North Carolina Professional Teams
Hurricanes, Panthers and Cobras aren't just natives of the Carolinas, they're the superstars! The Tar Heel state boasts three major league professional sports teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes, the Carolina Panthers and the Carolina Railhawks.
The Carolina Panthers, who play in Charlotte at the Bank of America Stadium, are one of the newest teams in the NFL. On October, 26, 1993, NFL owners unanimously selected Carolina as the 29th NFL Franchise. They took the field for the first time in 1995! They made the playoffs in their second season (1996-97) and went to Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2003-04 and lost to the New England Patriots.
The NHL's Hurricanes won the 2005-06 Stanley Cup Champions, but failed to make the playoffs in 2006-07. The Hurricanes' Franchise has a storied history, starting in 1971 when the Hartford Whalers (now the Hurricanes) joined the World Hockey Association. They signed legend Gordie Howe in 1977 before joining the National Hockey League in 1979. Then, in 1997, the league announced the Whalers would be moved to Carolina, and the newly named franchise opened in office in Morrisville in preparation for the first season in N.C. The 'Canes played their first game against the New York Islanders at the Greensboro Coliseum. Catch the 'Canes in action at the RBC Center in Raleigh.
The men's soccer team, The Railhawks, play at the SAS Soccer Park in Cary, are members of the United Soccer Leagues. They played on National Television for the first time June 15, 2007!
The Carolina Cobras of the AFL (football), the Durham Bulls and the Charlotte Knights of the International League (baseball) are a few of the minor league teams in North Carolina. The Bulls, who play at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham (a 10,000 seat facility), played their first game in 1902 and were the subject of a 1987 film starring Kevin Costner.
The ACC in North Carolina
Four of the Atlantic Coast Conference (NCAA Division I) athletic powerhouses are located in the Triangle Area, including Duke University, the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, N.C. State and Wake Forest.
All four schools boast perennial men's basketball standouts and compete in what is arguably the toughest men's basketball conference in the NCAA. In 2007, the four North Carolina ACC teams regularly competed against the National Champions from Florida State. In 2007-08, the men's Tar Heel basketball team lost 84-66 in the Final Four semifinal round to Kansas, who then went on to win the national championship.
Many of their women's teams are equally competitive!
In 2006-07 the Tar Heels men's baseball team competed in the College Baseball World Series, defeating Rice 7-4. Several members of the ACC women's basketball teams have gone on to play in the WNBA , including Duke's Lindsey Harding and N.C. State's Tiffany Stansbury (both play for the Minnesota Lynx). The Duke men's lacrosse team, who has made national headlines for an alleged rape charge scandal that was later dismissed, lost 12-11 to Johns Hopkins in the 2007 NCAA Title Game. The Blue Devil women's lacrosse team competed in the NCAA Final Four, as did the Wake Forest men's soccer team. The Tar Heel women's soccer team won the 2006 NCAA women's championship and the tennis doubles team of Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long won a national championship in 2007, also.
And those are just the ACC athletic teams. There are several other competitive college athletic programs, from Appalachian State to UNC-Wilmington.
Recreational Activities
The Cary area has a plethora of athletic activities for youth and adults! There are many tennis courts, baseball/softball fields, basketball slaps, soccer fields, volleyball courts & even a skate facility.
Youth & Adult Leagues
The Town of Cary offers several adult leagues, including basketball, men's, women's and coed volleyball & softball (also men's, women's & coed). There are also open gym activities throughout Cary. The Cary Senior Center, Middle Creek Community Center and Herb Young Community Center offer open table tennis year-round.
Youth athletic programs include baseball, softball & basketball as wells as sports camps and clinics for volleyball, baseball, golf, softball, tennis, soccer, lacrosse, cross country & basketball. Cary's youth play in age groups of 6-9 (basketball), 9-11 (volleyball), 12-15 (volleyball), 9-14 (track) & 7-16 (after school golf clinics). Activities and ages are subject to change.
The Apex Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources provides year-round programs for all ages. Youth programs include baseball, softball, basketball, Pop Warner football and cheerleading, tennis, sports clinics and more.
Adults enjoy league play in softball, basketball, volleyball, and tennis. Instructional programs such as tennis are available for all ages.
Area Swim Clubs
Swim Clubs/Team are also popular in the Triangle area. The Southwestern Wake area has several clubs or teams, including (but are not limited to) the Cary Swim Club, The Shepherd's Vineyard Killers Whales, The Abbington Gators Swim Team, the YMCA Swim Team and the Olive Chapel Otters the Scottish Hill Sea Lions, The Highcroft Hurricanes, Prestonwood, Lochmere, Wellsley, Kildaire Farms, Sunset Ridge, Silverton, Seven Oaks, North Brook, Lake Park, Sprindale & more!
Many of the swim teams (listed above) compete in the Tarheel Swimming Association.
Tarheel Swimming Association
2500 Howard Road
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 848-8313