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Show i I Sam Bate Basses Rec Baton To Cartef Cook Keith Duncan Keith Duncan Journal Sports Bulletin Sports the first day Brandon got volved in sports. LAYTON Sam Dato, once he leaves the recreation department in Layton, will be missed. The new director may bring fresher ideas but it may take awhile for folks this way to forget all that Dato did during his ten years as the chief of Layton recreation. but a significant achievement was his hand in the developing of Layton paries and the recreation ideas associated with them. For me, its the greatest thing to hear people say today it was worth all the hard work to have the beautiful park we have. said. Its very satisfying," he ten-ye- ar ment as Laytons recreation chief, Dato stayed with the program for far more than monetary values. This job offered challenges and chances for accomplishment, not just a paycheck," he said. One of his personal remembrances during the past ten years had to do with his association with the youth and the chance to see them grow into adulthood. ONE SUCH memory that will never be forgotten was with a chubby, little kid" who later would become a star defensive end for BYU. Ive had a lot of close asso- ciations but with Brandon Flint, it's been real special. I remember when Brandon was a little chubby eight year old. We always told him that if he was going to succeed, he would have to get hungry and go after things. YEARS LATER, after hav- ing followed him through junior high and three bright I was years at Layton High, in someone to standing talking Rice Stadium after the Lancers had won the state championBrandon ship. All of a sudden came from behind, picked me shoutup and gleefully started won it. we won We it, ing, That was a real emotional time for me because I remembered, to accept the responsibilities of a fulltime recreation director for Layton City. Prior to this summer, the Cook had spent six with the summers previous Layton recreation department which included everything fron starting track programs to working out differences between a parent and a coach in little league baseball. fun-lovi- same. Dato also believes that its better to have a kid laying in the park than roaming through the mall where temptations to get into trouble are far greater. IF KIDS can have a good wholesome recreation program to be in, our troubles with youth decrease. I know that Carter Cook ad Mark Thompson believe that which is no- 1 t ITS HARD to describe the fun I had. I was always working with super people. They made it fun to come to work, said Cook about the previous summers. m But Cook never really pictured himself doing what he did on a fulltime basis , not until different events began happening over the past twelve thing but good for Layton City, said Dato. For the most part, his years ; with the kids, coaches apd parents were positive. But with the good, there is always some bad. BEFORE WE began a season in a sport. Id always have a talk with the men and women who were to be our coaches. The goals of the program were always clearly outlined. But wed always have some with thoughts that winning was the only thing. They would fight us. Theyd lose sight of the fact that we are trying to teach children the art of the sport. Theyd take the more capable kids and push them as far as they could while the not so talented kids sat the bench. ANOTHER PART of the problem came from parents in the stands whose complaints stemmed because their kid was the one who never saw any action. Pretty soon you were finding yourself getting rid of a Having accomplished what he wanted, Sam Dato relinquishes post to a younger man. DATO BELIEVES strongly that if you take a job because of money alone, you've failed. appointDuring his COOK MADE it official last week when he announced that he was stepping out of teaching and coaching at Layton High come officials when they arent supposed to be, then kids will grow up doing the , coach before it was all over. There is nothing more difficult than to tell a volunteer, thanks but no thanks. Maybe they were to come back though, realizing just what they had done, said Dato. If I can preach anything, it would be that parents of children erjoy what a child can do by himself. With a little encouragement along the way that child will gain an amazing amount of confidence and be- months. IS i' yy.' Force II years ago. EVEN WHILE in the Air Force, I always dreamed of the day of belonging to a community. It finally came and I tried to make the best of it, said Dato. THE MORE he could to help Sam Dato and the department, the better. It was particularly in the past couple of years that Carter did more than just show up in the summer. He soon found himself supervising little league baseball, adult softball and three seasons ago started helping in little league football. I was slowly being introduced to every aspect of the ' With a desk as befuddled as some summer days, Sam Dato gives way to the incoming Cook. Craig Cast In Carter Image CARTER EMERGED in 8 1 (his senior year) as the greatest prep shot putter in the history of the state. Several times he threw the 12 lb. ball over 60 feet including the one that brought home a coveted state championship. But his younger brother, Craig, is progressing with authority and barring injury could be another Utah great. Craig is an eighth grader at Sunset Jr. High. But forget about his age, he tossed a shot 58 feet 4V inches to take first place at the BYU Jr. High School Track and Field meet held last month in Provo. The toss set a new meet record. CRAIG IS also a gifted wrestler. During competition last winter he went undefeated in dual meets and concluded the season by winning the Davis District championship in his weight. Others who fared well at the BYU event were Robert Henderson of North Davis Jr. who captured first place among the ninth grade division in the 100 meter dash and came back later to take third in the 200 meters. ERIC THOMPSON, a freshman at Davis High, took third in the shop put among the ninth graders. Behind him was Guy Checketts of North Davis; Scott Ferrin of Sunset and David Archuletta of Sunset. Carter, Checketts, Ferrin and Archuletta will someday all be competing together at Clearfield High with the shot put which will give the Falcons an almost unbeatable edge in the event. Consider also that they will have Tony Bayer, last years sophomore, back for a couple of more seasons. J.C. wholl be back next year too, was the state champion in the shot put and discus this past season Von-colli- n, Sometimes when you make a major decision, some people tend to look back and think twice. I guess I could have, having left a pretty secure job with the district but I have never had a second thought, said Cook. MAYBE AFTER a few months of problems Ill think twice, Cook said in a humorous way. The new recreation director was confident that Layton City was on the verge of explosion. When all factors are considered, city fathers behind us, the constructions of a new park with three diamonds and the love Layton people have for recreation and parks, it will be hard to go wrong, he said. CARTER FEELS good about the programs for the youth in Layton and with Richard Hunt stepping up ideas for senior citizens, the middle-age- d group might be the area that Cook feels he could help to build something. We kinda forget that group. Hopefully I can get some ideas and have something going shortly, he said. fulfillment is seeing lots of people being satisified because theyre haring fun. Bulletin Sports Mark Carters heroics with the CLEARFIELD shot put and discus during the 1981 season at Clearfield High will never be forgotten, but they could be shattered in the upcoming years. THEN THE fact we didnt have the greatest year kept eating at me too. Maybe now was the time to make the move. I had grown up in Layton all my life and thats where all my aunts and uncles still lived. My heart has always been in Layton, said Cook. COOK MADE up his mind then and since the day he was named the new director,, he admits that he has never regretted his decision. Its hectic.but the as a Falcon. Mark Carter really started something when he took off in 1981. Keith Duncan gin accomplishing things neither party thought possible. SUDDENLY IVE seen kids really start to enjoy life. Its a learning process. Suddenly the world becomes a couple of blocks rather than a million miles, he said. Dato sees Layton recreation continuing to thrive. With the city fathers supporting it like they do, Dato feels the future is unlimited. IN TIME I see it expanding into the cultural arts such as civic orchestras, civic choirs and other things. But all that takes money and time," said Dato. For Dato, this will be his second retirement. He said to a stay with the Air good-by- e What used to serious fulltime commitment for Carter Cook. IN THE 30 years Dato has either coached or directed recreation sports, he has always tried to teach the philosophy that kids are the mirrors of the adults around them. If a good style of football, basketball, or baseball is taught, they will play a good style. On the other hand, & adults all want to be- accom-plishe- FOR SOME reason I felt I was getting a little old, Dato said with a chuckle. I thought it might be time to get aside and let a younger person come in with fresher ideas, Maybe the time has come, to relax a little, commented Dato, Being recreation director isnt just fun and games. Some days start at 6 a.m. and go till 11 p.m. and during that time youll do anything from cutting the grass, putting bases down, writing schedules, talking to parents or moving kids around. The days are always full. PERHAPS THERE are several things that residents in Layton will remember about Datos decade with the depart-men- t, LAYTON be the greatest summer job in the world has turned into a There are many like Brandon who have come through our programs and went on to excel, said Dato. DATO MADE the decision to step down long before the official announcement came. It was one morning while walking through a park in Amsterdam, Holland that Dato decided it was time to move on.' Last September while in Europe visiting my son, I took a walk through one of the beautiful parks there. I was coming up on my tenth year with the department and I bed gan to reason that I had everything I had wanted to with the youth programs and felt I had done my part in contributing to the beautification of the parks. in- NORTH LAYTONS David Johnson took second among the ninth graders in the high jump event at BYU. The Longhorns quartet of Greg Boykin, Dar- ren Hays, Terry Kealanakia and El Kraisa-arsnatched another second in the ninth grade division in the 400 meter relay. Freshmen at Davis High School also did well in the ninth grade division. Besides Thompsons feat in the shot put, Kenny Robbins was third in the 800 meters, Joe Hawkins was sixth in the 1600 meters and the 400 meter relay team was fifth. d TOM MONTANO of Central Davis took fifth in the meters. Montano then came back later with three of his teammates to take fifth in the 1600 meter relay 400 run. While giving Sunsets Craig Carter plenty of recognition in the shot put, dont overlook the fact he is quite a sprinter too. The Sunset 8th grader captured first in the 100 meters among his age class. His time of 1 1 .82 was just fractions behind the winning time in the ninth grader division. OTHER TOP achievers in the 8th grade division included Brian Mendoza of North Layton who took third in the 400 meters; Willard of Kaysville who captured first in the high jump; Mounteer of Kaysville who took second in the high jump; Jason Pierson of North Davis who was fourth in the high jump; Shawn Wayment of Kaysville who was second in the 200 meters; Page Higgins of North Layton, third in the 200 meters; Rob Warden, Kaysville, second in shot put; Paul Roberts, North Layton, third in shot put; Chris Beyer, North Layton, second in the 800 meters; Sanam Duangdara, North Layton, first in the long jump with a mark of 19-- 1 ; Joe Home of Kaysville, second in the 1600 meter run and James Cudney, North Layton, who took sixth in the 1600 meters. North Laytons quarter of Sonny Marakot, Ray Austin, Brian Mendoza and Page Higgins, took first in the 400 meter relay. Its Cook also looked to the nearby mountains and said he was pondering ideas about being satisified because ways Layton recreation could utilize them. Not every boy is theyre having fun. in Boy Scouts so it might be to LATER HE moved in to help our advantage to build somein winter basketball and all the thing there. As a youth I liked time his friendship with the outdoor recreation a great deal people in and out of the depart- and its only got better over the ment was growing. yean," said Cook. There is something about the coaching aspect that Ill alIM VERY very much but I have nevways miss, he said, And that will be the association er believed you should force kids to be athletes. You dont with other coaches. Gary Hansen, Doug Moon and the want to deemphasize winning others are some of th best but at the same time you have friends Ill ever have. to be real careful when bringing kids through the various ANOTHER THING that sports. made it hard to leave Layton I think especially in basewas the kids. Its hard to leave ball that mom and dads get carbehind a chance to coach good ried away. When kids first kids like Kenny Heath, Craig start playing, they are having a blast out there but eventually Kennedy and the others. But I had to take a serious some parents think its the look at things when Sam menWorld Series and the pressure tioned to me last winter that he mounts for everyone, was planning to retire. He coaches, the kids and the paasked me then if I would be rents. The kids arent playing interested in taking his place for $30,000, so just let them and I said I would. ... play. business," said Cook, very hectic at times but the fulfillment is seeing lots of people sports-minde- I WENT home and told my wife about things. She asked me if Id miss coaching after having been in it for the past 12 yean. I admitted I would miss it. But, I thought about it. I was 36 yean old. I asked my- I BELIEVE in winning because thats what life is all about. If you dont win at your job or just win everyday, you're in trouble, but the answer isnt forcing pressure on the kids to win, said Cook, The recreation program is self if I wanted to still be for everyone, and I hope we teaching P.E. when I was 62. 1 can improve and get better was tired of P.E. but I loved upon that which we already the coaching aspect. have," concluded Cook. |