Newspaper Page Text
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016
BARROW NEWS-JOURNAL
PAGE 13 A
How it all caught up with 'em
We were cleaning up the dishes
from Sunday dinner when Rod
ney called me into the living
room where he was watching TV.
“Look at this,” he pointed to
the NASCAR race being broad
cast live from Bristol, Tenn. My
eyes widened. I shook my head.
“Rodney, that can’t be. It just
can’t.”
He nodded. “It is. It’s today
and it’s the big race.” I demanded
that he rewind the DVR and let
me watch again. There in color
was the truth.
The stands had few people in
them. Maybe they were 50 per
cent full but, honestly, it looked
more like 25 percent. I’ve seen
more people show up for a Satur
day night dirt track race.
I knew this was coming.
I wasn’t sure, though. I’d live
to see it but I knew that when
the sport started chasing big
city shine and shucking off its
country moonshine that the heart
of the fans - the country folks
like me — would turn
and head to the house.
They’d hang up their
Earnhardt, Gordon or
Johnson hats and call
it a day.
I figured the rougher
ones would cuss and
carry on about how the
sport that “we done
gone and made what it
is” had become “what
ain’t worth a plug nick
el.”
About eight years
ago, I requested media creden
tials for a Talladega race so I
could write about a day at the
track that I loved and had given
me many memories when I was
working in the sport as a publi
cist for corporate sponsors. The
PR person in charge of creden
tials called.
“Send me some clips and I’ll
decide if I’ll issue you a creden
tial.” I almost choked. First on
incredulity and, second,
on anger.
“I’m syndicated. I don’t
collect clips,” I respond
ed, remembering the
time when a Washington
Post writer named Angus
Philips showed up in
Pocono to write a piece on
Earnhardt, Sr., and we PR
people fell over ourselves
to show him the meaning
of Southern hospitality. It
was the first time a big
paper had shown us any
attention.
She snapped hatefully. “Then,
you won’t get a credential.”
I called her boss who, when
he learned of her arrogance,
responded, “I’m on my way to
her office. You’ll get both an
apology and a credential.” I did.
But that kind of uppity treat
ment from people who rode on
the coat tails and skirt tails of PR
people like me was bound to sab
otage them sooner or later.
Here’s the other problems that
someone needs to tell the folks
in Daytona Beach since they
don’t seem to remember their
core fans:
1 You don’t ban the name of
Jesus. I listen to the prayers.
They’re politically correct.
2. You don’t replace Tim
McGraw singing the national
anthem with Mariah Carey.
3. You don’t take races away
from the sport's heartland. Places
like Atlanta, Rockingham, North
Wilkesboro, Darlington, Nash
ville. I’m still mad about all of
‘em but Atlanta particularly infu
riates me because it’s the South
east’s biggest city, one of the
oldest race tracks and because
I believe that my friend and its
president, Ed Clark, deserves
better after the 35 years of sweat
and love he has put into the sport.
4. You don’t take away the
emotional connection that fans
built with drivers like Darrell
Waltrip, Bill Elliott, Dale Jar-
rett. Those guys worked hard for
years before they won. Now, they
just plunk an unknown teenager
in a car with a huge sponsor and
he wins. Big deal.
5. You don’t come out aggres
sively on a political issue of a
flag, like it or not. You might
offer an exchange but ain’t
nobody gonna tell a good ol’ boy
from Alabama what to do when
it breeches his First Amendment
rights. Uh-uh.
I could go on but it’s needless.
The white flag has fallen on
NASCAR’s greatest glory days
and the checkered flag is about
to fly.
Ronda Rich is the best-sell
ing author of the What Southern
Women Know trilogy. Visit www.
rondarich.com to sign up for her
free weekly newsletter.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint
When a baby boomer finally decides
to start (or restart) an exercise program,
the genesis is usually generated by a
sense that they are getting old. The body
doesn’t work like it used to. I
have picked that theoretical pivot
point as a person's 50th birth
day. They went to bed accepting
that their life was ‘normal’ and
wake up with a nagging sense that
something’s amiss. They begin to
realize that, over the past decade,
they’ve been hearing about “it” all
the time on the radio, tv or internet.
That elusive solution. Maybe now
is the time to finally take action.
Fix ‘It’ in Short Order
I took the time earlier this week
to visit the local grocery store and
the nearby Wamart. There, in the check
out aisles, are all the well-known mag
azines and tabloids. Headlines related
to fitness and health read “Ultimate 10
Minute Workout,” “20 Seconds to Better
Fitness.” “Melt Middle Age Spread,” “5
Second Move That Cuts Stress by 95%,”
“Drop 10 Pounds in 7 Days.” Here we are
in August and, by Halloween, you will be
transformed into a whole new you. There
is an all-pervasive theme throughout:
instant gratification is the answer. Slow
and steady is never part of the blueprint.
Unfortunately, that is the underlying prob
lem. The best example is the electronic
abs commercial. All you needed to do
was plug it in and, ta da, you would have
six pack abs! But if the results were really
as advertised, everyone would be touting
the results because everyone would have
had a six pack. Easy peasy. And please
don't get me started on the 8 pound shake
weight.
The Whole Truth
Logic is a great equalizer, if you dare
to embrace it. That image staring back
at you in the mirror didn’t appear out of
nowhere just since the New Year. No, it
was a deliberate, prolonged journey of
planned inactivity and lack of discipline
with those late night snacks. It was too
much of the easy and a dearth of self-re
straint. In your heart of hearts you know
that the righting of your “ship” is going to
require a plan, a day in day out blue print.
As I will tell any potential client over 50,
you have decades left to exercise. Or, to
put it more accurately, once you start, you
must incorporate a workout discipline
for the rest of your life. The “race” isn't
finished until your life is completed.
Remember When
Have you been to your high school or
college reunion recently? Remember how
there was always that one guy or gal who
was the ultimate athlete. The
one who could do almost any
thing and who won all the acco
lades. Maybe you even wished
back then that you could have
been that guy or gal. Well, how
has that image been holding up
these 10, 20 or 30 years later?
The visuals are most likely not
as you remembered. The year
book doesn’t lie. You have a real
life example of why. no matter
what your physical condition is
at the time, be it in your 30s. 40s
or 50s, if you decide to live on
your laurels, life will eventually catch up
with you. As I have told my readers on
more than one occasion, I had been living
off my reserves until, after the age of 50,
I made the conscious decision to get back
into a consistent fitness regimen.
The Real Solution
To give you all the tools needed to
construct a quality fitness program is not
possible in this column, but there are
some general rules to help in your quest.
The basics are exercising and eating right.
Talk to your friends who are already in
shape and find out what's working for
them. Maybe hire a personal trainer,
either for in-home or the gym. Make sure
you interview one or two (or three) to find
one with whom you are comfortable. Use
your common sense when it comes to
what you purchase at the grocery store.
Less processed foods and fewer visits to
the drive-thru window would help. Would
a nutritionist be in the cards? The answers
are fairly straight forward even though,
sometimes, the fitness industry tries to
make it more complicated than it really
is. Find a strategy that makes sense to you
and stick with it. You are in it for the long
haul. Do it for you and your family. The
“26 miles” ahead may seem daunting, but
it is a journey you will be taking regard
less. How well that road is travelled is up
to you.
Good luck and good health!
Rick Almand trains out of Anytime Fit
ness (Winder and Auburn locations) or
your home. He can be contacted at
404-312-9206 (or) Rick@UltimateBest.
net. His website is BabyBoomersSurviv-
alGuide.net.
VFW Post 1187, Winder sets Veterans Day race
The Veterans of Foreign
Wars, Winder Post 1187,
plans a 5K run through beau
tiful downtown Winder to
honor Veterans on Saturday,
Nov. 5, at the Barrow Coun
ty Chamber of Commerce
office.
"We will be honoring our
veterans who have served
our country,” said Teresa M.
Lambert, commander.
The race will be held
on a USATF certified
course and is a Peachtree
Road Race Qualifier. The
course is USATF certified
(#GA11049WC).
The registration fee is $30.
Female veterans and
members of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars and Auxiliary
receive a $5 discount with
coupon code, SERVEDTOO
& VFW5K, respectively.
“Can’t make it? You can
still support Veterans of For
eign Wars Winder Post 1187
and its beneficiaries by sign
ing up to participate in spirit
and receive a T-shirt," Lam
bert said. “This is a family
friendly event so bring them
all.”
Overall male/female
award, masters male/female
award, and age group awards
will be given to the top three
male and female finishers
in each age group for all
runners in the following
age groups: 10-and-under,
11-14,15-19, 20-24, 25-29,
30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49,
50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69
and 70 plus.
Race day registration and
check-in will open at 6 a.m.
The race starts at 8 a.m.
For more information
on the event, email vfw-
post 1187 @ gmail.com.
BEGIN YOUR NEW
HEALTHCARE CAREER TODAY!
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classes begin
Oct 2016
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PROFESSIONAL AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
Gainesville Campus
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*select classes also available at Oconee Campus
Cumminq Campus
Clinical Medical Assistant
Phlebotomy Technician
Pharmacy Technician
Dental Assisting
EKG Technician
Find Out More - Call Today - 470-239-3131
Brooke Smith, brooke.smith(5>ung.edu» www.ung.edu/ce
Online programs available today!
For more on eLearning: www.healthedtoday.com/UNG
nj
BARROW HEALTH DEPT. STAFF GETS
VISIT FORM COMMISSIONER
The staff of the Barrow County Health Department recently were visited
by the Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Brenda
Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald (second from left) is shown with (front row, L-R)
Dr. Claude Burnett, Northeast Georgia Health District Medical director;
Barbara Harwell; Ashley Fore; Iris Hernandez; Cindy Price; Beth Graham-
Beadle; and Susan Kristal, Barrow County Health Department Nurse
Manager; (back row, L-R) Rachel Hankinson; Debbie Lee; Ann Cowart;
Carol Lumpkin; Gabriela Barrueta German and Lauren Dodge.
Photo by Sharon Hogan
Enter out Football Pickers Contest. Entry form on page 4B
Friday,
September 2nd
*10
201b
Cylinder Fill
Located just off of
Exit 140 from 1950 Bm Wright Rd
I- 85
on Bill Wright Rd. JcffCLSOll, GA