Sports and Recreation
Here are 10 things to keep in mind whether you're watching, participating in or simply curious about sports in and around Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
ACTIVITIES:
Photo by Raul Rubiera
Darrell Handelsman always wanted to own a baseball team. He moved here from Wisconsin two years ago to take over the SwampDogs.
Friday Night Lights
We may not draw 15,000 to a high school football game in Cumberland County like they do in Texas, but the intensity of play among our 10 schools is among the best in this state. And in most years, you'll get to see some potential major-college talent on display.
This year's hot property is Jack Britt High offensive tackle Xavier Nixon. A 6-foot-6, 285- pounder, Nixon trimmed a list of more than 50 scholarship offers to nine possibilities in May. They are: Clemson, Florida, LSU, Miami, N.C. State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, South Carolina and West Virginia.
Visit Tobacco Road
A mere hour-and-some-change northeast of Fayetteville is the college basketball mecca known as Tobacco Road. Within about a 20-mile radius in the Triangle are three of the nation's premier college programs -- Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State -- all of which belong to the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tickets to the games are hard to come by, but never fear. Almost every one is televised regionally.
Primary colors
No, we're not inviting you to join the gang. But you should learn the color schemes associated with the five major in-state college athletic programs. There's Carolina blue (North Carolina), Pirate purple and gold (East Carolina), Wolfpack red (N.C. State), Duke blue (Duke), and black and gold (Wake Forest).
Caution. Mixing any of these colors, especially during basketball season, could result in violent combustion.
Playing through
Fayetteville boasts some outstanding golf courses, but if you want to test yourself on the courses played by the pros, head about 45 minutes to the northwest and you'll land in Pinehurst. The Pinehurst Resort's famed No. 2 Course has hosted two U.S. Open Championships for men, and the event is scheduled to return in 2014. The Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club has been the site of two U.S. Women's Open Championships, including the 2007 event won by Cristie Kerr.
From out in left field
The most relaxing spot to view an athletic event in Fayetteville has to be the Miller Liberty Lite Lounge at J.P. Riddle Stadium. Located on a deck down the left-field line, you're right next to the action when the Fayetteville SwampDogs play baseball. But the best part is what you get there: for $5 after you purchase your game ticket you get to sit at a table and purchase hot dogs, hamburgers and beer for just $1. Sodas, popcorn and peanuts are all free.
The Crown jewel
Few communities of our size can boast a complex as impressive as the Crown Coliseum. Most of the county's major indoor sporting events occur at the Crown, which can accommodate more than 10,000 for events ranging from arena football to ice hockey to professional wrestling.
The Sultan of Swat
Fayetteville played an important role in the development of baseball's legendary Babe Ruth, who hit his first professional homer in an intrasquad scrimmage here on March 7, 1914, as a member of the then-minor league Baltimore Orioles. Eleven days later in an article filed from Fayetteville appearing in the Baltimore American newspaper, Ruth was first referred to by his famous nickname, Babe, fueling speculation that he was given that moniker while in our fair city.
A world-class jerky
Whether you're attending a FireAntz hockey game at the Crown or a SwampDogs contest at J.P. Riddle Stadium, look for the guy wearing the stove-top chef's hat. It's Ken Howell of Hope Mills, aka Uncle Zip, and he peddles some of the best beef jerky you'll find.
Birthplace of an empire
There are miniature golf courses, and then there's Putt-Putt. One of the most recognizable names around the world in family fun actually had its beginnings in Fayetteville. Developed by native son Don Clayton, the first course opened here in 1954 and at one point there were more than 300 franchises worldwide. Putt-Putt moved its headquarters several years ago, and we no longer have a course in town. But we still take pride in the fact we put Putt-Putt on the map.
Local college scene
You can catch some competitive collegiate action during the academic year at Fayetteville State and Methodist University. FSU competes in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association which annually produces some of the most intense basketball competition -- men and women -- in the NCAA Division II ranks. Methodist, a Division III program, is a national powerhouse in baseball and men and women's golf.