By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
"Kids don't start their first year of school in the seventh grade, why should they have to wait until then to learn to play football?"
At least that is Don Atter's opinion when it comes to talking about youth football.
Atter along with Dan McGill, Jim Hargraves and Craig Manley fostered the idea of beginning a youth tackle football league a year or so ago.
The men are just now seeing that idea become reality -- one step or one tackle at a time.
"There is a need here in Forrest City for a youth football league," Atter said. "And there is a lot of interest. The city has a flag football league, which is okay, but it's not real tackle football and it doesn't help prepare those kids who want to play junior high football."
Forrest City Recreation Department Director Kenneth Taylor doesn't take that as a slam, but says the difference is that "flag football is a recreational sport for the kids. Not competitive like the tackle football teams are looking to be. Every program the city has is based on being a recreational activity."
After having a registration and sign-up period and acquiring the finances for the equipment, Atter and his coaches don't have quite enough kids to form a league, but they do have a team -- the Forrest City Gators -- who are 25 kids strong.
"We hope to be able to join with several other area youth football teams which have sprung up in the past few years and start a city league," Atter said. "We have already been accepted into the North Arkansas Football Association, more commonly known as the Cross County League."
Atter says the sooner the kids get onto the football field, the more it will benefit the Forrest City school system and the community.
Atter isn't just all talk. He has had a little experience playing football as a University of Florida Gator and then playing professionally with the Chicago Fire and the Jacksonville Express of the old World Football League.
The Gators have been on the practice field for a while now but only just put the pads on this week.
Atter hopes to have the team ready to play their first game during the second week of September.
"We will play our games on Saturday," Atter said. "When we play here, we have been given permission to use the school's practice field. Maybe at some point, we will be able to play a game at Sam Smith Stadium. That would be a great experience for these kids. But we'll see."
Atter does have a condition or two when it comes to playing other teams.
"We want to compete against any team we can, but we would like to be in a league with parity rather than stacked teams," Atter said.
Other youth tackle football teams in the area have found competition in the Marion and West Memphis leagues over the past few years.
"Our parents are behind us 100 percent," Atter said. "And that is important. Hopefully, if this first year is successful for us, then maybe next year we can put together a younger team. Our goal is to get these kids into junior high already knowing how to put on pads or how to make a basic block and how to wrap up when making a tackle."
You could say these youthful Gators are learning the game one play or one snap at a time.
By FRED CONLEY
T-H Sports Editor
Barnes Timber, winners of 20 straight games in the adult men's softball league, can clinch the outright championship tonight.
All Barnes needs is a victory over M&T Paving, a team they will be facing for the first time tonight at 8 p.m.
M&T has seven straight wins to their credit headed into tonight's game and feel they have something to say in the matter of who walks away with the league title.
All of tonight's matchups are first-time affairs set up when the June 13 schedule of games were rained out.
M&T and Sanyo are locked in a tie for second place in the league, both teams at 17-3.
There are three playing dates remaining after tonight, but Barnes will only have two playing left after tonight, due to an open date on Monday, Aug. 5.
That means a Barnes victory tonight would wrap up the league title even if Barnes should drop it's final two games.
The league will play make up games on Thursday, Aug. 8 and Monday, Aug. 12.
The Gym 2000 team is sitting in third place in the league standings with three games left after tonight. Gym is scheduled to face M&T on Aug. 8, which may prove to be a critical game for both teams.
Sanyo has the Bulldogs, currently in fifth place twice, Miller Insurance and Kerby's, to round out their season schedule.
The O'Dell McCallum Community Center in Wynne is sponsoring a women's summer basketball league.
The league will begin the eight-game season play on Aug. 23 and continue through Oct. 11 and is for women ages 18-and older.
Teams can have up to 15 roster players and once the roster has been submitted, no changes will be allowed.Games will be played on Friday nights and the playoffs will begin one week after the regular season is completed.
Entry fees are $75 per team and the deadline to enter is Friday, Aug. 16.
For more information call Lee Jones at the Boys and Girls' Club (870) 238-2442.
Forrest City seventh graders who are going to play football, can pick up their equipment at Lincoln Gym on Tuesday & Wednesday, Aug. 6&7, from 9 until 11 a.m. and from 1:30 until 2:30 p.m.
All players must have a copy of their physical examination before being allowed to pick up their equipment.
The Forrest City team of Seccer Cole and Brittney White won the first Cole's Appliance Tennis Classic doubles tournament played Sunday, July 28, at the Forrest City Civic Center courts.
Rosia Davis and Sandy Cole finished second while the team of Tony King and Winfrey Winston placed third and Lovie Hardrick and Marvin Metcalf finished fourth.
The tournament was sponsored by Cole's Appliance.
* CITY LEAGUES
ADULT SOFTBALL
Thursday, August 1
Gym 2000 vs Kerby's, 7 p.m. F3
Miller Ins. vs Morgan, 7 p.m. F4
Greg's vs Food Giant, 8 p.m. F3
Barnes vs M&T Paving, 8 p.m. F4
Bulldogs vs Sanyo, 9 p.m. F3
Young Guns vs TSM Computers, 9 p.m. F4