Monday, July 30
Top 100: Larry Fones, Fairfax Football, Baseball and Basketball, 1948
Larry Fones is from a different time. Fones is from a time when football players wore leather helmets and guns marked the end of the games' quarters.
Top 100: Eddie Royal, Football, 2003
Westfield was trailing early in the 2003 Group AAA Division 6 state championship game. It was a position that the Bulldogs had not been in very often that season.
Top 100: Felton Brothers, Basketball Hayfield 1994 and 1998
Two brothers, seven years, one program, numerous accolades and immeasurable impact.
The writing above the number 33 jersey on Hayfield Secondary's Basketball Hall of Fame wall says the number was retired in 1997. A deeper gaze into the number reveals a story of family, winning and losing, record breaking, team leadership and passion for the sport.
Top 100: Brandon Corso, Football, Woodson 1992
In September of 1991 the Connection came out with its Northern Virginia Football Preview for that year. The caption under the photo on page 3 read, "Woodson flies Air Corso again in 1991."
Thursday, July 26
Classified Advertising (July 25, 2012)
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Wednesday, July 25
Column: A Life Worth Living, Still
It might be my age (as in getting older), or it might be the fact that I have cancer (you think?), but my brain and the related physical and mental tasks it coordinates are not exactly working at peak efficiency.
Tuesday, July 24
Top 100: Kendyl Baugh, South Lakes, Track, 1989
Lessons from track helped six-time AAA state champion Baugh persevere through personal tragedy.
Kendyl Baugh regained that familiar sense of security as she walked her son around the track at South Lakes High School last year. The 35-year-old Baugh traveled back to Reston with her son Kellen — the lone survivor of what would have been four-year-old triplet sons.
Top 100: Katie Beal, West Potomac, Soccer, 2001
Wolverine girls soccer star continued to shine as defensive stalwart for Florida State Seminoles.
Sitting on a bookcase in West Potomac High Athletic Director Jeff Dietze's office is a framed autograph picture of one of the greatest athletes the Alexandria-based public school has ever known. The picture is of Katie Beal — a 2001 West Potomac graduate and Wolverine soccer great — during game action when she was a member of the Florida State University women's team.
Derek Lee, South Lakes Baseball, 1983
South Lakes slugger was drafted five times before playing for Minnesota Twins.
Derek Lee is remembered at South Lakes high school, and by those that watched him play baseball, for his ability to do one thing — swing the bat.
Taline Tahmassian, Langley Soccer, 2001
Langley star recorded 96 goals and before winning NCAA title at Santa Clara.
How good Taline Tahmassian was on the soccer field can be measured by the pages of old newspapers. Tahmassian and the Saxons could be seen celebrating in photographs while snappy headlines chronicled their victories in a week-by-week scrapbook of archived clippings.
Top 100: Jon Carman, Herndon, Football, 1994
Herndon's gentle giant went from the band to the football field and into the NFL.
The legend of Jon Carman has outgrown the "gentle giant's" 6-foot 7-inch, 350-pound body frame. Any coach or neighborhood kid from back in Carman's day remembers his own story about the giant with the big hands whose mother, Betty, said he drank two gallons of milk a day.
Nate Friends, McLean Soccer, Basketball, 1991
Friends dominated the basketball court and soccer field to help McLean to several regional tournament appearances.
Chantilly coach Jim Smith was a relative unknown when he took over the reeling McLean High School boys basketball team back in 1989.
Top 100: Randy Dodson, Brandon Richardson, Herndon Basketball, 1994
Dodson and Richardson built the groundwork for modern-day Herndon hoops teams.
With 17 years worth of tournaments, clinics, bounce-passes, pick-and-rolls, dog-fights, over-time thrillers and thousands of other memories to sift through, Herndon head coach Gary Hall goes back to his first year as head coach when asked about the most influential basketball players in Herndon High School's history.
Top 100: Lori Grimm, Washington-Lee, Softball, 1976
In Arlington sports lore, Grimm has excelled as female athlete and coach.
When being a female sports standout was not the norm back in the mid 1970's, Arlington's Lori Grimm excelled on the softball diamond, the soccer field, and the basketball court.
Top 100: Morgan Marr, Madison Softball, 1999
Free-spirited Marr pitched her way to success, four all-state selections, two region titles, and SEC pitching.
What made 1999 Madison graduate and four-time all-state softball selection Morgan Marr so special was that she had "the gracefulness and competitiveness all in one," said her mother Barbara, who used to drive her ballerina daughter between softball games, dance classes and beauty pageants.
Top 100: Norris Davis, South Lakes, 1984
Seahawk wide receiver, defensive back and track star went on to UNC and was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs.
There is no telling how much damage Norris Davis could have done on the high school football field if given the opportunity to play the position that his talent eventually led him to while at the University of North Carolina.
Top 100: John Crone, Yorktown, Football, 2004
Team leader dominated on the gridiron and at the plate for the Patriots.
Few Arlington-area prep school athletic stars have been the overpowering Northern Region forces in two sports that recent Yorktown High graduate John Crone (Class of 2004) was.
Top 100: Jasmine Thomas, Oakton, Basketball, 2007
Only a senior in high school, Thomas is already one of the Northern Region's greatest.
Jasmine Thomas is only a rising senior in high school. The career statistics for Thomas, arguably one of the greatest — if not the greatest — Northern Region girls basketball player, have not been finalized.
Top 100: Lindsey Ertter, Langley, Swim, 2001
Ertter won six state titles and swam in two Olympic trials
Lindsey Ertter is retired now, but not really. The 2001 Langley High School graduate and breaststroker said that she is still coming to grips with missing out on the Olympic swimming goal she dreamed up while watching Janet Evans cruise to gold in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Editorial: Separate and Unequal?
If we don't believe that poor students are less innately talented, then the disparities in Northern Virginia are truly unfair.
The numbers are eye-popping. Latino students are 22 percent of Fairfax County Public Schools students, but 2.7 percent of the incoming Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology freshman class, the class of 2016. Of the 480 students, seven are black. That's 1.4 percent, while black students are 10 percent of the county school system.
Top 100: Clay Kirby, Washington-Lee Baseball, 1966
Former Generals ace pitched for `Big Red Machine' in the 70s.
Whether his teams were winning big or losing big, former major league pitcher Clay Kirby could always be counted on to take the mound and give his team some quality innings.
Top 100: John Curtis, Fairfax 1988, Wrestler
Collegiate All-American applies lessons learned from wrestling to all aspects of life.
During his senior year at Fairfax High School, John Curtis never slept on his back, because that is the position a wrestler is in when he gets pinned.
Top 100: Michelle Pearson, Gymnastics, Edison 2000
The powerful gymnast earned six individual state titles in two years.
Strength is the word that comes out of people's mouths when asked about Michelle Pearson. According to the Virginia High School League record book, the 2000 Edison graduate is the most decorated female individual high school gymnast in the Northern Region's history with six titles.
Top 100: Alexa Lange, Herndon, Track, 1990
"Go-Go Lexa" won 1988 state title after nearly quitting running.
Alexa Lange, the 1988 3200-meter AAA state track champion, 1989 AAA state cross-country runner-up, 1989 third place finisher at the FootLocker National Southeast regional cross-country tournament and 1999 Texas State Championship triathlete, never saw the point in running before she set foot on the track at Herndon High School.
Top 100: Robbie Maclay, Langley, Lacrosse, 2006
Lacrosse All-American Robbie Maclay played 12 seasons of sports at Langley.
Langley 2006 graduate Robbie Maclay's impact is still fresh in the minds of lacrosse fans, players and coaches in the Northern Region. Maclay just graduated from Langley after having competed in 12 seasons of sports and after becoming the first athlete to do so in 10 years at the McLean-based high school.
Top 100: Michelle Duhart, Wakefield Basketball, 1996
Warriors' all-time scoring leader went on to play on Purdue's national championship team.
Michelle Duhart recently recalled her ninth grade year as a member of the Wakefield High girls basketball team. That Warriors squad, coached by current Wakefield Athletic Director Noel Deskins, struggled to be competitive that season. So team members looked for little victories.
Top 100: Billy Davis, Mount Vernon, Football, 1980
At Clemson University, Billy Davis will forever be known as the player who's clutch, long punt return helped the Tigers defeat Nebraska, 22-15, in the 1981 Orange Bowl football game which decided the national collegiate championship.
Top 100: Joe Lowe, Wakefield Basketball, Football
Former Warriors basketball guard tallied over 1,000 career points, was also Wakefield's football QB.
Current Wakefield High boys basketball coach Tony Bentley recalls his days growing up in the Green Valley neighborhood of south Arlington and idolizing one of the area's great prep school basketball stars, Joe Lowe.
Monday, July 23
Top 100: Chris Sabo, Herndon Wrestling, 1993
Sabo helped catapult Herndon to a decade of dominance.
The sweat that was sweat, blood that was shed, tears that were cried and dreams that were dreamt in Herndon High School's mat-room yielded several individual state championship titles — seven to be exact.
Top 100: Skye Eddy, Herndon, 1989
In an article entitled "Eye on the Skye" from the March 30, 1988 edition of the Herndon Connection, 16-year-old Herndon High School junior Skye Eddy's day was described as a 5:30 a.m. wake up call and a late-night bed fall.
Top 100: Katie Ruckert, Madison Tennis
Katie Ruckert was simply dominant. A 2001 graduate of Madison High school, Ruckert sits in a first place tie for the most AAA state tennis titles in a career in Virginia High School League history.
Top 100: Stephanie Dansereau, Langley Soccer, 2005
Stephanie Dansereau could have been the greatest soccer player in Langley's history if she had been able to play more than the two years her swollen ankles and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury allowed her.
Top 100: Jimmy Sbarra, Langley Lacrosse, 1999
Langley lacrosse MVP went on to play at Maryland and is now coaching Potomac School.
Jimmy Sbarra has lacrosse in his blood — literally. The son of Bill Sbarra — a former University of Maryland All-American (1967) who was inducted into the Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame in the class of 1997 — Jimmy "Had big shoes to fill," he said. "I never tried to fill them. I looked at him as role model."
Top 100: Brandon Guyer, Herndon, 2004
Herndon record-holder led UVA in home runs this year.
Herndon football coach Tommy Meier remembers the moment he knew Brandon Guyer — a 2004 graduate and record-holder in both football and baseball — was going to be a special athlete.
Top 100: Sarah Spring, The Vault Queen
The 1999 Lake Braddock graduate won three straight state titles in vault competition.
Sarah Spring, 1999 graduate and gymnast from Lake Braddock, is remembered by a number — the number 10.
Friday, July 20
Heading to States
West Springfield Little League 9-10 American All-Stars Head to States.
West Springfield Little League American All-Stars win district title.
Pedaling with Pals
Potomac Pedalers provides group rides for area cyclists.
Cyclists of all ages and ability levels can participate in group rides with the Potomac Pedalers.
TC Football Players Put in Work on ‘Green’ Day
Titans polish individual skills during offseason practice.
TC football coaches and players took part in their first of seven "green" practices on July 10 at Parker-Gray Stadium. "Green" days are part of the Virginia High School League’s offseason policy passed last season which allows coaches and players to work together in a non-team-oriented fashion
Fairfax Station Swims Past Fairfax
Area Swimming Report
Fairfax Station, Hunt Valley, Little Rocky Run, Burke Station win.
Alexandria Sports Briefs: Chinquapin Swimmer Breaks 34-year-old League Record
Ronan Lauinger breaks CSL's 25-yard breaststroke record.
Verbanic Named Flint Hill School Football Coach
Tom Verbanic is the new head football coach at Flint Hill.
Otters Dominate at Swim Meet
The Oakton Otters dive team defeated Tuckahoe.
As Temperatures Rise, RSTA Swimmers Heat Up
Five more pool records set.
Five pool records set in hot weather.
Title IX Marks 40 Years (Potomac)
Area coaches reflect on the law’s impact and societal changes.
Title IX's impact is felt 40 years later.
DCCL Defeats International Country Club
The RiverBend StingRays defeated International Country Club, 326.5-189.5.
The Langley Club Takes Waynewood on a Wild Ride
The Langley Wildthings swim team defeated the Waynewood Dolphins, 221-199.
McLean Beats Highlands Swim
The McLean swim team defeated Highlands Swim, 246-174 on July 7.
Chesterbrook Wins with Dominant Performance
Chesterbrook defeated Vienna Woods, 323-97 on July 7.
Title IX Marks 40 Years
Local coaches reflect on the law’s impact and societal changes.
Title IX's impact is felt 40 years later.
Arlington Swim Briefs: WGCC Swim Team Dominates Congressional
The WGCC swim team defeated Congressional, 300-142.
Wednesday, July 18
Manager, 7 Players Represent Aces on All-Star Roster
The Alexandria Aces had seven players named to the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League all-star game, which was held July 11 at Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda. The Aces played for the American League All-Stars, who were led by Aces manager Corey Haines.
Rowers Begin 4th Week of Summer Crew
The 2012 Alexandria Summer Crew Program entered its fourth week of classes and training sessions this past Monday with nearly 130 rowers taking to the water at the Dee Campbell Boathouse in Old Town.
Peak Performance VA Members Compete at Nationals
At the end of June, 13 members of the Peak Performance VA taekwondo team traveled to Dallas and Ft. Lauderdale to compete at two national championships, one under USAT and the other, AAU. These are two major organizations for amateur sports in the U.S.
Sequoia Farms Has a Busy Week
Well, if you needed something to do this week and you were a member of the Sequoia Farms swim team, you certainly were in luck. There was the “IM Tough” meet on Monday, the “Tri-Meet” on Wednesday, the “Dual Meet” on Saturday, then the “Relay Carnival” on Sunday. Or, as many families in Northern Virginia might say during this time of year, “it was all swimming — all the time.”
Franklin Glen Swim Team Maintains Winning Record
The Franklin Glen Gators swim team continued its winning ways last Saturday with a victory over Armfield Farms. The 3-1 Gators moved up to the White Division this year in the Colonial Swim League after an undefeated season in the Blue Division. In addition to some impressive wins, there have been several pool records broken.
Sully Station SSTs Improving Individual Times
The Sully Station SSTs endured some tough competition Saturday, July 14 as the Langley Wild Things stole the show, beating the SSTs, 231-189. Despite the loss, the SSTs persevered, winning 17 individual events, five relays, racking up points with 38 swimmers reaching second- and third-place finishes and 40 swimmers achieving personal-best marks.
Sully Station II has Record-Breaking Relay Carnival
The Sully Station II Piranhas had a busy week of swimming, highlighted by four record-breaking performances at the 2012 Divisional Relay Carnival on Wednesday, July 11.
Column: Circumstances Be Damned
If only it were as easy to actually live it as it is to write it. As much as I believe what I write, it’s still difficult to ignore certain facts (“the underlying diagnosis,” as I often refer to my diagnosis) and the feelings associated with it.
Classified Advertising (July 18, 2012)
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Thursday, July 12
Four Runners Shine at Hershey Meet
Arlington’s best runners proved to be Virginia’s best, too, as four local runners claimed the top prize at the Hershey Track & Field Virginia State meet held in Charlottesville on June 16.
Wednesday, July 11
Bethesda’s Renfroe Is Ripken League’s Top Slugger
Mississippi native leads league in home runs, RBIs, fourth in batting average.
Bethesda Big Train slugger Hunter Renfroe leads the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League in home runs and RBIs, and is fourth in batting average.
Potomac Native Wins World Series of Poker Event
Churchill graduate wins nearly $560,000.
Potomac native and 2005 Churchill graduate Cliff Goldkind won nearly $560,000 in a World Series of Poker event.
Column: A Victim of My Own Circumstances
Outliving one’s prognosis leads to all sorts of twists and turns and treatment conundrums: the longer one lives, the fewer the treatment options.
Classified Advertising (July 11, 2012)
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Tuesday, July 10
Editorial: Every Vote in Virginia Will Count
Top presidential donor zip codes in this area show Virginia is purple; Romney or Obama to be decided on Election Day.
If you wonder if presidential politics really matters in this area, consider that Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland hold some of the top zip codes for contributions to the two major party candidates.
Wednesday, July 4
Coach Garza Leaves Mount Vernon for Robinson
Led Majors boys’ soccer for nine years.
Robert Garza takes over as head coach of the Robinson boys' soccer program after nine seasons with Mount Vernon.
Mansion House Piranhas Compete Against Langley
The Mansion House Piranhas started their season with a Neon Pep Rally and whipped cream eating contest on Saturday, June 23, in Alexandria against the Langley Wildthings under the leadership of returning coach Mark Faherty and assistant coach Katie Brado.
Column: Writing On!
It was June ’09 when I published my first column in the Connection Newspapers about being diagnosed with cancer. It was actually a column detailing the diagnostic steps I had taken during the first few months of the year attempting to identify the pain I had initially felt under my right-side rib cage in late December.
Tuesday, July 3
O’Connell’s Finucane, Ferraro Named Softball All-Americans
Knights finish 2012 season ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Bishop O'Connell softball players Tori Finucane and Jillian Ferraro were named first-team All-Americans for the 2012 season.
WGCC Lightning Looks to Reclaim CCSDA Title
The WGCC Lightning last won its league swimming championship in 2010.
AKC Swims Past Manorgate for 2nd Straight Win
The Arlington Knights of Columbus (AKC) Holy Mackerels swam past the Manorgate Marlins, 242-202, at Manorgate on June 30 to earn their second straight win of the season in Colonial Swim League (CSL) Blue Division action.
O’Connell Grad Marshall Drafted by Suns
Former Bishop O'Connell star Kendall Marshall drafted by the Phoenix Suns.
Finding a Home for the Golden Years
Experts offer advice on choosing a retirement community.
When Jim Upp’s wife Jeannie died in 2006, the Fairfax senior citizen found himself surrounded by a lifetime of memories in the spacious home where the couple had raised three children.
Editorial: New Laws, Assault on Freedom?
oting restrictions, abortion restrictions, DUI restrictions, fewer gun restrictions, more go into effect July.
A plethora of new laws will go into effect in the Commonwealth on July 1, including restrictive new procedures for voting, and the loosening of multiple gun regulations.
Monday, July 2
Storms Leave 2 Dead, Power Out
At least two dead in Fairfax; 285,000 residents still without power after Friday night’s hurricane force winds.
Winds of more than 70 miles per hour swept through Fairfax County Friday night. Power went out as the storm blew into the area around 10:30 p.m. with hurricane force winds sounding like a freight train. The sound made some residents think a tornado was upon them, and many took refuge in basements.