Salem gears up for annual football championship
by S. Rotan Hale
There is nothing like tailgating when the alluring aromas of barbecue, fried fish and other such delights join with the sounds of laughter from friends and former classmates all flowing through the air under a bright Autumn sky as a horde of fans gather and fellowship before the big game.
Once again organizers have joined forces to bring the CIAA (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) to the valley and the football championship excitement came alive at the official ‘Media Day’ press conference held (July 7) at Holiday Inn, Valley View.
“It’s always good to come to a city that knows how to host, they (Salem/Roanoke organizers) make it easy for us to do our work,” said Jacqueline ‘Jacqie’ McWilliams, Commissioner, CIAA.
As a veteran in the field, McWilliams has worked in various positions in the CIAA for 30 years, seven of which she has been the first and only African American woman to head the 107-year-old organization–a position she calls her ‘dream job.’
“Our job is to create great experiences for student athletes in the community and when we have partners like Roanoke and Salem that value what we bring… then it makes it seamless and we can execute a great championship.” says McWilliams, who has an incredibly upbeat spirit.
“I go into meetings as if I’m somebody,” she quips, and the men quickly find out she is truly a force in this male-dominated world of sports conferences.
As host, Stan Lewter of Urban Sports & ESPN, conducted the official press conference that featured Salem Vice Mayor Jane Johnson and Roanoke City Mayor Sherman Lea who each expressed their pleasure in the championship’s return to the valley for the fourth year.
“Each year it becomes a better experience (in Salem) not only for student athletes and the coaches (especially for those who win) but for the fans who come out and our viewers at home watching these games on TV either via CIAA Network or through Aspire Network,” said Lewter speaking on the success of the event due to the positive reception by local organizers.
“Here in Salem we’d like to think of ourselves and our sports hosting team as kind’of like a Disney World of sports hosting,” said Johnson. “Our folks just go above and beyond to make sure that everyone from the players, the coaches and the fans have an unforgettable experience when they come to Salem.”
Part of the media event involved a youth football clinic held the day before the news conference. During his comments, Mayor Lea expressed how beneficial it is to the youth to have an event of this caliber come to the area.
“It means so much, not only to the CIAA alumni in this area, but the area’s students who look forward to the visiting teams as quite often the CIAA athletes will visit the local schools–so the championship is becoming something that we here in the valley are very proud of,” explained Mayor Lea. He also pointed out that the conference will be held in the area for seven more years.
Following tradition, Lewter took the opportunity to announce this year’s preseason football picks–those teams and players chosen as most likely to be in the championship game. He later interviewed several CIAA top team coaches and their star players who chose to be a part of the opening event.
According to Lewter’s pronouncement, based on CIAA projections, the big game will be played between Fayetteville State Univ. Broncos, (Fayetteville, NC) and defending champs the Bowie State Bulldogs (Bowie, MD).
“For a conference that really doesn’t have a footprint in southwest Virginia to trust us consistently to host their championships year after year is simply amazing and they’re such wonderful people to work with,” said Carey Harveycutter, director, tourism, City of Salem.
In addition to this year’s football championship set for Saturday, Nov. 16 at Salem Stadium, other scheduled CIAA contests hosted by Virginia’s Blue Ridge & City of Salem include:
* Men’s and Women’s Cross Country (Thursday, Oct. 24) at Green Hill Park, * Salem and the Volley Ball Championship (Tuesday, Nov. 19, 22, & 24); * Quarterfinals on campus (19th), semifinals (22nd) and championship (24th). All held at Salem Stadium.
Prior to his present position, Harveycutter had an impressive 40-year career as Salem Civic Center manager, through some of its most dynamic changes.
