Football dates set

Fall may seem far off but it’s not too early to reserve your seats for Tailgate 2006, the gathering of the Pirate Nation before home football games. Hosted by the Alumni Association, the tailgates feature food from area restaurants and entertainment. Last year’s tailgates sold out before the season began. Make your reservations early by visiting PirateAlumni.com.

Sports: golf gets hot




Making the Most of Her Big Break

Update: Lewellen played her way into the Final Four of contestants, and then was eliminated.
College golf coaches aren’t known for their celebrity status, so Kim Lewellen was surprised when a shopper at a furniture store stopped her and said, “I know who you are. You’re from the Big Break. You really disappointed me with that shot the other day.”

Lewellen, who signed on as ECU’s women’s golf coach in January, has been seen regularly on the Golf Channel reality show Big Break V in which 11 amateur women compete for a chance to play in a real LPGA tournament. The winner also gets a new sports car and other prizes.

At 34, Lewellen is the second oldest contestant and one of the only mothers (she and her husband, an Episcopal priest, have two children). She thinks those factors gave her an edge in the pool of 1,000 applicants considered for the show. Others think it was her swing that landed her the spot. She was a two-time All-ACC performer and an All-American at UNC Chapel Hill who captured the NCAA Eastern Regional golf tournament championship as a senior in 1993. She turned pro after college and won a tournament in Europe.

Filming took place for two weeks last October at Turtle Bay in Hawaii, and while Lewellen can’t reveal the outcome, she did survive the first three weeks of the show’s run. One contestant is eliminated each week on the basis of her ability to succeed in various golf challenges.

“I really didn’t feel like my chances were all that good,” said Lewellen, who previously coached the men’s and women’s teams at The Citadel. “I think I fit an age bracket and a character that they needed.”

Lewellen, a Raleigh native, was hesitant when she heard about the ECU vacancy. But after visiting campus and meeting Athletics Director Terry Holland, she seized the opportunity.

Lewellen is focused on making the Lady Pirates tournament contenders. In the off-season, she will continue working on her own game by playing on the Futures Tour, the LPGA’s developmental circuit.  — Bethany Bradsher