Let’s

Go

Wildcats

It‟s no secret that the

FVSU Wildcats haven‟t de-

feated the Albany State

Golden Rams in nearly a dec-

ade.

However, FVSU‟s

win this year brought much

celebration to the students and

staff of FVSU. Many people

were overwhelmed by the

victory while others cele-

brated the entire weekend

and basked in the triumph.

The Wildcats took

home the glory in a 35-13

landslide defeat, during the

20th Annual Fountain City

Classic in Columbus, Ga.

Unfortunately, the

6-4 record was not enough

to secure a place in the

2009-2010 SIAC playoffs.

FVSU Defensive

line coach, Vernon Dean

believes that this is just the

beginning of a long line of

victories for FVSU.

“We‟re going to change the

culture at Fort Valley and

create an environment for

winning,” said Dean.

Photo courtesy of Terrence Wolfork, Wildcats &

President Rivers celebrating. celebrating.

According to Coach

Dean, FVSU‟s win against

ASU was not a fluke. “We

matched up well with Al-

bany…We know what it

takes to win.” Dean also

stated that the Wildcats

have many talented recruits

that were required to sit this

season out. He stated that

he is confident that they

will go to the playoffs next

season. “We have a staff

full of world championship

winning coaches.”

The confidence

expressed by the coach may

be a sign of the team‟s fu-

ture fate. According to the

coaches and fans alike, the

future looks very bright for

FVSU.

The Fort valley win Brings Life to the Valley;

But Is It Everlasting?

By James Olivier

It Takes Two...Or Does It Really? By Kelsey Cowan

What if you were

in the highlight of your

athletic career and you

realized your irresponsi-

ble actions may have cost

you, your entire season.

How would you cope?

For Chantelle

Chiles it‟s a day- to-day

process. Chantelle played

tennis for three years for

Fort Valley State Univer-

sity, because of preg-

nancy Chiles is unable to

play her senior year.

Three months ago,

Chantelle found out she was

pregnant. “I was shocked! I

never thought in a million

years I would become preg-

nant....at least not now,” said

Chiles. “If it wasn‟t for ten-

nis I probably wouldn‟t be

able to attend school.”

Chantelle knew her preg-

nancy would affect not only

her but her teammates as

well.

Building

Relationships

2

Walk-On Athletes 2

Sports and The 2

Blue Machine 3

Baseball At FVSU 3

P.H.A.S.E.S 3

Inside this issue:

The PlayBook

December 2009 Sports Edition Volume 1, Issue 1

Before speaking to

her Coach Willie Foster she

was slightly worried about

losing her scholarship.

There are no formal

rules in the National Colle-

giate Athletic Association

(NCAA) about pregnancy;

it‟s really up to the athletic

department and sometimes

the coach to implement a

policy.

Coach Willie Foster

feels student-athletes have

responsibilities when mak-

ing decisions concerning

their athletic career. “If

Chiles fulfills her obliga-

tions athletically, she will

not lose her scholarship,”

said Foster.

Chantelle‟s actions

may have been irresponsi-

ble but she still has an op-

portunity to keep her

scholarship and support

her team in the next sea-

son.

About 18-24 players

try out for FVSU‟s basket-

ball team each year. Only

less than ten percent are

successful. “Tryouts are

given in advance of official

practices,” said Gosier.

“We want to give everyone

a fair chance.”

“„Prior preparation is

important, which includes,

physical conditioning,

though, the skills should be

at or near maximum abili-

ties,” Gosier added.

The FVSU athletic program is

one of the keys that have been forged

from this 'communiversity' relation-

ship. "We have a strong relationship

with FVSU, and we are aware of what

they expect from their recruits." said

Joel Thame, Peach County Middle

School teacher and assistant coach of

the Peach County High football team.

"Some families simply cannot afford

to send their kid to college, athletics

gives these kids a chance," added

Thame.

Dr. K Daniel Dawsey,

pastor of Central Union Mission-

ary Baptist Church in Fort Val-

ley, greeted his former football

teammates during Homecoming

2009. His teammates traveled

from all across the country, even

one former teammate from Can-

ada, to reminisce about their col-

legiate sports days.

When students partici-

pate in collegiate sports, they

gain the true understanding of

the phrase “blood, sweat, and

tears.” Throughout all the nega-

tive and positive experiences

student-athletes endure, they

gain friendships.

More Than A Sport While a student

at FVSC, from 1968 to 1972, Dr.

Dawsey participated in football,

track, and baseball. “You spend

time with the guys in the weight

room, on the field, the study hall

and in the dorms. In a given day

you spend perhaps 18 hours of

your time with them,” said Dr.

Dawsey.

Even after his college years were

over, the bonds with his team-

mates are just as strong as they

were 37 years ago. “One of my

former teammates lives in At-

lanta and once a month he comes

to our (church) services. He says

because of our relationship that

we develop playing football, he

trusts me,” said Dr. Dawsey.

The perks of playing sports are great

memories, but the relationships last forever.

Fort Valley State Univer-

sity's President Larry Rivers coined

the word 'communiversity', a term

which describes the impact the uni-

versity and community can have on

one another when working in unison.

Many potential Wildcats are

met by a locked door when it comes

to furthering their education. The

main barrier is usually based on fi-

nances.

Kaylon Grubbs, a graduate of

Warner Robins High School was ex-

cited but somewhat unsure of his transi-

tion. "I didn't know exactly where I was

going to go to college,” said Grubbs.

Kaylon received an athletic

scholarship to FVSU, which helped his

family tremendously. The idea that is

represented through the term

'communiversity' has truly been realized

through FVSU‟s athletic program.

Communiversity Athletics

letic director, Wilson Gosier,

“Players trying out for the

basketball team must demon-

strate physical ability, ath-

letic skills, mental tough-

ness, and perform academi-

cally under the rigor of the

athletic competition on the

collegiate level.”

The National Colle-

giate Athletic Association

and the Special Immigration

Appeals Commission re-

quires no more than fifteen

practice before the first

game.

Page 2 The Playbook

By Graylin Taylor

Dr. K Daniel Dawsey

Photo Courtesy of

www.centralunion.net

Walk-On Team or

Run-Off Dream

A walk-on is a

player who was not offered

a scholarship, but shows up

for tryouts in hopes of mak-

ing the team.

In order to become

a successful walk-on, you

must meet the maximum

criteria.

According to FVSU‟s ath-

By Demetrius Hillman

By Anthony Hornick

“I tried out once, my freshman

year,” said Jamaal Deon Tay-

lor. “I think it was about 15-

20 players trying out along

with me. I just knew I was

going to make it. That year, I

did not succeed.”

To have a better

chance of walking on a team,

you should call the coaches,

tell them who you are, rather

than showing up unannounced,

and you may have a better

chance of making the team

than somebody else.

as easy as it may look. There

are usually two practices

throughout the day. The first

practice begins at 5am and ends

at 9am and the second practice

begins at 6pm and ends at 10pm.

“They are long but productive.

That’s why we do so well at half-

time it’s a breeze.” said Brandon

“Bryd” Peterson a trumpet

player in BMMB.

The BMMB does just as

much physical activity as a regu-

lar sport team . The students

who are apart of the marching

band are physically and men-

tally challenged everyday. “ We

are required to maintain a fit

and healthy body and also a

good GPA. We try our best to

aim for a 4.0 grade point aver-

age, we have study hall. We

also have to stay in shape

throughout the season and

year round.”

ate coordinator for campus life, the

head coach. Peterson takes pride in not

only teaching the young ladies lessons

for the moment, but life lessons that can

carry and apply in the future. “ Not

only do these young ladies excel on the

dance floor, they are implored by me to

focus well on the way they A.C.T.

which is the 3 principles the team is

built on, academics, citizenship, and

talent,” said Peterson.

The young ladies are randomly

given progress reports and also have

numerous study halls to make sure that

they set an example as students for other

Basketball season has arrived

and while the players run plays and

practice their free throws, there is an-

other team preparing for the game.

Perfection Has a Sense of

Elegance and Style, also known as

P.H.A.S.E.S. is what FVSU‟s basket-

ball dance team. This year, the squad

consists of 21 women , who are aim-

ing for one goal, to rock the floor at

halftime.

P. J. Peterson, FVSU associ-

student

body

members.

Often

times,

you find

a dance

team full

of talent, where dancing is most im-

portant, but Peterson stresses that

school comes first.

As the season continues, at

the end of the 1st half, before you get

up to grab a bite to eat, remember

that HALFTIME IS GAMETIME!

Musical Sport By Gabrielle Fanning

You’re sitting in the

stands in the new Wildcat Sta-

dium, the crowd is cheering, and

going wild it’s officially halftime!

Here they come marching

in the center of the field wearing

their royal blue and old gold uni-

forms. The Blue Machine March-

ing Band (BMMB) is ready to

perform.

They performed the

crowd’s favorite tunes along with

a dynamic dance routine. The

show was a success! But it’s not

Halftime Is Gametime By KeAn‟drea Smith

a feasibility study which would analyze

the probability that a Wildcat ballclub

would be a success. “We have been dis-

cussing baseball for quite sometime

now, we believe that many of our stu-

dents are interested in baseball at fort

valley,” said Gosier.

According to FVSU President,

Dr. Larry Rivers, there is a demand for

baseball, but because of the lack of

funds, it would have to be put on hold.

According to Gosier, the FVSU

athletic department would have to add

one or possibly two women‟s sports to

be in compliance with Title 9 under the

National Collegiate Athletic Association

(NCAA) gender equality clause. The

supplementary female sports to be

added are unknown at the time.

However, the popular assump-

tion is that if funds are attained, there

will be a baseball team. Gosier noted

that the athletic club is prepared to com-

pose a “club-baseball” team which is

essentially a team that participates in a

conference (SIAC) intramural league.

If approved, FVSU can expect

to see a club team in ac-

tion as early as the

spring of 2010.

For several months there‟s

been speculation of a men‟s baseball

team coming back to Fort Valley

State‟s athletic program. For years

fans, students, and alumni longed to

have America‟s favorite pastime at

FVSU.

Wilson Gosier, FVSU‟s ath-

letic director has appointed a Consid-

erable Interest Committee to conduct

Photo courtesy of Brandon Peter-

son, The Blue Machine Marching

Band.

Sports Edition Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3

Baseball at FVSU, Homerun or

Strike-out? By Imhotep Mujahid

P.H.A.S.E.S 2009 – 2010

Cheerleaders deal with a lot of

strenuous activities causing them to be

exposed to injuries. According to the

National Center for Catastrophic Sport

Injury Research, cheerleading is the No.

-1 cause of serious sports injuries to

women. Unlike football, baseball or any

other sport that requires protective gear;

however cheerleading doesn‟t. Emer-

gency room visits are part of the norm

for the when risking t all to keep the

fans hopeful an in high spirits.

Cheerleaders, like any other

college athlete, have certain require-

ments that they have to maintain in or-

der to cheer. Society has portrayed

cheerleaders to be beauty with no

brains. Cheering for the first time at

FVSU, sophomore, LaQuesha Lovejoy

understands that having the brains is

much more important than living up to

any stereotypes that may categorize her

as well as her team. “I‟m a student first,

then an athlete,” said Lovejoy. Studying

Standing back flips, full

layout twists and basket toss are all

in a day‟s work for the cheerlead-

ers at The Fort Valley State Uni-

versity.

There are a lot of positions

that require strength, coordination,

flexibility and athleticism, but peo-

ple still wonder if cheerleading is a

real sport. “I know it‟s a sport,”

said FVSU cheerleading coach

Tony Morris, who has been coach-

ing for thirteen years. “It depends

on where you‟re from and what

type of cheerleading you‟ve seen

because when you see programs

where they‟re incorporating gym-

nastic skills then that‟s a sport.

Literally one mistake could cause

someone their life.”

and completing all of her assignments be-

fore practice, shows that Lovejoy knows

the importance of having high-quality time

management skills.

LaQuesha Lovejoy considers

cheering a sport on all levels, “I don‟t un-

derstand why people would say cheerlead-

ing isn‟t a sport. We compete like any

other sport.” Having to trust someone with

your life while being tossed in the air, tum-

bles and having almost perfect equilibrium

isn‟t part of your everyday sports team but

there are still those who question if cheer-

leading is a sport.

Is Cheerleading a

Go or No?

Advisor

Chata M. Spikes

Managing Editor

Gabrielle Fanning

Layout Editor

KeAn‟drea Smith

Copy Editor

Chelsea Spear

Writers

Kelsey Cowan

Gabrielle Fanning

Demetrius Hillman

Anthony Hornick

Tondala Kargbo

Imhotep Mujahid

James Olivier

KeAn‟drea Smith

Chelsea Spear

Graylin Taylor

Fort Valley State

University

1005 State University Drive

Fort Valley, GA

31030

Phone : 478-925-6211

www. fvsu.edu

Tennis Anyone : A Tribute to Coach Lewis

Special thanks to Martinique Pinder and Mr.Roundtree

Stacey Lambert.

Coach Lewis‟s death

inspired the team and

brought them together.

Coach Lewis always said,

“This is our year to bring

the champion ship trophy

home.”

Shortly after his death,

the Lady Wildcats com-

peted in the Southern Inter-

collegiate Athletic Confer-

ence (SIAC) Tournament

held at Morehouse College

in Atlanta. The team

played off of emotions and

heart. Before the matches

began, there was a heartfelt

meeting of all the players

on the court. The team

members touched Coach

Lewis‟s tennis racquet and

agreed to do their very best

in his memory.

The Lady Wildcats de-

feated Benedict College in

the first match. The final

match came down to the #1

seeded Tuskegee Institute

The 2009 tennis

season took an unexpected

turn for the Lady Wildcats,

after the loss of one of

their devoted coaches.

Coach Eugene

Lewis, an FVSC graduate,

devoted ten years to the

sport he loved. “He did so

much for the tennis team

as well as the athletic de-

partment. He was like a

big brother to me,” said

Head Coach Willie Foster.

The team was dev-

astated when they received

the news that Coach Lewis

passed away after suffer-

ing a massive heart attack.

“Coach Lewis was like a

father to me, he wasn‟t just

a tennis coach he was also

a mentor. I know how

much he wanted us to win

the championship, and I

planned to do my best as

captain and lead the

women‟s team to victory,”

said former tennis player

By Chelsea Spear

By Tondala Kargbo

FVSU Cheerleaders

and #2 seeded Fort Val-

ley State Wildcats. “We

played the best tennis we

had played all season,

even though we fell

short. I know that Coach

Lewis was there in spirit

and was proud of the

girl‟s effort, said Coach

Willie Foster.”

“Together We

Stand, Divided We Fall,

All for One, One for All,

Wildcats!

Coach Eugene Lewis

Photo Courtesy of

Coach Foster