Taking Names and Keeping Score
Girls on the rise
Charlie Anderson
Although in some circles I have been accused of devoting more of my time to covering boys' sports than I do girls, it isn't my intention to do so. As a matter of fact I pride myself in trying to cover all the sports I can regardless of the gender of the participants or the nature of the particular sport. It just so happens that a lot of the time other commitments I have including coaching make it difficult for me to be in all the necessary places at the same time.

I must admit by virtue of the fact that I had two sons and no daughters, a large portion of my time, during the years my wife and I were raising our children, was spent at one sporting event or another where the participants were all boys. I will tell you however that even before either of my sons were playing organized ball I spent several years coaching in the Thomasville Dixie Youth Program and actually coached two girls who were part of one of the 10-12 year old boys baseball teams I had. Back then things were somewhat different and because there weren't as many structured programs for the girls as there are now, some of the young girls who really wanted to play competitively opted to play baseball.

Thankfully in time things got better and the girls were offered more opportunity through the Dixie Softball Program. From that earlier period when there wasn't a great deal of opportunity up to now there has been a lot of emphasis put on the girls program here through both the city recreation program and the school.

As a result the programs in the school which are in essence fed by the city recreation programs are making strides toward becoming very competitive year in and year out. Over the past couple of years the volleyball team, basketball team and softball team have found themselves improving to the point that just having a good season is no longer their goal but winning area, sectional and eventually state championships top their list.

No where is that more evident than in the accomplishments of the Lady Tiger basketball team this past season, finishing the year with a 20-4 record with a playoff trip to the regional tournament at Troy State University or the Lady Tiger softball team's 29-14 record with a state playoff appearance that ended in the second round of the sub-state match-ups. The good thing in both cases is that the majority of the starters on both squads will be returning next year.

As good as the coaches at the high school may be, and they are, they will be the first to tell you that it takes a lot things working together to build championship caliber programs. Some of the things on that list are: first, good athletes; second, opportunities to learn how to play the game correctly at levels below high school; and third, consistency in teaching the fundamentals of the game at all levels.

As I have had opportunity to get out and watch the girls play in the summer softball leagues, on the junior varsity softball team at Thomasville High School and on the Thomasville Middle School basketball team I have seen some of the things on the coaches' list first hand.

First, there are definitely some good young athletes making their way through the various age groups who will some day carry their talents to the high school level. The opportunity to play in a competitive setting at the younger ages seems to be more available now than ever and even those players as young as 7 and 8 year olds are being taught the fundamentals of the game in a fashion that helps them get a good foundation while still having a lot of fun.

I think it is safe to say that the high school athletic programs for girls are on their way to being successful year in and year out like those of the boys' which are already at that level.

Until next time........be safe!

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