LOCAL SPORTS IN BRIEF
BY SPORTS EDITOR MITCH LUCAS
GOLF

Rotary tourney at Meadowbrook on May 5

The annual Kilgore Rotary Golf Tournament is scheduled for Monday, May 5 at Meadowbrook Country Club. Lunch will be served in the dining room at 11 a.m. and tee off with a shotgun start will be at noon.

The two-person tournament includes six holes of best ball (play your own ball and record the best score of the pair on the scorecard), six holes of scramble (play the better of the two shots all the way to the hole) and six holes of modified alternate shot (both players tee off and then alternate until the ball is holed). This potpourri format has been extremely popular over the past 10 or so years, making the Rotary golf tournament one that everyone wants to play.

The entry fee is $75 per player or $150 per team. The fee includes lunch and drinks on the course as well as green fee and cart. Cash prizes will be paid to first, second and third place in low gross and low net categories. All players must submit a handicap when making their entry for the tournament.

For more information or to enter the tournament, contact Greg Collins at (903) 988-3413. Tournament entries will be accepted until Friday, May 3. The proceeds from the tournament go to the many Kilgore Rotary Club charitable activities during the year.

FOOTBALL

Rangers to host camp in June

For youngsters with dreams of playing competitive football, the Kilgore College Rangers will host a football skills camp for ages 7-15 from June 9-13. Run by the KC coaching staff, the camp is "non-contact" and participants will be taught the fundamentals of the game and given instruction in all phases of football.

"This is a great opportunity for kids to come out and get a great instruction of the game," said J.J. Eckert, KC's head football coach and camp director. "Last year, we had a great turnout and are hoping for an even better one this year."

Players will be divided into groups according to age and position, allowing individual skills to be taught. Each camper will receive a camp certificate and awards will be given out daily. Emphasis for younger campers is basic skills development and intermediate skills for older campers to prepare them for competition.

"By exposing our campers to proper techniques and skills, we hope to instill a burning desire to become great football players," Eckert said. "And we'll definitely have lots of fun in the process."

Cost is $100 and will include instruction, all-you can eat meals, a souvenir KC football and camp certificate. Camp will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day and will be held on the KC campus.

To register for the camp, visit www.kilgore.edu/rangerfb.asp and download the camp flyer. Fill out the bottom portion and mail to: Kilgore College c/o J.J. Eckert, 1100 Broadway, Kilgore, TX; 75662. A deposit of $50 is required to reserve a spot and is non-refundable after June 1. The remaining $50 must be paid at time of registration. Registration is from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. the first day of the camp (June 9) in the Masters Gymnasium lobby. Limited spaces are available.

For more information, call Chris Craddock, KC's sports information coordinator, at (903) 983-8181.

BASEBALL

Showcase in Texarkana June 10

The Pro-Day East Texas High School Baseball Showcase will take place on Tuesday, June 10 at Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.

The Showcase is an opportunity for high school players (in ninth through 12th grades) to show their talents in front of professional scouts and collegiate coaches. The players will be evaluated in all areas: hitting, fielding, arm strength, arm accuracy, running, base running and pitching. These evaluation cards will be kept on file to monitor a player's progress throughout their high school career. Pro-Day will also send these evaluations to three colleges of the players' choice.

The Pro-Day caravan will be in a 14-state area this year with the top 100 overall players from these showcases being selected to attend the Best of the Best Showcase later this fall in Orange Beach, Ala.

Since 1989, Pro-Day Professional Baseball Camps has taught thousands of players from all ages on all phases of the game. The camp has produced hundreds of college players and numerous professional players.

Six current and recent major league players have participated in Pro-Day. These players include Torii Hunter (Anaheim Angels), Dmitri Young (Washington Nationals), T.J. Mathews (Houston Astros), Rigo Beltran (Baltimore Orioles), Billy Sadler (San Francisco Giants) and Doug Creek (Toronto Blue Jays) along with hundreds of others that have been associated with professional baseball on various levels.

To register, go to pro-daybaseball.com, or to highschoolshowcases. com . Sign-up early - the showcase is limited. Participants may register online or you may print out an application from the website and send check or money order to: Pro-Day Baseball, P.O. Box 333, Orange Beach, AL 36561. For additional information, you may call: (251) 980- 2300.