Newspaper Page Text
JULY 13, 2016
The Commerce News
The Banks County News
Phone: 706-621-7204
Fax: 706-367-8056
cameron@mainstreetnews.com
Section B
CHS Softball
Former player turned head
coach leading Tigers in 2016
Climbing the ladder
CJ Wilkes is pictured swinging at a pitch in 2008
during her senior season with the Lady Tigers.
She’ll go from former player to head coach this
year as she leads the Lady Tigers into 2016.
BY CAMERON
WHITLOCK
New Commerce High
School head softball coach
CJ Wilkes knows what it
takes to lead the Lady Tigers.
In her senior season
(2008) at Commerce High
School, she helped lead
her team to a state section
al semifinals and a top-10
ranking in Class A. Now,
eight years later, she’s trad
ed in her bat and glove for a
coach’s whistle.
Wilkes was hired as the
Lady Tigers’ new head
coach this summer follow
ing the retirement of long
time program leader Pam
Canup. Wilkes, who played
under Canup, said she’s fully
aware she has “some big
shoes to fill.”
“(Pam) Canup certainly
did a great job while she was
here,” said Wilkes. “I’m so
grateful for this opportunity.
I’m excited to start some
thing new and I’m excited
about the girls. They all
seem motivated, and willing
to play and work hard.”
Wilkes spent the last two
years as the Commerce
Middle School girls’ head
basketball coach. But prior
to coaching hoops, she was
a constant presence around
the Lady Tiger softball facil
ities. Wilkes started started
volunteering with the Lady
Tigers immediately after
graduating from Commerce
in 2009. She continued to
assist the team while playing
one year of college softball
at Truett-McConnell before
transferring to North Georgia
College, where she attained
her bachelor’s degree in
education.
During her time as a mid
dle school coach and vol
unteer, Wilkes coached and
mentored many of the play
ers she will lead this season.
She’s hoping her familiarity
and close relationship with
her players will make for
a seamless transition to a
head coaching role.
“I’ve known all of the girls
for quite some time,” said
Wilkes. “I’ve coached most
of them before and many
of them I worked with when
they were in middle school.
They are a really great group
of girls.”
Wilkes knows it will be an
adjustment when it comes to
taking on the role of a head
coach. But she’s confident
in her ability and believes
she’ll have the best help
available in the form of long
time assistant coach Donnie
Drew.
“(Drew) was my assis
tant coach when I was in
school,” added Wilkes.
“He’s always been a role
model to me. I’ve looked up
CJ Wilkes
to him and he was my sanity
whenever I played at Com
merce. He’s a really good
guy and I’m super happy to
have him to help me and
teach me as well.”
In addition to Drew,
Heather Hobbs will join
the Lady Tiger softball staff
as the head middle school
coach.
The Lady Tigers began
their first full week of prac
tice on Monday. Last week,
Wilkes reported that her
squad enjoyed a couple of
“laid back” practices to start
the summer season. But she
noted that the intensity will
ramp up as the end of sum
mer approaches.
“We’ve had pretty laid
back practices so far,” said
Wilkes. “I haven’t put a
whole lot of my ideas and
philosophies into practice
yet. This week, we are going
to be focusing on a lot of fun
damentals and basics of the
game. I will put my stamp
on the team—whatever that
may be — once we are clos
er to the (regular) season.”
Commerce expects to
be a relatively young team
this season, with only a few
returning seniors and juniors
to bolster the roster with
experience. Wilkes hopes to
have her young players step
into key roles during a slate
of summer games in late
July. Wilkes said her primary
focus for the year will be
team building and “nailing
fundamentals.”
“Of course, I want to see
the program and the team
be successful, but more
than anything, I just want to
see our girls be successful
in life,” said Wilkes. “I want
to teach them how to be
good kids and strong people
through the game.”
Announcements
Recreation swimming
Cheer Tigers holding
kids camp in July
The Commerce High School cheerleading
squad will host its second annual “Kiddie
Camp” on July 18-21.
Children will learn official Commerce Tiger
cheers from the state champion Cheer Tigers.
The camp will run from 5-6:30 p.m. daily at
the CHS gym.
The registration cost is $25 (T-shirt includ
ed). For more information, contact Brandy
Martin at brandymartininteriordesign@gmail.
com.
BCPRD hosting
cheerleading camp
The Banks County Parks and Recreation
Department will hold a youth cheerleading
camp July 18-21 at the BCPRD gym.
The camp is for children ages 9-14, and will
mn from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., daily.
Registration costs $30 and includes snacks.
Checks must be made payable to the BCPRD.
For more information, contact the BCPRD
at 706-677-4407 or bwhitmire@co.banks.ga.us.
BCPRD hosting
Zumba camp
The BCPRD is hosting two Zumba kids camp
sessions this summer. The first session is set
for June 20-23, while the second session is
planned for July 18-21.
The camp is for children ages 6-12 and runs
from 8 a.m. to noon, daily, at the BCPRD gym.
Registration cost $60 per session.
To register, contact instmctor Kelly Linde-
man at 678-425-5501 or lindemanl81@gmail.
com.
BCPRD unveils
volleyball camp
The Banks County Parks and Recreation
Department will offer a new youth volleyball
camp July 25-29 (excluding Wednesday), at the
BCPRD gym.
The camp is for children ages 7-and-up, and
will mn from 6 to 8 p.m., daily. The BCPRD
invites parents to attend the camp to partici
pate, observe or volunteer as coaches.
Registration costs $50 Checks must be made
payable to the BCPRD.
Commerce Tiger Shark Madison Epps comes up for air during the breast stroke portion of the 200-medley
relay at the North Georgia Swim League meet on Friday in Gainesville. Photo by Ben Munro
Commerce takes fifth at NGSL meet
The Commerce Tiger
Sharks swam to a fifth-place
finish at the North Georgia
Swim League meet last week
end.
The NGSL meet hosted 13
teams - making it the sec
ond-largest swim meet of the
year for the Tiger Sharks.
“It’s always a unique oppor
tunity for our swimmers to
race against some fast com
petition,” said coach Pam
Minish.
The meet was split between
two locations based on age
groups. On Friday, 13-18-year-
old swimmers competed at
Frances Meadows Aquatic
Center in Gainesville. The
6-12-year-old swimmers trav
eled to Ruby Fulbright Aquatic
Center in Clarkesville on Sat
urday.
Individuals and relay teams
are awarded points based on
a top-nine finishes in their
respective age divisions. Com
merce swimmers combined
for a total of 266 points, fin
ishing fifth overall and second
among small teams (less than
25 swimmers).
“In the small-team division,
our swimmers helped us
secure a second-place finish,”
said Minish. “Considering the
first-place team is a year-round
team, we were very impressed
and pleased with the compet
itiveness of our swimmers.”
Samantha Davidson and
Austin Ackerman were the
leading scorers for Com
merce. Davidson finished
second among all individuals
in the girls’ 14-under division
and scored 30 points. Acker
man was second in the boys’
12-under group, scoring 32
points. Both swimmers were
awarded trophies for their
individual performances.
Commerce’s 12-under girls’
relay team of Ansley Ayers,
Lauren Massey, Madison Epps
and Reagan Duke placed sec
ond in both the 200-yard free
style and the 200-yard med
ley races, earning 28 points.
Commerce also earned 22
points from its girls’ 10-under
relay team of Naomi Mash-
burn, Gracie Brown, and
Dalty Friedman and Kara
Davidson.
Other individuals scoring
points for Commerce were:
• (6-under girls), Zoey Zell-
ner, nine points; (8-under
girls) Cameron Courtney, 17
points; Lilianna Sears, nine
points; (8-under boys) Will
Bowen, 12 points; Cooper
Moulton, six points; Camden
Moulton, one point; (10-under
girls) Dalty Friedman, 13
points, Kara Davidson, two
points; (12-under girls) Lau
ren Massey, 20 points; Ans
ley Ayers, 12 points; Madison
Epps, two points; (12-under
boys) Jack Friedman, two
points; (18-under girls) Jessie
Pritchett, 19 points.
Jefferson took the crown
at the NGSL swim meet with
930.50 points. Lanier Aquat
ics was second (494.5),
Cumming was third (477),
the Stingray Swim Team was
fourth (454) and Commerce
was fifth (266).
Commerce will close the
2016 summer swim season at
the Georgia Parks and Recre
ation State Swim Meet in Tif-
ton this weekend. The Tiger
Sharks qualified 19 swimmers
for the state competition.