Terry Fox legacy extends into North Carolina

The first-ever Terry Fox Run will take place in North Carolina on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at NC State University's Centennial Campus. It will be the first time that I will be directly involved in helping to operate such an event and one that has a personal significance to me. Growing up in Canada, I was only ten years old when Terry Fox, a Canadian amputee runner who lost his leg to cancer began the 'Marathon of Hope' in 1980.

Terry vowed to raise awareness and funds for cancer research by running across Canada twenty-six miles at a time - a marathon a day. He inspired so many Canadians back then every day as news of his run and his appearance in towns and cities brought increasing interest and support. Terry ran 143 consecutive days and was two-thirds of the way across the country until it was discovered that cancer had spread to his lungs, cutting his 'Marathon of Hope' short. He was honored with the Order of Canada, the highest distinction of honor that a Canadian citizen is awarded with. His run and his life ended too soon, but his legacy endures and enters its 30th year.

The Terry Fox Run not only takes place in towns and cities across Canada every year, but they are now organized internationally in over 35 countries. It is an honor that Judith Fox-Alder, Executive Director of the Terry Fox Foundation, is in Raleigh to kick-off this event locally. Terry's legacy was honored last night after the Durham Bulls International League playoff game at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park (DBAP) in Durham, NC. It was a great sight seeing Terry Fox running on the video screen on the 'Blue Monster' wall preceding a great fireworks display. It truly shows that support for such a great legacy can be shared and supported in many different places.

To learn more about Terry Fox, go to: www.terryfox.org

View Terry's story by ESPN (2008) 

Terry Fox is also the subject of an updated and upcoming ESPN 30 for 30 feature directed and produced by NBA star Steve Nash - Into the Wind.

Honoring courage and meeting great people

It is not everyday that you get the opportunity to meet people who make a difference and allow you to become energized about what they do, but about what you can do as well. I had the great honor of reaching down into my Canadian roots and meeting such individuals recently. In working with the Canadian Expat Network (a great site for Canadian news and content outside of Canada) and president Sean Mitton, the first-ever Terry Fox Run will be held in North Carolina on Sunday, September 12 at NC State University's Centennial Campus. It is an honor to be able to have a part in operating this first-time event, but the most gratifying part of it all has been in getting to meet some great people involved with it.

Judith Fox-Alder, Executive Director of the Terry Fox Foundation, is in Raleigh to help kick-off the Terry Fox Run in Raleigh. Through the hard work and efforts of Sean, Judith's trip to the area has allowed me to get the opportunity to meet a person who is working hard to carry on the legacy of a great Canadian and her brother, Terry Fox. In meeting Judi and watching how she maintains the ability to champion her brother's cause and managing the emotional impact of doing so every day, I witness the persona of someone who can truly take things in stride in managing a multi-million dollar foundation, and a busy family life.

In addition to meeting Judi, I also had the opportunity to meet Mark Demontis, a legally blind hockey player and founder of Courage Canada, an organization devoted to creating programs to teach visually-impaired individuals the skills of hockey. Mark has put together a truly great cause and program to maintain his love of hockey and share it with others who may not get the opportunity to do so. Mark will also be at the Terry Fox Run on Sunday as he is a strong supporter of the event and cause, as many are.

We'll all be there on Sunday, September 12, 2010 for the first-ever Terry Fox Run in Raleigh, NC on the NC State University Centennial Campus. Registration begins at 8 am and the non-competitive run/walk begins at 9 am.

College athletics administrators trying to beat everyone to the punch

Should it be surprising that there are so many issues surrounding college athletics programs today?

This is not a new problem, and it is one that is easier to get information about instantly and constantly than in the past. That is why you will see many more press conferences and interviews being held by athletics administrators around the country to break the news themselves.Silence in these situations is not advisable. University of North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour did just that on Wednesday. He beat everyone to punch and stated that "we will have some violations."

NCAA Violation 2010: What an NCAA violation looks like

Local blogs can stop hypothesizing if UNC will be cited for NCAA rules infractions. Baddour has stated that they will. Part of the fire has been doused, but there is still much more to fan the fire with. Some questions that many will be asking and have been talking about already:

• How bad will the violations and potential sanctions be?
• Will Butch Davis be fired?
• Will Dick Baddour retire?
• Will Chancellor Thorp step down?

The University of North Carolina athletics department is undergoing an NCAA investigation and a public-relations nightmare that it never would have expected considering its history as a successful academic and athletic institution. However, with the current situation that exists, has success at UNC come at the expense of a problem that existed previously and now it has finally been revealed? How far will the 'UNC family' allow its name to be disgraced? Many high-level administrators, board members, and political figures are now weighing in on the matter, so it is a serious matter.

High-level Division I athletics programs are comprised of many 'moving parts' and involve many individuals working hard to achieve success, but at what price? The problems being encountered at the University of North Carolina are not the first, will not be the last for any institution to endure, and begs the question, is this what happens everywhere else? Probably, but you can never be fully sure until the facts come out.

At least one thing is sure about the operation of collegiate athletics programs in an academic environment today, you learn something new everyday whether you like it or not.

Fall Sports season is underway

For the first time in what seems like forever, the temperature in the Raleigh-area dipped to below 60 degrees at night - what a relief. With as hot and humid as the summer has been, not having a much cooler temperature to deal with for the early part of September would have made me think that the Summer Sports season is still here.

College football kicks off

However, with the college football season kicking off this weekend, coupled with a low overnight temperature, it is now officially Fall Sports season. The NC State Wolfpack, Duke Blue Devils, and UNC Tar Heels all played their season-openers on Saturday. The Pack and Blue Devils won, but the Tar Heels didn't. However, in playing with 12 starters out of their line-up, the Heels almost pulled it off. With the  NCAA investigation going on in Chapel Hill, winning a few football games will be paramount to keeping spirits up for UNC fans this Fall.

Sat. Sept. 4 - results

NC State 41, Western Carolina, 7
Duke 41, Elon 24
LSU 30, UNC 24

Pros and Joes on the links

PGA Tour players are not the only ones who have something to contend for during this Fall season with the current race for the Fed Ex Cup play-offs taking place this weekend at the Deutsche Bank Classic at TPC Boston. Many local amateur golfers are preparing for their own club championships that will take place in the next month or so. Yours truly is going to take the plunge in joining the field at his local club with the goal of just making the top 10 in just under a month. Why write about it if you don't do it?  Future posts will highlight the intense workouts and range work that is involved in preparing for such a rigorous challenge.

PKSport on Livestrong.com

The Raleigh Sports Examiner moonlights to help sport and fitness enthusiasts improve their health and provides tips on how to stay active, motivated, and productive in their physical activity pursuits.

Sport and Fitness Tip of the Day:

Driver Loft and High Handicap

NCAA Violation 2010: Riddle for the day

When someone commits an infraction, it is up to someone else to investigate if the infraction occurred and then decide what the corresponding punishment for that infraction should be. How do you allow someone to investigate themselves to determine if an infraction occurred, and if it did, how do they punish themselves?

If this is confusing, then welcome to the new part of the NCAA investigation that is taking place at the University of North Carolina.

Read the all installments of NCAA Violation 2010 written to date:

Part 4A - NCAA Violation 2010: Report of academic infractions at UNC may add to current NCAA investigation
Part 3B - NCAA Violation 2010: No conflict of interest at UNC
Part 3A - NCAA Violation 2010: Rumors and talk of investigation conflict of interest at UNC
Part 2 - NCAA Violation 2010: NC Secretary of State to investigate sports agents conduct
Part 1 - NCAA Violation 2010: Investigations extend into North Carolina

It's been a long, hot summer

The summer in North Carolina has been the hottest on record and the heat and humidity continues as the upcoming Fall sports season approaches.

So much has happened since the last post here which presented wishful thinking that former Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette and goaltender Michael Leighton and the Philadelphia Flyers would win Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and force a Game 7 finale. Chicago's Patrick Kane doused that flame of thought as his low shot slid under Leighton's pad and ended the Black Hawks' 49-year Stanley Cup drought. Congratulations to the Hawks.

Since that time, here is what the Raleigh Sports Examiner has covered:

• Great World Cup events and games that featured a first-ever World Cup title for Spain in addition to other firsts for teams such as Greece, who not only scored their first-ever goals in World Cup competition, but also captured their first win as well. Team USA could not make it into the quarter-finals, but still provided an exciting come-from-behind effort against Slovenia in Group play and an energizing 1-0 win over Algeria to qualify for the knockout round.

• Impressive professional golf championship tournaments ended with first-time winners as Graeme McDowell won his first major, the U.S. Open Championship and Louis Oosthuizen captured his first as well, the Open Championship at St. Andrew's. America's golfing sweetheart, Paula Creamer, the Pink Panther, earned her first major championship while playing with a painful, rehabilitating thumb injury. Great character was shown by all three players in each of their major championship performances.

• Locally, the golf scene has been great for local golf alumni as Carl Pettersson (NC State) won the RBC Canadian Open Championship and joined former Pack teammate Tim Clark who captured his first PGA Tour win at the Players Championship in May. Pettersson and Clark joined Wake Forest alum Bill Haas who captured the Bob Hope Classic title back in January.

• In college sports, the Raleigh Sports examiner began an on-going series that will continue throughout the 2010-2011 season looking into the current and recent past of NCAA investigations and impacts they are having, and have had on college athletics programs throughout the country. The series is intended to educate readers about the NCAA, its athletes and administrators, and how college sports fans and media influence the operation and administration of college athletics in the United States.

• The first three segments in the series highlight the UNC Tar Heels football program which is undergoing an NCAA investigation that has made the beginning of the upcoming season a challenging one for administrators, coaches, and players to deal with in Chapel Hill. 

• Part I - NCAA Violation 2010: Investigations extend into North Carolina

• Part II - NCAA Violation 2010: NC Secretary of State to investigate sports agents conduct

• Part III - NCAA Violation 2010: Rumors and talk of investigation conflict of interest at UNC 

• Part III Follow-up - NCAA Violation 2010: No conflict of interest at UNC

As we head into the Fall season, follow the Raleigh Sports Examiner as the college football season is ready to kick of in the next few weeks as NC State, UNC, and Duke have all had their Meet the Team events. The Carolina Hurricanes have hit the ice "unofficially" and are preparing for training camp to begin in addition to activating plans for hosting the 2011NHL All-Star Game in January. More exciting sports stories to come.

What has been a hot summer will continue into a 'hot' year of sports in the Raleigh-area.

Enjoy it.

Is Lord Stanley's Cup ready to be sipped from?

The Philadelphia Flyers have their work cut out for them if they want to have any chance to drink from Lord Stanley's coveted silver chalice any time soon. Trailing the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final series, the Flyers need to improve upon their inconsistent performance in their recent 7-4 loss on Sunday. Giving up seven goals in a Stanley Cup Final series game is not exactly playing to the level of a champion.

Are they capable of pulling it off? Absolutely. However, coach Peter Laviolette must convince goaltender Michael Leighton to relax and make the first save and then emphasize to his defense to help out their goaltender in cleaning up rebounds and to push the puck forward. Though they trailed 5-2 at one point in Game 5, the Flyers still managed to score a few more to make it interesting. They possess the ability to score, but not if they are on defense all night.

Look for the Flyers to win Game 6 and extend this series to a seventh and deciding game to be played in Chicago. Hockey fans will be in for a treat and will watch the Stanley Cup awarded to the last team standing in this epic battle of young superstars and role players. At the end of it all, the NHL and its players will have made a tremendous mark on the sporting landscape with such a dramatic and exciting finish to the season that will have fans coming back for more.

We are truly watching good old time hockey in the new era.