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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
SANDLOT
"The down and dirty"
IN BRIEF
WR rec to sign up for
football, cheerleading
The Warner Robins
Recreation Department will
begin registration for the 2008
youth football/cheerleading
program beginning today from
8 a.m.-1 p.m. Registration will
continue Monday-Friday from
8 a.m.-5 p.m. until leagues are
filled. These programs are for
boys and girls ages 5-12.
A birth certificate is required
upon registration unless it is
currently on file. Registration
fees are as follows: Football:
SSO (city), $lO3 (county) and
$177 (out of county); cheer
leading: $75 (city), SIOO
(county), $l2O (out of county).
For more information, call
929-1916.
WR continues annual
cross country series
Warner Robins High School
is in the midst of its eighth
Annual Middle Georgia Cross
Country Summer Series. As
per the norm, it will be held
at Pearl Stephens Elementary
School in Warner Robins.
Two races have already
been held. The last is Thursday
- 5,000 meters. Each race is
slated to start at 7:30 p.m. and
Erpelding said there would be
awards in the following cat
egories for the top five in each
age group male and female:
14 and under, 15-19 and 20
and over. The entry fee is $7.
Registration is the day of the
race.
Contact David Erpelding
at 478-328-3208 or
Erpelding@bellsouth.net for
more.
Annual Ron Stafford
golf tournament set
The 27th Annual Ron
Stafford Memorial golf tourna
ment will be held at Houston
Lake Country Club July 19
and 20. The cost is S2BO per
team. Teams will be flighted
by handicap. The entry dead
line is July 16. For further
information, call the Pro Sho
at 218-5252.
Perry Rec Department
sets registration dates
The Perry Recreation
Department will be holding
registration for football, fall
soccer and cheerleading now
through July 18 at Rozar Park
in Perry.
For more information, call
988-2860.
WRHS Cheer Booster
Club sets golf tourney
The Warner Robins High
School Cheer Booster Club
will be hosting its sixth
annual golf tournament Aug.
2 at International City Golf
Course.
The format is four-person
scramble - you can choose
your own team. The cost is SSO
per person, which includes
lunch, green fee, cart and
more. Prizes will be awarded
for first, second third and the
last place teams. Prizes also
include SIO,OOO for a hole in
one, as well as other hole in
one prizes. And, according to
a release, there will also be
an opportunity for a special
prize of $250,000.
For details, call Kelly Segars
at 213-1199 or contact her via
e-mail at ksegars@hcbe.net.
Landings to hold golf
clinic for new golfers
The Landings will be hold
ing a golf clinic for new golf
ers, renewing golfers and
those not breaking 100 yet
July 21-23, from 5:30-7 p.m.
It will feature instruction on
putting, chipping and more.
The cost is $65 for Landings
members, $75 for non-mem
bers.
For more, contact PGA
Professional Bill Goggin at
923-5222, Ext. 4 or via e
mail at bill@goggingolf.com.
Or visit www.goggingolf.com/
news.
WRALL Majors team
seeking donations
The Warner Robins
American Little League
Majors team is seeking dona
tions from the community to
help offset the costs of send
ing the team to the state
tournament. If you would like
to help, call Patti Nauss at
478-550-2484.
WRALL Red pouts Rlue for District V title
By MATTHEW BROWN
Journal Sports Writer
Thursday’s stormy weath
er in middle Georgia stayed
away from the Western
Little League complex at the
right time for a “Battle of
Warner Robins,” also known
as the Georgia Little League
Baseball minor (9-10) boys
District V championship.
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Pictured are winners from Thursday’s Middle Georgia Cross Country Series 4-K race.
Wolfe oeven strokes hack at Amateur
Weather/darkhess prevent Kishigian from finishing first round
Special to the Journal
Bad weather got the better of Ben
Kishigian of Warner Robins, causing him
to be unable to finish his round, after
the first day of the Georgia Amateur
Championship taking place at Idle Hour
Club in Macon.
According to a Georgia State Golf
Association release, play was suspended
for two hours and 41 minutes - from 2:29-
6:10 p.m. - due to lightning and thunder
storms in the area. Players returned to
the course until 8:34 p.m. when play was
again suspended due to darkness. A total
of 42 players were unable to finish their
first round.
They, including Kishigian, were to try
again Friday during the event that runs
through Sunday (full results locally in
Wednesday’s Houston Home Journal).
One other Warner Robins golfer com
peting in the event, Chris Wolfe, did fin
ish his round. He shot 73 and was in a
College baseball is not a 'novelty' sport
Sparky Anderson, at
the time manager of
the Detroit Tigers,
once made the statement: “I
don’t know what we’re play-
ing, but it’s
not base
ball.”
His ref
ere n c e
was to the
American
League’s
use of the
designated
hitter.
Someone
Matthew Brown
Journal Sports Writer
may have watched recent
College World Series base
ball games and wondered
the same thing. Not so
much for the NCAA’s use of
the DH, but for those bats
made of metal. What does it
say about the perception of
the college game when the
promotions are centered on
a sound, as in the “pling”
of aluminum striking cow
hide?
And how many people do
you hear saying one of two
things: “I want to see the big
leaguers use the metal bat,”
or “I wish colleges and high
schools would go back to the
SPORTS
Warner Robins Red domi
nated the action with a 20-
2 four-inning win against
Warner Robins Blue. Warner
Robins Red becomes the
final entrant - not the men
tion the host - of the Georgia
9-10 championship tourna
ment, which begins July
19 and takes place at the
Warner Robins American
"If MLB does decide to go heavy metal,
remember to give those in the field time
to slip on the Iron Man outfits."
wood bat.”
If MLB does decide to go
heavy metal, remember to
give those in the field time
to slip on the Iron Man out
fits.
Keeping the pitchers on
the bench during an offen
sive turn or changing the
molecular composition of the
“stick” doesn’t totally per
vert the nature of baseball
as much as purists would
want you to believe. It’s still
about throwing strikes on
the mound (just when did it
become a “bump?”), moving
runners along and catching
the routine fly.
The point being that col
lege baseball should not be
viewed as a novelty sport.
But it doesn’t draw the
national interest of other
games in the collegiate broth
erhood. Everyone will dis
sect the Bowl Championship
Series pairings and March
Madness, but the Road to
complex.
Even before making the
journey back to Houston
County Thursday, Warner
Robins Red manager Phillip
Johnson knew the first
round pairing for state.
The Reds are in Pool A of
the tournament and take
on Murphey Candler Little
League at high noon on July
tie with nine other players for 22nd. But,
that particular group is only three shots
away from seventh and five away from
second.
Robert Sheats carded a 4-under-par 66
and was the current leader.
Idle Hour’s course is playing to 6,671
yards and a par of 70.
Sheats, who tied for second in the 2007
Georgia Amateur, posted five birdies - all
on par 4s - with just one bogey on the day
to turn in the low round.
The Georgia Amateur Championship
is conducted by the Georgia State Golf
Association and brings together 156 of the
state’s best male amateur golfers for the
prestigious state title first won by Bobby
Jones in 1916.
The Championship format is 72 holes of
stroke play over four days. After 36 holes
of play, the field will be cut to the low 70
players and ties and anyone within 10
strokes of the leader.
Omaha will only catch your
attention if you have a dog
(or in my case a Red & Black
Bulldog) in the fight.
What is a novelty sport?
A great example is arena
football. It’s not to say that
players and coaches and
management don’t put a lot
of serious work into their
respective teams. AFL has
been around for more than
20 years, but it’s still not a
hot topic of conversation on
sports discussion shows with
analysis of critical plays or
a defensive coordinator’s
strategy.
It is an entertaining show
case of scoring, with finals
like the Cleveland playoff
upset of the Georgia Force
Monday 73-70. Sparky
would probably be stumped
at figuring out what this
game is, and neither
Philadelphia Soul owner Jon
Bon Jovi nor Force owner
See BROWN,page iB
4-K plan
19. The other pool games are
on July 20, 21 and 23.
To win District Y Johnson
said it took a lot of hit
ting, including a home run
by Justin Ward. It was the
second home run for Ward
in the tournament against
Warner Robins Blue. The
Reds first played and defeat
ed the Blues on July 5.
Local Taekwondo student,
instructor earn WC honors
Special to the Journal
One student and one
instructor from ATA
Black Belt Academy in
Warner Robins competed
and earned honors at the
Taekwondo Championships
held in
Little
Rock, Ark.,
the week
beginning
June 27.
First off
was Jeffery
Miner,
a first
degree
black belt.
COBBS
He earned a world champi
on in Special Needs Forms
and Sparring division.
“What an amazing accom
plishment,” said local ATA
owner Jason Owen. In all
there was reported to be
more than 20,000 compet
itors at the 31st annual
event, representing 17 dif
ferent countries. “Great
job to Mr. Miner.”
Great job also to Eric
Cobbs, a fifth-degree black
belt and instructor at the
school. He earned a second
To his chagrin ...
Thompson an inspiration at
horseshoe's premier event
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
Rick Thompson was an inspiration.
Unfortunately, he said, “I was an inspiration to oth
___ »
©rs.
That’s how he described his quest to win a third world
horseshoe pitcher’s title. Only this time, with him being
one of two founders, it would have been the first for the
Warner Robins Horseshoe Pitcher’s Club. His two titles
previously came when he was a member of the Perry
Horseshoe Pitcher’s Club.
But about that inspiration at the World Tournament
currently being held in York, Penn.
He finished 14th overall as his own worst enemy.
“Alright,” he said tongue-in-cheek and still having
the time of his life, “I’ll tell you the whole sad story.
Four out of five games (the first day Monday where he
finished 1-4), the guy’s all said: ‘Rick, that’s the highest
See INSPIRATION,page 3B
SECTION: B
SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2008
Johnson also spread out
the pitching duties. He had
plenty of rested arms as
the Reds last played in that
game with the Blues, and
then had to wait three days
to find out their opponent
in the finals. Jake Fromm
was the winning hurler in
the first meeting, allowing
See DISTRICT, pagejß
Results of the
Middle Georgia Cross
Country Series 4-K
Held Thursday at Pearl
Stephens Elementary School
14 and Under
1. Ryan Tippins 17:56
2. JohnAspinall 19:15
3. Patrick Nakayama 21:35
Female 15-19
1. Megan Breitbach 16:05
2. Kelli Kushinka 20:43
Male 15-19
1. Karl Burkhardt 14:38
2. Jared Hager 14:51
3. Asif Bader 15:56
4. Andrew Bell 16:30
5. Kyle Dzwonkowski 17:22
6. Kurt Dzwonkowski 17:53
Female 20 and Over
1. Kate Whiting 22:09
2. Ashley Branch 28:58
Male 20 and Over
1. Mike Nakayama 16:39
2. Gary Skeen 16:49
3. James Ellis 19:22
Contributed
place at
the world
champi
onships
in XMA
forms com
petition.
“These
accom
plishments
are a life
achieve
ment.
Great job
guys,”
Owen said.
The
two’s
acc o m -
plishments
actually
capped off
what Owen
called an “amazing year.”
Earlier, he, also a fifth
degree black belt, won
the Georgia champion
ship in his respective divi
sion and instructor Pippin
McGowan, a third-degree
black belt, did likewise in
her respective division.
“I cant wait to get to the
Fall Nationals in Orlando
Florida in October,” an
optimistic Owen added.
if
■■■
McGOWAN
OWEN