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Sports
8 Veto F. L
Roley I
Sports editor
Panthers told
to improve
women's
sports
Perry High School has been
summoned to the bench of Title IX,
and the result could've been worse.
The Panthers got caught with their
paws somewhat in the cookie jar;
but, they are not the only school
taking a midnight snack, nor are
they, by any means, the worst of
fender.
As I've said in this space before,
the Panthers do better than most
schools for their women athletes.
Women at PHS play, according to
the Federal Department of Educa
tion Title IX report, five sports —
softball, basketball, track, cross
country and tennis—and two coed
sports —soccer and golf. There are
seven men's teams, with football
and wrestling being the additional
teams.
Cheerleading was not counted as
a sport for women, although there
are competitions, and cheerleading
has been recognized as a sport by
the Georgia High School Athletic
Association. At Perry High School,
cheerleading is considered, by the
school, to be a non-competitive ac
tivity.
The federal BOE ordered the Pan
thers to conduct an interest survey
and form, if needed, a new sport for
the women. It is possible for the
Panthers to change cheerleading
from non-competitive to competi
tive to meet this demand. However,
parents have indicated that this
would be unacceptable to them,
since it would not be a new oppor
tunity for the women at the school
to compete.
But, as I've also said, women's
sports still get the short stick, and
that is not a problem isolated to
Perry High School; but, is a prob
lem throughout the county, state
and nation. Title IX promises to
revolutionize sports on all amateur
levels, with gender equality becom
ing a top issue.
A lot of attention is paid to the
coaching of the men’s football,
basketball and baseball teams that
is not paid to the coaching of
women's softball, basketball and,
even, cheerleading.
Where coaches for the men’s
sports are actively recruited, all too
often coaches for the women's
sports is dependent on the members
of the football staff and who of the
football assistants will allow him
self to be inconvenient with a
women's sport. The principal is re
sponsible for finding a cheerleading
coach, or sponsor, if you will, and
often he has to go down the school
halls begging for volunteers.
I'm not saying that this is the
way that it is at Perry High School;
but, it is the way that it is at many,
if not most, of the schools across
the country. Women's sports, espe
cially in the South, are in such a
deplorable condition, that Southern
college coaches looking for a win
ning edge will go outside the South
to recruit their athletes.
Opportunities, also, are lacking
in the women’s sports. While men's
sports abound, women are limited
to what they can do.
For instance, volleyball, a sport
played in most states opposite
football, was not offered by the
GHSA until last year. The sport is
still not offered on a wide basis, as
evidenced by the fact that schools
play in eight geographic areas, and
not on the basis of size and regions.
Carl Thomas is the coach of the
Panther cross country team, which
was singled out by the Title IX re
port at,’ having more meets for the
men's team than the women's team,
said that his women's team ran in
every one of the meets he scheduled
except one. The reason the women
had only five official meets at the
end of the year and the men eight,
was that three schools did not have
a women's cross country team. The
women still ran, but against the
clock, or against one or two other
runners, instead of against other
teams.
Another coach who caught a bad
break in the report was Tony Thrift,
who coaches the men's and
women's tennis teams without an
assistant. For some reason, schedul
ing, facilities, whatever, Thrift had
his women's team practice from 4-6
Please see Roley, page 11A
School officials unhappy with Title IX ruling
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sports Editor
Officials at Perry High School and the Houston Board of
Education found the Title IX compliance review report on the
Panthers disappointing.
"I think that we have a very strong athletic program for our
young ladies," said Phil Smith, principal at Perry High
School. "We've added several programs in the past five years
for our young ladies. As far as us mistreating our young
ladies, we have not ever done that. Our young ladies are just as
important as any other group at Perry High School.
"They (the United States Department of Education) had a
job to do, and they came in a did it," said Smith. "We will
take care of the things they say we are in violation of."
"There was nothing really negative about the whole report,"
said Tony Hinnant, Houston County school superintendent.
"Most of what they recommended, we've already done that."
Hinnant said that most of the violations found by the Title
First week of practice goes well
By VETO F. ROLEY
Sports Editor
After one week of conditioning,
Westfield and Perry High School
football and softball coaches say
that attitudes are still good; but, are
reluctant to say much about posi
m a*
Westfield (top) has Its first
day of contact, opening
up In full pads. Head
Coach Ronnie Jones Is
looking to replace 13
members from his 1993 24
man squad. The Hornets
open up on the road
against Mt. de Sales Aug.
26.
Perry (bottom) Is still In
shorts, although the move
to shoulder pads allows
players to participate In
tackling and blocking drills
using the one, three and
seven men sleds. The
Panthers go to full contact
next Monday In Cochran.
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Dodgers win league title
The Dodgers won the 1994 Perry Parks and Recreation Midget baseball crown
with a 6-3 mark, edging the Braves by a half game. Members of the Dodgers are
Michael Anderson, Sammy Calloway, Kevin Davis, Christopher Dunn, Brian Felder,
Allen Glaser, Jarod Johnson, Josh Knight, Ty Lane, Horace Parker, Mykgo Rumph,
Dave Smith, Rashad Winn and Clay Zielinski. Coaches were Ron Dunn, Tommy
Zielinski and Leon Rumph. Team mother was Allene Smith.
tions since their teams have not
been allowed to do much more than
run.
Perry football
Panther coach John Stephens
said that he was worried since fall
practice had went very well the first
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IX report were beyond the scope of the school, or the district.
For instance, he said that if the federal BOE ordered the Pan
thers to start a volleyball team, then he did not know what the
school would do. "There are no schools (that play volleyball)
in the area," he said.
Hinnant also said that the investigators had their figures
wrong on the percentages of students taking part in the athlet
ics. "The figures are not true," he said.
"Basically, under the GHSA, we have everything available
to them (female athletes)," said Hinnant. "We’ll get through
it."
Panther cross country coach Carl Thomas also took excep
tion to the finding that die women's cross country team partic
ipated in fewer meets than the men's team.
"We made an effort to schedule meets with schools tliat had
teams," said Thomas, who added that his team would show for
a meet only to find that some schools had only a full men's
team. Dodge County, he said, did not have a men's team, but
week.
Georgia High School Athletic
Association rules do not allow the
Panthers to go to full contact until
next week, when the will partici
pate in a football camp at Middle
Georgia College in Cochran. Last
Houston Times-Journal
Wednesday, August 10, 1994, Houston Times -Journal
had a women's team.
Thomas said that the only way he could field a full
women's time (five members) was to use softball players. We
had a hard time getting five," he said.
Thomas said only three teams in Region 3AAA fielded a
women’s cross country team—Perry High School, Jones
County High School and Dodge County High School.
The only meet that the Panthers did not take both the men's
team and women’s team to was a Northside meet, said
Thomas. He added that the meet had an entry fee, and that he
"couldn't guarantee five girls would go." The reason he
couldn’t count on five members for the women's team was that
the softball team had a game on the same day.
"Basically, other than that, we ran in each event," said
Thomas, adding that sometimes his women runners only ran
against one or two other competitors from another school, or
ran against the clock. "That can not be scored as a team event."
Please see Title IX, page 11A
for local teams
week, the rules allowed the team to
conduct drills with helmets only,
with the team moving to shoulder
pads and shorts this week.
Stephens said that attitude during
the first week was very good.
Westfield football
Coach Ronnie Jones is still
looking at answers left over from
last year, when he lost 13 of his 24
players.
"There are so many new kids,"
said Jones. "I'm sure that we are go
ing to look at several kids at differ
ent positions. We have so many
people."
Jones said the Hornets were at
least two deep at each position,
with almost every position up for
grabs.
"Everybody looks good in
shorts," said Jones, whose team
started full contact drills Monday.
"I'm impressed with all of them."
Jones said that getting every
thing that he wanted to get in was
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Sfan Gann is congratulated by Scott Carnley, assistant
pro at Houston Lake Country Club, after winning the
lunior Ron Stafford Invitational.
Gann wins Ron Stafford
Invitational golf tourney
Stan Gann had a good day at
Houston Lake Country Club Fri
day.
The Perry High School senior
stroked a 73 to win the Junior Ron
Stafford Invitational at the country
club. With the first place trophy,
Gann won a $750 scholarship from
the Ron Stafford family.
However, Gann was not without
competition, with Jack Croylc and
Andy Blanton coming in one stroke
behind him for low medallist, both
shooting a 74.
Westfield Academy's Ed Strick
land was fourth with a 75, while
Jess Kelly, Marc Fordham and
Adrian Fletcher were only three
strokes off the pace, each shooting
a 76.
Gann used his low medallist
score to help his two man team
take first place in the men's 16-18-
ycar-old division. Gann and Jeff
Hudson won the competition with a
best hole score of 68.
However, Croylc and Andy Blan
ton prevented a clean sweep by
Gann as the champions the 13-15-
ycar-old division won the overall
championship with a 67, one stroke
better than Gann and Hudson.
Adrian Fletcher and Ryan Moore
finished second in the senior divi
sion, three strokes behind Gann and
Hudson with a 71. Jess Kelly and
John Butler finished the day with a
Page 9A
going to be hard. "There's so much
to try to get in those four weeks."
Westfield softball
"The first week was good," said
head coach Billy Sellers. "We got
to know one another. I don't have
any complaints.”
Sellers said that his team learned
quickly of his desire to play de
fense. "We are going to do the little
fundamental things right," he said.
"The hitting part will come. The
hitting will come naturally. We
will definitely be able to get people
out."
Although the first year Hornet
coach is not exactly sure were all
his players will go, he said he does
have some idea where most of them
will fit in. Julie Fryer will anchor
first while Stephanie Barr, Mary
Catherine Walker, Laura Posey,
Lauren Byrd and Autumn West will
fill out the infield. "I'm not sure
who is going where yet," he said.
Please see Roundup, page 11A
73 for third.
Zac Zschiesche and Fordham
were four strokes behind Croyle and
Blanton for second. Robert Harrison
and Clint Tyson took third, with a
combined score of 72.
"The turnout was great," said
Scott Carnlcy, assistant pro at
Houston Country Club. "We had
good participation." Carnlcy said 44
players turned out for the tourna
ment.
The Rod Stafford tournament
was not the only golf at Houston
Lake last week. On Thursday, July
28, the course was the site of quali
fying for the Georgia Open.
Austen Abney, Steve Parlce,
Shannon Lipharn and Maury
Beasley had the top qualifying
round, each coming into the club
house with a 71. In all, 15 golfers
qualified for the Georgia Open.
Joining Abney, Parlec, Lipharn
and Beasley in qualifying were Jeff
Henderson (72), Dave Hill (73),
Thad Register and Randy Pollock
(each, 74), Russ Dunaway, Rodney
Murray and Wayne Burnette (75),
Blake Adams, Charles Harper Jr.,
and Shaw Blackmon (76), and Todd
Joseph (77). Eric Priestley was
named first alternate after shooting
a 77, and Strickland was named
second alternate.after finishing with
a 78.