Jason Fitzpatrick, an Ooltewah resident and Volkswagen factory employee, drove his Chattanooga-built Passat to a Labor Day weekend victory at the 2015 National Auto Sport Association Eastern States Championship at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Va. Fitzpatrick, who is a member of the factory’s quality department, wrote in a release about his motivation for converting his personal Passat into a race car: “For more than 100 years automobile manufacturers have used the extreme demands and stresses of motorsports to test the durability of their vehicles. I believe that racing our Chattanooga-built Passat is the best way to prove to people around the country that the hard-working men and women of the VW Chattanooga Factory assemble one of the most reliable and highest-quality vehicles in North America.” For more on Fitzpatrick Autosport, visit his page on Facebook.
VOLLEYBALL
* Before celebrating a 3-0 Appalachian Athletic Conference win over Point University on Tuesday night in Dayton, Bryan College celebrated a milestone for one of its players. Kara Stamper reached the 1,000-kill mark for her career during weekend tournament play at College of Coastal Georgia’s Mariner Invitational in Brunswick. According to a Bryan release, Stamper started Saturday with 984 kills; the junior outside hitter/middle blocker from Hagerstown, Md., had 17 in the Lady Lions’ first match of the day, a 3-0 win over Martin Methodist, to push her tally to 1,001. Stamper led the AAC in kills per set (4.25) and total kills (527) last season, which ranked ninth and eighth in the NAIA. She reached double-digit kills 30 times in 36 matches and earned All-America honorable mention in 2014. She has an AAC-best 99 kills through 10 matches this season for the Lady Lions (3-7, 2-0 AAC), who return to competition at the Lee Inivitational on Friday and Saturday in Cleveland.
SOCCER
* The Red Bank-based Premier Soccer Academy under-18 Rockets won the Gatlinburg Labor Day Invitational high school boys’ division by going 4-0 this past weekend at the tournament. The PSA Rockets, coached by Pedro Kozak, won 3-0 over IFC United and 3-2 over the Lakeway Legacy in pool play Saturday and then downed the NFC99 Odyssey 3-0 in the semifinals Sunday. The Rockets won 3-1 in the final against the BUSC Hammers 99.
SPORTS MEDIA
* “How Tall Is a Giant,” a book written by Lee University sports information director George Starr about inspirational Cleveland native and highly successful youth and high school coach Bill Talley, is available in hardback at Pathway Book Store in Cleveland. It also can be bought directly through Starr by calling 423-559-1449, writing to gstarr@leeuniversity.edu or mailing him a $21 check to 1114 Harvest Glen Dr., Cleveland, TN 37312. Talley, now 72 and retired in Odessa, Texas, will be present for a book signing from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 29 at the Museum Center in Cleveland. Short in stature and short on limbs – Talley was born with one leg 8 inches shorter than the other and both arms ending at the elbows with nubs for hands – found ways to be active in sports. He was the football manager at Bradley Central High School and later coached baseball and assisted in football at Cleveland High as well as for youth teams. One of his sets of baseball all-stars was a national runner-up. The way he hit infield before baseball games was as much a marvel as his extraordinary penmanship despite his disabilities. Steve Sloan hired him as academic counselor for his Texas Tech football team, and a year after Sloan left there, Talley began a long teaching and coaching career in Texas high schools.