Page 8, Portland Observer, August 14, 1986
9
/>► Roy I re Jerntgan
V * " ! ' bdilor
•
• SPORT TALK • SPORTTALK•
Program to eliminate
abuse in youth sports
Amp Elmore sells
karate/kickboxing
I he Electrifying Anthony " A m p ”
Elmore it just what the new, exciting
sports o f karate/kickboxing needs —
a super salesman.
" I 'm a fighter, promoter, com
mentator and trainer — I 'll even set
up the ring if that's what needs to be
done," says the champ. Often called
the "M uham m ed A ll o f Professional
Karate,” because o f his non-stop
comments and predictions, Elmore
maintains such a style is necessary. " I
talk a lot, but I do it to bring atten
tion to the sp o rt."
f lic A m p describes himself as "a
former skinny kid who ran his mouth
a lo t." He began training by learning
from books and later studied with a
friend who had learned karate in
Vietnam. Elmore earned his black
belt in 1974. There arc differences be
tween his sport and the traditional
Oriental art. "Karate, in its old, pure
form , is an Eastern art o f self-
defense. A decade ago, it was still
regarded in this country as a mystical
art. Karate/kickboxing takes (he art
o f self-defense and modifies it into a
form o f self-offense for competitive
purposes." And although karate has
been around for thousands o f years
and Elmore held his black belt since
1975, a 1979 television broadcast
kindled Elmore's interest in the new,
professional sport. Bitten by the bug
o f competition, he closed his retail
carpet store and devoted full-tim e to a
rigid training program. His first pro
fessional bout was to follow later that
year.
Eull contact karate is very different
from anything else. A fighter is re
quired to throw at least eight kicks
per round and there is no clinching al
lowed. These rules make fo r a de
manding and exciting spectator sport.
" In karate/kickboxing, a fighter
needs to run like a track star, have the
grace o f a ballerina, the stamina o f a
boxer and the flexability o f a gymnast
in order to w in ," Elmore explains.
The 6’4” , 215-pound Memphis na
tive is known for his devastating
kicks, and holds the world record for
the most kicks thrown in a profession
al championship bout — an impres
sive 189. That records goes along with
Elmore's strategy in the ring, which
includes lots o f long kicks in order to
keep his opponents away from him.
Keeping competitors at bay is
especially important to Elmore.
“ There is no weight lim it in the Super
Heavyweight division, and I've given
up as many as .30 pounds to an op
ponent.”
His ring expertise and personality
have done much to draw attention to
himself and his sport. Operation
Push bestowed Elmore with their
Sports Award for 1984, he was fea
tured as one o f Ebony magazine's 10
Most Eligible Bachelors for 1983,
and a column on the front page o f the
Memphis Commercial Appeal called
Elmore a “ one man chamber o f com
merce” for the city. “ I believe the
work has paid o ff in calling attention
to the sport. The Ebony article, for
example, got the attention o f the
ladies — and I want to attract every
b o d y," he says.
Elmore is as proud o f his sport's
clean reputation as he is o f Ins 17
knockouts — and works toward bet
tering both. Champions, to him, must
set examples as good citizens as well
as good sports. "T h e man must make
the title, the title doesn’ t make the
man ”
The lessons young people learn
from sports are often remembered the
rest o f their live«.
That is why volunteer coaches
and youth administrators have a re-
ponsibility to the kids with whom
they work, according to Curt Gowdy,
National Spokesman o f the National
Youth Sports Coaches Association
(NYSCA) and chairman o f the
"M a kin g Youth Sports Fun For
K ids" program.
“ The irony o f youth sports to
d a y," Gowdy said, "is that while
many psychologists, reporters and
educators denounce organized youth
sports, millions o f parents still en
courage their offspring to partici
pate.”
According to Fred Engh, founder
and president o f NYSCA, “ Even
though the elementary school-age
population is decreasing, overall o r
ganized youth league programs have
increased to nearly 20 m illion partici
pants throughout America.
"T h a t indicates that youth league
sport arc here to stay, but those who
criticize youth sports make some
good points, too. Although problems
exist in a number o f areas, the state
ment that 'no program is better than
it's leader,' can best summarize the
problem in youth league sport«,”
Engh said.
In nine out o f 10 cases, the leader
is a parent o f one o f the team players.
“ In most cases," Engh said, "th e
parent probably has never been told
that his or her responsibility extends
beyond ensuring that the team wins
the championship. Perhaps more
importantly, that responsibility in
cludes the development o f the value
systems o f the young people being
coached, and it is just as important
for parents and coaches to remember
that youth sports should be a fun
experience."
“ No parent would let a 10-year-
old take swimming lessons from a
person who is not qualified to teach,"
Engh said. "W e ll, what about the
young people who suffer emotionally,
psychologically and sometimes physi
cal abuse because the youth sports
coach was never told that he had the
responsibilities in these areas?"
Engh believes the coach's volun
teer status dix*s not exempt him (or
her) from these responsibilities. To fill
this training gap the NYSCA, a non
profit organization formed in 1981,
offers a basic certification program
that can be completed by attending
three-hour sessions on tw o consecu
tive nights.
“ The feedback we've received
from leagues that have implemented
the NYSCA certification indicated
that by clearly stating minimum stan
dards for volunteer coaches, the vast
majority willingly com ply,” Engh
said. "M o re importantly, the young
sters benefit almost immediately
from the more positive experience
vouth sports wav intended to achieve
in the first place " NYSCA doesn’ t
stop at educating and certifying vol
unteer coaches. They have also creat
ed special programs to offer com
prehensive guidelines fo r parents,
youth league administrators, and
game officials who arc involved in
community youth sports programs.
Certification o f an NYSC A volun
teer docs not denote qualification to
coach, per se, but moreso indicates a
basic awareness o f the very important
role that each volunteer has on the
psychological well being, safety, and
the need fo r basic sports instruction
o f each child in his (or her) care.
Atlanta, Lieorgia, County Comnns
sinners make NYSCA certification
program mandatory for over 1,500
coaches in leagues using municipal
facilities.
I angles , Virginia, U.S. A ir Force
Tactical A ir Command bases with
youth sports programs w ill require all
coaches to be certified beginning
tall I9K<
Io obtain further inform ation on
NYSL A and their programs, contact
the NYSCA, 2611 Old Okeechobee
Rd.. West Palm Beach, FT 33409.
A u d ie N o rris , n ic k n a m e d " T h e A t o m ic D o g ." h as re m o v e d h im s e lf
fro m J a c k R a m s e y 's d o g h o u s e a n d w ill ta k e his ta le n ts to E u ro p e N o r
ris, w h o has o n e y e a r re m a in in g o n his c o n tr a c t, fe e ls th e t th e E u ro
p e a n e x p e rie n c e w ill b e n e fit h im in th e lo n g ru n . T h a n k s fo r th e m e m
o ries. A u d is , a n d th e b e s t o f lu c k to y o u .
The lo n g e st bicycle ever co n s tru c te d w as a te n d e m th e t co uld seat ten
dl A ck
COU€G€S
coM M irreciN C
WHAT
GOLF SCRAMBLE (SHOTGUN)
WITH
NATIONAL PRO - MA. LM ELDER
WHÉN
TUESDflV AUGUST 27. 1985
WHERE
McNAAV G O U COURSE
INVITATIONAL
SALEM O R E G O N
6 2 5 5 River Rood North
Tel 3 9 3 4 6 5 3
$110
FEE
INCLUDES CART GREEN FEE.
.
-T -0® 8
SOUVENIRS PRIZES AND DINNER
. orts Irmted
$100
6 » 't o
first come first serve
9 * '
. a s «'
INCLUOES RLL OF THE ABOVE
WfTHOUT A CART
$ 12 0 0
OTHER DINNER GUESTS (not
porbupoOng r Scramble)
9 00 a m
1000 a m
4 00 p m
TIME
CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST
TEE OFF
DINNER ENTERTAINMENT
AND AWARDS
REGISTRATION FO R M
PLEASE RETURN REGISTRATION FOAM TO AJNE A KEV 1148 NE FREMONT PORTLAND O R 97212 0V A U G 20. 1985
TEL (503 287 9669
CtTV
CHECK BOXES
STATE
GOLF CART □ Ves
□ No
2 8 7 -9 8 8 3
HOC
ADORE SS
NAME
•
ZIP
PHONE
NUMBER OF OWNER GUESTS □
«EASE ENCLOSE ENTRV FEE CHECK PRWBLE TO BLACK COLLEGES COMMITTEE I9C
LUE LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING VOU JOIN US FOR A RJN-RLL© DRV AT McNAAV G O U COURSE
* Ï •
(Ch'ideare 'or Teen Parents children s«s'isbi< | i per child Xeservsiions Only 787 988J)
.
□ •V e . W r a Z j a A. 1