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PAGE 8A FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS Thursday, March 25,2004 Local Sports South Forsyth baseball camp set for April The South Forsyth War Eagles will host their annual Spring Break Baseball Camp on April 5- 6. South Forsyth baseball coaches and players will instruct players ranging from age 10 to graduating seniors. The two-day camp costs S7O and will run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. each day. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. on April 5 at the SFHS baseball field. For more information, please call (770) 887-6132 or www.southforsythbaseball.com. Spring break soccer camp on the horizon Atlanta Soccer Academy, Forsyth County 's new soccer club is hosting a Spring Break Camp on April 5-9 from 10 a.m.-l p.m. (U9-U11) and from 1:30-4:30 PM (Ul2-and-up). The cost is $ 1 (X). P’-ricipants will receive an Atlanta :iverbacks t-shirt and a ticket to the Silverbacks home game open er. Call (770) 557-0430 or visit w ww.atlsoccer.com for more information. Park and Rec offers camps The Forsyth County Park and Recreation Department is hosting two camps in the coming weeks. For more information, call Tellv Helms at (678) 455-8540. • The Spring Break Basketball Camp features instructors from the Forsyth Basketball Association (Bobby Smith, Jason Smith and Tracy Tipton) on April 5-8 from 9 a.m.-noon for ages 8- 15. The cost is $75 (Class No. 201427) • Small group training is available for boys and girls ages 9-18. Individual skills are learned in small groups where players practice individually, then crystallize their skills by practicing in a two-on-two or three-on-three setting. Group size ranges from six to nine play ers. The first session is Sunday, March 7 from 4-4:30 p.m. (ages 9-10), 4:30-5 (ages 11-12), 5- 5:30 (ages 13-18). This will be followed by six 90-minute ses sions on Sundays (3-6 p.m.). Cost is $125 per six-week ses sion (Class No. 202337). Hoops camp seeks applicants Applications are now being evaluated for the Ten Star All-Star Summer Basketball Camp. The camp is by invitation only. Boys and girls ages 10-19 are eligible to apply. A camp will take place this summer in Atlanta. Call (704)373- 0873. Softball stars eye showcase Perfect Game Softball will host an Identification Camp at Georgia Tech on April 24. This one-day event is for softball players ages 13-18 interested in showcasing their skills in front of Perfect Game Scouts. Results of the assessment will be placed on their official Web site and will be sent to college coaches nationwide. Each player will also receive a video produced by Skillshow. To sign up for the event or for more information, call Perfect Game Softball at (319) 261-2923. Fast-pitch team needs players The Georgia Storm 12-U A level fast-pitch travel team is look ing for a few key players for the o upcoming 2004 season. Call (770) 205-9437. 1 Sports EXTRA South football up for grabs Head coach Vaughan’s future uncertain By Morgan Lee and Travis M. Chaffin Sports Writers Though no one has been fired and no one has quit, the future of the South Forsyth's head football coach ing position is currently up in the air. Last week. South Forsyth princi pal Richard Gill informed current head coach Norris Vaughan that a five-member search committee had been formed to find the top candidate for a job he has held for the past eight seasons, leading the War Eagles to a combined 59-30 record and six trips to the state playoffs. Vaughan, who retired from teach ing at the end of the 2002-03 school year before continuing this year as a half-time teacher, was told he could reapply for the job, which will be filled only by a full-time teacher. “We needed to be in a position at this school to have a full-time teacher as a coach,” said Gill. "I want the head football coach involved on a daily basis in the lives of the players and the coaches. "This had been weighing heavily on my mind," continued Gill. “Last week was the week for teacher renewals. It seemed like, in my posi tion, if I was going to do this, that's when it needed to be done." Since retiring, Vaughan's duties called for him to teach two classes a day and coach football. "He [Gill] agreed to let me do that this year." the coach said. Vaughan said he asked Gill if. perhaps, next season he could just coach, as the Georgia High School Association allows for retirees. “I had been told I could do this, and now he changed his mind a month later," said Vaughan. "Last Friday, he called me into his office and said he had decided that the head football coach had to be a full-time teacher. So, that leaves me out because I'm not a full-time teacher and I wasn't offered the position as a full-time teacher. But I was told that I could apply for the full-time teach ing job and the head football job next year if I would like. So, officially, I don't guess I’ve been fired.” “[Vaughan] asked if he could apply." noted Gill, “and I said, ‘Absolutely. If you wish to do that, you could.' It became apparent dur ing that meeting that he probably would not do that. But, certainly, that was an option that he had." If Vaughan did decide to apply, school officials assured that he would have an equal chance against any new candidates. “If Norris decides to come back and apply as a full-time teacher, then obviously, his [resume'] would be viewed in the same sense.” said Terry Sanford, assistant principal and head of the five-person search committee. For the time being. South’s search committee made up of South foot ball booster club president Mike Sanders and parents Jenny Ward and Dean Bernard, along with Sanford and athletic director Don Hutchins has begun feverishly searching for the best candidate. New tire could make for exciting racing at LNS From start reports The United Sprint Car Series will open its 2004 “Asphalt Thunder" Tour on Saturday, March 27, as part of the Checks-2-Cash “Spring Explosion” at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton. Winged Outlaw Sprint Car drivers from eight different states are expected for this event. The L'SCS pavement pounders will be turning the fastest speeds ever recorded on the three-eighth-mile paved oval. The defending and two time USCS Asphalt Thunder Champion, the “Malabar Missile,” Kenny Adams of Malabar. Fla., cur rently holds the LNS all-time track record of 11.320 seconds for an aver age speed of 119.258 mph. To break the 120-mph barrier at LNS, a lap in 1 1.250 seconds is N' l ' < I H * ■ ! \\ Sb n b I’wEL /b • a 'f W X wk __w "Each member of the committee will have input into the applicants that are [eventually] interviewed." said Sanford. "We will bring the top applicants in for Mr. Gill to conduct interviews." The comrtiittee has already seen how popular the job is likely to be. receiving 10 resumes by Tuesday after noon, including three from “head coaches in the metro area," according to Gill. "We’re very impressed with the quality of coaches who are interested in the position." he added. The committee would like to move quickly and establish a head coach by the time spring football practice begins the second and third week in May but has not set a hard deadline. “Certainly that’s our goal." said Gill. “As far as a time line, it's hard to even say. I would like to begin, hopefully, next week with some ini tial interviews. "I don’t know that I’ve ever been involved with a committee like this that was weighted heavily on the side of parents." said Gill. "A lot of times it’s a token parent. But we felt a need needed. Many drivers feel that the new Hoosier spec tire will make this possible. Among the other USCS pavement hot shoes looking for a new track record and an opening night win are the defending USCS National Champion Terry Gray of Bartlett, Tenn., 2(X)3 USCS Asphalt Thunder Runner-Up Jim Raptis of Marietta and 2002 USCS Asphalt Thunder Runner-Up Doug Day of Winder. The Sprint Car Network will broadcast Saturday night’s LNS USCS event live on the Internet beginning at 7 p.m. Race fans world wide can hear the action live at www.sprintcamet.com. “We're happy to have the oppor tunity to share the excitement of USCS Winged Outlaw Sprint Car racing on both dirt and asphalt this to get stake-holder involvement here and. therefore, we feel like we’ve selected three outstanding individu als to be part of this review commit tee." Hutchins met with the football coaching staff on Monday, informing them of the possible changes ahead ** That leaves me out because I'm not a full-time teacher... So, officially, I don't guess I've been fired... turnover as possible. "We feel like we've got a great staff," said Gill. “There are a lot of quality individuals that Norris has brought in here to be part of this staff, and we want to try to keep it intact. “One of the things we're looking for in this teacher-coach is: We want a team player. We want a person who can come in here and work with the current staff. We're not looking for fruit-basket turnover here. We feel that this staff is a staff that can oper ate under a new person and function season with race fans around the world through the Sprint Car Network," USCS President Pete Walton said. “We’ll be making histo ry Saturday, as we will have the first ever live Webcast of an asphalt Sprint Car race on SCN.” Based on their victories on the dirt track at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., on Feb. 2-3, Chad Kemenah of Findlay. Ohio, and Joey Saldana of Brownsburg, Ind., top the USCS National Point Standings. Kemenah leads Saldana by four points. Sport Allen of Largo, Fla., is in the third spot, and is tied with Maryland driver Curt Michael, and Shane Stewart of Bixby. Okla., Danny Martin of Sarasota. Fla., is in the sixth spot, followed by former Nextel Cup Champion Tony Stewart and to let them know that their applica tions for the position will be accepted as well. As for the rest of the coaching staff, they must also wait to see what happens. But Gill and Hutchins have expressed that they would like as little Norris Vaughan, who had coached the South Forsyth War Eagle foot ball team to a 59-30 record over the past eight seasons, may not be back to coach the team next year. South Forsyth principal Richard Gill has decided to make only full-time teachers eligible for the the head coaching posi tion, while Vaughan is cur rently a half time teacher at the school. Vaughan may apply for the job, but a search is currently on for other candi dates. Photo/David McGregor quite well and be very successful. “We realize a new coach may want to make some changes some. But as we look at resumes. I'm not looking for somebody to come in here and completely restructure things." Vaughan is a 1965 graduate of Forsyth County High School, where he played linebacker and fullback for the Bulldogs. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1973 and started his coaching career the same year as defensive coordinator at Winder-Barrow. He later served as defensive coor dinator for Campbell of Smyrna and M.D. Collins before earning head coaching jobs at Heard County. Meadowcreek and North Springs. Then in 1996. Vaughan returned home to Forsyth County as head coach of the South Forsyth War Eagles. Gill was quick to praise Vaughan’s accomplishments at South, and. should he not return next season, the principal says that he will be missed. “I have nothing but positive things to say about Norris Vaughan and his contributions to this school," said Gill. "His football success has been unparalleled. His legacy will always live in the future of our school." of Rushville. Ind., Jason Sides of Bartlett, Tenn., and Greg Wilson of Benton Ridge, Ohio. There is a two way tie for the tenth spot between Kenny Adams of Malabar. Fla., and Canadian Glen Styers. All this will change as the series is changing surfaces this Saturday night at LNS, and a new driver mix will arrive. USCS drivers have a four-race membership grace period for the 2004 season. This means that drivers who have not paid their mem bership fees by the fourth race of the season will lose all points accumulat ed. For race day and ticket informa tion, call Lanier National Speedway at (770) 967-8600. The speedway is located on State Road 53 four miles north of 1-85 at exit 129, or five miles south of 1-985 at exit 16.