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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. ■1 %v ■Bnfty %v l>» %v I Iv; *!v M ,♦♦♦♦ — # v< I I t- y SHE T ■ i M afi V m Wm mm Jid hi J j I 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 |g| tf flip . jf^/ik n**»* ■F* " *** *■ v;" s ' v 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 \T ~ ~ JtSi ■B; "WF jk. SBI W J /. gjj 4n ,v 4; . R J j|||i| "4 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.