Page 4B
BY ANDIE L. BRYMER
Staff Writer
boasts three players with
The Kings Mountain Herald
Golden Girls
Age isn’t stopping these ladies
from competing on softball field
age were too old for ball.
ties to Kings Mountain,
Betty White, Hester Haynes
and Helen Thrift.
“There is no need to get
old till you have to,” accord-
ing to White.
Haynes, who has played
ball since her early teens,
says some teams thought
she and other women her
They may be 60 and older
but age isn’t stopping the
Golden Girls softball team.
The team, made up of
women across Cleveland
County, will compete in the
state senior games Sept. 18.
The 16-member team
ANDIE BRYMER / HERALD
Helen Thrift (left), Betty White and Hester Hayhes play
softball with the Golden Girls.
x Glohall/SAonline
Local dial-up service for Kings Mountain, Shay,
Gastonia, Bessemer City, Grover, Boiling Springs
Belmont, Statesville, Charlotte, Morganion, Hic ory,
Newton, Rutherfordton, Forest City
Surrounding Areas.
% Only “local” internet service provider
% Free, Friendly, local tech support
% Fast, reliable unlimited access
* All digital 56k modems
% Engineered for no busy signals
We support V.92 modem.
Never miss a call; put the internet on hold!
2nd phone line not needed. Save money!!
With V.92modem you have faster access,
browsing, connection and downloadling!
"Stop by or call us for more information.
709 W. King Street, Kings Mountain, NC 28086
°15.95
12)
00
ll :
704-730-0150 1-866-USA-1NET
or visit us on the web at www.globalusaonline.com i.
“I intimidated them. They
were afraid they were going
to hit me,” Haynes said.
“I'm glad Sherrill Jenkins
got us together.”
Haynes is an example of
staying active. She played
badminton early Thursday
and topped the day off with
softball practice at the Zoar
Baptist Church field.
“It makes you feel good,”
she said.
Haynes is a willity player,
pitching, playing second
base and anywhere else she
is needed.
Like Haynes, White start-
ed her athletic career early.
She was 10 when she first
picked up the bat and ball.
“It gets in your blood and
stays there,” Haynes said.
Both are retired educators.
Haynes was a physical edu-
cation teacher and White a
teacher’s assistant.
Thrift, who plays short
right field, started playing
when her children were
small. She had a long hiatus
away from the ballfield. A
few year ago, she drove past
a field and wished she could
play. Soon after, she ran into
a Golden Girl who encour-
aged her to join the team.
“It was uncanny,” she
says of the serendipitous
experience.
Unlike some of her team-
mates, Thrift hasn’t retired.
She works as a nurse.
Many of the team mem-
bers knew each other from
way back, playing in church
and recreation leagues. The
friendship may be as impor-
tant as the game itself, they
say.
While friendship is a
motivator, the women are
all business on the field.
They practice weekly
through the season which
begins in March. They will
practice twice in one week if
a holiday forces them to
miss a practice. They're
See Golden, 10B
DETAILS
Nearly 2 million Americans
have trouble reading the words
on this page dearly, even with the
AR
expert vision care, trust your eyes
Kings Mountain Eye Center
A division of Shelby Eve Centers, PA.
897 €. King St. © Kings Mountain, NC
1413 N. Lafayette St. © Sheloy, NC
704-730-9767 :
www.salu.net/sec
help of glasses or contacts. for
The details of life are too
to our specialists.
good to miss.
Hickory (left) and Kings Mountain players battle along the net in Thursday’s
Southwestern Foothills Conference volleyball opener at KM’s Donald L. Parker
Gymnasium. Kings Mountain won.
KMHS spikers defeat
Hickory in SWFH match
Kings Mountain High's women’s volley-
ball team rebounded from a first-game
loss to defeat Hickory 20-25, 25-20, 25-4,
25-17 in their first Southwestern Foothills
3A Conference match Thursday at Donald
L. Parker Gymnasium.
The victory improved the Lady
Mountaineers’ overall record to 6-1.
Several players had good all-around
games for Suzanne Grayson’s team.
Blair Heffner was perfect on 23 serves,
including three aces. She also dished out
31 assists and had six digs and two
blocks.
Jackie Jarvis was perfect on 10 serves
and contributed seven digs, and Ashley
McDaniel was 21-for-21 serving with four
aces, and had five digs.
Alex Dawson was outstanding on the
nets with 15 kills. She also had 14 digs
and a block, and was 10-of-11 serving
with one ace.
Ashton Teague was 17-for-17 serving
with one ace, and contributed four kills,
two blocks and six digs.
Lauren Horne was true on all eight of
her serves, including two aces, and had a
block and six digs.
Last week the Mountaineers defeated
East Gaston 25-23, 25-6. 25-8 in a non-con-
ference game.
Heffner was 6:for-6 serving and had
two kills, 18 assists and six digs.
Kristyn Funderburke was 4-for-5 serv-
ing and had seven assists and three digs,
and Jackie Jarvis was 7-for-7 serving
McDaniel was perfect on all 20 of her
serves, including four aces, and she also
had four digs.
Horne was 7-for-7 serving and had
seven digs.
Teague was true on all 15 of her serves,
including thee aces. She also had three
kills, three blocks and seven digs.
Dawson had nine kills and a block,
eight digs and was 8-for-8 serving.
Kala Buchanan had three kills and a dig.
Kings Mountain has an important
SWFH date with R-S Central Thursday at
home. JV action begins at 4:30 and varsity
action will begin around 5:30.
September 11, 2003
GARY STEWART / HERALD
TR RE
KM’s Ashton Teague (6) sets up Alex
Dawson (11) for kill.
*300
our already Hy
“oeastn rates
Our patented system 4
offers the most durable
ond effective gutter
you can buy.
Buy Gu GuterGu” now ke oul save 2 $3005 off our already low {
oy rafes. dst present this ad after your free quote, ;