Caching on Another Fairly Nice Day in Rock Hill 3/12/2009

Well we left again early this morning to do some more caches in Rock Hill before the weather turned sour on us. Our first cache was in Cherry Hill park and it was a mutli cache where we had to locate the container for the first part and get the coords for the second part and then get the inscription off the object and email to the cache owner. The object was a bronze statue of Casey at the Bat the classic baseball poem written in 1888 by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.

The Outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day:
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A sickly silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, if only Casey could get but a whack at that -
We'd put up even money, now, with Casey at the bat.

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a lulu and the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey's getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despis-ed, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from 5,000 throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It knocked upon the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile on Casey's face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance gleamed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped-
"That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one," the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore.
"Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand;
And its likely they'd a-killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the spheroid flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, "Strike two."

"Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered fraud;
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again.

The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go,
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out.

The poem was originally published anonymously (under the pen name "Phin"). Thayer was so embarrassed by what he considered to be doggerel that he kept his identity secret for years. It was only after others claimed to have written the poem that he finally came forth, although he remained embarrassed by its success in the face of what he considered to be its low merit.
Our next cache was in the Winthrop Universities Athletic Complex located on a impressive 325-acre recreational and research site about a mile from the main campus. We found the cache in the complex which comprises the Winthrop Coliseum, Winthrop Lake and numerous athletics and recreational fields. The actual cache was on the challenging 18-hole disc golf course surrounding the lake and coliseum and has been the site of the U.S. and World Disc Golf championships. A one-mile loop surrounding the Winthrop Lake is one of approximately five miles of walking and bike trails that criss-cross the complex and conveniently connect to Rock Hill’s public trails. At the heart of the University's athletic facilities is the Winthrop Coliseum. In addition to serving as the home venue of the Men's and Women's basketball and volleyball teams, the University's athletic department offices are located in the Coliseum. The arena features 6,100 permanent seats and hosts numerous non-University shows and events in addition to Winthrop athletic contests. The Coliseum also served as the temporary practice site of the NFL's Carolina Panthers until completion of the team's facilities in Charlotte. The Winthrop baseball team plays in the Winthrop Ballpark, a multi-million dollar 1,989-seat baseball stadium which opened in 2003. Currently, the facility is undergoing a major upgrade with the construction of permanent locker rooms, team offices and batting cages. Opened in 2005, the university's track and field teams compete on the $2.8 million Irwin Belk Track Complex. The facility hosts numerous Division 1 meets. The university's soccer teams compete at the recently completed Winthrop Soccer Complex. The facility, considered by many to be one of the top intercollegiate facilities in the country, features 1,800 permanent seats, a press box, field house and a Daktronics LCD scoreboard. In addition, the playing field is a Tifway 419 hybrid Bermuda grass with Eagle Blend and Sun Star. The softball team competes at the Winthrop Softball Complex which opened in 2001. The facility includes four fields, locker rooms and an indoor batting cage. The tennis teams compete at the Winthrop Tennis Complex which opened in 2003. The complex includes 12 lighted courts, seating for 300 and a club house with public restroom facilities, locker rooms and offices. All this in addition to the championship disc golf course and a 9 hole public golf course.
The next cache was located in a technical park filled with businesses and manufacturing plants. There was a paved walking trail through the complex where we found the cache.
Next cache was located in the woods near a medical complex, next was a cache at the York County Welcome Center, next was a micro cache at a huge religious center and school, and the next 3 caches were at Manchester Park one in the woods, one near a lovely fountain and the last one on a railing along the walking trail.
Our last cache was at The Civitas & The Gateway. The Civitas statues are beautiful 22 foot-tall sculptures that stand at the intersection of Dave Lyle Blvd. and Gateway Blvd, and in the Rotunda of Rock Hill City Hall. The Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation commissioned Audrey Flack in 1988 to sculpt the Civitas, which is Latin for “civic pride.” The Civitas was designed as a female version of Michelangelo’s “David”, The thought behind the design relates to the similarities between the cities of Rock Hill and Florence, Italy. At the time of the commission of “David”, Florence was a city of 45,000 people whose vibrant textile industry was slowly fading and the growth of their much larger neighbor Rome was affecting Florence’s growth. Rock Hill’s size and textile history paralleled Rome’s during the creation of both statues. The Civitas reflects the spirit of Rock Hill’s textile heritage in the clothing and hair, which suggest billowing ribbons of material. That material transforms into wings representing the fact that Rock Hill’s textile history provided the texture and foundation that gave the city wings to move forward. Each Civitas holds a different circular emblems to signify four key themes of Rock Hill, Gears of Industry, Flame of Knowledge, Stars of Inspiration and Lightning Bolt of Energy. The Gateway intersection where the 4 Civitas statues stand is circular to symbolize unity, teamwork and togetherness. The columns that stand beside the Civitas were a gift to the city from First Union Corporation, and are regarded as one of the area’s most treasured historical artifacts. A funny story about these statutes is as follows The Civitas - The Scandalous Statues---The four bronze verdigris Civitas statues on each corner of the 4-way intersection. They are larger than life and stand about 20 feet tall. What is so unique about them is what happened right after they were put into place. Some of the local religious leaders were offended at how endowed they all were and how their nipples protruded. So, within a few days, workers were out there with metal files to file away the protuberances! Very funny and only in the South.
We stopped and Mom got her haircut and we had lunch at Jack in the Box and then we were on our way back to the coach for dinner and the end of the day. Well until tomorrow we want to say good luck to Tim and his Girls Hockey team and to Chris and Tyler and there team, both of the in the state playoffs and we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad


Picture List:1-A long day of caching makes us tired too, 2,3,4,5,6-The Mighty Casey, 7,8,9,10-The Four Civitas Statues, 11,12,13,14-The Four key themes of Rock Hill, 15,16-The 2 Greek columns, 17-Jefferson Davis Flight, 18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25-Winthrop U. Baseball Stadium, 26,27,28,29,30,31-Winthrop U. disc golf course & nature area, 32,33-Winthrop U. Soccer Complex, 34-Winthrop U. Tennis Complex, 35,36,37-Winthrop U. Track Complex.