State-themed North Carolina FC shoots for MLS status

After a decade in existence, the Carolina RailHawks soccer club in Cary, N.C., is no more -- well, sorta. On December 6, 2016, it was announced that the club is now known as North Carolina FC. And in addition to the rebranding, owner Steve Malik stated that he is "aggressively" pursuing a new downtown Raleigh stadium that will hold more than 20,000 people, and that he plans for the team to be part of Major League Soccer in the next 12-18 months.

The look and branding of "NCFC" has a distinct North Carolina feel, from the colors down to the symbolism, which we have touched on before here. From the team's website:

NC Star:
The white five-point star sits at the peak of NCFC’s crest and is a stark symbol of the star on the North Carolina state flag. ...

The Triangle Area:
The lower right point of the NCFC star, in the shape of the geographical Triangle area, stands alone to place emphasis on the club’s location. ...

Wordmark:
“North Carolina” sits in the center of the badge in white letters. The proprietary font titled Sir Walter honors the state capital’s namesake, Sir Walter Raleigh.

Football Club Wings:
The “FC” acronym lies between two airplane wings as an ode to North Carolina’s motto: “First in Flight.” Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright invented and flew the first successful airplane, the Flyer, from atop of Kill Devil Hill in Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903. ...

Atlantic Blue:
Representing loyalty and stability, the crest’s predominant color, Atlantic Blue, lays the framework of the NCFC logo. Known for its iconic lighthouses, the North Carolina coast meets with the Atlantic Ocean for over 300 miles. Blue is one of the two official state colors and is the vertical field on the left of the state flag.

Cardinal Red:
Named for the North Carolina state bird, Cardinal Red incorporates the energy and passion of the club’s identity and fan base into the NCFC crest. Red is the second official state color and is found in the horizontal bar of the North Carolina state flag.

Southern Gold:
Southern Gold encircles the NCFC crest and is concentrated within the lower right point of the star and airplane wings. The color honors the state’s history of abundant gold resources and athletic excellence. The discovery of a 17-pound gold nugget in Cabarrus County, NC sparked the North Carolina gold rush in 1799, boosting the state’s enterprise into the 19^th century. ...

Oak City Acorn:
The crest’s shield resembles the shape of an acorn, representing the club’s allegiance to the state’s capital affectionately known as the City of Oaks because of the oak-lined streets in the heart of Raleigh. As the seed of the deep-rooted oak tree, the acorn symbolizes the growth and ambition that NCFC possesses.

From Peak to Point:
The top point of the five-point star creates a peak that epitomizes the state’s vast mountainous region. With the highest mountain peaks east of the Rockies in the Appalachian Mountains, to the state’s seven world-renowned coastal lighthouses, North Carolina is a state that is diverse, unique and unparalleled.

Seems like the state is pretty well covered. About the only thing missing is a way to incorporate the likeness of Andy Griffith.

In all seriousness, kudos to NCFC for really embracing the state -- whether you are jazzed about the team name or not.

Quick hits: A new movie coming to Wilmington, pick your fave N.C. sports moment, and the Blue Ridges are pretty

New feature film coming to Wilmington

"The rumor circulated for several days. Local film industry workers dropped hints that 'a big project was coming to town,'" says the Star-News.

"Now, there’s proof.

"The office of Governor Beverly Perdue announced Monday that the New Line Cinema film, 'Journey 2: The Mysterious Island' will start production in Wilmington later this month. The film stars Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock), Michael Caine and Josh Hutcherson. ..."

Great moments in N.C. sports history

"The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame has created a new program to recognize and honor Great Moments in North Carolina Sports History. 'Great Moments' highlights special accomplishments by both individuals and teams through the years.

"A special panel choose from a list of 20 'Great Moment' in sports history in North Carolina, the most significant as candidates for our first-ever award.

"You are invited to participate by helping to choose the first winner from the top five “Great Moments” previously selected in 2010 ..."

In Blue Ridge Mountains, autumn hues are wedded with history

"When the Blue Ridge Parkway beckons me, I answer, especially in autumn, when I long for its twists and turns, its waterfalls, natural gardens, forests and upland meadows that dot its nearly 500 miles in Virginia and North Carolina," says the LA Times.

"Little has changed here in the 75 years since the parkway construction began, permanently linking Virginia's Shenandoah National Park in the north and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the south. It took 52 years and hundreds of workers to complete this public works project, which helped Appalachia climb out of the Great Depression.

"Thanks to varying elevations, a drive in October and even into early November will yield good views of fall hues. Hickory, tulip poplar and ash are ablaze with yellows, and reds burst forth from dogwood, maple, sumac and sourwood trees. This year mountain ash trees at higher elevations have an outstanding crop of bright red berries. ..."

Irish road bowling comes to the mountains

Heck, I've just gotten used to Cornhole being the game du jour, and now comes word from the N.C. mountains that there may be a new game on which to latch: Irish road bowling.

"Irish road bowling is a sport best played on winding country roads, with lots of hills," says the Citizen-Times.

" 'Of course, Western North Carolina has quite a bit of those,' said Justin Hunter, one of the founders of the newly formed Asheville Irish Road Bowling Association. 'Plus it's an outdoor sport and relaxed, which fits the personality of the area.'"

Road bowling is an old sport, dating back about 350 years. It was originally played by Irish soldiers. A road bowler hurls a 28-ounce cannonball, called a bowl or a bullet, roughly the size of a tennis ball, toward a designated finish line between 1-1.5 miles away. Unlike conventional bowling, there are no pins to knock down. The bowler who takes the fewest tosses to reach the finish line wins. ...

Hunter grew up in West Virginia, home to one of the sport's three major associations in the United States; Hunter's father co-founded the association in Ireland, W.Va., in 1995. When Hunter moved to Asheville, he brought road bowling with him, and in March, the association had its first meeting.

About 15 people regularly play matches here, usually on a stretch of Grandview Road near the Buncombe-Madison county line. On a Sunday afternoon in early September, the road bowlers gathered there for a match. ...

You're on alert, Cornhole.

(Photo from Steve Dixon, Citizen-Times)