SportsWeek
Alsd Religion and Classifieds June 18? 2018
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BASKETBALL
W-S Lady Warcats host mid-season charity game
WSFD outlast Warcats press to earn the
victory in annual charity game
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
On Saturday June 13, at the Fulton YMCA, 385W
Manes Mill Koad.
Members of the
Winston-Salem Fire
Department put down
their fire proof suits
and laced up their
basketball kicks to
take on the Winston
Salem Lady Warcats.
The Lady Warcats are members of the Women's Blue
Chip Basketball League (WBCBL), a semi-professional
league for women.
The team is a registered non-profit organization and
survives off donations from fans and a number of spon
sors. First year head coach Christopher Geter said charity
games like this one, is one of the ways the team earns
money to take care of travel expenses as well as organiz
ing events in the community for children.
"This game has been in existence for a couple of
years," Geter said. "All proceeds go towards funding the
Lady Warcats and funding community events such as bas
ketball camps and a mentor
program called Sister to
Sister."
Although the game was
for charity and didn't count
against their record. Geter
and the Warcats did not want
to leave the gym without the
win.
"We're defiantly coming
in here to get the win," Geter
laughed. "The team actual
beat them last year so we're
trying to keep them with a
"L" this year as well."
We have a motto TCB,
take care of business and
thats what we expect to do
every time we step on the
court, charity game or not."
Members of the fire department knew what they were
up aganist in this years competition and seemed prepared
for everything the Lady Warcats threw at them, and were
determined to get the win as well.
nenino some streaKy snooting and ottensive rebounds
the WSFD were able to escape with a 95-80 victory.
Early in the game the Lady Warcats showed a press
See Charity Game on B2
Photos by levin Stinson
Members of the Winston-Salem Lady Warcats and Winston-Salem Fire
Department prepare for a jump ball during a charity game held on Saturday,
June 13 at the Fulton YMCA.
I I
Family's
baseball roots
run deep for
Dash's T.J.
Williams
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE ?
For the most part, minor-league base
ball players live a transient kind of
lifestyle.
That's
because the
primary goal
is to play
well enough
during the
course of the
season to be
promoted to
a higher level
of play.
As a
result, play
ers in the
minors
remain in a
state of readi
ness to move
at a
moment's
notice. It's all
part of the
process of moving up through the farm
system until
the ultimate
goal is
reached -
getting the
call to play
for a Major
League
team.
Case in
point: T.J.
Williams.
The 24-year
old infielder started the season with the
Kannapolis Intimidators (lower Class-A).
Five weeks into the season, however.
Williams was called up to play for the
Winston-Salem Dash (high Class-A) in
mid-May.
Even before turning pro out of Pima
Community College (Ariz.), Williams
already had firsthand knowledge about the
life of a pro athlete. His father, Ken
Williams, played six seasons in the Major
Leagues (Chicago White Sox, Detroit
Tigers, Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue
Jays). Today, the elder Williams is an exec
utive vice-president of the White Sox.
Aside from his father, T.J. Williams has
additional family ties to baseball. He has
three brothers who are, or who have been,
connected to the sport in some aspect.
Dedrick, a former White Sox scout, played
college baseball at Wichita State. Kenny Jr.
is a scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks;
and Kyle (drafted by the White Sox out of
high school), plays wide receiver for the
Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL.
"Growing up with a baseball back
ground, I always saw my father get ready,"
said Williams. "Plus, my brothers played a
lot of sports. They taught me to always be
ready to compete. There can't be any off
days because the day you take off might be
the same day that your opponent continues
to work.'
"Every day you wake up and realize
you have an opportunity to do something
you love and you never want to take that
for granted. My father prepared all of us to
deal with whatever might come our way."
The transition players must make in
moving up to a higher competitive level
always presents its share of challenges.
Before being promoted, Williams was hav
ing arguably the best stretch of his four
year pro career. For the first 15 days in
May, he had a .371 batting average with
Kannapolis (.273 for the season up to that
See Roots on B2
Williams
Winston-Salem Dash first baseman, Tyler "TJ." Williams, right, completes the double-play as he tags "out"
Salem Red Sox's Franklin Guzman on Friday, May 15, at BB&T Ballpark in downtown Winston-Salem.
11 ? ?, - i
Pholo by Erin Mizelle for the Winston-Salem Chronicle
Veteran golf coach's joy is watching his players grow, mature
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
Lewis Green is a vet
eran golf coach who used
to have zilch interest in the
sport. He didn't start play
ing until the age of 30.
Prior to that, he never had
any exposure to golf and
never watched the pros
play on TV. But once he
picked up some golf clubs,
he developed a seemingly
everlasting passion for the
game.'
Green, a retired Army
*
veteran, was first intro
duced to golf while he was
stationed at Fort Benning,
Georgia. A co-worker
brought a shag bag and
sand wedge to the job, and
during lunch break, he'd
practice hitting balls. At
first, Green declined invita
tions to play. Eventually,
though, he decided to give
it a try.
Known to most peo
ple as "Sarge," Green has
vivid memories of his first
encounter with the game. "I
tried to hit that little ball
and couldn't do it to save
my soul," said Green. "I
was so frustrated that I
went to a pawn shop that
night and bought me a set
of golf clubs."
That was just the
beginning. Every day after
work, Green and his co
worker would leave and
hone their skills at a 9-hole
golf course at Fort
Benning. On every visit,
they played 36 holes with
out the use of a golf cart.
"It took me about
eight months to go from
shooting in the 100s to
shooting in the low 80s," he
recalled. "I've been in love
with golf ever since. It's the
only game I've ever played
that you can't master."
"You see a number of
different athletes dominate
in other sports. In golf,
though, dominance doesn't
last. You can go out today
and shoot 65 and tomorrow
you could wind up shoot
ing 85. That's just how the
game is."
Green has 24 years
See Coach on B2
? - ?? I
Green
*** 'l J|'' ' ?*
m A 1
HORNS CLUB MEMBER
TODAY ? 336-750-3180
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BECOME A