The Sideline

South County Athlete Siblings Oren and Whitney Burks Earning National Attention

The future looks bright for these South County Stallions

South County’s Oren and Whitney Burks no longer have space on their calendar - literally. They used to keep track of their schedules in a calendar that their parents bought for them, but as the pair grew, more events meant less space. And eventually, the family ditched the physical calendar all together for a more streamlined method. “We used to have a calendar that we entered all of their information into so that we could know where everyone was going to be,” said Orlanda Burks, the children's father. “That got a little difficult because things wouldn’t fit and ink started to bleed on the other pages and we wouldn’t be able see it.” Whitney, a sophomore, was recently named the Patriot District Softball Player of the Year. She’s already …

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Safety: Be Careful Boating on the Potomac

Nice weather means more people, more boats and more danger.

Fairfax County fireboats will be on safety patrol on Saturday, May 26, along the Potomac River in the Mason Neck area.  Fairfax County Fire and Rescue has a few fundamental tips for boaters before they embark on voyages:  "Recreational boating is second only to highway transportation in the number of fatalities that occur each year," according to a County Fire and Rescue news release. "Alcohol is involved in most of these accidents."

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Lorton's Andi Sullivan Scores in U.S. U-17 Women's National Team 5-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago

Team advances to CONCACAF Women's Championship semifinals

The Sideline

Hayfield Hawks Baseball Contenders for National District Crown

Hawks look to grab second consecutive National District championship.

Hayfield Secondary School's baseball team ended last season the way it began—on fire. The Hawks started the year with a seven-game win streak, scoring 10 or more runs in four of the team’s first seven games. Hayfield cruised through its regular season schedule and won the school’s second-ever district title as the Hawks defeated Yorktown 17-16 in the National District championship. This season, Hayfield (8-5) currently sits at 7-2 in National District play and is determined to prove that last year’s success was hardly a fluke. “While we did win districts last season, we only had two guys returning that contributed and played on that team,” said first-year head coach Michael Shore, who has been with the program for four years, told Patch …

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Little League Comes with a Big Price Tag

Poll: What do you think? Is the cost of kids' sports out of hand?

Have you purchased a baseball glove for your Little Leaguer lately? Did you pay more than $100? How about a $250 bat? Baseball and softball equipment, including cleats and uniforms, accounted for over $1 billion in sales in 2010, reported the New York Times. "Youth equipment represents the highest percentage of sales, particularly bat sales, as the parent willing to buy a $200, 28-inch bat for a 9-year-old is likely to pay the same price for a 30-inch bat for a 10-year-old the next season," wrote Mike Tanier in "Big Price Tags Attached to Even the Littlest Leagues." The cost of joining a league and outfitting a player can overwhelm families, and may even prevent some kids from playing. So what do you think? Has the cost of bats and gloves …

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Photos: Laurel Hill Teachers Beat Silverbrook in Annual Volleyball Tournament

Laurel Hill Elementary won

Teachers from Laurel Hill Elementary beat Silverbrook Elementary at a volleyball tournament at the South County Secondary School gymnasium on Friday, April 20. Hundreds wearing school colors attended, and showed their spirit with student performances, spirit contests and enough hollering to ring ears! Laurel Hill won 25-21 the first game and 25-23 the second game.  Enjoy the pictures!

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UPDATE: Lorton Women Complete Boston Marathon Monday

Vanja Dokic and Rosemary Spraker among 22,000 who battled unseasonably warm temperatures.

UPDATE: It was probably one of the hottest marathons on record, with runners battling unseasonably warm 84-degree heat in April in Boston, but Lorton residents Vanja Dokic and Rosemary Spraker completed the Boston Marathon Monday. Dokic's time was 4:33:03. Spraker completed the 26.2-mile marathon in 4:00:54. They were among 22,000 who ran the annual race. Kenyan native Wesley Korir, 29, crossed the finish line first on Monday with a time of 2:12:40. As the winner, Korir received $150,000. News stories noted that he came to the United States to attend college from an impoverished family, and used to run five miles to school each day. --- Two women from Lorton have registered to compete in the 116th running of the Boston Marathon Monday …

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Mary Ann Barton

4:43 pm on Sunday, April 15, 2012

Good luck Rosemary! Hope you can check in with Patch when you return.   more ›

Bully For Him: Teddy Says He'll Win the Nats' Home Opener Race

Gallery: The Running Presidents prepare for the Nationals' home opener with a visit to Greenspring.

In their last public appearance before Thursday's home opener, Teddy, Tom and George visited Greenspring Retirement Community in Springfield. Abe had another engagement. The Washington Nationals open their home season at National's Park Thursday at 1:05 p.m. against the Cincinnati Reds. The Nats are 4 - 2 on the season, having just won two games in their three game series against the New York Mets. While at Greenspring, the president's ran their race — Tom won — then visited with residents and their guests. In addition to posing for pictures, Teddy, Tom and George flirted with the ladies, played cards with the residents, and shot some pool. Teddy "said" (with a thumbs-up) he's sure to win the president's race in the home opener. It would …

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South County Baseball Motivated by 2011 State Championship Defeat

Stallions will play a different game in 2012, but are looking for a similar deep playoff run.

South County’s baseball team was known for home runs and big arms last year as it marched to the state championship game. While the Stallions fell short of their goal of an undefeated season, losing in the final to Great Bridge, they gained valuable experience which should come in handy this year. The No. 1 lesson?  “You know you’re not going to get handed every win,” said Kyle Fairbanks, the team’s first baseman and a returning starter from last year’s 28-1 squad. The Stallions’ green and white caps have one word on the back—“Finish”—and it should serve as a daily reminder that a state championship is still the ultimate goal. District and regional titles are great, said players like Andrew Rector, the returning centerfielder, but this is …

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Post Your Own Events to Our Calendar

What event is your organization hosting? Let everyone know!

This video tutorial shows you how easy it can be to post an event to our Patch events calendar.

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