ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, January 13, 1996 TAG: 9601150028
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: HIGH SCHOOLS
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM
It was the biggest high school shutout in years. No one in Timesland played anything for a week.
Instead, coaches stayed home and got to know their families. Some people were stranded away from the Timesland area. Athletic directors had a vacation, but the fun will be finished when they begin to reschedule all the postponements.
The biggest casualty was the 19th annual Big Orange wrestling tournament involving 16 teams at William Byrd. It is the most prestigious regular season wrestling event in Timesland.
For now, Byrd athletic director Jane Layman says the tournament is postponed. Whether it's made up will depend on getting 16 schools to switch schedules. At best, it might be a smaller tournament with whatever teams can participate.
Layman hates to cancel the tournament because ``seniors have been working so long'' toward winning a title.
Layman also confessed to Franklin County coach Kris Kahila, whose team was out to win its eighth Big Orange title, that she had a nightmare about being stuck with 250 wrestlers at a snowed in William Byrd if the tournament were held.
``I'd be there,'' said Kahila.
``I could open up a couch in my office with you on one side and [Martinsville coach] Spencer Chang on the other side,'' said Layman, referring to two of the heftier Timesland wrestling coaches.
``I hope that couch is reinforced,'' said Kahila.
The snow was no laughing matter to boys' basketball coaches Paul Barnard of William Byrd and Ed Purdy of Lord Botetourt.
Barnard was stuck in Harrisonburg from last weekend until Wednesday after taking his daughter, Ginger, to visit James Madison University.
``Monday she got strep throat and we're stuck in the Howard Johnson's at Harrisonburg,'' said Barnard. ``The Emory & Henry team was marooned in the Days Inn across the street, so I got to eat breakfast with their coach [Bob Johnson] and Monday I drove down to watch their game at Bridgewater.''
Purdy was sidelined at home with a left ankle double its normal size because of calcium phosphate, which acts like gout. ``I had it in my right knee before this, so mostly I've been laying around,'' said Purdy, whose team closed pre-snow play with two victories for the Blue Ridge District's newest boys' basketball coach.
Northside basketball coach Billy Pope last saw his team on Jan. 5, when it beat William Byrd in double overtime. ``I can walk to school for practice, but I can't get out of my driveway,'' Pope said Wednesday.
Christiansburg basketball coach and athletic director Gerald Thompson sat at home watching television until Wednesday, when he called a practice for which half the team showed up. He was busy rescheduling games.
``We're going to treat these makeup games like summer camp when we play three games at a time, back-to-back. The kids are just going to have a good time,'' said Thompson, whose team was 9-1 before the snow storm.
HATE THE SNOW: Boys' basketball teams that really didn't want this delay include Liberty, Bath County and Grayson County, all unbeaten, and Christiansburg, Giles, Parry McCluer and Carlisle, with only one loss. Who wants a fast start put on hold?
Franklin County's wrestling team was on a roll in other tournaments and the Eagles were big favorites in the Big Orange.
Perhaps the most disgusted are area athletic directors, who must reschedule all the postponements.
LOVE THE SNOW: Teams that are off to a disappointing start and need to regroup might use the off time to get it together. They know who they are.
Families of coaches also love it, with children getting to know one of their parents better.
NO STATISTICS: Monday was to be the first day of Timesland wrestling and basketball coaches calling in statistics to the newspaper.
Forget it and prepare to start Monday, Jan. 22. First, there was no letter of instruction sent to coaches after the prep editor's extended stay in New York. Even if there had been a letter, no one would have been there to receive it. That tells you about the week.
LENGTH: Medium: 78 linesby CNB