Sports
Notable in the field are Olympic gold medalists Hannah Teter, Ross Powers and Hannah Kearney.
The largest professional franchise is the Vermont Lake Monsters, a single-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, based in Burlington. They were named the Vermont Expos prior to 2006. Up until the 2011 season, they were the affiliate of the Washington Nationals (formerly the Montreal Expos).
The Vermont Frost Heaves, the 2007 and 2008 American Basketball Association national champions, were a franchise of the Premier Basketball League, and were based in Barre and Burlington from the fall of 2006 through the winter of 2011.
A semi-professional football team, the Vermont Ice Storm, is based in South Hero. It plays its home games at the Colchester High School stadium. It is a member of the Empire Football League.
Vermont natives in the snowboarding profession include: Kevin Pearce, Ross Powers, Hannah Teter, and Kelly Clark. Others learned snowboarding in the state such as: Louie Vito, and Ellery Hollingsworth.
The Vermont Voltage is a USL Premier Development League soccer club that plays in St. Albans.
Annually since 2002, high school statewide all stars compete against New Hampshire in ten sports during "Twin State" playoffs.
Vermont also has a few auto racing venues. The most popular of them is Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre. It is well known for its tight racing and has become well known in short track stock car racing. Other racing circuits include Groton Raceway, Bear Ridge Speedway, and Devil's Bowl Speedway. Some NASCAR Cup drivers have come to Vermont circuits to compete agents the local weekly drivers such as Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemecheck. Kevin Lepage from Shelburne is one of a few professional drivers from Vermont. Racing series in Vermont include NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, ACT American Canadian Tour and Vermonts own series the Tiger Sportsman Series.
Read more about this topic: Sports In Vermont
Famous quotes containing the word sports:
“In the end, I think you really only get as far as you’re allowed to get.”
—Gayle Gardner, U.S. sports reporter. As quoted in Sports Illustrated, p. 87 (June 17, 1991)
“It is usual for a Man who loves Country Sports to preserve the Game in his own Grounds, and divert himself upon those that belong to his Neighbour.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
“In the past, it seemed to make sense for a sportswriter on sabbatical from the playpen to attend the quadrennial hawgkilling when Presidential candidates are chosen, to observe and report upon politicians at play. After all, national conventions are games of a sort, and sports offers few spectacles richer in low comedy.”
—Walter Wellesley (Red)