THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 12, 1994 TAG: 9406100248
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 23 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bill Leffler
DATELINE: 940612 LENGTH: Medium
The Eastern Region is losing another of its outstanding athletic leaders. Dan Butler has announced that he will retire as athletic director at Granby High School in Norfolk at the close of the school year.
{REST} Butler has served as region chairman for baseball and wrestling.
Former Wilson athletic director Jim Sherrill retired earlier but has continued to run region basketball. Butler is stepping down completely and will become a Realtor.
Butler, 62 has been Granby's athletic director for the better part of two decades. An outstanding athlete at Granby himself, Butler was a two-time state wrestling champion in the heavyweight division and received a football grant to the University of Tennessee for his line play with the Comets.
Local coach Bobby McKinney, who scouts for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is holding a hitting school for baseball players at the Churchland High School field the next two weeks. One camp opens Monday and runs through Friday. The other is from June 20 to June 24.
McKinney is limiting each session to only 10 players to guarantee every player has individual attention.
Each participant will get a video tape analysis of his swing. ``One thing they will learn,'' said McKinney, ``is how body control and balance are part of a good swing.''
Christopher Newport is getting the baseball services of Alliance's David Mitchell.
Mitchell was an all-city selection a year ago as an outfielder for the Falcons. He had the top batting average among Portsmouth players with a .564 average. He also hit five home runs.
Mitchell recently impressed Christopher Newport coaches in a mini-camp tryout session. Barton College and Chowan also had shown interest in Mitchell.
Churchland baseball coach Carl Rhodes is assisting with the new American Legion baseball team in Portsmouth.
``The players get enough of me telling them what to do, where they will bat and who plays which position during the school year,'' said Rhodes. ``So this is sort of like a busman's holiday for me. I am available to offer them all the help I can provide and I can watch how they're doing. But I'm not the coach.''
Wilson may be getting a new soccer player from Brazil.
Fernando Araujo of Rio deJaneiro is coming to Portsmouth next month as an exchange student and will stay with the Duffy West family. Araujo is interested in soccer, roller skating and piano.
Malcolm Foust of Portsmouth won the Mid-Atlantic Scratch Bowlers Association tournament at Seminary Lanes in Alexandria. He beat Chesapeake's Chuck Vogt in the final, 202-189.
Athletes who are having trouble with the Scholastic Achievement Test might be interested in attending a preparatory SAT course at Tidewater Community College.
TCC is offering a 12-hour session on Saturdays in July from 9 until noon. The cost is $60. For information, call 484-2121, ext. 447.
Interested in giving dad a Father's Day gift of free or discounted golf for the rest of the year at more than 175 courses in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania?
For $25 a Golf Privilege Card can be obtained from the American Lung Association of Virginia to play at most state courses and in neighboring states. All proceeds are going to help combat lung disease. For information, call 1-800-LUNG-USA.
The cards will carry a $35 price tag after Father's Day.
by CNB