Springtime Stuff
April 17, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Vermont Frost Heaves News Release
It's been barely three weeks since we brought Vermont its first national professional team championship with an emphatic victory in the ABA Championship Game. But there's already lots of news to share.
Late Night Saturday
On Saturday, April 21, Coach Voigt and several of our players will join host Tim Kavanagh for Late Night Saturday, which airs on WCAX (Channel 3) at 11:30 p.m. If you can't stay up that late, fire up the TiVo!
Walk With Us
A week later, the Frost Heaves will partner with the March of Dimes on two WalkAmerica fundraising events. We've entered a team in each, and invite all of our fans to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with us to raise money for the fight against birth defects and premature births. The first walk, on Saturday, April 28, will start in Burlington at the boathouse; the second, on Sunday, April 29, will leave from Montpelier High School. Registration for each walk will begin at 8 a.m., with walkers going off at 9. Bump will be in attendance, as well as a delegation of Frost Heaves players, coaches, staff, and devoted fans. Won't you join our team and walk to save babies? To register, go to walkamerica.org, click on "join a team," and do a search for "Frost Heaves." Choose either our Burlington Team or Central Vermont team. Call the March of Dimes Help Desk at 1-888-274-3711 if you need assistance registering.
More Hardware and Accolades
We couldn't be any prouder of the recognition to come our way during our first season. Coach V has been named the ABA's Coach of the Year. Please be sure to pat yourselves on the back, for it was you-the collective membership of the Bump in the Road Club-who chose him as our coach in that online vote last spring. Is democracy a great form of government, or what?
In addition, at the ABA Meetings in Indianapolis last week, league founder and CEO Joe Newman honored director of operations Michael Healey as ABA G.M. of the Year, and singled out the Frost Heaves as the league's Expansion Team of the Year. Congratulations all around.
Meanwhile, Sam Amico's ProBasketballNews.com recently published its rankings of all the teams in the minors, and we wound up our season as No. 1 in that, too-just ahead of the Idaho Stampede of the NBA's D-League and the Yakama Sun Kings of the CBA. We had many accomplishments this season-No. 1 in the ABA power rankings; most regular-season victories; the best scoring defense in the league-but this one is among the finest testaments to our team, especially when coupled with PBN's other ranking, of the Top 20 players in minor league basketball, which included no individual Frost Heaves. The basketball world clearly recognizes: We were a consummate team.
What About . . .
We've fielded lots of inquiries that fall under the category of "where to from here?" Here are updates on a few frequently raised topics:
Season Tickets.
By the end of June we hope to have reached out to all current season-ticket holders and given them a chance to reclaim the same seat they occupied in 2006-07. In July we'll throw the process open to the general public, and permit existing season-ticket holders to get first dibs on upgrades, as well as purchase additional season seats.
"Roadside Reserved."
Because of popular demand, we'll be offering a new product: a reserved bleacher season ticket. The details are still being hammered out, but the goal is to accommodate those fans who want to be closer to the action; feel the elbow-to-elbow energy in Memorial and the Aud; and enjoy the consistency and security of a regular reserved seat.
Championship T-shirts.
In another week or so we'll have a special edition T-shirt for sale over our Website, as well as at Lenny's Shoe and Apparel in Barre and Apple Mountain Vermont Gifts in Burlington. The front will read VERMONT FROST HEAVES 2007 ABA CHAMPIONS, and the right sleeve will feature a classy accent: the same orange-and-black BUMP road sign logo that graced the "shooting shirt" warm-ups of our players during this magical season. T-shirt weather is nearly upon us, so be sure to get yours.
Multi-Media Highlights Disk
Thanks to a collaboration among videographer Justin Smith, photographer Roger Crowley and Halogen Records executive Justin Hoy, we're in the midst of preparing a DVD that stitches together the video, stills and music that best capture all the great moments during our debut season. The disk should be finished sometime this summer and be available through our Website.
Where Have the Guys Gone?
Following a champagne brunch on Saturday, March 31, most of our players scattered to their far-flung homes or gigs overseas. John Bryant will play in Australia this summer. Tyrone Levett was fielding offers to finish out the current season in Italy's Lega Due and spend the summer playing in the Philippines, Venezuela or Saudi Arabia. And Issa Konare has plans to join the Senegalese National Team for the L.A. Summer Pro League, which will serve as training for the African Cup in Angola in late July. Meanwhile Coach V left for Africa on April 10 on a week-long scouting mission for his old employer, the San Antonio Spurs. Please join us in wishing all of them the best as they carry the Frost Heaves banner to various corners of the earth!
Of course our Vermonters-Kerry Lyons (Essex Junction), and Dana Martin and B.J. Robertson (Burlington), as well as Issa, who will be living in Richmond when not with his national team-are sticking around. If you live in Vermont or plan to visit between now and next November, keep an eye out for them and be sure to thank them for all they brought to the state this past season. Other Frost Heaves are likely to be swinging back through Vermont during the course of the summer to help us stage our camps.
Speaking of Which . . . Camps!
If you know a kid who loves to have a ball, now's the time to get him or her signed up for one of our Have-a-Ball Kids Camps, which will take place around the state this summer in conjunction with local recreation departments. Kids who attended last summer's camps, in Barre and Williston, got loads of fun with their fundamentals. There'll be a Frost Heave player involved with every camp, as well as credentialed coaches from our staff or local schools. The camps are week-long, half-day affairs for boys and girls going into grades 1 through 8. Every camper will receive a camp T-shirt and a ticket voucher for next season-and will literally "have a ball," a red, white and blue ABA basketball.
As of today, camps are set for these communities. Call the sponsoring recreation department or school for more information and to register. Please keep in mind that (1) kids don't have to live in the community that's hosting the camp to be eligible; and (2) we're still working on camps for Colchester, Newport, St. Albans, Richmond, Rutland and the Upper Valley-details to follow!
Williston
June 18 to 22, 878-1239
Middlebury
June 25 to 29, 388-8103
Twinfield
June 25 to 29, 426-3213
Barre City
July 9 to 13, 476-0257
South Burlington
July 16 to 20, 846-4121
Montpelier
July 30 to August 3, 244-7174
Waterbury
August 6 to 10, 426-3213
Williston
August 13 to 17, 878-1239
Burlington
August 20 to 24, 864-0123
Milton
August 20 to 24, 893-1005
What About Tryout Camps?
We'll have several this summer, including at least one in Vermont. If you think you have what it takes to be a Frost Heave, or know someone who does, please forward all relevant contact information to us at info@vermontfrostheaves.com , and we'll be sure to alert you to the details!
For more information about the Vermont Frost Heaves or to order team gear, go to www.vermontfrostheaves.com.
By Alexander Wolff
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
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- Springtime Stuff - Vermont Frost Heaves
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
