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Cycling: Velodrome releases its 2012 World Series of Bicycling schedule

Forget that it’s a dozen consecutive Friday nights of international professional racing.
Forget that it’s 2012, the year of the London Olympics, and that top cyclists from all over the world will be heading to Trexlertown to

take part in the 2012 World Series of Bicycling at the Valley Preferred Cycling from June 15 through Aug. 31 in preparation for the Olympics.
    The USA Cycling Junior National Track Championships begin a two-year run at the VPCC this summer.
   “We’re ecstatic,” VPCC executive director Marty Nothstein said of hosting the event for consecutive years. “We pride ourselves in our top-notch developmental programs, and this is an opportunity for our future stars to shine.”
     The best youth track cyclists in the country – including many from the Lehigh Valley – will congregate in Trexlertown July 11-15, with some of them on their way to making a future U.S. Olympic team the way Nothstein, Bobby Lea and Giddeon Massie have done so in recent years.
Nothstein developed his talents through local programs like the Air Products Developmental Program and the now-named Red Robin Marty Nothstein Bicycle Racing League and went on to win Olympic gold and silver medals as well as three world championships.
    In fact, the Red Robin Marty Nothstein BRL All-Star night is the third Friday night of the season (June 29) and the Air Products Finals will take place Aug. 24. The Teva Respiratory Pee Wee Pedalers is for the youngest age groups, and those youngsters learn the basics of cycling and get to ride on the track during Friday night intermissions several times a season.
     The season is sponsored by Bicycling Magazine, hence “The World Series of Bicycling.” Individual Friday nights will also be sponsored, and Nothstein and his staff are busy firming up those details, as well as trying to make arrangements for various international Olympians to compete in T-town this summer. Last year, athletes from 13 countries took part in the international pro schedule.
   Friday night racing begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for general admission, $8 for finish line seating, and children under 12 are admitted free of charge. Season tickets are available by going online to www.thevelodrome.com.
    The VPCC is also home to the Breakaway Café, the only all-organic, locally sourced concession stand in the country, which is staffed by Rodale Catering and Events.
   The complete schedule is below:

The World Series of Bicycling 2012 Schedule:

June 15- US Sprint Gran Prix
June 22- Mike Walter 100 Lap Madison
June 29- Red Robin/Marty Nothstein BRL All-Stars
July 6- US 10 Mile Championships
July 13- USA Cycling Jr. Nationals
July 20- Festival of Speed
July 27- Keirin Cup
Aug 3- Tandemonium
Aug 10- Fastest Man on Wheels
Aug 17- Corporate Challenge
Aug 24- Air Products Finals
Aug 31- Madison Cup

Is this Leopards' corner-turning football class?

Lafayette defensive coordinator John Loose really got my attention on Wednesday afternoon when, during a chat with Matt Panto as part of the college’s extensive Leopard coverage of National Letter of Intent Day activities, he said, “Rarely are you ever beaten by a player you didn’t get. It’s the players you get that beat you.”

In a flash, my mind went to a Hazleton High kid named Nate Eachus.

Lafayette wanted him very badly, but he wound up at Colgate. For three years, he ate the Leopards’ lunch on one afternoon each fall, piling up 599 yards rushing against them. Injury kept him out of the Lafayette game in 2011 – and the Leopards won.

I figured Loose was giving us that old positive spin on the day when kids are making official the commitments they have verbally made earlier. He really didn’t mean that, I thought. Did he?

I couldn’t get that comment out of my head, and maybe the 71-year-old brain doesn’t work as quickly as it used to. But I think I finally got it.

I put Loose’s comment together with one head coach Frank Tavani made later in the day – “Once we get this group down to a smaller number, where we’re looking at visiting people, they are OUR recruits. It’s not who recruited who; we have a plan that we follow as a team,” he said – that the light bulb came on.

Sure, every coach gushes over his recruits on signing day. When offensive coordinator Mickey Fein spoke with Panto on Wednesday, I think he used the phrase “we’re excited about him” in reference to every offensive player on the list.

And when you look at the credentials, the obvious conclusion is, what’s not to like?

Every player on the Lafayette list has been all-something.

For example, linebacker Dennis Bencsko of East Hanover, NJ, was first team all-state; wide receiver Darrell Crawford was, too – two years in a row. Offensive lineman Paul Federinko of Columbia, Md., was Baltimore All-Metro first team. You get the picture.

But these kids are so much more. Dan Dellovade, a fullback from Moon, was vice president of Fellowship of Christian Athletes and a Habitat for Humanity volunteer; Jon Gruden II, known as Deuce, volunteers at the Children’s Cancer Center, his church’s food bank and as a teacher’s aide; Matt Anderson, a defensive lineman from Raleigh, N.C., was named to the National Society of High School Scholars, is a member of the Beta Club and is a worship leader at his church. In other words, they don’t just take, they give.

And academically, wow. National Honor Society guys all over the place. Maybe the best example is Mike Moralle of Fairhaven, N.J. Lafayette thought it had lost him to Harvard, but when Harvard did not take him, the door opened again. A $20,000 Marquis Scholarship, which has nothing to do with athletic ability but is given to Lafayette’s most outstanding incoming applicants, was a definite enticement. As a result, a defensive back who, according to Loose, “was the No. 1 safety on our board the entire time,” will be a Leopard.

So, here we are with a bunch of all-American boys. Will they, when combining with all those similar student-athletes who are already at Lafayette, bring championships back to College Hill?

Only a lot of hard work on the part of the players and the coaches and, as Tavani said, a little bit of luck and few injuries, can make it happen. The biggest obstacle for these talented athletes will be their own attitude and commitment to what it takes to succeed on the field as well as in the classroom.

As Loose said, “Finally, you want a kid with character who will work his butt off and get better. If you get a finished product, he’s not good enough.” In other words, if an athlete plays at his peak in his senior year in high school, he will invariably be overtaken by another who had room for improvement and did what he had to do to make it happen.

“I don’t think anybody would have recruited Andy Romans,” Loose said of the former Lafayette linebacker. “But he made a million plays in high school and he made a million plays when he was here.” He became a two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the league’s 25^th anniversary team. He had 326 career tackles, which put him in the top 10 all-time in the Football Championship Subdivision at the time.

Much has been made over the last couple of years about how Lafayette’s football recruiting took a major financial hit. Next year’s senior class of football players consists of only 13 members. That is significant. There has also been what appears to have been an almost blasé attitude toward football by the Lafayette administration. And we all remember college president Daniel Weiss’ opposition to athletic scholarships for the Patriot League in December of 2010.

Tavani has gone to great lengths recently to tell us that things are different. And, frankly – no pun intended, I agree with him. I think the about-face the college did in regard to athletic director Bruce McCutcheon is telling. Someone thought a change would be appropriate. That was wrong, and the athletic program – not just football – will be better because of it.

Moving the oversight of the athletic department to the Development office and Jim Dicker also seems to have been a positive one, even if I don’t understand how the whole thing comes together.

Tavani has said more than once that all the good vibes are initiated from the president’s office, and I have not had any angry alumni coming to me and venting about a lack of support from the top. President Weiss greeted the recruits who made official visits the last two weekends. I'm sure the high school kids took note of that show of support.

In two years, the football program lost more than a third of its equivalencies. Tavani said on Wednesday that while that number is not back to where it should be, the third consecutive healthy bunch of recruits moves it in the right direction.

The whole scholarship issue is still hovering out there somewhere because Patriot League presidents took no action – either way – at their semi-annual meeting in December. They originally said they would do nothing for two years. That period is up in December.

I love reading the speculations of some of the posters on the Lafayette Sports Fan Forum. Will it happen? When will it happen? If it happens, will Lafayette go along or drag its feet as it did when the league went to scholarships for basketball? They are just as clueless as I am, but I have to admit, it’s nice to see smiles in the Leopards’ football office. Those guys are committed to the day-to-day job of bring this program back to where it belongs, no matter what the rules might be.

I can’t look at the list of recruits and see a single one who is not capable of helping Tavani and his staff reach the goal. As he said Wednesday, he knows how to do it; he’s done it before, and he can do it again.

I know he doesn’t count heavily on freshmen making a difference. But we need look back only to early in the 2011 season to see that it can happen – tailback Ross Scheuerman, offensive tackle Luke Chiarolanzio, defensive back Shane Black.

This year’s class has recruits with credentials that are just as good. Spring practice begins on March 22; the 2012 season begins Sept. 8 at William and Mary. I, for one, think the potential is unlimited.

In a Thursday morning blog, I led with a quote from incoming freshman Kyle Sakowski. I then asked the question: Arrogance or self-confidence? Here’s my answer. I like Sakowski's edginess.

He has no idea what’s in store for him when he arrives for summer camp; he will be overwhelmed, just like everyone is every year. But I have no doubt he’ll embrace the challenge. The Leopards of 2010 and 2011 needed a bit more edginess. Let the games begin.

Analyzing the recruits requires more time

You have to love this kid.

“I’m going there with a full head of steam,” Kyle Sakowski told sports writer Justin Rodriguez of the Times Herald-Record in a story announcing Sakowski’s decision to continue his academic and football careers at Lafayette. “I want to have a great freshman year. I want to be a freshman all-American. I want to reach for the stars.”

Arrogance or self-confidence? We're going to find out in the months ahead.

The kid played for the best high school program in the country -- Don Bosco Prep won national titles in 2009 and 2011. Everything about him points to big things. The Citadel and Penn were interested in him. They did not get him. If that's not a major deal for the Leopards, I don't know what is.

Sakowski is just one of a long list of players with impressive credentials. I really want to take some time to digest the list before making more comments, so I'll shoot for tomorrow.

In the meantime, here are just a couple of comments from Cloach Tavani.

EARLIER YOU TALKED ABOUT RECRUTING 28 KIDS; YOU HAVE 30 – “Well, we targeted 28 to 32 and you don’t know until what’s up on the board. We were able to manage it well enough. You have to keep referring to your goal chart, and the last two weeks things change every day. You’re talking about academic requirements, league requirements academically, finanacial need analysis, a process that is very challenging, one I’ve done at three different schools the same way for 35 years. It doesn’t get any easier. You have to keep working at it.

WHEN YOU CAME IN THIS MORNING DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD 30 SOLID? –Oh, yeah, I knew. I knew last night we had 30, and there’s another one coming. We already signed another guy while this was going on; his paperwork will be here tomorrow. So there’s another one, and there are still a few more we’re dealing with but we’re competing against the academies and there are a couple of more commits that could be possible. In the next week or so, there could be an additional one or two.

WHAT HAS THIS BIG CLASS DONE FOR YOU EQUIVALENCIES – It’s funny, I got asked that question earlier today, That’s a a good question becdause what happens is, until the 2011 tax returns come in, this money isn’t totally finalized. Not until people file their returns along with their financial aid forms and that gets equaled out. I’ll know a little bit more about that then.I think it’ll move forward, but it’s not going to take the jump I need. That's just the way it is.

YOU HAVE ONLY ONE LEHIGH VALLEY RECRUIT – We recruit the area hard but it’s a difficult area to recruit because of the few players that really fit academically and athletically and don’t mind staying close to home. That’s a fact. You battle it as best you can for the few there are and hope for the best, but it is an area of priority and I know John Loose, who handles our local recruiting now in his third year, we get around to all the schools in the Lehigh Valley because it’s certainly great football.

Just a couple of quick personnel notes.

Coach T says Austin O'Brien, who seemed to have the potential to b e an important part of the game plan with his strong leg, just decided football was not for him anymore. So, wasn't it a nice tbhing that Ryan Gralish was available?

Coach T says the Leopards didn't lose any other players, but that he expects to have only abouit 60 available for spring practice.

Speaking of spring pracrice, it will begin on March 22 and conclude on April 21. There's a lot to do, including what is expected to be an intense battle between Kyle Ohradzansky and Zach Zweizig for the back-up spot behind Andrew Shoop. Ohradzansky actually has four years of eligibility.

And I was told that Patrick McCain, the "Surfer Dude" of the Lafayette Sports Fan Forum crew, has gone off to Western Illinois, but I don't have that nailed down. Coach T said he was considering moving McCain to tight end. I'm sure that did not sit well. Somehow, however, I can't see him playing in Macomb, either.

Matt Panto and those goleopards.com all-access people did a great job with the whole production. The segment with John Loose was especially informative, and Blake Costanzo was great. I loved his advice to the incoming recruits. I'm sure many of them were watching -- or will watch -- it.

Dream along with me: Helen, meet Mary Lou

Mary Lou Retton Kelley shares a special moment with Helen Fiala.

When you think about some kind of dream-come-true experience, your mind might first imagine a terminally ill youngster at Disney World.

But Helen (Karabin) Fiala is not a youngster – she’s 90.

And her idea of a dream trip had nothing to do with Orlando, Fla. In fact, the Parkettes National Training Center in Allentown was her destination.

On Friday morning, the Parkettes made it happen.

Helen, a resident at Cedarbrook Nursing Home in Fountain Hill, was hoping she’d be able to meet Parkettes co-founders Bill (at left) and Donna Strauss when she visited the place in which Olympic dreams are lived out every day. What she got brought her to tears.

Mary Lou Kelley, the mother of two competitors in the 38^th annual Parkettes Invitational gymnastics meet, was responsible for that.

That name might not mean much to even avid gymnastics fans, but perhaps her maiden name – Retton – will evoke some memories of years gone by. Mary Lou scored perfect 10s on vault and floor exercise in the all-around finals en route to the gold medal in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Mary Lou graciously agreed to have her picture taken with Helen, who was a gymnast from the age of 6 to the age of 19, later coached gymnasts for 10 years and was a Girl Scout leader for 25 years.

Helen brought along a photograph of herself as a competitor, and Bill Strauss got a kick out of it because the balance beam was made of wood and was only inches above the floor and the uniform bore no resemblance to the flashy leotards of today.

“I’m glad we could do that for her,” Bill Strauss said. “You could tell she was having a good time.”

Mary Lou’s 14-year-old Level 10 daughter, McKenna Kelley, was sixth all-around in her session on Saturday with 35.175 that included a 9.4 vault. Mary Lou’s younger daughter, Emma Kelley, was in the Level 7 8-10-year-old division and had 35.575 all-around. Her total included a 9.525 on floor exercise.

No surprise there, right? That apple did not fall far from the tree.

We’ll have to keep an` eye on her. Both girls are members of the Mountain Magic Gymnastics contingent from Fairmont, W. Va.

HERE’S AN AMBER ALERT

Glenn Trani, father of former Parkette Amber Trani, was honored for his 20 years as a volunteer at the Parkette Invitational. He said he began helping out when his daughter started in a Mommy and Me program at Parkettes before she was three years old.

Amber looked like a sure-bet Olympian in 2008 because of her skills on vault and floor exercise. However, she suffered a back injury while training for the Olympic Trials and was ineffective.

She got a full scholarship to the University of Georgia, but she injured her back again during preseason workouts as a freshman. She never competed in a meet for Georgia, taking what was called “a medical retirement” in 2009.

Now, here’s the good news. Amber never had her scholarship taken from her, and she will be graduating in May. She already has landed a job in marketing. “They promised us she’d have the scholarship for all four years even if she got hurt, and they kept that promise,” Glenn said.

As for involvement in gymnastics, Amber is doing commentary on a number of collegiate meets -- including Georgia -- this winter.

Tavani will keep on clawing at Lafayette

I was pretty certain that I would be devoting the top of this update to more on the contract extension for Lafayette College head football coach Frank Tavani, a move I happen to like a lot because I believe the Leopards are on the threshold of contending again for the Patriot League championship and I think Tavani is good for the football program and for the college as a whole. (You know, of course, that's the cardboard Tavani, shown above with the aging columnist.)

After 13 years as an assistant coach, during which time he accumulated three championship rings, he easily could have elected to look for a brighter pasture when Bill Russo was cut loose following the 1999 season. After all, who would want to be the head coach at Lafayette, where the entire future of the sport was teetering on the brink of either demotion or obliteration?

Tavani wanted it. And, he got it.

He has not wanting anything else since. "I still have one of the best jobs in the country, and there are only 119 of them at this level," he told me recently. But on Wednesday, when could have been feeling maybe even a little smug about the vote of confidence from the administration at the college, he also told me, "If I start paying attention to (the too often harsh banter of alumni on an Internet forum) I'll go crazy" and "I know I have more critics than supporters."

Believe me, he is never satisfied. "This is a volatile business," he told me recently. "Obviously, we've had a couple of disappointing season and no one is more disappointed that myself and our staff." He's well aware that he has not won the most consequential game on his schedule -- the one against Lehigh -- since 2007 and that only six of his team's last 22 games have wound up in the win column.

That's why his Christmas "break" was spent in his Bourger Varsity Football House office re-evaluating the credentials of the dozen or so players at each position who were at the top of his staff's wish list for the 2012 recruiting class so that the staff could hit the ground running for the final couple of weeks of the visitation period after the holidays.

It will not be for lack of work ethic that a Lafayette team loses a football game. Dedication to excellence always starts at the top, and Tavani has always given it everything he has. He demands the same of others, too -- coaches, players and all others who comprise the Leopard football family. It appears that perhaps others in the Lafayette community have developed a new appreciation for that effort, too.

"We're not that far off; we gave away thre games last year," Tavani told me. "I like these kids. The way they have worked since the end of the season, they have to get back on track, that's all. We have a strong freshman-sophomore group, and this group this year has to be very strong, too. We have only 13 seniors on the roster for next season."

Lafayette will have between 18 and 25 recruits on campus for official visits this weekend, and a similar number next weekend.

"You're never sure exactly how many will come because every time the phone rings, people are trying to get kids to make a commitment and not take your visit. That’s just part of the business. We feel strongly about the group coming in this weekend and about another strong group the following weekend. The official visit is the time to get a real feel about what the place is like, not just recruiting talk."

It's best-foot-forward time for the Leopards. The college has facilities that are unparalleled in the Patriot League -- and beyond. Tavani and his staff can give the incoming class the challenge to become part of the revitalization program on College Hill. And, he can promise them he won't be going anywhere for the four years in which they are Leopard student-athletes.

He has said for years he would like to coach at least until age 62. He's 58 now, so the extension gets him to that target.

It doesn't get any better than that.

GOODBYE TO BIG BEN

When I talked to Tavani on Wednesday, I asked about fifth-year seniors who might be part of the Lafayette team in the fall.

"(Wide receiver) Rodney Gould will be coming back," Tavani said. "(Linebacker) Ben (Eaton) is going to try to move on and got for a master's and maybe play a year someplace else. (Defensive lineman) Andrew Holmes, even though he's been cleared for another year, is going to graduate and he has some job opportunities. When you have kids who can come back, you are hopeful that they do, but they have my full support for whatever they decide to do. It's great to see the opportunities they get. Ben and Andrew would have been great for our defense, but they have better opportunities."

I had heard some talk about 2011 co-captain Eaton going to Towson University for his final season of eligibility. There he would be reunited with former Lafayette assistant Matt Hachmann, the Tigers' defensive coordinator.

"That's one of his options," Tavani said about the 235-pound Baltimore native would be basically returning "home." "The high school coaches down there admire him and look after him."

I decided to go right to the source. I spoke with Eaton Wednesday evening, and he said, "I’m going to pursue my master's at Towson and come back (for the spring semester) and graduate at Lafayette." I'm just waiting for admissions; I've been in contact with the coaches down there and I’m confident it’s going to work out. I've been in touch with the coaches at Lafayette and they are supportive of me, saying that this opportunity is something I can’t really turn down." The graduate work would be for either an MBA, with focus on marketing, or a master’s degree in accounting.

Eaton will get back to Easton this weekend. He said Hachmann was his linebacker coach when Eaton was a freshman at Lafayette. Hachmann has been at Towson since 2009. Eaton said the fact that Tavani and other Lafayette coaches were behind him "made it easier" to decide to change schools. "I'm looking forward to it," he said. Securing a scholarship is also a money-saver for grad school, too.

Eaton was the second leading tackler for Lafayette last fall with 84. He had one interception and 3.5 tackles for loss. He also started all 11 games in 2010 and had 70 tackles. He is a tireless worker and an incredible physical presence. In high school at Gilman School in Baltimore, he was the Baltimore Sun's Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. He spent a year at Mercersburg Academy before coming to Lafayette.

At Towson Eaton will join a linebacker corps headed by Danzel White, who was the leading tackler in 2009 (105), didn't play in 2010 and had 77 tackles in 2011 while playing nine of the Tigers' 12 games. He will be a senior next year.

ANOTHER VETERAN RETURNING?

There is one other probable fifth-year returnee in Leopardland. It looks like I'll take another run at the Lafayette beat this season.

You'd think Coach Tavani would be urging me to go somewhere else because the Lafayette losing streak against Lehigh began with my freelance gig.

But when I mentioned it to him yesterday, the quick-witted Tavani said, "I hope so, or I wouldn't have signed the contract."

"Does that mean I get a piece of your raise?" I asked.

He chuckled and said, "If it's 2 1/2, you can have the half."

I fired back, "I'll take it!"

But, I won't hold my breath.

No cheering in the press box -- and no paychecks from the head coach.

Lehigh's Rey wins 100th

    By Gary R. Blockus
    Of The Morning Call
    After finally seeing his wrestling team fire on all cylinders on Saturday night with a 28-6 win over EIWA rival Navy, Lehigh head coach Pat Santoro said he was giving the team a day off on Sunday.
     Some of the regulars didn’t want it.
     Lehigh expected to send its non-starters to the Floyd “Shorty” Hitchcock Memorial Classic at Millersville University on Sunday, but instead, returning NCAA 285-pound champion Zach Rey

, along with 165-pound senior Sean Bilodeau and freshman 133-pound Mason Beckman joined the non-starters on the trip for some encouraging results.
   In his first bout, Rey pinned Virginia Tech’s in 2:26 to record his 100th career win. He recorded four falls on the day en route to the title, pinning red-shirt teammate Jack Delia, who competed unattached.
     Lehigh wrestlers, led by Rey, Bilodeau and Beckman, captured six titles at the tournament named for the late NCAA Division I champion at Bloomsburg University.
    Freshman Anthony Salupo (149), junior Joey Napoli (157) and junior Kevin Bailey (174) also won titles. Napoli, who has also deferred his eligibility this season, competed unattached.
    Senior Kyle Rosser (149) placed third and freshman John Bolich (184) placed fourth to round out Lehigh’s day.
    Lehigh hosts Rutgers 7 p.m. Friday in the Billy Sheridan Memorial Dual on Sunday. Lehigh is hosting Bucknell 7 p.m. Saturday at Grace Hall.

Four local track cyclists are competing in China

Four local cyclists are members of a 12-person contingent selected by USA Cycling to compete in round three of the track World Cycling Cup in Beijing, China today through Sunday.

Zack

Noonan of Kutztown, Liz Carlson of Jim Thorpe and 2008 U.S. Olympians Bobby Lea of Topton and Giddeon Massie of Zion Hill have been chosen to compete.

Carlson, who rides for Black Dog Pro Cycling, will race in the team spring, the 500 meter time trial and the spring.

Noonan, who rides for FCS-Metro Volkswagen, will compete in the pursuit.

Massie, who rides for Bike Religion will compete in the keirin.

Lea, who rides for Pure Energy Cycling-ProAirHFA, will compete in the omnium.

The finals round of the World Cups will take place Feb. 17-19 on the 2012 Olympic Velodrome in London, England.

In other racing news, Andy Lakatosh of Schnecksville and Valley Preferred Cycling regular Barry Miller competed in the 6-Daagse van Rotterdam 2012, the Six Day race in Rotterdam. Lakatosh won the keirin and the handicap race.

Jackie Simes IV of New Tripoli will compete in three different Six Day races in Europe, including events in Bremen, Germany and Berlin, Germany. Lea will join him for the Copenhagen (Denmark) Six Day in February.

#Victorino at the #NHL #WinterClasic

   Phillies outfielder was in the house for the 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic.
     Victorino met with some of the Flyers before the game, including NHL points leader Claude Giroux. Even though he grew up in Hawaii, Victorino has become a hockey fan.
    “I tried [skating] as a kid but wasn’t vetry successful,” he said. “That sport didn’t last too long for Shane.”
    Victorino also said he’s passing up the Phillies team skate at the ballpark this week.
    “You will not see Shane on skates,” he said. “Shane will

not be skating. You definitely will not see me on skates.”
   Despite his aversion to playing on ice, Victorino was impressed by the atmosphere.
    “I flew over the other day and I looked down and saw the rink and stuff like that,” he said, “but actually coming into the ballpark and seeing an ice rink in the middle of the diamond, toward the outfield in the back end of the diamond, I think it’s great. I love it. I’m excited. I wish they could do the same every year here.
    “This is something that’s great not only for the Phillies, but for the city. It brings a loot of excitement, and what better rivalry than those two teams.”

Five locals named to U.S. Olympic long team

Five local cyclists – three women and two men – have been named to the U.S. Olympic long team for track cycling, according to information released by USA Cycling today.
Lauren

Tamayo , formerly of Barto, who helped establish a world record in women’s Team Pursuit, Liz Carlson of Jim Thorpe and Dan Feiss of Telford were named to the long team, from pool of riders from which the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team will be chosen. Tamayo was an automatic pick by virtue of he world record performance. Carlson and Feiss are discretionary picks.
For the men, 2008 U.S. Olympians Giddeon Massie and Bobby Lea were named to the men’s long team. Massie, from the Quakertown area, was also an Olympian in 2004. All eight of the men selected to the squad were discretionary selections. A total of 19 athletes have been named to the long team.

2012 U.S. Olympic Long Team (Track)

Women
Dotsie Bausch (Irvine, Calif./OUCH Pro Cycling)
Elizabeth Carlson (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Black Dog Professional Cycling Team)
Tela Crane (Sammamish, Wash./Broadmark Capital)
Dana Feiss (Telford, Pa./Home Depot Center Team)
Madalyn Godby (Louisville, Colo./enCompass Racing)
Sarah Hammer (Temecula, Calif./OUCH Pro Cycling)*
Cari Higgins (Boulder, Colo./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)
Jennie Reed (Seattle, Wash./OUCH Pro Cycling)
Lauren Tamayo (Asheville, N.C./Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY 12)
Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif./GS Adams Avenue Bicycles)
Cristin Walker (Houston, Texas/Momentum Coaching Group p/b Atomic)

Men
Michael Blatchford (Cypress, Calif./Project London 2012)
Bobby Lea (Topton, Pa./Pure Energy Cycling ProAirHFA)
Kevin Mansker (Long Beach, Calif./Project London 2012)
Giddeon Massie (Cypress, Calif./Bike Religion)
T.J. Mathieson (Redondo Beach, Calif./Momentum Coaching Group p/b Atomic)
Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo./BMC Racing Team)
Dean Tracy (Portland, Ore./Project London 2012)
Jimmy Watkins (Bakersfield, Calif./Project London 2012)

PENN STATE, TIGER WOODS AND THE EAGLES

Over the years, Penn State has consistently taken one major and unwarranted rap about its offense -- that it doesn't pass the ball enough. For example, Doug Flutie last month on a halftime show on the Versus network said that Penn State throws the ball "barely 10 times a game" -- an egregious error that stood uncorrected.

Not sure what Flutie was thinking -- and I really like the guy as a player, father and fund-raiser for charity -- but Penn State probably has never averaged as few as 10 passes a game in the Joe Paterno era. This year, for example, the Lions averaged almost 30 passes a game. So, how is that "barely 10 times a game?"

Elsewhere:

Good thing Tiger Woods won his own invitational event on Sunday. Because just to break his two-year winless streak, he had signed up to play in next weekend's member-guest at Allentown Muni.

Don't look now, but the Dolphins have the same record as the Eagles.

How about the NFC East, considered so powerful for so long? It's still a glamour conference with the Cowboys, Giants, Eagles and Redskins, but all four teams lost to nondivision foes in Week 13. Dallas leads the division with only a 7-5 record, and it's possible for the division champion to have a record of 9-7 -- or even 8-8.

Today’s cliche alert I: Heard Greg Norman use the phrase “at the end of the day” three times in response to one question.

Today’s cliché alert II: At the end of the day, as it were, actually writing or saying the phrase “thinking outside the box” does not qualify as thinking outside the box.