ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 14, 1996 TAG: 9607150081
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
THE INNER-CITY ASSOCIATION lays the foundation for track and field success by Roanoke athletes in the Commonwealth Games.
For 30 years, Paul Moyer has tried to keep Roanoke kids on the right track.
Because of that, some of Moyer's prized pupils will be exhibiting their skills today on the track during the final day of the Commonwealth Games.
Three decades ago, Moyer and some local parents formed the Inner-City Athletic Association, a group that gives Roanoke youngsters the chance to participate in sports. What began as an attempt to get disadvantaged youths involved in football has become one of the best developmental programs in Virginia for track and field.
It's a group Moyer went to the trouble of starting because he didn't want to see youngsters starting trouble. Back in the mid-1960s, Moyer caught some children breaking into a store in his Northwest neighborhood. Instead of running them off, he talked to them.
``I asked, `Why are you doing this?' and they said, `Because we don't have anything else better to do,''' Moyer said.
The youngsters said they wanted to participate in sports, especially football, but there were no programs in their neighborhood. Eventually, Moyer was able to get them involved in youth football and basketball leagues.
``We've done pretty well over the last 30 years,'' he said.
Youngsters ranging from pre-schoolers to high schoolers are competing for the Inner-City group, which Moyer estimates won nearly 20 medals during Saturday's competition for boys and girls.
The future of local track and field looks bright.
``This is how it starts - with young kids,'' said Rudy Dillard, the track and field coach at William Fleming High School.
For several years, interest in track and field has waned during the summer months. These days, more and more youngsters are specializing in one sport and playing it year-round, from AAU basketball to soccer to football.
Moyer decided there should to be a way to get children involved in track and field at a younger age.
``When we started track in '89, we were catering to junior high- and high school-aged kids,'' Moyer said. ``Usually kids had to wait until high school until they really got involved in track and field. We wanted a feeder program for the high schools.''
That program has produced recent standouts such as Dominick Millner, Jamie Price, Michelle Watson and Moyer's own sons, Keith and P.J.
Nearly 70 youths are part of the Inner-City track program, although only 25-30 of those will be competing this weekend.
Other localities are forming summertime track programs, too. The Christiansburg Comets began three years ago and send athletes to invitational meets across the state.
``A lot of kids don't have the opportunity to do track until the eighth grade,'' said Irvin White, the Comets' coach. ``There have been plenty of opportunities to play baseball, softball or soccer in the summer, but not track.''
Next year, the Roanoke Valley will play host to the AAU state championship at Roanoke College and may hold an Eastern regional meet in three years, Moyer said. But he said the lack of track facilities in Roanoke has hindered the growth of his group. Most of the tracks at the city's schools are asphalt, not the modern rubberized surface used on most tracks these days.
``Our leaders will not build a track to run on,'' Moyer said. ``That's the reason we haven't had track for our 5- and 6-year-olds.''
Other highlights from Saturday's Commonwealth Games competition:
BASKETBALL: Virginia Tech star Ace Custis is closing in on his third consecutive gold medal. Custis scored 27 points and former Hokies teammate Shawn Good added 16 as the Blacksburg team beat Central Virginia AAU 97-72 to advance to today's gold-medal round.
Charles Stephens, who played on the unbeaten George Washington-Danville Group AAA championship team this year, scored 22 for Central Virginia.
Blacksburg plays Stan's Team at 2 p.m. at Patrick Henry High School. Stan's Team beat Phi Slamma Jamma 127-81.
BASEBALL: The heavily favored East squad pounded out two victories Saturday, including a seven-homer 21-3 clubbing of the West. Michael Cuddyer and Jeff Butler each smacked two home runs in that game, with Cuddyer launching a grand slam. Butler and Anthony Moore added grand slams in the East's 14-2 victory over the North. The West clinched a medal spot by eliminating Central 19-3. Franklin County's Larry Bowles slugged two homers in that game.
CYCLING: Roanoke's Ed Dickenson, who won the Category 2-3 and Licensed Masters 30-39 division of the Hill Climb. Lexington's Charles Stanley had the best time when he won the Licensed Cat 5 division in 9 minutes, 37 seconds.
KARATE: Elizabeth Higgins, a Clifton Forge resident who recently placed second in the Kumite Brown Belt USA Martial Arts National Championship, earned a gold medal in the women's advanced Kata and a silver in advanced fighting. Cathy Fisher took the gold in fighting and the silver in Kata.
LENGTH: Medium: 91 linesby CNB