Phillies Fan Snags First Place in Contest

Two weeks worth of votes have been counted and the winner of Patch's Greatest Sports Fan Contest has been chosen.

  After two weeks of voting in the comments, Patch's Greatest Sports Fan Contest has ended and the votes have been tallied. And the winner of one of five greatest sports fan prizes is No. 31! User Michele Conboy submitted the photo of a boy with the Phillies Phanatic, which scored 42 votes. The winner will receive a $240 Stub Hub gift card courtesy of Patch that can be used to purchase tickets to a sporting event. The voting results show that our readers have a love of all Philadelphia sports, with the grand prize winner representing the Phillies, but the runners-up paying homage to other Philly teams. The photo with the second most votes—totaling 21—was photo 19. The photo submitted by Josh Leiber is of a boy decked out in Eagles gear at …

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Scholasticity

Who's Keeping Score?

The differences between boys and girls are apparent on the fields in the spring, but maybe not in the way you'd expect.

We’re into the baseball and softball seasons full swing and I’ve noticed some really stark differences between the two events. Now, there are bound to be differences between a 10-year-old girl playing intramural softball and a 14-year-old boy playing school ball and in a competitive travel league. But even turning back the clock to when my son was 10, I’m a little stunned. At that age, the boys had started to get a little serious about the game. Well, as serious as 10-year-old boys could be. They got mad when they struck out and the intensity picked up when the score tightened. The girls are different. The score really seems to have no impact on the girls’ mood. They were losing a dozen runs the other night and you would have thought they …

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POLL: Are Kids Getting Priced Out of Baseball and Softball?

A NY Times article explores the era of the $250 baseball bat.

Have you bought a baseball glove for your Little Leaguer lately? Did you pay more than $100 for it? How about a $250 bat? A New York Times story headlined "Big Price Tags Attached to Even the Littlest Leagues," examined the big business of equipping youngsters for participation in youth baseball and softball leagues, quoting those costs and more. "A batting helmet protects tiny heads for $39.99," the Times reported. "A pair of Nike Jordan Black Cat cleats will make your child fast and fashionable at $51.99 until he or she outgrows them." So what do you think? Has the cost of bats and gloves taken our kids too far from the simpler days of sandlot and playground ballgames? Or have you had better luck finding more modestly-priced equipment …

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Viewfinder: Warminster Skate Jam

Bikers and skateboarders showed off their moves at the Warminster Skate Spot Saturday afternoon.

After weeks of postponements, the weather finally cleared up for the Warminster Skate Jam Saturday afternoon. More than a hundred skateboarders and bikers tested out the new equipment that was added to the park in February. The event was also an opportunity to raise funds for more equipment and general upkeep of the Warminster Skate Spot at Munro Park. Awards were handed out in several categories. The winners included: 15 and Older: Skateboarding Highest Ollie- Brooks Walker Best trick- Brooks Walker Game of S.K.8.- Brooks Walker BMX Highest Bunny hop- Jim Borio Best Trick- Joe Halgash Game of B.I.K.E.- Joe Halgash 14 and Under Skateboarding Highest Ollie-  Corey Rushing Best trick- Tyler Dietterich Game of S.K.8.- Tyler Dietterich BMX …

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Archbishop Wood Celebrates State Champion Basketball Team

The varsity girls team were brought on stage of the high school auditorium and honored for their third consecutive state title.

The students at Archbishop Wood High School took a break from classes Wednesday afternoon to properly congratulate the girls basketball team for winning its third consecutive PIAA state championship title. The varsity girls were trucked onto the campus on the back of a large trailer and welcomed by the cheering throng of their fellow students and ushered to the stage of the school auditorium. Head Coach Jim Ricci thanked the crowd, including faculty and parents, for all of their support during six-day weeks that included practices and games. State Senator Stewart Greenleaf then took the podium and lauded Ricci's ability to get the team's offense and defense working together to defeat the high-scoring Lancaster Catholic in the state final, …

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Baseball: HH Beats Tennent; Mercy Rule Used.

Hatboro-Horsham 11, William Tennent 1

Softball: North Beats Tennent

Council Rock North 16, William Tennent 0

Martial Arts Students Kick it up a Notch

More than 50 members of East West Karate's adult and junior programs earned black belt status during a showcase at CB East High School Saturday night.

Crowds of cheering family and friends packed the gymnasium at Central Bucks East High School as 58 students of all ages from East West Karate graduated to black belt status.  East West Karate graduating black belts 3rd degree Mark Norek, Amy Kenderdine, Linda Starr 1st degree Kaylee Carmichael, John McPartland, Erica McPartland, Goranna Angert, Matt Berk, Brendan Kern, Kenny Hilbert, Denise Mann, Frank Mann, Brittany Valentine, Lori Trojak, Jim Gallagher, Peter Belevich, James McKenna Senior Black Belt Megan Osborne, Michael DiChiara, Jason Alexander, Adam Hebert, Matt Rahn, Tim Primrose Junior Black Belt Ryan Shifman, Jiffer Razon, Micaelina Carter, Blake Feldman, Matthew Cohen, Sarah Garman, Adam Jardak, Annabella Ducheneaux, Max …

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Skate Jam Event Delayed Until April 14

Warminster Skate Spot's annual Spring Jam will include demos, prizes and more.

On Saturday, April 14, Warminster Skate Spot will hold its annual Skate Jam event, starting at 1 p.m. The event, which includes contests, prizes, demos, food and music, has been postponed twice due to inclement weather. "The kids can't compete in the rain. It's not safe," Pamela Borio said. Borio is the president of the Warminster Skate Spot Committee. The event was rained out on its originally scheduled date of March 24, and rescheduled for the following Saturday. However, the forecast, which called for "a good chance of rain," according to Borio, meant the jam needed to be postponed again. If it happens to rain on April 14, the event will be pushed back to the next weekend and so on until the end of April, Borio said. If every weekend in…

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Fourth and Fifth Graders Hit the Court for March Madness Finals

Eight boys teams and eight girls teams from Centennial's elementary schools battled it out at Klinger Wednesday afternoon for the district title.

After an intense two hours of three-on-three basketball Wednesday afternoon at Klinger Middle School, the three boys of the M&M'Z, from McDonald-Davis Elementary, and the three girls of Banana Wana'z, from Stackpole Elementary, were crowned the champions of Centennial's annual March Madness Tournament. "This is really exciting," said Emily Vickalitis, who celebrated the victory with teammates Amelia McGovern and Jenn Cunningham. "The other team played really well. This was not an easy win." Their opponents, the Good Girls Gone Bad from Longstreth, managed to battle their way to the final game despite some last minute roster shuffling. Maddie Tryon could not make the game due to illness, so Jenna Rodebaugh and Kirsten Hansen had to scramble…

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