Sports Writer

GOSHEN – While the calendar has turned from winter to spring, the work has just begun for the Goshen High School girls basketball team.

Over the next two months, the Lady Eagles will be putting on four different fund raisers in an effort to raise money for

the girls roundball program. All of the proceeds will go toward sending the Lady Eagles to two collegiate girls basketball camps this summer.

Among the fund raisers which will be taking place throughout April and May include a Boston Butt sale, a three point shot tournament, a pair of car washes and a jellybean count. All of the activities will take place either on the GHS campus or throughout the Troy area.

Despite finishing with a 6-14 record this winter, optimism is high for the Lady Eagles heading into the 2002 season after showing a five-game improvement following a 1-19 mark last year as all five starters return next year.

Goshen head coach Charlie Winchester said the fund raisers

are important as far as the future of the girls basketball program is concerned.

"(The fund raisers are) to help provide the funds to help us go to summer team camps," Winchester said. "This will also help us provide for next year."

Even throughout this week during Spring Break, Winchester said the GHS girls are currently taking Boston Butt orders in an attempt to cut down the cost on the summer basketball camps.

"The girls are selling them

to families, friends and neighbors over Spring Break because of vacation," Winchester said. "Over the next two weeks, they will hit a lot of the business people in Goshen and Troy. They have been putting out flyers and signs as well."

Winchester said he wants to put up signs around Goshen, Luverne and Troy in order to promote the Boston Butt sales. Throughout Easter weekend on April 13-14, Winchester said the Boston Butts will be delivered to various homes and businesses in Goshen, Luverne and Troy. The Boston Butts will range from 6-to-7 pounds and the cost will be $15 apiece.

The second fund raiser will be the three-point tournament, which starts Monday during the morning and afternoon break at the school all next week. Winchester said the tournament will be a single elimination format which is scheduled to be completed

Friday, April 6.

The cost will be $1 to enter and 25 cents to watch in person.

In order to advance in the tournament, Winchester said players must hit as many three point shots possible from different portions of the floor with a maximum of five shots granted. In case of a tie, Winchester said students will be allowed to hit a three point shot from anywhere on the floor. The person who hits the most number of shots in the tiebreaker will be declared the winner. The champion of the overall event will win a couple of dinners from a local Troy restaurant along with a cash prize.

Winchester said approximately 40 boys and 30 girls have already signed up for the three point contest.

In late April and mid-May, the Lady Eagles will be putting on couple of car washes with the first scheduled for new Wal-Mart and second set to take place at the Highway 231 South location of SouthTrust Bank.

Winchester said members of the basketball team along with parents and coaches will wash cars, trucks and vans from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m. each Saturday. The cost is set for $3 per car and $4 to wash a truck, van or SUV. Even if a person doesn’t want his or her vehicle washed, donations of any amount for the camps will be accepted.

The final fund raiser will be a jellybean count in which each student will pay a quarter and guess how much candy is in the huge jar. Over the next two weeks, the jar will be placed in the main office at the high school for students to make guesses. The deadline for the contest is set for Thursday, May 12.

With the Lady Eagles having not gone to a basketball camp since the Arleshia Lane era in the late 1990s, Winchester said there are several reasons why going is important.

"For one thing, we haven’t been to a camp in three years," Winchester said. "The one thing I want us to do is to help us become better people and better players. We can improve our skills and get more exposure against some good teams. It will help us better athletically, socially, mentally and physically. A lot of teams won’t practice during the summer, but we are at the camps. It’s going to help us fundamentally. It’s the exposure of shooting the ball, dribbling the ball and being able to handle it while getting some good instruction from other coaches which will help us."

Winchester said he’s hoping to play as many as 10 games apiece at both camps this summer. Among the camps Winchester is hoping to attend include Birmingham Southern, Team USA Camp in Tallahassee, Fla., or a camp at Fort Walton Beach.

While the girls will have some summer fun along the way, Winchester said there will be a business aspect to all of the camps as well.

"My main thing is for us to bond and get closer together during the summer and have their minds on basketball," Winchester said. "We have to mature and gain experience through competition. But the girls are excited because they have friends at (area rivals) Highland Home and Red Level who have told them about the summer camps. That’s why they’re willing to go."