March 2017 Your Opinion Matters My CIAA Experience


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The Hampton Roads Messenger 7


CIAA Basketball Championships equal win for Charlotte


BY E. REEVES AND E. RODNEY BY L. MCCRAE The Central Intercollegiate


Association (CIAA) was formerly known as the Colored Inter- collegiate Athletic Association before the end of 1950. The CIAA is one of the oldest athletic conferences in America. The tournaments showcase athletic


Athletic abilities supporters. Hotel prices located in Uptown of students from


twelve institutions who play in the conference. The CIAA Basketball Tournament


events attract close to


200,000 attendees during the week that it takes place. It has created a way for HBCU families to come together in the form of a reunion. This is the 12th consecutive year that Charlotte


has


been the host city. The main event


of the CIAA


basketball tournament (The CIAA) is the Men’s and Women’s Championship Game. These games are held on the last day of the tournament. The city of Charlotte, over the course of the week, continues to bring in millions of dollars each year. However, The CIAA is becoming less about the basketball tournament and more about the many parties and other events taking place in the city.


As a newcomer to The CIAA, the


experience outside of the basketball tournament was overwhelming. I thought that the purpose of the tournament was the basketball games throughout the week leading up to the championship games.


However, the


partying seemed to take precedence over the playing.


The crowd seen at many places and on the streets of Charlotte outnumbered the crowd during the championship games. But The CIAA was still a success.


FOX46 Charlotte stated that the


tournament was nothing less than successful, but “there were less people who attended this year's CIAA than last year.” It looks like the legacy that The CIAA has been building since its start in 1912 is slowly fading away due to the increase of party supporters and expensive hotel accommodations as well as the decrease of game


Charlotte can reach more than $300 per night, and beginning on Thursday, Feb. 23, there was a three-night minimum stay. Many people who plan on attending The CIAA arrive during the weekend. The prices of the hotels are not affordable for visitors like college students or low income families. Instead of treating this as a moment to allow HBCU families to come together, hotels are trying to capitalize off of the event making guests pay more for being closer to all of the festivities.


I believe that the city will see a growth in game attendance and community


engagement once it


refocuses on the main purpose of the week’s celebration.


The younger generation appears


to have forgotten the purpose of the tournament in the midst of the celebrations.


They choose to not


support the games being held during the week. The excessive partying that the younger generation brings to The CIAA seem to be drowning out the alumni and the older crowd. The more serious attendees are actually there to enjoy the games.


As a result, The CIAA is


becoming more of the crown jewel of parties rather than the “crown jewel of college sports.”


Although alumni and family


members of HBCU students who play in the tournament and other activities, do find time to celebrate. Nonetheless, they honor the main goal of The CIAA.


Here is a little reminder for


all from Jarvis Holliday, writer for Charlotte Magazine: “You wouldn’t be able to party like this, if it wasn’t for the CIAA Tournament, and there wouldn’t be a tournament without the basketball games.” The sooner people realize


this,


can continue to strengthen its historic foundation for years to come.


According tercollegiate to the Athletic Central In- Association


(CIAA) web page, the annual CIAA Basketball Tournament has evolved from a 2,000-seat sell out, in 1912 (Washington, D.C.), into one of the nation’s premier sporting


events. tournament It


attracts over 190,000 fans during the course of the week. The CIAA is now touted as the third highest attended basketball


NCAA divisions. This year, the twelve schools


that women’s tournament Fayetteville


participated in the men’s and were Bowie


State University, Chowan University, Elizabeth


St.


City State University, State


University,


Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University (PA), Livingstone College, Shaw University,


Augustine’s


University, Virginia State University, Virginia


defeated the Fayetteville Union University and


Winston-Salem State University. The Bowie State Bulldogs


State


Broncos 62-54 in the championship game. Bowie State had won 15 out of 30 games throughout the season leading up to the championship. The 2017 Championship Game was Bowie State’s 16th win in the CIAA conference, this season. They were on a seven-game winning streak from Feb. 11- Feb. 25.


Ahmad Wilson was the lead


scorer for the Bulldogs. Wilson had 59 assists, 24 steals, and started in 27 games from the beginning to end of


Food Allergies FROM PAGE 5


children given the treatment could safely eat peanut-containing foods afterward. More studies are being done to improve the safety and effectiveness of the approach. The therapy is also being studied for people with milk and egg allergies in small clinical trials.


the sooner The CIAA


There may be other ways to provide this type of therapy. One ongoing study is investigating using a skin patch to deliver small amounts of peanut protein


to


Share your community event photos! photos@hamptonroadsmessenger.com


peanut-allergic


patients. Early results have shown some promise among young children with peanut allergy. Researchers will continue to assess this approach.


Food allergy studies have to be done very carefully because reactions can be life threatening. “It’s important to understand how much careful thought goes into ethically designing


among all


the season. He tallied up 955 points for the 2016-2017 basketball season. Wilson will be returning next season.


The Johnson C. Smith Lady


Golden Bulls won the championship, overpowering the Virginia State Lady Trojans. The final score was 68-59. Johnson C. Smith had 53 rebounds, 11 assists, and eight fast breaks in the final face-off with Virginia State. Johnson C. Smith scored the most points in the 4th quarter tallying 22 points.


Blaire Thomas from Johnson


C. Smith hit 84 percent of her free throws. Thomas ranks high in assists, rebounds,


and defensive rebounds.


This season, she has 363 points. Johnson C. Smith, St. Augustine’s


and Fayetteville State had the same record. All three teams won six games and lost 10. Virginia State won the most games throughout the season, but they did not win the championship.


According to the CIAA webpage, "Over the past 10 years, the CIAA has generated over $325 million in economic


impact for the “Queen


City” (Charlotte, NC), while annually generating over $55 million for the host city. With the support of the City of Charlotte and CIAA corporate partners such as Coca-Cola USA, Nationwide, Food Lion,


Toyota and Russell


Athletic, the conference has secured over $20 million in scholarships for its member institutions over the past 13 years,


averaging


annually." The


conference been achieved annually. research studies, particularly those


involving vulnerable populations like children,” Plaut says. “Sometimes answers take longer than we would all like. But it’s critical to find them in a way and at a pace that is thoughtful and safe.”


For now, there are no treatments


for food allergies. But avoiding al- lergy-causing foods can help prevent symptoms. Read food labels carefully. Wash your hands and surfaces you touch to prevent accidental contact.


Sometimes it can be difficult to avoid exposure completely. Carrying an epinephrine auto injector can be lifesaving. This device delivers a hormone that maintains blood pressure and can open your airways.


Talk with your health nih.gov care


provider to learn more about preventing and treating food allergies.


will


$1.5 million continue


to thrive as an academic and athletic success.


This level of success has


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