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NEWS, NOTES &
COMMENTARY
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The Bradsher Beat
Wednesday, December 21,
2011
By Bethany Bradsher |
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Purple and gold gratitude
fills Pirates' outbox
By
Bethany Bradsher
©2011 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
View the Bonesville Mobile Alpha version of this page.
Christmas has come early
to the Pirate Nation in myriad ways this year — on courts, fields and
tracks. And since Pirates are nothing if not well-mannered, they have
responded in kind with prompt and thoughtful thank-you notes. A sampling of
the grateful messages going out in the East Carolina mailbag:
• Dear Virginia
Cavaliers,
We would like to thank
you for the generous gift of Britny and Whitny Edwards. The twins have added
maturity, leadership and experience to a team that is giving a new meaning
to the word rebuilding. The Lady Pirates are 6-4 after nearly toppling North
Carolina yesterday, and Britny has already contributed two double-doubles
and pulled down an astounding 18 rebounds against Jacksonville. We expect
that their presence will evoke the same winning spirit brought by their
father, former ECU great Blue Edwards.
Sincerely, the Lady
Pirates coaching staff
• Dear Chanticleers (what
is a chanticleer, anyway?),
I can’t thank you enough
for the wonderful party you hosted for me on December 19. A coming-out
party, and on my own home court, too! My coach had been talking about the
need for new Pirates to emerge offensively, and I guess my 17 points were a
start. Of course, we also had
our most complete victory of the season,
with four players scoring in double figures and 85.7 percent from the
free-throw line. I’m sorry that all we could offer you was 11 turnovers — we
have given more to previous opponents, but we’re trying to cut back. We
hated to hand you your worst defeat of the year so close to the holidays,
but we have a conference schedule to warm up for. Better luck in the new
year.
Best wishes, Shamarr
Bowden
• Dear NCCSIA,
We don’t have room on the
notecard to spell out that acronym, but we understand you’re the
organization responsible for Caty Butler’s selection to the N.C. All-State
Soccer Team. She has definitely worked hard, and it showed this season with
eight goals, four assists and 20 points — all career highs and all boosts to
her Pirates team. She loves the new stadium, and she says the atmosphere
there just keeps getting better. We can’t wait until Caty’s senior year,
when she and teammates like Chrissy Gratz and Lexi Miller take aim at the
Conference USA title. Make sure you’re watching — hopefully there will be
plenty of honors to hand out in 2012.
Gratefully, Caty’s proud
parents
• Dear Indoor Track and
Field Season,
You have always been good
to us, but four school records already? It was only the first indoor meet of
the season, and already our athletes are distinguishing themselves in all
kinds of ways. Joseph Samuels sends his special thanks — his 7.91 run in the
60m hurdles was a wonderful surprise, especially since it broke the record
set by two-time Olympian Hector Cotto. And the pole vault was a treat for
anyone partial to purple as well — three of our jumpers — Stephen Hodapp,
Henry Johnson and Aaron Zakula — tied for first with jumps of 4.61 meters,
but then Hodapp won the event and the ECU record in a jump-off. A school
record is certainly a thoughtful gift for an athlete, and runners Tania
Minkins and Britney Kott do treasure theirs — earned in the 60-meter dash
and the 600-meter run, respectively. In all, it was quite an auspicious
start to what we expect will be an eventful season. We can’t wait to see
what future treasures you have in store.
Your friends, the members
of the Pirates track and field teams
A new year brings endless
possibilities and, for ECU athletics, 2012 is an unpainted vista rich with
potential and heart. Here’s hoping that the opportunities for thankfulness
will abound as Pirates of all specialties move forward.
E-mail Bethany Bradsher
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