VT Running Back Michael Holmes Arrested-VO Script

The following represents my attempt to write a VO script covering the arrest of the football team's Michael Holmes. It could be accompanied with highlights of Holmes' on the field and footage of him exiting jail on Tuesday.

ANCHOR

VIRGINIA TECH RUNNING BACK MICHAEL HOLMES WAS ARRESTED THIS WEEKEND.

BLACKSBURG POLICE ARRESTED THE REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE ON TWO COUNTS OF SIMPLE ASSAULT AND ONE COUNT OF MALICIOUS WOUNDING.

VO

HOLMES WAS RELEASED FROM JAIL ON A TWENTY FIVE HUNDRED DOLLAR BOND TUESDAY AFTER HIS ARREST ON THE TWO HUNDRED BLOCK OF BLACKSBURG’S COLLEGE AVENUE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.

ACCORDING TO POLICE…HOLMES WAS INVOLVED IN A FIGHT BETWEEN HIS CURRENT AND FORMER GIRLFRIENDS THAT SENT ONE PERSON TO THE HOSPITAL.

HOLMES’ LAWYER…JIMMY TURK…CLAIMED THE RUNNING BACK WAS TRYING TO BREAK UP THE FIGHT AND ACTED ONLY IN SELF DEFENSE…BUT THE COMMONWEALTH’S ATTORNEY ARGUED AGAINST BOND AT HIS HEARING.

HOLMES HAS BEEN SUSPENDED FROM THE TEAM INDEFINITELY PER UNIVERSITY POLICY…AND IF HE’S CONVICTED OF A FELONY…HE’LL BE DISMISSED FROM THE PROGRAM.

END VO

Football Team Opens Spring Practice

The football team opened its annual spring practice on Wednesday. Below you can find my video with all the details.

Wrestlers Aim for NCAA Titles

College basketball may get all the attention, but it’s NCAA tournament time for the wrestling team, too.

Virginia Tech will send a school-record of 10 wrestlers to Des Moines, Iowa to compete in the team championships from Thursday to Saturday, joining Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma State and Penn State as the only teams to send competitors in every weight class to the event.

“This program is really going in the right direction,” said head coach Kevin Dresser. “This is really good to have under our hat.”

Four Hokies earned seeds for the tournament, with Pete Yates ranking the highest, coming in as the third seed in the 165-pound class.

Jarrod Garnett followed close behind with the fifth seed at 125 pounds, while Jesse Dong grabbed the seventh seed at 157 and Nick Brascetta earned the eighth seed at 149.

“We’ve had a long, competitive season, with lots of travel, so hopefully that’ll be good preparation for these guys,” Dresser said.

Erick Spjut, Zach Neibert, Austin Gabel, Nick Vetterlein, Derick Borlie and David Marone round out the rest of Tech’s competitors.

The Hokies have never fielded an NCAA champion, a fact all of the wrestlers will be looking to change come Thursday.

“All of our guys have proven themselves, especially the ones that earned seeds, and they want to win titles,” Dresser said. “Most of them may be underdogs to do so, but they’re still ready.”

At first glance, Yates may have the best chance of any of Tech’s wrestlers to fulfill his championship dreams, considering he’s a two-time ACC champion and has qualified for the NCAAs in each of his four years.

He also has the good fortune to avoid the possibility of facing off against a seeded opponent until the third round of the tournament.

His opening round challenger, Rutgers’ Nicholas Visicaro, is just 15-9 on the season, giving Yates a relatively easy opening to the event.

However, things will undoubtedly get more difficult as he advances farther into the bracket. Cornell’s Kyle Dake has been dominant this season, compiling a perfect 32-0 record and earning the class’ first seed, while second-seeded David Taylor of Penn State also boasts an impressive 26-1 record.

Garnett should also stand a decent chance at advancing in the tournament. Like Yates, he has also qualified for the tournament four times, in addition to his three ACC titles, but his road to success seems more difficult.

His initial opponent, Appalachian State’s Dominic Parisi, should be more of a challenge to open things up, given his 28-11 season record.

Things also get tougher for Garnett in the second and third rounds. He could face 12th-seeded Tyler Cox of Wyoming on Friday, while fourth-seeded Nicholas Megaludis of Penn State could be waiting for him in the third round.

Senior Jesse Dong is also plenty familiar with the NCAA setting, as he’s also been selected to the event three times.

He faces Central Michigan’s Luke Smith in the first round, who has wracked up a decent 22-10 record, but things get substantially more difficult if he progresses.

Oregon State’s Roger Pena, the bracket’s 10th seed, could be his opponent in the second round, and second-seeded Derek St. John of Iowa is another potential late round challenger.

Sophomore Brascetta has the least tournament experience of the seeded Hokies, but his two ACC titles and two NCAA berths in each of his first two seasons show he has plenty of talent despite his inexperience.

However, as the eighth seed in his bracket, he’s sure to have a difficult road.

He begins play against Wyoming’s Brandon Richardson, who’s compiled an underwhelming 12-19 record, but things get much tougher from there.

Nebraska’s Jake Sueflohn, the ninth seed in the class, could be his adversary in the second round, and if he beats him, he’d have to contend with top seed Jordan Oliver of Oklahoma State and his unblemished record.

No matter how Tech’s wrestlers fare in the tournament, the season has already been a successful one for the Hokies, as they claimed their first ever ACC team title this year.

“Every year we make big steps and knock things off the list,” Dresser said. “This year, we got the ACC title, so an individual (NCAA) title is definitely next.”

Even if it would only be icing on the cake, there’s no doubt an NCAA victory would be a big step forward for the program.

“A title would be absolutely huge for us,” Dresser said. “It’s just the pinnacle of what we’re trying to do.”

Green's Superb Season to be Recognized at Senior Night

There will be only one player honored at the Virginia Tech basketball team’s “Senior Night” on Saturday.

However, given the importance of that senior, it’s appropriate that he’ll have the whole night to himself.

Erick Green will suit up for his last home game at Cassell Coliseum when the Hokies take on the Clemson Tigers, and the night is sure to be bittersweet for the nation’s current leading scorer and the team’s unquestioned leader.

Erick Green will play his final game at Cassell Coliseum on Saturday.

“He's not trying to be the leading scorer in the nation, he wants to win, and he makes the right basketball play out there,” said head coach James Johnson. “That's just the type of player he is and the type of person he is.”

Although the team is having its worst season since the program joined the ACC in 2004, Green’s leadership has helped keep the team optimistic.

“I've got senior leadership with Erick Green and the way he's played, and the way he's stayed positive throughout the whole time,” Johnson said. “He's tried to talk with guys and keep them upbeat, so I wasn't really worried about losing them at any point during this.”

While his leadership off the court may be valuable, his sublime 24.9 points per game have singlehandedly buoyed the offense, and have even put him in the conversation for winning ACC Player of the Year.

“I’ve always said I’ll let my game do the talking,” Green said. “It would be a great honor to be (player of the year).”

Beyond his impressive point total, observers have praised his development as a playmaker at the point guard position.

“I’m making the right plays, finding the right guys,” Green said. “I feel like I’m being really unselfish.”

Even opposing coaches in the league can’t help but notice Green’s excellence.

“He's just having a sensational year,” said Miami head coach Jim Larranaga. “I think he certainly has to get consideration (for the award) because of the kind of year he's having.”

Larranaga’s Hurricanes dismantled the Hokies on Wednesday, winning 76-58, but it wasn’t due to a lack of effort by Green.

“He's distributing the ball, and getting his teammates involved,” Larranaga said. “He's just a handful for everybody.”

Despite his personal accomplishments, the biggest obstacle to Green’s success has been his teammates’ constant struggles.

Although forward C.J. Barksdale has scored in double figures for three straight games, Green hasn’t had much help in carrying the scoring load.

“I think (Green’s) assist numbers would have been there had the guys been shooting the ball a little better throughout the season around him,” Johnson said.

Green is hesitant to criticize his teammates, but he’s still undeniably frustrated by the season’s outcome.

“It just boils down to paying attention,” Green said. “We go over the same thing every single game and I’m just so frustrated.”

Considering that the Tigers beat the Hokies by seven the last time the teams faced each other, his teammates will have to step up to make Green’s final home game memorable.

Yet, despite these many challenges, Green still has faith.

“I’m not going to say there’s no hope because I believe in this team,” he said. “I’m sure a lot of people don’t, but I do.”

Sealand Dominates Videographer Olympics Amidst Crowd Unrest

Amidst the Principality of Sealand’s overwhelming success at the 2013 Videographer Olympics, fans were disappointed by the lack of competition at the games.

Sealand’s Brittany and Grant dominated five of the seven events held on January 31, in Shanks Hall, and earned the ire of the crowd for their continued dominance.

“It was nerve racking,” Brittany said. “Everyone wanted us to disqualify.”

Some especially bitter competitors even accused the Sealanders of using performance-enhancing drugs, a contention they strongly deny.

“We definitely didn’t cheat,” said Brittany.

Grant took home the top prizes for the pro sections of the camera and microphone set-up events, while Brittany claimed first place in the amateur section of the gear pack up competition, in addition to the amateur camera and microphone set-ups.

Both competitors claim the intense disapproval of the crowd fueled their desire to win.

“When somebody says you can’t do something, you get mad, and that just makes you want to do it more,” Brittany said. “It makes you perform better.”

Middle Earth’s Ashley and Ireland’s Jess were the lone winners from outside Sealand, taking the pro gear pack up and XLR cable wrap events respectively.

“It was a surprise,” Jess said. “I didn’t think I was going to win, especially after watching the other competitors.”

The cable-wrapping event was the last contest of the afternoon, and was undoubtedly a difficult one, as it involved wrapping a 50-foot cable and had three competitors disqualified.

However, Jess was able to finish successfully in just 33 seconds, earning the adulation of a crowd frustrated with constant Sealand victories.

“Hearing your name in the midst of all the chants of ‘Sealand, Sealand, Sealand,’ throughout the stadium was just a really nice break, and it does break up the monotony,” said Jess.

In the midst of Grant and Brittany’s supremacy, Ireland’s victory sent out the games with a twist.

“I don’t try to brag usually, but when children look at me, they see the person they want to be,” Jess said. “They say, that’s a model they want to put their life after.”