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PAGE 2B - THE COMMERCE (GA) NEWS - TUNE 25, 2008
Commerce News Sports Honored by GSWA
The sports section of The
Commerce News was honored
by the Georgia Sports Writers
Association during its annual
contest.
Mainstreet News reporter Ben
Munro placed third in the Best
Local Feature Story category
for his story on Billy Hendricks,
who was a standout athlete at
Commerce High School and
later a successful high school
basketball coach, battling
Parkinson’s Disease.
Hendricks, who played for
Commerce in the late 50s and
early 60s, is regarded by many
Auto Racing
as one of the best all-round ath
letes to play for Commerce High
School. He went on to coach
basketball at several schools.
Hendricks was also an assistant
football coach for many years.
Munro was serving as sports
editor for The Commerce News
when the story was published.
Current Commerce News sports
editor Brandon Reed placed
first in the Best Local Feature
category for his story on the
Jackson County Speedway,
which operated near Jefferson
in the late 1940s.
The story, which was pub
lished in The Jackson Herald, was
also selected as the winner of
the Division III Furman Bisher
Sweepstakes Award for best
story in classification.
Judges for this year’s contest
included Mark Blaudschun,
sports writer for The Boston
Globe and former president of
the Football Writers Association
of America; Clyde Bolton,
former sports writer with
The Birmingham News; Corky
Simpson, sports writer with The
Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen and Dick
Rosetta, former sports writer
with The Salt Lake City Tribune.
Random Thoughts On A Rough Weekend
Here are a few thoughts after
a long and winding weekend on
the racing trail:
•Obviously, I would be very
remiss if I didn’t start out with the
horrible news from the NHRA
on the passing of champion drag
racer Scott Kalitta.
Kalitta lost his life in a trag
ic crash that occurred in the
final round of qualifying for the
Lucas Oil Supernationals at Old
Bridge Township Raceway Park
in Englishtown, N.J. Saturday.
Kalitta was a second-genera
tion racer, following in the foot
steps of the legendary “Bounty
Hunter,’’ Connie Kalitta. Scott
was a two-time NHRA Top Fuel
champ, picking up 18 wins in
his career. He’s one of only 14
drivers to earn victories in both
Top Fuel and Funny Car nitro
categories.
Kalitta was a formidable oppo
nent. He was a racer’s racer, one
that would fight hard in every
round for the win. Those who
knew him outside of the car say
not only was he a great driver,
but a great father and person.
Kalitta was scheduled to face
off against Robert Hight in the
first round of final eliminations
on Sunday. Hight made a solo
run, with Kalitta’s crew mem
bers standing at the starting line
where Scott’s car would have
been.
Hight slowly idled his car down
the quarter-mile strip in honor of
Scott, as the fans applauded.
It was a powerful tribute to a
competitor who wouldn’t have
wanted it any other way.
Scott Kalitta was 46 years of
age. He leaves behind a wife
and two sons. He will be missed
by his friends, his family and his
fans.
• How much fun was it on
Sunday to finally get to see what
Down
The
Stretch
BY BRANDON REED
Marcos Ambrose can do in a
Sprint Cup Car? The likeable
driver from Tasmania, Australia,
drove the Wood Brothers Ford
like a champ at Infineon Raceway,
until his transmission went south
on lap 83, relegating him to a
42nd place finish.
Despite that, Ambrose had
a smile on his face afterwards.
Other than an on-track run in with
Juan Pablo Montoya, and getting
punted by Elliott Sadler, the for
mer Australian V-8 series cham
pion carried the Wood Brothers
banner high, giving them one of
their most competitive outings of
the year.
Ambrose has worked his
way up since debuting in the
Craftsman Truck series in 2006,
where he recorded two top five
and four top ten finishes. Last
year, he recorded one top five
and six top tens in his first year
in Nationwide series competi
tion, including a controversial
near miss for the win at Montreal.
So far this year in the Nationwide
series, he has one top five and
three top tens in 17 events.
While his background in
Australia comes on road courses,
he has shown himself a diverse
racer by adapting quickly to the
daunting oval tracks that make
up NASCAR’s top three series.
He has a fourth place finish at
Memphis, a sixth at Kentucky,
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and a sixth place finish at the
grueling Darlington Raceway.
Ambrose will make Sunday a lot
more interesting once he moves
up to the Sprint Cup Series full
time, that’s for sure.
•There have been arguments
for years among sports buffs as
to the athleticism of automobile
racers.
I think this may help to put any
doubters to rest. For years it’s
been known that one of the big
factors a racer has to battle over
the course of a race is heat.
This weekend, according to
ESPN, NASCAR monitored in-
car temperatures during qualify
ing at Infineon Raceway.
The temperature inside Brian
Vickers’ car reportedly reached
130 degrees, while another
less insulated car reached 105
degrees.
Temperatures in the old car
used in the Cup series report
edly had gotten as high as 148
degrees.
The closest you can come to
experiencing that would be to go
down the interstate on a 95-degree
day, roll up all your windows and
turn your heater on at full tilt for
three and a half hours.
Want to talk about athletic
endurance now?
Brandon Reed is a reporter
for MainStreet Newspapers, Inc.
Contact him at brandon@main-
streetnews.com.
Sport Shorts And Rec News
Water Aerobics
Offered At Rec. Dept.
This Commerce Rec. Department
activity is a water exercise class for
adult men and women in gen
eral, but it is particularly benefi
cial to individuals with arthritis,
muscular disease, osteoporosis,
heart disease and recovery from
joint replacement as well as other
disabling injuries. Water aerobics
strengthens all muscles and joints
without the stress, stiffness and
soreness which accompany land
exercise programs. Workouts will
require participants to use their
arms, legs, hips and neck and will
elevate the heart rate through the
buoyancy of the water.
Experienced water aerobics
instructor Sharon Pruitt will lead
the class on Mondays, Wednesday,
and Fridays at 11 a.m. The class
will continue through early August.
Cost is $3 per class at the gate. No
advance registration is required.
No children will be admitted to or
allowed during class.
Mom And Tot Swim
Commerce Park and Rec will
host a structured swim activity for
children ages six months through
two years.
The activity is scheduled for each
Tuesday from 11 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
through the end of July. Mothers
or fathers will handle their child in
the water. The sole purpose of
this activity is to acclimate the child
to the water, producing a greater
comfort level.
Pam Minish will lead the activ
ity, which will require no advance
registration. The fee is $3 per visit.
Children should wear air tight rub
ber pants or a special swimming
diaper.
Rec. Basketball Camp
For the first time, the Commerce
Parks & Recreation Department
is offering a basketball camp for
children who feel like basketball is
“their thing.” This camp will stress
the very basic fundamentals of
the game and thus strengthen any
player’s foundational skills.
Former Commerce Middle
School coach Sam Chaney will
serve as the instructor.
Designed for girls and boys who
are rising fourth graders through
rising eighth graders, the camp
will run 10 a.m. until noon July
21-25 at the Commerce Middle
School gym. Registration will be
$40 for city residents, and $60 for
non-residents. Registration will be
limited
Fall Activity Sign-Ups
The Commerce Park and Rec
Department will be accepting reg
istration for its youth programs
begining July 14 through August
1.
Programs include Flag Football/
Flag Cheer for ages 6-8, Tackle
Football/Tackle Cheer for ages
9-12, and soccer ages 4 and up.
Age control dates for football/
cheerleading prior to Sept. 1,
2008. Age control date for soccer
prior to August 1,2008.
Registration will be accepted
weekdays from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. at
the Park & Recreation office at
American Veterans Memorial Park
on Carson Street.
Participants must be present at
the time of registration to be sized
for uniforms.
Birth certificates are required for
all participants. Parents of post
players may call 706-335-3236 to
verify a birth certificate is on file.
No registration will be accepted
without a birth certificate.
For more information on any
of these events, call the recre
ation office at 706-335-3236. Any
updated information will be post
ed on the Commerce website at
www.commercega.org.
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