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TOMS
Local Boy
Represents
Area Well
Scott Vaughan’s column is not about
sports this week, so be took Eddie
Stowe’s space on the Editorial Page.
See bis column on Page 4-A.
I watched anxiously as the golfer
approached his putt. He eased it in with
confidence and the pressure was off for
the moment. But in golf, as in other
sports, the pressure returned momen
tairly.
The situation was the recent Atlanta
Golf Classic which involved a playoff
between hometown favorite and good
old boy Tommy Valentine against the
world’s greatest of all time, Tom Wat
son.
I’ve been watching Valentine’s ca
reer since he first started knocking the
cover off the ball at the Chattahoochee
Golf Course in Gainesville.
Having lived in Gainesville for 14
years, one didn’t play golf and not know
about Tommy Aaron or Tommy Valen
tine. Aaron seems to have had some
problems of late while Valentine is as
obvious maturing.
Valentine has had his share of prob
lems as the audience learned from the
broadcasters in the televised segments
of the recent Atlanta tournament.
I remember when Valentine worked
to qualify for his card. The first time he
tried, he didn’t make it. He worked
hard for it and when he did get it, it was
1978,1 believe, when he lost it and had
to get it again.
Like many young golfers trying to
make it big, he struggled. But his
determination kept him in there with
the big boys. Now he’s made a' name
for himself and gained the respect of at
least Watson if not some of those other
players who didn’t make the cut for the
Classic.
I remember a few years ago when
Valentine, Aaron and the golf pro ar
ranged with another local for a four
some to make the rounds at
Chattahoochee. It was like a mini-golf
tournament. A large crowd gathered to
watch the four play 18 holes of golf.
For those locally who’ve played at
Chattahoochee, you’ll remember that
the first hole is a dog-leg to the left
around some pretty high trees.
The first three golfers teed up and
drove out into the turn on the fairway.
Valentine, I remember, said what the
heck, and drove over the trees. Not only
did he drive over the trees, but he drove
over the green as well, landing near a
bunker on the backside. I’ve never seen
but one other person in my life hit a golf
ball that far and heaven knows why he
sold advertising for a newspaper instead
of playing on the tour. (That’s another
story).
Valentine could probably drive the
ball 400 yards and not even look like he
was putting any effort into it.
I might could drive 300 with my best
shot. Only problem is 150 yards of it
would go one way and the other 150
yards of it would go another. It would be
anybody’s guess as to where the ball
might end up.
When the Lake Lanier Islands golf
course was under construction, I
walked a round of it with it’s designer,
Gary Player. Player would say, “The
place to put the ball on this hole is just
to the right of those trees, oh, about 5
yards and then you would have a good
shot to the green.” How it did it I don’t
rightly know, but the ball would always
land right where he wanted it to.
I have learned to have a great deal of
respect for the professional golfer. As
Calvin Peete said during the tourna
ment, he never thought he would be
knocking a little white ball around over
a bunch of green grass for a buck.
Well, Valentine picked up $34,000 for
his second place win in the recent
Atlanta tourney. For that kind of
money, I can understand it all.
I just hope that he keeps it up. Even
though I don’t do to well on the course,
it’s good to see another local boy who
does.
City Wins Annual
Gov’t Softball Game
The Cumming officials team scored
six runs in the last half of the sixth
inning, Saturday at Cumming City
Park, to defeat the Forsyth County
officials 11-9 in the annual City-County
government game.
The Cumming team has won the
event four of five years.
The county led the game entering the
sixth inning, 9-5, when the city exploded
for their six runs and held onto the lead
for the win.
Byron Orr, representing the Cum
ming City Park and the city team, was
selected as the city’s outstanding
player of the game, city police chief
Gabe Dukas said.
Local Little League
Has All-Star Division
BY SCOTT VAUGHAN
Sports Writer
Bases loaded, one out. The batter hits
a sharp grounder to the shortstop. The
shortstop fields the ball and whips the
throw to homeplate. The catcher has
jumped forward, mask off, and takes
the throw. One out. He comes off the
plate and whips the ball down to third
base for the double play.
This brand of baseball is going on in
Forsyth County, and it’s going on in
Forsyth County’s Little League pro
gram. In fact, the play described hap
pened in a recent 12-year-old game at
the Cumming City Park.
The Forsyth County Little League
Association is experimenting with a
new program this year in the 10-year
old and 12-year-old Little League base
ball age groups. Both leagues com
pleted their regular season recently
and have now produced four compet
itive all-star teams to form a new brand
of baseball: The All-Star Division of
Forsyth County Little League.
In the spring, when Forsyth County’s
Little League program was beginning
to develop things happened as usual.
Each community in the county had
their own baseball team enter the 10-
year-old and 12-year-old divisions of
baseball. Things were to proceed as
normal through the season. The top
team in each division would represent
the county in the American Amateur
Baseball Conference tournament at the
end of the season.
But, the local Little League Board of
Directors which consists of one rep
resentative from each community
where there is a team, decided to form
another baseball schedule after the
regular season ended in June. They
would call this one the All-Star Divi
sion. With this division consisting of the
top baseball players in the county, it
would place a more competitive, well
rounded team in the playoffs at the end.
“There was a lot of reaction both
ways,” Gerald Blackburn, association
president said. “We believe" this will
give boys from different communities
the opportunity to play with one an
other. We also hope it will inspire the
Demolition Derby Should Be
One Of Largest In Southeast
The Southeastern U. S. Championship
Demolition Derby will be held at Dixie
Speedway, in Woodstock, on Saturday,
July 5 at 1 p.m. and will feature a purse
of $7,100.
Demolition derby champion, Dorsey
Turner, of Cumming, has won 27 of 30
pervious derbies. He joins Dixie Speed
way owner Mickey Swims, also of Cum
ming, in coordinating the wreck’em up
spectacle. In the past, Dixie Speedway
has hosted brief demolition derby con
tests following the regular Saturday
night stock car racing programs there.
This year, the speedway is promoting
this derby as the largest to ever be held
in the southeast and it is being adver
tised all over the southeastern United
States.
“This is the first of this calibre,”
Turner said from his home Monday.
“We’re expecting in excess of 100 cars
and the normal number of cars for one
of these derbies is 25. It’s going to be a
really big event.”
Turner said he also knew of two
drivers who will be competing from
Ohio.
“Due to the popularity of these events
and the growing participation in them,
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Pictured are members and sponsors of the Forsyth County
Barbell Club, who helped Stan and Marge Bass move their
restaurant on main street to its new location on Industrial
Drive. The Bass’ rented the lifters in their moving effort as
part of the club’s way to raise money to attend the National
AAU Junior Olympics, to be held in Colorado during August.
The local club won the national championship in 1980 and are
four time winners of the regional championship from 1978-
better players to keep on playing base
ball.”
In order for an age division to have
the additional all-star season, the age
division must have more than eight
teams at the start of the Little League
season in April. Only the 10 and 12 year
divisions had more than eight. The 10-
year-old division had 15 teams and the
12-year-old had 11 teams.
“We have in excess of 50 baseball
teams in this county with an average
roster of 12 players,” Blackburn said.
“That means we have more than 500
potential baseball players in the county
and we can’t put together a high school
baseball program that can win. We
have the talent in this county to be
really good.”
“I don’t want to take anything away
from the high school program, but why
are so many of these players dropping
out of Little League so early,” Black
burn said. “I think we’re burning them
out. Kids start playing baseball in this
county at three years old.”
Other than the 10 and 12 year divi
sions, there is a t-ball division, an eight
year-old division and a 14 year division.
The county is also trying to coordinate a
16-year-old division for later in the
summer.
Byron Orr, who is coordinating the
All-Star Division for the two age
groups, said their are now eight com
peting teams in the two age groups.
Here is how they came to be. At the
end of the regular season, there was a
first and second place team in both the
American and National divisions of
each age group. That gave four teams
for the 10-year-olds and four teams for
the 12-year-olds.
The coach of the first place teams
could retain a maximum of six players
off his first place team. To fill his roster
of 12 players, he had to choose his other
six from the remaining teams in his
division. The second place coach could
retain a maximum of two players off
his team, and then choose 10 others
from any of the teams in his division.
This gave four all-star teams for each
age-group.
Now, the all-stars will compete in a
we decided to host an afternoon pro
gram develoted entirely to demolition
derby entertainment,” Turner said.
“The response to our plans already
indicates that the event will be unique
in auto sports history in this area.”
H And H Has Close Lead
With one month remaining in the
Cumming Adult Softball League sched
ule, H and H Auto Parts leads the men’s
division with a 7-2 record. Ingram’s and
Howell’s are tied for first in the wom
en’s division with records of 6-2.
The city league will end on Wednes
Lifters Help In Moving
Cumming City League Softball Standings
Week of June 10,1981
Men
H and H 7-2
Midway 6-3
A and H 6-3
Haw Creek 5-5
Mills 4-4
Misfits 2-7
Gilbert Motors 2-8
1981. Members of the club are willing to do almost any kind of
work that one in the community might need, including, but
not limited to, yard and house work, farm labor and heaving
loading and unloading. Members of the club can work lifting
heavy objects and get some training at the same time. To
rent a weightlifter contact Lee or Carol Perry at 887-3189
days or nights.
nine game schedule throughout June.
The last game for the 10 year age group
is June 26, and the last day for the 12
year age group is June 29.
But, prior to the beginning of the All-
Star schedule, each coach had to ap
pear with his roster, before the county’s
association, and explain his process for
evaluating and choosing his all-star
team. The board then approved his
roster.
Following the all-star seasons, the top
three teams in each group will advance
on to district AABC tournaments, or to
district GEPS, Georgia Recreation and
Parks Society, tournaments.
“This is going to organize the coun
ty’s Little League program and I think
it will help in the future,” Blackburn
said “One day, I hope we can begin
feeling the affects of Little League
baseball on our high school team.”
This brand of Little League should
have an impact on the baseball players
of tomorrow.
Baseball, Softball
End Season With
County Tournament
Forsyth County’s Little League Base
ball, and Girls’ Softball programs are
ending their seasons soon, and will
begin post-season, intra-county tourna
ments at various fields around the
county.
In baseball, the county’s t-ball tour
nament will be held June 16 and 17, and
19-20 at Midway; the eight and under
tournament will be held June 25-28 at
Big Creek; and the 14 and under tourna
ment will be held June 22-27 at Midway.
In softball action, the 10 and under
tournament will begin June 24 at Ben
nett Memorial Park; the 12 and under
tournament will begin June 17 at Ches
tatee; and the 17 and under tournament
will began Monday at Cumming City
Park.
All girls’ softball tournament
championship games will be held June
27,1981 at the Cumming City Park.
The championship event will pay $5,-
000 to win and is expected to draw
competitors from all over the south
east. The purse break-down is $5,000 to
win, SI,OOO for second, SSOO for third,
S3OO for fourth, S2OO for fifth and SIOO for
sixth position.
day, July 8 and the post-season tourna
ment will begin on July 10, at the park.
Wednesday night at 9 p.m., in the
men’s division, H and H Auto Parts will
meet second place Midway Home and
Garden. Should Midway win the game,
they would be in a tie for first place.
Women
Ingram’s 6-2
Howell’s 6-2
Village Cinema 4-4
Jones Trucking 2-6
CPI 2-6
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-THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS—WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17, IWI
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TODD SKINNER HURLS A FASTBALL IN RECENT GAME
...one of several 10-year county all-stars
Wrestlers Qualify
For National Meet
Four wrestlers with the Forsyth
County Freestyle Wrestling class have
qualified for the Georgia team to the
National freestyle wrestling meet.
Mike Slaton, Preston Estes and Ste
ven Slaton qualified recently for a birth
to the nationals in the 14 and under kids
division to be held this weekend in
Hickory, North Carolina.
Mike Slaton was one of coach Bill
Buck’s top wrestlers at Otwell Middle
School in 1981. He will be a ninth grader
when school opens in the fall.
Wrestling in the junior division of the
Tara Classic in Marietta Saturday, Joe
O’Kelley qualified for the Georgia team
to the national junior tournament in
lowa. O’Kelley was one of three junior
wrestlers to attend the qualifying meet
and who has wrestled with the high
school wrestling team.
“Three of our high school wrestlers
went to the Tara Classic and they all did
pretty well,” Bob Penland, who
coaches the Bulldog high school wres
tling team, said.
O’Kelly weighed in at the meet in the
105 weight class and qualified for the
national tournament in the 105 pound
class because there were no other wres
tlers in the division.
O’Kelley then went on to wrestle in
the 114 pound class and won three of
five matches, only one victory away
from placing in the division. He finished
fourth out of 12 wrestlers in the larger
division.
Kerry Ward wrestled for the freestyle
class in the 132 pound class and Jack
Sutko wrestled in the 143 pound class’
“We sent three wrestlers down
there,” Penland said. “Three is not too
good, but at least we sent some guys
down there. We are very proud of Joe.
He could have not wrestled at all, but
instead he went and wrestled in a
Braves’ Ticket Trade
The Atlanta Braves announced Fri
day the club’s ticket compensation pol
icy for fans with tickets to games that
won’t be played because of the players’
strike.
Tickets already purchased for
canceled games can be exchanged for
comparable seats at later games after
the strike has been settled, or for tick
ets to 1982 games. Refunds will be given
if requested.
Season ticket holders may choose
from three types of compensation: ad
ditional seats to later games this sea
son, a credit on a 1982 season ticket
purchase or a refund for games missed.
Worms Are Still Good Bait
As in the old saying, “It takes a thief
to catch a thief’” so it goes with worm
fishermen who collect their own bait:
“It takes a night crawler to catch a
night crawler.”
The earthworms commonly called
night crawlers are strictly nocturnal
creatures. They do not appear during
daylight hours. Larger than other
worms, sometimes six or more inches
in length, night crawlers are prized as
fishing bait.
To help you find night crawlers, fish
ing departments have some sugges
tions about where and when to look,
plus a tip that will enable you to grip
and remove worms that aren’t com
pletely out of their holes.
Vacant lots, parks and lawns are
ideal locations to find night crawlers.
A flashlight with a diffused white or
yellow beam is best to spoi the worms.
division he is too small to wrestle in.”
“Freestyle wrestling is not the same
wrestling that guys like O’Kelley, Ward
and Sutko wrestle on the high school
team,” Penland said. “What we’re try
ing to do is get them some mat time. In
Georgia, if a guy wrestles during high
school alone, he’ll get about 20 matches.
In other states, a wrestler will get more
matches in one year than we get in four
years. This freestyle program is going
to help us a lot next year when we
compete with our high school team.”
Road Race Names
Sought By News
The annual Peachtree Road Race will
take place Saturday, July 4, 1981 and
Colony Square continues as official
headquarters for the road race, an
nouncing running clinics at the Colony
Square Mall, Saturday, June 20 at 11
a.m.
The race begins at Lenox Square at 8
a.m. on Saturday, July 4. An after the
race celebration begins at 10 a.m. on
the Colony Square mall.
The Forsyth County News is inter
ested in local citizens who will be run
ning in the annual road race on July 4.
Due to the number of runners each
year in the race, and because runners
have not specified that information on
their race application can be obtained
by the press, names of local partici
pants cannot be obtained from the race
office.
The News would like to know who will
be running from Forsyth County for a
special pre-race story and for posting of
race times following the race.
All events of the race are free and
open to the public.
In addition, the Braves and the At
lanta Chiefs soccer team announced
that any person holding tickets to future
Braves games can use those tickets to
attend the Chiefs-Califomia.
Fans with future Braves’ tickets
should come to Gate G at the stadium
where their tickets will be stamped.
The fans will receive a complimentary
ticket to the Chiefs’ game while retain
ing their Braves’ tickets, which will be
valid for the regularly scheduled
Braves’ game if it is played or
may be returned under previously an
nounced Braves’ ticket policies.
Bright light drives them back into the
ground. You must become a crawler to
catch night crawlers. They react
quickly to vibrations caused by some
one walking around. Get down on your
hands and knees and crawl slowly along
in a zig-zag pattern.
Night crawlers are easy to catch
when spring rains drive them com
pletely out of the ground. Try parking
lots, driveways and streets as soon as it
stops raining.
In summer, wait 24 hours after a
heavy rain before looking. Worms sel
dom completely exit their holes then.
You’ll see only an inch or so above
ground. Removing them can be easy if
you coat your fingers with sawdust,
grip the worm, twist it slightly and pull
steadily. Done correctly, you’ll pop the
worm out before it can anchor itself in
the ground.
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