Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 24, 1995 TAG: 9508240021
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: CHRIS KING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For the past four years, Travis has captured the state title in the standing long jump and has twice won national titles during that time. Travis captured her second national title Aug.12 with a jump of 8 feet at the Hershey's National Track & Field Championships, in Hershey, Pa. She was competing in the 11- and 12-year-old division.
For the 12-year-old Travis, it was her second Hershey's National crown in the past three years. At the age of 10, she won the 9- and 10-year-old division in the standing long jump.
Despite winning the national crown this past year while running for the Hershey's team in Pulaski, the Blacksburg native wasn't in the best jumping shape of her career. She had concentrated on sprints and hurdles as well, which prevented her from being in peak form for the standing long jump. Her concentration on sprints paid off as well when she won the state AAU 80-meters championship.
Travis, who has a 4.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at Blacksburg Christian School, began competing in the Hershey's events at the age of 8. Despite competing in the 9- and 10-year-old division, she finished fourth in the Southeast Region.
``She came home with fire in her eyes,`` said Reggie Travis, Joselyn's father and coach. ``She said that she wanted to win a national title and she has been training ever since.``
Next year Joselyn hopes to compete in the pentathalon, which is the women's version of the decathalon. Ultimately, she hopes to run track in college.
NET GAIN:The Nethackers, a women's tennis team with members from Radford, the Roanoke Valley and Botetourt County, won the United States Tennis Association 3.5 Adult Women's League title and went on to win a match in the state tournament before being ousted earlier this month.
The team beat Richmond Weekday 2 3-2 in the opening round of the state tournament Aug. 4-5 in Richmond. Richmond Weekday 1 then beat the team 3-2 to eliminate it.
Members included captain Lee Bond Sevigny, Radford's Betty Branch, Sally Foy, Mary Mayrosh, Brenda Grepiotis, Mary Hunt, Kathy Zimmerman, Edna Brubaker, Brenda Ayers, Jean Peck Doyle and Janet McKinney.
LATE SURGE: In Pulaski men's softball action, Hudson's emerged from the losers bracket to capture the tournament title.
Needing to defeat Pulaski Community Hospital twice to capture the title, Hudson's trailed 24-20 entering the bottom of the seventh inning, of the first game. Having plated one run, Hudson's Brad Golden stepped to the plate with two men aboard and hit a home run to tie the score. Two batters later David Alderman blasted the game-winning homer to set the stage for the deciding game.
In the second game Alderman carried Hudson's. He hit three home runs to spark his team to a 25-20 victory over PCH. Alderman finished the eight game tournament an astounding 30-for-35, with nine home runs and a record 23 runs scored. For his efforts he was named Co-MVP of the playoffs. Bobby Osborne, who played for PCH, went 16-for-22 with six home runs to share the honor.
MORE SOFTBALL: Southern Classic Auto Wash won both the regular season and tournament titles in Christiansburg Men's Open League softball. Southern Classic (14-1) had to down A Fast Bounty Hunters twice before it could claim the champion's hardware.
OUT OF NOWHERE: Season records may not always tell you what you need to know come tournament time.
The experience of the Pulaski Dixie Minors Dodgers baseball team provides an illustration.
The Dodgers entered the tournament seeded sixth with a record of 4-8 but defeated the league's top three teams on its perilous route to the title.
In the championship game, Jason Clark had 16 strikeouts to lead the Dodgers to an 8-2 victory over the previously undefeated A's. Clark helped his own cause with a three-run triple to give his team a 7-2 lead.
Anybody who has news or a story idea about recreational sports may submit it to Chris King, The Roanoke Times, 110 Peppers Ferry Rd., P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, Va., 24073 or fax 540-381-1656.
by CNB