3/15/07

Summerton youth rec teams win big in 2007
By Brian Jarvis

BRIAN JARVIS/Manning Times
The Small Fry Eagles of Summerton took first place in the county basketball league sponsored by the Dept. of Parks and Recreation. At rear left is Coach Kevin Gist; at rear right is Assistant Coach Donna Harry.

In a fitting conclusion to a basketball season best described as the little engines that could, three teams from Summerton donned their Sunday best for an appreciation banquet held at Scott’s Branch Intermediate School (SBIS) in honor of their stellar performances.

“You did an outstanding job and I can’t say that enough,” said the banquet’s featured speaker, Rev. David Lawson of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. “You made a strong effort and contended well, and your records speak for it. You’ve displayed a high quality of athletics at a young, tender age.”

Kevin Gist, an alumnus of Clarendon School District One (CSD1) who now works for Food Lion, has coached the Small Fry Eagles for the last 15 years and said that he first became involved because there were so few activities for Summerton youth.

“The kids here have nothing to do,” he said. “So I gave it a try and ended up loving it. It’s my way of giving back to the community. The kids really want to do well; I just have to take my time and slow the pace to meet each child.”

Of the three teams, the Small Fry Eagles, ages 7-9, took first place for the third year in a row; the Mites Eagles, ages 10-12, won the championship for the second time in three years while the Mites Bobcats, ages 10-12, also enjoyed a winning season.

What made the victory especially sweet was that many children were able to play thanks to a scholarship fund established by CSD1 board member Bernard Richburg and SBIS principal Gwendolyn Harris, who solicited financial help from the community at large; facilities at SBIS were also made available free of charge.

“What’s most rewarding is see the kids graduate high school and go on to college, then come back to shake my hand and say thank you,” Gist said. “No amount of money in the world can account for that.”
But perhaps the most emotional moment of the banquet came when Gist asked all fathers who took part to stand up and be recognized.

“This was the most father participation I’ve ever had,” Gist said, noting the sobering statistics of prison-bound black youth. “We’ve all got to make sacrifices, but when we get together and see our children go up and down the court and smile, we’re like one big happy family.”

For pictures of the Mites Eagles and Mites Bobcats, please see the Clarendon Scene on Page Ten.