02/09/2012

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SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF CHESTERFIELD COUNTY 02.09.12

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INSIDE SPORTS

Legislators update business leaders

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

The Chesterfield County Cham-ber of Commerce installed fournew board members at its annualbanquet on Friday, Jan. 27, at the

Holiday Inn Koger Conference Center.“Our Board of Directors annual retreat

[held on Wednesday, Jan. 18] focused on theChamber’s strategic planning process thatwe will undertake in 2012,” Brennen Keene,chairman of the CCCC, said. “The entireboard is really excited about this process, andthree of our new board members volun-teered to be part of the board’s strategicplan task force. The board’s enthusiasm fordeveloping a strategic plan confirms to methat this is the right time for the ChesterfieldChamber to undertake this process. I amvery confident that our Chamber will be wellpositioned for the future as a result of theseefforts.”

New members include:Suzanne Etherington, workforce develop-

ment coordinator at Community CollegeWorkforce Alliance.

Brian Harding, area sales manager forUnited Parcel Service.

Patrick Magee, operations manager forDivine Staffing, Inc.

David Saunders, President/Chief Idea Of-ficer for Madison+Main.

Chamberinstallsnew boardmembers

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY MELIKE D. MONAHANShown are, from left, Keisjon Mosby, Jon Olah, Regan Blume and Evan Adams. They are playingDimensionM in the computer lab to prepare for the SOLs.

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

Providence Middle School’s sixth-grad-ers recently took second place in theDimensionM competition in Chester-field County. Chesterfield County Public

Schools joined the nation in participating in theDimensionM games, educational video games tohelp students review and reinforce mathematicsand literacy skills. DimensionM is the math ver-sion.

A month before the winter break, school-to-school grade level (grades 3-10) math competition

kicked off the early start for Standards of Learning(SOL) preparation. The grade level at an individualschool with the most math questions answered andthe highest percent correct won a pizza party forthe entire grade level at one county school.

The competition was from Nov. 21 through Dec.15. It was announced on Jan. 25 that the winningschool was Elizabeth Davis Elementary’s third-graders, winning a pizza party for their entire gradelevel. Jose Bonilla Reyes, fifth grade, also a studentat Davis, won the iPod Nano prize for his indi-vidual high score.

MAKING THE GRADE

Providence Middle School studentstake second prize in math competition

PHOTO SUBMITTED BYLEIGH ANN H. MCKELWAY

SPELLINGCHAMP

PHOTOS BY JIM RIDOLPHILeft, Sen. John Watkins addressed members of the Western Chesterfield Business Association last week at Village Bank. Right, Del. Lee Ware also fielded questions from concernedChesterfield business owners and operators.

BY JIM RIDOLPHISpecial Correspondent

Two Chesterfield General Assem-bly members took time off a busyschedule at the State Capitol to pro-vide a legislative update at a recent

breakfast meeting of the Western ChesterfieldBusiness Association.

Del. Lee Ware and Sen. John Watkins toldthe assembled group of county business lead-ers that legislators have a full plate of issuesto deal with in this year’s session.

Ware is in his sixth term representing the65th District that includes all of PowhatanCounty and 12 precincts in Chesterfield.Watkins is the long-time representative forVirginia’s 10th District, which is centered inWestern Chesterfield County.

With an audience of business-mindedindividuals, the issue of health care is a domi-nant issue, especially in the minds of smallerbusiness operators. Several bills have been in-troduced in this year’s General Assembly thatwould outline a state health care exchange.

With the future of a federal mandateuncertain, Gov. Bob McDonnell contendssuch legislation can wait, but other legislatorsdisagree. If Virginia does not have exchangeguidelines in place and the federal programsurvives court challenges, a federal healthcare model could be initiated in Virginia.

“We need to put those exchanges in placeto accommodate those that cannot afford

health care, and small businesses who cannotafford to offer it as a benefit,” Watkins said.

State exchange guidelines are required tobe in place by Jan. 1, 2013, under the federalguidelines.

“If you don’t, there’s a potential that itwould default to a federal exchange,” Watkinssaid. “Some of us have pushed forward withlegislation that would put the exchanges inplace.”

Watkins, head of the Commerce andLabor Committee, said he is not optimis-tic about the exchange proposals movingforward. “The speaker is not happy abouthealth care exchanges, so it probably won’tget very far with it, but ,at least, we can laythe groundwork.”

Ware said House members have beenasked to hold off on exchange legislation, butagreed that Virginia needs its own “Virginiaspecific healthcare exchange.”

Regarding transportation, both legislatorssaid they do not favor a proposed toll on I-95to capture out of state dollars. “At this point,I’m a skeptic,” Ware said. Both indicated arise in the gas tax seems inevitable.

“Every penny you add to the gas tax adds$50 or $60 million to the trust fund to payfor road construction and maintenance,”Watkins said. He also noted the critical na-ture of the problem.

“The problem we are facing right now isthat we will run out of dollars to match fed-eral dollars in five years,” Watkins said.

Currently, Virginia has one of the lowestgas taxes in the nation. Watkins does not sup-port using a portion of the sales tax to fundtransportation, a proposal supported by Gov.McDonnell.

Ware suggested the gas tax could be

WCBA hostsSen. Watkins,Del. Ware

Michael Benos, aneighth grade student atRobious Middle School,won the ChesterfieldCounty Public SchoolsSpelling Bee on Jan. 24by correctly spelling“garland.” The son ofPam and Bill Benos,Michael will representChesterfield CountyPublic Schools in theRegional Spelling Bee at1 p.m. on March 10 atthe Library of Virginia.The runner-up in theCCPS Spelling Beewas Seth Hoisington, asixth-grader at BaileyBridge Middle whoseparents are Karen andScott Hoisington.

BUSINESS page 2

CHAMBER page 3

2 || FEBRUARY 9, 2012 MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COMEXPLAIN NEWS || FEATURES

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On February 12, 13, and 14, Quartetsfrom The Virginians BarbershopChorus will be available to performromantic ballads for the special someonein your life. Imagine your love’s surprisewhen a tuxedo-clad quartet arrives todeliver a red rose and two tender lovesongs in four-part harmony!

The Virginians Chorus is the Richmond Chapterof the Barbershop Harmony Society. The Societyis a not-for-profit 501c3, educational, fraternal,singing organization.

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23112Jan. 1714100 block of WhirlawayMewsUnknown suspect/s kicked inthe rear door and gained entryto the victim’s residence.Property was reported stolen.

8400 block of WhirlawayDriveUnknown suspect/s gainedentry to the victim’s residenceby forcing open the rearFrench doors. Several roomswere rummaged through.Property was reported stolen.

Jan. 202900 block of CourthouseRoadUnknown suspect/s attempt-ed to kick in the side door inan attempt to gain entry to thevictim’s residence. Entry wasnot gained and at this timenothing has been reportedstolen.

Jan. 217100 block of Deer RunLaneSuspect/s broke a kitchenwindow to gain entry to thevictim’s residence. Onceinside, the interior wasransacked and property wasreported stolen.

23113Jan. 171000 block of Robious RoadSuspect entered the business,approached one employee,and demanded money. Whenthat employee refused, thesuspect moved to a secondemployee, pulled a handgunfrom his hoodie pocket andpointed it at her. The em-ployee handed over her cashand the suspect ran out of thesalon.

23114Jan. 171500 block of Denby WayVictim stated unknownsuspect/s gained entry to theresidence and stole property.No signs of forced entry werenoted.

Jan. 2012900 block of GlenshadeDriveResponding to an alarm callpolice discovered unknownsuspect/s attempted to forceopen the rear door at the resi-dence. Entry was not gainedand at this time nothing hasbeen reported stolen.

23235Jan. 171600 block of Turnmill DriveVictim stated she was homewhen unknown suspectkicked in the rear garage entrydoor and forced open a doorleading into the residence. Atthis time nothing has beenreported stolen.

2600 block of JacobwayCourtSuspect/s cut the screenand gained entry through arear sliding glass door. Onceinside, several areas wereransacked and property wasreported stolen.

700 block of RedingtonCourtVictim reported that unknownsuspect/s rummaged throughher unlocked BMW, but noth-ing was taken.

9500 block of RedingtonDriveItems were stolen fromvictim’s unlocked vehicle.

Jan. 1810400 block of MidlothianTurnpikeArmed and masked suspectentered the store and de-manded cash. Upon gettingmoney from the registers, thesuspect walked out.

23236Jan. 174300 block of FordhamCourtSuspect/s forced open therear door to the victim’s resi-dence, rummaged through abedroom and stole property.

Jan. 214700 block of ScoutersPlace.Victim stated he awoke uponhearing voices and observedan unknown suspect exitinga window in the residence.Property was reported stolen.No signs of forced entry werenoted.

2400 block of Walhala DriveResponding to an alarm,police discovered suspect/sforced open the lockedFrench Doors at the vacantresidence. At this time nothinghas been reported stolen.

23832Jan. 177000 block of CommonsPlazaItem was taken from victim’sunlocked vehicle.

Jan. 1813900 block of Hull StreetRoadSuspect forced entry to thebusinesses and attempted togain entry to another. Propertywas reported stolen.

Jan. 209900 block of Nott Lane.Suspect/s broke the frontbedroom window and gainedentry to the residence. Atthis time nothing has beenreported stolen.

9400 block of SpringhouseDriveItem was taken from victim’sback yard.

All data are based on the publicly available Chesterfield CountyPolice Department daily arrest and crime releases and arereported according to Federal Incident Based Reporting rules.

CRIME REPORT

CONTRIBUTED REPORTThe turning point of the

20th century wasn’t on tele-vision . . . It was television!

The Midlothian HighSchool Theatre Depart-ment will present “TheFarnsworth Invention” byAaron Sorkin of “The WestWing,”“A Few Good Men”and “The Social Network”at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday,Friday and Saturday, Feb.9-11.

It’s 1929. Two ambitiousvisionaries race against eachother to invent a devicecalled “television.”

Separated by 2,000 miles,each knows that if he stopsworking – even for a mo-ment – the other will gainthe edge.

Who will unlock the keyto the greatest innovationof the 20th century: theruthless media mogul or theself-taught Idaho farm boy?

“The Farnsworth Inven-tion” is described as “Crack-ling prime time theatre . . .breezy and shrewd, smartalecky and idealistic.”

Admission costs are $5on Thursday and $10 onFriday and Saturday.

Midlothian High to present‘The Farnsworth Invention’

CONTRIBUTED REPORTInterested in the fight

against cancer and creatinga world with more birth-days? Join the Relay For Lifeof Chesterfield for TeamCaptain Meetings every at 7p.m. the second Tuesday ofthe month through June 12at James River High School,3700 James River Road.

Dates are Feb. 14, Feb. 15,March 13, May 8 and June12.

For more information,contact Mynik Taylor at527-3778 or [email protected].

The website is www.Relay-ForLife.org/chesterfield.

Relay for Lifeteam captainmeetingsbegin Feb. 14

CONTRIBUTED REPORTCinderella said it best:

“In dreams you lose yourheartaches.” Since 2006, theMidlothian Junior Women’sClub has helped many areateenage girls overcome theheartache of not being ableto afford a prom dress due tofinancial hardships.

In 2011, the partnershipbetween MJWC, PuritanCleaners, 103.7 The River andHot 100.9 provided gownsand accessories free of charge,to more than 300 girls who– just like Cinderella – neededhelp getting a gown for theball.

The 2012 project kicked offon Monday, Feb. 6, with thecollection of new or slightly-used prom dresses, shoes,accessories and new make-up.

“Dress donations are wel-comed at all Puritan Cleanerlocations. Dress, shoes, acces-sories and make-up will alsobe accepted at all metro-Rich-mond YMCAs,” Naomi Hillsaid.

For a complete listing oflocations, visit www.cinderel-ladreams.net.

“We would stronglyencourage any of the 300 girlswho were helped last year to

consider donating back theirdress to the project,” Hilladded.

The collection of dresses willcontinue through March 12.

The Cinderella Dreamsdress shop will be openfrom 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday,March 23; 9 a.m. to noonon Saturday, March 24; and

9 a.m. to noon on Saturday,March 31, at The VillageMarketplace Shopping Centerat 13100 Midlothian Tnpk. inMidlothian.

Girls will be helped on afirst-come, first-served basis.

A donation of $5 is sug-gested.

For more information

about donations, the Cin-derella Dreams dress shop,or ways to volunteer, visit theCinderella Dreams websitewww.CinderellaDreams.net.You also can receive updateson the Cinderella DreamsProject by LIKING the clubon Facebook.com/Cinderel-laDreams.net.

Junior Women’s Club kicks off2012 Cinderella Dreams Project

SUBMITTED PHOTOCinderella Dreams helps area teenage girls overcome their inability to afford a prom gownby providing them new or gently used dresses.

indexed with moderateincreases correlated with costof living increases. If index-ing had begun in 1986, Wat-kins said, “We would havean additional $1.2 million towork with for maintenanceand construction.”

One audience memberasked what was being donein this session to protectand promote small busi-nesses. Ware said a proposalto tax the use of plastic bags

by businesses was killed incommittee to prevent costincreases to small businesses.

Ware and Watkins bothacknowledged the recentannouncement by Amazonof its intentions to open twoplants in Virginia was aneconomic “shot in the arm,”but expressed concern overthe company’s contributionto the sales tax.

“We should be askingthem to do what every smallbusiness does and that’s to

collect a sales tax and remitthat to the Commonwealth,”Ware said.

Amazon received $7million worth of incentivesto locate in Dinwiddie andChesterfield counties.

“I don’t fault the use of themoney to get them here, but Ido have a significant problemwith them continuing to re-fuse to collect and remit salestax,” Watkins said.

The representatives alsoaddressed a growing problemwith the Virginia RetirementSystem, which is seriouslyunderfunded and could jeop-ardize state pensions.

Watkins has introduceda bill that would reform theretirement system so it re-sembles private sector 401(k)type arrangements.

Chesterfield County ad-ministrator James Stegmaier

said he thinks governmenthas a moral obligation tokeep its promises. “I believefundamentally that it ismorally wrong to promiseyour employees a benefitand not set aside the funds,”he said.

Stegmaier said Chester-field’s County’s pension fundis 85 percent funded, whilesome state employee pen-sions are hovering around 50percent.

The breakfast meetingwas held at the Village BankHeadquarters in Midllothian.

WCBA’s next social willget underway at 5:30 p.m. onThursday, March 1, at CapitalAle House.

For more details orquestions about the socials,WCBA membership orsponsorships, send an [email protected]

BUSINESS from page 1

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The new members join 11other directors that governthe Chamber and serve as thepolicy-making authority.

Other members of theboard include:

D. Brennen Keene, chair-man, a partner with McGuireWoods LLP.

Doug Horton, chair-elect,owner and general man-ager of TeamLogic IT ofMidlothian and TeamLogic ITof the Peninsula.

J. Fletcher Kelly, treasurer,vice president of VirginiaWaste Services Inc. andShoosmith Bros.

Jonathan Young, corporatesecretary, director of corpo-rate relations for VirginiaState University’s School ofBusiness.

Carrie Coyner, at-large di-rector – Carrie is the founder/owner of Rudy, Coyner &Associates, PLLC.

Mark M. Gordon, at-largedirector – Mark is the chief ex-ecutive officer of Bon SecoursSt. Francis Medical Center.

Dan Davies, at-largedirector, consultant andoutsourced financial execu-tive with Tax and BusinessSolutions LLC ManagementAdvisory Services.

Wythe Michael, at-large di-rector, a founding partner of

the law firm Ramey | MichaelBusiness Law Group PC.

Sandy Smiley, at-largedirector, vice president, smallbusiness banker and managerfor Union First Market Bank.

Lenita Gilreath, president,president of the ChesterfieldCounty Chamber overseeingthe day-to-day operations ofthe organization.

E. Wilson Davis Jr., ex-of-ficio, director of EconomicDevelopment for ChesterfieldCounty.

About the ChesterfieldCounty Chamber of Com-merce: The ChesterfieldCounty Chamber of Com-merce is the key face and voice

for the business communityin Chesterfield County, lead-ing through governmentadvocacy both locally andregionally on issues that affectthe business community andquality of life of Chesterfieldcitizens; exceptional profes-sional education to helppromote the growth of ourmembers; provision of mar-keting opportunities for ourmembers; and promotion ofregional economic develop-ment that can positively im-pact the business communityand citizens of Chesterfield.

For more information,visit www.chesterfieldcham-ber.com or call 748-6364.

CHAMBER from page 1

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY SANDY WHITESIDEThe Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting forBrain Balance Center of Richmond on Monday, Jan. 23. Brain Balance Center ofRichmond is located at 15833 City View Drive in Midlothian.

BRAIN BALANCE CENTER

4 || FEBRUARY 9, 2012 MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COMEXPLAIN NEWS || FEATURES

M I D L O T H I A N

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Vol. VI, 1st edition

© 2011 by Richmond SuburbanNews, a Media General Company.All advertising and editorialmatter is fully protected and maynot be reproduced without thepermission of the publisher.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

WASABI THE SUDOKU GAME WITH A KICK!

‘Don’t sugarcoat it likethat, Kid. Tell her straight’BY JIM RIDOLPHISpecial Correspondent

As a columnist, I’ve had the opportunityto write on just about every subjectimaginable, and some no one wouldever think of. Over the years, I’ve

written about my favorite pets, recounted child-hood memories, opined on politics, government,health care and reflected on being parent; andthose are just a few of the subjects that come tomind.

Losing a lifelong friend is not something I’veever written about, or, for that matter, thoughtmuch about up until the last few months.

It was late July when I first learned of mybest friend’s cancer and the inevitability of theprognosis that was clear from the first signs ofhis illness. Although we didn’t discuss it much, Iknew my friend’s days were numbered.

I thought of a thousand things I wanted to sayto him before his untimely death, but we nevergot around to having that discussion. From thevery first day of his diagnosis, we continued ournormal relationship and stayed away from theobvious and morbid elephant in the room.

Through good days and bad, his resolve wasconstant, and his desire to live the final monthsof his life just as he’d live the preceding portionwas admirable.

Looking back, I think he did that for thebenefit of the people who loved and respectedhim. After all, pity had never played a role in hislife, and I was aware it was important to him tomaintain that standard until he died.

As teenagers, we were enamored with thefilm “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,”and, although never spoken, I guess we fanciedourselves as a modern-day version of the famouspair. Our conversations usually ended with oneof us jolting out a one-liner from the film. Theexchange went on for more than three decades,and at what seemed like the most opportunetimes, a one-liner from Butch or The Kid alwaysseemed appropriate to us.

And so it was last summer when he returnedhome from a grueling 13-hour surgery, and wasonly a portion of his former self. As the atten-dants struggled to get him out of the ambulanceand back inside his home, I searched for theright words for my friend.

“Kid, the next time, I say let’s go someplacelike Bolivia, let’s GO someplace like Bolivia!” Iyelled to him as he proceeded up the sidewalkto his home. He turned and nailed the response,“Next time.”

It was then I realized just how much I wouldmiss my old friend, and the realization of hisdeath broke through my defenses for the firsttime. My heart broke for my friend, but I wasalmost equally as afraid of how his demise wouldaffect me.

Now, anyone who has dealt with cancer knowsthe final months are not easy, for the patientor the ones surrounding and supporting him.My friend’s case was no exception, and I slowlywatched my friend deteriorate.

We talked, we laughed and we had long mean-ingful talks over the past few months. I treasuredeach minute like it was the last because I knew itsoon would be.

In his final week, I remained at his side asmuch as I could. A couple of days before hisdeath, I was helping him organize his medicine,and, as usual, I had a different idea of how tosolve the seemingly endless confusion than hedid. After I got all the pills sorted and placed in acontainer, I noticed a resigned look on his face.

“Now, that should keep everything straight,”I said.

“You do the thinking, Butch. That’s whatyou’re good at,” he replied without hesitation.

My friend passed quietly last week, sur-rounded by the people he loved the most. Tohis best friend, the loss is immeasurable. But,somehow he made it easier by preparing me forthe inevitable end, and the courage he displayedin his most dire moments made the loss at leastbearable.

I think he planned and wanted it that way.During the most trying time of his life, hethought of his friends and family first.

I learned a lot from my friend in life, but hesaved his best lesson for last.

As I sat in the funeral home at his memorialservice, I tried to think of my friend as I’d knownhim for more than four decades of my life. Fora brief moment, I could hear his voice, see theexpression on his face and he looked down andsaid, “Boy, I got vision, and the rest of the worldwears bifocals.”

BY KOREY HUGHESSpecial Correspondent

It might be chilly outside, but,if you’re an area parent, it’s nevertoo early to start thinking aboutsummer camp experiences for yourchildren.

An information session onSaturday, Feb. 11, at MeadowdaleLibrary will present the facts aboutthe upcoming Chesterfield County4-H Junior Summer Camp thatwill happen at the Jamestown 4-HEducational Center in Williamsburgfrom Monday, July 16, to Friday,July 20.

Twenty-one other camps hostedby other area counties and citiesin the Southeast 4-H District alsowill hold their events during aneight-week time span this summer.But due to the large size of Chester-field County’s 4-H Junior SummerCamp, it will be the only camp at thefacility that particular week.

Carrie Brink is the 4-H extensionagent for Chesterfield County’s 4-Hprogram. She plans and implementseducational programming andrelated activities for the department,including the upcoming 4-H JuniorSummer Camp.

According to Brink, Saturday’sinformation session is aimed at par-ents of first-time campers who wantto learn more about the week-longprogram before registering theiryoungsters. The presentation willprovide a general overview of theplanned activities, and Brink alsowill answer questions.

The theme of this year’s campfestivities is 4-H Olympics, andBrink said the activities her depart-ment has planned will incorporatethat concept.

The event will kick off with anOlympic-inspired opening ceremo-ny and dance on the first night. Andtwo more evenings will be dedicatedto Olympic-style competitions.

Additionally, educational activi-ties will be presented daily in theforms of classes and fun shops.While the courses will present out-door-focused topics during in-depthtwo-hour sessions, the fun shopsare one-hour presentations that willprovide general overviews of specificskills.

In order to qualify for the camp,participants must reach their 9th

birthdays between Oct. 1, 2011,and Sept. 30, 2012, and must nothave reached their 14th birthdaybefore Oct. 1, 2012. “Youth in thisage group are able to be away fromhome with less separation anxietyand homesickness (than) youngerchildren would experience beingaway from their parents,” Brinksaid.

And, while parents sometimessuffer their own forms of separationanxiety after they send their kidsoff to summer camp for the firsttime, they shouldn’t worry that theiryoungsters won’t be well-occupiedwhile they’re away.

“Camp has a fun and excitingatmosphere,” Brink said. “There isalways something going on, the chil-dren stay busy, and they love it.”

When asked why it’s still impor-tant for children to continue to par-ticipate in local 4-H organizations,Brink said that those groups teachlife skills in addition to providingfun experiences.

She said that the time they spenddoing 4-H related activities can haveenduring effects on their futuresuccesses.

“Participation in 4-H helpsdevelop skills that will benefit youththroughout their childhood andinto their adult lives,” Brink said.“Through 4-H, children makelifelong friendships and developlife skills, such as leadership andcitizenship, that will enable them tobecome productive citizens in theircommunity.”

The information session for theChesterfield County 4-H JuniorSummer Camp will be held from10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Satur-day, Feb. 11, at Meadowdale Libraryat 4301 Meadowdale Blvd.

Parents can register their childrenfor the camp by completing aregistration form and mailing in theform along with a non-refundable$50 deposit.

Registration forms are availableat the Chesterfield County 4-HJunior Summer Camp’s website,and the registration deadline for thecamp is Friday, June 1.

For more information, call751-4401 or visit the ChesterfieldCounty 4-H website at http://offices.ext.vt.edu/chesterfield/programs/4h/camp.html.

Information sessionto shed light on4-H summer camp

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY SANDY WHITESIDEThe Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cuttingfor Huntington Learning Center-Midlothian on Friday, Jan. 20. HuntingtonLearning Center is located at 1117 Alverser Drive in Midlothian.

HUNTINGTON LEARNING CENTER

Bank of Virginia has announcedthe promotion of Richard Dick-inson to president. He has served

as executivevice presi-dent sincejoining thebank in May2011.

JackZoeller, whohas servedas presidentsince Decem-

ber 2010, willremain the bank’s chairman of theboard and chief executive officer.

Dickinson will continue as chiefoperating officer.

“Richard has been successful inturning around the bank’s lendingculture and staff and launchingour new $40 million commercialloan campaign,” Zoeller said. “Hisleadership has helped put Bank ofVirginia on a far sounder foot-ing, particularly on the regulatoryfront.”

“Richard Dickinson’s elevation

to president is an integral part ofthe bank’s strategic plan,” Zoelleradded. “It signals an importantmilestone for Bank of Virginiaand enables me to refocus myrole toward capital raising anddeveloping and leading thebank’s organic growth and M&Astrategy.”

Before joining Bank of Virginia,Dickinson spent his entire careerwith SunTrust Bank, achievingincreasingly senior positions ina variety of credit and lendingmanagement positions throughoutthe bank. Most recently, he wassenior credit officer and execu-tive vice president of CommercialReal Estate at SunTrust, where hemanaged a team of seven regionalcredit officers and a credit portfo-lio in excess of $7 billion.

While at United Virginia andCrestar Banks, predecessors ofSunTrust, he gained experiencein evaluating and integrating thelending portfolios and operationsat acquired banks.

Dickinson is a native Rich-

monder who received his bache-lor’s degree from the Universityof Richmond. He has been activein Richmond community affairs,particularly in the area of af-fordable housing. He served onthe board of the Virginia LocalInitiative Support Corporationand currently serves as a commit-tee member of the Better HousingCoalition. Dickinson resides inRichmond with his wife Allysonand two daughters, Kathryn andLauren.

About Bank of VirginiaBank of Virginia, a Virginia

state chartered bank headquar-tered in Midlothian, operates fourfull-service offices in the coun-ties of Chesterfield and Hen-rico. Bank of Virginia’s commonstock is traded on the NASDAQstock market under the quota-tion symbol “BOVA.” Additionalinvestor relations information canbe found on the internet at www.bankofva.com. Bank of Virginia isa member of the FDIC and EqualHousing Lender.

Dickinson

Bank of Va. announces new president

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STUFF TO DOE-mail your event to [email protected]. Subject line: EVENT

baseball instruction that will rangefrom defensive play, hitting andpitching. Camp instruction will focuson hitting, throwing, catching, base-running and pitching by focusing onskill development and will integratea variety of skill games as well.Whether you are a first year playeror a returning All-Star, this camp willgive you a jump tart on the upcom-ing baseball season.

Richmond Waldorf School OpenHouse, 10 a.m. to noon. Parentsand children can explore the schooltogether. For more information, visitwww.richmondwaldorf.com.

MONDAY, FEB. 13Breath Matters, a free supportgroup for people with lung diseasesserving all of Central Virginia, willmeet from 1:30 to 3 p.m., at CJWChippenham Campus, BosherAuditorium, 7101 Jahnke Road.Free valet parking and refreshments

THURSDAY, FEB. 9The Farnsworth Invention by AaronSorkin (The West Wing, A Few GoodMen and The Social Network) willbe presented at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9,10 and 11 by the Midlothian HighSchool Theatre Department. Thecost is $5 for Thursday and $10 forFriday and Saturday. For more infor-mation, visit www.midlotheatre.org.

SATURDAY, FEB. 11Monacan Baseball Jr. ChiefsBaseball Camp to be held Feb. 11,15, 18 and 22. Registration formavailable at www.monacansports.com. Varsity Baseball, Campsand Clinics. The Monacan ChiefsBaseball Program is offering the 3rdAnnual Baseball Camp for studentsin K-8. This camp will focus on thefundamentals of baseball that willallow each player to play at a higherlevel this upcoming season. Eachplayer will enjoy two or four days of

provided. Speaker: Kris Beshada,CRT, HCA/CJW; topic will be “Ex-ercise and its Importance with LungDisease.” For any questions, callRussell Glover at 738-0628 or checkwww.breathmatters.org for moreinformation.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15The Salisbury Garden Club meetsat 9:30 a.m. the third Wednesdayof each month at the Church of theRedeemer. This month, the club willspotlight Eve Roemhildt, “Make andTake: Make Your Own Flower PrintCards.” If you have any questionsregarding the Salisbury GardenClub, contact the president, DorisMorris, at [email protected].

THURSDAY, FEB. 16The Economic DevelopmentAuthority meets at 3 p.m. the thirdThursday of every month

at 9401 Courthouse Road, Suite B,Chesterfield. For more information,call Lori Perez, 318-8567.

MONDAY, FEB. 20Chesterfield Toastmasters Speech2012 Contest will be presented at6:30 p.m. on the second floor ofHaley Toyota of Richmond locatedoff U.S. 288 and Hull Street Road,3600 Lonas Parkway, Midlothian.For directions, call 545-7411.

WEEKLY TUESDAYSOvereaters Anonymous Group#51606 meets at 2 p.m. eachTuesday at Central Baptist Church,located at 1510 Courthouse Rd.,Richmond (23236) (Mission Housein rear of church). For more informa-tion, call Peg at 379-9558.

The Bethia United Methodist ChurchMothers of Preschoolers (MOPS)program is accepting registrations

and new members. Bethia MOPSmeets from 9:30 a.m. to noon on thefirst, third and fifth Tuesdays fromSept. 20 through May 15. For moreinformation, contact Kara Harris at763-6067 or [email protected] United Methodist Church islocated at 10700 Winterpock Road,Chesterfield.

WEEKLY THURSDAYSMoms of Tots to Teens (MOTTS)meets from 9:45 a.m. to noon everyfirst and third Thursday Sept. 15through May 17 at Bon Air Bap-tist Church, 2531 Buford Road.Preschool childcare is available. Formore information, contact LorettaSherwood at [email protected] or goto www.bonairbaptist.org/motts.

The Al-Anon meeting Awaken toHope is held each at 7:30 p.m. eachThursday at St. John NeumannCatholic Church located at 2480Batterson Rd. in Powhatan.

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

Karea Bailey’slove of art beganwhen she was just3 years old.

As she grew up, she ex-plored that interest, becom-ing an artist who works in anumber of mediums, includ-ing photography, paintingand drawing.

Her artistic talents alsoinclude design, presenta-tion, art restoration andsinging.

Bailey transferred fromOld Dominion University toJohn Tyler Community Col-lege to study photographyand film.

It is her passion for pho-tography that is dramati-cally exhibited in NickelBridge, her artwork thatclaimed this year’s JohnTyler Community CollegeFoundation Art Award.

The black and whitedigital photograph featuresa serene, almost hypnoticview, of the James Riverwith the Boulevard Bridge,known as the Nickel Bridgeto long-time Richmonders,in the background.

Bailey said she haddriven on the bridge manytimes before but had neverhad the opportunity tostand back and look at itsarchitectural beauty untilthe day she and her fiancétook a walk on a trail nearBelle Isle. The site of thebridge surrounded by thecalm waters of the James soinspired her that she tookthe award-winning photo-graph.

“There was stiff com-petition among this year’sentries, but Karea capturedthe hearts of the judges with

her beguiling photo of abeloved Richmond land-mark – the Nickel Bridge,”Beverley Dew, executivedirector of the JTCC Foun-dation, said.

“Her artist’s eye musthave been laser focused asshe snapped the celebratedscene.

Karea’s talent shinesthrough the image foreveryone to enjoy, but forthose of us who grew uphere and actually playedon the banks of the Jamesbelow the bridge, we seemuch more – a visual feastthat transports us downmemory lane.

Hats off to Karea, toJTCC’s celebrated art

program, and to the manytalented students who havebenefited from the stimulat-ing instruction provided bygifted faculty.”

The John Tyler Com-munity College FoundationArt Award was first startedin 1995 to showcase the ar-tistic abilities of John Tyler’sstudents while providingdonors with a unique giftfrom the college.

Once the winning entryis chosen, it is convertedinto a poster. The poster isused extensively in friends-raising and fundraisingefforts on behalf of thefoundation and the college.

The award winnerreceives $100, a framed and

matted copy of the poster,as well as additional postersfor portfolios.

The following studentswere finalists for the 2012Foundation Art Award:Bailey, Rebekah Abrisz,Shilona Cypress, TiffanyFarley, Lynn Frampton,Edward Gonzalez, SavannahSmith, Terry Lynn Smith,Ilona Shuvalova Strunk andRobert Wynne.

John Tyler CommunityCollege, a two-year, publicinstitution of higher educa-tion and the fifth largest ofthe 23 community collegesin Virginia, has campusesin Chester and Midlothianand off-campus classroomsthroughout the area.

‘Nickel Bridge’ wins 2012JTCC foundation art award

SUBMITTED PHOTOJohn Tyler Community College photography student Karea Bailey snapped the winningimage while walking with her fiancé on a trail near Belle Isle.

CONTRIBUTED REPORT

In today’s turbulenthome market, main-taining property valuesis more important than

ever before.Fortunately for Ches-

terfield County residents,an upcoming program willassist property owners byproviding advice that willhelp them to preserve thevalues of their homes.

On Saturday, Feb. 11,Chesterfield County’sSustain Our Communi-ties Committee, or SOCC,will host the EmpoweringNeighborhoods Forum atthe Eanes-Pittman PublicSafety Training Center.

Latisha Jenkins, re-vitalization coordinatorfor Chesterfield County,planned the event, whichwill impart informationabout important topics suchas code enforcement, crimeprevention and propertymaintenance.

“It’s always been a mis-sion of the SOCC to helpcitizens to help their com-munities by helping them-

selves,” Jenkins said. “So, ourforum will introduce neigh-borhood organizations andhelp people to connect withfolks who can help them.”

Although the SOCC wasoriginally established inDecember 2006, Jenkins saidthat Saturday’s program willbe the committee’s first bigpublic event.

According to Jenkins, theupcoming forum has been inthe works for some time.

“Well, they’ve been plan-ning it for a couple of years,and we were looking at othermodels (for presenting theinformation) before wedecided to have the forum,”Jenkins said. “But we thinkwe’re going to have a goodturnout because of thegroups that are involved.”

Tom Jacobson, directorof revitalization for Ches-terfield County, will speakabout the challenge of main-taining suburban neighbor-hoods, while Barry Whiteand Roger Robertson ofChesterfield County Build-ing Inspections will talkabout their department’s

neighborhood enhance-ment property maintenanceinspection program.

Additionally, Cpl. ScottGordon of ChesterfieldCounty Police will presentinformation about Neigh-borhood Watch, and TedBarclay will share adviceabout county code and zon-ing enforcement.

Andrew G. Elmore of thelaw firm Chadwick, Wash-ington, Moriarity, Elmoreand Bunn P.C. will close theprogram with a presentationabout community associa-tion law.

Each of the participantshas presented informationto the SOCC in the past.For that reason, they wereselected to share relatedadvice to the public duringSaturday’s program.

Educational exhibits alsowill be presented before theproceedings begin and dur-ing a mid-morning break.

The displays will befurnished by communitygroups such as the Ches-terfield County Anti-Lit-ter Program, Community

Emergency Response Teamand Neighborhood Watch.

The planned activitiesare considered to be a boonfor homeowners who maynot know that this type ofinstruction is readily avail-able to them.

“I think it’s a much-need-ed program because we’regoing to bring informationto the people in the neigh-borhoods,” Jenkins said.

“A lot of citizens don’thave any idea where to gowhen they have a probleminvolving their property. So,we want to be a catalyst thatcan help them to get thatassistance.”

The Empowering Neigh-borhoods Forum will takeplace from 8:30 a.m. to 1p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, atthe Eanes-Pittman PublicSafety Training Center at6610 Public Safety Way inChesterfield.

For more information,call 748-1065 or visit Ches-terfield County’s SustainOur Communities Commit-tee website at www.chester-field.gov.

Empowering Neighborhoods Forumprovides advice to property owners

CONTRIBUTED REPORTWalter S. Griggs Jr. will

address “The Collapse ofRichmond’s Church Hill Tun-nel” when the Agile Writersorganization meets from 1 to3 p m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, atMartin’s Food Market, 11361Midlothian Tpk., Richmond.

Griggs’ program willrecount of tale of thedoomed tunnel – from theinitial groundbreaking to thefinal cave-in that sealed thetunnel’s fate forever.

He also will discuss hisexperiences writing and pub-lishing his book.

“In the aftermath ofthe Civil War, Richmond’srailways were the lifeline ofReconstruction efforts. One

of the most important linksin the system was the ChurchHill Tunnel, finished in De-cember 1873. The tunnel waseventually rendered obsoleteby an alternative path, but thecity decided to renovate andreopen it in 1925,” Griggs said.

“Soon after constructionbegan, 190 feet of the tunnelunexpectedly caved in, trap-ping construction workersand an entire locomotiveinside. After more than a weekof futile rescue attempts thattriggered more cave-ins, thecity decided to wall up thetunnel, entombing the loco-motive and remaining bodieswithin,” he added. For moreinformation on Agile Writers,visit http://writersclub.us.

Griggs to addressAgile Writers meeting

The New Virginians Clubinvites ladies who are newto Virginia to a Coffee to beheld from 10 a.m. to noon onMonday, Feb. 13.

For more information, con-tact the director, Arline Tepper,at [email protected].

The website is www.the-newva.org.

Club to hold coffee eventfor women new to the area

BY KOREY HUGHESSpecial Correspondent

If you want a safe andstructured event for yourchildren to do this week-end, Chesterfield County

Department of Parks andRecreation will host the WinterBlues Party at Inflation Nationon Saturday, Feb. 11.

Aimed at kids from ages 7to 11, the event will give areayouth the chance to interactwith one another within theconfines of a fun and shel-tered environment.

Mark Pinney, the principalrecreation specialist for Ches-terfield County Departmentof Parks and Recreation, saidhe settled on that age rangefor the gathering after anothermonthly adolescent-aimedparty didn’t attract enoughparticipants. There weren’tenough teenagers turning outat the event to sustain it.

“We tried to do a teennight before, but the teens justdidn’t show up,” Pinney said.“So, the younger kids are whowe’re trying to target this timearound.”

Pinney said parents inChesterfield County have beenrequesting secure recreationalevents that their youngsterscan do for some time.“Theyasked for it, and we’re provid-ing it now,” he said.

Saturday’s Winter BluesParty is the first of threesimilarly-branded eventsthat will happen over thenext several months. As oflast week, other Winter BluesParty occurrences are slatedto happen at 7:30 p.m. onSaturday, March 24, and onSaturday, April 14.

Pinney said the event seriesrequired six months of plan-ning.

He also said that InflationNation is the perfect part-ner for the upcoming eventbecause its facilities are fittingfor the event’s target audience.

“It’s an indoor inflatableplace with lots of inflatables,so it’s unique and definitelysomething positive for thecommunity to enjoy,” Pinneysaid.

Unfortunately, he saidthere won’t be activitiesplanned for parents at Infla-tion Nation that night. Moth-ers and fathers can take solacein the notion that they cantake off a few hours.

More specifically, parentscan leave after they drop offtheir kids at the Winter BluesParty if they wish, but Pinneysaid they have to sign theiryoungsters in and out that eve-ning. And adults must returnto the celebration before 10p.m. to pick up their children.

Still, moms and dadsshouldn’t worry about securityat the party. Pinney said thatfour Chesterfield CountyDepartment of Parks and Rec-reation staffers and a Chester-field County police officer willbe on duty that night.

And he said that theprogram isn’t restricted toChesterfield County residents.He said he hopes it will attractkids from other localities too.

Ultimately, Pinney said hehopes this new series of cel-ebrations will attract a muchlarger crowd than the previ-ous teen-themed parties.

“We want people to knowthat we listen to the public,but we need them to comeout and support us,” Pinneysaid.

The Winter Blues Partyat Inflation Nation will takeplace from 7:30 to 10 p.m. onSaturday, Feb. 11. Admissionis $10, and the price includesentry, food and beverages.

Advance registration isrequired by Friday, Feb. 10.

For more information, call748-1992 or visit the Chester-field County Department ofParks and Recreation websiteat www.chesterfield.gov.

Winter Blues Partykeeps kids active

FEBRUARY 9, 2012 || �MidlothiAnExchAngE.coM sports || fitnessEXERCISE

By KoREy HugHEScontributing writer

Valentine’s Day isa chance to showyour loved oneshow much you

care, but the weekend beforethe heart-themed holidaywill give exercise enthusiastsan opportunity to expresstheir passions for running.

On Sunday, the RichmondRoad Runners will sponsorits Sweetheart 8K Run inMidlothian.

Richmond Road Runnersis a nonprofit group thatis dedicated to promotingfitness through running andwalking in Central Virginia.

And the 8 kilometerstretch, which is about fivemiles, will take sprintersthrough the Grove subdivi-sion and Midlothian CoalMine Park.

Anne Zielinski Brown isthe secretary of the Rich-mond Road Runners, andshe has been a member ofthe group since 2008. Shesaid the organization hostsmonthly running events, butSunday’s upcoming race isuniquely aimed at couples.

“We do a race once amonth,” Brown said. “Thisis our February event, andyou can run it with a partner-- and when we say a partner,it can be anybody.”

In other words, your run-ning associate doesn’t haveto be a romantic interest. Aprize will be awarded to thecouple who finishes with thebest combined time, so bothcontestants don’t have tocross the finish line simulta-neously to win.

As Brown said, par-ticipants don’t need to beespecially great athletes totake part in Richmond RoadRunners’ race events. In fact,one of the organization’sdoctrines is that it welcomesrunners of all ability levels.

“Anyone can participate,”Brown said. “And you canwalk if you don’t want to run.”

The Richmond Road Run-ners’ Sweetheart 8K Run willtake place from 8:30 a.m. to 2p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. Therace will begin at 608 BigginPond Road in Midlothian.

Admission is $15 formembers and $20 for non-members.

To register for the race,or to sign up to volunteerduring the proceedings, go tothe Richmond Road Runnerswebsite at www.rrrc.org.

caleb chooses Virginia tech

DOMINION DISTRICT WRESTLING TOURNAMENT

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLCosby's Ryan Taylor tries for a takedown during the Dominion District 285-pound final against Midlothian's Paul gerard. Taylor won the title by pin.

Taylor-made triumph

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLJames River's Brayden Manchester works for a pin against Cosby's Andy Dinh.

Manchester enjoying return to mat

Senior claims first district title as Titans outdistance TrojansBy JIM [email protected]

Ryan Taylor had poured heart and soulinto his pursuit of a Dominion Dis-trict wrestling title, only to see it slipthrough his fingers time and again.

Last season was the most frustrating yet.Cosby High’s red-headed heavyweight sweptthrough the district duals without a loss andadvanced all the way to the district tournamentfinal, but dropped a 7-0 decision to Manchester’sSam Tetterton.

So when Taylor took the mat Saturdayevening for the 285-pound final againstMidlothian’s Paul Gerard, the senior knew this

was his final chance to earn the championshipfor which he had worked so hard.

Trailing 1-0, Taylor took Gerard to his backand pinned him with 32 seconds left in thesecond period. His title was one of six for hostCosby, which sent eight wrestlers to the finalsand outdistanced Midlothian by 29 points for itssecond consecutive district team championship.

“It was a long time coming,” Taylor said. “Ijust kept getting better and better. To finally beat the top feels good.”

Taylor weighed 330 pounds as a freshmanand was playing football when assistant wres-tling coach Ed Metzger first approached him andasked if he was interested in joining the wres-

tling team for the winter season.“Finding big kids like that are few and far

between,” Cosby head wrestling coach MikeStefanko noted.

Both Metzger and Stefanko stayed in Taylor’sear throughout the football season, and eventu-ally Taylor agreed to give it a try.

First, he had to lose weight – roughly about45 pounds – to get under the limit for the heavy-weight class. Then he had to learn the funda-mentals and techniques while competing againststronger, more experienced wrestlers.

It wasn’t easy, but Taylor never stopped train-

By JIM [email protected]

Wrestlinghas been ahuge partof Brayden

Manchester’s life since hefirst started rolling aroundon a mat as a first-grader.

He won his first youthstate title when he was infifth grade and was consid-ered a potential VHSL statechampion long before heeven enrolled for classes atJames River High School.

But as the 2010-11 seasondrew to a close, with Man-chester considered a threatto win his weight class at theGroup AAA state tourna-

ment after placing thirdthe year before, the tal-ented junior realized he nolonger had the passion andcommitment necessary tocompete in such a demand-ing sport.

He was burned out, phys-ically and psychologically.He failed to make weight forthe Dominion District meetand never even got to wrestleat regionals or states -- anunceremonious conclusionto what once had been anextremely promising season.

“My heart just wasn’t init,” Manchester acknowl-edged.


In the weeks leading up to Na-tional Signing Day, speculationabout Joel Caleb’s college choiceexploded across the Internet.

First, the Clover Hill senior sup-posedly had decided to sign with WestVirginia.

Then it was Ohio State, which hadmade a late push behind new coachUrban Meyer.

Caleb even heard a rumor that hehad secretly committed to Baylor,which really was news to him; theschool was nowhere to be found whenhe trimmed his list to three finalists inDecember.

But as Caleb waited to take the stageand make his choice official in a packedClover Hill auditorium last Wednesday,he wore the relaxed smile of a youngman who realized that he alone knewwhat he was about to say.

Caleb made up his mind about twoweeks earlier, but didn’t tell any of hisfriends. He didn’t tell his coaches orteammates. Heck, he didn’t even tell hismother.

And that’s the way Annette Baileywanted it.

“I didn’t want to know,” she said.“Everybody has treated us so well. Hehad tremendous options. Regardlessof who he chose, I would’ve been finewith it.”

PHOTO COURTESY DASHAUN AMOSManchester's Dashaun Amos signs his letter-of-intent toEast Carolina as teammate Jake Marten and MHS footballcoach Tom Hall look on.

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLJoel Caleb and his family celebrate Wednesday after he signed with Virginia Tech.


For all of his dazzling athletic gifts, Dashaun Amoswas barely a blip on the college football recruit-ing radar prior to the start of his senior season atManchester High School.

Stuck behind a bunch of seniors on the varsity depthchart as a freshman, Amos didn’t play football as a sopho-more and hobbled through an injury-plagued junior sea-son. So even as the 6-1, 175-pound speedster made one bigplay after another and helped a young Lancers team claima share of the 2011 Dominion District title, his singularlybrilliant campaign never generated a stampede of college

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8 || FEBRUARY 9, 2012 MIDLOTHIANEXCHANGE.COMSPORTS || FITNESSEXERCISE

PHOTO BY JIM MCCONNELLMidlothian's Matt Molloy (right) won the 113-pound final by pinning Huguenot's Malik Mills in the second period.

by Max Chisholm (106)and Taylor. The Titans alsogot titles from Greg Delano(152), Connor Smith (160),Mark Belcher (170) and B.J.Lay (182), while Nick Powis(126) and Andy Dinh (138)both finished second.

Five Midlothian wontheir weight classes: MattMolloy (113), Austin Ingram(126), Jerry Ronnau (132),Omar Howard (195) andKyle Clark (220). Gerardand Brandon Hogg (120)finished as runners-up.

“There’s no substitutefor hard work,” Midlothiancoach Jimmy Cox said. “Theboys have been putting inthe time and today they gotthe results. It was definitelya team effort. I’m just proudto be part of it.”

The Titans and Trojanscombined to claim 11 of the14 titles. James River had apair of champions in Jer-emy Randall (120) and thetournament’s outstandingwrestler, Brayden Manches-

ter (138), while Huguenot’sJonathan Barrett edgedManchester’s Jonathan Tomsfor the 145-pound crown.

TEAM SCORESCosby 236.5, Midlothian

207.5, L.C. Bird 150, JamesRiver 137, Huguenot 120,Manchester 98, Clover Hill83, George Wythe 40.5,Monacan 17

CHAMPIONSHIPFINALS

106: Chisholm (Cos) p.Martin (GW) 1:40; 113:Molloy (Mid) p. Mills (H)3:13; 120: Randall (JR) p.Hogge (Mid) 2:21; 126: In-gram (Mid) d. Powis (Cos)6-5; 132: Ronnau (Mid) d.Randell-Thompson (LCB)3-1; 138: Manchester (JR) p.Dinh (Cos) 0:44; 145: Bar-rett (Hug) d. Toms (Man)9-8; 152: Delano (Cos) d.Harrison (LCB) 8-5; 160:Smith (Cos) p. Autry (LCB)1:55; 170: Belcher (Cos) d.Hall (LCB) 7-2; 182: Lay

(Cos) p. Brewer (H) 5:24;195: Howard (Mid) p. Cau-sey (Man) 3:09; 220: Clark(Mid) d. McCargo (LCB)3-2; 285: Taylor (Cos) p.Gerard (Mid) 3:28.

CONSOLATIONFINALS

106: Peabody (JR) tf.Hester (LCB) 4:47; 113: Sha-shaty (JR) p. Edson (Cos)1:59; 120: Morgan (Cos)p. Lemacks (Mon) 3:32;126: Austin (CH) p. Taib(JR) 3:51; 132: Furey (Cos)p. Garmin (JR) 0:55; 138:Hawkins (CH) md Mallory(LCB) 10-0; 145: Ronnau(Mid) d. Miles (CH) 8-7;152: Reynolds (Mid) d.Whalon (Man) 10-6; 160:Hubbard (H) p. Falchai(Mid) 2:52; 170: Law (H) p.Pighe (JR) 0:34; 182: Goode(GW) tf. Parker (Mid)4:38; 195: Henson (H) p.Thompson (CH) 0:48; 220:Norwood (H) inj def Powell(Cos); 285: Dorsey (LCB) p.Ward (CH) 0:59.

ing and believing he ulti-mately would earn the payofffor all of his efforts.

After last season’sdisappointment, Stefankoacknowledged he felt a senseof déjà vu when Taylor wentunbeaten against district foesduring the regular seasonand entered the district finalas the favorite.

“Knowing he had workedso hard and this was his lastshot, I was more nervous forhis match than any of theothers,” Stefanko said.

The team title was mostlya formality by the start ofthe championship finals.Cosby led Midlothian by 21points and had one morefinalist, meaning the Trojanswould’ve needed to win allseven of their matches andget help from other teams totake top honors.

Midlothian’s slim hopesevaporated when Cosbyopened the finals with pins

Even after taking sometime off to recharge hisbatteries, Manchester wasn’tsure if he wanted to wrestleduring his senior year. Aconversation with his uncleprompted him to reconsiderwalking away from a sport inwhich he had experienced somuch success.

“If it wasn’t for him, Iprobably wouldn’t be wres-tling,” Manchester said. “Iwas really disappointed withhow last season ended. Buthe made me realize if I didn’twrestle this year, I’d regret it.”

James River alum JoshDix, who had been hired inthe offseason to replace MarkHelberg as the Rapids’ wres-tling coach, has been friends

with Manchester for severalyears. Having wrestled bothin high school and college,Dix understood what Man-chester was dealing with andwent out of his way to avoidpressuring him to decideeither way.

When Manchesterreturned to the wrestlingteam, Dix advised him tohave fun and do whatever hecould to “find enjoyment” inthe sport.

By moving up to the 138-pound weight class, Man-chester no longer has to cutweight – a major source ofhis unhappiness last season.

So far, the results havebeen impressive. He earnedhis 100th career victory inDecember and was selectedas the Dominion District

wrestler of the year afterwinning his weight classat last Saturday’s districttournament.

Cosby coach MikeStefanko was pleased to seeManchester back on the mat.

“You’d always hate to seea kid with that much talentchoose not to participate,”he said.

While Manchester carriesa perfect 25-0 record intothis weekend’s Central Re-gion meet at Hanover HighSchool, Dix noted “he hasn’tbeen challenged by anybodythis season” because JamesRiver’s inexperienced rosterwasn’t capable of handling atough schedule.

“I’m excited for regionalsbecause he’s going to facesome tougher competition

and I want to see what hecan do,” Dix said.

“He’s got a really goodhead on his shoulders. He’sdone everything I’ve askedof him this season. I couldn’task for more from him.”

Manchester, who is look-ing at attending VCU in thefall, acknowledged he’d loveto win a state title before heleaves James River but saidhe’ll remember this seasonfondly regardless of his finalresult.

“At the end of the day,you have to be true to your-self,” Manchester said. “I’mreally just taking one matchat a time and trying to dothe best I can. I have myfamily and friends who stillcheer for me and that’s reallyall that matters.”

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PHOTO BY C’MONE SIMMONSOmar Howard signed with Richmond as (from top left) Midlothian principal Christine Wilson,AD David Cooper, football coach Kevin Thomas and his mother Michaele Bergan looked on.

PHOTO COURTESY MATT MURPHYCosby's C.J. Stancil, Jared Netto and Julius Moore represented the football program duringthe school's National Signing Day ceremony last Wednesday.

coaches desperate to securehis services.

As fall turned to winterand he still found himselfwithout even a single Divi-sion I-A scholarship offer,Amos turned to family,friends and his coaches formoral support.

“I can’t say I was 100 per-cent sure it was going to hap-pen,” he said. “I was gettingnervous, but everyone toldme to just be patient – that Iwas too good a player to notget picked up by someone.”

Fortunately for bothparties, Amos’ recruitinghighlight tape found its wayto Greenville, N.C., and intothe football offices at EastCarolina University.

When ECU made contactwith Manchester coachTom Hall and learned thatAmos was still uncommitted,defensive coordinator BrianMitchell was dispatched toChesterfield County for aface-to-face meeting. Mitch-ell extended a scholarship of-fer that day and Amos, whoseonly other offers at that pointwere from VMI and StonyBrook, jumped at the oppor-tunity to play on the highestlevel of college football.

“It was everything I want-ed in a college,” Amos said.

Amos scored 12 touch-downs as a senior – fiveon offense, five on special

teams and two on defense– and was selected first-teamall-Dominion District atboth wide receiver and kickreturner. He was a second-team pick as a defensive back,where he projects at ECU.

Hall told Bonesville.net,a website that covers ECUathletics, that Amos’ seem-ingly “out of nowhere” seniorexplosion was a testament tohis diligent work in Man-chester’s offseason condition-ing program.

“He didn’t miss a singleplay his senior year. He wasthe only kid on our teamwho played both ways fulltime,” Hall said.

Considering how ev-erything has worked out,Amos acknowledged he felt“blessed” to be signing a let-ter-of-intent last Wednesday.

His next challenge is get-ting prepared to competefor playing time against theother high-level high schoolseniors who are part of thePirates’ 2012 recruiting class.

ECU loses three seniorstarters in the secondaryfrom its 2011 squad and Mc-Neal is open to the idea of anincoming freshman playingright away.

“We’ll play the best playerat that position,” he saidduring his signing day pressconference.

As far as Amos is con-cerned, he’s waited longenough.

At the same time, Baileywas hardly surprised whenher son looked at the threehats sitting on the table infront of him and donned themaroon one with “VirginiaTech” in large white letters.

Bailey noted that Calebwas a big Hokies fan longbefore he became the mostsought-after high schoolfootball player in Virginia.When he played a collegefootball video game, healmost always chose to playas Virginia Tech.

Caleb, who will play widereceiver in college, acknowl-edged the opportunity toplay for a program withTech’s winning tradition anda coach like Frank Beamerwas simply too good to turndown. But he suggested that,in his final analysis, there wasanother, far simpler factorthat elevated the Hokiesabove his other two finalists.

“They always showed methey wanted me,” Caleb said.“They were the ones whorecruited me the hardest.”

That didn’t change evenafter Beamer shuffled hisstaff – his son, Shane, re-placed longtime assistant JimCavanaugh as Caleb’s lead re-cruiter – and Caleb suffereda torn meniscus in his kneethat limited him to just sevengames in his senior season.

Caleb credited both

Cavanaugh and the youngerBeamer for doing a greatjob of recruiting him. FrankBeamer closed the deal andBailey said she felt comfort-able with the family atmo-sphere at Virginia Tech.

“They’re all very goodpeople. I knew if he pickedthem, they would take verygood care of him,” sheadded.

Caleb, a 6-3, 210-pounderwith a mesmerizing mix ofstrength, speed and agility,has been a Virginia Techrecruiting target since he putup more than 2,000 yards oftotal offense as a sophomorequarterback in Clover Hill’sspread offense.

He finished his highschool career with 6,400yards of total offense and ac-

counted for 81 touchdowns.Along the way, he re-

ceived more than 30 scholar-ship offers and was wooedby some of the nation’s mostpowerful football schools.

“The only thing I toldhim was, ‘Don’t get intoa situation where you’recommitting and de-com-mitting,’” Clover Hill coachSean O’Hare said. “He wasvery mature about how hehandled the whole recruit-ing process.”

That didn’t mean hisdecision was easy.

Of his three finalists,Virginia Tech runs by farthe most conservative of-fensive system. While bothHolgorsen and Meyer preferto spread the field withmultiple receivers, Beamer’s

offenses have been better-known for sending run-ning backs to the NFL thanracking up huge passingnumbers.

Caleb believes that willchange with strong-armedLogan Thomas at quar-terback for the next twoseasons. The Hokies loseboth of their starting receiv-ers (Danny Coale and JarrettBoykin) from the team thatfell to Michigan in the SugarBowl, meaning the door iscertainly open for Caleb tocome in and play as a truefreshman.

“I’m doing everything Ican to come in and makean impact right away, butthat’s up to the coaches,” hesaid. “I’m just anxious to getthere and do my part.”

AMOS from P7CALEB from P7

PHOTO BY FREDDIE CLARKClover Hill football coach Sean O'Hare joined (from left) Joel Caleb, Peyton Gryder,Dmitri Evans and Tim Thaniel for their signing day.

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