SPORTS FANS TOPPIn’ IT OFF Interested in covering your S end us pictures of your favorite JMU sport? Email decorated caps, grads! Email [email protected]. [email protected]. Serving James Madison University Since 1922 BreezeJMU.org Vol. 92, No. 54 Rain n 57°/ 49° chance of precipitation: 70% Monday, April 28, 2014 JMU fan meets an idol Kirby Burkholder gives 14-year-old the surprise of his life By WAYNE EPPS jr. The Breeze Imagine being a middle-school kid gearing up to compete in one of your $1.4 million trail own sports, when you’re surprised by one of your favorite athletes. It might seem like a dream scenario for most kids, but it became a reality for 14-year-old Milton Dandridge Jr. of slated for December Bridgewater. A longtime JMU women’s basketball fan, Milton, or MJ for short, was amazed to see now former JMU guard Kirby Burkholder walking up to completion meet him at his track meet Tuesday. “[I was] shocked, very shocked,” MJ BLAIR ROSEN / THE BREEZE said. “I was shocked that I didn’t know she was going to come.” Pathway to provide safer travel options for students getting to and from campus The groundwork for the surprise was laid in mid-February at JMU’s first spring Adapted Sports Day when ByI CHR S KENT Pedestrian Plan is being put into action safety is taken very seriously, according MJ, a participant in the event, met The Breeze when ground breaking starts for the Blue- to Lee Eshelman, the JMU transportation Samantha Powell, a junior accounting stone Trail this month, according to Dang. demand manager. In the past few years major and volunteer. Call it fate, but In an effort to present a safer and more “The Bluestone trail serves not just for JMU has been looking into how foot traf- MJ and Powell’s meeting happened eco-conscious environment, JMU, in part- transportation, but for recreation too … It fic can be improved, both for safety and by chance. Powell was originally nership with Harrisonburg, is unveiling a is part of the transportation network,” Dang speed. To collect precise data on the pat- paired with another athlete who never new bike path that will provide students said. “From the recreational perspective, terns of traffic, faculty members created showed up. who live near Pheasant Run a quicker and there are a lot of individuals and maybe the JMU Moves phone application. The two sat next to each other and safer commute to school. even families who want to take their kids JMU Moves is an application that allows ended up hitting it off. They hung The Bluestone Trail is the first phase in to ride bikes, or whoever they may be, just users to activate a GPS that follow s their out for the rest of the two-day event, an attempt to revamp the pedestrian and for fun. They are not trying to get anywhere, paths and plots the data of that path. With attending a Friday night women’s cyclist paths in Harrisonburg. but it is good exercise.” this collected data, JMU is able to deduce basketball game before a Saturday The trail is expected to stretch from the The trail is being funded through a the most trafficked routes on campus, and filled with volleyball, basketball and corner of Beery Road and Stone Spring variety of sources. The first phase, which design pathways to accommodate them. demonstrations. But MJ still didn’t Road to the corner of Hillside Avenue and runs from Stone Spring Road to Butler Using the data from this application, trou- get one wish that weekend — to meet Port Republic Road. This addition is a part Street, costs $1,072,417 and is being fund- ble spots around campus can be found. Burkholder. of the city’s final plan to create a continu- ed through the Virginia Department of One dangerous hot spot is the Village hill, “I know MJ was real disappointed ous path that would connect the northern Conservation and Recreation, Virginia where bikers are known to fly down at high on Saturday that it wasn’t the wom- part of the city to the southern, according Department of Transportation and city speeds. en’s basketball team that came to to Thanh Dang, a public works coordinator funds. The other section of the trail, which Yet traffic on campus is very manageable. work with us, it was the women’s vol- for the city of Harrisonburg. runs from Butler Street to Port Republic With the ability to close off the campus from leyball team,” Powell said, laughing. Originally part of a plan proposed to Road, costs $350,687 and is being funded outside traffic, JMU limits the flow of traffic “He was like, ‘Yeah, it’s cool, but why the city council in 2010 by the Shenando- by JMU and the city. didn’t the basketball team come?’ ah Valley Bicycle Coalition, the Bicycle and On campus, pedestrian and cyclist see TraiL, page 4 Because he really wanted to meet Kirby.” But the roots of a friendship between Powell and MJ were planted. “It was really cool that we made that SOFT baLL 38-13 connection, we clicked,” Powell said. “I’m really grateful for that program.” After the event was over, Powell mailed pictures she took to Dandridge’s parents. The act impressed them, and that kicked off a continuing rela- tionship between Powell and the Dukes trump Delaware Dandridges; over the next several weeks, MJ and his father, Milton Dan- JMU wins it all during its three-game weekend series against the Blue Hens dridge Sr., kept Powell up-to-date on MJ’s progress in school and in track. see SURPRISE, page 12 CO URTESY OF SAMANTHA POWELL Kirby Birkholder and Milton Dandridge Jr. spent the day together at his track meet on Tuesday, where she surprised him. MATT SCHMACHTENBERG / THE BREEZE 4/28 INSIDE The Dukes celebrate first baseman Cassidy Clayton’s walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to give JMU a 7-6 win over visiting Delaware Sunday afternoon. NEWS ByH RIC ARD BOZEK “In all of my years of coaching, this is one of the loaded for Catherine Clavin, who delivered with a 3 Burnin’ up The Breeze best team wins I have seen,” head coach Mickey blooper in between the pitcher and second base- Mulch fires become Dean said. “We had to continuously fight back man, good enough for a 2-RBI single. prominent in Yesterday afternoon, softball faced off against from the first inning to the seventh.” But the Blue Hens took the lead again in the top Harrisonburg. the University of Delaware in the final matchup of The Blue Hens jumped out of the starting gates of the sixth inning. Bencivenga rocketed her sec- its three-game weekend series at a packed Veterans early in the contest, taking an early 2-0 after the ond home run of the day over the left field fence, OPINION Memorial Park. The Dukes held Delaware score- top of the first inning. With two outs, Delaware this time off of Dukes junior pitcher Heather Kiefer 6 Pulling the trigger less and winless through Saturday’s doubleheader, freshman short stop Sarah Bencivenga blasted a who came in to pitch as relief in the fourth inning. Should professors send winning both games 10-0 and 7-0 respectively. two-run home run over the right field fence off of The damage wasn’t done just yet, though. Dela- “trigger warnings” before Despite the easy wins, the Dukes found them- Dukes sophomore pitcher Jailyn Ford. ware junior right fielder Jessica Grisler brought in controversial lectures? selves in a nail-biter on Sunday, winning in After both teams went three up and three down two more runs with a single up the middle before walk-off fashion. in the second inning, Delaware tallied another run the half inning was over, giving the Blue Hens a LEIF Yesterday also marked Senior Day for JMU. on the scoreboard in the top of the third. Benciven- 6-3 lead. 9 Juicy J takes JMU Before the game, the graduating players of both ga drove in her third run of the day after an RBI JMU managed to earn one run in the bottom What’s all the hype the Dukes and Blue Hens were honored. Four single to right field. of the inning. Sandy led off with a double, then around UPB’s concert seniors made up the senior class for the JMU team In the bottom of the third inning the Dukes put was brought home by her fellow senior Clayton last Thursday? this season — pitcher Brittany Jeans, utility player themselves on the scoreboard for the first time on a double up the middle. However, the Dukes Catherine Clavin, outfielder Cassidy Clayton and thanks to sophomore infielder Hannah Hayes, who couldn’t produce anything else after that for the SPORTS infielder Caitlin Sandy. Over four years, the seniors brought home Jeans with an RBI single to right. rest of the inning. 11 D ukes’ Weapon played 371 games with a .636 winning percentage, Led by some of the seniors, the Dukes found In the top of the seventh, freshman Kelly Wis- Junior Stephanie making them the winningest class in program his- more offense in the fourth inning. Ford led off the hard came in to pitch in relief for the Dukes, Finley leading JMU tory. The squad’s seniors each played major roles bottom of the inning with a walk, followed by a lacrosse in scoring.