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Sports
SUNDAY, JUNE 3,1990
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Staff photo - Mike Webber
County Parks Director Jerry Kinsey, left, Jim Brennan will have fields ready for
action
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Earning trip
the hard way
Good footwork is a key to playing win
ning tennis but a group of Forsyth County
ladies have taken that statement one step
further.
Linda Spencer, Holly Anderson, Jil
Whitford, Nancy Lovell, Donna Nix,
Joyce Wheeler, Kathy Colwell, Debbie
Mahoney and Pam Hanberry are mem
bers of the Leisure Women's tennis team
which is hitting the streets ofCumming in
search of donations. They need funds to
help finance a trip to New Orleans, La.,
for a tournament on July 11-18.
Before you get bent out of shape, this is
a legitimate trip, sort of a working vaca
tion that’s already been more work than
rest This bunch of females is only one
step away from playing for a national
championship, having qualified for the
Volvo/Southem Sectionals of the United
States Tennis Association’s (USTA) 2.5
league play.
They’re willing to do whatever’s neces
sary to make this trip a reality.
“I know, I know, you think this is just
another bunch of women wearing fancy
tennis outfits looking for a week off in
New Orleans,” said Whitford, a trans
plant from Marietta. “I can tell you now
that’s not true. We’re serious about the
game.”
Contrary to the team’s name, tennis to
these women is no leisurely stroll.
This time last year half the team’s
members hardly knew one end of a racket
from the other.
It was in June of 1989 that Linda Spen
cer started this team.
Prior to last year Hanberry, who main
tains the baseball and softball fields at
Coal Mountain Park, had never before
played tennis.
Hanberry answered Spencer’s call for
players.
“I called Spencer and she told me to
come on out,” remembered Hanberry.
“At the time I didn’t take it seriously.”
That first day of practice Hanberry
showed up wielding a circa-1960’s wood
en tennis racket and wearing a pair of
rubber-cleated shoes made for the dia
mond and not the court.
“I didn’t even own a tennis skirt - I
was a softball player,” she said.
The tennis the team’s been playing this
summer is a far cry from something you’d
picture as Daisy Mae in denim shorts
swinging a tennis racket.
They had opened some eyes during the
regular season, posting a 25-10 record
against some teams that had been playing
together for several years.
A second place finish in their local
tournament qualified them for the dis
trict championships in Macon.
“We didn’t think we’d get that far,” said
Whitford. “We’re a new team. We just
started playing and playing together last
year. Besides the little Cumming round
robin league this was our biggest
tournament”
In Macon it was more of the same. First
it was Columbus, then Fair Oaks, who felt
the wrath of the women who certainly
weren’t playing at a leisurely pace.
This past Wednesday they took the
cause to the streets of Cumming.
“Today we’ve walked from the Lanier
Please see TENNIS naee ?R
i - •*
Staff photo - Mike Webber
Cumming’s Nancy Horton saw double-duty as swimmer and volunteer lifeguard during
triathlon
1990 triathlon was a race for the records
By Mike Webber
Sports Editor
Last weekend’s fifth annual Cumming Triathlon didn’t
match the 1988 high water mark 0f342 participants but it was a
record-breaking day for the annual race.
A letter commending the race staff was delivered on Wednes
day from Atlanta Triathlon Club president Bill Adams.
“We were tickled with everything connected with the race,”
said race director Sarah Ogilby. “We feel it was the best race
yet Hearing it from other people just makes you feel that much
better about your efforts.”
Although final figures haven’t been tabulated it appears the
Sawnee Communmity Center, Inc., which holds the race, will
benefit from between $7,000 and $12,000.
Of the 252 competitors there were only 15 no-shows. There
were two minor mishaps, one involving a bicyclist and an earli-
Forsyth County News
Area parks win bids for district,
state softball, baseball tourneys
By Mike Webber
Sports Editor
The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department
and the Gumming City Recreation and Parks Department
have been selected to host several Georgia Parks and
Recreation Association’s (GPRA) district and state soft
ball tournament games this summer
Forsyth County has been chosen by the GRPA to host
the entire Seventh District youth girls softball
tournament
The Cumming Recreation and Parks Department will
host the GRPA state 12-under girls softball tournament
Aug. 24.
The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department
has also been selected to host a (GPRA) boys Seventh
District Seventh District boys baseball tournament
“Our (softball) 12-unders have been so dominant the
last few years there’s a good chance they’ll get to play in
front of the home folks this summer,” said Greg Little,
Director of Recreation at Cumming City Park.
“We re excited about having the opportunity to host
games of that importance,” said Jerry Kinsey, Forsyth
County Parks and Recreation Director. “You could say
it’s a feather in the cap of Forsyth County and the City of
Cumming.”
From July 16-21 the Forsyth County Parks and Recrea
tion Department will hold the Seventh District youth girls
softball tournament in all age groups. The 10-under and
12-under divisions will be played at Coal Mountain Park
located near the intersection of hwys. 9 and 369 The 14-
er one where a swimmer was treated for low body temperature.
Dr. Michael Hogan treated and released both triathletes.
For the first time-ever there were no moving accidents on
Mountain Road. There was an earlier mistake due to delivery
of letters to homes on Mountain Road regarding keeping auto
mobile travel to a minimum during race hours. Triathlon vol
unteers delivered those letters to private mail boxes, a move
which cost the Sawnee Coummunity Center, Inc., S6O.
“We were informed it would cost us,” said spokesperson
Anne Hamilton.
The day also produced the youngest-ever competitor in the
race's five year history. Nancy Bird, a 14-year old triathlete,
competed. Bird swims for the Cumming Waves swim team at
Cumming City Park.
Please see TRIATHLON, page 2B
under, 16-under and 18-under divisions will be played on
the same dates at Midway Park located on Spot Road.
The same week Forsyth County Parks and Recreation
Department will also host the GRPA Seventh District 10-
under baseball tournament That event will also be held
at Coal Mountain Park
“That means there will be at least 72 games played on
our fields that week,” said Kinsey “It will also mean there
will be a lot ofdifferent people in our community on those
dates.”
This won’t be the first time Cumming City Park has
been selected to host tournament action. Last year the
park was site for the state 12-under and 18-under softball
action.
This year all baseball play will be under the direction of
GRPA instead of Dixie League.
“We would like to hold more tournament games but by
the time the board (Cumming Recreation and Parks De
partment) voted to play GRPA instead of Dixie the (tour
nament) sites were already selected,” said Little. “This
gives us an opportunity to showcase our park to people
from outside the area. We’re real proud of our facility
here at Cumming City Park
Kinsey felt the same.
“It makes us feel real good to be accepted for such an
honor,” said Kinsey. “We’ve felt all along that we had the
kind of facility to host some big games. This is our oppor
tunity to draw some new faces into this community. This is
just a great opportunity for us here in Forsyth County and
Cumming."
|M ASSOCJATiD
Women’s USTA 2.5 WS
This Cumming City Park women's 2.5 USTA tennis
team qualified for the USTA/Volvo Southern Section
als in New Orleans, La., on July 11-18. The team was
runner-up in the state championships in Macon, Ga.
Memorial Day weekend. Team players, back from left,
Linda Spencer, Holly Anderson, Jil Whitford, Nancy
Lovell and Donna Nix. Front row players, are from left.
Joyce Wheeler, Kathy Colwell and Pam Hanberry. Not
pictured: Debbie Mahoney. The team is currently
looking for sponsorships. Individuals interested in
helping sponsoring the team should call Pam Han
berry at 781-8132.
Local women’s
tennis team set
for sectionals
By Mike Webber
Sports Editor
Cumming City Park earned another feather in its
cap last week w'hen a women’s tennis team represent
ing the park qualified for the Volvo/Southem Section
als in New Orleans, La., on July 11-18.
Playing in the United States Tennis Association’s
2.5 division the Leisure Women, comprised of players
Linda Spencer. Holly Anderson, Jil Whitford, Nancy
Lovell, Donna Nix, Joyce Wheeler, Kathy Colwell and
Pam Hanberry. placed second in the district tourna
ment in Macon.
First and second place teams earned the right to
represent Georgia in the sectionals. The squad was
runner-up to a team from Athens during the champi
onships in Macon, Ga. on Memorial Day weekend.
The team will have another player when they hit
New Orleans as Debbie Mahoney, who had earlier
suffered a neck injury in the playoffs, will return for
sectional play.
“The Macon tournament really took us by surprise,”
said Hanberry. “It's not that we were playing badly but
we figured the competition down there (Macon) would
be superior. We really came through with some strong
play."
W’hitford seconded her teammate’s thoughts.
“We didn't think we'd get that far," said Whitford.
“We’re a pretty new team and didn’t know what to
expect. Qualifying for this event is a feather in our
caps.”
During the regular season the Cumming-based
team posted a 25-10 record and finished second to
Doublegate in Atlanta City League action.
Cumming City Park again finished runner-up to
Doublegate in the Atlanta tournament The top two
teams automatically qualified for the district champi
onships in Macon.
City Park qualified for the Southern Sectionals by
beating Fair Oaks from Marietta 3-2.
The club won. thanks to three victories in doubles
competition. Lovell and Nix (won), playing No. 1 dou
bles, opened with a victory. No. 2 doubles partners
Spencer and Whitford followed with another win. An-
Please see TOURNEY, page 2B
1B