SSports


5Ie 3iasper Wgrw

 Section B
 Thursday, February 8, 2007


HCHS students nominated for High School Heisman Award.


 Dena Daniels and
Patrick Mitchell of
Hamilton County High
School have been hon-
ored with a nomination
for the prestigious
Wendy's High School
Heisman Award. The
program, awarded in
conjunction with the col-
legiate Heisman, cele-
brates the achievements
of the nation's top high
school seniors both in
and out of the classroom.
 Principal Gene Starr Jr.
nominated these two
promising leaders for
their academic aptitude,
athletic talent and excep-
tional commitment to
their school and commu-
nities.
 "At Hamilton High, we
prepare our students for
success by encouraging
them to develop in all ar-
eas of their
lives. Wendy's High
School Heisman is the ul-
timate award we can be-
stow on our students for
their achievements
throughout high school,"
said Principal Starr.
 Dena is a dual enroll-


ment student with an
outstanding grade point
average. She is active in
student government and
has served as a class offi-
cer for four years. Dena
has been a member of the
school chorus, academic
team and BETA.
 In AFJROTC, Dena has
assumed a leadership po-
sition, received the out-
standing cadet award
and has participated in
summer leader's train-
ing. She has been a mem-
ber of the cheerleading
squad and softball team
for four years.
 Dena is the daughter of
James and Barbara
Daniels.
. Patrick is also a dual
enrollment student main-
taining an excellent grade
point average. He has
logged over 200 hours in
community service dur-
ing his high school years.
Patrick has played base-
ball four years.
 As an active member in
student government and
Beta, Patrick has served
as a class officer and has
been a member of


FCA. He served on the
Academic Team in grades
9 and 10.
 Patrick is the son of Rex
and Karen Mitchell.
 "These students are the
future community lead-
ers," said Archie Griffin,
the only two-time winner
of the prestigious Heis-
man Memorial Trophy
and Wendy's High
School Heisman program
spokesperson. "It gives
me great pride to see
young people strive for
excellence on and off the
field."
 Created in 1994, the
Wendy's High .School
Heisman program, has_
been celebrating youth
excellence for 13
years. The program con-
sists of five phases -
Nomination, State Final-
ists, State Winners, Na-
tional Finalists and Na-
tional Winners. Entries
are initially evaluated by
ACT Assessment during
the State Finalist and
State Winner phases and
then passed on to a dis-
tinguished panel of
judges.


Patrick Mitchell and Dena Daniels


Hamilton County 4-H highlights for 2006


Submitted by Greg Hicks,
4-H/Livestock Agent
 During the 2006 fiscal
 year, the Hamilton County
 4-H taught many programs
 to students at North, South
 and Central Hamilton Ele-
mentary Schools. One-hun-
dred-forty youths partici-
pated in the embryology
project and the Earth Day
program.
 Forty teachers and 892
students were involved in
the Seatbelt Safety pro-
gram. Hamilton County
was well represented in the
state-wide competition
with the First Place State
Winner in the K Second
category (Abbey Barth-
lemes), Third Place State
Winner in the Third Fifth
Grade category (Courtney
Moody), and Third Place
State Winner in the Sixth -
Eighth Grade category (Jor-
dan Perez).
 Sixteen youths learned a
variety of environmental
ethic codes and how to be
better environmental stew-


yards in the Natural Re-
sources/Water Quality
Day Camp. This event was
held in conjunction with
the Central Hamilton Ele-
mentary Summer School
Program. A $250 grant
from PCS
Phosphate
helped to pay
the expenses
for each youth
from Hamil-
ton County
who attended
Summer 4-H
Camp. .
 Nine youths
learned how
to compare,
contrast and
rank livestock from most
desirable to least desirable
as part of Livestock Judg-
ing Teams. Twenty-one
youths participated in the
Swine Project area and one
youth participated in the
Beef Project area. They par-
ticipated at the Hamilton
County Fair, Suwannee
County Fair, .and North


Florida Livestock' Show
and Sale.
 At Greenwood School,
eleven students learned the
proper way to propagate
plants by planting seeds
and bulbs in a Plant Propa-
 gation
 program.
 Other
 programs
 that 'stu-
 dents from
 Hamilton
 County
 participat-
 ed in were
 All About
 Animals,
 Earth Con-
 nections,
The World of Animals,
Plant Connections, and the
4-H / Tropicana Public
Speaking Program..
 The Tenth Annual
Hamilton County Youth
Ag Day was held as a com-
ponent of the Florida Ag in
the Classroom program for
fourth grade students at the
three schools. They were


taught about agricultural
production and its impor-
tance to the local economy
by rotating through eight
learning stations. Each sta-
tion had a knowledgeable
volunteer who presented a
brief discussion of a farm
production system.
 The 2006 program in-
 cluded: beef, dairy aqrt
 pork production; cotton
 production; peanut pro-
 duction; vegetable produc-
 tion; bee keeping;
 forestry/timber produc-
 tion; corn production; poul-
 try production; donkey
 raising; and
 phosphate / fertilize pro-
 duction.
. The Hamilton County
Fair Swine Show winners
and participants were Hol-
ly Goodin Grand Champi-
on, Leigham.Gist Reserve


Champion, Chasity Arnold
- Jr. Record Book, Maggie
Hughes Jr. Record Book
Runner-Up, Haley Eatmon
- Sr. Record Book, Jared
Nichols Sr. Record Book
Runner-Up, Taylor Com-
bass Jr. Showmanship,
Mallory Morgan Jr. Show-
manship Runner-Up, Ste-
vie Register-"Sr. Showman-
ship, and Rachel Morgan -
Sr. Showmanship Runner-
Up.
 Other participants in the
show were Whoe Rober-
son, Seth Adams, Katy Bur-
nam, Ciera Burnett, Tyler
Dowling, Kerry Jo Melland,
Cory Burnett, Zach Deas,
Kyle Newsome, Kelsey
Brown, Dalton Tyre, Tyler
Warfel, Trey Norris, Ragan
Adams, Dawson Adams,
Kelli Cashmore, Staci Cash-
more, Alli Kennedy, Alden


Kennedy, Kendall- New-
some, Robbielyn Robetson,
Brianna Hanlon, Hunter
Smith, Ryan Plemmons,
Katey Melland, Rebecca
Medlin, Cody McCoy, Tris-
tan Mathis, Laura Leigh
Bullard, Levi Alford, and
Heather Marvin.
 The Suwannee County
Fair Live Stock,lSh.y ilg....
be held Wt'diiaei<-
through Saturday, March
28 through March 31, in
Live Oak. Steer and hog
record books are due on
Monday, March 19. Hog
entries must be received at
the fairgrounds from 7 a.m.
until 1 p.m. on Wednesday,
March 28, and Steer entries
must be received at the fair-
grounds from 8 a.m. until
12p.m.
 For more information
about 4-H, call 792-1276.


10th Annual Open


Underwater tactics with Ken Cook Bass Tournament


Turning cold
weather into

hot fishing
 If it's not snow or freez-
ing rain, it's bone-chilling
air temperatures and icy
winds that make a day on
the water nearly insuffer-
.able. But just because
you're uncomfortable, it
doesn't mean that the bass
are. Sure, it's cold outside
and I'm sure you still have
some holiday shopping to
do, btft bass are still in the
lake. If they want to make
it through the winter they
will have to eat.
 As the water tempera-
ture drops, bass follow the
migrating shad out to
deeper water (deep being
anywhere from 30 to 40
feet in clear, deep lakes or
six to eight feet in murky,
shallow ones). Use your
electronics and find the
balls of shad. There's sure
to be some bass nearby,
holding up in vertical,
deep cover. Typically,
bass will be easier to find
down lake on outside
channel swings, bluff
faces and points with ver-
tical drops.


 Since bass are cold
blooded, the colder water
has slowed them down -
so you should slow down,
too. This ties in directly to
your bait selection, the
most important aspect to
catching bass in the cold.
Just because the bass are
following migrating shad
that doesn't mean that's
all they will eat. Fish biol-
ogists have discovered
that a bass prefers a bait
about three inches long
and about an inch in di-
ameter. That jig that you
spent all summer pitching
into the bushes will do
just fine. But instead of re-
lying on the oldest known
fishing lure by itself, I like
to dress mine up with the
newest technological ad-
vancement in fishing bait.
 On a 3/8-ounce jig, I
trim the skirt just past the
hook to keep it from hav-
ing too large a profile
since I want to put a large
trailer on it. I rig a Berkley
Gulp! Bat Wing Frog as
the trailer. These two baits
are meant to be fished
slow the perfect presen-
tation for a cold-blooded
bass in wintertime. I cut
the front of the bait off just


behind the eye and thread
it onto the jig hook. The
legs on the Bat Wing Frog
flutter like crazy on the
fall and with the slightest
movements.
 The Gulp! trailer isn't
made of plastic so it actu-
ally breathes underwater
and disperses scent like
no other bait ever made.
And the slower you fish it,
the more scent builds up
in an area, expanding the
strike zone by drawing in
sluggish fish in search of
an easy meal that might
have not been interested
otherwise.
 There's no secret to
catching bass in the mid-
dle of winter. Just like any
other time of year, you
have to figure out the
right pattern. And once
you figure out where they
are, slow down your pre-
sentation; The fishing can
be good enough to make
you forget all about the
plummeting tempera-
tures.
 Ken Cook is the 1991
Bassmaster Classic cham-
pion and a*14-time Classic
qualifier. A former fish-
eries biologist, Cook lives
on a ranch in Meers, Okla.


 The Jasper
 Volunteer
 Fire Fighters
 will host their
 10th annual
 Open Bass Tour-
 nament at the Bi-
 enville Planta-
 tion, directed by
 South rn Shiners Inc.,
 on April 28. There is a $200
entry fee with a fish limit of three, includ-


ing big bass. Participants who enter before
April 21 will receive a free t-shirt.
 First place prize is $3,000, second is
$2,000 and third is $1,200. There will be
more cash prizes, including a first place
prize of $500 for Big Bass and a $300 sec-
ond place prize. Only one Big Bass paid
out to one boat. All prizes based on full
field of 100 boats. Prizes pro-rated for
more or less boats.
 For more information call 792-2181 or
792-2211.


 Sign-up for Hamilton County's Babe
Ruth 2007 spring season will end on Feb.
16. Sign-up at the Hamilton County Recre-
ation Center between the hours of 8 a.m.
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The
sign-up fee will be $40. The fee for Little
Ones T-Ball will be $25 (ages 4-6):
 The sign-up fee must be paid for the ap-
plication to be complete. There will be a
$10 dollar late fee for applications taken af-


ter Feb. 20.
 Parents must provide a
birth certificate at the \
time of registration or the
application will not be com-
plete.
 For more information contact
the Hamilton County Recre-
ation center at 792-3098, or vis- 4
it www.hcrecreation.com


Bird walk on Feb. 24

 On Saturday, Feb. 24; the Friends of the entrance into the park.
Suwannee River State Park will host a For more information contact Schoen-
birding walk beginning at 8 a.m. on the felders at 850-971-5354 or email at
trails within the park. A fee required for wbs@surfbest.net.


Babe Ruth baseball,


softball sign ups