Clubs
The N. Y. Carolina Club’s softball games in Central Park
are ‘semi-competitive’ but
seriously fun, members say.
The team plays against alumni from ACC schools and others. ‘It is a great opportunity
for Tar Heels to meet up and
unwind in the park,’ says
team member Gavin Maxwell
’05.
membership
matters
Number of GAA members*
68,602
Annual members
34,674
Life members
33,928
Total GAA membership
(by percent of graduates)
26
■
Top three classes
(by number of members)
1977
1,353
1971
1,333
1981
1,286
■
Top five N.C. counties
(by membership percentage)
Cherokee
37
Hertford
35
Pasquotank
33
Lenoir
32
Nash
32
■
Top three non-N.C. states
(by membership percentage)
Georgia
31
South Carolina
30
Connecticut
29
* as of July 27, 2007
If They Can Make Plays There …
So much was made of the
Tar Heel baseball team’s
thrilling return trip to the
College World Series in
Omaha that, alas, another
squad of Diamond Heels
went completely overlooked.
But the N.Y. Carolina
“Games are semi-com-
petitive, but it’s mostly
about having a good time,”
said Gavin Maxwell ’05, who
doubles as the team’s record
keeper and schedule planner.
PHOTOS BY AMIE BECTON RAY ’ 97
Club’s softball team isn’t
taking the snub too seriously — there’s no room for
serious stuff in its summer
softball league.
“It is a great opportunity for
Tar Heels to meet up and
unwind in the park.”
The team plays 14 scheduled
softball events in Central Park on
the Great Lawn, the club’s “field
of dreams” right in the middle of
Manhattan. The softball “league,”
which Maxwell explains is really
a network of 16 alumni captains,
pits the Heels against teams from
Georgetown and the universities of Chicago, blue were
Pennsylvania and Virginia. supposed to
They started the season early, with a couple of square off for
Blue and White scrimmage games to build skills, big-city brag-said team member David Chapman ’00. “The atmos- ging rights on
phere at our games is, and always has been, fun and June 28, but
inclusive for all alumni, though this year we are the epic
trying to take our level of play up a notch or two.” match was rained out. When the teams did finally
On June 24, it appeared that the team’s presea- meet, it was a slugfest, and Carolina put up runs left
son preparation was paying off as they beat their and right. However, the Devils had just a little
ACC brethren Boston College by a score of 16-9. more that day and emerged victorious, 16-11.
Three weeks after the BC game, the Heels If the Heels participate in a September tourna-played in a softball version of the ACC-Big Ten ment, they may get another crack at their Tobacco
Challenge. They notched a 9-4 victory over Ohio Road rivals. The summer will be long gone, but
State before dropping a 10-3 contest to University they’ll still turn out to play.
of Michigan’s Business School. “Young New Yorkers being what they are, it is
The business bunch dressed the part in their hard to galvanize a group that is always in town,
matching Michigan uniforms, something the Heels but we manage to rotate about 25 people overall,
hope to have next time around. They say that’s why with about nine to 15 people coming out to each
the Yankees always win — the other teams can’t game, plus another 10 or so that just come to
stop staring at those pinstripes. watch,” Maxwell said. “It’s been a pretty fun season
But the Big Ten teams were just a snack before thus far.” ■
the July 21 main course: Duke. The two shades of — Daniel David ’07
