Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Baseball Challenge Is Thursday Afternoon,

A bat, throw and run contest will be sponsored by the PHS Curley Wolves baseball team Thursday, May 14.

This provides boys and girls, ages 7-12, the opportunity to showcase their batting, fielding/throwing and base-running abilities.

The competition will take place on at the James Johnson Sports Complex beginning at 5:30 p.m. Participation fee is $5.

In the event of threatening weather, rescheduling will be determined by the sponsors.

All participants must fill out a registration form and must provide a copy of a valid birth certificate for age verification. Failure to provide proof of age will result in dis-qualification. Copies of birth certificates may be obtained at school. No metal spikes are allowed.

The three age groups are: 7 and 8; 9 and 10; and 11 and 12 for boys and girls competing together. Age is determined as of July 10, 1998.

Trophies will be awarded to the following participants in each age group: all around champion; second place all around, third place all around, batting champion, fielding-throwing champion, and base-running champion.

The batting portion will test the ability to hit a baseball from a stationary tee along a tape measure. Hits will be measured for distance and accuracy. (3 swings, one miss will equal one swing, best attempt counts, distance traveled minus inaccuracy equals total distance).

The fielding-throwing portion will measure how quickly a competitor can field and accurately throw a baseball to home plate. Competitor must field a ground ball in a forward movement and throw the ball 100 feet between two cones 10 feet apart. Each fielding-throw-ing attempt will be timed with the clock starting when the ball touches the glove and stopping when the ball crosses between the cones. (Two attempts must pass through cones to count.)

The base-running portion will measure a competitor's speed in a sprint from second base, round third and across home plate. The runner will be timed from the moment he or she leaves second base, touches third base and crosses home plate in one attempt. The runner must touch all bases with no sliding.

A competitor's distance or time in each skill event will be converted into a composite point total. No one event is weighed more favorable than others.

In the event of a tie, the participants involved will have their scores compared and the youngster with the highest batting score will be declared the champion.

If a tie still exists, the base running scores of those involved will be used to determine the champion.

Information sheets can be picked up at Prescott Elementary School or Prescott Middle School.