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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Gayton lifts to first, second at world championships
From staff reports
After seemingly rolling to one
tourney win after another, setting
one record after another this year,
local ophthalmologist/weightlifter
phenom Johnny Gayton finally ran
up against a bit of a roadblock.
Or, for a man who has never
settled for second best, it was just
short of what he’s grown accus
tomed to.
It came at the WDFPF world
championships at Grangemouth
Stadium in Scotland the weekend
of Nov. 17.
The first hurdle was getting past
Central Georgia Volleyball Association
Organization helps prepare players of tomorrow
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
How will Houston County
high schools develop success
ful girls volleyball programs?
The same way the athletes
of all other sports get bet
ter, by continued training
and learning long after the
school season is over.
Volleyball players locally
have that outlet to work on
their skills and take on high
level competition through
out the state through the
Central Georgia Volleyball
Association. This non-prof
it, all-volunteer organiza
tion, which formed prior to
volleyball’s adoption by the
Houston County schools as
a varsity sport, ie a Junior
National level pfbgraiji anpl,
carries players to tourna
ments not only in Georgia,
but Alabama, Tennessee and
Florida.
Jeff Hotchkiss is president
of the CGVA and Carolyn
Marshall is vice-president.
CGVA held tryouts for the
upcoming season recently
See PREPARE, page 2B
Dean takes over for Bears; not many
mysteries surrounding HoCo girls
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Just as the 2007-2008
school year was about to
begin, Jody Dean found
himself with a new job title
at Houston County High
School. It was more of a pro
motion, really, from assis
tant coach to the head boys
varsity basketball coaching
position.
This isn’t Dean’s first time
leading a high school pro-
’lt came so quick. Coach (Greg) Nix told
me he was leaving one day, and I had the
job the next. It didn't get thrown on me.
I thought it was a good opportunity For
the next two weeks it was non-stop
trying to get things organized, talking to
the team. It was crazy for a while.”
- Houston County boys head basketball coach Jody Dean
SCHEDULE
High school basketball
Tuesday
■ Houston County at Jones County, 6 p.m.
■ Perry at Warner Robins, 6 p.m.
High school wrestling
Tuesday
■ Houston County and Academy for the Blind at
Warner Robins (Rumble gym), 5 p.m.
IN BRIEF
the event’s organization/particulars
itself, as Gayton said it was “poorly
organized” - “We were still com
peting at 10 p.m. Saturday,” he
said. That, plus it had the worst
equipment of any meet he had
participated in, he added.
In fact: “Several of my lifts were
delayed because of equipment
issues,” he said. “This makes max
imum lifting very difficult and
actually contributed to me injur
ing my left shoulder.
“Of course,” he added, “it was
my fault that I was tired from
having competed in the WNPF
worlds (meet) eight days previ
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Attendees for a tryout recently for the Central Georgia Volleyball Association warm up.
Preview
■ ■
gram as he spent one season
as Rutland High’s boys bas
ketball team in Macon. That
was in-between his current
assignment at Houston
County High and his first
basketball coaching job as
an assistant to Chip Malone
at Warner Robins High.
Dean was an assistant to
WR Rec to hold ‘team’ signups
The Warner Robins Recreation Department will hold
team registration for its 2008 adult basketball league Dec.
3 and 4. Divisions will include Men’s Open (five-on-five)
18 years and older and Men’s Open (three-on-three) 45
years and older. The entry fee for the five-on-five league
is $395 per team and the three-on-three league is $270
oer team. Both leagues will play a 10-game season. The
season will run Jan. 14-Feb. 29, 2008. The entry fee is
due at the time of registration. Team registration will be
taken between the hours of 8 a.m.-5 p.m. in the athletic
office, which is located at 800 Watson Blvd.
ously. I probably should have
also gotten there a couple of days
ahead of time to adjust to the time
change.”
In the competition, Gayton was
the only 165-pound lifter to com
pete “unequipped” on Saturday
and “equipped” Sunday.
“I wanted to do both because of
traveling so far to compete in this
event,” he said. “Needless to say
fatigue entered into the equation
on Sunday, and Saturday was com
plicated by a 24-hour GI problem.
I actually totaled less this week
end than in any meet this year.”
Nevertheless, that didn’t stop
Greg Nix at Houston County
High for three seasons. Nix
left the Bears program dur
ing the summer for a high
school coaching job near his
hometown in Boaz, Ala.
“From (Malone and Nix),
I learned how to run a pro
gram,” said Dean while pre
paring for his debut season
running the Bears. “It’s a lot
more than just coaching bas
ketball and what goes on at
practice. You have to worry
about scheduling, ordering
stuff, eligibility. I learned
how to run that efficiently.”
Dean started at Warner
Robins High in 1999 and
stayed for four seasons. He
admits he had no clue at all
he would be a head coach
again in 2007 when the year
began because he wasn’t
actively seeking that kind
of job.
“It came so quick,” he
said about getting the
See BEARS, page jB
him from grabbing a share of the
title on Saturday. He weighed in at
73.7 kg both days.
Then, he and British champion
Peter Roberts battled to a draw in
the 165-pound Masters 111 cham
pionship.
“Technically he won by weigh
ing less than 1 kg less than me,”
Gayton said, “but they awarded
both of us first place trophies at
around 11 p.m.”
Early Sunday morning Gayton
said he returned to the stadium to
face a whole new group of competi
tors. Seventeen different countries
were represented in all, he said,
■wr***'
Houston County senior Tonia Williams looks for an open teammate during a scrimmage
between the Lady Bears and Bears this past Thursday at the school.
Needed will be: Entry fee (payable to WRRD), team
name and coach(es) name, address and phone numbers
for contact. For more info call 929-1916.
Soccer referee course offered
There will be a soccer entry level referee course held
Jan. 18-19 at Tabor Academy in Warner Robins. The
cost for the course is $55. You can register on-line at
www.gareferees.com or contact Russ Grant at russ.
grant@cox,net or 478-396-0727 for more information.
HoCo baseball coaches to offer camps
The Houston County High School coaching staff will
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2007 ♦
with his chief competitor the sec
ond day being the Irish champion.
“We battled down to the last
event, but on this day he was
the better lifter,” Gayton, who
extended a warm thank you to all
that have supported him in this
“long, arduous journey,” said. “I
placed second in the battle for the
165-pound Masters 111 equipped
championship.
“When it was finally over this
fatigued, famished lifter gorged
himself on lamb, fish and chips
and Yorkshire pudding. After eat
ing I weighed in at a rather rotund
169 pounds (77 kgs).”
be conducting a one-day hitting camp for players ages
7-14 Dec. 8 at HCHS. Morning and afternoon sessions
are available. Signups are limited. The cost is $35,
which includes a season pass for all Bears games. For
more information, contact Stacey Gay at 954-9399 or
sgay@drs-tsi.com.
Also, the coaching staff will be conducting a one-day
camp for pitchers and catchers players ages 7-14 Dec.
15 at HCHS. Morning and afternoon sessions are avail
able for it as well and signups are also limited. The cost
is also $35, which includes a season pass for HCHS
games. Contact Gay for more.
1B
ENI/Gary Harmon
ENI/Gary Harmon