The sailing team as they head out to practice (Lynsey Cichon/Cistern Sports)

If you have ever taken a cruise over the Ravenel Bridge, then you have crossed over the practice field of a team who is currently ranked No. 3 in the Sailing World’s College Rankings and were ranked as high No. 1 during the 2011 fall season. The College of Charleston coed sailing team, a team that builds their day and season around the forces of nature, is continually decorated with bushels victories and chart-topping rankings. However, this team is graced by more than just immense numerical statistic; it been privileged to roster athletes such as Samuel Stokes.

Sam Stokes as crew and Mac Mace as skipper sail during practice on the Charleston Harbor (Lynsey Cichon/Cistern Sports)

An echoing distinction of Stokes is his genuine likeness both as an athlete and a teammate. While on the docks of the J. Steward Walker Center, continuous praise follows the mention of this senior’s name. Head sailing coach Ward Cromwell was one of those to extol Stokes as a true team player.

In an afternoon of sitting down with Stokes, early in the sailing season, it became obvious that Stokes has the ability to, quite simply, take life in stride and enjoy the journey as much as destination.

Stokes has been with CofC all four years of his college career and now is soaking up the last bit of his time at the College. “I’m just trying to enjoy everything,” said Stokes. “I’ve been fighting to be a starter for the last couple years and it’s just been fun trying to get everyone better; myself and the team,”

From a young age Stokes, with the company of his dad and brothers, has been refining his skills as a sailor. “Our dad got us in the boat at probably four or five,” said Stokes.

Starting from freshman year Stokes sailed as a crew member for CofC and at this time he managed to place first in two regattas and place within top five in six additional regattas.

Stokes achievements grew as time was invested on the water and his skills increased. By sophomore

Sam Stokes during a day at practice, fulfilling the duties as a crew member (Lynsey Cichon/Cistern Sports)

year Stokes was able to fill the role as either a skipper or crew member. During his second year Stokes and the team reclaimed a SAISA Team Race Championship victory; Stokes served as a crew member to help win the title.  Following that he raced in the ISCA National Championship East Semifinals where he placed second in the B-Division.

By junior year Stokes was a skipper in the A-Division in the SAISA Spring Coed Championships, where he was able to place third. Stokes, again, took third but this time as a crew member in the ICSA/APS Team Race National Championship. Mid-season of his junior year he place first in the A-Division of the 2011 Truxtun Umsted regatta as crew.

Stokes has been a part of a momentous era in the CofC sailings history. One of these memorable moments for the team was this past year when CofC competed in two intersection regattas.

“We went out the first weekend. We had two intersectional’s up in the north east, which are regattas where every district comes and sails,” said Stokes. “We won both of those that weekend and we were one of the only teams who could have done that in the last 10 years, probably. We were just so psyched. It’s great; we’ve just been getting better every year.”

Now the senior Stokes finishes up, what has been, a memorable season for the No. 3 ranked Cougars. Again CofC won the 2012 SAISA Team Race Championships and have the ICSA Team Race National Championship in their sights.

During sailing season the commitment is fairly extensive and tactical.

“We practice three days a week, which might be less than a lot of the teams,” says Stokes. “We start in September and go to November 20th. It’s super a long season, it’s a marathon so you don’t need to be super intense and practice every single day. You just want to learn something each day you go to practice.”

The sailing team makes way toward the Cooper River Bridge as they head toward their practice spot (Lynsey Cichon/Cistern Sports)

Practice is not the only thing that takes up much of an athlete’s life; travel is also an extensive portion of an athlete’s life. While traveling to the different regattas throughout the year Stokes says that the competition is often against people you have sailed with before and have known for years.

“You know everybody on the circuit and you grew up sailing with a lot of the kid.” Stokes went on to add. “It’s fun to race against your old friends.”

As senior year concludes and graduation sits on the horizon, Stokes noted just how much of a bond his class has with one another. “My class, we’ve been best friends, for the past three and a half, now four year.”

For each of the seniors, who now depart from their four year investment at CofC, the journey varies. Some sailors may continue with Olympic Campaigns but for Stokes, someone whose takes life in stride, he is happy to admit, “I’ll be a weekend sailing sailor; finding the rig in my time off.”

CLEMSON, S.C. – College of Charleston’s pitching staff threw a gem on Monday to guide the Cougars to a 4-2 win over Clemson at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

Cougar starter Matt Pegler (8-2) earned his eighth win of the season as he helped College of Charleston (32-15) bounce back from a 12-3 defeat on Sunday night. Pegler pitched 6.0 innings, allowing just two runs and five hits while striking out two batters.

Senior Kyle Owings finished the game with a near-perfect three-inning performance, giving up just one hit and one walk in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to earn his second save of the season.

Daniel Aldrich hit his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot in the fourth inning that tied the game. Rob Harding finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Bradley Goodson notched two hits and scored a run. Brandon Glazer extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single, as he would eventually come around to steal home in the fourth.

Clemson (28-20) starter Jonathan Meyer (2-4) was tagged with the loss as he went 5.1 IP with four runs, two earned, while allowing seven hits. Leadoff batter Steve Wilkerson notched two hits with an RBI and a run.

“I was really proud of our team as they fought hard and took a win today,” head coach Monte Lee said. “Matt Pegler pitched really well and Kyle Owings finished strong. Our defense made some big plays for us, and we had some timely hitting. We have to keep working hard to get to where we want to be at the end of the season.”

The Cougars scored first for the first time this weekend as Goodson singled and Aldrich doubled in the first inning. Goodson came around to score as the Tiger right-fielder mishandled the ball and Aldrich advanced to third base.

Clemson retook the lead in the third inning with its only runs of the game. Jason Stolz drew a two-out walk and Wilkerson doubled him home. After a walk from Thomas Brittle, Richie Shaffer singled to score Wilkerson from second and Clemson went ahead 2-1.

Aldrich tied the game in the next half-inning with a solo home run to right center. The Cougars were not done, however, as Glazer hit a two-out single and advanced to third on an error. College of Charleston then took the lead as they pulled a double-steal attempt and Glazer stole home with Tyler Jackson occupying the Tiger infielders between first and second.

Harding added the final Cougar run in the sixth inning as he singled to right center and scored Goodson from second base to make the score 4-2.

The Cougar defense played solidly down the stretch, making key plays in the infield to stymie Clemson on several situations with runners in scoring position.

Owings stayed on in the ninth inning and worked around a two-out walk to pick up his second save of the season.

The win was the first for the College of Charleston in the all-time series against Clemson (1-17).

The Cougars will return home on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game against Savannah State. Left-handed pitcher Jake Zokan will take the mound for his first start this season.

The women's intramural basketball team champions. Top row left: Megan Federline, Sattin Young, Bronwen Phillips, Jessica Raymond, Abby Frye. Second row left: Lauren Arnott, Carly Good(Freddie Lipata/Campus Rec)

At roughly 9pm, when George St seems desolate and quite, the Johnson Center is just gearing up. Many College of Charleston students gather together to formulate teams to participate in their choice sport(s). Campus Recreation Services, also known as Campus Rec, offers a plethora of sports for people to join in such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, kickball, etc.

Recently the College of Charleston intramural basketball teams competed in the Charleston Cup Basketball Tournament which consisted of numerous top intramural basketball teams from Charleston Southern University, The Citadel, and the College of Charleston. The victors of the men and women’s basketball tournament were both from the CofC.

The members of the women’s championship team were: Abby Frye, Lauren Arnott, Carly Good, Megan Federline, Jessica Raymond, Sattin Young, Bronwen Phillips and Sonny McFarland. The men’s championship roster consisted of: Dylan Nadeau, Taylor Locklear, Zack Mills, Thai Phi, Wes Spears and Chris White.

The playoffs and the championship games were played in the Brewer Center at Charleston Southern University, but the build up to these championship games all this took place in the Johnson Center, where CofC students were competing with one another during the winter season.

The men gather around their trophy after winning the championship. Left: Taylor Locklear, Chris White, Dylan Nadeau, Wes Spears, Zach Mills.(Freddie Lipata/Campus Rec)

The hustle behind the intramural basketball league is obvious once entering the gym. The vitality to play basketball among friends and new acquaintances is palpable with the squeaking sound of gym shoes tracking the floor and the ring of voices calling to each other during the games. Spectators can even be heard cheering their friends on from the second deck of the gym as they watch the basketball games. With two basketball games in operation at once at the Johnson Center, it is quite obvious that CofC is nestled in a town of basketball enthusiasts.

During the Charleston Cup Basketball Tournament two CofC men’s teams, that participated in the tournament, ended up facing each other in the semi finals. However, with great sportsmanship in the program, there were no signs of hard feelings between the teams after having to compete against each other for the title.

Note these games are not prepared with playbooks and intense practices. Instead they are a gathering of people who like the game and are looking for a place to shoot hoops, be active, and take a reprieve from the school grind. Even members from the teams who played in the championships noted that they just gather with other students to shoot hoops without much prep behind any given game.

Campus Rec continues to be an outlet for anyone with a desire to hit the gym and meet some new faces in the process. With its welcoming atmosphere there is no doubt that Campus Rec will again hold great memories, such as bringing home winners from the Charleston Cup Basketball Tournament, for 2012-2013.

In-Studio Performance: 

Check out our interview with Charleston’s own quintessential traveling blues woman, Bridget Vogel!

Interview on April 16, 2012 by Britnee Leysen.

In the first CofC win against the two time defending national champions since 2007, the Cougars proved that a small school can top even champions. In the typical College fashion, the team took the early lead thanks to a double by Marty Gantt (North Augusta, SC) and then a home run by Daniel Aldrich (Mount Pleasant, SC) to make the score 2-0 going into the bottom of the first. A homer a piece in the second and third innings, to Brandon Glazer (Hagerstown, MD) and Bradley Goodson (Jacksonville, FL) respectively, gave the definitive lead that would win the game for the Cougars. South Carolina would go on to score three runs, but the combined efforts of pitchers Ryan West (Glen Allen, VA), Josh Renfro (Bradenton, FL), and David Peterson (Walnut Creek, CA) staved the Gamecocks off and assured that the win would go to Charleston.

A cross town rivalry set up the last home SoCon series of the season, with the Citadel Bulldogs coming from across town to try their hand at defeating the Cougars. The game didn’t start quite as easily as usual, however, as the Citadel managed to score in the second and the third with no opposition, giving them the early lead of 2-0. The bottom of the third showed a team that was ready for some revenge, with a sacrifice fly by Jimmy Holton (West Palm Beach, FL) bringing in the first of many runners for the inning. Hits by Gantt and Goodson furthered the score and gave the College the lead, with a single by Brandon Murray (Nassau, Bahamas) finishing out the scoring for the inning at 4-2. The Cougars didn’t stop there though as they continued to mount the score through the next four innings as the Bulldogs attempted and failed to even up the game. The forth saw Gantt’s double bringing in two runners, with a single by Gunnar Heidt (Garden City, SC) in the fifth bringing in one and a single by Rob Harding (Columbia, SC) in the 6th bringing in another. The Citadel managed one more run in the eighth and ninth, but it was not nearly enough to top the Cougars with the game finishing at 8-4.

The second game of the series went even smoother for the College as two solo homers in the bottom of the first to Gantt and Murray brought the score to 2-0. The Bulldogs managed a run in the second, but the College quickly reciprocated with a run of their own thanks to a single by Goodson. The game remained quiet on both sides for three innings until CofC made a decisive move in the sixth to take the game. A single by Devon Reed (Lincoln, DE) and a hit by Murray bringing in three runs, making the score 6-1. A single by Goodson in the eighth added to the lead, with a feeble attempt by the Citadel to make a comeback adding only one run to their score, finishing the game at 7-2.

The win didn’t come quite so easy on Sunday’s game, with it taking an incredible 11 innings to finally determine the winner. A single by Harding started off the game in the top of the first by giving the cougars a run, but the bulldogs were quick to match and then beat this, putting them over the College for the first time of the series. Yet another single to Harding tied up the game in the third, with a single from Goodson and a sacrifice hit by Murray bringing the score to 4-2. The College added what should have been an insurance run in fifth with Holton’s ground out bringing the score 5-2.

In a frightening turn of events, the Citadel exploded in the 6th inning, scoring three runs and putting the game back into jeopardy with a score of 5-5. For the next four innings the game remained deadlocked, with only four hits allowed across them. Finally, in the bottom of the 11th, a single by Harding nabbed the game and allowed the College the sweep of the series with a final score of 6-5.

The team next plays this weekend away in a SoCon series against Western Carolina. The Cougars will not play at home again until Tue, May 8th against Savannah State at 6pm.

The Buccaneers wasted no time getting on the board on Wednesday’s first game, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first against CofC pitcher Stephanie Saylors (Easley, SC). However, despite this early lead, CSU’s offense remained stymied for the next three innings, allowing a solo home run by Mackenzie Maples (Corona, CA) to edge the College forward in hopes of evening the match. A two run hit from CSU in the sixth proved insurmountable though, and the College was forced to concede defeat with a score of 6-1.

The team looked to make a comeback in the second game of the day, even taking an early lead thanks to a solo home run by Lizzy Vaughn (Placerville, CA) in the first and building upon that in the second with a solo homer by Kelsey Hodgson (Woodstock, GA). The Buccaneers quickly evened it up in the bottom of the second with two runs of their own, but the College fought back. The Cougars reclaimed the lead with a single by Amanda Lonergran (Pembrooke Pines, FL) brining in Carly Corthell (Reno, NV), making the score 3-2. CSU matched this quickly as well with a run of their own in the fourth. For an inning and a half the score remained dead locked, though CSU was ultimately able to walk away with another victory thanks to an explosive sixth inning where the team managed three more runs, finishing the game at 6-3.

The weekend SoCon series featured UNC-Greensboro, with the double header getting under way on Saturday, Apr 21st. CofC pitcher Saylors and UNCG pitcher Mattson kept the game completely shut down for the first four innings, with only three hits allowed across all the innings. In the bottom of the fifth the Cougars finally broke through, with a hit by Hodgson brining in two runners and making the score 2-0. Though the game seemed assured, the Spartans weren’t going without a fight, and managed five runs in the top of the sixth, largely in thanks to a home run scored. With this the scoring finished for the game, making it a win for the Spartans at 5-2.

The second game of the day saw the Cougars finally get their due. Once again the game remained completely locked for the first four innings, with the first runs coming from the Cougars in the fifth with a double by Hodgson and a single by Lonergan bringing in a run a piece, making the score 2-0. Here, however, is where the similarities end, as pitcher Hope Klicker (Walla Walla, WA) resolutely kept the Spartans off the scoreboard, allowing the College to walk away with the 2-0 win.

Sunday should have seen the deciding game played, but the game was cancelled due to the rain that plagued Charleston and Mount Pleasant. The team won’t play again until May 5th against Elon in an away match up.

Tom Delme, Kyle Parker, and Crescente Lesser were the singles winners for the Cougars to advance to the finals of the SoCon Tournament.

Senior Delme played the pinnacle match and after a 6-2 and 6-4 set win over Alex Christ of Furman the Cougar took their season one step further.

Alon Faiman and Stephen Hardy played a doubles match against Jacob Behal and Luke Synn, winning the match, 8-1. This was followed by a doubles win for Tom Delme and Billy Kenny, 8-3.

“I thought we played really well and with a lot of energy at No. 3 and No. 2 doubles,” Bruner said. “It really rolled over to every match in singles. I think the guys were prepared. They took care of the things they needed to do in both rounds. Today, we took care of the matches we could and spent less than three hours on the court. I think that will help us going into the finals against a good Samford team.”

The Cougars will continue play tomorrow against the No. 2 team in the SoCon, Samford. Each team has a mirror record of 17-4 and, for the second in a row, will compete for the SoCon Championship title. The match is set to start at 10 am at Patriots Point.

This was the first time the two teams have met in semifinals of the SoCon Tournament. Cougar victors, in the singles matches were: Christin Newman, Kelly Kambourelis, Caroline Newman, Samantha Maddox, Jenny Falcone and Katie Lee

“It was a great match by Furman,” CofC Director of Tennis Angelo Anastopoulo said. “They gave us everything we could handle. All of the players from both the College of Charleston and Furman deserve a lot of credit for their flexibility and the Southern Conference for giving both teams the opportunity to compete in this match. Thank you also to the Charleston Tennis Center for allowing us to get this match in before the bad weather. Overall, it was just a great performance by us. We won two matches today that we lost the last time we played Furman.”

Playing in the No. 2 player Kambourelis found herself buried after the first set, 1-6; but bounced out of trouble with back to back victory sets, 6-1 and 6-4, to finish out her win.

Kambourelis finished up third in the singles to push the Cougars to 3-0 out of six sets.

Right after Kambourelis victory was Samantha Maddox’s, also with a 2-1 victory. Maddox defeated Margaret Boyette after rallying back from a second set loss, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

The Finals will be a repeat of last year’s final where the Cougar will take on the No. 1 team in the SoCon, Samford. The match will be played at the Tennis Center at Patriots Point and is set to start at 10am.

Bill McKibben spoke to students and the community April 5, 2012 in the Sottile Theatre.

Bill McKibben, noted environmental writer and journalist, stretches his legs and takes a sip from his plastic Nestle water bottle.  He just flew in to Charleston to speak and notes the obvious contradiction in his message.

McKibben said, “I wish I wasn’t travelling.  I’d rather be saving energy at my own home in Vermont, but I recognize the importance of organizing around this cause.”

He describes himself as a writer who now seems to spend most of his time organizing rather than writing.

Author, Educator and Environmentalist

On Thursday April 5., McKibben spoke to college students and members of the College of Charleston community.  The lecture was provided by the Office of Sustainability, the Environmental Studies program, the Master of Science Environmental Studies program, and the Citadel as part of Sustainability Week.

It was also the 10^th Annual Conrad D. Festa Community Lecture in Science and Mathematics.

McKibben travelled to various colleges and universities this Spring to speak on global warming and the actions that should be taken for the well being of our planet.

He said, “Because I’ve travelled around the world spewing carbon behind me…I can honestly say it’s not over.”

McKibben mentioned that recent weather patterns and extreme changes are making individuals more aware of global warming and notes that the number of non-believers is shrinking.

However, he also said, “We’re losing, we’re definitely not winning.”

In order to reduce the burning of gas and oil, he stressed the importance of recognizing that fossil fuel is such a big part of our lives.  We will never have as much money as the oil industry.

McKibben describes global warming as the “biggest thing that’s ever happened in human history.”

He believes such an important issue requires immediate attention.  It is too late to stop global warming and it will only continue, but we must do our part in any way possible.

Notable works, and movement

350.org organizers demonstrate in Paris, France on Oct. 24, 2009.

McKibben is an established author of 14 books and has been writing for the past 20 years.  His first book The End of Nature was published in 1989.

One of his most recent books, Eaarth, was written as a guide to live on a planet that has been altered by climate change.

McKibben said, “I changed the title around to stress the shift occurring in the World.”

Some of the most notable changes are weather and environmental extremes.  McKibben mentioned that Earth is 4% wetter than it was 30 years ago, and its water sources are 30% more acidic as a result of carbon absorption in the atmosphere.

Aside from his written works, McKibben plays a large role in organizing a movement to combat global warming.

He said, “It’s [organizing] something that’s much more of an art than a science.”

McKibben founded the global grassroots movement 350.org in 2007.  It originally consisted of 7 students, representing each of the 7 continents, and their goal was to solve the climate crisis.

One of the successful events held was a day of organizing on Oct. 24, 2009.  On this day 5,200 rallies took place simultaneously in 181 countries to promote global warming awareness.

Many of these demonstrations took place in developing countries such as Ethiopia or the Maldives, with the goal of putting a stop to the notion that “environmentalism is for rich white people who have already solved all their other problems.”

McKibben also said, “It’s their future that’s at stake – they’re the majority of the population.”

Another day of organization will be held this May called Connect the Dots.  Through this day 350.org hopes to emphasize the importance of understanding the emerging pattern of climate change so action can be taken.

McKibben said, “This isn’t just a great practical dilemma, it’s an enormous moral dilemma too because the people who are being hurt by this the most had no part in causing any of it.”

Demonstrators rally in Ciudad de Mexico.

Hope for the future

McKibben’s message denotes that a call for action is necessary.

He encourages the development of new programs and organizations, mentioning the huge success of the creation of the Office of Sustainability on campus.

McKibben said, “Colleges are places where we should be demonstrating what’s possible.”

Although he acknowledges the importance of local movements, such as the large local food presence in Charleston, McKibben also stresses that these small steps are not enough.

He said, “I wish I could tell you that’s all we had to do…the trouble is we can’t just work at the local level because it’s being overwhelmed by the changes around us.”

McKibben stresses the need to act globally, for the future.

He said, “We don’t think college students should be the common fire…it’s nice to see some of us who have spent all of our lives emitting carbon into the atmosphere stepping up to the challenge.”

In terms of the movement, its goals and the challenges it faces, McKibben looks forward to standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight and believes that successful efforts can only emerge from unity.

He compares solving the climate crisis to the Manhattan Project because collaboration and cooperation are vital to its success.