News – JMBoulden

Panthers Fan Club Primed for Superbowl 50

*Super Bowl 50 fans at Dig & Dive in Wilmington, NC 2-7-16

*Super Bowl 50 print at Dig & Dive in Wilmington, NC 2-7-16

As reported in a previous article, Panther Nation, the Carolina Panthers Roaring Riot fan club has a new chapter in Wilmington, NC. As the Panthers wins kept piling up, the fan club’s memberships have been as well. With the Panthers now in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos, the Roaring Riot is at a fever pitch and making preparations for a huge tailgate event to watch the game at Dig & Dive sports bar. The tailgate event is going to feature prizes, give-a-ways, a corn hole tournament, and a drawing for a fifty-five inch flat screen T.V. Dig & Dive is the headquarters for the new Wilmington chapter of the club.

“We want all of Panther Nation to come out in full force to support the team,” says Marcus Carpenter, member of the Roaring Riot.

IMG_0071-1 — *T.V. raffle prize at Dig & Dive in Wilmington, NC 2-7-16

The game looks to be a very competitive match-up. Carolina is led by NFL MVP Cam Newton while Denver is led by future hall of famer Peyton Manning. This game will pit the best offensive team in the league in Carolina versus the best defensive team in the league in Denver. Here is how a comparison of the teams looks.

Screen Shot 2016-02-07 at 5.37.18 PM — *Infographic created by Jeffrey Boulden using Microsoft Numbers

IMG_0048-1 — Dig & Dive in Wilmington, NC 2-7-16

The Roaring Riot has gained several new members locally this year and hopes to continue to expand into other cities nation wide to bring Panthers fans together and change the culture of the fan base. Membership fees come with discounts on Panther’s gear, game ticket discounts, and group activities. This is a historic year for the club as the Panthers have had their best season ever and new members are signing up daily. The perfect finish to the year would be a Super Bowl victory.

When asked about the Panther’s chances Marcus said, “We got this. This is our year, Cam won’t let us down.”

*Roaring Riot fan club at Dig & Dive in Wilmington, NC 2-7-16

StriperFest Helps Cape Fear Fishery

Wilmington is a port city situated at the mouth of the Cape Fear River where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The history of Wilmington is linked to the Cape Fear and all the industries that depend on it for survival. The Cape Fear River provides recreational fishing and boating opportunities as well as the water we drink and the seafood we eat. Since 1993 the Cape Fear River Watch has been dedicated to preserving the health and cleanliness of the river. Cape Fear River Watch is a grassroots, non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving and preserving the health, beauty and cleanliness of the Cape Fear River. They depend heavily on donations to reach their goals. Their biggest fund raising event of the year is the StriperFest Banquet and Auction.

StriperFest’s goal is to raise money to help improve migratory fish populations. The Striped Bass is a highly sought after fish for recreational anglers. It’s numbers are slowly rising due to the efforts of the Cape Fear River Watch to help the fish get past damns and locks to reach it’s spawning grounds.

This year’s event was held Friday night at the Coastline Convention Center in downtown Wilmington. The event featured live music, a catered buffet, beer and wine, raffle drawings, and a live auction. There was also a fishing tournament Saturday where local anglers competed for trophies and prizes. The event was a huge success raising well over 16,000 dollars. Towards the end of the night Cape Fear River Watch’s executive director, Frank Yelverton, addressed the crowd, “This is the biggest StriperFest we have ever had. With your help we will bring back the migratory fish populations.”

Ogden Skate Park Gets Much Needed Support

Ogden beer and wine store, Fermental, hosted a fundraiser Saturday night to raise money for the construction of an outdoor skateboard park planned for the northern section of Wilmington. Oskar Blues Brewery, who was on site to provide beer tasting and samples, hosted the event.

Local residents have long tried to get the project started but lack of funds has been a constant roadblock. Many in the area view a skate park as a great addition for the youth of the community. The park will give local teens a place to hang out after school and stay out of trouble. It will also provide a healthy outdoor activity to keep kids active. There have been many academic studies that have shown the positive physical and mental health effects of skate parks for a community and the low rate of injuries.

The event started slowly with a few guests trickling in, but really started to pick up once the rain slowed down.

“We had a good turn out and I think we raised a lot of money. As soon as the rain stopped more people came out,” said Fermental manager Steve Gibbs.

The music duo of Chasing Opal provided the night’s musical entertainment, while the Funky Fresh Food Truck was on hand to provide food for hungry attendees. Fermental provided the perfect setting for the event with its cozy atmosphere and eclectic selection of wine and craft beers. The event proved to be a success, and the skate park is one step closer to reality.

Panther Nation

Professional football is easily America’s most popular sport. Every Sunday fans all around the country gather together to watch their favorite team do battle. Watching an NFL football game for most fans is a social event. But what can fans do when they cannot make it to the stadium to see the game in person? The best way to recreate that live stadium atmosphere is to go to a sports bar. The beers are cheaper, the food is better, and parking is not nearly as big a headache.

Every city has its share of sports bars that cater to different fans. If you are a Carolina Panthers fan in Wilmington NC, then Dig & Dive is where you want to be on Sundays. Dig & Dive is the new home for the Roaring Riot Carolina Panthers fan club. The Wilmington chapter of the club is just getting started and Dig & Dive has been named an official Carolina Panthers bar. The Roaring Riot seeks to grow the Panthers fan base and connect fans with each other to show support for the team.

Outside of Dig & Dive, the official Wilmington Panthers Bar

The Carolina Panthers were an expansion team in 1995. After some initial success, the team underachieved for most of its history. The Panthers fan base has always been strong, considering its one of the few NFL teams in the south. The fans have been hungry for a winning team for years. It appears the wait is over. This is a great time to be a Panthers fan. The Panthers are currently 14-0 and seeking to become the first team since the 1972 Miami Dolphins to finish the season undefeated. The Panthers are led by MVP candidate Cam Newton at quarterback, and one of the league’s best defenses. Interest in the Panthers has never been greater, and this season is looking to be their best ever.

Watching a Panthers game at Dig & Dive is a fun, party atmosphere. There are always great specials, prizes, and giveaways. The Roaring Riot fan club now adds another layer of excitement. If you are a Carolina Panthers fan in Wilmington, the best place to be on Sunday’s is at Dig & Dive.

Beach Volleyball Now at UNCW

UNCW has added beach volleyball; it’s tenth women’s sport. The schedule will be released soon and the season will start in the spring of 2016. Wilmington NC is a coastal area and as such, beach volleyball is very popular in the area. UNCW joins the nearly fifty schools that now have a beach volleyball program. The beach volleyball program should be very competitive, due to the fact that the indoor program is doing so well. Coach Amy Bambenek believes that having a beach program will help her recruit better players for the indoor team. Both programs will train together to improve.

The UNCW program is the first division one school in North Carolina to offer beach volleyball and one of the few in the southeast. The majority of the beach volleyball programs are in California and Florida.

*Infographic created by Jeffrey Boulden using GoogleMaps. Data retrieved from www.collegesand.org

The schedule may be difficult for the first few years of the program since there aren’t many schools close by to play. As the popularity of the sport grows with the upcoming summer Olympics in Rio, more teams should be added in the southeast. The northeast and the central parts of the country do not have any programs in place yet. Beach volleyball is ideally played outside in good weather, but indoor facilities could make it possible for the sport to be played all over the country.

*Image retrieved from and property of www.vocative.com

The first championship tournament will consist of an eight-team bracket with double elimination format. Each team will have five pairs of players; the first team to win three out of five matches will be the winner. UNCW’s schedule will start with six tournaments in March and April. As more and more beach programs start the question arises, where will the best players go?

“With indoor volleyball, you have more teammates for support, but you also have multiple players in each position that you have to compete with for playing time. I feel like when it comes down to it, the players are going to go where they will get the most playing time and where the scholarship money is,” says former UNCW volleyball player Kelli Clear.

Kelli played for UNCW from 2007 to 2010 as a defensive specialist. Beach volleyball and indoor are two very different games. Each player’s skill set determines which style suites them best.

Kelli compares the two this way, “The main difference is that indoor volleyball is played consisting of a team of 6 players and beach competes with 2 players. Also, the speed of indoor volleyball is much quicker than beach. Since you only have 2 players in beach volleyball, the court is smaller but the net is the same height. In beach volleyball, you have to change the way you play in order to be more efficient.”

Everything is in place for UNCW’s beach volleyball program to be a huge success. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the first season this spring and interest is growing. UNCW should be one of the nation’s top teams in the years to come.

Kelli sums up UNCW’s chances this way, “I think that as long as UNCW volleyball gets enough funding to successfully recruit players, then I think they have the proper coaching and competition within the region to be competitive and successful.”

The Growth of Beach Volleyball

Beach volleyball’s popularity has been on the rise recently. It has seen worldwide growth ever since it’s Olympic debut in Atlanta 1996 (“Beach Volleyball Equipment,” 2015). Since it’s beginnings in California in the 1920’s, it has always been a fun and challenging game that is easy to learn (“Beach Volleyball Equipment,” 2015). The game spread quickly during the great depression because there was no expensive equipment needed. Through the 50’s and 60’s, the game continued to grow over the U.S. and quickly gained the image of the cool sport to play.

There are several reasons for why the sport has grown so quickly. This is a great game for men and women to play together and compete on somewhat equal grounds. Co-ed leagues around the country are very popular. Also, this game encourages teamwork. It is a great game to meet new friends. Beach volleyball is an excellent workout. Players burn off calories while having fun in the sun. Usually players do not have to worry about injuries as much as other sports because it is non-contact and played on sand. This sport is fast paced and keeps player’s attention. There are no long periods of inactivity like in other sports. All players will participate on nearly every play. And realistically a huge reason for the popularity is the attractiveness of the players and the uniforms they wear. The men wear swim trunks and no shirt while the women wear bikinis. This makes it a perfect product for television.

The growth of this sport is especially important for female athletes. Women have always had fewer opportunities to participate in sports but beach volleyball is giving women another avenue to show off their athleticism. Women’s beach volleyball is now the fastest growing NCAA sport ever (Sorenson, 2015). In the first season as a collegiate sport in 2012, there were 16 programs. Now in 2015, there are 41 schools with women’s beach volleyball and more are on the way (Sorenson, 2015). Many schools like the idea of a women’s beach volleyball program because it increases female sport participation and has a very low costs associated with building the program (Sorenson, 2015). Some of the sports top indoor players are already starting to switch over to the sand game. This growth has been seen in the amateur ranks as well. “According to the AVCA nearly 500,000 13-25 year old females have taken up the sport since 2007” (Sorenson, 2015).

The exposure that the sport gets every four years in the summer Olympics is invaluable for it’s growth. The USA women’s team of Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor have captured the hearts of the country with three gold medal finishes in a row. The USA has dominated Olympic play so far with the most gold’s while Brazil has won the most medals overall (“teamusa.org,” 2015).

*Created in 2015 by Jeffrey M. Boulden using Microsoft Numbers. All data retrieved from www.teamusa.org.

Clearly, the USA and Brazil are the top two countries capturing just fewer than 70% of all the medals (“teamusa.org,” 2015). The argument could be made that Brazil is the best with the most overall medals but most experts agree that having the most gold is more important (“teamusa.org,” 2015). This graphic shows a few surprising countries that have won medals. Canada, Latvia, and Switzerland have all won a medal despite being very cold countries with small populations. Another odd fact from the graph is Australia only having two medals. Australia is a highly developed country with an abundance of beaches and great weather. One would expect them to compete with the USA and Brazil. As more and more colleges begin their beach volleyball programs, the USA seems poised to continue their domination of the Olympic sport for years to come.

All of this growth has seen the emergence of beach volleyball facilities opening all around the country. They offer a fun way to get exercise, compete, and meet new friends. With the professional leagues starting to pay more prize money and gain television exposure, this sport has a bright future. Its also one of the few sports where the women’s game may be more popular than the men’s. The growth of this up and coming sport sees no end in sight.

References

Beach Volleyball Equipment and History. (2015). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.olympic.org/beach-volleyball-equipment-and-history?tab=history

Sorenson, A. (2015). THERE’S A NEW KID IN TOWN: FORTY-ONE TEAMS AND COUNTING- THE FASTEST GROWING SPORT IN NCAA HISTORY. Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.ncsasports.org/blog/2014/02/25/kid-town-fortyone-teams-counting-fastest-growing-sport-ncaa-history/

(2015). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.teamusa.org/usa-volleyball/usa-teams/beach-volleyball/olympic-games-info/beach-olympic-history