Hoke County’s Ronald Womack voted

N.C. STEP “No Spit” All-Star of the Year

Womack honored as the state’s best baseball player who has pledged not to use spit tobacco  

CANTON , NC – The North Carolina Spit Tobacco Education Program (STEP) is proud to announce that Hoke County ’s Ronald Womack is the 2009 NC STEP “No Spit” All-Star of the Year as the best high school baseball player in the state who has pledged not to use spit tobacco.  More than 37,400 votes were cast during the voting for the N.C. STEP All-Star of the Year, with Womack receiving 16,163 votes.  West Lincoln ’s Trey Drewery finished second in the voting with 13,344 votes while Croatan’s Ryan Cranmer was third with 7,394 votes.   

In the regular season, Womack was 6-1 with four saves and a 0.12 earned run average with 114 strike outs and 20 walks.  Womack gave us just 19 hits during the regular season and opponents hit just .101 against him.  Womack earned the N.C. STEP “No Spit” All-Star of the Week honors for week three after giving up just one hit and recording 20 strike outs in Hoke County ’s 2-1 win over Purnell Swett.  One week later, Womack tossed a no-hitter in Hoke County ’s 8-0 win over Scotland County .  

"The Sports Flash" (TSF) Radio Network commissioned Jostens, Inc. to design the ring that will be presented to the N.C. STEP "No Spit" All-Star of the Year.  Jostens, Inc. has designed rings for the best athletes in the world, including the 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.  Fans selected the design of the ring that will be presented to Hoke County's Ronald Womack.   Click here to view the design of the ring.   Womack is the second-ever N.C. STEP “No Spit” All-Star of the Year for baseball, joining Dixon ’s Chris Huie who won the inaugural honor in 2008.  Mt. Pleasant ’s Evan Seymour won the inaugural N.C. STEP All-Star of the Year honor for football.

Each finalist pledged not to use spit or smokeless tobacco, understanding that smokeless does not mean harmless, as spit tobacco contains more than 28 cancer-causing agents.  These cancer-causing agents are present in cigarettes, cigars, smoke, and all forms of smokeless tobacco, including spit, snuff, and chew.  The nominees have made the healthy lifestyle choice not to use spit tobacco.  

In the Oral Health America 2006 Spit Tobacco Report Card, the nation received a “D” for the use of spit tobacco.  That means between 12 to 20 percent of all high school males in the country have used spit tobacco in the last 30 days.  The campaign intends to educate young people in North Carolina about the dangers of spit tobacco and reinforce the healthy, lifestyle choice not to use tobacco products, especially spit tobacco.  

NC STEP is an effort designed to educate North Carolinians about the dangers of spit tobacco.  Each year, between 10 to 16 million Americans put their health at risk by using spit tobacco.  NC STEP’s mission is to prevent people, especially young people, from starting to use spit tobacco.  For more information about NC STEP, please contact Paul Turner at (828) 648-1211.  

The North Carolina Spit Tobacco Education Program (STEP) is funded through a grant from the North Carolina Health Wellness Trust Fund (HWTF). The NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund makes North Carolina stronger, both physically and economically, by funding programs that promote preventive health. Created by the General Assembly in 2000 to allocate a portion of North Carolina 's share of the national tobacco settlement, HWTF has invested $199 million to support preventive health initiatives and $102 million to fund prescription drug assistance programs. For more information, please visit www.HealthWellNC.com.  

The TSF Radio Network delivers customized, local sports reports to 174 network affiliates in 14 different states, reaching a weekly listening audience of more than 2.3 million people.  TSF has 30 network affiliates in North Carolina and will provided the day-to-day management of the campaign.  

Download the N.C. STEP "No Spit" All-Star Pledge for Student-Athletes

Download the N.C. STEP "No Spit" Pledge for Coaches

Download the N.C. STEP "No Spit" Pledge for Parents