Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Raptors

Wow! Ocracoke's first ever Little League baseball team, the Raptors, has won their division's championship game. Consider this: not only is this the island's first ever Little League team, but most of these boys (maybe all of them) had never played on an organized team before. And...they didn't even have a regulation size field to practice on. Island property owners Keith & Isabel McDermott graciously offered their spacious front lawn for practice (the pitcher and outfielders had a spectacular view of the Ocracoke lighthouse!).

The Raptors (15 boys aged 10-12) are part of the Cal Ripkin Division of the Hatteras island Babe Ruth Little League. The Division includes three Hatteras Island teams and the Ocracoke team. The Raptors finished in second place for the season, then defeated the other teams in a double elimination playoff to secure the season's championship.

Now the community is exploring options for securing a permanent multipurpose playing field for baseball and other sporting events. Donations and requests for information can be sent to Vince O'Neal, PO Box 74, Ocracoke, NC 27960. Please make checks payable to Ocracoke Youth Center. For more information please call 252-921-0112.

Many thanks to Karen Lovejoy who started the baseball program at the Youth Center, Vince O'Neal, team manager, and coaches Brian Samick, Bill Cole, Adam Carter, and John Kattenburg.

Team members are Dylan Sutton, Carson O'Neal, Robbie Sampson, Spencer Gaskins, William Caswell, Adam Sitterson, Eldon Robinson, Matteus Gilbert, Juan Morales, Jeyson Resendiz, Darvin Contreras, Matt Kalna, Kalai Samick, Kyle Tillet, & Jordi Perez.

Congratulations to all of the boys, and their manager and coaches!

Our latest Ocracoke Newsletter is the autobiography of Frank Treat Fulcher. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news052111.htm.

34 comments:

  1. bill kostar7:17 AM

    Wow! The island continues to be an absolute focus of talent!
    Congrats to the boys and their parents. Maybe after they win the championship, they can spend some time with Mr. Temple and develop the next generation of Ocracoke Jeopardy champions!

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  2. Anonymous9:39 AM

    How 'bout them Raptors!

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  3. debbie s.10:07 AM

    way to go!!!!!!!!!!

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  4. Anonymous10:37 AM

    what about a softball team for girls ? Congratulations are in order to these young athletes--But overlooking the void that exits for young girls would be smug. Please don't suggest a cheer leading team, a hula hoop squad, a house keeping unit, or window shopping detail.

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  5. Sue O'Neal11:22 AM

    A middle school gils softball team is already in the works along with a 7-9 league which is open to both boys and girls. The 10-12 league was also open to both girls and boys, it just so happened that boys signed up.Ocracoke School is hoping to have middle school boys baseball along with the softball. What Ocracoke needs for all these island children is a field!

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  6. Anonymous11:43 AM

    Anyone know why they are named "raptors"

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  7. Anonymous11:55 AM

    I agree w/ Bill....Ocracoke Island is just "filled to the brim" with tremendous talent. Hip Hip Hooray for the Raptors!!!

    What a grand year O.I. is having w/ the news of Charles Temple winning the Teacher's Tourney on Jeopardy (and $100K)! Now the FIRST little league team making all the O.I. residents and visitors so proud!

    How many local ball teams can say they played ball in view of a lighthouse???????

    Excited about the girls team coming together, too.

    Guess my next issue of the Ocracoke newspaper, which this NC mainlander dearly love to read, will have the Raptors on the front page. Charles Temple's photo graced this month's issue.

    Rejoicing in all of the excitement!

    WAY TO GO TEAM!

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  8. Anonymous12:46 PM

    What about a rowing team or a sailing team. OAR -- Ocracoke Area Rowing is now signing up rowers . Gatta a Regatta

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  9. Anonymous8:42 PM

    Go Raptors!
    This question may be a bit premature, but will there be tennis courts? That is the ONLY complaint I've ever heard from my teenage sons about Ocracoke. Nowhere to play tennis! :o)

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  10. Anonymous12:36 AM

    There is a free ferry to the mainland. perhaps, there are public tennis courts over there.

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  11. Just a little island trivia: There is a tennis court on Ocracoke. However it has not been maintained for many years, in in disrepair, and is on private property. So I guess that is pretty much the same as no tennis court on Ocracoke.

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  12. Anonymous5:45 PM

    That's funny. Know what else is funny? You knew that, but nothing about why the OI team was named RAPTORS. Never a good polymath around when you need one !

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  13. Anonymous7:54 PM

    I'm sure Philip knows this tidbit, but this mainlander from Person County, NC became curious and I found that RAPTOR is a bird of prey, according to my limited research. Not surprising the OI little league team has a name referring to nature! Moreover, Toronto, Cananda has a professional, I believe, basketball team named, "RAPTORS".

    Just a little something to chew on this evening.....

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  14. Anonymous7:56 PM

    Canada...my second "oops" today!

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  15. Anonymous8:44 PM

    Thank you so much Anon.7:56. Yes a raptor is a bird of prey, but here's the thing-it is also a dinosaur & the logo of the Ogden Raptors , a minor league baseball team of Utah.

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  16. Anonymous7:35 AM

    Anon 8:44....thanks for sharing w/ me and others!

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  17. Anonymous9:58 AM

    You're welcome--still don't know which meaning applies to the OI Raptors.

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  18. Raptor does, indeed, denote a bird of prey -- e.g. eagle, falcon, osprey, etc. The word has also come to mean any of several carnivorous dinosaurs.

    I thought the question was "Why did the Ocracoke Little Leaguers name their team after birds or dinosaurs?"

    I can only guess. Maybe one of our local readers knows the answer.

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  19. Anonymous2:19 PM

    I thought a "raptor" was someone fond of "rap" music.

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  20. I believe the Raptor comes on the day of Judgment.

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  21. Anonymous3:21 PM

    Everybody's a comedian! I don't think everyone got that one Philip.

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  22. Anonymous3:40 PM

    I believe the 'rupture' comes on the day of Judgment.

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  23. Anonymous4:30 PM

    Well that soytenly makes sense. So glad you could join Larry & Moe.

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  24. Anonymous5:24 PM

    Who knew we could get so much mileage just from the word "RAPTORS"? Ah, we are a clever bunch!

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  25. Anonymous9:08 PM

    I don't know if clever is the right word, but it WAS fun. Of course you do know we still have no answer to the original question.

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  26. Anonymous6:35 AM

    Original question?

    What was the original question?

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  27. Anonymous9:14 AM

    The reader wanted to know if the OI Raptors were named for a bird of prey or a dinosaur. Will we ever know the answer...or will it forever remain one of the great mysteries of Ocracoke Island?

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  28. Vince O'Neal9:57 PM

    The Ocracoke Raptors were named after the Ogden,Utah Raptors which is a minor league baseball team. The Babe Ruth little league had the teams pick from minor league teams and we chose the Raptors because the O on the hat could stand for Ocracoke and the colors matched the Ocracoke School colors. The Ogden Raptors mascot is a dinosaur.

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  29. Anonymous12:04 AM

    Just checking ONE last time before giving up-not really expecting a reply. Great job O'Neal -on both the interesting information & the team!

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  30. Anonymous1:09 PM

    From the Latin word Raptus which means seizure. Well I guess it is fitting a sport league for both boys and girls is named Babe Ruth. get it--- Babe and Ruth both these names are associated with women and yet it is the name of a macho guy-- go figure. Now Ruth in the Bible she was known for .....

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  31. Leslie Lanier8:32 PM

    Ocracoke girls certainly could have signed up to play on the team.They chose not to play. Every other team in the league did have at least a couple females playing.I hope next year they remember how much fun the boys had and get out there and show everyone what they've got.

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  32. Anonymous7:57 AM

    I remember walking past the house with the tennis court when I came to Ocracoke Island with my parents in the late 70's, early 80's. The house was on a sandy lane that wound around north of town near the sound, and I think this sandy lane hooked up with British cemetery road. However, in recent trips to Ocracoke Island, I have not been able to locate the tennis court house. Perhaps someone out there in the can provide some more information about this property.

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    1. The house you are remembering sits on a private lane between the end of British Cemetery Road and the Oyster Creek development. Access is not available to the public. I have written about this house in the past: http://villagecraftsmen.blogspot.com/2005/01/not-frank-lloyd-wright.html

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    2. Anonymous9:02 AM

      Awesome! Thank you

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