7-6 MVT 2B

MOORESVILLE TRIBUNE
Sports
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2005
LAKE NORMAN FISHING
MHS BASEBALL
New regulation a gift for
area anglers, striped bass
By LARRY SULLIVAN
lsullivan@mooresvilletribune.com
PHOTO BY LARRY SULLIVAN/MOORESVILLE TRIBUNE
SMOOTHEST OF GEMS ON BASEBALL DIAMOND: When it came to being gems on the baseball
diamond for Mooresville High’s varsity team this spring, none shone brighter than these. As a
result, they’re the one clutching various team awards presented during the school’s annual
athlete assembly. Recipients, and what each won, are, from left: Scottie Small, Golden Glove
and Nick Burn All-Heart; Matt Skidmore, Coach’s Award; Justin West, Offensive Most
Valuable; and Justin Ogle, team MVP.
CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
Cash, car again go unclaimed,
as Golf Challenge fills its Cup
From Staff Reports
No cash, and no car, but
there were still plenty left in
the Cup during this season’s
annual Spring Golf Challenge.
Once again conducted
under the host efforts of the
Central United Methodist
Men, neither the huge cash
prize nor new car dangling up
for grabs as separate major
hole-in-one prizes made possible through the efforts of a
pair of major sponsors wound
up being claimed, but the traditional Challenge Cup awarded to event champions did go
rewarded to help highlight this
year’s play.
Open to any and all interested players, this spring’s
affair held on the Mooresville
Municipal Golf Course was
comprised of nearly 20 teams,
each made up of four players
apiece. Play in the 18-hole,
morning-long attraction was
held under the player-friendly
captain’s choice format, a procedure that all but assures low
scoring. Under this style of
play, each member of a team
hits each shot from the best
result of each previous shot.
Serving as major incentives for the affair again was
the $10,000 cash prize made
available as one hole-in-one
prize courtesy of major participating sponsors Amelia’s
Auto Sales and James McCall
Allstate Insurance Agency, as
well as a new car provided by
Randy Marion Chevrolet.
Neither prize was won with
an ace, but they once again
helped account for major
drawing cards in order to
create a competitive and
successful field.
While those highly-recognized prizes failed to be
claimed, a number of teams
did earn some time in the
affair’s spotlight. The field was
divided into a trio of flights,
with the top two teams in each
flight earning some post-play
recognition. Also, in keeping
with a Classic tradition, a traveling Challenge Cup was presented to the team posting the
lowest overall score of the day.
As it turned out, it took an
on-card playoff to decide
which crew would be presented with this spring’s Cup.
At the close of regulation
play, a pair of teams earned a
share of first, each doing so
with scores of 13-under par 59.
Forcing a tiebreaking procedure into play, an on-card procedure helped clear the way
for this season’s Classic championship quartet comprised of
John Lindsey, Ted Warlick, Joe
Patterson and Gary Emanuelson to receive credit as Cup
collectors.
That left the squad made
up of Mark Beaver, Roger
Neill, Larry Neill and Gary
McNeely to settle for second,
even though it also posted
the best round of the event
while competing in the
Championship Flight.
In the First Flight, the team
consisting of Neil Vroom,
Bruce
Cokernak,
Butch
Gardner and Wayne Roach
checked in first, while the roster consisting of Jeff Gibson,
Ret Elliott, Steve Franklin and
Keith Franklin placed second.
And in the third flight, top
bragging rights were claimed
by the foursome made up of
Micheal
DeBerry,
Phil
DeBerry, Dwight Sherrill and
Lou Robinson, forcing the
quartet consisting of Dan
Brewer, Bill Brewer, Doug
Doolen and Jim Vasquez to finish second.
All players in the field were
treated to a catered barbecue
chicken lunch made possible
by major sponsor Gates
Construction Company.
A host of additional supporting sponsors once again
helped make this year’s Spring
Golf Classic a success, and all
tournament officials wish to
thank them for their support.
Proceeds realized from the
tournament goes to help fund
local mission projects and
offer scholarships to collegebound youth.
Christmas has come five
months early for all area
Lake Norman bass fishermen and their preferred
casting targets. This gift that
gives keeps right on giving
to both parties continues
through September.
Effective earlier this
month, striped bass anglers
fishing in Lake Norman will
be able to keep as many as
four stripers of any size
through
the
last
of
September.
The new regulation,
approved by the North
Carolina Wildlife Commission this spring, allows
anglers fishing in Norman
to harvest striped bass that
otherwise might not survive
if caught and released during the summer. The new
standard continues through
Sept. 20.
From Oct. 1 through June
30, the old regulation remains
in effect. Striped bass smaller
than 20 inches must be
released, and anglers must
adhere to the daily creel limit
of four stripers.
In previous years, striped
bass anglers on Lake Norman
typically would catch and
release many stripers until
they caught four that exceeded the 20-inch minimum
length limit. The catch-andrelease practice had an unintended effect of killing some
of the released striped bass
during the summer because
stripers are less tolerant of
summer conditions than
other game fishes.
“Stripers caught in the
summer on Lake Norman,”
noted Christian Waters,
Piedmont fisheries research
coordinator for the N.C.
Wildlife
Commission,
“often are reeled in from
deep, cool water. When
they’re reeled to the surface,
it’s like they’re getting heat
stroke because the water
temperature at the surface
is so warm. They’re also getting stressed from being
hauled out of the water and
handled.’’
The regulation to provide
summertime relief to Lake
Norman striped bass comes
at the request of two area
fishing clubs, the Lake
Norman Striper Swipers
and the Norman Fisheries
Alliance, whose members
believe striped bass mortality during the summer is
significant.
“Until now,’’ offered Gus
Gustafson, president of the
Lake
Norman
Striper
Swipers and a seasoned
Lake Norman fishing guide,
“anglers had to release
undersized and stressed
stripers, per the old regulation. The released stripers
swim away, only to die a
short time later, and then
float to the surface. The
dead fish could have been
excellent table fare, but had
to be left floating to become
dessert for turkey buzzards
and ospreys.’’
Gustafson said that area
fishing clubs planned to
notify all anglers fishing
Lake Norman of the new
regulation by distributing
handouts at local bait and
tackle shops, sporting
goods outlets and marinas.
Clubs will also encourage
DON’T MISS
THE
WHO WILL BE
THE LAST MAN
STANDING
THIS YEAR?
TS
2005
ETS
E
TIICCOKKO
N
T
G LW
E
O
A
NS YAL5E!!
S
OJNUL
CHAMPIONS TOUR
UPDATE
LITTLE MOORS: Win, advance to Round II
Continued from 1B
place most of this week.
The Baby Moors, under
the direction of head coach
Jimmy Meadows and assistants Johnny Meadows and
Scott Graham, opened postseason play at home by
virtue of receiving the higher
seed and made the most of
the familiar surroundings to
notch the 13-3 verdict and
take the commanding lead
in the quick first-to-wintwo-games session.
The following afternoon
on host Alexander County’s
home Alexander Central
High School field, Mooresville made sure no third and
final game would have to be
played at home later over the
most recent July Fourth holiday weekend by eliminating
the host squad via the 8-2
outcome that propelled the
winners into this week’s
Round II courtesy of the 2-0
series triumph.
In that regard, the Little
Moors will this time fill the
role of the underdog when
putting its lower seed to the
test against favored South
Caldwell in second-round
play that gets underway this
week. Once again doing so
under a best-of-three-games
scenario, Mooresville headed into the set assured of
playing host to at least one
game of that series. If all goes
according to plan weather
wise, the junior-division
crew will play host to Game
II of the back-and-forth set
this (Wednesday) evening
back on the MHS field. Game
time is set for 7 p.m.
The winner of the secondround meeting will move on
to play in the third round
that will get underway later
this month.
MOST TALENT: Lady ‘Cats lead selections
Continued from 1B
er in Kaley Ward.
West Iredell was the next
closest program to the Lady
‘Cats in terms of first-team,
all-county nods by placing
three players on the team.
Included in that group is this
year’s player of the year.
With Lake Norman put-
ting the most players on the
first team, South Iredell was
prevented
from
being
shutout on that squad as the
Lady Vikings’ Laura Byrd, an
outfielder, was one of three
players manning outfield
slots named to the first team.
Three programs wound
up accounting for all the
players placed on the honorable mention roster. From
CYANMAGENTAYELLOWBLACK
Lake Norman, its duo of
players garnering that status
included Lauren Marshall
and LaNell McIntosh.
South Iredell’s Bethany
Webster was also accorded
second-team status countywide in softball.
The Statesville Record &
Landmark sports staff made
official release of the AllIredell County softball team.
compliance with the new
regulation through seminars, newsletters and Web
sites, he added.
“The Striper Swipers are
elated over the new regulation,’’ beamed Gustafson.
“It is talked about at every
meeting. The majority of
our members don’t fish for
stripers during the summer
months. Those that do are
encouraged to keep stripers
they catch, up to the creel
limit, then go catfishing or
home.’’
Commission researcher
Waters said voluntary compliance with the new regulation is important because the
Wildlife Commission can regulate only the harvest of
striped bass and cannot stop
anglers from catching striped
bass during the summer
months without banning all
fishing. For this rule to be
effective, anglers will have to
be diligent in targeting
striped bass on a limited
basis, he stressed.
“This rule will only have its
intended effect,’’ emphasized
Waters, “if anglers either stop
after they catch their four
stripers or they change tactics
and fish for other species. But
legally, anglers can catch and
release as many fish as they
want, so it will be up to the
anglers to police themselves.’’
Beginning in 2006, this
regulation will be effective
from June 1 to Sept. 30.
For more information on
fishing in North Carolina’s
public freshwaters, all interested can contact the
Division of Inland Fisheries at
919-733-3633, or visit online
at www.ncwildlife.org.
2005 Money Leaders (as of 7/03/05)
Rank Player
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Dana Quigley
Tom Jenkins
Mark McNulty
D.A. Weibring
Hale Erwin
Des Smyth
Jim Thorpe
Wayne Levi
Mike Reid
Morris Hatalsky
Events
15
15
12
14
12
11
15
15
12
14
Money
$1,293,340
$1,031,751
$912,009
$902,280
$885,887
$847,618
$810,115
$787,942
$702,309
$697,751
2004 Greater Hickory Classic
at Rock Barn Champion Doug Tewell
UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
Ford Senior Players Championship
July 4-10
TPC of Michigan
Dearborn, Michigan
Purse: $2,500,000
Senior British Open Championship
July 18-24
Royal Portrush GC
Portrush, Ireland
Purse: $1,800,000
For tickets call 1-866-ROCK BARN (762-5227)
www.greaterhickoryclassic.com
50068472_bb1
2B