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Blast From the Past
Kimberly Park Tennis Club brings back Christmas dance
BY T. KEVIN WALKER
THE CHRONICLE
For those people who
aren't looking forward to
spending their Christmas night
watching "It's a Wonderful
Life" for the '100th time or
clearing away colorful wrap
ping paper, the Kimberly Park
Tennis Club is providing a fes
tive alternative.
The club will hold a Christ
mas dance Dec. 25 at the
Adam's Mark Hotel. The club
has experience at hosting
Christmas bashes. In 1978. the
club made a big splash with its
first Christmas dance.
"We set up for 300 people,
but it was standing room only,"
James Berry, the president of
the Kimberly Park Tennis
Club, said, recalling that initial
party. The parties proved so
successful over the years that
the club eventually had to
leave the cramped Hilton (now
the Hawthorne Inn) and move
into the Benton Convention
Center. At the height of its
popularity in the early 1990s,
the annual dances drew more
than 1,200 people.
But then they stopped.
Some members of the club
- which was formed back in
1968 to get more African
Americans. especially African
American young people, inter
ested in tennis - broke away
and started holding a dance of
their own. At one point the two
groups were holding' dances at
the same time and at the same
site.
"We just did not feel it was
worthwhile for us because both
groups were having the
dances," said Mike McCoy,
vice president of the club.
Eventually the other group
stopped having the dances as
well, and the city, in the opin
ions of the members of the
Kimberly Park Tennis Club,
was left.with a big void on
Christmas" night.
Fittingly, the theme of this
year's dance is "Let's Do It
Again." And members of the
See Dance on B3
The dance will
feature live music, a
disc jockey and light
hors d'oeuvres. It
will be held from 9
p.m. to 2 a.m. on
Dec. 25. To pur
chase tickets, call
Arnice Wall at 759
2306. The $20 tick
ets can also be
bought at the door.
Photo by Kevin Walker
Members of the Kimberly Park Tennis Club include: first row, from left - Elaine Pitt, Irene
Phillips, Arnice Wall; back row - Mike McCoy, James Berry and Ron Snow.
KRT Photo
Evander Holyfield, right, battles Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Photos by Brace Chapman
Isaiah Thomas (76) clears the way for Derek May during Carver's demolition of Wilson Fike.
Holyfield out of
titles, out of time
BY TIM DAHLBERG
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ. -
Evander Holyfield has run out
of heavyweight titles to give
away. He still refuses to admit
he's also running out of time.
Chris Byrd became the latest
to benefit from Holyfield's
charitable ways, winning the
IBF version of the heavyweight
title Saturday night by exploit
ing the legs and reflexes of the
aging former four-time champi
on.
The light-hitting Byrd won a
title that Lennox Lewis thought
so little of he sold it to promoter
Don King for $1 million and a
Range Rover. Still, the win
plants him firmly on the second
tier of heavyweights, just
beneath WBC champion Lewis.
For Holyfield. the future is
less certain. He's won only two
of his last seven fights, and he's
a 40-year-old heavyweight who
shows the wear and tear of some
of the beatings he has taken over
the years.
His goal of becoming the
undisputed heavyweight cham
pion once again seems almost
laughable - to everyone but
Holyfield himself.
"I will be back." Holyfield
said.
Holyfield was bidding to
become the first heavyweight to
ever win the title five times.
Instead, he earned the dubious
distinction of having lost title
fights to all three major reigning
champions.
"I didn't want to see him
fight again after the second fight
with Lennox Lewis," said
! Lewis' trainer. Emanuel Stew
ard. "What is he going to
accomplish? His legacy is solid,
his wealth is good, and his mind
and body are solid. Why risk all
of that?"
Holyfield rationalized his
performance by saying he
injured his left shoulder in the
first round, probably by throw
ing one of the wild punches that
Byrd easily avoided. His man
ager hinted darkly of some
obstacles Holyfield had to over
come but did not elaborate.
But aging fighters break
down more easily than those in
their prime, and despite looking
as fit as always. Holyfield's
body is beginning to let him
down.
Holyfield got his hest
punches in when he pinned
Byrd on the ropes, but far more
missed than landed, and he
threw only about half the punch
es that Byrd did. Punch stats
credited Holyfield with landing
only three jabs the entire fight,
to 154 from the crafty Byrd.
"He can't fight a full three
minute round anymore." Stew
ard said.
If King has his way. Byrd
will fight the winner of the
March 1 WBA title fight
between John Ruiz and Roy
Jones Jr.. who is moving up
from light heavyweight. But
Jones has not agreed to fight
again as a heavyweight after
that fight.
* Lewis, meanwhile, is still
likely to face Vitali Klitschko in
April, despite saying earlier Sat
urday that he would wait until
after the Ruiz-Jones fight to
decide whom to, fight next.
Lewis later recanted, saying he
planned to fight Klitschko.
Champions Once More
Carver has easy time with win over
Wilson Fike in state championship
BY SAM DAVIS
FOR THE CHRONIClE
RALEIGH - Carvers
physical style of play was too
much for Wilson Fike. and the
Yellowjackets dominated play
up front en route to a 34-0
victory over the Golden
Demons at Carter-Finley Sta
dium to capture the state 3-A
football championship.
Carver rolled up more
than 350 yards of total offense
in the game and held Fike to
only 69 in capturing its sec
ond state 3-A football title in
five seasons. The Yellowjack
ets captured the 1998 champi
onship with a dramatic 33-28
victory over Kings Mountain.
Compared with that game,
the 2002 championship game
was anticlimactic. Carver
took the opening kickoff and
promptly marched 80 yards
for a touchdown to take the
lead and never looked back in
capturing the victory.
Coach Keith Wilkes, who
led teams to the semifinals in
1999 and 2000. said his team
came into the game focused
and wasn't going to be
denied.
"The kids did a great job
of staying focused throughout
the season and in the play
offs," Wilkes said. "I'm very
proud of this group because
they accomplished something
that very few teams have a
chance to accomplish."
The Yellowjackets got
strong performances on both
sides of the football from a
number of players. Carver's
defensive front, anchored by
Steven Jackson and Isaiah
Thomas, and linebackers
Gemel Smith and Antwon
Mitchell, prevented Fike from
gaining a first down in the
first half. The Golden
Demons went to intermission
with only 10 yards of total
offense and trailing 28-0.
Wilkes went to the bench
throughout the second half as
play got a little ragged. Fike's
players on both lines repeat
edly went to the legs of Carv
er players to keep them from
plowing them over as they
had in thefjirst half.
"My main focus in the sec
ond half was keeping our kids
healthy." said Wilkes, whose
top two offensive linemen.
Sec Carver on B3
Game MVP Jayvon Biddle skips out to receive his avtard.
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