WS8U teams face Hampton
at Joel Coliseum B5
Got a suggestion? Call sports writer Michael Johnson at 722-8624
SPORTS
Union, ECSU win tourneys B4
Packers win season finale B3
Helping Those
Less Fortunate
For Christmas
t
? Wake athletes takes
time to help 270 families
Christmas is coming and another worthwhile
effort to help underprivileged children gets under way
this weekend when the Santa's Helper program begins
delivering toys to nearly 300 families. '
But this program is a bit different from most
_ because athletes from the Wake Forest football and
men's and women's basketball teams are a big part of
the program.
COMMENTARY-??^
S By Ed Meyers
?*' ' . ' ' ?'
Started in 1986 by former Wake fullback Chip
Rives, the program helped three families and had only
10 volunteers. Rives got the idea after reading about a
similar effort in San Antonio called Elf House. Rives
approached Robert Egleston, an engineer at R.J.
Reynolds, for some assistance. It resulted in Rives
being named one of eight Sportsmen of the Year by
Sports Illustrated in an article called "Athletes Who
Cafe." _ ? i? ? ~ ? r
Rives, who now lives in Florida, comes back
fWur players spent 1-2 days
gifts ami get sq much
m
? Coach Dave Odom
*.
every year to help out with the delivery. The program
is currently run by a twelve-member board of direc
tors, which includes members from the business com
munity, Wake Forest University and its athletic teams.
The program was run out of Egleston's garage
the first two years. Last year, using more than 150
families, the program serve 270 families, including
950 children whose names were supplied by the
Christmas Cheer Toy Shop, a United Way agency.
Egleston. an ardent Wake supporter, said, "We
deliver every gift with someone dressed as Santa, usu
ally Ime of the athletes.'1 Another strong supporter is
the Winston-Salem Elks, who volunteered the use of
their Silas Creek office in addition to provide $5,000,
about half of the program's funding.
Egleston pointed out that Santa's Helper is very
efficient, with 94 percent of the money going to the
toys and rest to administrative costs. "We make it
more fun than charity because of Santa with the ath
letes." Egleston said.
Egleston related an incident last year when for
mer Wake basketball star and current Denver Nugget
Rodney Rogers was helping out. A child opened a gift
which turned out to be a Michael Jordan toy. The
child immediately turned to Rogers and thought the
All-American was Jordan.
Wake guard Randolph Childress echoes touching
memories as well. Childress said it took him ten min
utes to convince a family living in a condemned
building who he was before he had to kick in the door.
Basketball coach Dave Odom drove one of the
sleighs one year and other Deacon coaches, past and
present, have been supportive as well. It has also been
a favorite program for Wake female basketball stand
outs Nichole Levesque. Karen Davis and Amy Wal
lace. ? . ? -
Several years ago. Sara White was the program's
first female Santa. Other former and current Wake
athletes who have been involved are former female
cajter B.J. Thames. George Coghill of the New
Orleans Saints and Deacon running back John Leach.
The athletes also go to Brenner Children's Hospi
tal to visit ill children in addition to the families they
help. "The female athletes have been helpful to the
teenage girls at Brenner/' Egleston said. Pictures are
taken and the parents of the children seem to cet more
out of it than the ill children do themselves. Nurses
say children who wouldn't smile in weeks are as
happy they've ever been during the athletes' visits.
Odom. who has been .involved with Santa's
^Helper since his arrival five years ago. said the pro
\ ' gram has become a tradition with the team. 'Our play-'
' ers spend one to two days delivering gifts and we get
? so much out of it." Odom said.
J
4
Coaches, ADs Embrace Jayvee Tournament
By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Chronicle Sports Writer
Area high school athletic directors
and junior varsity basketball coaches
expressed happiness over the announce
ment of the David Lash /Chronicle
Junior Varsity Holiday Basketball Tour
nament that will take place Dec. 20-22.
"We re appreciative of The Chron
icle s involvement in sponsoring this
tournament," said basketball coach
Dennis Ring from Mt. Tabor, one of
eight schools participating and last
year's champion. "This is an outstand
ing tournament for all the teams
involved."
? ? During a press-conference at the
M.C. Benton Convention Center last
Thursday, it was announced that the
second-year tournament would be chris
tened in honor of Lash, a former coach
and athletic director at Carver, Atkins
and East Forsyth high schools. But
school officials were just as pleased that
the tournament had found the sponsor
ship it needed.
"I'm just tickled to death that the
kids will have an opportunity to play in
See Jv^f OURN AMENT page B6
imj wvro lash/chronicle
^^..y^SITY
LAMENT
.in*y ro
%
The organizers of the Chronicle I David Lash Tournament. Pictured left to right: Ike Howard , Bob Bell , Ernie Pitt , Jim
Robertson , Clarence "Big house" Gaines, David Lash , Darryl Brown , Bob Wynn , and Don Hancock .
star establishes top noWm
r >
HO&l
4rr
?JSSS
Carter wrestling coach Melton Hardee begins his
fifth season at the school
don't do it until you want to V Hardee yells to one his
wrestlers who successfully makes a takedown move.
When the youngster shrugs his shoulders, Hardee
goes into a fit, telling him that there's no room for a
, part-time wrestler.. ' ^ . ^
Minutes later, Hardee can be seen with heavy
weight wrestler onlfce mat* urging his
student to pin him. After nearly twenty minutes of
futile response, Hardee's message finally sinks in to
Seneca, who begins to become
his ooadj. 'yi ?"?' ?!
>, Hardee spends eAch practice shadowing |k1
wrestlers, occasionally picking one who is not per
forming up to his expectations to wrestle personally.
Hardee spends each minute of the session pleading
and twisting out every ounce of sweat of his team,
pushing them beyond their capabilities.
HMy attitude is to push them harder in practice
daily to prepare them for their next match,"
said, who began his fifth season as Yellow Jackets
coach. "These kids are already at the door, but they V
don't want to open it. Not only only do I want them
to open ivbul go in and peek of what's inside. They
might like it in there, so they could stay in for a
while."
If any of his students want to see who lives on
the other side of success, they shouldn't look any fur
ther than the energetic Hardee. During his college
days at Winston-Salem State, Hardee was one of the
most successful wrestlers in school history. In 198S,
Hardee won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic
Association
class and pla
a senior;^
s - d <* m -? vi?jr
alma mater a
year at Bint,
Division II title xt WSSIjttfi^jcoach was Ha
"It's funny aomethi^Mbe that happe
-^p^mWk^ one win in the beginning o
at theend?||ppidec sak
The moment was
down the program the following year. But it be
more of a blessing to Hardee, who could concet
more on coachirg at Carver, where he also split
cTf Hardee hts wfcstlcrs to titer
playoffs, including Dany 1 Eldridge last ycatt^
plus my own business (H&T Cleaning Service)
always had somethin^mi^BH& said,
was content oafyaaeititogiawNy life, howcan
these kids whtimi|MBd just see me ?
one thing with ray life and ^they'll aay,*Look at
he's just tied down.* ** "
While Hardee presses himself and hia^eai
achieve when' their on the wreaking ??
does not make their decisions for them. Hardee
MLK Center Holds Basketball Workshop For Youths
By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Chronu lc Sports Writer
Seven-year old Stephon Wilson drib
bles the basketball with his right hand up
the court through a row of pylons. Sudden
ly. the youngster stops dead in his tracks as
the whistle blows.
The source of that whistle-blowing
directs Stephon on the proper way that he
should handle the ball. A large man tells
him with a booming voice: "Dribble to the
right-hand side of the pylon, use your right.
Go around the left, use your left."
More than thirty 6 through 9 year-olds
from various pans of Winston-Salem will
be learning the essentials of basketbal] this
month at the Martin Luther King Recre
ational Center. Dribbling, passing and other
fundamentals will be stressed throughout
the five -week workshop. Though a majori
ty of the youngsters have learned about the
game somewhere else, many are learning
about the rules for the first time.
"Even though a lot of these kids have
been in the gyms playing ball, a lot of them
have never learned how to play the game.'
King Program Director Bill English said.
"If these don't play any organized ball now
or in the next few years, they can remember
the rules and how it's properly played.''
If a person is capable of teaching a
youth the game of basketball, it's English.
English was member of the 1967 Winston
Salem State basketball team that won the
Division II national championship under
legendary basketball coach Clarence Big
house' Gaines. One of English's teammates
was former National Basketball Associa
tion All-Star and current NBA Hall-of
Famer Earl "The Pearl' Monroe.
From now until Dec. 20. English and
James Irby will be in charge of teaching the
basics such as the chest pass as well as
some more advanced skills such as teach
ing a left-handed player how to go to his
right. On January 3. English will divide the
youths into several intramural teams.
As part of the Winston-Salem Recre
ational Department, the center will accept
any youth who wishes to take part in the
workshop. English said the youths are not
obligated to play in the intramural games
nor do they have to be a member of the
center.
See MLK page B3
Michael Key waits his turn in line during haskethqll drills at the Martin
l.uther King Center. Key begins his second year in the workshop program.