Sun., Nov. 22nd on WDeV

Elaine DeBassige D'Amato's vision is that everyone has the ability to be a champion. She is a Sport Psychology and Performance Consultant, Licensed Professional Counselor, and National Certified Counselor. She has graduated from the Universities of Notre Dame, Colorado at Denver, and Denver.

Elaine's passion to work with athletes started as a child when she spent her weekends on the baseball field and talked till dawn with her dad about everything from NASCAR to his days playing hockey on the ice pond in Canada. When ESPN arrived, it only added fuel to the fire, hoping that one day she would be the first MLB female catcher (first inspired by Johnny Bench) or play-by-play analyst, like Tim McCarver.

At Notre Dame, she was a football manager during the last season the Irish won the National Championship. The scene in "Rudy" when he gets accepted into Notre Dame is comparable to how she felt the first time she ran through the tunnel behind the team.

Today, Elaine works with 2 types of champions. The first group is retiring elite athletes who want to take their game off the court as they pursue new ventures. She prepares these champions for their transition to civilian life so that life off the field is as engaging and successful as their athletic highlight reel.

The second group of people she works with is elite athletes just starting their careers. She helps them to develop a strategy on how to build a lifestyle and support system that helps them remain a champion long after their playing careers are over. Elaine teaches them how to manage slumps, success, and surprises.

For more information about sport performance and transition management, athletes and coaches can contact Elaine at www.BeTheChampion.com.

Chris Taylor attended Cordova High School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he played football, basketball, and track. After graduating from high school, Taylor attended Indiana University. In his true freshman season in 2002, Taylor played in six games, rushing for 229 yards. In 2003, Taylor rushed for 464 yards and three touchdowns. He started two games in 2004, rushing for 323 yards. In his senior season in 2005, Taylor played in all 11 games and ran for 740 yards and four touchdowns and was a captain.

Taylor was signed by the Houston Texans in May 2006 after going undrafted in the 2006 NFL Draft. He was on the practice squad for 12 games before he was elevated to the 53-man roster for the remainder of the season. Against the Cleveland Browns he recorded a 20 carry, 99 yards, and 1 touchdown performance. Taylor missed all of the 2007 season after being placed on injured reserve on July 30 with a knee injury. He was on the 53-man roster for the first six games of the 2008 season for the Texans before again suffering an injury. Taylor was signed by the New England Patriots on August 17, 2009. He was placed on injured reserve on September 5 with a shoulder injury.

Taylor has had bad luck with injuries over the years but he's an athletic young runner that seems to be an ideal runner in the zone blacking scheme...effective one-cut runner.

Playing at the professional level has been a dream come true. Now it is my dream to help young people have complete access to information that will ease their transition from high school to an appropriate setting that will aid them in meeting their career needs. Student athletes have dreams but do not always have the skills or guidance to develop a plan that will help them reach their potential. I am very passionate about helping young people pursue their dream. SoSportz is devoted to the positive social development of young athletes by focusing and placing emphasis on academics, sports and positive communication.

Kevin Sneddon enters his seventh season as the head coach at the University of Vermont in 2009-10, and his 17th year in the coaching profession. He led Vermont to its second-ever Frozen Four appearance in 2008-09 on his way to being named a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award, given annually to the top Division I coach in the country. The Catamounts attained their highest-ever final ranking in 2008-09, finishing No. 3 in the USCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll with a 22-12-5 record.

Under Sneddon’s leadership the Catamounts have asserted themselves as one of the premier programs in college hockey. Vermont posted a fifth straight winning season last year for the first time since moving to the Division I level in 1974-75. The Catamounts have won a total of 96 games and four in-season tournaments in the last five years.

In 2007-08, Sneddon was named the Bob Cullen Hockey East Coach of the Year and was a finalist for national coach of the year after leading the Catamounts to a 17-15-7 record and their first-ever trip to the Hockey East Championship Game at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Mass.

Sneddon guided Vermont to an 18-16-5 record and a championship in the prestigious Ice Breaker Invitational in 2006-07. The Catamounts finished second in the country in scoring defense with a 2.00 goals against average and they ranked third nationally on the penalty kill at 88.8-percent.

In 2005-06, the Catamounts had an 18-14-6 record in their first year in Hockey East. Vermont established the best start to a season in school history by winning its first seven contests. The Catamounts went on to claim tournament titles in both the Nye Frontier Classic and Sheraton/TD Banknorth Catamount Cup.

During the month of December that season, Vermont was ranked as high as third in the country in both national polls, giving the Catamounts their highest ranking in a decade at the time. Vermont finished third in the nation in goals against average at 2.16 and won the Sportsmanship Award in Hockey East for the least amount of penalty minutes in conference play. In addition, captain Jaime Sifers ‘06 was one of seven finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to college hockey’s finest citizen.

During the 2004-05 season, Sneddon led the Catamounts to their first 20-win season in eight years. With a 21-14-4 mark, Vermont was also the most improved team in the country winning 12 more games than it did the previous season.

Vermont was picked to finish 10th in the ECAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll that year. Instead, the Catamounts finished fourth in the ECAC and were ranked as high as 10th in USCHO.com/CSTV Poll that season. Vermont also advanced to the ECAC Championships in Albany, N.Y., for the first time since 1996 after defeating Dartmouth in the ECAC Quarterfinals. Vermont also defeated the No. 1 ranked team in the country for the first time in school history with a 3-2 victory at Minnesota-Duluth in October.

A 1992 graduate of Harvard University, Sneddon is just the third coach in the last 44 years at Vermont. He succeeded Mike Gilligan, who stepped down in April of 2003, after 19 years behind the Catamount bench.

The head coach at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., from 1998 to 2003, Sneddon was associated with the Union men's hockey program since 1993-94, when he was named assistant coach under former head coach Bruce Delventhal. He was named head coach in the summer of 1998, and in 2002-03 Sneddon led the Dutchmen to their first-ever ECACHL home-ice playoff series. Union qualified for the ECACHL Playoffs three of Sneddon's last four years with the Dutchmen. His career record at Union was 50-99-18 in five seasons.

Sneddon's first recruiting class at Vermont produced the ECAC Rookie of the Year in goalie Joe Fallon ‘08 and ECAC All-Rookie Team member in forward Torrey Mitchell.

Fallon, a sixth round pick in the 2005 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, finished his career ranked first or second in every major goaltending category at UVM. His 20 career shutouts rank second all-time in NCAA history and his 2.05 career goals against average is 11th best all-time in Division I. Fallon holds a total of 11 career, single-season and freshman records at Vermont. Fallon signed an NHL contract with Chicago in April of 2008.

Mitchell, a San Jose Sharks 2004 NHL draft choice, completed his career with 35 goals and 70 assists for 105 points. He signed an NHL contract with San Jose in March of 2007 and was one of the NHL’s top rookies in 2007-08.

Last season Viktor Stålberg, a sixth-round NHL Draft pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2006, became the fourth Catamount in program history to be named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, given annually to the top college hockey player in the country. Stålberg was also named a First-Team NCAA All-American and signed a NHL contract with the Toronto in April of 2009.

Sophomores Drew MacKenzie (209 overall, 2007 NHL Draft, Buffalo) and Matt Marshall (150 overall, 2007 NHL Draft, Tampa Bay), junior Kyle Medvec (102 overall, 2006 NHL Draft, Minnesota) and freshman David Pacan (177 overall, 2009 NHL Draft, Chicago) are other Sneddon recruits to be selected in the NHL draft.

Off the ice, Sneddon works hard to develop his student-athletes. Whether its helping his players to achieve goals in the classroom or teaching them important values away from hockey, he takes pride in preparing his players for "life's greater challenges." Sneddon serves as the Executive Vice President for the Jarred Williams Foundation and has been involved with the organization for the last six years.

The Catamounts participate in several community service projects each year. Among them are: volunteering at the local Ronald McDonald House, visiting children at Fletcher Allen Health Care and residents in local nursing homes, the Jarred Williams Foundation Hawaiian Boat Cruise, the Travis Roy Foundation Wiffle Ball Tournament, Green Up Day and volunteering for the Burlington Amateur Hockey Association.

Sneddon has been very involved at the conference and national level in the sport of hockey. He served on the ECAC Executive Coaches Committee and the ECAC Strategic Planning Committee from 2001-03 and was Vice President of Convention Planning for the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) from 2003-06. Four year’s ago proceeds from Vermont's "Midnight Madness" went to Hockey Coaches Care, the official charitable organization of the AHCA. He also is a member of the Executive Board for the Hockey Humanitarian Foundation.

Before beginning his coaching career, Sneddon had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Kings. Back surgery cut short his career and he made the decision to become a coach shortly thereafter.

In the collegiate ranks, he was a four-year starter at Harvard University where he helped the Crimson win the NCAA Championship in 1988-89. That season he was named to the ECAC All-Rookie Team, the NCAA All-Tournament Team, and was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings. During his four years at Harvard, he was the 96th captain of the Harvard men's hockey team, participated in the World Junior Camp, and the Albany World Cup. Unfortunately, Sneddon suffered two season-ending injuries, and operations on his shoulder and back limited his playing time in each of his last two seasons.

Born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, where he attended Nelson High School before heading to Harvard, Sneddon has been involved with hockey his entire life. His father, Robert, played professional hockey for the Chicago Blackhawks and the California Golden Seals. He spent much of his career playing in the AHL and IHL minor leagues.

Sneddon, his wife Toni, and daughter Gabrielle live in South Burlington.

Brian Lowe is the reporter for Patriots Today, the team's daily, in-depth show dedicated exclusively to the Patriots and airing on Patriots.com He began as host of Patriots Video News, the team's previous internet TV show, in 2003; and has covered the team home and away the last 5 seasons, including at Super Bowls XXXVIII, XXXIX and XLII. He also hosts the "Fantasy Lowe Down" radio show on Patriots.com and appears on Mohegan Sun Sports Tonight on Comcast SportsNet.

"The Rookie" to appear on my sports rant & talk show!

No, not Dennis Quaid; but Jim Morris will be joining SCORE, the Sun. Night Special Edition on WDeV FM and AM Sun., Nov. 29th @ 9:20 PM (EST).

Courtesy of Wikipedia,

"Morris signed a professional contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization at the age of 35. He started out with the Minor League Double-A Orlando Rays, but after a few appearances he moved up to a spot with the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Thanks to solid pitching performances with Durham, Tampa Bay gave him a chance to pitch with the big club when the rosters expanded, and on September 18, 1999, against Royce Clayton of the Texas Rangers, the 35-year old Morris made his debut, striking Clayton out on four pitches. His goal of pitching in the majors was finally realized, and he made four more appearances later that year.

Morris made 16 major league appearances in 2000, during which his arm problems recurred. His final appearance came on May 9, 2000, at Yankee Stadium. He entered a tie game in the bottom of the 10th inning with the bases loaded, and issued a game-ending bases-loaded walk to his first batter, Paul O'Neill, after which the Rays released him. He attempted to catch on with the Dodgers the following spring but wasn't able to overcome his injuries. At the end of his major league career he was 0-0 with an ERA of 4.80 and 13 strikeouts.

Morris has released an autobiography, The Oldest Rookie. He often appears as a motivational speaker, and currently receives $9000-$15000 for each appearance."

UVM Catamounts

Congrats to:

1.) the Lady Hoop Cats, defeating Western MI and NC State to win the Sheraton Raleigh Invitational.

2.) the men's hockey team who rebounded nicely from a 7-1 loss to BC, defeating them yesterday 3-2 on their pond.

3.) the men's basketball team who defeated Buffalo yesterday 58-57; evening their record to 1-1 after Fri.'s loss to Loyola of Maryland

Vermont Frost Heaves

Last night I had the opportunity to interview Daniel Artest ... of the PBL Maryland Green Hawks; and brother of LA Lakers Ron Artest ...

Daniel predicted a Green Hawks victory versus the Vermont Frost Heaves.

Let it begin, get out and support Coach Strohm and the Vermont Frost Heaves this season!