Choose Charleston

Davidson won the Southern Conference Basketball Tournament for the third year straight.  College of Charleston beat The Citadel in the first round but ran out of steam against Elon in the semifinals of the 2008 Southern Conference Basketball Tournament. I attended all the games from Saturday until the finals on Monday night. I could have scripted how this tournament would end (Davidson 2008 Champs) but to the credit of Elon- good try! Davidson must be able to the Charleston as they are headed to the big dance once again! I hope some of my readers were able to come out to this great even in North Charleston!

The Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament will be in Charleston this weekend.   March 7th will be the first day of games and two local colleges, College of Charleston and The Citadel will battle that evening.  I think the game should be roughly around 7:30 but it depends on the games ahead of them. (Overtimes!?)  Either way, the Southern Conference Tournament offers a great opportunity to watch some high quality hoops!  Davidson has won the tournament the past two years, beating out our own College of Charleston Cougars  in the finals last year by the score of 72-65.  If you would like more details, visit SoConSports.com.  What are you waiting on sports fan?  March Madness is coming to Charleston.

This Saturday and Sunday, August 4-5, the Washout on Folly Beach will once again host the South Carolina Governor’s Cup of Surfing.

That’s two whole days of competition featuring the best of the class from all the way up and down the Easten seaboard. Wahines wade in from the Outer Banks and Menehunes migrate from Myrtle Beach to show their stuff at this top wave event.

Arrive early to catch a good parking spot.

Keep in mind that South Carolina is one of only two states with an official Governor’s Cup dedicated to the sport of surfing (the other is California). Governor Mark Sanford, well known as a champion of coastal and environmental causes, is himself an avid surfer.

So the Governor’s Cup is a point of pride for Sandlappers.

Speaking of which, the summer 2007 issue of Sandlapper: The Magazine of South Carolina features a cool article on the Governor’s Cup and the Folly Beach surf crowd, if you’re interested in some background research before you show up on the beach.

As well, the summer issue of Garden & Gun has an article on the local wahines and the July 2007 Charleston Magazine has an article on Folly Beach in its golden age (check out the sailing adventure by the ever adventurous Ida Becker in the same issue).

With the fourth annual South Carolina Governor’s Cup of Surfing only a little more than 6 weeks away, competition is heating up at the Washout on Folly Beach.

Despite less than spectacular waves this Saturday, local surfers continued to perfect their techniques and accumulate points while preparing for the Governor’s Cup and other major Eastern Surfing Association events.

The idea has been building for a long, long while.

The 20th Century brought many a change to these here United States, including a long-lived love affair with horseless carriages; newfangled contraptions that came to be known as automobiles, cars, jalopies. Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs. We polished them until they sparkled in the sunlight, gassed them up, and hopped inside for a trip from here to practically wherever.

They certainly were convenient when a trip between cities or states was what we needed, but gradually we grew so accustomed to riding inside of them that we would motor up even when we only needed to travel a few blocks down the road.

Somewhere along the way, a few forward-thinking minds thought: “Enough!” They shook one leg, then the other, revisited a few stretches that they learned in gym class many a moon ago, and rediscovered the art of walking. For slightly more distant travels, they dusted off bicycles.

And they soon found that they felt better. Not just in the cardiovascular sense, but also in the sense of noticing things about their towns that they had previously zipped right past.

When the James Island Connector spanned the mighty Ashley River, not only did our marvelous medical students gain affordable island housing that was suddenly just a quick trip over the water, but they also gained a great jogging path with a scenic view.

When the great Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge replaced its older cousins above the Cooper River, a walking and bicycling path was a key component in its design. Walking, running, or bicycling that path has fast become one of the most popular outdoor activities for locals and visitors alike.

Today, it seems like everyone with a bridge nearby wants in on that feel-good fit feeling. A meeting is scheduled for the end of the month at Charles Towne Landing to discuss how the North Bridge, linking West Ashley with North Charleston, could benefit from a dedicated walking and bicycling path, among other improvements.

If this blending of bridges and physical fitness continues, who knows where it might lead? Next thing you know, we might even have to launch a major annual international 10K… hm? What’s that? Oh… that’s right…

After the recent cancellation of the Heritage Motorcycle Rally, it seems that some of the disappointed bikers in the area have decided to hold their own gathering.

The somewhat smaller event will take place April 19th - 22nd, but details are still being worked out. I don’t know whether any of the original acts who were going to perform will still be there. For more information, and to stay informed, check out their website.

Ready for a challenge?

March 31 will be the 30th annual Cooper River Bridge Run. This world-class foot race is the best organized and the best conducted 10-K race in the world.

2007 will be the second year that the new Thomas Ravenel bridge will be used. Recently, the final remaining piece of the old Grace Memorial Bridge was imploded.

If you haven’t run or walked the Cooper River Bridge Run lately, there have been more changes than just a new bridge. For instance, all walkers and runners will start and finish at the same places. Also, accoring to the Cooper River Bridge Run website, “All entrants- including walkers- will be issued the championchip timing device; and will appear in the full results.”

Check it out, get into shape and get over it.

Well, one is, anyway.

Maria Sharapova, who just regained the world’s No. 1 ranking, has signed on for the Family Circle Cup tennis tournament. The 35th annual Family Circle Cup will be held April 7-15 on Daniel Island. The last time Sharapova played in this tournament was in 2003, when she won two qualifying matches to make the main draw and then lost in the first round.

According to the Post and Courier, that gives the Family Circle Cup five of the top six players in the world and four current or former No. 1 players. This includes No. 2 Justine Henin-Hardenne, No. 3 Amelie Mauresmo, No. 5 Svetlana Kuznetsova and No. 6 Martina Hingis. Only Kuznetsova has never held the top spot.

The Family Circle Cup was the first women’s professional tennis event to offer $100,000 in prize money and the first to be televised on national network TV. In 2001, the tournament moved to Charleston from Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head, where it had a 28 year run. This year’s purse is $1,340,000.