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PAGE 2B THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2008 £Vi. rr4pc na av/wr.-** M*vnrun jncrtviv Mpna I meed fare cfty C» T w chargm rarr-ThoM. Sac fdrvfl Igr xat Outdoors With Skipper Friday free of work, but full of activities U sually I take Friday’s off from work to enjoy a long weekend. Last Friday was no different, but what a great day it was. It all began, as I slept in until around 8 a.m., instead of my usual, up at 6:30 routine. Heading to the kitchen, I looked out the window towards the corn feeder and there were four bucks having breakfast. One was a six pointer, and the others were four. I usually have nothing but does around. I enjoyed that event, and then had my bowl of cereal, along with some sausage. Heading once more to the kitchen window, I found out there were some more visitors. Two gobblers with about six-inch beards were poking around for some corn. It made me realize that turkey season is not too far away. It was now time to head up to the river for a bit of trout fish ing. We wanted to see what was around after the dry summer and lack of rain. My friend had his tractor running, and a wood box attached to the three-point hitch for hauling firewood. A metal chair fit in the box nicely, so with him handling the driving, I sat in the wood box for a trip way back in the woods to our fishing spots. It was a great arrangement, and saved a whole lot of walking. At the first spot, I had a trout follow my spinner bait up to the sandbar, but he wouldn’t take the lure. At least there was one there. Changing baits, I had him on for a moment, but that was all. Nothing seemed to work at that spot. We headed to a second location, and I couldn’t get anything there. We made a last stop at the “sand bar.” That’s where my late friend Dr. Blumer had a most enjoyable The Great Outdoors By Skipper Smith 706-677-1520 fight with a nice trout. Last one, before he went on to Glory. My friend left to check the mail and have lunch while I stayed in the woods. I soon had a fairly nice trout on, and walked the bank to get my camera while fighting it, but it got away. Oh well, I’ll just move around the bend and try again. Sure enough, I was soon onto another nice fish, bigger than the earlier one. With the drag scream ing, it headed up river. I tried to steer it clear of the snags and was successful, back it came towards me. I heard the tractor returning, and the engine shutting down. I hollered to my friend to come take a look and enjoy the moment with me. He made it to the bluff over looking the battle, and watched as I now had the fish in hand. Around a four pounder, we fig ured. Releasing the fish for someone else to enjoy, it was time to climb aboard and head back. After tak ing my wife with me on a few errands later that afternoon, it was time for an evening event. I had been invited to Wilder Outdoors annual get together. Something I enjoy, good food, fellowship, and nice gifts to win. Wilder’s is a first class location for hunting and fishing equip ment. I took Daniel Wilson from Homer Hardware with me along with his son Sam. We had a big time enjoying the food, and looking at all the hunt ing and fishing items.They also had several majestic birds-red- tailed hawks and others, from the local falconry group. These birds, as Daniel described, are “regal” looking. Perhaps, we can tell you more in an upcoming story about this great sport. There were three main prizes to be given away: a fly rod, a Hoyt compound bow, and a rifle. As the winner of the bow was announced, they called out over the loudspeaker, “Daniel Wilson.” Wow, Sam and I exclaimed, “Your dad has won!” Sure enough, he was the win ner. Now, I guess the bow was a payback for Daniel being nice to an older fellow like me. His son attends Washington and Lee University in Lexington,Va. I also attended there and played on the undefeated football team in 1960. Daniel one day recently was wearing a cap with a W and L logo on it. He asked me if I would like one. I said sure, it has been 48 years since I might have had one. Earlier in the week, he had been up at the school, and brought me back a new W and L cap as a gift. It just goes to show you, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” A nice cap, and he got a $1,000 bow. I don’t know of a nicer fellow to win it though. Well, the trip to Wilder Outdoors capped off a great Friday. Let me know about your outdoors story. Skipper Smith is an outdoors columnist for The Banks County News. His column appears weekly. Let him know about your hunting or fishing adventure at 706-677-1520. Offered by United Community Bank in partnership with Paragon Benefits. 2025 Homer Road Commerce, GA 706-423-9300 ucbi.com Is a Health Savings Account right for me? Whether you're a business owner searching for affordable health care options for your employees or a person who would like more control over their family's health care spending - a tax-free HSA can benefit you with: » Long-term savings » Substantial tax savings » Interest earnings » Stays with you - fully portable » HSA checks and debit card Contact us for more information and current rates/fees. You may also contact our HSA Customer Support toll free at 866-719-6039. Member FDIC Health Savings Accounts (HSA) must be used in conjunction with a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). HDHPs typically offer cost effective insurance premiums compared to traditional insurance plans. United Community Bank. The Bank That SERVICE Built." u UHGotj in Fi' A ra SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN The Banks County Middle School Leopards enjoyed another standout season this winter. Team members include, front row, from left, Billy Hudgins, Mark Loggins and Tucker Gardiner; back row, from left, coach John Bertrang, Ermain Corona, Jameson Flynn, John Morgan, Kyle Smith, Clayton Martin, Blake Griffith, Jacob Blalock, Abraham Loggins, Jonah Thomas and manager Brandon Linn. BCMS... continued from page 1B Shedd admits that he has a drive to be successful but notes winning games is not the primary focus at the middle school level. “My goal is to help these girls learn the fundamentals of basketball and prepare them for the next level in high school,” he said. “The greatest reward I could receive would be to see all of the girls I have coached graduate from high school and hopefully attend college. The most important thing to me is to see the girls become good people and successful citizens after their basketball careers are over. I would feel a great sense of accom plishment knowing that I have played a small part in the lives of my athletes and helped them to have successful futures.” Shedd’s counterpart at BCMS can usually be found in some gym or another this time of the year. Bertrang, in addition to his duties at BCMS, is also a varsity assistant at Banks County High School and also helps with the junior varsity Leopards at BCHS. Bertrang said his goal in coaching the middle school team is a simple one: to prepare the players for the next level. “I am getting them ready to play for Coach (Mike) Ruth,” Bertrang said recently. “That’s what it’s about. We want to them to be prepared to compete at the high school level.” Since he is obviously familiar with Ruth’s system at BCHS, Bertrang runs the same systems and schemes. The respect Bertang has for Ruth is returned in kind. “I can’t say enough good things about Coach B,” Ruth said. “He means so much to basketball in Banks County. He is willing to go the extra mile to help the basketball teams and doesn’t mind coaching any of the teams in the school system.” Baseball, softball registration concludes Friday The Banks County Parks and Recreation Department will host baseball and softball registration beginning Monday and continuing through Friday, Feb. 15. Registration fee for both sports is $40. Age control is May 1 for baseball and Jan. 1 for softball. For additonal information, contact the recreation department office on Thompson Street in Homer at 706-677-4407. Information is also available at www.bankscounty. recware.com. Get into a wireless relationship that's worth holding onto. Cellular Center, a Verizon Wireless premium retailer is the place to go for knowledgeable sales people who care about your needs. V Short wait time V Personal service V Great deals V '■? Incredible selection of phones & accessories V So what are you waiting for? Come to your neighborhood Cellular Center today! Bundle up in February and get up to $30 off an accessory bundle! Cellular Center veriyonwireless frwniiw itflirffr Your neighborhood wireless s tore Commerce Hwv wisi-ss 706-335-ots<i Jefferson US-CSS/fiA-lfis Old Ptrvflenjfasi Bd 706-3BJ-06S3