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Sports Dotson and Cosey partnership Duo enjoy teaching Perryans tennis By Toeey Jouubt Catesby Dotson and Paul Cosey believe a good backhand is necessary for children along with a strong forehand, volley, and serve when playing tennis. Dotson and Cosey have been teaching tennis to children in the Perry Recreation Department for three years. “I enjoy working with the kids. It gives them some thing to be involved with and introduces them to a sport other than football, baseball, and basketball," said Dotson, adding it helps keep him young too. Young is exactly what these two men seem. Dot son will be 76 years old “in a couple of weeks." Cosey will celebrate his 66th birthday come November. “The game keeps me sharp. No question about that. The physical activity, it's brutal. But I can hon estly say I do not feel any different now at 76 than when 1 was 56," said Dot son. “I play once a week with Paul and then 1 play with another friend who lives in Warner Robins as well. And just to keep myself in prac tice, I fill a basket with 60 balls and practice my serve," said Dotson. He said he empties the basket five times before calling it a day. Jody Johnson, Interim director of the Recreation Department, said, “They impress me. They teach class from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday." Johnson said the heat and humidity do not seem to phase Dotson and Cosey either. According to Wanda Sweat, mother of three children who are taking the tennis lessons, “They have been doing this for three years. When it got so hot, kids would be fading out. Not Catesby and Paul. They would bring drinks and cool wet rags for the kids.” “The heat doesn’t bother me. Cold, well, that is a dif ferent stoiy. I was glad to get out of Kentucky. It is Hr' !§MWTjBbS LEARNING THE GAME Attending basketball camp at Perry High are (back row, left to right) T. Scott, Aman dria Ragin, Sabre' King, Jolynn Greco, Shuntina Davis, Lady Panthers host first basketball camp at PHS BrALLINE KENT Hoy Jwww toom A new tradition for young ladies began in Perry last week as the the first annual Lady Panthers’ Basket ball Camp was held June 14-16. The campers were exposed to offen sive and defensive skills each morning with a strong emphasis on lay-ups and shooting. The girls in camp, most between the ages of 12-14, had a chance to develop basketball skills and funda mentals. both individually and on a team. This camp was designed to help the middle school girls learn the system a I 1 f | ■ $ - • y~*y"**» | i_ l ? H i ■ 1 I 5 * I Ii■I« 1 j* I 'gggmSlmmk I / \ jgBBBBp * \ .ter I I ■. 4k JEnMPr WBmf? Sw BBS? & ..... : ■ ■ r "1 V I 5. 1111 t i j I J Home Journal Photo by Torey Jolley READY TO TEACH Paul Cosey (left) for a game of tennis, and Catesby Dotson (right) are always up mighty cold in them hills,” said Dotson. Both men claim the game means a lot to them. They have been playing tennis for more than 40 years. “I been playing since I was big enough to pick up a racket. I grew up in Paris, Ky., with two brothers. We all loved the game, but we didn’t have a court. So. we dug up the grass. That gave us a clay court and we used lime to make the lines. The net was chicken wire," said Dotson. Cosey admits he did not start playing tennis until he was out of high school but since that time he has not slowed down much. “I am proud I am able to get out and do this at my age. Cates and I have been playing for about 40 years, it is such a good sport," said Cosey. Cosey plays tennis often during the week. “I’ll play once a week after the lessons with Cates and on Saturdays with others,” explained Cosey. One of the “others” is Cosey’s wife. “The girls were very enthusiastic. They were willing to work on their game of basketball. I hope the camp continues to grow each year.” Middle School Coach Leslie Belcher used at Perry High School. Coach Max Vickers, head Girls’ Basketball coach at Perry High and Camp Director, stated, “This will help the transition as the girls go from the middle school to the high school." On Wednesday afternoon. Shuntina Davis won the free throw contest in a shootout against Brittny Walker. Reunekiea Williams won the game Nellie. He has played for USTA tennis league for the last five years. Dotson does not play ten nis with his wife, Daisy; however, they do play golf together. The fact they do not play tennis together has not bothered their mar riage. “We have been married for 57 years and still going strong," said Dotson. According to both men they can make no promises to teach tennis in the year 2000 until “at least April." “We love working with the kids. Teaching them basic strokes. We hope to teach them how to play the game right. Perhaps then they can play in high school and college, “ said Cosey. Both give great thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Perry. “Without the Kiwanis Club, I don’t know what we would do," said Dotson. “The Kiwanis Club calls us up year after year to ask how much money do we need." The club provides funds for trophies and such for the class’ end-of-camp Brittany Walker, Lydia Diaz, (front row, left to right) Eydie Ekorikoh, Jimesa Foster, Stephanie Childs, Ashley Fairfax, Reunekiea Williams, and Kristin Schratt. Page 6A Wed., June 23. 1999 tournament. Teaching kids tennis is not the only thing these men have done for the city of Perry’s tennis courts. They lobbied for city funds to improve the courts for people to enjoy. “A few years ago, these courts were in sad shape. We went to the city council and asked for the funds to redo them." said Dotson. "I was almost on my knees begging for the funds. Finally, they gave us the money. When the crew came to redo the courts, I was here ready to help." Dotson and Cosey believe Rozar Park is nice in many ways. Yet. they haven’t failed to notice the growth of the baseball fields and the soccer area “They need more space here. The talk about it. I can see turning the tennis courts into more ball fields as a possibility. I only hope they make new courts somewhere else. And they better hurry so I can use them,” said Dotson. Home Journal Photo by Tortey Jolley of “Gotcha". Ashley Fairfax won the three-point contest. “The girls were very enthusiastic," said Coach Leslie Belcher, a coach at Perry Middle School who assisted Vickers. “They were willing to work on their game of basketball. I hope the camp continues to grow each year," Belcher added. Houston Horn Joma! Thomas shines during Georgia-Florida All-Star game By ALUNB KENT W ' Dontarrious Thomas will long be remember by his teammates and Georgia fens as the player who saved the day. But that was not the utmost on the Georgia coaches minds as the Georgia Florida High School All Star game ended. “All three coaches from the Georgia team said the same thing to me Just minutes after the game ended," said Perry High Coach George Collins. “They didn’t talk about the interception that saved the game, but how much character and class Dontarrious has. Over and over, they told me, ■what a fine young man he is." Fine young man that he is, Dontarrious Thomas, wearing a Perry High School helmet, saved the game for the Georgia team, preserving both the win and his place in the game's history. With 28 seconds left in the game, the Georgia team had possession of the ball and was up 13-6. Georgia seemed to have the win in the bag. But a fumble by the Georgia quarterback. Fabian Walker of Americus, gave Florida the ball on the 46-yard-line. The first three attempts to score by Florida failed and on 4th down, the clock read one second. Florida took their last shot at a touchdown and that’s when Thomas, literally, stepped in. “Coach took a timeout after the third down, and told us (Thomas and Northside’s Ricky Reed) to watch the quarterback's eyes,“ Thomas explained after the game. “That's what I did. I watched his eyes.“ Thomas’s interception ended the game aad evened up the series 6-6-3. It was a fine moment for Thomas, who lettered in three sports at Perry High School and was a honor graduate just three weeks ago. Finer still, because of the grief Florida had given the Georgia team all week. “All week during practice, they talked trash to us about how they were going to beat us," Thomas said. “The Florida guys were huge, a lot bigger than us. They looked like they had been to college and gradu ated already. I was glad to show them that size isn’t everything." About three dozen people from Perry traveled to the Georgia Dome to watch the local graduate play in what is considered a high school bowl game. Collins said that right before the last play of the game, he turned to the other Perry coaches in the stands and predicted Thomas's interception. “I said that Dontarrious would intercept the ball and run it back for a touchdown. I was half right," Collins said. Thomas spent the week prior to Saturday’s game in Atlanta, combining practice and team trips to attrac tions around the city. One of his experiences that stood out was the team’s trip to the Scottish Rite Chil dren’s Medical Center to visit hospitalized children. “I was glad I got the chance to spend some time there, “ he said, “and to see the true meaning of the game." “It made me very thankful for what God has done for me.” Thomas, who will attend Auburn University on a football scholarship, reports to practice on Aug. 10. And Another View Thomas saves game for Georgia By PHIL CLARK Home Jourhal Sports It wasn’t a baseball game, but Peny’s Dontarrious Thomas had the biggest save’ of the weekend, playing in the annual Georgia-Florida high school football all star game at the Georgia Dome. With Georgia trying desperately to hold on to a 13-7 lead and even the 15-year series, Florida was firing bul lets toward the end zone after recovering a Georgia fum ble with 28 seconds left in the game. It shouldn’t have come down to it. but it was fitting that Thomas make the big play, an interception at the goal line on the final play of the game to preserve the win for a Georgia team that had dominated from the start. Thomas had led Georgia High School Association Region 4AA in pass inter ceptions during his senior year, and it was fitting that the Auburn signee end his Final game with an inter ception. Thomas and Northside’s Ricky Reed were both in the secondary for the final play, although both were late additions to the Georgia team, and neither started the game. An excited Thomas told reporters “That's the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Saving the game. You can’t beat that." Thomas also said, “I’m too excited to think about it." He told reporters gathered with the victorious Georgia team “I wasn’t even supposed to be here," referring to his being left off the original Georgia squad. Thomas, at 6’3" and 195, is slated to play in the defen sive secondary at Auburn, but his size and speed opens up a lot of avenues for the talented and modest young whose classroom and extracurricular credentials rival his athletic prowess. Thomas was added to the roster just days before prac tice began in Atlanta. He was the sixth highest graduate among the more than 200 Perry High School seniors receiving diplomas June»4. Thomas played football, basketball and helped the Pan ther track team capture fourth in the state for the second straight year during the all-classification GHSA track meet a few weeks ago. He received numerous awards and honors from Pan ther teams during his four years at Perry High. r n r -/ ' nl .' IH ir ’ lljff njHI DONTARRIOUS THOMAS Helps Georgia Win