Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / April 12, 1984, edition 1 / Page 13
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V *S> V *\^t'' ^2 f -n. ' ^HPr^^^^^Mfjfl Hr^ > I ^^^HP#KkS * + /' ifi- P pr /f<uaiJ2Sib^^H nSnHli^^^^^Kr ik,? (, - f#7 ' iW iitfi Tar <m!^^^B ^t-dlttk. iE?* .. i Last year, Carver High School's boys' i by Atkins High In the 9*10 championsh j despite the graduation of performers i Prep Spotlight Sports have By SAM DAVIS Staff Writer The typical high school athlete who participates in a losing program is, at best, obscure. Only "super-stars" receive recognition when they play on losing teams. Seventeen-year-old Rodney Gadson realizes he is no superstar. Yet Gadson and athletes like him epitomize what high school sports are supposed to be about. For the past two years, Gadson has participated in a steadily declining athletic program at West Forsyth. While he has been a starter both years in basketball, and is currently batting over .400 as a starter on the baseball team, Gadson is hardly a household name (even in his own school district). However, he has derived a lot of positive benefits from sports and learned a few things about life through his participation. "Sports have played a major role in my life," says the amiable, articulate Gadson. "They give you a lot of self-discipline and teach you how to work together with others in a team concept. "Sports prepares you for life after you finish school," Gadson says. "To be successful, you have to put in a lot of time and effort. It helps to make you tougher, both mentally and physically. Also, sports gives young people an avenue to release their anxieties." One of the most difficult challenges Gadson has. had. to face in his young life was trying to TL keep_ .team-jnoiafe up during_tfre Titans" disastrous < was tough because everyone was down on. us," he Semi-Pro Baseball Defending s\ ' <te By ROBERT ELLER Chronicle Sports Editor It's a long way from Winston-Salem to Kan., and no one knows that better than Salem Indians owner Rip Wilkins. Last season, after numerous years o Wilkins' club finally made the trek from W Wichita after becoming the first team ever city to take the North Carolina semi-pro b; tie. "Last year was a real experience for Wilkins earlier this week while making plan pre-season workouts. "We set our goals too goal was to win the state title and we did th weren't prepared for the national tournam But Wilkins said things will be different tl for his team, which finished with a 42-10 r year. "Now that we know what national com] * Sp Score lL' ^ -a^ftflfcfciJ ri^im ;W I '\ ^-y^B Jk ' M i i&r J* ft\-. ,. ^a|HHBWI^r^jM^j^B ^ ' * * j^P* ^rfH" rack team was upset above. Carver is I ip meet. This season, opening meets we such as Cary Glover, taught him mu says. "As a captain, I had to set an example fc the other team memhers It ^ag Hiffin.If ; times, but I think it will help me face toughc things in life." And, based on the career path he has chose to follow, Gadson has some real challenge ahead of him. Next fall, he will enter th University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he plans to become a pre-med major. "I've always wanted to be a doctor," say Gadson of his career goal. "Since about th fifth grade I've had my mind set on a medica career. I'd like to help people and I think could best do that through medicine. "That's why I want to attend Carolina," h says. "It's a good institution and I think it wil prepare me for medical school." Although both his parents are collegi graduates (his father, Dr. Melvin Gadson heads the Division of Education at Winston Salem State and his mother is a teacher), Gad son says his parents had very little impact upoi his decision to pursue medicine. "My parents have always been behind m and pushed me to do well in school," he says "but they let me make the decision as to where wanted to attend college and what I want to d< in life." To prepare himself for his chosen profession Gadson has taken a rigorous course loa< throughout high school, including honor courses in English and math and chemistry an< AnafcnnyrYet, he's stilt ftmmltlmc w ? rn ... IIIII i nmmmm lu II i ' * "It's never been a real problem for me play fate champion > like and we know we can win th gearing ourselves more to post-si Vl/i^V,<?n monf " Via a r\ ? r\ iwuna, m^iii iaj, lit saiu. ^ Winston- Wilkins said he will relinquish tl this season to Frank Gill, a forrr >f trying, Winston-Salem Red Sox who says 'inston to lot of changes this season. But he from the the team will be ready to play whe aseball ti- and in every game thereafter. Wilkins, who said the team will us," said py Hill Recreation Center this Si s to begin more community support for his c i low. Our this season. lat but we "Last year we won seven stra ent." state tourney on our way to th his season records for hits, runs and home ri ecord last were the first team from Winston the state title. But we got very littl petition is the city or the fans here." rortsWeel )S, Standings, Columns, Features 11 mi " ' 1 fj5^: *k * .' 'w *jj^H ?H Hb ;' jP ? ?' ^nflH JP^^H L -jjtifl i -W JM Ik- fli jl V ^k H ^/j|H BR l. - ' Aifll Hf H^TBB B B BL JMl B B "B H .^BBflp H V v*r v< ^ By ^ I K t BB Bl . c leavily favored to win it all. The season's re yesterday (photo by James Parker). ?% ch about life >r ing sports and doing well in school," Gadson. it says. "My parents have been sort of strict on tr me as far as academics are concerned, but they are appreciative of the way I budget my time so n that I can do both. I've been involved in s organized sports since I was 8 years-old and I e think I've developed the self-discipline to use I, my time wisely." While Gadson's high school career is slowly s winding down, he isn't ready to hang up his e sneakers. Though he says participating on losi 1 ing teams at West has caused him to be I overlooked by college recruiters, he plans to make up for that by becoming a walk-on at e UNC. * Til definitely try to walk-on at Carolina," says Gadson. "I'm really serious about it and I plan to continue to work out,, run and ' exercise." Still, he realizes that his chances of making Dean Smith's nationally-ranked team are very slim. i \ "I'm going there to get a good education," e Gadson says. "That's my major priority. But that doesn't mean I can't give it (college basketI ball) a shot. I think I could definitely play col3 lege basketball, maybe not on the Division I level, but I know I could play somewhere." . If he doesn't make it at UNC as a walk-on, 1 Gadson says it won't be a major blow. "If I s don't make it, I'll be able to accept it," he says. 3 "I've played sports most of my life and had a i F~T3rof fun in the process. Although** we never i ?mafURg reeord- school* if1's* - been a very pleasant experience." i Indians seeking. e state, we will be "In fact," Wilkins said, 4 eason and tourna- down on the bus ride to Ka complishments had gone un ne field-boss duties Wilkins points to a num ler member of the team lost two straight in the > he doesn't plan a mental attitude was one th does promise that course, we were inexperienc n the season opens in a national tourney befor was the pressure we were urn open drills at Hap- got there we were so broke iturday, hopes for don't know if we could have hampionship team whole tourney." The owner of his own paii light games in the vice, Wilkins said he doesn' e title and we set support for his team locally ins," he said. "We "We won't play a lot of r< -Salem ever to win this season," he said, "bee e recognition from ting the park and, with the f< that we lose money every til r !> C Section B Thursday, April-12, 1984 Block College Sports Financial w end for fool By BARRY COOPER Syndicated Columniat At financially-troubled Fisk University, footballs soon will be replaced by mothballs, and the blocking dummy will become just another learning tool in courses like "Fundamentals of Football." Perhaps future students will read about how Fisk once fielded a football team and competed in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and later in the College Athletic Conference. But all that is over now. Football is no longer a sport at Fisk. There is worse news, too. Fisk, which last month was more than $3 million in . debt, may soon slash other sports at the school. Until the private school, located in Nashville, Tenn., can get back on its feet, athletics will be a last priority. The prospects for Fisk returning to solvency are bleak. The S3 million worth of debts remain even after emergency fund-raising drives netted SI.3 million. Soon, the efforts to raise money will have run their course and Fisk is likely to remain debt-ridden. Because of those circumstances, it is doubtful that football ever will be played at the school again. Fisk recently announced that it was dropping football, effective immediately. That came- as shocking news to some, mPI^^Mk-^ ? t ? ?:j y ? TJ^FffilOBr )3^m -y f.lW *iWBIMWj|^Br - * i_ T Jm B^$fl Hrv ' ' J^M i ib^ m Gadson wouldn't at all mind slldln natteRiHy-Ttn fced -baefcotbatf- ttwr^ come first (photo by James Parker). ? a killer schedi 'our players were a little As a result, V insas. They felt their ac- gressive road s( noticed.** top teams throi ber of reasons why the He also hopes t ; national tourney. "Our Indians will lik< ing,*' he said, "and, of second trip ther :ed, having never played "There were e. But the biggest thing play us, and the der financially. When we said. "We warn t that, if we had won, I often as possibl ? afforded to stay for the lege ballplayers Wilkins said nting and decorating ser- year's top play t understand the lack of designated hitte Winston-Salem egular season games here third baseman ause of the price of ren- Campbell and 1 ?w fans we draw, the fact Brian Peterson, me we play here." oes spell tball at Fisk especially Leon Moore, who had been hired away from an assistant coaching position at Texas Southern to become head coach at Fisk. It is late in the year now, and Moore, unless he can get lucky, apparently will be out of a job for this season, at least in football coaching. Others also will be touched by Fisk's decision. Its players must find somewhere else to play and the alumni will have tn find some other social activity. Fisk really needs its alumni, too, especially if the fund-raising drives are to be a complete success. Last April, Fisk's natural gas was cut off because of $177,000 in overdue bills. Heat was restored with help from folks in the community. In January, the school paid delinquent bills of $352,554 to the Nashville Gas Co., $305,000 to the Internal Revenue Service and $45,899 to the Nashville Electric Service. ?1?~ With those kinds of creditors knocking on the door, and with such big bills in its hands, Fisk had little choice but to begin cutting its budgets. And<athletics was one of the first departments to be hit. It was the university's Board of Trustees that decided to drop football. Athletic Director John Martin said acting president Dr. Robert Satcher went along with the board. Please see page B3 P^* -- V^HHr Illljlllllllllllll^ ig into & spot on Dma Smith's edtt fltk>r at ?aroHfta will ? ? lie in '84 Vilkins said, the team will play an ag :hedule that will include most of the ighout North Carolina and Virginia, o play a few games against teams the Hy see in Kansas should they earn a e. a lot of teams out there that want to y have the sponsorship to travel," he t to play that type of competition as le. That's where you see the top coland future pro players." he expects to have a number of last ers returning this season, including r Otis Foster, a former member of the Red Sox, catcher Gary Matherly, Mike -Smith, outfielders Darrell Mike Wilcox, and pitchers Jim and Please see page B3
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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April 12, 1984, edition 1
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