For Garner, Bowling Is More Than A Game

Century Lanes in Hampton, VA

For many of us, joining a bowling league is an opportunity to share great times and spirited competition among friends and co-workers. It’s an outlet, and little more. Sure, there is the chance to latch on to a dream team and win one’s league, a feat which comes with a marginal cash prize and bragging rights around the water cooler. In short, it’s fun. Because of the built-in handicap, the bowler with a 120 average has as much chance to be on a winning team as the more accomplished bowler who peaks at about 180. Interspersed among the masses of high rollers are a couple of gamers who average a smidge over 200. To average over 200 is to enter rarefied air and achieve an “Idol” like status within the league.

For Hampton’s Josh Garner, bowling is becoming more than just a game. You see, this season, Josh’s average is an unheard of 228.

And to quote Garner, this (average) is “kind of low for me.”

Looking at his history, this should come as no surprise. Although Garner just turned 21, his accolades in the sport exceed those of most bowlers who have been in the game since duck pins were popular. After all, how many people in your league were featured in Sports Illustrated?

Garner was, as a featured subject in the May 31, 2004 “Faces in the Crowd” section, and he was wasn’t even a teenager at the time. To quote SI, “Josh, a 12-year-old seventh grader at Spratley Middle School, became the third youngest person ever to bowl a perfect game and have an 800 series in the same day.”

Did I mention that he was 12 when this occurred?

Garner is the youngest Peninsula bowler to roll a 300 game, as well as the first to bowl back-to-back perfect games at Century Lanes in Hampton. For the record, his best series is 824, a staggering 274.7 average for three games.

More recently, Garner made local headlines when he rolled back-to-back 300 games. On September 19, he scored a perfect game (as part of a 746 series) on his home lanes at Century. Then, the next night he rolled another 300 as part of a 763 series, using a newly drilled ball which he pulled out of the box just before the game. For the former Kecoughtan graduate, these represented his 15^th and 16^th perfect games. For good showing, on September 26^th, during the Hampton Handicap League at Century, he rolled one more perfecto – number 17.

Bowling has become Garner’s game of choice these days, although he did pitch and play shortstop all four years of high school for the Warrior baseball team before graduating in 2009. It’s a year-round endeavor, with the typical winter season lasting approximately 36 weeks, followed by a truncated summer league which goes for “three or four months.”

As previously mentioned, bowling has become more than a game for Garner. Century Lanes had been owned by his grandparents for over 30 years, but when they passed on, it looked like new owners would take over.

Says Garner, “I was taking some classes at Thomas Nelson (CC). But when they (grandparents) passed, I decided to use some of the inheritance money to get the center back into the family. So I bought into Century Lanes.” For Garner, the move was part sentimental value (“my parents said that I started bowling as soon as I could push a ball”) and part business venture, a chance to put real world usage into the business theories learned in junior college.

There may be more chapters written in Garner’s bowling career. Along with becoming a part-owner of Century Lanes, he would like to move his game to the next step, which includes taking a shot at joining the PBA.

“In the near future, I’d like to work on getting some sponsors, so that I can pay the fees to enter into these larger tournaments, and hopefully become a professional.”

Century Lanes is located at 1519 East Pembroke Avenue, Hampton, VA. Their phone number is (757) 722-2551 and their website can be found at bowlcentury.com.

What Would Hobbes Have to Say?

With the presidential election over, I am hearing from a number of conservatives who are disgusted with the result. Most of them show up on the TV screen, but quite a few have been in person. This was undoubtedly the most divisive election of my lifetime, and it is boldly displayed in the data. The president won almost all of the voters in categories such as African-American and Latinos, while Romney won a huge majority within his bases.

Is this a metaphor for the future of
our American government?

However, there were many fewer voters than in 2008 – more than eight million (roughly 121 million in 2012 compared to 129 million in 2008). Some Americans were more disgusted with the mudslinging and media abuse than the choice of candidates and as Geddy Lee of Rush once sang “if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” Many chose to simply stay home and not be part of the process. These people have no legitimate reason to complain over the next four years.

Because of the ideological differences between President Obama and Governor Romney, it was hard for many voters to find common ground between the two, although they may have had a few consistencies. In a sense, the choice seemed to be for good versus evil, and the choice of candidate to play each role split right down the middle; in fact about 51-48, in favor of our current President winning the showdown and riding off into the sunset.

Getting back to the complaints I’m seeing and hearing, the main ones look at the President’s record over the past four years. Terms used such as ‘redistribution of wealth” come back in conversations labeled as “socialist.” Today the inevitable occurred as I saw a picture of a bumper sticker on Facebook. The sticker read “Welcome to the U.S.S.A – The United Socialist States of America.” In light of the angst displayed by many over the past few months, I think some of us saw that coming.

Regardless of one’s personal preference, the election is over and we need to come together to support the President’s second term. The people have spoken. Personally, I believe that the politicians have backed themselves so far into a corner that compromise is now a necessity of job security for our legislators. As a collective society, we chose to make few changes in a Congress that holds less than 20% job approval. Fool us twice? I'd hope not.

My hunch is that the person who could benefit most from a well-crafted compromise in the budgetary process is none other than the current chairman of the Budget committee, Congressman Paul Ryan. Hmmm, didn’t he just run for Vice-President? Balanced budget = 2016 Presidential candidacy?

For those who would like to read an old philosopher’s view of this, I would recommend a glance at Thomas Hobbes’ “The Leviathan.” In Hobbes’ view, people are usually driven by fear and the natural “State of Nature” is a violent one. For this reason, we need to be governed by one force which represents our collective identity, but one which has a large monstrous head. Regardless of your political preference, (and I disagree with the thought, but love the metaphor) it’s worth a look. 

Is It More Important to Make a Dollar or Make a Difference?

I guess this question popped up in my mind last Friday night. Hurricane Sandy had bounced off our southeastern coast of Virginia, taken a fatal northwest turn somewhere around Delaware and had decimated the Jersey shore. But as I caught up to the news, it became apparent that Staten Island, New York, home of my alma mater Wagner College, had caught the worst of the storm, and there were at least 22 casualities. Reading through Facebook posts made me realize that it was now at the forefront of the headline news.

Geraldo Rivera as an investigative reporter
for WABC-TV in New York during
the early 1970's

By chance, Geraldo Rivera flashed past my screen while I was channel surfing and I had to turn back. I knew there was a chance he’d be on top of this story. After all, Geraldo, then a rookie  newsman with WABC, earned his first famous scoop as a local investigative reporter in 1972 when he uncovered the atrocities which were occurring at the Willowbrook State School on Staten Island. I knew that the Island had a special meaning and he might be able to provide a keen insight into the blight of these hundreds of homeless people lined up near Midland Beach.

It was disappointing to watch. Obviously, Rivera is now jaded and far too comfortable in his own opulent lifestyle to truly communicate the importance of the moment. It’s not his fault. And Rivera has performed some remarkable acts of charity, including funding scholarships and paying the college tuition for selected students, some who he identified out of a group of 27 middle-schoolers, during a visit to Spanish Harlem.

But the fire wasn’t there for Geraldo the other night. Rivera talked with some of the victims, gave a few youngsters awkward rubs on the head, went to commercial and returned without the previous guests on several occasions, suggesting that they were “moved aside’ during the break.

The whole episode made me think, is he trying to make the best effort to help, or is this a good news topic to push ratings on his self-titled show? Money or mission? I wasn’t sure.

Being the social media age, it took minutes to pose the question on Facebook and receive many thought provoking responses to the question – “Is it more important to make a dollar or make a difference?”

Here are some of the responses I found to be most worthwhile. I know it’s trite to simply say “Thanks for sharing,” but I did appreciate the insight, especially from a couple of people who were in the eye of the storm and certainly thinking of more important things than answering my question.

Jehmeesah Walker The way I see it, making a difference is more important. BUT!...when you make a dollar, you have the resources to broaden the scope of that difference you're making…. The question I tend to struggle with is whether making a difference of a BROAD scope is more important than just making a difference, as small as it may be. In other words, is Beyonce's influence to be revered more than that of a pre-school teacher simply because it's farther-reaching? I don't really think so.

Michele Mascali Petersen The dollar may make your wallet or home full...but making a difference fills the heart and soul....'You can't take it with you'...and I'm sure at the Pearly Gates no one asks for your credit score...but yes, a paradox...unfortunately too many with the dollars keep it instead of spreading the wealth....

Terri Naudzunas DeMeno Jim, look at some of my photos (Terri currently lives on Staten Island and has posted some amazing pictures showing the intensity of the damage from Sandy), a difference it is what matters

Lisa Halvorsen Malatos Make the dollar to make the difference

Robert Stratton It is something that every thinking person should evaluate for themselves. Mr. Jefferson had the right idea with that "pursuit of happiness" language. I hope that there will also always be incentives for people to try to have both.

Christine Rugen Chale Susan is right Jim, I know so many people who are successful and still give back in so many ways.

Meredith Lynch Acacia It was a great question and I think there is merit in both but I do agree that it is easier to make a difference when you have the dollars to back up your intentions.

John Sargent False choice. You could do both...or neither.

Back On The Coaching Trail

 Amazingly, I have not used this space to talk about my return to coaching cross-country and/or track after a three year layoff. 

After 15 years of working with high school boys and girls with cross-country and track at four different high schools (Bishop Ireton, J.E.B. Stuart, Denbigh, Grafton), my work schedule forced me to hang it up after the spring season of 2009. Entering a doctoral program at William and Mary just a month later seemed to cement the idea that this chapter of my life was completed.

Never say never.

With the completion of my doctoral classes and free afternoons, all of a sudden, the option to coach was there again, although I didn't think seriously about it.  I have been covering high school games for the Daily Press, which has been a whole lot of fun. Plus, my intention of late has been to find full-time employment with a university or school system in a position more in line with my new skills. With this cause, I spend a few minutes every day scanning the employment sections of local institutions.

But, a cross-country position popped up at Menchville HS here in Newport News, and I went ahead and applied. A week later, practice started. 

It has been fun, and it was great to see both our boys and girls enjoy undefeated dual meet seasons. However, it was disappointing that we fell short of district titles, although we were hindered by a few severe injuries, and the fact that some runners made it to the starting line was amazing enough. But our senior Dreux Gray did win the  boys race, knocking 36 seconds off his PR to finish the 5,000 meter race in 16:14. Tomorrow we go to regionals and he has a great chance of making it to the state meet as one of the top 15 (seeded #9 right now). A couple of our girls are long shots to make the team, but again, never say never.

Future also looks bright for our girls. Very young team which could have won our district at full strength. We know what to do differently for next year.

Ironically, my old team from Bishop Ireton ran their State Catholic meet at the same site as our district meet, at Newport News Park, and took runner-up for both boys and girls. At their next meet, the WCAC championships, the boys were 3rd and girls 4th. Here's a blurb I wrote for the State Catholic meet:

The Peninsula Catholic girls placed third, while the boys took fourth in Wednesday’s Virginia Catholic League championships, held on the 5,000 meter course at Newport News Park.

In the girls race, Martine Hunnicutt finished in second place with a time of 20:02, while Philip Harpen (second – 16:47) and Kevin Riley (third – 16:55) were the highest scoring Knights.

Paul VI swept both events, as the boys won with 49 points while the Panther girls scored 43 to outdistance Bishop Ireton, which placed runner-up in both races.

Matt O’Neil of Pope John Paul the Great (Dumfries) was the overall boys winner in 16:44. Bishop Sullivan’s Hannah Frazier paced the girls with a winning time of 19:36.

Virginia Catholic League Championships

(held at Newport News Park, 5,000 meters)

Boys – 1. O’Neil (PJP) 16;44, 2. Harpen (PC) 16:47, 3. Riley (PC) 16:55, 4. Stepka (PVI) 17:00, 5. Kocis (PVI) 17:25, 6. T. Jackson (S) 17:33, 7. Shaw (S) 17:33, 8. Roach (BI) 17:40, 9. LoGrande (BI) 17:42, 10. Leist (PJP) 17:45

Team scores – 1. Paul VI (PVI) 49, 2. Bishop Ireton (BI) 63, 3. Pope John Paul the Great (PJP) 65, 4. Peninsula Catholic (PC) 72.

Girls – 1. Frazier (BS) 19:36, 2. Hunnicutt (PC) 20:02, 3. Lohrer (BI) 20:10, 4. Necochea (BI) 20:17, 5. Rosini (PVI) 20:45, 6. Turcol (PVI) 20:47, 7. Aungst (PC) 20:53, 8. Bucaro (PVI) 20:55, 9. McKenna (PC) 20:58, 10. Lucas (S) 21:06

Team Scores – 1. Paul VI (PVI) 43, 2. Bishop Ireton (BI) 52, 3. Peninsula Catholic (PC) 59, 4. Bishop Sullivan (BS) 93, 5. Seton (S) 151, 6. Pope John Paul the Great (PJP) 157.

Today's Term is -- "Fact Checker"

I woke up this morning and turned on the laptop to start my morning routine. Generally, the first thing I like to do is check e-mail, see the news of the world from overnight and get a heads-up on the weather forecast for the day.

My first site of choice is always www.yahoo.com, and today’s headline made me realize how much times have changed. It read:

“Fact Check: the Final Presidential Debate”

Are either of these candidates telling the truth? Not
 as often as we should expect, says many fact checkers

It’s not breaking news that the third and final, presidential debate was held last night. Surely, about 60 million people watched it, if the ratings of the previous pair of debates held up.  During the recent presidential cycles, certain terms have entered the lexicon of our English language. A couple of decades ago, we learned that a spin doctor was more than one of the guys from the quirky 90’s group that liked to sing about Superman. Later, the exit poll became a popular term. For this election, our new term is fact checker.

Actually, I like the idea that the proverbial “Big Brother” is now overseeing the debates and reporting back to the public of the blow-by-blow recap of the truthfulness of each candidate’s statements. It is a much needed public service and is long overdue.

My problem is – how did we come to this?

Our public figures are beginning to develop under a cloud of gray. Do singers lip sync? Is the home run hitter taking steroids? Are those breasts real or fake? Are the reality shows staged? What is Kim Kardashian’s talent?

Amazingly, part of a celebrity’s persona is now built on the mystery behind the person. This is more astounding in the age of You Tube and Twitter where we can reach out and “touch” our heroes. Politicians have now grown to fall into the category of “mystery person.”

In other words, they lie. Profusely. We know they lie, they know they lie, their handlers know they lie, the moderator knows they lie, but now, it’s OK, and acceptable.

Regardless of one’s political persuasion, I hope that more people are seeing what I am – which is – our current presidential candidates, Gov. Romney and President Obama, lie an awful lot. And we accept this. Perhaps we were numbed by the President Clinton “Monicagate” scandal, when after all was said and done, many people nodded and said, “Well, he lied to protect his family.” In other words, again, it’s OK.

It’s also shameful.

My wish is that many American citizens will take action. Please write to your Congressional officials, and demand that they tell the truth. If you meet the official in a public forum and get the opportunity to ask him/her a question, have a follow-up question ready which will make that person prove their first answer. If we continue to lower our expectations for public officials, the outcome will never change. It’s like the old saying ...”I feel like a mushroom. Everybody keeps me in the dark and feeds me (manure).”

Get out of the dark.

It’s days like this that I miss Ross Perot’s campaign of 1992.

The Best Game in Town

Reprinted from various editions of Daily Press Town Square sections in Hampton, Newport News, Gloucester and York/Poquoson. This was the Newport News version published on October 4, 2012.

Founded in 1960, the Peninsula Youth Football Cheerleading Organization (PYFCO) has dedicated itself to teaching boys and girls from the Peninsula, Gloucester and even West Point and Middlesex, the disciplines of football and cheerleading while providing a high quality environment where a great deal of the learning happens outside of the gridiron lines.

According to its mission statement, the objective of PYFCO, known as the Peninsula Youth Football Association (PYFA) until last year, is “to instill in the youth of the Association members the desire to engage in an activity that will teach them physical and mental skills through the enjoyment of the game of football and its related activity of cheerleading.”

The league is headed by a seven-member board, which consists of a president, Criszon “Heavy” Courtney, three commissioners, a treasurer, secretary and sergeant-at-arms. The board oversees the 14 teams within the league, and each association, which has its own leadership structure, headed by a president, fields football and cheerleading squads in as many as four age group categories – the Mites (ages 6-7), Mighty Mites (8-9), Midgets (10-11) and Juniors (12-14).

PYFCO is a large operation. For example, the Golden Saints of Newport News are represented by more than 150 individuals – over 90 players, 32 cheerleaders, 19 volunteer coaches (16 for football, three cheerleading), and another volunteer staff of 13 which handle everything from equipment, parent volunteers, photographs and the team website. The Saints’ annual budget exceeds $20,000, and the team was recently granted their own home field with lights at Lee Hall Elementary school. Overall, over 1,700 athletes and nearly 800 cheerleaders participate in what the promoters like to call the “Best Game in Town.” It is the culmination of a dream started by Vernon Taylor and George Teagle, Jr., long time youth league supporters and the driving forces behind the success of the original PYFA. Both men have passed away in the past several years - Taylor in 2007 and Teagle in 2008.  

The teams play a 10-game schedule with the top four teams qualifying for the playoffs. Winners of the semifinal games square off in the league’s Super Bowl, which is a four-game, all day consummation of the season’s events. Each division plays its championship while a carnival like atmosphere surrounds the field, much like the festivities which take place at its NFL namesake. By the end of the day four league champions are crowned.

Last year’s Super Bowl was held at the “Pit” on the campus of Bruton High and saw two teams from Grafton-Tabb, the Yorktown Patriot midgets and Tri-City Hurricane junior team win championship trophies.

The 14 organizations representing the PYFCO are:

Back River Panthers (Poquoson)

Gloucester Knights

Golden Saints (Newport News)

Grafton-Tabb Tigers

Hampton Tornadoes

James City Jaguars

Middlesex Colts

Poquoson Bulls

Tidewater T-Wolves (Hampton)

Tri-Citi Hurricanes (Newport News)

Tri-Rivers Titans (West Point)

Williamsburg Hornets

York-Seaford Bulldogs

Yorktown Patriots

Last year’s PYFCO Super Bowl Results (held at Bruton H.S. on November 19, 2011)

Mites (6-7) – Grafton-Tabb Tigers 20, Hampton Tornadoes 19

Mighty Mites (8-9) – Grafton-Tabb Tigers 32, Williamsburg Gold Hornets 7

Midgets (10-11) – Yorktown Patriots 12, Poquoson Bulls 6

Juniors (12-14) – Tri-City Hurricanes 20, Poquoson Bulls 0

More information about the league can be found at the website for the Peninsula Youth Football Cheerleading Organization, which is located at www.pyfco.org. Games are played for all four divisions every Saturday with the Mites game first, at 9:30 AM, followed by the Mighty Mites (11:00), Midgets (12:30) and Juniors (2:00)

Not Just Another Fish Story

Reprinted from various Daily Press Town Square sections (Hampton, Newport News, York-Poquoson, Gloucester) from September 20, 2012

Like many of us, it takes a lot to get Dawn Martin up at four AM. As she says, “it’s not something I do often or willingly.”

But after getting married ten years ago, her husband Anthony decided to introduce his new wife to some of the activities he enjoyed while growing up next to the Chesapeake Bay in Seaford. One of his favorite pastimes was fishing. While Dawn had fished before, it wasn’t part of her regular regimen as a youngster in Richmond. Since he wanted to own a boat and live on the water, the couple buried stakes and settled in Poquoson.

As years passed, the Team Martin fishing entourage grew to include their two children. For Dawn, their shared experiences with a rod and reel were classified as family outings which involved traveling short distances to places where spot and croaker were easy to snag.

Recently, Anthony took his hobby to the next level and asked Dawn to join a real fishing team – the one that he entered into the Chesapeake Bay Cobia tournament, held at White House Cove Marina in Poquoson on August 11. While the event required a 4 AM wake up call, Martin, who ended up winning the women’s division for catching the largest cobia, was quite excited.

The story behind her catching the winning prize was more than your typical fish story.

There are two ways to catch a cobia. The first is chumming, when the fisherman drops a combination of ground up fish and fish oil into the water in the hope that it will melt into a chum slick and entice the cobia to bite on the slick or one of the live eels left dangling. The drawback is that it can also attract sharks. Four hours into the competition, the team, which included friends Shane Zasmowich and Trent Casey, had caught two sharks, but no cobia.

On to plan B.

Sight casting has become a more popular method for making the big catch. According to Martin, this can be evidenced by the growing number of boats sporting towers to view for fish. This takes the guesswork out of the process, and when a potential catch is sighted, bait is thrown on a line in front of the fish, with the hope that it will be taken. Martin added that “cobia often hang out near buoys so many boats will circle buoys and throw out live eels or spot hoping a cobia is lurking about.  Otherwise cobia hunters will kind of cruise around looking for the fish swimming around.  In some cases there will be a fin sticking out of the water but not all the time.  Polarized glasses help.”

Martin and her crewmates chose their coordinates, settling their boat in an unnamed spot (as she states, a fisherman never reveals his secrets). However, because of the cloudy conditions that day, they could not see the cobia until they were close to the boat and too close for casting. They did catch one cobia, but it was 35.5 inches long, just a 1/2 shy of the minimum to keep.

Morning turned into afternoon and the bleakness of the sky was overshadowed by the doom and gloom of the crew as their allotted time neared its 5 PM deadline.

With time winding down, the foursome decided to throw a “Hail Mary” cast, moving to a site where the Martins had caught a large cobia on a previous trip.

At 4:15, the anglers cast their line and eel and immediately hooked up with a cobia. Says Martin, “(it) was just that quick. We went from having not had any luck for 12 hours to hooking a fish in minutes. Suffice it to say, it was quite a mood changer!”

After a five minute battle to get the 45 inch, 23.5 pound fish (average size, according to Martin) into the boat, the crew high-tailed it to shore with 35 minutes remaining, making it to the marina in three minutes, leaving ample time to weigh the catch.

For her efforts, Martin won a $100 prize, and of course, her fish.

  

Still Kicking After All These Years

Kyoshi Bateman (R) with his group of winners from the recent
Commonwealth games, held annually in Roanoke, VA

For Jeff Bateman, the sport of karate has become more than a healthy outlet to get rid of excessive aggression or a defense mechanism used to scare away intruders. For the lifelong Hampton, VA resident and owner of the Isshinkan Academy of Martial Arts which bears his name, karate has provided an opportunity for the 54-year old to excel at the highest levels of his craft.

Since beginning his training in 1980, Bateman has earned numerous titles, while rising to the ranks of 7^th Degree black belt (Nanadan) in Okinawan Shorin-Ryu karate and 4^th Degree black belt (Yondan) in Zen Okinawan Kobudo. Much of his training has been conducted under the guidance and tutelage of Master Tadashi Yamashita, with whom he has been affiliated since 1988.

One of the highlights for Bateman’s students occurs during the third week of every July when his young group of martial artists loads up in carpools and heads to Roanoke for the annual Subway Commonwealth Games. The Games (commonwealthgames.org), which just concluded their 23^rd competition has grown by leaps and bounds since its humble beginning from a $175,000 grant, provided by Virginia Amateur Sports Inc. Says Bateman, “The games have grown. Now we call it the Mini-Olympics because it covers everything from A to W – Archery to Wrestling.” Bateman notes that the Games started in 1990 with “about 33 sports,” but have since grown to over 60 individual and team events. The economic impact is especially beneficial for the region; the Games contribute an estimated $4 million to the Roanoke Valley.

One highlight of the games, just like with the regular Olympics is the opening ceremony. At the Commonwealth Games, over 10,000 athletes, coaches and spectators pack the Roanoke Civic Center to take in the pomp and pageantry which mark the beginning of the multi-sport festival.

But the Games are about more than the glitz and glamour. Each medal winner from 2011 and 2012 has also earned the opportunity to compete in the State Games of America, which will be held next year in Hershey and Harrisburg, PA.

Since the Games are open to athletes of all ages and skill levels, Bateman gets to compete with his students. At this year’s karate competition, both teacher and students won medals. Kyoshi Bateman earned a gold medal in weapons kata as well as a bronze in the open hand kata.

Several students joined their teacher on the medal stand. Twelve-year old Austin Abrams won three bronze medals – in open hand kata, weapons kata and kumite (fighting).

Ten-year old Jarod Riggle placed third to earn a bronze, also in the kumite competition. Overall, eight of Bateman’s students, several from Suffolk where his school originated, earned medals to advance to the State Games.

While winning medals is a positive by-product of their training, Bateman is quick to point out that the core of his philosophy starts off the mat.

“Academics come first. Grades are the most important thing. The parents want the discipline and structure of karate for their kids and they ask for it. Every week, our students are required to bring in their report card.” For a student to maintain a place inside the dojo, his or her grades must be acceptable.

The balance of academics and athletics works well for the students of the Isshinkan Academy, and after “30 or so” years as one of the premier karate instructors in America, Bateman shows no signs of slowing down.

The Hampton dojo for Jeff Bateman’s School of Karate is located at 1343-B North King St. (down the street from the Langley AFB King St. gate.) The phone number is 757-722-BELT (2358), while the website can be found at www.jbkarate.com.

Golfing on Virginia's Middle Peninsula - Pt. 5 - The "Golf Museum"

Today, we actually move off the Middle Peninsula to Virginia and head south to Newport News. Known primarily as a shipbuilding town, there are three unusual facts about my current hometown worth sharing. First, within its city boundaries sits the largest park east of the Mississippi River. In fact, Newport News Park, with 8,065 acres, is nine times larger than Central Park. I see it everyday, the park hedges across the street from Elizabeth and myself.

Second, both Ella Fitzgerald and Pearl Bailey were born and raised in Newport News. Their legends hold the most prominence in the downtown section, where buildings and streets bear their names. 

Finally, the oldest golf museum in the world, yes, the WORLD, can be found here. (I would have assumed Scotland; in fact, the original curators sent people to Scotland for collecting purposes, as noted in the article.) Simply called the "Golf Museum," or officially, the Golf Museum at James River Country Club, one can see some of the oldest golf balls, clubs and books known to the game.

One of the most unique hidden treasures in Newport News can be found tucked within the St. Andrews room adjacent to the lobby of the James River Country Club. Within the four walls of this high ceilinged confine, the oldest golf museum in the world can be found.

Upon entering “Golf Museum,” a visitor will be greeted from across the room by a glass enclosed topographical map of the legendary Old Course at St. Andrews golf course, spanning at least 15 feet. Another picture map of the Scottish course, this one dated to 1836, hangs to the left. It is not a coincidence that many of the items in the Golf Museum are from Scotland. According to museum trustee Bill Hargette, it was all part of Archer M. Huntington’s plan 80 years ago.

“He (Huntington) liked to build museums,” recalls Hargette, before identifying three others which emerged from the vision of the Newport News shipyard owner, including the nearby Mariner’s Museum. “In 1931, it was the height of the Depression and not many people were buying golf artifacts. Mr. Huntington sent several people to Scotland and they came back with some amazing items.” In 1932, Huntington presented the museum to the James River Country Club; however, the club only houses the museum; it is owned and operated by a separate Board of Trustees.

The artifacts in the collection tell the history of the game. There are many “first and oldest” items included. Among them is the oldest identifiable golf club in the world, the Simon Cossar, dating back to 1790. The oldest golf ball in the world, also from 1790, is among the 150 on display. The oldest book in the world with reference to golf, published in 1566, can be found among the 1000 volumes in the library. The A.G. Spalding and Bros. first set of golf irons, designed in 1920, are also available for viewing.

The oldest artifacts in the museum may be two Kolven clubs plus a ball. Kolven was a Dutch game which was played on ice, a cross between golf and hockey. It is believed that the clubs and ball are approximately 500 years old.

Personal touches from some of the game’s most renowned heroes are interspersed throughout the room. Harry Vardon’s complete set of clubs and golf bag can be found, as well as the putter used by Horace Rawlins when he won his first U.S. Open in 1895. Bobby Jones donated three clubs uses in his Grand Slam (winning all four major tournaments) year of 1930, including the legendary “Calamity Jane” putter. Sam Snead and Gene Sarazen are among the other professional golfers to have donated clubs. Pictures of more current golfers such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer provide the backdrop for the 16 glass casings which surround the museum.

Each exhibit is aptly named. Along the left wall, there are separate club displays – putters, short irons and wedges, long irons and drivers. Other exhibits include an “Early Golf in America” display, as well as one titled “British Open.” One significant section shows the Young and Old Tom Morris’s. The father-and-son Morris tandem both won four British Opens in the 1860’s, and the younger Tom is credited with the first official hole-in-one, scored in 1868.

On many of the displays, a quote is enclosed, sometimes from a celebrity or sports figure not known for having a solid golf game. One saying comes from baseball legend Hank Aaron, whose quip reads – “It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.”

There is more than golf equipment at the museum. Artwork and pictures decorate the wooden walls of the room, with over 100 lithographs and oils on display, adding color and life to the visual history lesson.

Says Hargette, “It is really amazing to have all of this history right here in Newport News,” modestly adding, “This is really something special.”

The Golf Museum at James River Country Club is located at 1500 Country Club Rd. in Newport News (off of Shoe Lane). It is open every day except Monday. The clubhouse phone number is 599-3327. Admission is free; however one may want to call ahead as the room is occasionally used for social functions.

Golfing on Virginia's Middle Peninsula - Pt. 4: Speaking with Piankatank Golf Pro Kris Keith

The water holes at Piankatank Golf
Club

It is the rare individual who discovers a talent or hobby at a very young age and gets to pursue it for a living as an adult.

Kris Keith began playing the game of golf at the age of six in his rural hometown of Marion, VA. While serving as a successful athletic endeavor, golf was never at the forefront of Keith’s career goals.

However, his mindset began to change in 2001. Soon after moving to Richmond, Keith found himself working at Second Swing Golf, a now defunct retail store. There, he found his niche as a teacher and club fitter working in the “one-stop shop,” which serviced golfers of all ages and levels.

“I never really thought of golf as a career until 2003,” said Keith, now the head golf pro at Piankatank River Golf Club. Reflecting on his latest career change, he casts a grin and adds, “Golf was a good decision.”

As golf pro, working with a variety of people, one never knows who might come by for a tune-up. In Richmond, Keith recalls one celebrity client.

“Trent Dilfer.” Dilfer is now a football analyst for ESPN, but in early 2001, he was the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, who had just won the Super Bowl over the New York Giants. Getting ready for the offseason banquet and pro/am golf circuits, Dilfer stopped into Second Swing while visiting Virginia. “He needed some tweaks,” said Keith, adding that he spent four hours helping the passer refine his links game.

In 2007, Keith met John and E.G. Fleet, the owners and driving forces behind the Piankatank Golf Club in Hartfield. A brief stint with the Fleet brothers was followed by a return tour, which began in March 2011.

Now 34, Keith is happy with his career trajectory.

“I really have packed a lot into a short period of time.”

Speaking of Piankatank, Keith admires the distinctive nature of his home turf. “From a golf perspective, it is one of the most unique courses anywhere. The atmosphere is not boring.” The course features a number of streams on its front nine, as well as a 110-foot elevation change, while the back nine, which lies closer to its namesake river, is relatively flat. Golf Digest magazine has rated the Piankatank links as a “Best Place to Play.” At 425 acres, it is larger than most golf courses, mainly because there are no parallel fairways, a rarity which falls in line with the Fleet’s original vision. Says co-owner John Fleet, “we did not want to be like the ones (courses) built in the 90’s.”

But it’s more than the Piankatank course that stands out in Keith’s mind.

“I love the area. The people are genuine and very supportive. The members here (Piankatank is open to the public, but boasts a membership of over 275) want to support this club.” The club hosts may social and charitable events, and in its past has also sponsored the state single-A golf tournament twice on behalf of nearby Middlesex HS.

As the only 18-hole golf course in the region, Piankatank enjoys widespread appeal and draws golfers from Richmond to Virginia Beach. For Kris Keith, having the opportunity to turn his childhood avocation into a career as a head golf pro is as unique as the course he spends his days playing.