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Investors examine where to infuse capital in MRO.
MRO continues to depend on a variety of investment sources for growth. Private equity firms have made moderate investments. Aircraft parts distributors have attracted interest from manufacturers and banks and are looking for novel capital sources. Much bigger investments are being made in the Middle East and in Asia. But just as important as where the money will come from is what kind of MRO models smart investors will back.
Ken Herbert, senior VP for research at Wedbush Securities, still sees more interest in parts than MRO. Airbus paid $500 million for parts distributor Satair. "There is a lot of buzz about combining parts and MRO," Herbert notes. "But there is a question whether it makes sense as a long-term strategy."
Hedge funds used to be interested in aircraft aftermarkets, but no longer. "There is not enough ROI in MRO for them," Herbert says. But capital from the Middle East, China and other Asian nations continues to be available.
Kevin McFarlane, managing director in corporate finance at Deloitte, argues the aviation aftermarket needs to tap different and more patient funding sources. "MRO does not fit the risk profile for many private equity firms, but there are funding sources out there looking for different ways to deploy capital."
New investors must have industry experience and plenty of capital. "You want to differentiate yourself by offering broader services over the whole cycle, so you can capitalize on the uptick," McFarlane says. "Right now, we don't know if this is a V-, U- or W-shaped recession. You need to be able to handle all these shapes."
That kind of flexibility seems to be the strategy behind combining the Mubadala Aerospace MRO network (Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies and SR Technics) with Sanad Aero Solutions. Sanad provides long-term access to engines and components tied to Mubadala MRO. Key agreements include integrated engine solutions (IESs) for Air Berlin and Etihad Airways, and integrated component solution (ICS) deals for Etihad Airways' Airbus fleet and Virgin Australia's Airbus A330s, Boeing 737NGs and Embraer E-Jets.
"We wanted to differentiate our commercial MRO product," explains Sanad CEO Troy Lambeth. "We wanted to leverage the strength of Mubadala by adding spare financing." Lambeth believes that 60-70% of parts inventories lend themselves to asset management. Sanad controls nearly $500 million in assets tied to Mubadala MRO programs of more than $2 billion. It seeks to manage $1 billion in assets in its first five years.
For airlines with spares, Sanad offers IES or ICS with sale and leaseback of assets. If aircraft are ordered, Sanad can finance spares and offer access to pools. "We provide efficiencies of scale," Lambeth says. Rotable stocks can be cut 20% with pools, and even engine spares can be trimmed.
Two-thirds of Sanad assets are components and one-third are engines. About 80% of assets come from sale-leaseback, and the other 20% from initial purchase. "In 10, years, as new fleets are introduced, this will shift toward more initial provisioning," Lambeth predicts.
"We have a very strong pipeline of potential MRO transactions," notes Mubadala Aerospace MRO Network CEO James Stewart. "Say we have $10 billion in the pipeline. Sixty to 70% of potential transactions have a Sanad play in them. Our win rate increases when we work with Sanad."
Lambeth says Sanad and Mubadala are separate businesses. "We are separate companies with separate boards. We have our own metrics. We do our own due diligence and make sure we hit our metrics."
Lambeth argues that combining MRO and asset management is more efficient. Lease rates must reflect the risk of return conditions and airline failure. Since Mubadala does repairs and manages custody of assets, risks and rates are reduced.
Sanad also has better technology to optimize inventories than many airlines. With inventory at 30 global locations, plus main warehouses, "we can locate anywhere," Lambeth says. "We know where parts are, when they come out of repair and where they should go."
Sanad can guarantee fill rates from 80-100%. As the pool grows, it becomes easier to guarantee higher fill rates economically.
Oliver Wyman Partner Chris Spafford sees the Sanad-Mubadala move as an aggressive extension of what major MROs, such as Lufthansa Technik, Sabena Technics and AAR have long done. "This is not radical, but an evolution," he says, calling it "a wise move for Mubadala." Spafford estimates that a total fleet of 800-1,000 aircraft in the same region enables reduction of rotable stocks by 20-30%.
The Wyman partner agrees with Lambeth on the lower financing rates enabled by combining MRO and asset management. "The cost of capital will be in between that of the airline and the provider."
Making pools work requires sophisticated asset management and information technology systems. But pool managers can profit by trading in and out of the pool because asset prices vary daily. "You can make money on that; AAR has done it very well," Spafford notes.
Pools and asset management also can be executed independently of maintenance. That is the continuing strategy of major engine and rotable leasing firms.
Focus On The Core?
The Sanad-Mubadala strategy raises two issues, says Charles Willis, CEO of Willis Lease. "Access to capital and what is your core business?"
Willis argues that combining a core MRO business with non-core asset management usually results in cross-subsidy. "At the end of the day, it usually backfires. You push it in here, and it pops out there, like the Pillsbury Doughboy."
If an asset manager buys assets and then leases them back to the airline, the critical question is sale price. If managers pay too much, they must recover the premium on the MRO side or in a higher lease rate, which means more risk at the end of the lease term.
Willis agrees that airlines want alternatives to OEMs "wrapping their arms around everything." He says, "If you want something from an OEM, you must have a way to help them or hurt them. A pool is a non-confrontational way to do that."
Willis acknowledges credit access and costs are issues for many airlines. With a new $400 million credit facility in place, Willis plans to stick to engine leasing. "In the end, we are a credit company. We borrow money, then lend it out in the form of engines."
Avtrade has increased its rotable business 24% annually in the past six years, to $65 million in the past fiscal year. Marketing Director Jamie Assmann predicts turnover will hit $90 million in the next fiscal year. "We offer trades, exchanges, leasing and cost-per-hour [CPH]," Assmann explains. CPH was 30% of Avtrade business last year, headed for 35-38% in 2012.
Avtrade plans to stick with its core business. It considered buying repair shops. "We decided that is a bad deal," Assmann emphasizes. The firm has been approached as an acquisition prospect but wants to remain an independent family business. Assmann says Avtrade has access to capital and is courted by banks, which understand the profits in parts.
Independence means Avtrade makes decisions fast and executes them quickly. Decisions need not be discussed within large bureaucracies. And with no large staff to support, the firm can walk away from unsatisfactory deals.
Assam views the Sanad-Mubadala combination as a potential customer, competitor and partner. "In a small industry, they are of course competition, but we do not feel they are much of a threat, due to our specialization." Avtrade is tripling the size of its facilities and will eventually expand into engines.
AJ Walter Aviation has established a new unit in Hong Kong, AJW Capital Partners, to seek broader sources of capital for its parts- and engine-leasing business. Steve Williams, director of aircraft engine services, says AJW has increased asset leasing 25-30% annually since 2006.
"We have leased almost everything except engines, and now we are getting into engines," he notes. AJW had five engines in late December, with four more on the way, and it plans to be a major engine leasing firm in five years. "We are climbing the ladder now," Williams acknowledges. "In five years, we hope to be considered second or third."
Ian Malin heads up AJW Capital Partners. The unit is based in Hong Kong partly to establish a presence in North Asia and partly to diversify funding sources. Malin expects to announce progress in a few months.
"We have grown a lot in seven years, so we need more capital to satisfy the demand we're seeing to support larger fleets," Malin says. The company does one-off leases and offers pools of Boeing and Airbus rotables. AJW manages repairs but does not own repair shops and has no plans to acquire them.
Some airframe shops also are concentrating on core or near-core businesses, rather than full-service options.
Evergreen Maintenance Center (EMC) is looking at helping end-of-life aircraft with storage, maintenance and parting out, explains Joyce Johnson-Miller, senior manager of Relativity Capital, which acquired EMC last year. "We have very strong capabilities for parting out and storage. You see aircraft that need that, like MD-80s, and particularly leasing companies that do not have long-term providers."
"EMC is well under way and growing," Johnson-Miller says. "I can't say anything about adding funds, but we are here to support the business." Relativity is looking for other aftermarket opportunities, and Johnson-Miller sees other firms that are interested. "Not just private equity, but financial markets, which tend to follow private equity."
Moelis Capital Partners acquired the heavy airframe maintenance business of Flightstar Aircraft Services in December. "Given the history of the sector, we hadn't sought opportunities in it, but as we looked at the company we were very impressed," says Moelis principal Jim Johnston.
A favorable outlook for outsourcing and some Flightstar distinctions prompted the deal. "They had built an excellent core business in C and D checks on Boeing narrowbodies and 757 cargo conversions." Johnston says. "Customer feedback was excellent."
Located in Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Fla., Flightstar has room to grow contiguously, unlike some other airframe shops. Skilled labor can be recruited from nearby aviation schools and military forces, which are being drawn down.
Johnston says Moelis has not decided whether or how to grow the business beyond its airframe core, nor set any duration for holding the property. "Private equity usually holds for three to 10 years, but we have no specific plans. We will continue to evaluate opportunities in aviation aftermarkets and services as broadly defined."
The best example of capital being poured into traditional MRO is in aviation's most booming market, China.
Guangzhou Aircraft Maintenance and Engineering Co. (Gameco) offers heavy and line maintenance, as well as component repairs on most Boeing, Airbus and Embraer jets. With two financially strong owners, China Southern Airlines and Hutchinson Whampoa, Gameco is sticking to traditional MRO as Chinese traffic soars.
"We don't do dollar-per-hour, because very few airlines in China want that," explains David Conrad, director of international sales and marketing. "And we don't want to invest in pools."
Gameco's priorities are expanding capabilities, infrastructure and training. The firm has hangar space for only 15 aircraft, but China Southern Airlines will grow from 450 planes to 650 in five years. "We need more space and capabilities for A380s and 787s," Conrad stresses. In five years, Gameco wants to increase third-party work from its current 2% share to 40%.
Chinese carriers have not sought part support because they carry several times the inventory per aircraft that western airlines do. "They emphasize safety and operational efficiency and don't want to risk that in a pool," Conrad says. "Cost-per-hour will come eventually, but not tomorrow."
Conrad thinks the Sanad-Mubadala model might be "an expensive way to get work." The value is in asset utilization, not repairs, he says. "How are they going to get utilization? It is innovative, but will it work?"
In China, apart from building capacity to support soaring fleets, the main need is to satisfy China's desire to have repair infrastructure under Chinese control. "Then they can decide whether they want to send it out or not," Conrad observes.


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BALTIMORE – With less than a month until the America East Championships and the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) Championships, the UMBC swimming and diving program wraps up its 2013-14 dual meet season with a double-dual meet on Saturday against East Carolina and Catawba College. The meet is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. at ECU's Minges Natatorium in Greenville, N.C.
The Retriever women sit at 3-2 on the season following a 101-86 victory over Howard on Jan. 11 at the UMBC Aquatic Complex. Sophomore Catherine Frediani (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) won her first two dual meet events of the season in the win and was named the America East Swimmer of the Week. Sophomore Corinna Darelius (Rye, N.Y./Rye) made it a clean sweep of the conference weekly honors by taking the Diver of the Week accolade following her sweep of the one-meter and three-meter events.
This season, Darelius has dominated the boards for the Retrievers, winning five events. In addition, she has already qualified for the NCAA Zones meet to be held in March after scoring 271.95 on the one-meter in Coral Springs, Fla. on Jan. 4. During UMBC's win against Howard, the sophomore posted a career-best three-meter score of 272.47.
The women's squad has received contributions from nearly the entire squad this season with 15 different athletes contributing at least one win. Freshman Emily Escobedo (New Rochelle, N.Y./Maria Regina) leads the pack with ten event wins, six of which have come in breaststroke races, while senior Talor Tadena (Orangevale, Calif./Bella Vista) has captured nine events. Tadena earned the America East weekly award back on Nov. 5 after winning three events and anchoring the 400 free relay to victory at Old Dominion.
Led by their seniors, the UMBC men's squad enters the final meet of the season with a 4-1 mark. Senior Mohamed Hussein (Cairo, Egypt/Victory College) broke his own pool record in the 200 IM (1:51.07) against Howard while also leading the 200 medley and 200 free relays to victories and pool records to claim CCSA weekly honors. The victory in the 200 IM brought his season win total to a team-high 11 while he also won the individual medley event at the Patriot Invitational back in November.
Classmate Johan Rohtla (Tallinn, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) has been a force in the backstroke for the Retrievers, winning all seven of his dual meet events in either the 100 or 200 back.
Underclassmen Leo Endres (Bamberg, Germany/Kaiser Heinrich Gymnasium) and Lauri Kaei (Harjumaa, Estonia/Tallinn Secondary Science) have also made an impact for UMBC, helping to set the 200 medley record against Howard and combining for ten event victories during the season.
On the diving boards, senior Tim Perkins (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) and junior Ryan Green (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) have given UMBC a solid one-two punch. Perkins has won four events this season and qualified for the NCAA Zones back in October when he set a career-high on the three-meter board with a score of 323.62. Green has come into form in 2014, scoring 304.65 on the one-meter board during competition in Florida on Jan. 4 to meet the NCAA Zones standard. Then, during UMBC's meet with Howard, the junior set a personal-best score of 317.25 while winning the three-meter competition.

subset: commoncrawl


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Cellular, Molecular and Evolutionary Analyses
of Biological Clocks
Organisms and even single cells have endogenous biological "clocks" that allow them to tell the time of day. Research in our laboratory is directed towards understanding the cellular and molecular bases of these fascinating timing mechanisms in a variety of organisms: cyanobacteria ("blue-green algae"), plants, and animals. To analyze the molecular nature of the clock in the prokaryotic cyanobacteria, we have developed a bioluminescent reporter strain that expresses a daily rhythm of light emission. Using this bioluminescence rhythm as a marker, clock mutants have been identified. We found that the essential clock gene, KaiC, is rhythmically expressed and forms ATP-dependent hexamers. In collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Martin Egli, we have crystallized KaiC to determine its three-dimensional structure and discover its phosphorylation sites. The three key bacterial clock proteins (KaiA + KaiB + KaiC) will show circadian oscillations in a test tube! In collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Hassane Mchaourab, we are applying biophysical methods to explain how these proteins oscillate in vitro. Furthermore, we are using clock mutants of cyanobacteria to provide the first rigorous evidence for the adaptive significance of circadian clocks in fitness.
We also study the neuroscience of the circadian system of mammals. To measure circadian rhythms in brain slices in vitro, we use transgenic mice that express luciferase rhythmically. As a model system, we have also created a fibroblast cell line that is stably transfected with a luciferase reporter and glows rhythmically. Therefore, we use luminescence as a tool to monitor circadian rhythms in the brain. Future studies will focus upon understanding the signal transduction pathway of calcium to the clock and the role of clock genes in the fundamental mammalian clockwork.
We have recently extended our studies to the genetics of the human biological clock. We are examining clock gene polymorphisms in human populations to determine how the neurogenetics of the biological clock affects our ability to adapt to shiftwork cycles and how it can influence mental health (esp. depression). Because daily biological clocks control a myriad of fundamental cellular activities, including cell division, metabolism, gene expression, and ion channel, the elucidation of the timing mechanism will have ramifications for many aspects of temporal regulation, including mental health, cancer, and jet lag.
Finally, we have developed a new method for measuring protein-protein interactions based upon the resonance energy between a luciferase and a fluorescent protein. This method is called Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer, or BRET. This technique has allowed us to develop novel reporters for intracellular calcium and hydrogen ions, and we are coupling the method to be an optimal partner for optogenetics. We envision a bright future for this technique.
Research in our laboratory is supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIGMS & NIMH), previously by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Human Frontier Science Program.


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PHOENIX — The judge in the Jodi Arias murder trial threw a juror off the case and denied a defense bid for a mistrial Tuesday as a domestic abuse expert resumed testimony about the defendant's volatile relationship with the victim.
Judge Sherry Stephens met behind closed doors with lawyers in the case and announced the move from the bench to oust juror No. 5. Defense lawyers say the juror made comments about the case to a fellow panelist that raised questions about her impartiality. They did not provide specifics.
The move leaves five alternate jurors, in addition to the 12 who will decide the case.
The development came three months to the date since testimony began in a trial that has attracted an international following among people who have taken advantage of streaming Internet video of the case to keep tabs on the salacious details coming out of the Phoenix courtroom. Arias testified at length about what she described as a twisted sexual relationship with Travis Alexander before she killed him in his Mesa home in 2008. Arias said it was in self-defense.
She faces the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.
Psychotherapist Alyce LaViolette returned to the witness stand Tuesday and described her impressions of the relationship between Arias and Alexander after spending more than 40 hours interviewing the defendant. She also described emails she analyzed between the two, including from a friend of Alexander who described him as a flirt with other women.
She has testified previously about why some battered women don't leave their partners, due to fear and shame. Arias has testified that Alexander was physically and emotionally abusive.


text: Can someone please explain pokies and how to prevent them? I think I have them on the quilt I'm working on now. It looks like what I would imagine a pokie would look like. You can see the needle hole and it looks like batting is poking through. The front looks beautiful...Is it the backing fabric I used, is it the batting I used?


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The only issue with this "lock" is that it's less of a security mechanism and more of a test of strength between you and the person coming in. If a 300-pound linebacker gives the door just one good yank, he'll probably send you flying from the toilet seat with who-knows-what strewn all over the floor.
~Not-"Not-So-Handy-Andy" Jack
- Reposted by


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Today's featured quilt was pieced by Jacquie Gering and long arm quilted by Angela Walters.
You can read about Jacquie's inspiration for her Low Volume quilt on her blog, Tallgrass Prairie Studio. Continue reading here for Angela's answers to some questions about this quilt and her process.
Can you tell us a little more about the process of quilting Jacquie's Low Volume quilt? For instance, how did you determine the quilting design?
"Jacquie was kind enough to let me use some of her quilt tops for my book, so my normal process of quilting was a little different on this quilt. With this quilt, I wanted to show that custom quilting doesn't have to be hard or intense. I used this quilt to show that instead of using one allover design, using two different designs created a whole different look for the quilt. Once I had decided that was how I wanted to quilt it, I quilted a flowery design in just the white portions of the quilt. In the other portions of the quilt, I quilted a leaf design (both of which are shown in the book). By letting the quilt top act as the guide for my quilting, I didn't have to mark the quilt or even think too much about it while I was quilting it. I chose the two designs to complement the softness of the colors in her quilt and am very happy with how it turned out!"
We see a lot of quilters puzzling over what thread color to use for quilting. How do you decide what color thread to use?
"For me, picking out the thread is almost as fun as picking out the quilting designs! I love to joke, "if quilting is my therapy, threads are my meds!". I, personally, love to use thread that blends into the quilt top. I want people to see the quilt first, and then the quilting. I usually audition a thread on the quilt by laying several different colors on the quilt top. The ones that shows the least, wins! I wrote a blog post that also talks about how to pick out thread."
As a long arm quilter, you must handle quilts made by a bunch of different people. Is it ever difficult to send them back once you're done with the quilting?
"It never gets easier! I like to think about the quilts as foster kids. They belong to someone else, but they come into my life for little while, I love on them and then send them back. But the great thing about quilting for people in blogland, I get to see them again in pictures! Sometimes, I will forget a quilter, but I rarely forget a quilt that I have worked on!"
You can read more about Angela on her blog, Quilting is My Therapy. Her book, Free Motion Quilting With Angela Walters, will be out this June.


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Originally published Friday, October 14, 2011 at 6:54 AM
G-20 wrangles over Europe's crisis bill
Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 rich and developing nations wrangled Friday over whether the eurozone should pick up the whole bill for its escalating debt crisis, or whether the rest of the world should help out more.
AP Business Writers
Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 rich and developing nations wrangled Friday over whether the eurozone should pick up the whole bill for its escalating debt crisis, or whether the rest of the world should help out more.
The International Monetary Fund - the world's lender of last resort for cash-strapped countries - has until now funded about a third of the cost of the bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal. But while some, including the United States, are arguing that Europe has more than enough money to spend its way out of the crisis, others are pushing for more support as the currency union's debt troubles risk dragging the world economy back into recession.
In recent days, markets have been buoyed by hopes that the 17 countries that use the euro will sort out key aspects of a more aggressive solution to their debt crisis in time for an EU summit Oct. 23 and a Group of 20 meeting in early November.
Any such deal is going to be extremely costly. As well as shoring up Europe's weaker banks, the eurozone has to come up with a strategy to stop large economies like Italy and Spain from joining the bailout club.
To do that, the region's bailout fund, the euro440 billion ($608 billion) European Financial Stability Facility, is expected to soon start buying their bonds on the open market - the hope is that will support their prices and keep a lid on their borrowing costs to allow them to carry on funding themselves in the markets.
But most economists, and a growing number of European officials, believe that the EFSF is way too small to stabilize both countries and recapitalize banks in other cash-strapped countries.
While the eurozone is working on ways to maximize the impact of its limited resources, there is a growing drive to get the IMF to stump up more cash. However, any attempt to get the IMF to play a more hands-on approach, by possibly joining the EFSF in bond market interventions, is likely to meet with some resistance as well as require changes to the IMF's legal framework.
German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said an increase in the IMF's resources was not necessary.
"The IMF has enough to fulfill its tasks," he told journalists as he arrived at the meeting. He said help and solidarity from the rest of the world was welcome, but stressed that "the Europeans have to take care of the biggest part of the task."
Schaeuble said he expected EU leaders to take the necessary decisions to tackle the crisis at their summit next week.
"We are on the way to take clear measures to contain the danger of contagion."
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner indicated Friday that he was in favor of maintaining IMF support, but stressed that Europe had enough money to resolve its troubles on its own. He also opposed beefing up the IMF's resources, as might be required if the fund was to take on a more active role.
"The IMF has very, very substantial uncommitted resources because of the actions we took in '09 and 2010," Geithner said in an interview on CNBC. "If Europe has a comprehensive strategy in place that looks like it makes sense and is using the very ample financial resources of Europe, then we're happy to see the IMF play a continuing role, as it's been playing in supporting what the Europeans are doing."
The pressure on Europe to finally get a grip on its debt crisis has ratcheted up in recent weeks amid signs that it's taking its toll on the global economy. Trouble in Europe's banks could have spillover effects all around the financial system, similar to what happened after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008.
"We have lost a million jobs, we have lost on the revenue side and the current events actually create greater uncertainty and lack of confidence, so it is absolutely crucial, that both, as the G20, but certainly as Europe, that we get a higher level of decisiveness in terms of resolving this crisis," South African finance minister Pravin Gordhan told The Associated Press Friday.
Gordhan also appeared somewhat more open to a larger role of the IMF in Europe.
"It is about getting ahead of the curve and developing the financial firepower, which would enable Europe to assure the rest of the world that either on its own, through the EFSF, or with the IMF, they are able to actually contain this contagion," he said.
Officials warned not to expect too much of the meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bankers in Paris. The get-together is a stop on the road to a meeting of EU leaders on Oct. 23, when the eurozone is expected to present its new and improved crisis strategy, and a G-20 summit of leaders in Cannes in early November.
Sarah DiLorenzo contributed to this story.
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CLERMONT, Fla. - The University of South Carolina Beaufort softball team rolled to two more victories Saturday, beating Indiana Tech 2-0 and 14-3 at the National Training Center.
The Sand Sharks (22-2) notched their third consecutive shutout in the first game, as sophomore Kristy Cook (10-0) struck out five in a three-hitter to record her fourth shutout in five starts.
Junior first baseman Katie Rietkovich snapped a scoreless tie with an RBI single in the fifth and sophomore third baseman Mariaha Sanborn added an insurance run with an RBI single in the sixth.
The Sand Sharks' bats were more potent in the second game, pounding out 14 hits in the blowout, ended after five innings because of the mercy rule.
USCB broke it open with eight runs in the second inning and tacked on six in the third to turn it into a rout.
Junior shortstop C.J. Browder led the barrage, going 2 for 3 with a double and four RBIs, and sophomore Taylor Triplett was 1 for 3 with three RBIs.
Freshman Ashlie Layman (4-0) pitched four strong innings to earn the win, and sophomore Caitlin Campbell worked a scoreless fifth.
USCB swept a doubleheader Friday at Ave Maria to open Sun Conference play.
Cook struck out five in a five-inning, one-hitter in the opener, which the Sand Sharks won 11-0. Rietkovich had a pair of two-run homers and Browder added another.
Campbell allowed seven hits and a walk while striking out five as USCB won the nightcap 4-0. Browder and sophomore first baseman Maddie Byrd hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning.
The Sand Sharks host St. Thomas in a conference doubleheader at 1 p.m. Friday.
Baseball drops series at Southeastern
LAKELAND, Fla. - A long day ended with one win and two losses for the USCB baseball team, as the Sand Sharks dropped their Sun Conference series at Southeastern on Saturday.
The opening game of the series was suspended because of rain in the fifth inning Friday, and the Fire began the day by finishing off a 7-0 victory in that contest. After USCB claimed an 8-7 win in the second game, Southeastern rallied from a four-run deficit for an 8-5 win in the finale.
Southeastern (17-19, 6-9 conference) had a 2-0 lead when play was suspended Friday night, and the Fire didn't waste any time adding to the advantage Saturday morning. They scored two in the fifth, two in the sixth and one in the eighth, and reliever Sergio Pita picked up where starter Grant Porter left off as the duo combined for a five-hitter.
The Sand Sharks (14-15, 6-9) got the bats going in the second game, as Blake Cilwick, Brandon Joyce, Erik Armstrong and Ryan Walker each recorded two hits.
Walker gave USCB a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the fourth, and the Sand Sharks broke it open with a five-run fifth. Terry McClinton and Armstrong delivered RBI doubles in the big inning, and Joyce, Walker and Ryan Doeppel each had an Hunter Englehart allowed three earned runs on eight hits over six innings.
It looked as though USCB might claim the series when the Sand Sharks jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the finale, but Southeastern rallied for five runs in the sixth and added three in the seventh. McClinton went 3 for 4 with an RBI, Doeppel was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Joyce was 2 for 4 with an RBI in the final game.
The Sand Sharks return home Friday for a three-game Sun Conference series against St. Thomas.
Atkinson's school record leads track
COLUMBIA - Megan Atkinson's school record in the javelin provided the highlight for the USCB track and field team Friday and Saturday at the Weems Baskin Invitational.
Atkinson's throw of 108 feet, 2 inches, shattered her own school mark and was good for a ninth-place finish in the event. It was the only school record for USCB in difficult weather conditions.
The Sand Sharks notched two more top-10 showings on the women's side. Ty'Chelle Freeman placed fifth in the shot put with a throw of 42 feet, 8 inches. The 4x100 relay team of Becky Hayden, Ciera Love, Pamela Robinson and Ashlee Eady finished ninth in 53.62 seconds. USCB travels to Jacksonville this weekend for the North Florida Invitational.


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2019 IRONMAN Western Australia has an extra 25 slots up for grabs. That's a total of 65 Kona slots for the 2020 IRONMAN World Championship, held in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
Qualifying slots will be awarded to top finishers in each age group category and will be presented at the Rolldown Ceremony.
The Rolldown Ceremony for the IRONMAN World Championship will take place on Monday 2 December, 2019 at The Equinox.
Qualified athletes are required to claim their IRONMAN World Championship slot in-person on Monday 2 December, 2019 with the time to be confirmed. Please bring a valid form of Photo ID with you and be prepared to pay the full entry fee with Credit card only. No cheque or cash payments will be accepted. Please note we do not accept AMEX Cards.
To ensure that you don't miss out on your qualifying slot, please ensure you are at the Equinox prior to the official start time, as Rolldown will start on time.
For more information on how to qualify for the IRONMAN World Championship, visit www.ironmanworldchampionship.com
Note: All athletes must be present at Rolldown to claim their spot.
Good Luck to all athletes!
Please use the below slot allocation as a guide only. 2019 Slot Allocation will be announced as of Monday 2 December 2019 prior to the Rolldown ceremony.
If you have any further questions regarding the rolldown process, please contact us at [email protected].


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I'm not an artist and do not have much time to spend on design in general. I have the need for a royalty free image of a Label/tag/maybe printer. I tried a few sites on google, but most seem to have some kind of fee attached to them...only to be revealed after a few button clicks.
Where can I find royalty free images for an intranet website? No fees or hidden charges please.


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A yoga class designed specifically for pregnant women. We will use yoga postures, breath techniques and meditation as tools to help women thrive in pregnancy, the birthing process, and beyond. Connect with a supportive community of other expectant mothers. All levels (including beginners) and all stages of pregnancy are welcome.
$70 for 6 week course
Thursdays 5:30pm - 6:30pm
September 14 - October 21, 2017
For more information or to register contact Diane Barr.
t: 250-710-7983
e: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Credit Card Surcharge
Civil Code Section 1748.1 states that no retailer may impose a surcharge on cardholder who elects to use a credit card in a transaction in lieu of payment by cash or check (but the seller can give those who pay by cash or check a discount, provided that the discount is offered to all prospective buyers).
Any retailer who willfully imposes a surcharge and who fails to pay that amount to the cardholder within 30 days of written demand is liable to 3 times the amount at which actual damages are assessed.
In addition, the cardholder would be entitled to recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred in the action. A cause of action under this section may be brought in small claims court, if it does not exceed the jurisdiction of that court, or in any other appropriate court.