What a slow time it is right now in local sports. That was our first thought as managing editor Powell Cobb and I started to brainstorm about what we could put on today’s sports page.

If someone would start a few more athletic competitions over the next month, Powell and I would be eternally grateful. Late July is always one of the least competitive times on the local sports scene.

Coach Heather Battenberg’s Bainbridge Barracuda swim team practiced, but did not return to action until yesterday’s Georgia Recreation and Parks Association District 3 Meet in Tifton. They have been very competitive throughout the summer. Coach Battenberg and assistant coach and Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA aquatics coordinator Jennifer Clements do an outstanding job with the young swimmers who range in age from 6 years old and under to 15 years old and older.

Bainbridge Leisure Services Department youth sports director Joey Lee has youth baseball and girls softball teams involved in All Star playoffs. Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lady Cats head basketball coaches Rickey McCullough and Kelvin Cochran each had successful team camps, and coach McCullough had a very successful camp for youngsters at the Bainbridge-Decatur County YMCA.

Bainbridge High School Bearcats head football coach Jeff Littleton had a very successful camp for youngsters at Centennial Field and Bainbridge High School Bearcats and Lady Cats head soccer coaches Jamey Ard and Chip Ariail had two very successful soccer camps for youngsters at Centennial Field. The second of the two camps was instructed by Vinny Gill, highly successful Knights and Lady Knights head soccer coach at Middle Georgia State s College in Cochran.

When we pause a minute to take stock of local sport scene, we become keenly aware of how much we depend on our local school systems sports programs to fill the sports pages of our two issues each week.