Newspaper Page Text
Page 6B, The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 16, 2008
In Bound Gymnastics Level 3 Competes Nationally
At Walt Disney Wide World Of Sports Complex
Special to the Ledger
In Bound’s Level 3 com
petitive gymnastics team
traveled to Orlando, Florida
to compete at the AAU
Nationals Gymnastics Meet
at the Walt Disney Wide
World of Sports Complex
on July 2, 2008. Over 1500
gymnasts competed from
20 different states. Jade
Rice placed 5th on vault,
5th on bars, 4th on beam,
1st on floor, and 4th all
around. Adriahna Mirus
placed 6th on vault, 3rd
on bars, 9th on beam, 6th
on floor and 6th place all
around. Anna Edwards
placed 7th on vault, 8th on
bars, 6th on beam, 8th on
floor and 7th all around.
Kyli Reese placed 2nd on
vault, 6th on bars, 8th on
beam, 1st on floor and 5th
place all around. McKenzie
Carpenter placed 1st on
vault, 8th on bars, 2nd on
beam, 1st on floor and 2nd
place all around. Alyson
Adams placed 3rd on vault,
7th on bars, 5th on beam,
2nd on floor and 4th place
all around. Megan Barfield
unfortunately broke her
hand the weekend before
the meet, but was the team’s
biggest supporter by as
sisting the coach at each
event. The team has worked
hard all year long under the
direction of Coach Sandy
Ewing. Pictured from left
to right: Adriahna Mirus,
Anna Edwards, Alyson
Adams, Jade Rice, Megan
Barfield, McKenzie Carpen
ter and Kyli Reese.
Five Great American Yard Games of Summer
(ARA) - Who was the first
human to look at a wide,
pristine expanse of grass
and think “This looks like a
good spot for a game?” The
answer is lost to time, but
modern Americans definite
ly owe a debt of gratitude to
that long-forgotten ancestor.
He or she was the unwit
ting inventor of the yard
game, the ultimate summer
pastime.
“Many of us remember
playing yard games as
children, the same games
that we later taught our
own children when they
came to us on a lazy sum
mer afternoon looking for
something to do,” says Brent
Doud, a yard game connois
seur and founder of Ladder
Golf. “They’re a great way
to enjoy the outdoors and
some exercise, and most are
appropriate for all age and
skill levels.”
So what elevates a simple
game to the level of “great
American yard game?” To
qualify, a game must be:
* Played on grass;
* Include multiple players;
* Involve fun, challenging
physical activity;
* Be appealing for both
children and adults.
Here are five great
American yard games, in no
particular order:
1. Horseshoes - Horseshoe
historians are pretty sure
the game traces its origins
to ancient Greece. Poor
people, who could not afford
a discus like the ones used
in the Olympic games of
the era, collected discarded
horseshoes and began toss
ing them at a stake in the
ground.
Fun factor: High. Practi
cally anyone can play and
you can adapt the game
*
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Ceramic Tile
Wood Floors
Marble
Granite
Slate
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Stone Work
Pavers
Glass Block
Remodels & Renovations
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Bgck by Popular Demand
Grades 1-4: 9-11:00 a.m.
Public Performance at 11:15 a.m.
Grades 5 & up: 1-3:00 p.m.
Public Performance at 3:15 p.m.
Tap in
Tennis Shoes!
Crqzy Creations &
Ingenious Improvs
Grades 1-4:9-11:00 a.m.
Public Performance at 11:15 am
Grades 5 & up: 1-3:00 p.m.
Public Performance at 3:15 pm
We'll be exploring
acting games
for staging a wild improv
performance!
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A fantj-S-D^ce Saturday
Grades 1-4:9-11:00 a.m.
Public Performance at 11:15 a.m.
Grades 5 & up: 1-3:00 p.m.
Public Performance at 3:15 p,m.
to be simple and easy or
challenging, depending on
the age and skill level of the
players.
2. Ladder Golf - The new
est addition to the pantheon
of beloved American yard
games, Ladder Golf origi
nated in California. Two
teams toss bolas - two
colorful balls connected by
nylon rope - at a three-rung
ladder. Hooking your bola
on the top rung will score
you three points, two for
the middle and one for the
bottom. The first team to
score 21 wins. The game
has become popular enough
to rate its own tournament,
held annually in California.
Fun factor: Very high.
Who can’t throw a couple of
bolas at a ladder? Although
often played as a yard game,
Ladder Golf can also be
played on sand, pavement,
bare ground or even indoors.
A new twist adds a bag toss
to the existing game.
3. Badminton - Another
game that traces its origins
to the ancient Greeks, Bad
minton involves using light
racquets to bat a shuttlecock
(feathered projectile) back
and forth over a net. No net,
no problem. The game can
also be fun without a net,
and can be played by indi
viduals or teams.
Fun factor: Strong, since
you can play as casually or
as cut-throat as you prefer.
Younger children, however,
may find the racquets and
fine motor skills required a
bit too challenging.
4. Washer Toss - A
uniquely North American
derivative of horseshoes,
washer toss pits two teams
of two against each other
pitching round washers into
wooden boxes. Legend has it
that the game originated in
Ontario in 1988, when there
weren’t enough horseshoe
pits for all the players who
entered a tournament. Now
it’s played for its own merits,
not just as a replacement for
horseshoes.
Fun factor: High. Like
horseshoes, the game can
easily be adapted to casual
or serious play for all ages.
Young children may find the
round shape of the wash
ers easier to manage than
horseshoes.
5. Croquet - Although
mention of the game may
conjure images of Victorian-
garbed Brits using wooden
mallets to gently tap balls
through wire hoops set in
the ground, it’s believed
croquet actually originated
in France.
Fun factort: Medium to
high. LTnlike some other
yard games, croquet isn’t
easily adaptable to surfaces
other than grass. While
young kids may have dif
ficulty maneuvering balls
through the wickets, they’ll
probably have loads of fun
trying.
Yard games will likely be
around, played and loved for
as long as Americans have
yards.
Courtesy of ARAcontent
Parker Byrd to Play T-ball in
South Lawn All-Star Game
Special to the Ledger
Parker Byrd, age 6,
grandson of Sara and Bewey
Rich of Leesburg, has been
selected to represent Georgia
to play T-Ball on the White
House lawn. Also joining
him will be a Little League
T-Ball player selected from
the other 49 states and Dis
trict of Columbia. The event
is scheduled for July 16th
on the South Lawn of the
White House. The activities
will include two innings of
T-Ball and a picnic on the
South Lawn. President Bush
will also attend. The players
will get to shake hands with
the President who will also
present each player with an
autographed baseball. The
Byrd family has invited the
inventor of T-Ball, Claude
Lewis of Warner Robins, to
join the family on the trip.
Parker resides in Warner
Robins with his parents,
Mark and Amy Byrd. His
mother is the former Amy
Dykes of Leesburg and
his great grandmother is
Florence Sellers, also of
Leesburg.
Parker Byrd
NOTICE OF PROPERTY
TAX INCREASE
The Lee County Board of Educa
tion has tentatively adopted a mill-
age rate which will increase prop
erty taxes by 9.09 percent.
All concerned citizens are invited
to the public hearing on this tax
increase to be held at the Lee
County Board of Education Of
fice, 126 Starksville Avenue North,
Leesburg, Georgia on July 21,
2008, at 4:00 PM.