ready for the challenge to be a head coach."
The matches this past weekend could have been a turning point in the season.
"These wins were huge because I think they helped the girls overcome a mental hurdle," Poskey said. "In the preseason we played some tough teams and played with them, and then when we come into conference play the girls have a negative mindset because they haven't won in a few years. I think now they'll understand that hard work brings wins."
The early part of the Highlanders' schedule was grueling. Their first 14 matches were away from the Dedmon Center. Playing at home for the first time clearly had an impact.
"We were ready to play on our home court," Poskey said. "I think it was the extra 'oomph' we needed to win our first conference matches."
Poskey attributes much of the credit for Radford's improvement this season to the effort of her players. Even though they didn't know her prior to the season, Poskey says that her players were ready to change.
"I came here ready to give this team a fresh start," Poskey said. "In the preseason, they set the standard, and they set it high. I've been pushing them forward since I stepped in here."
It helps that the players have been all ears
"I think they've responded great," Poskey said. "They listen, they're coachable, they make the changes I ask, and they work hard. I want them to have fun this year and I think the great chemistry among the girls has been really nice."
With three seniors, two juniors and seven underclassmen, the Highlanders may be considered inexperienced. The key so far has been their ability to play as a team, Poskey believes. There is no obvious star. Every player has had chance to contribute.
"Every player has done something extra to help the team," Poskey said. "Every point that we score is because of every girl out there. It's not one player that stands out, even though we may have someone that leads the way every game. We really are a true team."
Although there isn't a true star on the team, the Highlanders have talent. As of Oct. 1, Newton was ranked 27th in the NCAA in digs, with an average of 5.56 per game. Senior middle Lindsey Wheeler is a force at the net, ranking fourth on the team in kills with 133 and kills per game with 2.18.
Radford is getting help from its underclassmen as well. Freshman outside hitter Lauren Clary, who played at Cave Spring, is second on the team in kills with 148 and third in digs with 142. Sophomore Lindsey Poole leads the team in kills with 190.
Poole says that everyone on the team has ability. Senior leadership has been crucial.
"I think the underclassmen are very talented and the seniors have stepped it up so much," Poole said. "They know it's their last year and they want to do the best they can to finish out the year."
The seniors' experience is helping the younger players learn how to play at a higher level. Wheeler and Newton realize that they have to lead on and off the court.
"Leadership is more [instinctive] than anything else," Wheeler said. "You know this is your last year, you want to do the best you can, and help the younger girls whenever possible."
Building team chemistry has been a key. Newton points to small things such as dressing alike in practice and doing things together off the floor that have helped the team gel better than previous years. While the team is clicking and has improved greatly this season, Poskey will continue to push her players. She knows that to improve the program, her team will have to learn a winner's mentality.
"Confidence is the huge thing for us," Poskey said. "Knowing how to win is what we're striving for, and when they get a taste of winning, it helps them realize that they have to work for every point to be successful."
To view the online version of this article, go to Roanoke.com
Mock, Thomas lead Dayspring in 2 Sports
Highlanders track teams take high hopes indoors
Coaches making a splash in their new jobs
Hughes' career goes off to the races
Beau's bloodlines lead to Blacksburg and brothers