THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 7, 1994 TAG: 9407060140
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MIKE KERNELS, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
CHAOS IS DESCENDING on the sleepy town of Driver.
Starting Saturday through the next two weeks at Driver Elementary will be the District 6 Tournament - a collection of some of the best Little Leaguers, ages 11-12 and 13-15, that have crossed home plate this season in softball and baseball.
Total teams: 18 (10 girls, eight boys).
At stake: The overall winner of each tournament - 11-12 boys, 11-12 girls, 13-15 girls - will advance to the state tournament at various sites across the state.
And it won't be the only game in town.
Also coming at a sandlot near you:
The East Zone-South Region Pinto All-Star Tournament, July 15, at Diamond Springs Park off of Kings Fork Road in Suffolk.
The District 1 Pony Baseball All-Stars Tournament, July 11-17, at John Yeates Middle School.
Yes, the real season - the postseason - is getting under way in the Peanut Capital of the World.
``You get the best of all the kids,'' said Ken Parsons about this time of year behind his trademark Oakley shades. ``It's a lot more exciting, a lot more intense.''
He should know. As the the 33-year-old coach of Suffolk's District 6 entry in 11-12 girls - the Bennett's Creek All-Stars. Parsons will be making his eighth trip in search of the Little League promised land.
But he's just part of The Show. It's The Show Behind The Show that makes it even possible to have a tournament.
We're talking volunteers. Lots of them.
It'll be some 80 doing anything and everything the next two weeks from handing out Cokes, keeping scorebooks, figuring out how many gallons of Powerade are needed and fitting a kajillion fans into two small parking lots.
In another word: chaos. Albeit somewhat organized.
``Nobody can do it all,'' said Cathy Huband, treasurer of Bennett's Creek Little League. ``We have a lot of community support.''
And if you're not busy the next few weeks, tournament organizers for District 6 say they want you - as volunteers.
``We try to organize it where we can get as many volunteers as possible but we can't ask them to be out here more than 2-3 times,'' said Joe Barco, 45, one of the tournament's organizers and a labor relations specialist with Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
If there was ever a time for Driver to host a tournament of this stature, which comes to northern Suffolk on a 6-7 year cycle, it's now.
The area, because of recent growth in Bennett's Creek, is booming big-time.
That resulted in a 33 percent increase in Little League participation this year; a lighting system worth $23,000; a $30,000 two-story concession stand complete with heating and air conditioning built; the installation of a sprinkler system.
Improvements that would have needed to been made eventually, anyway. But growth has speeded up the time table.
And the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
``It doesn't happen every year,'' treasurer Huband said. ``I think in the past, people have thought of us as the backwoods people. We're proud of what we've accomplished and we want people to see it.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Lori Outlaw stoops low to black second base during practice on the
Driver fields. She will be playing in the Little League age 13-15
girls district tournament. Ten girls teams will be competing.
by CNB