As temperatures climb back into the 70s, word has spread about the six new pickleball courts on 91短视频鈥檚 campus. Athletic Director Carrie S Bert said she receives frequent texts and emails from appreciative pickleball players impressed with the courts, as well as photos of the courts when they鈥檙e full.

The new pickleball courts, located along Park Road north of the basketball courts, are joined by four freshly resurfaced tennis courts. Work on the outdoor space started in mid-October and finished in December, with nets installed over the winter break. Edwards Paving, a certified installer from Port Republic, completed the project. In addition to the resurfacing, the lights shining down on the courts after dusk have been replaced with brighter bulbs. A stack of court dividers is stored in a newly built shed next to the space. 

This weekend, the new pickleball courts will host their inaugural tournament, , to raise funds for the 91短视频 Pickleball Club, a group of faculty, staff, and mostly students that plays on the courts twice a week. Men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 doubles matches will be held on Saturday, April 5, with mixed doubles matches on Sunday, April 6.

The courts have been an instant hit. Mike Weaver 鈥�90, a member of the local pickleball enthusiasts group, said he鈥檚 enjoyed playing on the new courts. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he surface is great, the nets are great, and the lights are a game changer. There鈥檚 no other place close by with lights, except for a couple indoor courts.鈥�

Lexi Brown, associate director of athletic admissions, said she鈥檚 been regularly playing at the 91短视频 courts with her circle of friends. 鈥淚t gets crazy busy now, which is awesome to see,鈥� she said. 

On a recent Tuesday afternoon, 91短视频 seniors Mary Kate Bomberger and Caleb Chupp took advantage of the warm weather to play on the courts. 鈥淚 love them,鈥� Bomberger said. 鈥淚 come here to play all the time.鈥�

Bert said the goal of the resurfacing project is to reinforce 91短视频鈥檚 commitment to student resources and community engagement. 鈥淚 often see our students using the courts,鈥� she said. The enhancements also make 91短视频 more attractive to prospective students, helping to boost enrollment and recruitment efforts.

Code of the court

For the past four or five years, pickleball has been called the fastest-growing sport in the nation. It鈥檚 especially popular among older players due to its lower impact, making it easier on the joints, and its ease of learning and play.

A sign on the fence around the courts outlines the rules and policies for using the space. The courts are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. On Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays, between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m., the courts are designated for priority use by those 55 years and older. The student-run 91短视频 Pickleball Club reserves the courts on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Community members are welcome to play with them if the courts aren鈥檛 too full.

The order of priority for court use is:

1. 91短视频 classes, practices, tournaments, student and other programming (clubs and intramurals)
2. Rentals
3. Community open play

鈥楾he universe aligned鈥�

As a student at Eastern Mennonite School in the 鈥�90s, Obed 鈥淥bie鈥� Diener remembers how new the 91短视频 tennis courts looked and felt back then. He left the area after high school to study at Goshen College. When he returned three years ago, he saw that the courts 鈥渉adn鈥檛 been maintained very much.鈥� 鈥淭here were huge cracks that were big enough to sprain an ankle,鈥� he said.

Diener, the son of alumni Eugene 鈥�68 and Gloria 鈥�76, met with Bert about a year ago to see whether anything could be done to restore the courts to their former glory. At the same time, Paul Leaman 鈥�86, head of Eastern Mennonite School, had been in talks with the athletic director about resurfacing the courts.

For the past decade or so, EMS鈥� tennis teams practiced and competed on the 91短视频 courts. But, with the condition of the asphalt deteriorating to the point where they were no longer safe for competitive high school play, Leaman said, the school had to look elsewhere. For the past couple years, EMS rented tennis courts from Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation. Those rental costs became unsustainable, and Leaman sought a way to partner with 91短视频 to get its courts resurfaced.

Funding for the project came from EMS, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, grants from the U.S. Tennis Association, an 91短视频 fund designated for tennis, and other organizations and private donors. Leaman led a fundraising campaign for the project, calling on families who had played tennis at EMS over the years, and raised the amount they needed within a month. 鈥淧eople saw the need and they jumped in quickly to make that happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want to thank all the people who gave what they could to make this possible.鈥�

Seed donors, led by generous supporters and avid pickleball players Dale Metzler and Barbra Graber Metzler 鈥�76, sparked the idea for pickleball courts at 91短视频 and contributed money to make it a reality. The retired couple discovered the sport within the past five years and wanted to introduce it to younger generations, said Graber Metzler, a member of the 91短视频 theater faculty from 1981-2005. 鈥淧ickleball has become the spice of our lives, and when you get excited about something, you want to share it with others,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat I love about it is that it鈥檚 not about any of the things that divide us. It鈥檚 simply about getting on a court with other people and having a good time.鈥�

鈥淭he universe aligned in terms of interested groups within the community and the willingness of 91短视频 administration to partner with them,鈥� Bert said. 鈥淭his was a highly collaborative project, both in its design and use policies, as well as in how the financial needs were met.鈥�

What鈥檚 next

The pickleball and tennis courts offer future teaching opportunities such as youth clinics and instruction for beginner players. Bert said that additional funding will be used to purchase benches for the tennis and pickleball courts. Windscreens鈥攆eaturing the 91短视频, EMS and VMRC logos鈥攚ill be added to the fencing around the space.

A future phase of the court enhancement project will resurface and transform the basketball court area into two basketball courts and a futsal court. Leaman said he would love to see the city step forward in partnering for this next step of the project. 鈥淭he city was supportive of this project, philosophically, and it just didn鈥檛 work in their budget cycle,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e friends of the university, and I think they鈥檙e interested in seeing the current basketball courts get developed.鈥�

A pickleball tournament at the 91短视频 courts on Saturday, May 24, will raise funds for future improvements to the courts. For more information about the tournament, contact Eric Benson at 540-560-4883. For information about the local pickleball community, contact Mike Weaver at pbhburg@gmail.com.

Those interested in supporting the outdoor court enhancement project can email Bert at: carrie.bert@emu.edu

First-year Yuki Onodora (Photo by Chelsie Gordon)

The distance between Ebetusu, Japan and Harrisonburg, Virginia is roughly 10,000 miles. First-year Yuki Onodora is worlds away from what the place he calls home, but he is adjusting well. He says, “The transition is not difficult; I like the people and the food.”

It is not common for a small Division III college like 91短视频 to have someone come from so far away to play a sport, but Onodora is here and he is ready to do it like “Dice-K” Matsuzaka, the Japanese pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.

Baseball runs in his blood; it has become a part of who he is. He has a passion for the game that glows within him, and his dedication to the sport shows when he is perfecting his pitching form. Onodora says, “Yeah, I have a passion for baseball. I want to be a pro baseball player in Japan.”

There is more to his life than baseball, though. Says Onodora, “I want to experience other things I can’t experience in Japan. Like Halloween, we don’t do anything for it in Japan. And I want to get good friends in America.” Maybe this year he will put on the costume of Dice-K and light up the ODAC.

Most people who heard about Onodora’s plans to go to a small school in a small city were surprised or confused. However, he has a good reason for coming here. His idol, Naoya Washiya, an outfielder, did the same, coming from Japan to the U.S. to play baseball. Onodora’s comments on Washiya, “I have respect for him. He plays for the Nationals. He used to go to Community college in California. Last August, I met him and was inspired.”

Onodora came here to improve his baseball skills, and to improve his chances and experiences in hopes that it will help his chances at going pro in Japan. During his time in America, he wants “To get better English and improve baseball skill.”

If you go to the gym often enough you will see Onodora throwing an invisible baseball at a mirror. He says it is a training technique that he uses to make his form feel routine. According to Onodora, “It improves my form. It adapts the muscle to pitching form.”

It is not just his training that people might not be used to; his pitching might seem unusual when compared to typical pitches from other players in the U.S. People do not see a pitcher with such jerky movements every day.

“I think my form is ordinary for Japan, but it’s different from America,” explains Onodora. It could work to his advantage. When hitters are not used to this type of a delivery, it can confuse them and cause them to be less effective until they figure it out.

If you can not think of any of the many reasons to go to a baseball game at 91短视频, go to see Onodora do what he does best. He will be fun to watch this year. His unique delivery and intimidating expressions will make the games he is in interesting.

In 10 years, who knows? You could say you saw the great Yuki Onodora throw fire for the Royals.

The 91短视频 Lacrosse Club started with the enthusiasm of Maplewood Resident Director Adam Houser.

First year 91短视频 Lacrosse members Philip Tiezen and Mitch Yoder learn new skills and teamwork during daily practices. The 91短视频-Bridgewater team has two games remaining this season. (Photo: Andrew Gascho)

"I have played lacrosse since junior high. I actually played four years at Gordon College in Massachusetts," Houser said. "I missed playing a lot after college and am happy to be around it again."

Houser said he contacted 91短视频 athletic director Dave King in the fall of 2007 to see if starting a lacrosse club would be possible.

"I’m sure that others wanted a lacrosse club before I got here, but I guess I had a lot to do with getting it started. [Club members] started just throwing around some. Then we got some equipment through the help of Rec. sports and also were able to have an intramural season last winter, which brought out quite a few people," he said. Learn more about intramurals at 91短视频

The club has grown from its humble beginnings with just a few members throwing around in the afternoon and now holds actual 91短视频 club status.

Generous Donor Funds New Equipment

"At the end of last year we applied for and received club status through Student Programs and SGA. This past fall we played a little bit and actually got a large donation from a very generous person who wanted to see lacrosse grow at 91短视频. That donation allowed us to buy more equipment for the program," Houser said.

With new equipment in hand, the club practices everyday from five to seven on the turf. Many of the members of the club are new to the game and are learning the basics.

"The hardest thing [is] cradling the ball, I still am not real good at it," said first year Jesse Weaver, who is playing the sport of the first time.

According to e-lacrosse.com, cradling the ball is "the fluid side to side motion of the stick in order to maintain possession of the ball using its own gravity and inertia while running at full speed." Many of the other members agreed that this skill is the most difficult to learn.

Teaming with Rivals

Another challenge the Lacrosse Club faces is their small membership. 91短视频 teams up with Bridgewater College to play games since they do not have enough members to field a full team.

"The hardest thing for me is that it seems like we aren’t on the same page with offensive and defensive strategy. I hope to sit down with their captains and set-up a better strategy for how to practice and play together," said Houser. In the future, the club hopes to have enough players to form its own team.

This past weekend, the combined 91短视频-Bridgewater team traveled to Farmville, Va., to play Longwood College. While the game was not close score-wise, it was good experience for the team.

"The score doesn’t really matter because it was the first game for a lot of the guys playing. But we learned a lot, and are definitely all better players because of the game," said Jesse Weaver.

First year Nate Weaver, also a first-time player, said he appreciates the mentoring Bridgewater players have offered him.

"Playing with Bridgewater has been great. They’re all so nice, and they bring tons of experience. Several have taken me under their wing and helped me out a lot," Nate Weaver said. Houser said he has already seen a lot of improvement in the team after just a week of practice.

"We have some good athletes that are really picking things up quick. I think as we continue to play we will be able to trust each other more to develop the plays together and not try to take things on our own," he said.

Houser said it is possible to have a superstar lacrosse player, but teamwork is still necessary for success.

"It really is a sport in which individuals can stand out, but at the same time for a team to be successful it needs to utilize everyone on the field. I am excited to see how each of the players begins to establish their roles on the team," said Houser.

In order to bring more awareness to the club and raise money, the club plans to sell t-shirts. The t-shirts will be available for purchase soon and can be purchased from any of the club members.

Houser also pointed out that Lacrosse Club is co-ed. "We are playing separately, since the men’s and women’s games are so different. We haven’t gotten a large amount of interest from women on campus, but if any women are interested in playing they can contact Valerie Helbert or Erin Reichart. We would love to see a women’s program develop alongside the men’s program," concluded Houser.

The Lacrosse Club has two more games scheduled, April 11 at Roanoke and April 14 at Bridgewater versus Christendom College.

Reprinted with permission from The WeatherVane, 91短视频’s student newspaper

91短视频 student athlete George Johnson

It’s easy to see. Just watch George Johnson smile, his mannerisms, his walk. He knows – or at least sells a convincing illusion that he knows – what’s happening.

“I’m just sure of myself,” the 91短视频 point guard said. “Everyone who knows me just knows that I’m real sure of myself – not to the point where I am overly cocky, but I put the work in in the offseason and summer, and I feel like it should pay off.”

Maybe it’s not just an illusion.

Johnson, a sophomore who netted 10.1 points per game as a freshman, is the Royals’ leading scorer and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference’s fifth-leading scorer this season, averaging 17.7 points. That’s largely thanks to a spot-up 3-pointer that makes half-brother Lamar Taylor – a former point guard at Virginia Commonwealth, where he graduated in 2001 – envious.

“I was knocking down the 3 but not as consistently as he is,” said Taylor by cell phone from Richmond, where he is a school counselor and assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, John Marshall High School. “That right there has opened up so much for him.”

Johnson, also averaging 3.4 assists, is second on the team in 3-point percentage behind D.J. Hinson, making 37.9 percent (25-for-66). Hinson is hitting 42 percent (29-for-69). See Johnson’s stats in the men’s basketball roster.

In Saturday’s victory at Hampden-Sydney, the first 91短视频 win there since the 1983-84 season, Johnson hit two 3s in the waning minutes to help keep the Royals (7-3 overall, 3-0 in the ODAC) undefeated in the league.

“He wants to the ball,” 91短视频 coach Kirby Dean said. “The only way you can want the ball is if you’re not afraid to be the goat.”

Doubt that? Just ask him.

“If I’m going to be wrong, I’m going to be wrong strong,” said Johnson, who also drew interest from Division II schools. “If I’m going to be right, I’m going to be right strong.”

So far, it seems he’s earned that.

The 20-year-old Johnson, who’s from the north side of Richmond, spent his summer playing pickup games in what Taylor called “the best run” in Richmond – and he might be right. The games include Taylor, Ben Wallace (a Virginia Union alum and current Cleveland Cavalier), former Virginia standout and NBAer Cory Alexander and Boston College point guard Tyrese Rice, who is from the south side of Richmond. Current Virginia Commonwealth point guard and reigning Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year Eric Maynor also stopped by once or twice.

When not in Richmond, Johnson is bothering Dean to open Yoder Arena, so he work on his game. Johnson constructs a full-court obstacle course of chairs and trash cans to improve his ball-handling. He even stayed over New Year’s for more individual practice sessions that, he said, can take two hours.

“I can’t keep him out of the gym,” Dean said. “On January 1, he was burning my phone up to get in the gym. … It’s a good problem to have.”

That’s why Johnson, a lean 5-foot-10, 160-pounder with $1,500 worth of tattoos on his upper arms and chest, isn’t afraid to look too bad – or too good.

“I think comes from playing with older guys,” said Taylor, who played professionally in Uruguay. “A lot of times in the summer, he’s playing with pros or ex-pros, playing with Ben Wallace and Cory and myself. We’re always telling him to take that shot. … It definitely helps your confidence when you’re playing with older guys, and they’re basically telling you: ‘You can do this.'”

Playing in pickup games brimming with pros and Division I stars also has made Johnson tough, Taylor said. Johnson has known Alexander through Taylor for years. Johnson said Alexander, who played at Waynesboro High School and now does radio color commentary for U.Va. basketball games, taught him how to shoot layups off the wrong foot to bewilder opponents.

During Johnson’s senior year of high school at The Miller School in Albemarle County, he played against two current Atlantic Coast Conference players: Maryland guard Adrian Bowie and North Carolina forward Ed Davis, who went to perennial prep powers Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.) and Benedictine (Richmond), respectively.

Add them into his pickup partners, and that’s heady company for a Division III player.

All of that has sculpted his confidence, which is depicted in one particular tattoo: a left shoulder-enveloping “G” (for George) with flames curling off toward his scapula and bicep.

“I feel like that’s the role I’m supposed to take here,” Johnson said of his penchant for big shots. “Even though I’m a sophomore, I think my team trusts me to take that shot.”

By Heather Bowser, Daily News-Record

Perched in the third row of the 91,000-seat Bird’s Nest stadium, Sue Blauch watched as sweat dripped down the faces of 2,008 fierce-looking Chinese drummers.

For nearly 10 minutes, the legion pounded red, glow-in-the-dark sticks into huge drums with perfect synchronicity. It was intimidating, she said. It was perfect. It was beautiful.

"To watch those drummers that close, that was amazing," Blauch said. "And they kneeled for 20 minutes before they ever started. They stayed perfectly still. It’s hard for me to imagine anything like it."

Sue Blauch, 43, of Harrisonburg, returned home this week from Beijing, where she refereed seven Olympic women’s basketball games, including the bronze medal game. (Photo by Michael Reilly)

Two hours later, after Blauch watched 13,000 more Chinese men and women perform in the artistic segment of the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, nearly 10,500 athletes marched into the stadium, only yards from her seat. The president of the United States and the first lady, she later learned, were sitting 10 rows behind her.

Blauch was no ordinary spectator. She was on the job.

The 43-year-old Harrisonburg woman was one of about 30 referees chosen from around the globe to officiate men’s and women’s basketball at the Olympics. She was one of only two American refs and the only woman in the crew.

After the games wrapped up more than two weeks of competition on Sunday, Blauch returned to the Friendly City toting all the memories of the sports, her job and that first night in Beijing.

"Sometimes, I have to pinch myself," Blauch told the Daily News-Record in an interview in her home on Chestnut Drive. "Did I just do that? Did I just go to the Olympics? I’m a very ordinary person and I’ve gotten to do some extraordinary things. It doesn’t quite seem real; it’s amazing."

The daughter of Harrisonburg residents Dale and Miriam Blauch, the "ordinary" girl grew up in Short Gap, W.Va., and later transferred to Eastern Mennonite High School in Harrisonburg. A few years later, in 1986, she graduated from Eastern Mennonite College, now University.

She had a basketball in her hands the whole time.

Eventually, her love of the sport pushed her toward officiating and, from there, she took off. For the last 18 years, Blauch has worked her way up as a referee for women’s amateur, college, professional and international basketball. She regularly works games all across the United States and has traveled abroad several times for major competitions.

Blauch’s journey to the Olympics began in February, when a committee of higher-ups from USA Basketball nominated her for the honor. She was selected from about two dozen American referees the committee had to choose from.

Although Olympic refs don’t get paid for working the games, her travel, accommodations and food were paid for by USA Basketball and the international Basketball Federation.

The honor of being a ref in the Olympics is generally given to officiators only once.

Work And Play

On Aug. 1, after 18 hours of flying, Blauch landed in China and hit the ground running. (Her luggage, unfortunately, wouldn’t arrive from Canada, where she departed, for a few more days.)

91短视频 a day after touching down, Blauch left to officiate three games in the Diamond Ball tournament in Haining, China. The event was a preliminary tournament for the Olympics.

On Aug. 9, the day after the opening ceremonies, the real work began.

"The Olympics have a different feel because when the players are competing for their country, there’s a different level of intensity," she said. "But there’s still a certain level of respect for the refs."

91短视频 10 minutes before each game, the announcers introduce each player and then both national anthems are played. Next, the teams and referees exchange gifts.

Referees in international basketball often exchange gifts at all big meets, typically giving each other pins. In the U.S., Blauch works for the WNBA, so she brought novelty items and socks stitched with the league’s logo to give.

Over the next two weeks, Blauch officiated seven games, culminating with the bronze medal game between Russia and the host Chinese team.

In the evenings and on her six days off, Blauch and her ref friends soaked up China and its culture, touring Beijing and surrounding areas. They saw the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Silk Street and various temples and attractions in between.

"I became very, very good at charades," she said. "And I ate a lot of kung pow chicken."

She did not, however, taste any of the exotic snacks, such as the famous scorpion-on-a-stick.

"I wasn’t that adventurous," she said.

The Road Home

Blauch’s adventures came to a close on Sunday as she left China and returned home. She arrived in Harrisonburg early Monday morning and has spent the last few days adjusting to life after the Olympics.

On Tuesday, she will jump back into the saddle and ref a WNBA game in Washington, D.C. She’ll work five more games over the next two weeks.

"As long as it’s fun and I’m healthy, I’ll keep going," she said.

For now, though Blauch will spend the weekend enjoying the companionship of her close family, two labs and friends.

"This was the chance of a lifetime," she said.

Paul Johnson knew that Megan Mlinarchik could be a dominant performer for his Division III Eastern Mennonite University track program.

The only problem? Mlinarchik, a former Broadway High School star, had her sights set higher.

“I wanted to go D-I,” Mlinarchik said while stretching during practice in Park View. “I wouldn