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THE BANKS COUNTY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26, 2017
Cheer Camp
HAVING FUN
London Rylee is hoisted up by Mitchell Shull (left) and
Sidney Maloy (right) during the Banks County Cheer Camp.
GOING THROUGH THE ROUTINE
Two Banks County High School cheerleaders show a cheer routine to campers at last week’s
Banks County Cheer Camp at the Banks County Parks and Recreation Department. Campers
learned cheers, tumbled and more. Photos by Charles Phelps
FANCY MOVE
Emily Adams does a one-handed cartwheel during a drill at the Banks County Cheer
Camp.
THE CHEER
A group of campers go through a cheer routine taught to them by
some of the Banks County High School cheerleading squad.
Funderburk ... Cont. from IB
has chops for the Braves tomahawk
chop. Hush Puppies is another food
name, just not as creative. Gobblers
refers to turkey hunting.
Then there’s the two decent ones.
Sweet Tea’s because who in the South
doesn’t love sweet tea? And Big Mouths
is a reference to Large Mouth Bass
from Lake Lanier.
Lastly, the likely winner, Buttons,
named for Button Gwinnett, a founding
father, Georgia representative to the
Continental Congress and signer of the
Declaration of Independence.
Again, not a great name by any
means. But does this really deserve the
resistance that it’s getting?
At first fans were just angry that
Gwinnett was changing their name in
the first place.
I was excited when the Gwinnett
Braves made that initial announcement.
I’ve wished for a name change since
the team moved to Lawrenceville from
Richmond, Va., in 2009.
It allows the AAA club to step out of
the MLB club’s shadow and give them
a recognizable and unique brand of
their own. Plus, naming minor league
affiliates after the big-league club is
just boring. There’s a reason why only
30 of the 160 minor league teams from
rookie league to AAA are named after
the MLB affiliate.
That’s not how fans saw it. They
didn’t understand why the nickname
should change.
They’re acting like calling a Braves
minor league club anything other than
the Braves is sacrilege. And now that
the six names that fans can vote for
have been announced, they’re even less
pleased.
But why? It’s baseball; it’s a game.
They’re not warriors fighting for the
livelihood of themselves and their com
munities. They play a game for a living.
This is supposed to be fun, not formal.
Some say, “Who wants to play or
root for the Buttons, or Big Mouths,
or Sweet Tea’s?”
Who cares? You ever go to a college
and see what intramural teams name
themselves? It’s just as silly. More
important than that, it’s fun which is
what baseball is supposed to be.
We’re talking about a team made up
of teenagers and young adults who for
their whole lives have taken this sport
as seriously as possible to achieve
their dream of playing professional
baseball. Who are we as fans to say
that they shouldn’t have to play for a
team with a silly nickname?
For some of these guys, baseball
was their only way out of terrible sit
uations. Some of them were pushed
rigorously by coaches and parents
because their superior talent present
ed itself at a very young age.
With all the money, all the work,
all the formalities involved, I think
many have forgotten that baseball is
a game.
Not just any game, America’s pas
time. A game we sit in our seats in
the nice spring and summer air. Buy
a 24-ounce cup of Coke, a hot dog,
maybe some popcorn or peanuts. We
applaud good hits and catches, jeer
at umpires who can’t quite judge the
strike zone how we want them to.
All of this while a man on a little
hill throws a ball toward a guy in a
mask while another guy with a big,
wooden club tries to hit the ball. And
seven other guys try to catch and
throw the ball around.
What does it matter if the team’s
nickname is a little silly?
Lighten up, it’s baseball.
It’s just a game.
Kyle Funderburk is a reporter for
Mainstreet Newspapers. He can be
reached at kyle@mainstreetnews.
com.
Phelps ... Cont. from IB
ahead and played the last
five holes in 5-under par.
Clutch. True grit. That’s what
I think of. Again, Tigeresque.
Think of the 2005 Masters,
Tiger was staring a bogey
square in the face when he
made a chip-in birdie on the
16th hole during the final
round. The birdie gave him
a two-stroke cushion that he
needed because he would
bogey the final two holes
of the tournament and drop
into a playoff.
Or Tiger making a bird
ie on the first-playoff hole
during the PGA Champion
ship in 2000. First, he had
to make a nogimmie 7-foot
birdie putt just to make the
playoff. Then, he makes
birdie on the first-playoff
hole and didn’t look back.
Timely birdies. Timely
pars. Timely everything it
seems.
That’s where the compar
ison of Spieth and Woods
truly is. Like Woods, Spieth
capitalizes on any advantage
given to him.
At 23 years old, Spieth has
three majors: The Masters,
U.S. Open and Open Cham
pionship. That’s three legs
of the career Grand Slam.
Tiger was 24 when he won
his third-career major, which
was also the third leg of the
career Grand Slam at the his
toric 100th U.S. Open in 2000
at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Spieth has a flare for the
dramatic, like Tiger. Spieth
has a nose for the lead, like
Tiger. Spieth has the “it” fac
tor coming down the stretch,
like Tiger.
He’s starting to be come
my favorite golfer. One day,
a long time from now, I’m
thinking the year may be
2047 when he’s 53 years old,
I may be saying, “Jordan Spi
eth, the greatest golfer of all
time.”
Charles Phelps is a
reporter for MainStreet
Newspapers.
INVITATION TO BID
Banks County will be receiving sealed bids to provide Banks County EMA / E-911 with a 911
Recording System.
This invitation is advertised July 18, 2017 and will be published in the Banks County News and in
Access North Georgia as well as posted on the County website at bankscountvga.org .
The complete bid package may be downloaded from bankscountvga.org or by emailing
dmoore@co.banks.ga.us or by calling the EMA / E-911 Director 706-677-3163 to have a copy
mailed or emailed to you.
All parties interested in bidding that may have questions about the bid must submit all questions
in writing via email to dmoore@co.banks.ga.us so that all parties bidding may be copied on those
questions and answers.
All interested parties must RSVP for a mandatory Pre-Bid Meeting. RSVP due by July 27,
2017. Mandatory Pre-Bid at Banks County Annex, located at 150 Hudson Ridge on July 28,
2017 at 10a for those that RSVP. Sealed bids due on or before 10:00a.m.; August 25,2017.
They should be submitted to the Banks County Commissioner's Office located at 150 Hudson
Ridge, Suite 1, Homer, Georgia 30547.
Dates are subject to change should unforeseen events arise. Any changes in dates will be posted
on the Banks County website at www.co.banks.ga.us.
Advertised: July 18, 2017
Mandatory Pre-Bid: July 28, 2017 @ 10a
Sealed Bids Due: August 25, 2017
Potential Bid Award: September, 2017
Potential Install / Go Live: September or October, 2017