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This Coach
Has What
It Takes
Last Friday night was a dead one. My
friend was in Atlanta attempting to
become a Shriner, I didn’t have enough
money to find a date, and my grand
mother had skipped town. I was in
pretty sad shape.
I ventured over to the Cumming City
Park to watch a few innings of Little
League Baseball and it was there, in the
third inning, that I received the inspira
tion behind this column.
I was fortunate as a Little League
player. For 80 percent of my short
career, my father was my coach. This
meant I got to play all the time, but it
also meant I took a lot of personal abuse
following the game, for my errors and
shortcomings on the field. In other
words, the ballgame followed me home.
My last year as a Little League
baseball player, my father was not my
coach. It is to this man, the one who
proved to me I was not as valuable as I
thought I was, that I dedicate this
column.
For once our practices did not center
around me and what praise or blame I
received, came straight from my own
efforts. I didn’t receive any more atten
tion, good or bad, than I deserved. I was
given my chance to play, and when I
choked, I didn’t play anymore.
This coach was a lot younger than
most of the other coaches and he
quickly put together the best lineup he
could arrange, and for once I wasn’t a
part of it.
I quickly learned the importance of
the bench. Nothing is worse than sitting
on the bench. But, after two short
games I found myself there for the
remainder of the time I played on his
team.
There were games I would make one
quick trip to the plate and strike out.
There were games when the only time I
got my uniform dirty was when I spilled
a coke down the front of it.
Things are boring on the bench.
Things are pretty embarrasing, too.
Your parents have to come out and
watch you sit on the bench. Your only
friend is the kid who is so ugly he could
scare the Swamp Monster. This kid
couldn’t play baseball if you gave him a
pre-hit baseball and a glove that caught
balls by itself.
If your team wins you get a free coke
that you don’t deserve and you are
quickly eliminated from the starting
players. You are a “bench player.”
And, in Little League, reserve players
are not compensated like starters.
So, after every game I would harrass
my coach about not getting to play. He
took painstaking efforts to tell me, in a
nice way, that I wasn’t capable of
playing Little League baseball. It took
me a long time to accept that.
I could catch the ball as well as
anyone on the team. I couldn’t hit the
side of a bam, but I could catch it.
Unfortunately, Jerry White could do
both. And, on top of that, Jerry White
was younger than I !!!
I packed my bags. I wanted to tell this
new coach that my father knew a good
ballplayer when he saw one. This new
guy could hang it in the wind. I was still
eligible to play in the age-group
younger than this one. I would go down
there where I could hit the baseball,
It was at Chestatee one Saturday
afternoon. My former ballteam was
playing after we finished. It came my
turn to bat. I approached the batter’s
box. I turned to the wire behind me and
there stood my old coach. He yelled
encouragement to me.
I was able to hit a single. I thought
this new coach was turning his back on
me, but he was there when I needed him
the most. And, he helped me grow up
back then. You’ve got to make room for
the best. Do the best you can and keep
your chin up.
That Saturday afternoon was a long
time ago, over 12 years ago. Last Fri
day night this guy was up at the city
park coaching one of the new Forsyth
County All-Star teams.
Midway through the fourth inning, he
called for three players to come off the
bench and play. I know they appre
ciated it, and somewhere deep down I
appreciated it, too.
I also admire this coach for staying
with the kids of Forsyth County. He
coaches Little League, he’s coached
softball, and to benefit himself he’s
played softball for men’s teams around
the county. It’s good to see someone
dedicated to young people like he is.
Thanks Gary Mullinax, for today and
yesterday.
Slaton Brothers Take
Top Wrestling Medals
BY SCOTT VAUGHAN
Sports Writer
The brothers Slaton, Steve and Mike,
traveled with freestyle wrestling team
mate Preston Estes, Saturday to the
kids division of the southern national
freestyle meet in Hickory, N. C., and
came home with first place medals in
their respective divisions.
Estes, wrestling in the 12 and under
class finished second after losing only
one of four wrestling bouts.
Prior to the meet on Saturday, the
trio entered a practice meet in Dahlo
nega with members of the Florida
freestyle team. The Florida team was
on its way to Hickory and wanted to get
a little practice.
Bob Penland, one of the two freestyle
instructors for the park’s program,
Demo Derby Will Feature
Local Drivers On July 5
Less than two weeks from the South
eastern U. S. Championship Demolition
Derby, to be held Sunday July 5 at Dixie
Speedway in Woodstock, 10 Forsyth
Countians have joined competitors
from six states.
Entry will remain open until the day
of the derby for any licensed driver age
18 or more who has a vehicle conform
ing to Derby rules. A SSO entry fee is
required. Already in the running for the
$5,000 winner’s share of the $7,100 purse
are drivers from Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio and Ten
nessee.
Entering the contest from Forsyth
County as of June 16, 1981 are Charles
Lewis, Andean Motor Co., Tony Stew
ard, Donald Castleberry, Jim Bennett
Service Station, Chris Hensley, Chess
Kimbral, Duke Electric and James
Hensley.
“We believe that this championship
demolition derby will be a spetacular
sight a unique entertainment in the
Pictured above are only four members of the Forsyth County
t-ball league champions, the Haw Creek Angels. These
players are watching one of the 10-year all-star little league
games, being held at the Cumming City Park through the end
of June. The Angels, coached by Ronnie Shoemake, finished
Barbell Club Works To Earn Money
BY SCOTT VAUGHAN
Sports Writer
There is a team on the outskirts of
Chicago which has its eyes on the small
Georgia county of Forsyth. They have
been awaiting this time of the year
since August of 1980.
The reason they find Forsyth County
interesting is because there is a certain
team here whic that slaughtered them
and the other teams in the 1980 AAU
Junior Weightlifting Olympics last year
in Waterloo Island, lowa.
It is the goal of this team in Chicago,
to knock off the national champions this
year in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
They will go to any lengths, within the
guidelines of the AAU rules, to win the
championship this year. There is no
question that they will be ready, physi
cally and mentally when the Forsyth
County Barbell Club arrives for the
meet in August.
The Forsyth County team traveled to
the championships in 1980 and scored a
national championship record team
points of 170. The previous team record
was 124 points. They are the only south
ern team to ever win the national
championship.
accompanied the three local boys. They
were met in Dahlonega by the remain
der of the Georgia freestyle wrestling
team.
Mike Slaton, wrestling in the 14 and
under division of the 130 pound class,
pinned his opponent in the first round of
the match.
“That meet was just for practice,”
Penland said. “Florida was staying
there overnight and wanted to get in a
light workout.”
After the practice meet, the trio re
turned to Cumming to finish preparir.g
for the national meet in North Carolina.
Just the previous weekend, the three
wrestlers had qualified for Georgia’s
team to the nationals in the kids divi
sion of freestyle wrestling.
Steve Slaton, wrestling in the 10 and
under heavyweight division, won his
southeast,” promoter Dorsey Turner, a
past derby champion, said. “The South
eastern U. S. Championship Demolition
Derby will rival the top derby events
across the nation.”
Inspection of entered vehicles will
begin the afternoon of July 4, and will
continue until the Derby’s 1 p.m. start
ing time on July 5. Entries will run
heats to determine the feature field and
may repair damage to their vehicles
between their heat and the feature.
“In a Demolition Derby, each driver
tires to wreck all the other cars without
putting his own vehicle out of commis
sion,” Turner said. “The last car mov
Weight Program Continues
Jim Cooper, Forsyth County Bulldog
head varsity football coach, announced
that the football summer weight pro
gram is continuing this week at the high
school’s fieldhouse.
Maybe One Day
What makes this local team so unique
among other teams is the fact that they
may have trouble even leaving Cum
ming for this year’s meet.
“We’ve check with all the bus lines
and with some airlines and it is going to
cost a lot,” Harold Dale, finance coordi
nator for the Barbell club, said. “To
charter a bus from Atlanta to Colorado
Springs will cost us about $6,000.”
“We haven’t resorted to begging peo
ple for money yet,” Dale said. “We’ve
coordinated some programs to help us
raise the money ourselves, but we just
aren’t going to make it without the help
of the public.”
To raise the money for the trip, which
will carry approximately 30 to 40 lift
ers, the team has coordinated several
ways to raise the money.
“We have the rent-a-lifter program
as our main source of funds,” Dale
said. “The boys have been cutting hay,
mowing grass and helping folks move
their homes or businesses.”
“We’re going to have to slow down
this program though,” Jim Perry, an
other sponsor and parent involved with
the group, said. “Doing this heavy work
is taking a toll on some of our guys
first place medal.
Preston Estes was next. Estes wres
tled in the 12 and under 130 pound class.
“Estes had four matches,” Penland
said. “He pinned the first two, won by
decision in the third and then lost in the
fourth.”
Estes was leading the final meet, but
his opponent came from behind to win,
Penland said.
Mike Slaton then won his first place
medal, winning by decision, 5-3 in the
final match.
The Georgia team consisted of 34
wrestlers and teams from all the south
ern states were represented.
The Georgia team, of which the local
trio was a part, won 23 medals. The
team also won six first place medals
and two ... belong to the brothers
Slaton.
ing is the winner, and as such, will take
home $5,000 and a five-foot trophy.
Successful derby driving takes a spe
cial kind of strategy, a special kind of
skill. It appeals to a person who is not
afraid to take a chance. For a minimum
investment, someone will make a lot of
money by winning the championship.”
Grandstand admission for the July 5
afternoon event will be: $7 for adults, $1
for youngsters 6-10, and free for those
under six. Pit admission will be $lO
each.
For general information plus rules
and entry forms, call the track at 926-
5318, or Turner at 887-7482.
The summer weight program will be
open to players from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
and from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday.
the regular season with a record of 11-1 and then won three
tournament games to win the t-ball championship Saturday
at Midway ballfield. Maybe these ballplayers will be playing
in the all-star league in the not too distant future. (Sports
photo by Scott Vaughan.)
during workouts. It won’t do us any
good to get out there and not be able to
hold the championship.”
The club has planned several money
making drives around the upcoming
Fourth of July celebration. There will
be a weight lifting demonstration at the
Cumming City Park from 4:30 to 5 p.m.
and the club is raffling a quilt to be
given away just prior to 5 p.m.
“We will be selling refreshments at
the park,’, Dale said. “The boys will be
in the parade and we have sponsored a
cake sale.”
The club has also raised money from
the lifters themselves.
“Some of the guys don’t have sum
mer jobs,” Dale said. “They are work
ing through the rent-a-lifter program to
make money for the team to go. Some
guys are working summer jobs and
then voluntarily giving a percentage to
the club.”
Dale and Perry emphasize that the
club is raising money through a team
effort. “All the money goes to the club
and then goes into the travel fund,”
Dale said. “Things are looking bleak.
We are only about 25 percent of the way
to $6,000. We would have to have almost
THE FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS—WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 1981-
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FREESTYLE WRESTLERS DO WELL FOR GEORGIA TEAM
...Estes, left; and Slaton brothers win medals
Holbrook Leads H And H
Keith Holbrook slammed a two-run
homerun in the bottom of the seventh
inning Wednesday at the Cumming City
Park to break a 6-6 tie and give H and H
Auto Parts a solid first place lead in the
park’s Adult City Softball League.
The victory over second place Mid
way Home and Garden dropped them to
third place behind A and H.
Loy Day had three hits in three trips
to the plate with two homeruns and five
of H and H’s eight runs batted in.
A and H defeated the Misfits to hold
second place. H and H and A and H will
Cumming City League Softball Standings
Men
H and H 8-2
A and H 7-3
Midway 6-4
Haw Creek 6-5
Mills 5-5
Cumming Swimmers
Open New Season
The Cumming Swim Team completed
its first week of summer matches, one a
practice match with Gainesville, and
then losing in Winder 606-516.
The swim team traveled to Gaines
ville Thursday and team coach Dave
Horton said the meet was just a prac
tice meet for both teams.
The team then faced Winder in
Winder on Saturday and fell in their
first meet of the season where score
was taken.
“We have about 40 regular swim
mers,” Horton said. “But, only about 25
came out. Our relays were really down
and there weren’t any real high points
during the meet.”
Catfish Attracted By Odors
It takes courage to get into a boat
with a dedicated catfisherman. Odds
are that the odor will send you back to
the dock.
Catfish are not fussy about what they
eat. While they like minnows, crayfish
and other natural foods, they are also
attracted to baits which smell. This
SI,OOO per week from now till August to
make it.”
“We need the backing of the commu
nity in this,” Dale said. “We need the
community service clubs, and we just
need folks who are willing to help out.”
“We know times are hard now,”
Perry said. “That’s why we have re
frained from just begging for money.
We wanted to be able to throw our
chests out and say we did it on our own,
but we just can’t do it.”
“This is a program which will help
the guys and will also help all the sports
programs,” Perry said. “This weight
lifting program will help all the sports
programs and I’d like to have five of
our super-heavyweights on any de
fensive line.”
“We just hope people realize that our
national championship is at stake
here,” Dale said. “These guys are not
representing themselves individually,
they are representing a team and that
team carries the name of this county to
people all over the nation.”
Once the team arrives in Colorado,
they will be housed at the Olympic
Training Grounds there.
“We aren’t concerned with what hap
face off at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the
park. Should A and H win the men’s
division will have a tie for first place
with three weeks remaining in the
season.
In the women’s division, Howell’s
took first place with a victory over
Corporate Printers, but the printing
team came through with an upset over
second place Ingram’s later in the
night.
Howell’s and Ingram’s will play for
the first place spot at 6 p.m. Wednesday
at the park.
Women
Howell’s 7-2
Ingram’s 7-3
Village Cinema 4-5
Jones Trucking 3-7
CPI 3-7
Misfits 2-8
Gilbert Motors 2-9
But, Horton said the team will be
ready for Toccoa Tuesday and for their
first invitational tournament at Brenau
College in Gainesville Saturday.
“We may have started out pretty
slow, but we’re going to be ready for
that invitational,” Horton said.
Winder, Toccoa, Gainesville Elks
Team and the Gainesville AAU teams
will join Cumming in the invitational
meet.
This is the fifth year the city park has
sponsored the swim team at the park.
Horton serves as the special activ
ities coordinator at the park and works
with the acquatics program and the
pool.
accounts for the unpleasant odors sur
rounding catfishermen and their boats.
The reason these smelly baits work so
well, according to fishing experts, is
that catfish have a well developed sense
of taste. “Whiskers” around the mouth
allow catfish to “taste” the water,
savoring the flavors and selecting those
which may be food.
pens when we get out there,” Dale said.
“That will fall into place. What we’ve
got to concentrate on is getting out
there.”
The local barbell club has won the tri
state region championship for four con
secutive years’ 1978-1980, and clinched
the national title in 1980.
While the club works through its
projects to raise money for the trip,
there is a club in Chicago using that
time to hold more workout sessions.
The end result of both of these teams’
efforts will not be seen until August.
Disc Jockey Holds
Baseball Strike
A disc jockey fed up with the major
league baseball strike is swearing off
food until the strike ends.
Larry Sullivan, who works at WKTK
FM under the air name of “J.J. Mc-
Kay,” began a hunger strike Monday.
He says his diet will consist of only
water until the owners and players
reach an agreement or he is too weak to
spin the records, whichever comes
first.
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