TRACK & Fl
Dallas Cowboys
all pro running
back Emmitt
Smith recently
celebrated his 25th
birthday in style to
raise money for
"I Have A Dream
Foundation."
page 16
Holli Hyche of
Indiana State wins the
women's 10.0
meters in 11.23
seconds at the
NCAA Track
and Field
Championships. ?
page 18
Donnell Rawls,
125.5 pound
wrestler,
dreams of joining
the 1996
Olympics in
Atlanta.
below
Local Talent Finds Victor )! Sweet in Jaunt to Hickory
The Carolina Express (front row , left to right): $4 ike Russell, Brett Devlin , Matt Anderson , Maurice Moten , Tim Bow
man , Chris Paul, manager, (second row) Mark Stiver , manager; C.J. Paul, (third row) Assistant Coach Danny Anderson,
Brent Coffey, Andy Helms, Aaron Caldwell, Mike Rice, Willie Byrne, Brandon Greene, Andy Poplin, head coach, Craig
Poplin, assistant coach. Not pictured: Dovonte Edwards, Jeff Ogle and Travis Pritchard.
Coach Teaches Other Things Such As Life Lessons
By JEROME RICHARD
Special to. the Chronicle _
Forget the elaborate pyscho-babble
espoused by sport psychologists and
coaches concerning teamwork. Save
your money on high-priced guesses.
Creating teamwork is simple. Just have
sleepovers.
That's 11-year-old Mike Russell's
theory. It must have some validity since
the team he plays for, the Carolina
Express, practices the concept and now
is the reigning 11-and-under state AAI;
champions.
"We got to know each other better
when we had more sleepovers," the Old
Town Elementary School honor student
said. "Through the sleepovers. we got to
-know and trust-one-another. We got ro ?
know our teammates and realize we
could count on each other." .
The sleepovers" are the bramchild of
Coach Andy Poplin and are usually held
at his house after practices or games.
The family atmosphere certainly has
been a key to the Express' success, but
so has talent.
Two of the most talented Express
players are Russell, a small forward, and
C.J. Paul, a shooting guard. Both are
from the Winston-Salem ureu. Each ?
averaged 10 points per game during their
first season with the Express, a Hickory
based team comprised of players from
five western counties. In fact, it was
-Paul'-* free throw that earned the Express
the state title and a trip to the national
AAU touniament in Cocoa Beach, Fla.,
August 6-T37"
Paul's free throw with eleven sec
onds to play lifted thf Express to a 44-43
victory over the Raleigh-area Garner
Road Rockets in the state championship
game several weeks ago. And his defen
sive play in the warning seconds sealed
the victory.
"We were up by two points at the
half and Andy told us that nobody can
beat a team on a mission," said Paul, an
honors graduate of Moore Elementary
See THE EXPRESS page 17
It's amazing how everything has clicked "
' ? CharlesTaul
Donnell Rawls Takes One More Step Toward Olympic '96
By JEROME RICHARD
Special to the Chronicle . '
Some people dream of great accom
plishments and do nothing to make them
come true. Others see their hopes and
dreams flourish and come to fruition. What
separates dreamers from achievers?
Olympic hopeful Donnell Rawls thinks fear
of fortune separates the two.
Rawls is a dreamer, one that has seen*
his share of dreams come true because he is
not afraid of failure.
As a youngster growing up in Fayet
te vi lie, Rawls dreamed of becoming a cham
pion wrestler. He achieved that goal in 1991
when he won the Division II national cham
pionship as a sophomore at Winston-Salem
State University. When the Rams dropped
wrestling, Rawls transferred to Appalachian
State University where h -became the
Mountaineers first Ail-American wrestler.
Rawls is now on the brink of fulfilling
another wrestling achievement-Olympic
Gold.
He took a major step in that direction
June 3-4 in Philadelphia when he earned a
spot on the U.S. National Wrestling Team.
Rawls is one of three wrestlers in the 125.5
pound weight class to make the team. As
part of the U.S. National Team, Rawls will
wrestle at home and abroad over the course
of the next
1 2 months,
having his
skills for
tournament
that will
decide the
125.5-pound
representa- ;
tive to the
19 9 6
Olympics in
Atlanta. Donnell Rawls
Win or lose. Rawls lias taken a step
most people never attempt.
"A lot of people sit and dream about1'
what they want to do in life and never take
the step," he said. "Just taking that step was
a victory. It doesn't matter what happens
because I (eel like 1 alreadv won. when 1
took the step to pursue the Olympics "
A fear of failure holds most people back
from pursuing their dreams, says the 23
year-old Rawls.
"I think a lot of people are afraid to try
things and fail," he said. "I'm not scared of
failure. I don't think failure means you lost.
I think it just gives you a chance to start over
again with a new outlook.
"I think life is a gift for everybody and
everybody posseses a certain talent that God
has given them. If you don't go with that tal
ent and try to express it. then you might as
well not be living.
"That keeps me going/'
Rawls faces an on-going financial bat
tle. He is not supported by a club or sponsor,
thus having to finance his training, travel,
equipment, and lodging at tournament
through his own means. If you would like to
contribute to the non-profit Donnell Rawls
Olympic Fund, you may do so by contact
ing:
Kenneth B. Darty. Attorney at Law, 213
W. Sixth Street. Winston-Salem, N.C.
27101,777-8081.
ENTERTAINMENT
ArtsReach's Cheryl Harry
writes about listening to
music under the great
open sky.
page 22
i
RELIGION
The Rev. Wendell Johnson
will be the guest speaker
for Men's Day at St.
Stephen Baptist Church on
Sunday.
page 24
BUSINESS
The newest agent, Tan
non Hardy, has joined the
family business of Mundy
Realty.
page 19