Hilton Head Sports

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Historians have somehow traced the modern tailgate to a college football matchup between Rutgers and Princeton in the College Field parking lot in 1869. And while we won’t argue with historians, I can tell you from growing up in New England that true tailgating begins once you hit the Carolinas. 

“It’s a cookout, a family reunion, a sports bar and a fashion show all in one,” said Bluffton resident Erik Bridges, a recent Lowcountry import who has been tailgating at Clemson University games for 22 years. “I’m from New York, but my true baptism as a football fan happened at my first Tigers tailgate. It’s a fall ritual. Our social calendar year begins on September 1.” 

POLO RETURNS TO ROSE HILL TO HONOR VETERANS, FIRST RESPONDERS 

Polo returns to the Rose Hill Polo Field in October, and while it may look like the sport you’ve watched for more than 20 years, this year’s event will be unlike any Rose Hill match to date. 

The Okatie-Bluffton Rotary has officially handed the reins of the event over to the Savannah Harbor Foundation, Lowcountry Foundation for Wounded Military Heroes and the 200 Club of the Coastal Empire after staging more than 25 matches throughout the past two decades. 

GET TO KNOW THE IRISH ATHLETIC OBSESSION CATCHING ON FAST IN THE LOWCOUNTRY

Niall Archbold lives for football. It’s just a variety of the game you’ve likely never heard of.

The Dublin native and recent Bluffton transplant had a dream of introducing his lifelong passion, Gaelic football, to the local community. 

WHAT’S BEING OFFERED IN YOUTH SPORTS ACTIVITIES

The start of a new school year also means the start of a new sports season, and parents looking for an athletic outlet for young kids in the Lowcountry have a wealth of options.

Both the Beaufort County Parks and Recreation Department and the Island Recreation Center offer a wide range of youth sports programs. Other groups such as the First Tee of the Lowcountry and numerous private organizations give parents even more opportunities to get their children up and moving. 

LOWCOUNTRY SCHOOLS ENJOY ATHLETIC SUCCESS

A year ago, the high school spring sports season was just starting to heat up when the world shut down, bringing an abrupt end for baseball, softball, soccer, lacrosse, track, tennis and golf standouts who had set their sights on winning a state championship. 

After a long wait, those student-athletes donned their school colors again this spring, and three area teams and five individuals achieved the milestone they had to put on standby during the COVID-19 pandemic: capturing state titles. 

CHILDREN’S SWIMMING TIPS AND WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN CLASSES

Learning to swim not only provides kids the opportunity to enjoy lots of water-filled fun, but it’s also essential to their safety. It also helps kids build strength and endurance, is an excellent form of exercise and builds kids’ confidence. What age should they begin taking lessons? A small study, “Association between swimming lessons and drowning in childhood: a case-control study,” by R.A. Brenner, et al., has been conducted. It found kids between the ages of 1 and 4 years old had an 88% reduced risk of drowning if they had taken swimming lessons.

USCB PLANS MOVE UP TO NCAA DIVISION II

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Anyone who has followed along since the University of South Carolina Beaufort launched its athletics program in 2007 has wondered the same thing at one time or another: When are the Sand Sharks going D2?

The time has finally come. 

SENIOR SOFTBALL LEAGUE DEBUTS WITH SPRING SEASON

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For a decade and a half, the organizers of the new senior softball league in Beaufort County took on the young bucks, and they held their own just fine, thank you very much.

“But 15 years ago, I was only 53,” Rick Trenary says with a laugh.

FIRST TEE OF THE LOWCOUNTRY INSTILLS CORE VALUES IN KIDS THROUGH GOLF

The first time Nick Dunham volunteered to teach a program at the First Tee of the Lowcountry, he was hooked. 

The Syracuse, N.Y., native came here to pursue a career in the golf industry as a student at Bluffton’s Professional Golfers Career College. What he found at First Tee was a way to use his love of golf to teach kids important life skills through the game.

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EMBRACE THESE BENEFITS OF ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS

“Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.” 

Healthy and playful advice for 2021, yet written by mid-19th century American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. It’s a direct invitation to embrace the world outside, and studies suggest the elements are powerful medicine. 

Golf

Recreation

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