The Harrisburg Stampede Starletz are the premier dance team for Central Pennsylvania!  Currently, try-outs are being held for the 2013 season. The Dance Team Coordinator, Ginelle Ophelia is looking for 3-5 more women to fulfill her goal of a full squad of 10-12 dancers.

The Starletz are looking for professional young women who possess the motivation to be enthusiastic, dedicated, and personable.  These women need to be energetic, and love to dance.  Prior dance experience is not necessary to become part of this group of talented women, but the willingness to learn and the drive to succeed is!

The Harrisburg Stampede Starletz 2013 season will be filled with fresh faces, exciting dance routines, and ladies that are passionate about what they do!  Look for them on the field during the Harrisburg Stampede home games, and out in the community representing the Stampede by helping out charities, families, and organizations in our area!

The Harrisburg Stampede Starletz is a team to be proud to be a part of!  There is still time to audition to be 1 of the 10-12 ladies that spread excitement and unwavering smiles and energy for the Harrisburg Stampede!  Saturday, December 15, 2012 will be the READING audition at Body Zone in Reading/Wyomissing, and Saturday, January 5^th 2012 will be the FINAL audition at Rage Box Contemporary Dance Studio, ending our search for our favorite dancers in the BALTIMORE area!

Come out and give it your best shot, and spend a few hours on a Saturday having fun and doing what you love! DANCING!

If you would like to get in touch with the Starletz for questions, volunteering purposes or sponsorships, please contact: 

Dance Team Coordinator - Ginelle Ophelia This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 757-478-8990

or

Assistant Dance Team Coordinator - Claire Wallace This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or 717-318-2299

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that he has signed Offensive Linemen, Anthony Amoo for the 2013 Season.

Trying to find a Center is a tough task for almost every team at any level. The Stampede has brought in 6’3” 300lb Anthony Amoo to become the anchor of the Stampede offensive line. Having a center that is experienced, determined and the type of player that is ready to hold down the middle of the line is what the Stampede is getting from AA.   

Anthony makes his home right now in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. However, his high school football was played in Sugarland, Texas at Stephen F Austin. Anthony stayed in his home state of Texas to play his college football at the University of Houston. “We are very happy to have AA sign his Stampede contract and step into the lead role on the Stampede offensive line. He has the size and agility to handle the center of our line” commented Nowotarski. We believe Anthony is going to be a very good fit on and off the field in Harrisburg.

Just a Reminder: The Stampede will be holding their first Open Try-Out early in January. Please watch the team web site and FB page for all the details. 

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that WR/KR Jerell Jones has signed with the Stampede for the 2013 Season.

JJ attended Roosevelt HS in Yonkers, New York where he still resides and works. At Roosevelt JJ was responsible for 4194 All-Purpose yards and countless other football and track records. JJ’s accomplishments landed him in Kingston, Rhode Island and at URI. His career included being an All-Conference player on the field and an All-Academic student in the classrooms. He still holds or is in the top 10 all time of at least 7 URI football records. Just a side note. JJ played against Stampede Owner and New Orleans Saint, Marques Colston four times while they were both in college.

JJ is no stranger to the arena game as he played with the San Jose Sabercats in the AFL. He also spent time in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes and time over-seas in Germany. Coach Nowotarski saw JJ play this summer as he was a part of the Chambersburg Cardinals. “JJ is the type of player that as soon as I saw him play, I wanted him to be with us during our season. At 5’8” 185lbs, JJ plays hard, runs hard, runs fast, runs solid routes and has great hands and off the field he is a gentlemen, we couldn’t pass him up. Our relationship this summer with Chambersburg has been a real plus for both our players who played this summer and the Cardinal players coming to play for the Stampede” commented Nowotarski  

Just a Reminder: The Teams First Open Try-Out is being set for early January…Watch our web site and FB page for all the details.

* photos used copyright The Vibe Refinery Interactive

The York Capitals will be holding their first open tryout Sunday December 16th, 2012

Players should be prepared to participate in a variety of drills including short shuttle, timed 40 yard dash for skill positions, timed 20 yard dash for OL/DL as well as team and one on one drills.

Cost to the tryout is $55.00 per person the day of the tryout, $45.00 in advance. No checks will be accepted. Tryouts will be led by the Capitals coaching staff. After the tryout each participant will receive a meal catered by Porkys Place BBQ

Participants must be at least 19 years of age and able to provide proof of their birth date. This is a professional tryout and participants will no longer be eligible to participate in NCAA sanctioned football should they participate in testing. The tryout is indoors, participants should wear t-shirts, shirts and turf shoes or sneakers

For More information go to the Capitals website www.yorkcapitals.com or contact Kelly Logan a member of the York Capitals coaching staff at 856-701-0772 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Date: Sunday December 16, 2012

Time: 
Registration:  5:30pm to 6:00 pm
Tryout: 6:00 am to 9:00 pm

Location:
1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28306
LANCO Fieldhouse
1901 Miller Rd
 East Petersburg, PA, 17520

The AIF, American Indoor Football held their annual league meetings this past December 6^th at the Historic Yorktowne Hotel in York Pa. Ownership groups from all 2013 AIF teams where represented at the meeting, the Harrisburg Stampede, Roc City Thunder, Washington Eagles, West Virginia Badgers, York Capitals and last year’s  AIF Champion the Cape Fear Heroes  Also in attendance was the ownership group from the Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Pa. market who has committed to play in the 2014 season.

The first order of business announced was the six AIF team members that will be playing in 2013 as well as the under contract expansion markets of Wiles-Barre/ Scranton Pa. and Baltimore Maryland with the return of the AIF to 1^st Mariner Arena in 2014. In addition the AIF announced it was in discussions with two ownership groups about securing teams in the State of South Carolina for the 2014 season

In a long day of meetings league officials and team owners covered a wide variety of topics from team budgets, team revenue streams, vendor products, a weekly AIF radio podcast as well as the radio broadcasts of team games. In addition a league executive and standards committee was formed featuring the owners of three AIF teams as well as members of the AIF ownership and management team to steer the direction and vision of the league. The final order of business was the 2013 AIF Schedule which was completed and will be released to the public in the next several days. 

Like most pro football players, Keith Stokes would like to one day make it to the National Football League.

But he also understands he can't play football forever. "As you get older you have to choose to continue your playing career or do something else," Stokes said. Stokes, who turns 34 on Monday, has been able to do both to this point.

Off the field, the Lancaster resident works as a behavior counselor for Phoenix Academy, an alternative school in the School District of Lancaster. On the field, he's served as the defensive coordinator for J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster the last four seasons.

He's also put together quite a successful 11-year pro career as a wide receiver and kick return specialist, playing in the Canadian Football League, Arena Football League and American Indoor Football.

"Football has been a great tool for me to travel and see people," Stokes said. 

The East Carolina University product will next bring his speed to York in 2013. He was one of four players introduced Wednesday as the initial members of the York Capitals, the new American Indoor Football team coming to the York City Ice Arena next spring.

The introductions came as part of a half-hour news conference in the lobby of the Yorktowne Hotel in front of nearly 50 people.

John Morris, AIF owner and chief executive officer and Capitals' majority owner, revealed the first player signings and newest coaching additions to the Capitals. He also introduced the new Capitals' co-owners and unveiled the team's new logo, which features a Revolutionary era solider holding a football with a background of a 13-star American flag.

Players: Running back Rafael Cooper, linebacker Thomas Potts and defensive back and wide receiver Archie Smith were the other three Capitals' players introduced.

Cooper, 37, played collegiately at Louisville in the late 1990s. He saw action in five games with the NFL's Detroit Lions in 2002, rushing for 57 yards on 12 carries. He also saw brief action in NFL Europe and the XFL, both of which are now defunct. He's spent the majority of his career playing indoor football.

Smith, a 2003 Alabama State grad, is a multi-year AIF all-star who most recently played with the Harrisburg Stampede last season.

Potts, 31, is a Morgan State product who has seen action in the Canadian Football League and various semi-pro leagues, most recently with the Stampede in 2009.

Co-owners: Brothers Chris and Joe Kleinman were introduced as the team's minority co-owners. The brothers are also co-owners of the Main Street Cigar shop in Bel Air, Md. They have been running the shop the last four years after buying it from their father.

"Me and Chris would always sit and watch football in the cigar shop. John (Morris) would come in. We smoked cigars and talked about football," Joe Kleinman, 30, said. "Next thing you know he (Morris) pulled us aside and told us about what he's doing up here in York. We looked into the league a little bit and jumped at the opportunity."

Schedule: The date of the Capitals' first game in York is yet to be determined. The season is slated to start in April. Morris said he expects the Capitals' 2013 schedule to be released later this week.

Original Article: York Capitals introduce their first four players

By John Walk

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that the Stampede has signed DL Justin Young for the 2013 Season.

Justin is a native of Germantown, Maryland where he attended Northwest HS. He was a 3 year letterman and an All-County selection. Justin’s college football career started at Virginia Tech and then he transferred and graduated from Morgan State located in Baltimore.  

We are very excited to get Justin into camp and get him acclimated with our system and his teammates. We are looking at playing Justin on the D-Line, but he brings with him the ability to also play on the Offensive line as well. He is one of several linemen signed this season that can play on both sides of the football and that is huge in the Indoor game. At 6’5” and 297lbs, Justin is another big, strong and athletic Stampede lineman and we expect big things from him this season.

Just a Reminder: Stampede Open Player Try-Outs will be posted on our team web site and FB page very soon.

The York Capitals a professional arena/indoor football franchise playing in the American Indoor Football will be holding a press conference to unveil their team logo as well as their first player signings one of which has played in the National Football League and another who has played in the Canadian Football League.Other topics to be discussed are the current status of the team, a time line of future events and,area businesses that have come on board as team supporters.

Immediately following the press conference the Yorktowne Hotel will be holding their Welcome Back Wednesday "Meet and Greet " reception with complimentary hors d' oeuvres. The York Capitals will be handing out complimentary team t-shirts featuring our logo for the first time (while supplies last) courtesy of our friends at Susquehanna Apparel. In addition York Capitals owners, staff, coaches and recently signed players will be on hand and available to be interviewed one on one with the media

Date:               

Wednesday December 5th, 2012

Location:         

The Yorktowne Hotel

48 East Market Street

York, PA 17401

Hotel : 800-233-9324

Time:               

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm Press Conference

4:30 pm - 7:00 pm Welcome Back Wednesday Reception and Meet & Greet

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that WR Darnell Burton from William Tennent HS in Warminster, Pa and Cheney U,   has signed with the Stampede for the 2013 Season.

Darnell has the size and speed to be an instant game changer for the Stampede. The key to his success will be in the speed in which he transitions to the indoor game. At 6’2” and 200lbs Darnell has the size to make life difficult for defensive backs.

“DB comes to the Stampede from the Cheney Wolves, a member of the PSAC. The PSAC is one of the strongest Division II conferences in the country. I always look for PSAC talent and every team I have ever coached indoors has always had PSAC players on my roster. The kids that we get from these schools are always well coached. They practice hard, they play hard and they are fundamentally sound and they are just good kids on and off the field. This is a great opportunity for Darnell and we hope he takes full advantage of it” commented Nowotarski.

Just a Reminder: 2013 Stampede Open Try Outs will be posted very soon on our Team Web Site and FB page

Harrisburg Stampede Head Coach, Bernie Nowotarski announced today that the Stampede has come to terms with one the of the teams most versatile players, Josh Finafrock.

The Waynesboro HS and Juniata grad has spent most of his post college career with the Chambersburg Cardinals. Last season was his first year with the Stampede. Josh found himself on the game day 20 man roster as the back-up QB. With a 20 man roster it is very easy to find yourself playing another position for a variety of reasons. Josh found himself playing wide receiver; extra point and field goal holder as well as positions on the kick-off and kick return teams.

As back-up QB, Josh did get in some game night snaps. Josh threw 36 passes and completed 14 passes and 5 of those completions were for touchdowns. He also had 4 solo tackles from his special team position. On Offense he was asked to jump in the game at wide receiver due to a series of injuries during the game and complied 3 receptions for 23 yards. 

“Josh is a great team player. He works hard at practice and he always understands each and every game plan that we have set up, but he knows the QB’s game plan, the wide receivers game plan and all the special team game plans. He has a fantastic understanding of the game. He is a go to player and is a big asset to our team and is well respected by his team mates and coaching staff.” commented Coach Nowotarski.

Do you think you have what it takes to be a part of the Stampede 2013 Roster ??…The Team’s first Open Work Out will be posted soon on our Team Web Site and FB pages.… Don’t Miss It !