No. 1: Raising The Hammer

When the Wilmington Hammerheads soccer team announced its return late in 2010, it was merely the first step in a mad dash to get a team on the field six months later. And when lightning and tornado warnings postponed the team’s April opener, it could have been a bad omen. Instead, the Hammerheads were a hit on the field and in the community. Wilmington finished second overall in USL Pro and packed the stands at Legion Stadium, including a franchise-record 5,783 fans on Aug. 5 for a nationally televised game vs. the LA Blues. Soccer is back in the Port City, and it was easy to see that many people benefitted from it.