1-26 MVT 2B

2B
MOORESVILLE TRIBUNE
Sports
FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2007
LAKE NORMAN FISHING
LNHS ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Top cash prize of $1,500
awaits Winter Classic champ
LNSS event billed as
season’s biggest catch
By LARRY SULLIVAN
lsullivan@mooresvilletribune.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAKE NORMAN HIGH SCHOOL
LNHS ATHLETES OF THE WEEK: Classes may have taken a breather for end-of-semester exams, but
student/athletes at Lake Norman High sure didn’t. Here’s proof. At left, swimmer Austin Johnson
maintained his stellar strokes, logging in with two individual firsts, in the 200-meter individual
medley and 100-meter butterfly, and also handling anchor legs on just as many winning relay
teams during the annual Iredell County Swim Meet. For that, Johnson was singled out as the
school’s athlete of the week for Jan. 8-13. Not to be outdone, Jay Little (right) stayed just as hot
on the basketball court. Little, ATW for Jan.15-19, was called on off the bench and tallied 17
points to go with 11 rebounds and the dishing out of four assists in a key win over nearest rival
Mooresville. The win kept the Wildcats in second and in postseason contention within the North
Piedmont Conference. Each puts on display their personalized plaques presented by Cliff
Hunnicutt on behalf of Citizens South Bank that sponsors the year-long recognition program.
MAUNEY: Autograph, photo session set
Continued from 1B
The recently turned 20year-old rider is coming off a
successful initial season in
which he was selected as the
PBR Rookie of the Year. He is
listed at just 5-10 and a light
140 pounds, but it’s all heart.
He has career earnings that
top the $242,800 mark.
He bounced back from a
severe injury last year to place
second at his first Built Ford
Tough Series event that took
place in Portland. He captured event championships at
three U.S. Smokeless Tobacco
Co. Challenger tour events,
with that money earned propelling him to the top of the
Rookie of the Year standings.
The local cowboy, who
topped his first sheep at age
three and has steadily progressed through the various
ranks to reach the bulls, landed another $22,500 at the ’06
PBR Built Ford Tough World
Finals, which was more than
enough to earn him the premier first-year honors.
“It’s a dream come true,’’
Mauney acknowledged of
the rookie distinction. “I
wanted it since I was a kid, so
it means a lot.”
Currently riding high,
Mauney has also experienced the low side of his
sport. While riding in June of
2005, he endured the worst
injury of his career.
“I was at a bull riding and
knew I was hurt pretty bad,’’
recalled the rider. “I didn’t go
to the hospital because my
traveling partners were teasing me. I went to get checked
out and found out I had broken all the ribs on my right
side, lacerated my liver, and
bruised my kidney and
spleen.”
The injuries put Mauney,
who was riding bulls by the
age of 14, on the sidelines for
more than four months,
forcing him to miss the 2005
PBR World Finals.
Mauney heads into this
weekend’s near hometown
event current ranked second
in the BFTS standings. He
will help highlight the attraction when participating in
an autograph and photography session this afternoon,
from noon until 1 p.m., at
The Square in Charlotte, at
the corner of Trade and
Tryon streets.
Mauney will be accompanied during the appearance
by a tame PBR bull named
Buckshot in order to provide
onlookers with an up-close
look at the four-legged beasts
that often steal the show.
What transpires during
the course of the Dale Jr.
Clash can be viewed on
national television via the
NBC network Saturday,
beginning at 12:30 p.m.
Each year, more than 100
million viewers tune in to the
PBR on NBC as well as Fox and
the Versus networks as well as
a host of foreign broadcast
outlets. With approximately
500 hours of prime time programming annually, PBR
ranks among the most prolific
sports on air.
Considering what could
possibly be rewarded for
doing so, hanging out the
‘Gone Fishing” sign for
participation in this weekend’s annual Lake Norman
Striper Swipers Winter
Classic won’t be viewed as
such a bad thing.
Up for grabs as the
grandest of all prizes in
what yearly ranks as the
largest major early-year
tournament to take place
on Lake Norman is the
guaranteed first-place cash
award of $1,500 that will be
presented to the one coming up with the largest
striped bass to be caught
during the event.
Registration is already
running hot and heavy for
the attraction that will be
held tomorrow (Saturday),
it doing so out of the
Queen’s Landing access
area off N.C. Highway 150
west of Mooresville. Entry
forms are available now
from any host Lake
Norman Striper Swipers
Club member as well as off
the organization’s home
web site at www.lnssfishn.com.
Cost of participating is
$100 per entry, with an
entry defined as either an
individual or a boat. One
entry fee can cover all participants in a boat, or each
angler in the group can
also enter individually.
The tournament is a big
fish affair. Only one fish
per entry will be weighed
for consideration for the
grand prize. And it’s a biggie. There is a $1,500 guaranteed payout to the single
entry landing the single
biggest striped bass during
the tournament.
Competition hours the
day of the event will be
from 6 a.m. until weigh-in
at 3 p.m. All in contention
for the top award must be
in the weigh-in line on or
before 3 p.m. No questions
asked.
There will be a captain’s
meeting for all participants beginning at 6:30
this
(Friday)
evening
before the official tournament arrives. It will be
held at Queen’s Landing. It
is held for the purpose of
pre-registration and the
confirmation of all participants. Anglers will then
again assemble at main
headquarters at Midway
Marina from 5:15-5:45 the
morning of the tournament. No lines can be put
into the water until the
official 6 a.m. starting
time.
With the $1,500 prize
assured to be rewarded,
cash awards for up to the
top 10 spots may also be
presented based on the
number of entries.
All competitors have the
option of participating in a
big fish competition as
well as a big catfish contest
that will be held in conjunction with the main
attraction.
In addition to the major
division, a Junior Division
will
also
be
held.
Registered
participants
under 16 years of age can
compete, and all juniors
must fish with a registered
parent and/or guardian.
Youth trophies will be presented to those anglers
placing in the top three
positions.
All fish caught during
the LNSS Winter Classic
must be in fresh condition
when brought to the
weigh-in scales. Fresh
condition includes clear
eyes, red gills, firm flesh,
among other criteria.
Anglers are being asked to
keep fish alive if possible
for release back to Lake
Norman. All fish must be a
minimum of 23 inches in
length.
Sportsmanship, safety,
courtesy and conservation
are all areas of emphasis
for those participating,
according
to
Striper
Swipers organizers. Any
violation of fundamental
sporting principles may
be cause for disqualification.
Anglers placing in the
top three spots are all subject to a polygraph test.
The tournament is
open to all interested
anglers, not just Lake
Norman Striper Swipers
members.
For additional details on
the LNSS Winter Classic, all
interested can contact
Tommy Messick at 704662-9362, or Dave Merritt
at 704-400-1439. Also,
information
can
be
obtained
online
at
www.lnssfishn.com.
Greater Charlotte
January 26-28
Landscape
Cabarrus Arena
& Events Center
Home &
Show
3 miles north of
Hwy 61 on Hwy 49
DEVILS: Extend NPC streak
streak from the 112-pound
to the 130-pound classes to
take control of a match that,
until that point, was up for
grabs. The guests actually
scrapped their way from
underneath a 15-6 deficit
after the first four bouts of
the night.
For the winners, logging
in with wins by pins worth
the maximum number of
team points each included
Jesse Esselman at 160
pounds, Braxton Brannon at
215 pounds, J.R Sweezy in
just 17 seconds at heavyweight, Brandon Ervin at 112
pounds, Ryan Harkey at 119
pounds, John Crisp at 130
pounds, and John Bass at
140 pounds.
Clocking in with wins by
decision for the guests featured Prath Bruton by a twopoint count in overtime at
189 pounds, and Dalton
Pierce in regulation time at
125 pounds.
Mooresville aims at locking up no worse than share
of the conference crown
when celebrating Senior
Night against Northwest
Cabarrus in the MHS gym
this (Friday) evening before
drawing the NPC segment of
its season to a close with a
visit to newest league member Carson High early next
week.
SPORTS SCHEDULE
JAN. 26-FEB. 1
TONIGHT
TUESDAY
BASKETBALL
Mooresville at
NW Cabarrus
Lake Norman
at Statesville
BASKETBALL
Carson at Mooresville
North Iredell at Lake Norman
WRESTLING
NW Cabarrus
at Mooresville
Statesville at Lake Norman
WRESTLING
Mooresville at Carson
Lake Norman at North Iredell
CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK
WEDNESDAY
WRESTLING
Mooresville at Concord
Enjoy thousands of square feet of landscaping
displays, plus the latest trends in building, remodeling,
decorating and gardening all in one place.
See Brian Santos, “The Wall Wizard,” teaching faux
finishing, painting tips and wallpapering techniques
on stage ALL 3 Days.
Winery Row – Free Wine Tasting
Pottery Row – Live Pottery-Making Demonstrations
Arts, Gifts and Gourmet Center
Come for the Exhibits…Stay for the Seminars on
landscaping, plants, building, remodeling and more.
Carolina Raptor Center presents ‘Predators From
the Sky.’
Adopt a pet from the Humane Society of Concord
Admission is good ALL weekend
Adult 17+ $7.00
16 and under free
65+ $5.00 (Friday Only)
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
2pm - 7pm
10am - 7pm
11am - 5pm
See
Brian Santos
The Wall Wizard
For a discount coupon and
more info, visit us online at
showtechnology.com
10093807
Continued from 1B
Cabarrus Arena & Events Center