You’re old if you remember the original ‘WBT Briarhoppers’

Happy 90th anniversary in 2024 to North Carolina’s Briarhoppers, a country music band that was formed in 1934 “on a wing and a prayer” by radio station announcer Charlie Crutchfield at WBT in Charlotte.

It’s a great story, one that helped lay the foundation of the Tar Heel State’s rich musical culture and heritage.

Crutchfield was not a musician, but he became the “voice” of the Briarhoppers. He took a telephone call that came into the station one day from a potential advertiser in Chicago – the Consolidated Royal Chemical Corporation – inquiring if WBT had a “hillbilly band” to endorse the company’s products?

 

Crutchfield fibbed and said “yes.” He scrambled together a band using “volunteer musicians” and promptly named the ensemble as “The WBT Briarhoppers.” He always insisted the name came from a rabbit hunting experience in which a fellow hunter flushed a rabbit from a thicket and exclaimed, “Look at that briarhopper!”

The original members of the band were: Johnny McAllister, Jane Bartlett, William “Big Bill” Davis, Clarence Etters and Thorpe Westerfield. Also, one boy and one girl were selected as junior members, He was Homer Drye, and she was Billie Burton.

 

Beginning in 1934, the band performed live on the radio for one hour a day, six days a week. At the time, string band music and country humor were an effective way to reach the rural and working-class audience of the Piedmont textile region.

Between numbers, Crutchfield would come on the air to pitch products such as Peruna miracle tonic, Radio Girl perfume, Kolor-Bak hair dye and Zymol Trokeys cough drops.

 

This Briarhoppers were at the heart of the “Golden Age of American Radio.” It seems that “everyone” tuned in to WBT to listen whenever the Briarhoppers came on.

“At the height of the Briarhoppers’ fame there were two touring versions of the band, dubbed Unit One and Unit Two, crisscrossing the Southeast playing mill villages and courthouse towns,” reported Dr. Tom Hanchett, a community historian in Charlotte and creator of the History South blog.

 

Musicians and vocalists regularly moved in and out of the band, but through it all, the anchor of the Briarhoppers was Davis, a classically trained violinist who also performed with the Charlotte Symphony. 

Others country music stalwarts who served a time as Briarhoppers included Don White, Arthur Smith, Fred Kirby, Claude Casey, Cecil Campbell, Jack Gillette, Roy “Whitey” Grant, Arvel Hogan, Shannon Grayson and “Fiddlin’ Hank” Warren. (Warren also played the role of “their baggy-pants comedian.”)

 

Roy “Whitey” Grant and Arvel Hogan performed countless duets.

During the summer of 1945, WBT originated “Carolina Hayride,” a Saturday afternoon barn dance broadcast coast-to-coast via the CBS radio network, featuring the Briarhoppers. Fan mail to the band peaked at about 10,000 letters a week, bringing a lot of attention to the city, according to author Daniel Coston, who has written extensively about Crutchfield and the Briarhoppers.

In fact, later in life, Crutchfield commented: “Charlotte could well have become the Nashville, the center of country music, if I just had the foresight to see its potential.”

As it was, the Briarhoppers show ended its run on WBT in 1951, “a victim of changing public tastes in country music,” Dr. Hanchett remarked.

In the 1970s, five “alumni” members of the band – White, Grant, Hogan, Grayson and Warren – reformed the Briarhoppers (shown below). 

Now into the 2020s, the band still performs occasionally, under the leadership of Tim Warlick and Alana Flowers.

 

For information, contact Warlick at (803) 222-5737. Emails are wbtbriarhoppers@gmail.com or tomwarwick @hotmail.com.

 As for Crutchfield, his rise in radio…and then television…was full of adventure to be explored soon.

Bowling continues to press to gain ‘Olympics’ respect’

Sports journalist Scotty Jenkins is a strong advocate for bowling to have a spot in the Summer Olympics lineup.

 

“Bowling is one of the most popular sports that still hasn’t made the Olympic stage,” Jenkins said. “Bowling is an extremely inclusive sport. Of course, it also takes a ton of time and skill to reach mastery. But the most compelling case for bowling is its popularity.” 

 

The International Bowling Federation, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, reports that 114 countries offer competitive bowling leagues – for adults as well as juniors.

“Bowling is simply too big to not be featured in the Olympic Games. It’s time that bowling receives the legitimacy as a sport that it deserves,” Jenkins stated.

 

The late Rich Carrubba, a commentator for bowlingball.com, a giant online merchandiser of bowling gear, said bowling was a “demonstration sport” at the Summer Olympics in 1988 at Seoul, South Korea. “Unfortunately, only 20 nations competed in bowling, and the events were never adequately covered by television, and professional bowlers were not allowed to compete,” Carrubba said.

“Although bowling has been the Number One participatory sport for many years, bowling requires use of an expensive-to-construct and an expensive-to-operate facility,” Carrubba added.

 

“Bowling simply does not have the media traction, corporate financial support and political clout to penetrate the International Olympic Committee (IOC),” Carrubba said.

Bowling must overcome the perception that it is “merely a recreation,” he added.

 

The sport of bowling is still in the midst of an upheaval, according to Lucas Wiseman, a sports journalist from Huntsville, Ala. Two-handed bowling has emerged as a new technique.

The first professional bowler to abandon the traditional one-handed grip and find success as a two-handed roller in 2009 was Jason Belmonte of Orange, New South Wales, Australia.

With his odd-looking approach to the foul line, Belmonte has won 31 Professional Bowling Association (PBA) titles (seventh most all-time), including a record 15 major championships; and he is only one of eight bowlers in PBA tour history to achieve 30 wins.

 

“There are some who cry foul, claiming the two-handed approach is cheating or illegal. The United States Bowling Congress (USBC), the sport’s national governing body, studied this issue early on and determined there are no rules violations using the two-handed approach,” Wiseman reported.

“Some traditionalists,” including Brian Voss (shown below) who has won 25 PBA titles as a one-hander, “say two-handed bowling is taking the sport in a dire direction that will cause irreparable harm to the sport.”

 

Begging to disagree, Walter Ray Williams Jr. (shown below), who has won 47 PBA titles as a one-hander, said he became enamored by the success of two-handed bowlers and the increased amount of spin they can put on the ball.

 

Del Warren (shown below), vice president of the Kegel Training Center in Lake Wales, Fla., said the two-handed approach is now part of the youth bowling coaching strategy.

 

“The more I have learned about biomechanics and where energy comes from the body to the bowling ball, the more I think using two hands is a very economical way to bowl,” Warren said.

Belmonte and junior bowlers demonstrate the two-handed grip.

 

Maybe bowling should refocus on trying to talk its way into the Winter Olympics sports lineup. Afterall, it’s been traditionally an indoor sport played during the bleak months of winter. Bowlers and curlers are basically cut from the same cloth.

The field is certainly less crowded. There are 32 categories of Summer Olympics sports, compared to only 15 during the Winter Olympics.

There is a slight hitch, however, in that all of the current Winter Games are played on ice or snow. Hmmm.

New sports are coming to the Summer Olympics in 2028

Four new sports will be added to the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 2028. They are flag football, squash, lacrosse and cricket. That’s cool.

Most Americans have some familiarity with the first three. 

We look forward to learning about the intricacies of cricket.

 

It’s a mysterious bat-and-ball game that is played between two teams of 11 players each on a field. There are wickets, bails and stumps that come into play, and you have strikers and nonstrikers. Pitchers are called bowlers.

USA TODAY sports writers polled current Olympians about potential “new sports” that should be included in future Olympics’ competition.

Kenny Bednarek of Rice Lake, Wis., a track and field athlete who specializes in running the 200-meter event, cast his vote for dodgeball. Indeed, the sport has universal appeal. Every American elementary school student has been introduced to the game in gym class, as part of the physical education curriculum.

 

International dodgeball championships have been organized since 2016, and the World Dodgeball Association (WDA) is campaigning for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to introduce the sport to the Games.

WDA president Tom Hickson of Leeds, Yorkshire, England, said more than 67.5 million people play dodgeball globally. “You can play the sport anywhere, whether it’s in the park, in the street or in a leisure centre.”

Ben Hallock, a water polo player from Santa Barbara, Calif., recommends that mixed martial arts (MMA) should be added as an Olympic sport. MMA is widely popular and one of the world’s fastest-growing sports. However, the IOC is grappling with the MMA’ reputation as a bloody and violent form of competition.

 

MMA combatants typically require several days to recover between matches, and the short timeline of the Olympics is not conducive to that need. Joe Chaconx of Bleacher Report said MMA competitors are also reluctant to wear protective headgear, which the IOC would likely mandate.

Brody Malone of Johnson City, Tenn., a member of the men’s gymnastics team, suggests the IOC add rodeo to the Games. “I grew up doing (rodeo), so I’m kind of biased” Malone added.

 

Writing for The Team Roping Journal, Julie Mankin said Malone began roping calves when he was in kindergarten.

“I can remember leaving a junior rodeo with him jumping off a steer he was riding and running to the minivan to get to a gymnastics meet,” recalled J.D. Malone, Brody’s father.

“Brody broke his foot once when a bucking bull stepped on him, after which his dad made him stick to roping,” Mankin wrote.

Rodeo events are unlikely to win the favor of the IOC, however. The resistance from animal rights groups is well-organized and extensive.

John Tolkin of Chatham Borough, N.J., a member of the men’s soccer team, voiced his choice for darts to become an Olympic sport.

 

Sports journalist Scotty Jenkins is in full agreement. He described the sport of darts as “electrifying.” More than a tavern game, darts is played professionally in 76 countries.

“The case for darts is simple,” Jenkins said. “Although it takes years of practice to master, darts can be played by anyone, regardless of age or gender. Moreover, the rules are simple and it’s extremely fun to watch. Take all these factors together, and you have one of the most inclusive sports out there.”

The World Darts Federation, headquartered in Downey, Calif., continues to push for the sport’s inclusion in the Games.

Jenkins’ “favorite sport” that he says needs to be included in the Olympics is “Ultimate Frisbee,” which is currently played in more than 100 countries worldwide, combining “athleticism, skill and strategy.”

Essentially, it’s a non-contact team sport played with a flying disc flung by hand, which originated in Maplewood, N.J., in 1968. (Since “Frisbee” is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company, the sport has been shortened officially to “ultimate.”)

 

With two teams of seven players per side, points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. “A basic rule is that the player possessing the disc must not take steps,” Jenkins said.

Personally, dodge ball, darts and ultimate all fall under the category of games, in my book…coming up short as true sports.

Next in line for serious Olympic consideration, according to Jenkins, is the sport of bowling. Clearly, it’s a sport enjoyed around the world, with more than 100 million players.

 

So why isn’t bowling already an Olympic sport? We’ll go there next time.

Olympic Games features a new sport – breaking

Can’t wait to witness the newest Summer Olympics sport that debuts in Paris – breaking. (It was first known as breakdancing, which originated in 1973 in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City.)

Writing for the Condé Nast Traveler website, Jennifer Padjemi said Paris is the perfect urban venue to introduce the world to breaking. This is good and bad…as judges will “apply an ostensibly objective scoring system to a subjective art form.”

Breakers are known to be non-conformists, performing outside the box of rules that define most other sports, Padjemi said.

The competition should be “way cool,” with gold, silver and bronze medals awarded to the top overall men’s and women’s performers.

Padjemi interviewed Anne Nguyen, a dancer, choreographer and founder of a Paris-based dance company who argues that the “sportification” of breaking will push dancers to forego the improvisation and individual spirit intrinsic to the practice.

“Instead, they will be strategic, planning everything from A to Z, to get the high scores,” Nguyen says. “Less improvisation, fewer complex figures, a lot less risk-taking. It means less freedom.”

Pshaw. We shall see.

Team USA stars are: Sunny Choi, 35, of Queens, New York City; Logan Edra, 21, of San Diego; Victor Montalvo, 30, of Kissimmee, Fla.; and Jeffrey Lewis, 29, of Houston.

 

Typically, breakers have nicknames. On the streets, Logan is “Logistx.”

This may be their only day in the sun, so to speak, for the sport of breaking may be “one and done.” It is not included in the slate of sports that will be offered at the 2028 Olympics. That’s a quirky thing about the way the Games are organized.

Karate, baseball and softball, which were included in the 2020 Olympics’ lineup in Tokyo, were axed from the Paris games. The Times of India, published in New Delhi, offers an unbiased view of what happened.

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) regularly reviews and adjusts the sports roster for each Olympic cycle, considering factors such as global popularity, athlete participation and the host city’s preferences,” The Times reported.

“The decision to exclude karate was made by the organizers due to its perceived lack of entertainment value and its inability to attract a significant following among younger audiences, as reported by Reuters.”

“Fans will have to wait until (decisions are made for) the 2032 Brisbane (Australia) Olympics to find out if karate will be included once again.”

“Baseball made its Olympics’ debut at the 1992 Barcelona (Spain) Games, followed by softball at the 1996 Atlanta Games. However, both sports were eventually removed from the 2012 and 2016 Olympics due to various factors, including the inability of Major League Baseball players to participate because of scheduling conflicts with their regular season,” The Times said.

 

“Additionally, softball’s global popularity was not strong enough to justify its continued presence in the Games.”

 

“For the Tokyo Olympics, Japan was permitted to propose five additional sports, including baseball and softball, which have a strong following in the country. However, these sports are less popular in France, leading to their exclusion from the Paris 2024 Games.” 

“Fans can take solace in the fact that both baseball and softball will return for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.”

Golf is a game for both champs…and chumps

Xander Schauffele of San Diego, Calif., is the new prince of professional golf, having won half of 2024’s four major tournaments – the PGA Tournament and The Open Championship.

Most recently, he fired a brilliant final round score of 65 on July 21 to earn a two-shot victory in The Open played at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland.

Didn’t that event used to be known as The British Open? The answer is: “No, yes and it’s complicated,” thanks to the R&A, the governing body for all the world of golf…except the United States and Mexico.

The R&A takes its name from the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland, founded in 1754. (Here is a view of the 18th hole from the tee.)

 

The R&A’s most prestigious tournament – The Open – was first played at Scotland’s Prestwick Golf Club in 1860.

The R&A became a separate entity in 2004 and made it a priority to instill usage of the “proper name” of the tournament as “The Open” or “The Open Championship.” In 2016, NBC Sports had to formally agree as part of its broadcast rights deal with the R&A.

 

Retired pro golfer Johnny Miller, who was NBC’s lead golf analyst in 2016, said he was rather proud of the fact that he only “messed up” one time, uttering “The British Open” on the air over four days.

 

Americans are to blame. The term “British Open” was “invented” to distinguish the championship across the pond from the “U.S. Open,” which was first played in 1895.

That has always railed the people in the United Kingdom. Finally, the R&A made it a mission to eradicate “British Open.”

The nitpicking seems a bit silly, acknowledged Englishman Nick Faldo, a three-time winner of The Open, who also holds a U.S. Open title.

 

Golf can be a brutal game, but Schauffele, who tamed a beast of a course at Royal Troon, made the game look so easy.

 

Charles William Nevius, a sports reporter for The Press Democrat in Santa Rosa, Calif., has an opinion about golf, calling it “the dumbest game ever. It is pointless, time-consuming and infuriating. I try to play as often as possible.”

Nevius said: “I am not any good at golf, but I have only been playing for…oh…30 years. When I started, I hit everything on a low banana slice to the right. Today, I have improved to the point where I have no idea where the ball will go.”

 

Nevius is not so good at football, either.

“Mark Twain called golf ‘a good walk spoiled,’ but at least we are out in the air. These days, when being a fanatic sports enthusiast means buying the special cable package so you can watch all the football games on Sunday, golf is still a game that people get out and play,” Nevius said.

 

“The Holy Grail for us recreational sod-thumpers is to break 80. So, a few weeks ago, when I found myself looking at a 4-foot putt on the 18th hole that would have given me a 79, I was just this side of hyperventilation. I had, of course, never broken 80.”

 

“I looked at the putt from every angle. I plumb bobbed. (I don’t even know what plumb bobbing means or what it is supposed to do.)”

 

“In 1970, Doug Sanders had a 30-inch putt to win the British Open.” (Tsk, tsk.) “He recalls getting over the ball, taking his putter back…and missing.”

 

“I have ‘Sanders-ized’ many, many putts in my day,’” Nevius said. But this time, his ball miraculously fell into the cup for a 79. A great thrill washed over his entire body.

 

“Stupid game,” he mumbled.