Hidden Valley Youth Wrestling completed another fine season on the mat.  Five youth wrestlers competed in the 2010 Franklin County Kahilia Moonshine Classic at Franklin County High School in Rocky Mount, VA to end the season on a high note.

Pee-Wee Division

Kiel Cook was awarded the Gold medal for his efforts in the 109 lb weight class. Kiel pinned opponents from Botetourt Wrestling Club and Franklin County.  Kiel last match of the season was against a worthy opponent from Arrichion composed of wrestlers from Greensboro, Charlotte, and Raleigh NC, Kiel wrestled a tactical match winning on points 6-2.

Nate Goad wrestled in the 86-92 lb weight class and defeated 2 Franklin County rivals and a Roanoke Gladiator wrestler by pin. Nate fine tuned his cradle to lore in the competition. Nate took home the Gold medal.

Sam Comer (1st year) took home the Silver medal in the 56 – 62 lb weight class division. Sam appeared to have to wrestle the entire Franklin County wrestling team.  Sam won his first match 10 -2 to Franklin County and then 9 -4 against another Franklin County wrestler. In his final match Sam wrestled a tough Franklin County opponent in a hard contested match until he made a mistake in the third period that caught him with a pin.

Landon Blackshear (1st year) 5 years old, wrestled in the 38 – 42 lb weight class. Landon lost 10-4 on points in the first match,  then rebounded on points in his next match 8-3 against a fellow teammate.  In the final match of the season, Landon came up short on points against a Roanoke Gladiator and   received the Bronze medal for his efforts.

Chris Comer (1st year) 5 years old,  wrestled in the 38 – 42 lb  weight class. He lost his
first match by pin to a Gladiator wrestler. He lost his second match 8 -3 to a Hidden Valley opponent. Chris lost his third match to a Roanoke Gladiator by technical fall. Chris came away with a 4th place finish to end his season.

Junior Division

Mason Dermott wrestled in the 114-121 lb. Junior Division.  He won bouts against two Grundy wrestlers by a 12-0 score and a 3rd period pin.  He also won his match against a Parkway Christian wrestler with a 3rd period pin.  He finished in 1st place and took home a gold medal.

2010 AAU Spring Youth Nationals Buck Van Huss Dome in Kingsport, TN

Will Hoff came in second in AAU Nationals tournament at the Buck Van Huss Dome in Kingsport, TN on March 26-27, 2010. Will lost the opening match to a Georgia opponent in the second period, but bounced back to win a decision against Tennessee grappler 12-7 and go on to capture a Silver Medal along with a certificate stating he was an AAU All American in the 50 pound TOT weight class.

I would like to thank all of the athletes who participated in the program for the past 5 months.  This was one of our youngest groups in the past 16 years, but with their hard work and dedication they did well this season. I would also like to thank the parents for their unselfish time they gave during practices and tournaments. Finally, I would also like to thank Coaches Ted Comer, Sean Baskette, Marc LaPlante and Greg Winston for their invaluable help with the program and developing these young men into worthy opponents.  I hope we have kept you entertained and wanting to read more of our areas youth wrestling adventures.  We will begin again in November for season 17.  Hope we will gain more interest with   potential new wrestler in this area. Jim King, Head Coach Hidden Valley Youth Wrestling.

Bottom Row (L-R): Alex Buzzo, Landon Blackshear, Chris Comer, Mitch Tingler, Jordan Duncan, 2nd row: Faris Iqbal, Colby Hale, Sam Comer, Josh Neighbors, Adam Gordan, 3rd row: Garrett Laplante, Zachary Early, Lee Pritchard, Nate Goad, Evan Smith, 4th row Josh Rush, Reeves McKinney, Ikie Smith, Liam Smith, Kiel Cook, Coaches Ted Comer, Jim King, Marc Laplante, Sean Baskette, not pictured Greg Winston, photo by Mark Early

Submitted by Jim King.

Entry Level Technician Classes for Amateur Radio will be held at the Roanoke Regional Red Cross, located at 352 Church Avenue SW, Roanoke on Saturday April 3 and 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Cost is $10 per family and review and test will be conducted on April 17. The cost to test is $15

Amateur Radio Classes (Ham Radio Training)

Anyone can become a Licensed Amateur Radio Operator; there is no age limit. A technical background is not required. And there is NO Morse code required!

The Roanoke Valley Amateur Radio Club is sponsoring Spring classes for Technician Licenses (entry level) to be held during the month of April. Dates for the classes: April 3, 2010 and April 10, 2010 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Study session and test session will be held on April 17, 2010. The regular monthly testing session will be held on April 18, 2010.

Prepare for Emergencies; Disaster can strike quickly and with out warning. It can force you to evacuate your neighborhood, workplace, or can confine you to your home. The best way to make your family safer is to be prepared.

There will be entry level classes (Technician Licenses) held at the Roanoke Regional Red Cross Chapter House in down town Roanoke on Church Avenue.

This is a 2-weekend class, with a review and tests the following weekend. The test consists of 10 chapters with 35 question multiple-choice exam. There is a $10.00 charge per family to cover the cost of the CD and materials. Five chapters will be covered each weekend with a week to study in between. All of the possible questions on the test will be covered during the class. Each family will be issued a CD with the Power Point presentation of the classes on it. There will be Internet addresses for you to study from or a short program to install on your computer as a study aid to help you. You will need to bring a bag lunch and drink (there is a drink machine in the hall and a fridge in the kitchen). You will need pencil and paper, note-cards, and a calculator. (Middle School level math) There are cliff notes as a study guide the first week. (Study books will be available for $20.00 and worth the money as future reference)

Contact Ron Ramsey, AB4A, phone: 540-774-9474, e-mail: AB4A@arrl.net;

Wednesday, March 24 marked Cave Spring High School’s ‘Kick Butts Day’ a day in honor of teaching students and the community to quit smoking. All day, 9th-grade health students got to hear the story of Dennis Thurman. Thurman is a cancer survivor who spent many years smoking. He now speaks with aid of a synthesizer.

We’ve got photos from the event above in our slideshow. For a more traditional view click here.

Send us your school photos. It’s easy, just email them to us at news@swo-co.com.

Radford fan Deb Miller graciously shares this photo gallery of the recent Cave Spring vs. Radford girls soccer match. (You’ll also see some photos from the Radford-Lord Botetourt game thrown in.)

Any Cave Spring fans got photos? You can share at news@swo-co.com.

Shannon Conway of Hidden Valley is on the NRV 16s volleyball team. Over the weekend, the team finished third in a tournament at Western Albemarle High School.

Rebecca Evans shares this photo gallery.

Do you have photos involving people or events from Southwest Roanoke County? You can share at news@swo-co.com.

Here are some shots from the HV Falcons U15 Lax game vs Blue Ridge this past Saturday, March 27th.

Photo 1 – Goalie Brian Marceau clears the ball
Photo 2 – Kye Coolbaugh plays defense
Photo 3 – Alec Roach defends against the ball
Photo 4 – Massi Flici makes a move towards the goal
Photo 5 – Chase O’Bryan concentrates on the ball

Submitted by Kevin Coolbaugh.

The following students were named to the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Commandant’s List.

In order to make the list, cadets must earn a 3.0 or greater grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) during the previous semester. For the fall 2009 semester, 358 cadets were selected for the Commandant’s List.

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has been producing military and corporate leaders since the university was founded in 1872. It is one of just two remaining military corps within a large, primarily civilian university. The corps holds its members to the highest standards of loyalty, honor, integrity, and self-discipline. In return, cadets achieve high academic success and a long-lasting camaraderie with fellow members. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.

David Jacobs of Southwest County Roanoke. Jacobs, an Air Force cadet, is a junior majoring in computer science in the College of Engineering.

Mark Waldo of Southwest County Roanoke. Waldo, an Army cadet, is a sophomore majoring in sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

The 3rd Annual Juice Drive was launched with a noteworthy start as Juice Drive sponsors and supporters gathered inside a local Kroger store to kick-off this year’s Juice Drive. Sponsors WSLS10, Kroger, Nestle, Acquisition Title & Settlement, and supporter Miss Roanoke Valley Madison VanDuyne are all excited to start another exciting Juice Drive!

Thanks to new Juice Drive sponsor Nestle, this annual event launched  with Nestle’s donation of an entire truckload of 100% Juicy Juice! “Nestlé Juicy Juice is pleased to donate thousands of bottles of 100% juice to help Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank kick off its annual 100% Juice Drive. One six ounce serving of Nestlé Juicy Juice 100% juice provides one serving of fruit and can be a healthy part of a well-balanced diet,” stated a Nestle representative. “Nestlé USA has partnered with Feeding America for more than 20 years, donating more than 36 million pounds of product to 127 food banks nationwide in the last four years alone.”

All Juice Drive sponsors and supporters are lending a helping hand. Acquisition Title & Settlement also donated 100% juice at today’s kick-off and for the third year in a row, Kroger announced the offering $1 and $5 Juice Drive icons at each register in its stores in Southwest Virginia in an effort to make it convenient for residents to participate in the Juice Drive as they check out.  Every penny of those icon sales is dedicated to providing 100% juice to the Food Bank’s Children’s Programs.

“We consider ourselves so lucky to have such wonderful supporters of the Juice Drive teaming up with us,” said Pamela Irvine, President & CEO of the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank. “It’s estimated that more than 77,000 children struggle with hunger in Southwest Virginia. Our Food Bank alone provides food for more than 504,000 meals and snacks for Children’s Programs in this region annually. The need is significant and that is why we have set our goal at 200,000 servings of 100% juice this year and we know that with the communities support, we can reach that goal.”

About the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank

The Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank was founded in 1981 and is an affiliate member of Feeding America (formerly America’s Second Harvest). The Food Bank’s ultimate mission is to eliminate hunger in the region. The primary function of the Food Bank is to secure large quantities of food for the hungry. More than 13-million pounds of food is channeled through a network of more than 340+ partner feeding programs (in a 26-county and 10-city region) that provide food or meals to those in need annually. Visit www.swvafoodbank.org for more information.

Article submitted by Jeremy Butterfield

Photos by Emily Flora SWoCo

Baseball season isn’t far away. To get fans in the mood, the Salem Red Sox hosted Sox Fest on Saturday. We have a photo gallery from the event, which includes a lot of fans from Southwest Roanoke County.

The Red Sox open the season on the road this year. The first home game is Friday, April 16.

Do you have photos involving people or events from Southwest Roanoke County? You can share at news@swo-co.com.