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PAGE 4B
THE JACKSON HERALD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
USTA TENNIS
Jefferson gets USTA program underway
VOLLEYS
Students are shown getting their handwork down to practice their volleys. The vol
ley is a popular shot in tennis where players take the ball out of the air before it
bounces and ‘punch’ it over the net. Photos by Katie Huston
GETTING STARTED
Coach Paige Main briefs the children on what they will be doing during the day’s
practice. The kids shown are 8 to 10-year-olds and they practice from 3:30 p.m. until
4:30 p.m. on Thursdays for the next four weeks. Photos by Katie Huston
By Katie Huston
THE U.S. Open is in full
swing this week and so was
the first week of practice
for a new tennis program in
Jefferson.
Assisted by the United
States Tennis Association's
(USTA) new QuickStart
Program, Paige Main of
Jefferson, was able to get the
classes going.
“My son and I took the
workshop,” she said. “And
that’s how I got involved.”
QuickStart Tennis was
developed by the USTA and
is a new format designed to
help children ages 10 and
under learn the sport. The
program uses shorter court
dimensions, modified scor
ing and specialized equip
ment, including smaller nets,
foam balls and larger rackets,
depending on the student’s
age.
“All this stuff helps them
learn how to coordinate and
be able to, you know, learn
how to manipulate the ball
instead of hitting it out here
with an adult racket and a
regular ball and they hit it
over the fence,” Main said.
Main, along with three
helpers, two of whom are
her teenage children, hit the
courts three times a week to
teach local kids the basics of
the game.
Classes are $55 and the
current session is ongoing,
but another session will begin
in October. Children ages five
to seven meet on Tuesdays at
3:30 p.m., eight to 10-year-
olds meet on Thursdays at
3:30 p.m. and 11 to 14-year-
olds meet at 5 p.m. on
Thursdays. All lessons last
for one hour and meet once
a week for five weeks at the
courts at Jefferson Middle
School. Main hopes by spring
to be meeting more frequent
ly-
“We’re hoping that this will
build a program in the area
and that we can start having
more than once a week (les
sons),” she said. “It’s hard,
so what we decided to do is
once we build it up, we can
do two practices a week and
we can also break (the stu
dents) down by skill instead
of age.”
The program is run through
the Jefferson Recreation
Department and flyers were
sent home with all students
in the Jefferson City School
System advertising the pro
gram. An open house was
held to push the fall program
and 45 people signed up.
'We got the ball rolling and
we just made up a fall sched
ule and went for it,” Main
said. “We had the open house
session two Saturday’s ago
and we had no idea whether
five people were going to
show up - we had no expec
tations.”
Main, who is a FedEx
employee by day, has been
playing tennis since high
school. She was approached
to head the program not nec
essarily as a pro, but as some
one who was a people person
and who loved the game. She
is not a certified coach, but is
considering becoming one.
“I’ve taken this (QuickStart)
workshop to (help) the kids,”
she said. “But that might be
something I end up doing,
getting certified. Right now,
I’m sort of focusing on the
little ones.”
Main is hoping getting chil
dren started early will eventu
ally benefit both the Jefferson
Middle School tennis team as
well as the high school team.
“If we can get them playing
at this age, and they like it,
then when they get in middle
school, they’ll just go ahead
and move on to the middle
school team,” she said.
All the children in the
program are beginners and
the lessons come from the
QuickStart lesson plans. The
different age groups will
learn different things, but
each will learn how to hit
forehands, backhands, vol
leys and how to serve. Once
they master the basics of the
strokes, that’s when they’ll
learn how to keep score and
learn where the boundaries of
the court are.
“As long as they’re getting
out here and they're having
fun and they're learning how
to, you know, be coordinat
ed with the ball and they
get comfortable with it, then
they’ll want to come and do
it more,” Main said. “And I’m
excited.”
“What we’re hoping to
do though is as the program
grows and as we keep (receiv
ing) this much response,
they’ll get to where they can
do the match play,” she said.
“So it won't just be the les
sons and then they’re done
and what do (they) do with
it? It’ll be more like, they’ll
move on, they’ll have little
leagues where they can join
and start playing some match
play.”
For more information on the
USTA’s QuickStart Program,
visit http://consumers.qmck-
starttennis.com/. To sign up
for the Jefferson program,
call Main at 706-614-4227 or
email her at themainevent@
windstream.net.
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CARD OF THANKS
The family of the late Dorothy Collins
would like to express their heartfelt
gratitude, love and sincere appreciation
for the many acts of love, kindness and
prayers. We ask that you continue to
pray with us and for us during this time.
May God bless each and every one of
you.
The Rucker and Collins Family
V /
Flu season is coming
The employees of BJC want
you to be prepared
Info on Flu/HINl
Both are highly contagious &
spread mainly through
physical touch
Most people who become ill
recover without any medical
treatment
Seasonal flu shots will be
available this Fall
HlNlflu shots expected to be
available this Fall
Source: CDC website & publications
http://www.cdc.gOv/h 1 n 1 flu/
70 Medical Center Drive
Commerce, GA 30529
706.335.1000
Symptoms of Flu/HINl
Fever, headache, fatigue, runny
nose, sore throat, cough
Severe cases nausea &
vomiting
B A N
K
S
JACK
S
0
N
COMM
E
R C
: e
M E D 1
C
A
L
C E N
T
E
R
How to Prevent Flu/HINl
♦ WASH YOUR HANDS or use
Alcohol-based hand cleaners
Cover Your Coughs & Sneezes
If sick, stay home from work
or school
Avoid contact with sick people
Stay well hydrated
Seek your doctor’s advice for
more information
Get vaccinated
We Vieot you
(ike family”
SWIMMING
STATE SWIMMING COMPETITOR
Quincy Mashburn, of Jefferson, recently competed in
the GPRA State Swim Meet in Tifton in the 15 to 18 year
old division. He finished sixth in the 100-yard freestyle
with a time of 56.39 and seventh in the 50-yard butterfly
with a time of 27.86. Mashburn was one of only two 15
year olds to qualify for the afternoon finals. Mashburn
trains year round with Coach Laura Thomas at Swim
Oconee in Watkinsville.
Panthers continued from IB
the final buzzer.
ROUGH GAME
The Sonoraville game was
a rough one, with several per
sonal fouls called throughout.
Charles Smothers was also
ejected from the game Friday
night after reportedly retaliat
ing to a racial slur made by an
opposing team member. He’ll
have to sit out the Panthers’
next game, according to GHSA
rules.
“Charles was called a racial
slur, and I support Charles
100 percent,” said head foot
ball coach Billy Kirk. “He was
called a racial slur more than
once, and when you’re getting
called that as a black man, and
he's one of the only black kids
on our team, that’s not a part of
the game.”
The game ended with the
Sonoraville coach not shaking
hands with JCCHS coach Billy
Kirk, and the Panthers left the
field not shaking hands with the
Phoenix team members.
Kirk said that stems back to
the Boise State-Oregon college
football game from the night
before, where a fight broke out
after the game.
“I was going to shake hands
with him, but I wanted to make
sure he was going to have his
kids under control before I
allowed my kids to do that,”
Kirk said. “When he wouldn't
shake my hand, wouldn’t talk to
me and walked the other way, I
sent my kids up the hill.
“That’s my duty and my
responsibility. I made that deci
sion. That was my decision to
protect my kids.”
NUMBERS GAME
Quarterback Alex Crawford
went 13-19, passing for 114
yards and three touchdowns.
Jalen Banks went 1-3 for three
yards.
Jonathan Holton had four
catches for 64 yards, including
two touchdowns. Zane Cochran
had three catches for 26 yards,
including one touchdown.
Michael Pesaresi had three
catches for 10 yards. Charles
Smothers had one catch for two
yards. Charlie Waycaster had
one catch for 12 yards.
Smothers had five carries for
83 yards, including one touch
down. Crawford had nine car
ries for 36 yards. Rob Williams
had three carries for 17 yards.
Josh Spanks had a 44-yard
interception touchdown return.
Kicker Garret Daglis had five
successful PATs.
_
JACKSON COUNTY
REPUBLICAN PARTY
Breakfast Meeting
Public Welcome
$6.50 per person
Sat., Sept. 12, 2009 • 7:30 a.m.
Guest Speaker:
Gary Black
Candidate for Agricultural
Commissioner
Location: Beef O’Brady’s
Hwy. 129 • Kroger Plaza
Jefferson, Ga.
Ron Johnson, Chairman
Financial Peace University
is a video-driven small group study
that teaches families to beat debt,
build wealth and
give like never before!
CLASS STARTS SOON!
Faith Baptist of Jefferson
Classes Start
Monday, September 21
at 7pm.
Register online
or call the church office!
CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION frjllilMAkEEl
daveramsey.com