| Page 4B-THE KINGS MOUNTAIN HERALD-Thursday, September 30, 1993 Education key to reducing hunting accidents in N.C. Mandatory hunting cducation programs and the required wearing of blaze orange are credited with the reduction of hunting accidents in North Carolina to 32 for 1992- 1993. That number is down from 42 accidents reported during the pre- vious year in the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission Report of Hunting Accidents and Fatalitics. Five of the 32 accidents resulted in fatalitics, the same number as © 1991-1992. Fatalitics in thc last two reporting periods are the low- cst since the commission began keeping records in 1960-1961. By comparison, 19 deaths were report- cd for 1964-1965, a record year. Hunter cducation programs be- gan in North Carolina in 1973. The wearing of hunter orange became mandatory for big game hunters in. 1987 and for small game hunters in October of 1992. All hunters using fircarms, cxcept those hunting doves, waterfowl, foxes,bobcats, raccoons and opossums, or hunting upland game birds, with the cxcep- tion of wild turkey, must wear a cap or hat or an outer garment of hunter orange. The cap or garment must be visible from all sides. It is significant that three of the five hunters killed in accidents dur- ing the 1992-1993 scasons were not wearing hunter orange. The re- port shows onc of the fatal acci- dents involved a scif-inflicted wound, while each of the four re- maining victims were killed by an- other hunter. SHARKS From Page 1-B : Swimmers are rewarded as their . times reach a certain level, and as . they achieve B and A times they : are actually compared to all other swimmers across the United States. Early in the year swimmers try to attain a B time which is based on times from the previous year. Swimmers earn patches and some- : times trophies for achieving B and A times and earn ribbons for per- . sonal best times and by winning in meets. The Sharks Club includes swim- mers from Kings Mountain and Shelby. All home meets are held at Neisler Natatorium. "This is just a good group of kids to be with," said Miller. "It's a good sport to get into. It's fun for kids and, of course, with an indoor pool the temperature is always con- trolled. You don't have to worry about what the weather's going to be. Every day the kids know they will practice and the meet will be held. "The facility here in Kings Mountain is so nice," she added. "It cast $750,000 and people should really be taking advantage of it. Not all areas are lucky enough to have a pool like this. A lot of kids drive 30 to 50 miles a day to get to a pool and here in Kings Mountain we have one right at the high school. You can't get much better than that." WINTER SCHEDULE OCTOBER 16-17 - at GCAC Open, Belmont Abbey. NOVEMBER 13-14 - at Spartanburg Invitational. 20 - Blue Ridge Swim League at Lcnoir-Rhyne. DECEMBER 11 - Blue Ridge Swim Lcaguc here. JANUARY 8 - Blue Ridge Swim Leaguc here. 15-16 - at MAC Senior Invitational, Charlotte. 21-23 - Junior Qualifier, Charlotte. FEBRUARY 4-6 - Junior Olympic State Qualifier, Charlotte. 26 - Blue Ridge Swim League, Charlotte. : Olympic MARCH 17-20 - Age Group Regionals, Spartanburg. 22-26 - Junior Nationals, Univ. of Michigan. APRIL 22-23 - Blue Championship, Charlotte. Ridge The youngest victim was 14 years of age. He died when his 11- year-old companion'’s shotgun acci- dentally discharged as they at- tempted to climb a steep cmbankment. "We are very happy with the re- duction in the number of hunting accidents for the last year," said Capt. William S. Warren. hunter safety coordinator for the commis- sion. "This is a direct result of the hunter education program and the mandatory wearing of hunter orange. "We hope the number of accidents and fatalities continue to MYRON GEORGE decline in the future. Hunting is a safe sport and we urge all hunters School Board. FREE Pregnancy Test Pregnancy Information & Assistance Abortion/Adoption Information Medical & Housing Referrals Clothing & Baby Furniture 487-4357 (HELP) 232 South Lafavette Street, Shelby ALL FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL CRISIS PREGNANCY CENTER 10 be very careful every time they go out.” HON GEORGE FOR SCHOOL B0 Friday morning, I drove past the High School. Three police cars were parked in front. They were there, I reasoned, in response to the serious fight which had taken place the previous day. But the presence of the police cars in front of the High School stirred me. As a parent, | was first concerned for the safety of my child. But secondly, I was reminded why I an running for the Violence is no longer an uncommon part of school life. It is a reality that must be dealt with. It is true that every child can learn, but not every child is willing to be taught. We must make every effort to educate cach child, but we must not allow the unwilling to disrupt the learning environ- ment for the willing. I support strong disciplinary measures to protect our children in school and to maintain order in the school environment. Some steps have been taken by our system leadership, and I commend these efforts. [ approve THOMPSON From Page 1-B Country Club in West Virginia and Sam was the pro at Greenbriar. I managed to swing a part-time teaching job with Sam at Greenbriar. I worked there for three and a half years and enjoyed it a lot.” Snead and Thompson have locked horns in tourna- ment play a few times, and, as Gene tells it, Sam al- ways came out ahead. "Once I got an invitation to play in the Sam Snead Festival. That used to be a prestigious event, and only the best golfers were invited. I'll never forget it, I was first off the tee and I was paired with Gary Player. Luck was with me that day and I shot a neat little 69. "I stood around all day happy as a lark; and, at the end of the day, I found out I was 10 strokes behind. Sam had shot a 59. I still made $5800, but can you imagine shooting 69 and getting beat by ten strokes? Sam was one of the best ever. "Then there was the West Virginia Open in 1966. On the last day Snead was ahead of me by two strokes. I went out and played the best round of golf I ever’ played competitively. I turned in a 63, and Sam shot 64 | and beat me by one." Thompson has definite ideas about how the game of golf should be played. He lives by the theory that hit- ting the ball a long way doesn't make a golfer. "Control is the name of the game," he says. "It's mighty nice to be able to hit a golf ball a long way, but if you don't know the general vicinity in which it will land, you haven't accomplished much. Sam used to say, ‘a long drive is great, but a long, straight drive is much better.’ I think that says it in a nutshell.” "The secret to becoming a good golfer is to visit a PGA-qualified professional, and get started right. Too many people start off by buying expensive equipment they probably don't need, then they can hardly wait to get on the course and start swinging those expensive new clubs, when what they should do is take a few DEAN SPEARS lessons, go to the driving range, maybe the putting green, and I might even suggest that some people should start on a par three course. Anybody, and I mean anybody, can learn the game of golf, but you must get started off on the right foot and you've got to be willing to practice." Thompson is getting the itch for tournament golf again. He plans to go to Sarasota in November to at- tempt to qualify for the Senior Tour. He missed by a stroke the last time he tried. There are no plans to leave his present post, however, he just wants to get the feel of competitive golf again. "I enjoy playing," he said. "I enjoy the competition, but I really get a lot of satisfaction from teaching, then seeing some of the young people I've helped play golf well. I get a kick out of seeing some of the youngsters I taught in Charlotte come over here and play our course." Thompson will tell you he doesn't teach much any- more, but he can be found giving youngsters tips on the driving range. A couple of weeks back, one of the touring members of the LPGA, and a former student, Joal Rieder flew in from Florida for a few sessions with him. Gene and wife, Nancy, live in the Woodbridge area. They are the parents of three children, two boys and a girl, all grown now. The Thompsons are perfectly hap- py here. "We love Cleveland County," Gene said. "My roots are from a small town and I relate to people from smaller towns. I like associating with them, talking to them and playing golf with them. You know, there are some very good young golfers around here. They've been paying attention to some of the better players and you can tell it. "We've got some excellent older golfers around too. Senior golf is an important part of the industry. Besides the friendly competition, the older folks enjoy getting out in the fresh air and walking, swinging their clubs, even just putting around on the practice green, it's all good exercise. You just can't beat it." Gene Thompson loves golf. VOTE of the purchase of the metal detectors to keep weapons out of our schools. I applaud the new student support program initiated at the Middle School and the newly formed Committee On Violence. But more can and should be done. I would like to see our school system explore the concept of an alternative school. An alterna- tive school separates the trouble makers from the regular school population. It is a very struc- tured, no frills, no privileges type of environment. Its very existence says, "We will not tolerate the disruption of our teaching mission, nor will we allow a very few to make others fear for their safety." Please consider me for your representative to the School Board. I will work for effective schools _ Hid ge tipp and SAFE schools. PD. POL. ADV. in 3 | ; In an effort to provide leadership and direction for our community, the Chamber of Commerce requests your participation in the below survey. It is the Chamber's desire to enhance growth opportunities and to identify and support new efforts to make our community more viable. Completed surveys should be returned to: Lucille Williams Post Office Box 794 Kings Mountain, NC 28086 The Chamber appreciates your participation in this survey and welcomes any suggestions you wish to contribute. 1. Arethere any kinds of amenities which the Chamber could assist in providing that you feel would attract businesses or customers to our general business area? 1. Yes 2. No 2. Are there any types of commercial business or outlets you think are now missing in Kings Mountain. 1. Yes (what type) 2. No 3. What specific ideas do you have to improve the business environment of Kings Mountain? 4. How do you rate the following aspects of our general business area? CITY COUNCIL AT LARGE Tuesday, October 5th The Kings Mountain Association of Realtors pledges their support to Dean Spears and we ask that you the public support this worthy candidate. THIS ADVERTISEMENT PAID FOR BY THE KINGS MOUNTAIN ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS Streets Sidewalks Buildings Landscaping Signing Displays Attractiveness of Downtown Quality of Eating Places Safety During the Evening Variety of Goods Sold Cost of Goods Quality of Goods Sold ZIrAX&ETITOMMOO D> 5. What role should City Government take in the service needs of its citizens? Number of Convenient Parking Spaces Convenience of Shopping Hours Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor Good Fair Poor f & i SR ERR ESS ETE Te re sy Sees EE

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