The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 115

TO REPORT NEWS ITEMS CALL EDITOR STAN AWTREY AT 263-3830 PAGE 9J MONDAY, JULY 18, 1988 Conflicts Throwing Olympic Hopeful a Curve one fact remains he is not Olym- pic quality, not yet anyway. Officials for the games, however, are betting he will be. "We consider him an Olympic hopeful, not only for 1988, but also for 1992," said Gerry Tate, the Southeast Regional Representative of the U.S. Olympic Committee. "These athletes had participated in the U.S.

Olympic Festival last year," he said. "The athlete might not be ready for Seoul, but the governing body says he's certainly ready for 1992." The irony is that, while the U.S. Baseball Federation might consider Moseley ready in four years, he might not be able to compete then. Moseley will have been out of college for a year, and he might not want to wait for the chance to play in the Olympics. "My long-term goal is, of course, to play professional baseball, especially in the major leagues," Moseley said.

"If the pro chance were to arrive before the Olympics, it'd be hard to turn it down." But he might be able to play for the Pan Am Games, which would be a "a great honor," he said. "I'd love "I'd love to make the Olympic team," said Moseley, who started at shortstop for Columbus College last year. "But at my age, it's almost impossible. But I think it's an honor for my name to be brought up it really means a lot to me." Moseley, along with five other Olympic hopefuls from Georgia, met with Gov. Joe Frank Harris Thursday in a show of support for the 1988 U.S.

Olympic Team. When at Brookwood, Moseley made the all-state baseball team. As a freshman at Columbus, he started for a nationally-ranked team. But to be a part of that" In the meantime, he is pursuing both baseball and education. He batted .351 and scored 38 runs as the No.

2 hitter for Columbus, which finished the season ranked eighth in the nation in NCAA Division II. The extra benefit of playing for Columbus is that the shortstop is part of what is believed to be the only double-play brother combination in baseball: his brother, Brad, is second baseman. And there were two more sets of brothers on the team. ByBillBerghel StaffWriter Just knowing he will be good enough for the Olympics even though he might not compete might have to be good enough for 18-year-old Scott Moseley of Law-renceville. The former Brookwood baseball player, who turns 19 on Sunday, will not play in this year's Olympics.

And a hoped-for spot in the major leagues could mean he won't play in a future Olympics. Yet that doesn't diminish the dream. "I really enjoyed playing with Brad," Scott said. "This was the first time I was ever able to play with him, because of our ages. "Our communication was great we know what to say, where -someone else might take it wrong." And while the visions of gran-.

deur, Olympic or otherwise, are usually abundant in the minds of athletes, both Scott Moseley and his brother are planning their non-baseball lives just as carefully they both want to get college de- grees. GWINNETT'S SPORTS LEADERS Local Umpire Gets Call of a Lifetime Blankenship to Go to National Tourney 1 WHO'S 7 The Southeast Select team playing under the auspices of TeamsubA made a good showing in the Denmark Cup, played last week in Copenhagen. The under-17 team, which includes By Stan Awtrcy SKM-f Editor Gwinnett County residents Adam Crate and Tom Labarbera, reached seemed like a natural extension of an athletic career. After years of play ii the semifinal round. In the preliminary round, the team beat the North Caroli ing baseball from Little League to 'You have to understand the game and playing it helps.

But if you've done that and understand the rules, nothing is quite like getting out there and actually doing Larry Blankenship Gwinnett baseball umpire American Legion and Softball, na Select team 1-0; beat Burmulda, a local team, 3-0; lost to local team Parnpolo 2-0; lost to Valencia, Spain, 2-1; and beat the Maryland Select team 2-1. In the next stage, the Southeast team scored a 6- 0 win over Cee-feld No. 2 and a 2-1 win over Ceefeld A No. 1. The team was then eliminated by Valencia, 6-5 in a shoot-out.

Southeast played Valencia to a 5-5 tie through regulation ana overtime to set up the shoot-out i he team next stop Is Sweden. i Charles Barclay of Berkeley Hills Country Club scored a hole-in-one recently on the King Hills course. Barclay aced No. 4, a 137-yard par 3. Clans Evans scored an eagle at Berkeley Hills Country Club on the Pine Hills course.

Evans knocked her third shot on the 378-yard hole into the muiaiio nun, there were few options which allowed Larry Blankenship to remain active with the sports he loved. "After a while you get old and your legs stop working," he said. "It's hard to compete with a bunch of 20-year-olds." So instead of opting for retirement from Softball, Blankenship found an alternative. He became an umpire. He's a man in blue, calling balls and strikes behind the plate or working the bases for league games or weekend tournaments.

Blankenship has been an umpire since 1980 and still feels a sense of nervous excitement when each season starts. He will have another reason to feel some added tension in August when he calls a national tournament Blankenship will work the Amateur Softball Association's 12-and-under boys tournament in Tiflon in August It will be his first shot at calling a national event "In a way that's like working a World Series," he said. "I'm really looking forward to it Everyone I talked to said it's quite an experience." Blankenship usually works two nights each week, calling four games a night During tournaments Blankenship's workload can increase to as much as 10 games over the weekend. "You could just about work seven days a week if you wanted to," said Blankenship, who said one umpire claimed to have called 900 games last year. "But with my job accountant for Southern Electrical Distributors in Tucker that would become a job.

I'm doing it for the pleasure. Blankenship, 47, was introduced to umpiring by a friend. Blankenship called the area's booking agent and asked how he could get started. He attended the required clinics and took a test on the rules, which he passed easily. Before he knew it he was working his first game.

Blankenship knows the workings of soft- uiiirrsllllll I ball. But he insisted that technical knowl-" edge is not the most important attribute an umpire must possess. "Knowing the technical points or the rule book is not as important as hustle or being in the right position to make a call," he said. "Knowing the rule book gives you confidence when you have to cite some of those things. "You have to understand the game and playing it helps.

But if you've done that and 1 understand the rules, nothing is quite like getting out there and actually doing it" The embarrassing moments such as calling for the infield fly rule with two outs I have been few. So have the tense mo- ments, when an angry parent might confront an umpire in the parking lot after a contro-' versial call. That's never been a problem, primarily because of Blankenship's even-; tempered nature. "I've never felt threatened," he said. "I don't think I've ever been in a real volatile situation." Blankenship has been an umpire since 1980 and still feels a sense of nervous excitement when each season starts.

He will have another reason to feel some added tension in August when he calls a national tournament "In a way that's like working a World Series," he said. "I'm really looking forward to" it Everyone I talked to said it's quite an experience." Blankenship still isn't sure how he was selected to work the national tournament, other than the fact he attended a national umpires clinic this year. Blankenship, who was born and raised in Dalton, has lived in the Atlanta area since 1963. He and wife Jean have lived in Norcross since 1968. i An adult training clinic for women will be held Tuesday, July 26, from 6:30 p.m.

to 8:45 p.m. at Mike Balson's Soccer Academy in Ulburn. The clinic will feature Instruction from Alan Per ry, one of England's top coaches. The cost Is $10 per player. The clinic is limited to 50 players.

For information call 925-4404. i Deadline to enter the Atlanta Open golf tournament will be July 26. All entrants must be residents of Georgia. Amateurs may have a maximum handi cap of 9.9. Professionals must be a Georgia Section PGA member or reg JONATHAN NEWTONStaff istered apprentice.

Fee is $90. me Blankenship, Softball umpire, Larry George Pierce Park in Suwanee, but he's on to bigger games. makes a call during a recent game at tournament will be Aug. 1-2 at Snap-finger Woods Country Club in Lithonia. For information call 981-140.

Swim teams from Gwinnett County and the metro Atlanta area will be rais Summit Chase Trounces Field to Retain Gwinnett Cup ing money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through Wednesday with an ongoing swimathon. The "Super Splash 1988" program hopes to raiso $50,000 to fight the disease. Last year's program raised more than $45,000. Swimmers from the Atlanta Athletic Club, Beaver Hills, Berks ley Hills, Edgemoor North, Forest Hills, Hanarry west, Jones Bridge, Martin's Crossing, North Manor, Peachtres Station, Plantation Woods, Rlvermlst and Spalding corners are among the teams partici I pating. The teams swim laps at their respective pools for money.

More than 1,000 children are expected to swim. For more Information call 325-6973. The first annual Duluth Kiwanis Club Golf Tournament will be held Monday, July 25, at Northwood Country Club in Lawrenceville. Players may register as posted his best score of the year. He bird-ied two holes on the front nine and two on the back nine, with his only bogey coming at No.

9. Dekreek, who plays on the Georgia State golf team, was the lone bright spot for Northwood. His round included five birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. He missed a pair of birdie putts within five feet "It was a pretty normal round," said Dekreek, who plays about four rounds per week. Last week he played in the Georgia Amateur and only missed the cut by three shots.

Springbrook's Cain and Hawkins set the pace for their deep squad. Cain, who scrambled throughout his round, knew he was in for a good day on the third hole. He hit a poor tee shot and needed a 2 iron to reach the green. Once on the putting surface, he knocked a 40-footer into the cup for a birdie. "I thought, 'Nice shot, Cain said.

Armstrong marked time for 13 holes be-1 fore finding the groove. He birdied four of the final five holes to finish at even par. "I was playing for pride," said Armstrong, who almost had a hole-in-one on the eighth hole. "I'm supposed to play good and I played bad the first 12 or 13 holes. Then everything seemed to gell." So Summit Chase gets to keep the Cup and the bragging rights for another year.

'The members like it" Epps said. "We get to keep the trophy on the television in the golf shop for another year." Next year the tournament moves to Northwood. ByStanAwtrey Sports Editor Perhaps the most telling statement about the third annual Gwinnett Cup golf tournament came from an unknown member of the Berkeley Hills Country Club team. "I could have shot a zero and we still would have lost" the man said. He was correct The victory by the team from Summit Chase Country Club was the most overwhelming in the tournament's three-year history.

Summit Chase, the host club, won the cup with 1,639 strokes. Eleven of the club's 21 team members shot 76 or better. Berkeley Hill was second with 1,725. Springbrook, last in the two previous cups, climbed into third place with 1,731. North-wood Country Club finished last with 1,757.

"I thought we'd win it, but I didn't think we'd win by 86 shots," said Summit Chase pro David Epps. Summit Chase was led by Rick Armstrong and Marc Cain, who both shot 72. Epps shot a 73. The highest score posted by a Summit Chase player was 87. Berkeley, which finished second for the third straight year, was led by Mark Bich-sel (the tournament's low junior) and Ed Ryder with 76.

Pro Craig Martin shot a 79. Springbrook was paced by pro Stan Czerno, who had the day's low score, a 3-under par 69. Newcomers Steve Thompson and Mark Blanton both shot 77, with Thompson making a quadruple bogey on the par 3 eighth hole. Northwood was led by Georgia State student B.J. Dekreek, who shot a 72.

Pro individuals or as four-player teams The tax-deductible entry fee is $100 per player. For information call Chris Copeiand at 962-1848. 11 M.J Swlmmlna Gwinnett Federal Swim Leacue. fi KSMDAY Golf Georgia State Golf Association qualifying for state open, Summit Chase Country Club, Snellviile. nal week of sea' son.

JONATHAN NEWTONStaff Rob McKelvey, Springbrook Country the 14th hole at the Summit Chase Club player, blasts out of a bunker on course during the Gwinnett Cup. John Kirk, playing with a bad lea wrist Czerno. "We played a lot better this year shot an 81. than we have before." "I thought we'd get second," said Czerno, who plays two rounds a week,.