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Show TOED AY : Alan Gentry and Kenny Heath, two of Laytons talented baseballers, win by having more fun than the opposition. It's a brothcr-and-sistc- r combination that has done a lot to jump and uult Clearfield to a top ranking in the state. Layton, A Jig-Sa- w 'I Puzzle Of Winners s Keith Duncan Journal Sports The characteristic blend that makes up the personality of the Lancer baseball squad is as e as a jigsaw puzzle. Kenny Heath, for one. has moie fun than anyone playing the game and is good while doing it. Mike Bunting always seems to be there when needed and the maturity of Brad Merrill has made Layton a contender when it comes to pitching. divci-sifie- d 500-piec- But perhaps the backbone of the Lancers is the senior center fielder, Alan Gentry, whose bat and glove seems to become more valuable with each game. He does everything we ask him and more, said Brad Hawkins, the Layton coach. Alan has a future in this sport. And the best thing about it is that he realizes it. he added. 1982 According to Gentry, the difference between last years champion team and the 3 Region One squad this year is that the 1982 group has been having fun. In our first game with Bonneville it was like we were not in the ball park. We were so tense and nervous that no one liked being there. co-regi- 7-- .''- " Tracy is the senior sister who is the returning state champion in the fiigkjump. jUtw is the junior ht other who just hwhe th school - ' - ; d vaulti record 4ft y't '' K ,s.Vv - N JGM&Duneon ' Olefin Sports which impressed Kristy Nichols enough to ask her to come out for track. It wasn't until this year that Laue began bringing home some medals, though his real compcuion began last year as a sophomore. "1 think, it got to Lane to see Trae bring home the dozens and dozens of medals she now has. He prohjb! said to himself that he couldn't be outdone by his sister and has had the dmerminution us succeed too, , erry Fishburn, the father of two of Clearfield High bright young track stars, satdbe wasnt much of an athlete during his high school days and. t faeL never' cared at all about track ' and held.- ' ' - - " - - , - - - .But now Tracy and Lane have changed art that," said lerry, I think between tny wife Dixie and L we could ? probably rum track meet." ' ' - s And it wouldn't surprise anyone if Mr and Mrs,' Fishburn Could run a track" I meet.; In the past two' years especially. : they have followed vTmey and Lane to where ever the porta-pit- s lay; whether, that be in TempeArizof an indoor' ' . meet at Utah State University; ' ' . Tracy, the senior, and Lane a junior. have developed into class competitors in ; their individual events. Tracy is the ; ' defending state champion in the high 'jump while Lane ic presently vaulting higher than he ever bas in the pole vault. Last, week Itebrokc the school record in ? the event with a breathtaking leap of 13 ' feel iad blncM a 4 4 v . " . ' - - ' - W; -- tpek,4: "l taaht '0Mttearfleld High for over fJohblFlHtt has had VasRevem In some - the , ' ' ; it dnereft terwtich theUds are helping - f , '.: ... - tse.Tbedame thing : exists wdh ; , in the high jump and ' compete with her " there,,' said Fishburn. , Tr:y re&lj'Whb ,' ! ' - Tracy who began Ju was first. At Sunset Junior ; , , competing High she was PepQub President, jplayed " votteybalL basketball and found time enough to compete in track. During a ; P,E. class one day, Tracy jumped 48, - ! tin,' , bk m tryhtht T-;- - til. ir fejj '.. - - v - !, td-wi- - ane fit that criteria by accident. He tried the high jump and came to the poie vault next. At the time. s - :l Coach Flint is excited about these two track stars too. He said their records ' speak for themselves, now that both of them hold the school record in their respective events. Flint said that in the recruitment of a pole yaulter you look for size, speed and' strength. But most important you look for a kid that is the aggressive and the, ' gutty type who isn't afraid to' try new-, something , , ' ' that ' Cmnpliment y . T - 1 rvi r 15-fo- ot , "Jfs pretty thrHimg to watch your own kids. Dixie is a lot more emotional than I am," said Mr. Fishburn, "The other day w hen Lane broke the school record, she later asked me what was , wrong with me because didn't shout and jump around like everyone else. Deep down inside though. I was just as happy as anyone, Tracy and Lane have an older brother Kelly who graduated from Clearfield a few years ago and is presently serving an LDS Mission in Ohio. He had the athletic bug too and was a member of the school golf team and a manager for the athletic teams. j rrrrrr-. N . 1 , compgg fe? M jump like Tracy but maybe because his body build was wrong, that never quite panned out. He then started the pole vault and I never dreamed he'd be this successful," said Mr. Fishburn Perhaps the two Clearfield stars obtained their athletic ability from their , mother. Mrs. Fishburn played sofbali, volleyball, and baseball m high school , , and even competed a little after she was married. , back-to-bac- -- "Lane first started out in the high - Clearfield needed a pale vaulter and as V ' behest jump ever ; Flint said, He gave it a tt.-jtabout last years estate meet when he 80 percent technique la this event and , 54". Already this season she.has:Won :tf about 20 percent coaching. Lane came in nttmerws medals at the largefatMts :and I last year and started, improving almost ' 4' w as unbeaten in : dual ' immediately ; 1 tiunk our indoor pit f r line tuiareif, urns- &&&$ 1 helped him too. Once we found the tjghi ' kj happiest ever after breaking )&&& 'C pole, his confidence soared, 'said Find, rremd, It bddcd down to'coihitaition. i ' But by no means are we smisft,..V'. .bdweenhisr"1 with Lanes progress. We are happy S' p&yv , dual nmotr Kemp missed' at has the school record but winning a, ", L, bis final jump at 1 1 feet for htg cdfi title and well do in region state slid lays ' Lanes sftmmcb hit tbe Bar and 14.4 In front of him. From there it will be , bounced tpm inchesinthe atr$af,4 H: important for Lane to condition more ' ' 'somehow managed to stay and possibly get on a pole. Bat , that is a ways ' ' ' j away and were" - ; f 4 dM'y ; concentrating on the present:ri;'ndw;:; ' ifeme Jmm ' ' said Flint. ; ? jumped , , ,, , '? , and missed., "My, thoughts Lane is jumping better now teverk-ybefore and that is what Flin ;wants, !lts' : that last jump, were of conOeitretittg What I was doing and' also trying' region and state time and he has the f tof .: a and creditiais to do weiljn both "; a show off for the crowd. After $omPk'T' r ' encourageraem from my daCLreset ttyt ' ' meets," said Flint. , , ' standards and Hew over the bar;' T ' "1 took maybe a minute rest aftervthaL JLJanes biggest competition'" 'and then waited for the wind to this week will come from Kemp and"';;""f' down l jumped Bb" the, very first Potter from Bonneville. It was in ;v ' T ' competition between these preps that , When I went back to jump 4:my Une busted the school record. Hint was ' : mind went physco. All I coukl 4hkky U just as complimentary aboutTracyon , ; was 14 feet and that, blew my'mind";"; the girls side, "She has really been the'; , v on tbe day M decafed i Reflecting backbone of tbe girls team for tbe past '' Ai ;, a to pole vaab Lane explaihoi, of seasons. She is the defending. ' ' fmndy kind of chuckled at me :?Myfiret!44 state champion and she knows what it 'day f told them I was pole teji will take to,defend that .title said vault, lnevr MievedT ; Clearfield coach, ' L well. ; Zvv ; wk.A. ' ' V , ; ,'A vd'M Flint is disappointed that Tracy does" Z ' yS , ' not want to continue her track career I 4 "Track, to me, is very important, after high schooL T,think Tracy has tfe dl Npcd me to make new friends and its' L s ability to haye some great success v'. given me smmhing that can do to lei 4 college jumping, but I know she tmef'di my parents' have the privilege of being , some other priorities in life shed like take care of, Maybe tfs because I feel that people with her ability should go onhigh Sebmddaysr;said Tracy': V, for a while,"- said Flint, ;; ' tlreO" 4" :In defendii her state title Tracy saids 'Tracy- perhaps a little tiredafter straight years of jumping, isnt going to, L,, its simple, "I just dont my mind let up m tbe latter part of the seasohf 44 ; ' that anyone is better than l am. If She has every intention on defending her L 'I allow them to intimidate me, 'I title but afterwards she plans to watching tlw other jumpers and lore my get L ' ' ' ': away from track for awhile, ; emteemra $&&'''' ; '' ; For "It was kind .of scary going into track Lane, trying this yearf mainly because I had built a ' .State is one big pbyred job. Towork ' ; reputation and had to live up to it. There i up for it Tve got tq jump a little , is a bunch of tough competition out ,' everyday I might start out at lj.feett'4 there and it wont be easy to defend ray ; , which could help tremendously if I get ' But after losing to them, Coach Hawkins called us together and asked us to go on from there and have some fun and a good time. All the nervousness seemed to leave after that and weve all generally had a good time playing the game, said Gentry. The Layton team has made itself a winner under the reign of Hawkins. In two years of region play they have compiled a record of 15 victories and five defeats. Hawkins and Gentry both would like to think that part of the success comes as a result of the k teams being so close. 'title." : IA - - ' - We are getting closer all the time, said Gentry. Last year we were really close too. It is usually the case that on some teams, there is a person that no one likes. But this year everyone likes everyone and no one is getting blackballed. Everyone is out there having a good time. During the season, Gentry has struggled with some aspects of the sport, primarily at the plate. He admits that some pressures outside baseball havent helped him but with the late season surge he has had. Gentry has become the terror everyone knew in 1981. Im thankful for guys like Kenny Heath who are putting in what I take away. Maybe Ive let some people down, as far as my ability at the plate, but maybe too, my fielding can make up for it, said Gentry. Alan has made catches for us that have kept us in the game. said Hawkins. He has the ability to judge the ball and that is a big reason why so many colleges are interested in him. Once Gentry has his mind on the game, there arent many preps in the area that can outclass him. Take for example one of the Clearfield games where he went three-fo- r four at the plate, stole three bases and made two remarkable plays in the outfield. Maybe Im kinda like a case. If I dont do well in aphysco game hitting wise, then Ill stay after the game and hit in the batting cage until I cant hit anymore. I know that isnt good because I was taking the game too seriously and not having fun. I think I realized a couple of weeks ago that I cant let outside pressures bother me that much. Weve got a state tournament up and a chance to win it all, he said. But Kenny Heath isnt the only one hitting the ball. Gentry also not-e- d that Rob Folgerman, Mike Moss, Mike Kilbum and Craig Kennedy have consistently hit the ball. Everyone has made the year good, it hasn t been just one or two players, said Gentry. |