B2 – Thursday • October 5 • 2006 www.timesstonecounty.com
SPOR TS
T he
TIMES of S toneouth ounty & C ississippi S M
Sports Briefs
Fall festival aids recreation
The Stone-Wiggins Recreation Association will have its 2nd Annual Fall Festival October 21 at Blaylock Park. There will be a Fun Run for youngster and a 2-Mile Run for adults at 9 a.m. At 10 a.m,. there will be food, games, entertainment, a karaoke contest, and a gumbo cook-off. For more information, call the SWRA office at 601-9286461. in the final three minutes of the first half. Nikki Shows extended the lead to 2-0 and Brown scored once again for the 3-0 PRCC victory. PRCC’s women improved to 7-2-1 overall and 7-0 in south division play of the MACJC. The Lady Dogs fell to 4-7 on the season. In the men’s game, Pearl River won 5-2. Trailing 5-0 at halftime, MGCCC came alive in the final half as Joe Schambeau and David Smith scored for the Bulldogs. Pearl River’s men’s team moved to 5-2-1, while MGCCC’s men’s team dropped to 6-4.
Stone Hardwood Club seeks backing
THE TIMES/ROBERT JACKSON Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College cheerleaders bring spirit to all Bulldog football games. The squad has earned top honors at summer cheerleading camps. The Stone High School Hardwood Club is raising money for its end of the season athletic banquet, awards and player jackets. To raise funds, the club is selling advertisements and sponsorships from $50-$300. Sponsors will be listed on plaques in the foyer of the school’s gymnasium for the public to see as they enter and exit the playing area during each home game played by the Tomcats. To sponsor the Stone High basketball program, contact Coach Todd Miller at 601928-5492.
Youth Football Scores
Second week scores from the Stone WigginsYouth Football Association include: Dirt Dobbers Red (5-6 year olds) defeated Lyman Cowboys, 48-12, MVP: Trey Arrington and Seth Odom. The Dirt Dobbers Red are now 3-0. Dirt Dobbers Blue (5-6 year olds) lost to St. Martin, 12-0, MVP: Aaron Holston and Dillion Cobb. Stone County Pirates (7-8 year olds) lost to the Dixie Yellowjackets, 22-0, MVP: Terrion Avery and Kendall Arrington. Stone County Rattlesnakes (9-10 year olds) lost to the Dixie Yellowjackets, 30-0, MVP, Justin Usey and Royce Hagel Stone County Steers (11-12 year olds), did not play as game was cancelled because oif bad weather.
Bulldog cheerleaders offer positive vibes
By Robert Jackson Editor
Is cheerleading a sport? There are cheerleading competitions and championships to be won, but at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College cheerleading has another focus. That focus is enthusiasm. According to MGCCC cheerleaders and the sponsor, Shellie Campbell, the goal of the Bulldog cheerleading squad is to boost the enthusiasm of the fans and make sure the players on the football field are able to feel that enthusiasm in order to play harder and better. It may be somewhat surprising that MGCCC cheerleaders are not a competitive squad seeking national recognition, because Campbell is the wife of MGCCC football coach Steve Campbell. Evidently, wins and loses – and championship trophies - are more of a focus for Mr. Campbell than Mrs. Campbell. However, Mrs. Campbell does not have any less of a feeling for the football program, the fans and her cheerleaders at Gulf Coast College. “We’re not there to perform,” she once said. “We’re there to lead the fans. You have to always have to have your team’s back.” In her interview with The Times, Campbell said her squad does everything a competition squad does except enter contests. She said she wants her squad to focus on having fun and spreading fun during games. Campbell said she wants the crowd involved so she will send cheerleaders into the stands. The focus she said is spirit. Requiring her cheerleaders to do highly
acrobatic jumps and tumbles is not as important as spreading excitement and increasing the noise from the MGCCC side of the field. If support is needed, Campbell said David Duett, director of the MGCCC Band of Gold, band members and the Perkettes are there to help. “You always have David and Cathy, the support of the band and the Perkettes,” she said. “We compete with ourselves every week,” cheerleader Rachel Reeder explained. “We compete with ourselves and for the Bulldogs,” Samantha Guthrie added. Leading cheers for more than two hours in victory and defeat, even when a hot Saturday afternoon can wear on the most ardent Bulldog fan, often requires a unique personality. “I’d rather spend my time doing positive things rather than negative things,” Reeder said. “We’re all positive people all of the time.” All but one of the cheerleaders lives on campus creating a special bond, said Campbell. “It’s just a good way to be involved in the school,” Guthrie explained. They also have to maintain good grades and take a full academic classload. Then there is the physical training. In preparing her squad, Shellie Campbell becomes Coach Campbell. Pre-season practice began in June. “It is a sport,” she said when talking about her unit’s training regimen. She said she is installing a weight program in addition to her workout and running
requirements. Cheerleading, she said, requires dance and movement skills, jumping and gymnastics, little time for rest and constant motion before, during and after the game. Diet is important, but Campbell said the diet “focuses on better foods.” Along with endurance, cheerleaders must display strength as lifting and balancing skills as well as pyramid stunts have become mandatory in cheerleading. Campbell said every one on the squad has to focus and block out distractions when lifting, tossing and catching other cheerleaders. Because safety is a vital concern, Campbell and the squad have to complete safety workshops.
“You need to be fit,” she said, “physically and mentally.” There are no mental lightweights on the Bulldog squad, and to prove that it takes a lot of intelligence just ask how hard it is to become a Bulldog cheerleader. “You had one day to learn everything (during tryouts),” Guthrie said. “It is a lot to learn in one day,” Farah McAdams emphasized. Not only are freshmen competing for spots, but so are high school students. Current freshmen like Guthrie left the cozy confines of Stone High School in the spring to tryout for MGCCC. She was asked to display her dance and
MGCCC drop pair to Wildcats
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s soccer teams were swept in Poplarville by Pearl River CC. The Lady Wildcats beat the Lady Dogs 3-0 to win the season series. Pearl River led 1-0 at the intermission after Mellisa Brown scored a goal
CHEER, see page B4
BRIEFS, Page B4
Your ONLY Locally Owned and Operated Hometown Newspaper