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PAGE 2B PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MAY 26. 2011 Jessie Yeargin signs to play soccer at Shorter University Racing Views Short tracks battle Mother Nature Standing: Coach Brian Barnhill, Athletic Director Steve Sewell, Coach Paige Hightower, PHS Principal Chris Williams; sitting: Pam Yeargin, Jessie Yeargin and Mitch Yeargin. Jessie Yeargin of PHS recently signed a “Letter of Intent” to play soccer for the Shorter University Hawks. Jessie will be the first Pickens High School student to play col lege soccer and to receive a soc cer scholarship. Jessie Yeargin has played four seasons with the PHS. After narrowing down her options, she chose Shorter Uni versity. It’s a decision she based on the hospitality she felt while Cotinued from IB Track and Field Tyler Craig (pole vault), Ethan Logan (shot put), Luis Lozoya (distance) and Justin Weaver (distance). PHS Track coaches also pre sented “Coaches’Awards” to ath letes who exhibited exceptional sportsmanship, team spirit and commitment to training. Pre sented with “Coaches’ Awards” for 2011 were Mollie Shaw (dis tance) for the ’Nettes, and Con nor Johnson (pole vault) for the Dragons. School record plaques were presented to athletes who set new all-time PHS records in their events. Two pole vaulters re ceived the awards for 2011, Megan Dixon for the ’Nettes (new PHS pole vault record 10’3”) and Tyler Craig for the Dragons (new PHS pole vault record 14’6”). Presented with Varsity Letters for 2011 in addition to the ath letes listed above were Candra Holmes, Haley Lewis, Kylie Parker, and Chelcy Spriggs for the ’Nettes. For the Dragons, re ceiving varsity letters in addition to those listed above were Levi Bruce, Ben Burnley, Joey Ciulla, Jake Coleman, Maxim Downs, Will Elrod, Corey Evans, Michael Glass, Trey Hampton, Tyler Harrington, Tanner Jordan, Fletcher Klossing, T.J. Levy, Jackson Martinez, Turner Mora- nos, Dustin Nelson, Daulton Reeves, Tate Rizoti, Riley Shaw, Nathan Thompson, Randall Wilkens and Dalton Word. Re ceiving Participation Awards were Wyatt Ingram, Josh South ern, Olivia Lee and Destiny Shim. Recognition is in order once visiting the school in Rome, Ga. “The people made me feel at home,” said Yeargin who plans to major in Early Childhood Ed ucation and become a teacher one day. Yeargin also was im pressed with the head Coach Jen nifer Colley. “She was a nice person,” said Yeargin, “but I know she is going to make me work hard.” Yeargin has a good head on her shoulders and will succeed again for those who qualified for the Girls’ and Boys’ State Track & Field meets and for those who recently signed college scholar ships to continue competing at the college level. For the Drag ons, Tyler Craig placed 2nd in the AAA pole vault, senior Justin Weaver placed 9th in the 1600 meter run and 5th in the 3200 meter run, and sophomore Drew Bellows qualified for State in the 3200 meter run. For the ’Nettes, Megan Dixon placed 5th in the AAA pole vault. Congratulations also to Justin Weaver (Georgia Tech) and Ashley Logan (Shorter University) who recently signed scholarships to run track and cross country in college. PHS Track and Field coaches academically. Yeargin is very thankful to have been coached during her tenure at the high school by coaches Paige High tower, Brian Barnhill and Will Nix. Without the coaches and the soccer program, this scholarship would not have been possible. The coaches and the program have really made great contribu tions regarding Yeargin’s life de cisions and future plans. would like to thank all of the booster club parents and support ers who helped make the 2011 track season run smoothly and successfully! By Jumper Cable Man This past week I received a call from a track owner/promoter who called to talk to me about his decision concerning calling races off in cases of rain. This owner/promoter had called a race off a weekend or so ago and had been called all kinds of names for doing so since it didn’t rain. Having suffered through many races where he should have called them and didn’t and then had to pay the purse and had no fans to speak of in the grandstands, this owner/pro moter was at the end of his rope. As I have said many times be fore, the Weather Channel is the worst thing that ever happened to short track racing! Bar none! When fans hear that there is any chance of rain they immediately make plans not to go to the races. If the owner/promoter calls the race off and it doesn’t rain, then he is the bad guy not the Weather Channel who made the wrong call on it raining but the owner/promoter who relied on that information to make his de cision. This owner/promoter decided to do something about it. He called all his racers together last week and gave them his revised method to do business when the weather people say it is going to rain. His new policy is that on Saturday morning at 9, you need to listen to WSB Radio and lis ten for the weather report. If they call for a 10 percent chance of rain, there will be racing and it will pay the full purse. If they call for a 20 percent chance of rain, there will be racing but the purse will be reduced. If they call for a 30 percent or greater chance of rain, there will be rac ing with no purse but a reduced pit pass cost. And in this case, the owner/promoter tells the rac ers that ya’ll should be real care ful out there racing in the rain! This policy will allow the track owner/promoter to adjust for the fact that the fans will not be there to support the event. The fewer the fans, the less the out go from Local high school and middle school Cross Country runners will be gathering for informal training runs this summer at Roper Park beginning Wednes day, June 1, at 6:50 a.m. Runners will meet each Monday, Wednes day and Friday at 6:50 to “beat the heat” beginning June 1 and continuing throughout the sum mer. Participation is voluntary with no charge to runners and runs will be confined to the area around Roper Park. Local Com munity Distance Coach Robin Dunn and other parents who have been involved with Cross Country will be available for the owner/promoter pocket. Will this solve the problem of rain outs? Probably not, but it will be interesting to see how this works for this owner/pro moter. This might be the way all racing moves as less and less fans show up to watch. This is, after all, a profit-driven business in spite of the fact that it doesn’t look like one or work like one to most people. Until the fans get over depending on the Weather Channel to be right 100 percent of the time, the promoter is al ways going to be at the mercy of the forecasters. This past weekend a young racer just graduating from high school made the headlines at Penton Raceway in Penton, Al. According to the press release from the NeSmith Chevrolet Crate Racing Series “Chase Edge of Lafayette, AL, high lighted a busy week on and off the track with a second-place finish in the Edge’s Gas Com pany special. The defending Ne Smith Chevrolet Weekly Racing Series Old Man’s Garage (OMG) Champion and current VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Year point leader moved up to the fifth spot in the NeSmith Chevrolet DLMS point stand ings. “Friday night we still do not know if Boyd’s Speedway in Ringgold will be racing or not as their Web site is still down but Oglethorpe Speedway Park in Pooler (Savannah) will be closed on Friday night. “Edge, who celebrated his 18th birthday on Monday, got to the track just in time to qualify for the race after attending his high school graduation with hon ors earlier in the evening in nearby Lafayette, Al. Edge then went out and won the first of four eight-lap heat races to earn the fifth starting spot for the main event. Edge was also the VP Racing Fuels Rookie of the Race.” This story on Chase Edge re minds me a lot of how it was back at Sugar Creek Raceway in training tips and runners will be encouraged to run with others of similar ability from “beginners” to “advanced.” All runners who plan on run ning Cross Country are strongly encouraged to train regularly and consistently according to running plans geared to their level of fit ness during the summer. Runners who train regularly will be more likely find enjoyment in the sport, effectively avoid injury in addition to running more com petitively during the upcoming Cross Country season that will begin in August. Runners will also have the op- Blue Ridge where Shane Tanker- sley of Blue Ridge graduated and raced the same night. He was not successful in getting his mother to approve of him wear ing his driving uniform imder his graduation gown so that he could dash right to the track and go racing. I wonder if Edge tried to get his mother to allow him to wear his fire suit under his gown? On Saturday night the dirt on 441 Speedway in Dublin will be flying high as they will bring you a full racing program plus a Pure Stock Shootout paying $800 to win. Cochran Speedway in Cochran will be offering a full racing program again on Sat urday night. At Dixie Speedway in Woodstock they will be cele brating their 42nd anniversary with a Ml racing program and a Super Late Model feature event paying $2,000 to win and they top this off with a Demo Derby for your entertainment. Gordon Park Speedway in Gordon Park (Augusta) will be racing this weekend May 28 with a full rac ing program. New Senoia Race way in Senoia will host a full racing program plus Spectator Drag Races. At North Georgia Speedway in Chatsworth they will be entertaining all the fans with a full racing program. At Screven Motor Speedway in Syl- vania they will be will be closed this weekend but Swainsboro Speedway in Swainsboro, GA will be open and offering a full racing program. At Waycross Speedway in Waycross they will return this week with a full rac ing program. For the asphalt fans Lanier National Speedway in Gainesville will be closed per their Web site but you might want to call and be sure. Please give us your com ments, information, questions, and corrections by mail at P.O. Box 1522, Woodstock, Ga. 30188-1522 or by e-mail at Jca- bleman@aol.com starts June 1 portunity to attend summer run ning camp which will be held from July 10-16 at Brevard Dis tance Runners Camp (Brevard College, Brevard, N.C.). A group from Pickens is organizing now for their 6th annual pilgrim age to running camp and both high schoolers and experienced middle schoolers can attend. For more information about camp, go to www.brevarddistancerun- nerscamp.com. For more infor mation about summer training contact Robin Dunn at 770-548- 1966 or jasper counseling@elli- jay.com Special Olympics compete By Kristy Martinez The Pickens County Local Special Olympics Summer Games were held on April 29 at Pickens High School. Athletes participated in several track and field events including the 50 Meter Dash, Softball Throw, Wheel Chair Race, Tennis Ball Throw and other fun activities. The Partners Club, made up of PHS students, provided an in dividual helper for each athlete. The partners accompanied the participants to their events and gave constant support and en couragement. The Special Olympics ath letes and committee would like to thank all of their supporters for making this year’s event a success. Lot for sale (7.75 acre) Off of Grandview Road, across the road from lake, near dam (close to back gate of Bent Tree). Easy access. Very se cluded, surrounded by conservation land. Nice ridge running center of property, mostly hardwoods, down sloping. REDUCED AGAIN! $6,400. A share of Class A stock in Grandview Lake Corp. also available to give full use of Grandview Lake only 2 minutes away. 770-893-7230 great view OF sharptop mountain PHS Track coaches presented “Coaches’ Awards” to ath letes who exhibited exceptional sportsmanship, team spirit, and commitment to training. Receiving Coaches ’Awards for 2011 were Connor Johnson and Mollie Shaw. XC Summer Running Club Mtn. Tennis The Mountain Tennis Association Block Party will be June 4, 1-5, at Big Canoe Tennis Center. Free Round Robin Mixed Dou bles; 2 sessons -1-3 and 3-5. There will be pizza and drinks, draw ings for prizes with one going towards local high school scholarships and MTA. Contact Bill Swift, 770-893-2623, or Bruce Monhollen, 706-268-3367, for more information. Contact Patty Coffey, 706-579-1840, for required reservations. Stay for an evening at the Terraces for the Live Bait Band, $20, no reservations needed. f Register Now/ N SUMMER TENNIS CAMP OfferedbyBent Tree Session 1 June 6-9, 2011 Session 2 June 20-23, 2011 Session 3 July 18-21, 2011 M -Th 11-1 $100 per Session Contact Coach Bill Swift V 770-893-2623 J Dragonettes Summer Basketball Camp When: June 6th-9th Where: Pickens High School Gymnasium Time: 8:30 a.m.-ll:30 a.m. For: Girls in upcoming grades 1-9 Cost: $70 Fundamentals Covered: • Shooting • Passing • Rebounding • Ball Handling • Defense • Team Skills Games and Fun Competitions: • Gotcha • Dribble Tag • Hot Shot • Free Throw Competition • Team Games Each camper will receive Camp T-Shirt Watermelon Please return the bottom portion along with payment to the address listed below. Name of Camper Address City State. Age Date of Birth_ Upcoming Grade T-Shirt Size (Youth or Adult) Parent/Guardian Home Phone # Work/Cell # Address Please return this form to: Alison Loggins Zip Pickens High School 500 Dragon Drive Jasper, GA 30143 For More Information: Office: 706-253-1810 Email: kevinjacobs@pickens.kl2.ga.us alisonloggins@pickens.kl2.ga.us Health Information: I hereby state that my child is physically fit and has my permission to participate in all camp activities. I also grant permission to have my child treated by a physician if necessary. Insurance Company: Policy # Parent/Guardian Signature ***Please make checks payable to Nettes Basketball*** Dragon’s Summer Basketball Camps Traditional Camp When: May 31 - June 3 Where: Pickens High School Gymnasium Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12: 00 p.m. For: Boys in upcoming grades 1st - 8th Cost: $75 prepay / $85 at the door Middle School League When: May 31 - June 3 Where: Pickens High School Gymnasium Time: 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. For: Boys in upcoming grades 6th -8th Cost: $40 prepay / $50 at the door Camp Bundle Sign up for both camps for $105 prepay / $115 at the door Sibling Discount $10 off for each sibling attending Please return the bottom portion along with payment to address listed below. Name of Camper Please return this form to: Address Brad Stcinhaucr City State Zip Pickens High School Age Date of Birth 500 Dragon Dr. Upcoming Grade Jasper, GA 30143 Check camp you plan on attending Traditional League Both T-Shirt Size (traditional camp onlv) (Youth or Adult) Parent/Guardian Home Phone For more information: Work/Cell Phone Office: 706-253-1810 Email Address Cell: 706-409-6621 Health Information: bradsteinhauer@pickem.kl2.ga.us I hereby state that my child is physically fit and has my permission to participate in all camp activities. I also grant permission to have my child treated by a physician if necessary. Insurance Company Policy # Parent/Guardian Signature * Please make checks payable to Dragon Basketball Camp