The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, August 03, 1978, Page Page 5, Image 5
Girl's basketball camp
Large tun
By Paul Osmund8on
Oamtcock Staff WrW?r
Pam Parsons's Girls Basketbal
Camp, originally scheduled for on<
week only, was extended to tw<
weeKs mis summer wnen mon
than 300 girls signed up.
Parsons, the head women'!
basketball coach at USC, said sh<
originally expected about ISO girl)
to attend the camp. However
during the week of July 23-28, 1Q
girls attended, and 205 are at
tending this week's session.
There are many reasons for th<
large turnout, Parsons said. Th<
increased interest in girls
basketball and the good year th<
women's yarsity team had las
season were both determinants il
thp hi a inforMt fr?r tho r>omn oVi
VWV &VI MAV Oil'
said.
But perhaps the two bigges
draws are the status of th
university in the state and Coac!
Parsons herself. She said Carolin
is the major institution in the state
The girls want to come her
because of its size. As a result
Parsons said she didn't have to d
a lot of promoting for the camp.
She said another reason for th
large turnout is herself and he
reputation. Almost every schoc
has basketball camps, said Pai
sons, a highly successful coach ?
Old Dominion College, but th
dominant status of the universit
and the presence of a successfi
coach make Carolina's basketba
school more attractive to the girli
Parsons said she would compar
her camp to any in the countr
because of the fundamentals th*
are stressed.
She said the instructors teach th
/
I
Steve
Garvey
is a
crowd
n //)
lout mirrors
girls concepts that can be applied
to life as well as basketball. For
1 example, on the first night of the
s camp Parsons' sister, Tetha, a
!> professional model, spoke to the
e girls on how to make themselves
look better.
s Tetha provided the campers tips
e on proper nail, hair and skin care,
s and Parsons said the campers
, "just loved it. They all want to be
E) as pretty a woman as they can be,
Kill 1? ?
uui uicuijr ui uicai juai iuuii L IU1UW
how."
e The girls also received tips on
e how to have more self control,
' sincerity and humility, besides
e learning the basics of basketball,
t "We offer them concepts to
n improve them not only as a player,
e but as a person," Parsons said.
Twenty persons served as int
structors during the camp. They
e included former and present
h players from Carolina, the
a University of Alabama and
i. Lewisburg Jr. College, N.C. Also
e participating were high school
t, coaches from Georgia and South
o Carolina and college coaches from
Carolina and Old Dominion,
e On the first day of camp, the
T tjirlc nnrlarwont a "cirill onol?ioSo"
? QUM# ?MS%?VA vV via V M UIVlll UllUlJf OIO
>1 so that they could be grouped with
r- other girls at their own skill level,
it as well as the same age and size,
e The camp is then divided into three
y leagues ? the garnet, black and
ll white.
11 Each day of the camp is sec5.
tioned into a morning and afe
ternoon session. In the mornings,
y there are "teaching stations,"
it where the girls are instructed in
fundamentals.
le The afternoon session includes
By Brett Friedlan<!
Gamecock Staff Write
ATLANTA ? Steve Garvey
the qualities of an old fashioi
One look at his Jack Armstr
it is obvious. However, the
Dodger first baseman has moi
is his clean cut look, his team I
way he can hit a baseball th
him one of the most popular ;
game today.
Before every game, Garve;
he spends some time with the
, hundreds of autographs, pose
and talks with the people who (
It might seem that a player
would get tired of this ritual, bi
"I NEVER get tired of signi]
anH GDiMnrf Italln if
m?u iiujiug ui/uu u 11 niaivca
py," he said. "That is what enl
all about. Professional sports
recreational entertainment f<
people every year."
Garvey's popularity is not 1
Los Angeles area either. H
throughout the country by
children alike. This is evid<
showing in last year's a
balloting by the fans. He wa
vote getter in the National
* more than 4 million votes.
Still an even greater indi<
broad fan appeal occurred in
in his first year as a Dodger re
even listed on the official ball
than a million people wrote his
he won a starting position in tl
star game. Garvey's perfom
field earned him the game's r
player award that year.
"I've been blessed with man
the past eight years," he sa
i growth of womer
Super Star and one-on-one competition.
In the Super Star, the girls
compete against players from
their own age group in various
drills, Parsons said. At the end of
ine weeK, outstanding players are .% J'
given ribbons. HraB
The last day of the camp is JB|S
reserved for Parents Day. Parents
and friends can come and watch
the campers demonstrate skills
and drills, and compete in an allstar
game, she said.
Last week more than 200 people :
attended, which Parsons said was
great considering there were 109
girls in the camp. This, she said, is Bill M
a good indication of the increased
popularity in women's basketball.
What girls need to develop as * ;
athletes is the chance to play more, /, Parsons
said. In athletics, "girls
)i J **
aren i any amerenc man Doys,"
she said, "It's just that boys have ,' &
more opportunity to develop their
basic skills.
Parsons added that after
coaching both boys and girls, she
feels girls are easier to teach. #
"They are more intent and in- f f
terested in learning than boys
are," she said. "Girls want to
learn."
Concerning the future of the
camp, Parsons said she is ready to
accommodate 600 girls a summer, will become a "so*
She said she could handle 200 girls like today's collet
a week for three weeks each year, games are.
Basketball today is the most ~ Parsons has set se
popular women's intercollegiate the women's basket
sport because of its public appeal, at USC, including
she said. "People like to watch that national finals,
brown ball go through the hoop." Because of the
Parsons said that as more people predictable events
watch women's basketball, the taking the title, Pai
more they will like it. One day it "wouldn't die if wc
ler support that I have had from the fans
r probably my greatest thrill in baseba
possesses all People is what makes life rewarding f
ned hero. me."
nno Qmilo onH
?o v..? the tampa, fla. native is now tl
5 ?h premier first baseman in the leagu
e man that. it However he has not always played tl
oyalty ana the position. When he came up with the Dodge
at have in 1971, Garvey was a third baseman,
players in the An erratic throwing arm and a young mi
. named Ron Cey moved him to the opposi
y makes sure s^e 0f diamond. The switch ga^
tans. He signs Garvey an opportunity to play every day f<
the first time. According to the 29-vear-o
Hxy iii? stiiMi-y. first baseman, it was the best move of h
?J in career.
not uarvey. had some trouble throwing tl
it? AntAcyrnnhe baseball," he said. "They moved me over
snmponp hW ^irst base *n middle of 1973 and I've be<
fprtninmpnt u there ever since. I guess God found a wi
is a form of 1 could play every day and make
>r millions of contribution to the Dodgers."
GARVEY'S CONTRIBUTION in 1977 W?
limited to the instrumental in his team's surge to
e is idolized World Series. He was among the Dodger
adults and team leaders in every offensive category
enced by his Furthermore, he won his fourth straigi
ll-star game Gold Glove award for outstanding defensiv
s the leading play. Despite his lack of size (he is onl
League with 5'10") he has become one of the moj
respected defensive first basemen in all c
cation of his baseball.
1974. Garvey, While his height is an obvious disac
gular was not vantage on high throws from the infielden
lot. Yet more he has worked on becoming an expert a
; name in and scooping out low throws. "I use the ba
lat year's all- sometimes and that gives me another coupl
lance on the of inches," Garvey explained. "But
nost valuable usually tell my infielders that if th?vV
going to make a bad throw, make it lo\
y things over because I've got a better chance dowi
id. "But the there."
t ^ o. *U1
L 9 d til AC LI
; :x '
BI&^>IsI8IBbL
|HHttj^|iH^^^K|| :
^?Tr 7f% Mp^^g
HHUHp^.
- Ws ^'liii Bks ..
JsP ' ::':^k'' ' ' ^ ^
j
:ial function" However, a
[iate football would be gri
yeral goals for Her bigges
ball program build the bes
i spot in the she can. "Mj
but to build
J? A. * _ *
many un- aicauve 01
that go into said. "I w
sons said she Carolinians i
didn't win." basketball p
is His style at first base ii
11. late Gil Hodges. Garv<
)r terns himself after the fo
who was one of his boy]
ie AS A YOUNGSTER, <
e. spring training batboy
*4- ii "
10 ivuugci?*. ii was uien inai
re Hodges and began J ear
being a successful n
in baseman.
te "Being around players
re me mature," Garvey sa
)r as both a player and as a
d an example for a lot of
is was soft spoken and he w
He went out and did his j
,e the type of guy who kep
a people. Those are pn
>n fflristirs tn hni/o "
y He played both footta
a Chamberlain High Scho<
graduation he went on to
at Michigan State Univf
s "It was a dream come I
? the Dodgers," he said vi
eye. "I couldn't wait for
r- and talk contract with r
know I would have signe
e they offered."
\ GARVEY'S ATTITUD
Jo i:i_~ 41?* -' 1
f 13 1I1UV.I1 11IVC Ulttl UI I
Lasorda; he is Dodger th
l_ The first baseman said h<
of himself playing for
t Lasorda and the Dodgei
? Throughout his career
I been blessed with good
I and a lot of base hits. He
B to his former manager 1
v "Walt was quite an inf
j Garvey said. "He helped
and off the field. He gave
I
.cs
;
^llBPt^ ^W- "' '
ohn Wilson ? GAMECOCK
spot in the final four
sat.
}t goal, however, is to
t program at Carolina
r goal is not just to win,
a program that is inSouth
Carolina," she
'ant to have South
>roud of their women's
rogram."
>
s reminiscent of the
ey admittedly patrmer
Dodger great,
hood idols.
jarvey served as a
for the Brooklyn
t he became close to
ning the secrets of
lajor league first
i such as Gil helped
id. "I admired him
man. I think he set
people, because he
asn't controversial,
job and he was also
t in touch with the
itty good characill
and baseball at
!)1 in Tnmrvn Affop
- ? ? M VVi
star in both sports
irsity.
true to be picked by
rith a gleam in his
the scout to come
ne. Little did they
d for a lot less than
E toward his team
lis manager Tom
rough and through.
5 could hardly think
anyone other than
*s.
Oi. r?
aieve uarvey nas
luck, good friends
credits his success
Walt Alston,
luence on my life,"
me mature both on
mp mv nnnnrfnnitit
-?J