SPORTS
DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, July 17, 2019
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Kirby wins state 100-yard IM title
8-year-old also finishes 4th in 25-yard butterfly in Tifton
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Shortly after he qualified for the
2019 Georgia Parks and Recreation
Association Class “B” state swim
meet in Tifton on July 12-13, eight-
year-old Cash Kirby admitted to
being nervous about “how he was
going to do there.”
By the end of the day, the nerves
had been forgotten and the ques
tions had been answered as Kirby,
with a personal best time of
1:55.00, emerged a state champion
in the 100-yard individual medley
and finished fourth in the 25-yard
butterfly.
The individual medley consists
of four 25-yard laps with the swim
mer using a different stroke on each
lap moving through the breast
stroke, the backstroke, the butterfly
and ending with freestyle swim
ming. The butterfly stroke uses a
sweeping, arms over shoulders
motion to move through water and
relies heavily on upper body
strength as opposed to most swim
ming strokes that rely on kicking.
When asked before the race
which was his favorite, Kirby said
he “liked them both equally.”
Bob Christian Dawson County News
Cash Kirby swims the first leg of the 100yd IM at
the District 7 GRPATournament on June 29.
Teens’ Wimbledon
win signals another
‘passing of the torch’
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
Remember the name Coco Gauff.
For those of you who don’t follow ten
nis, after becoming the youngest woman to
every qualify for Wimbledon, Gauff
became the youngest player since Jennifer
Capriatti in 1992 to advance to the fourth
round.
She did so by defeating her idol (and the
oldest player in the tournament) Venus
Williams in her opening match, dominating
her second match opponent and overcom
ing not one, but two match points for a
comeback victory in her third.
It was a sensational performance that
ended at the hands of the No. 7 player in
the world, Simona Halep, who went on to
win the tournament. Gauff entered the
tournament ranked No. 313 and left ranked
No. 141 and gave us a glimpse into the
future of women’s tennis.
In fact, her first victory, the one against
her idol, is the best example possible that
the sporting world has once again begun
the cycle of passing the torch from one
generation of athletes to the next. This pro
cess of transition usually takes place every
12-15 years and is marked by a sudden
surge in no-name upsets, big-name retire
ments and an increase in naming the “next”
great athlete.
The trend started with the 2018 NFL
draft when a slew of quarterbacks were
drafted as the next Tom Brady, Drew Brees
or Peyton Manning. It continued into the
world of golf with a half-dozen next
See Gauff 12B
Kurt Busch gets past
brother for victory at
Kentucky Speedway
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
The Busch brothers fought door-to-door
as Kurt finally fought off his younger
brother Kyle to capture the checkered flag
at the Quaker State 400 on July 13 at the
Kentucky Speedway in Sparta. It was
Kurt’s first win of the season and his first
win at Kentucky.
Bubba Wallace’s spin-out on lap 261 of a
scheduled 267 brought out the seventh cau
tion flag of the race and set up the sibling
rivalry of the final lap. While Kyle was
See NASCAR 12B
Weve got spirit!
Photos by Jessica Taylor Dawson County News
A group of 10-12-year-olds perform a cheer they learned from the Dawson County Tigers football cheer squad
during the annual cheer camp at Rock Creek Park.
Dawson County High School football cheerleaders lead cheer camp
Young girls participate in the annual cheerleading camp.
By Jessica Taylor
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
In the gym at Rock Creek
Park, 26 girls proved
they’ve got spirit as they
clapped and jumped and
cheered with enthusiasm.
Surrounded by the
Dawson County Tigers
football cheerleading squad,
participants in the annual
Tiger Cheer Camp learned
several cheers and dances
during the three day camp
July 15-17.
“This is a fundraiser but
it’s also a way to kind of
give back,” said Head
Football Cheerleading
Coach Brooke Walker.
The Tigers football cheer
program is run completely
off fundraising efforts, and
the summer cheer camp is
the biggest fundraiser for
the squad. All the cheer
leaders come out to work
with young girls, giving
them the chance to learn the
very same cheers they’ll see
on the sidelines of the
Friday night football games.
“My girls have always
enjoyed doing this,” Walker
said.
Walker has been leading
the football squad and host
ing the annual summer
See Cheer|2B
Player of the Week!
Bella Henson
Junior Bella Henson stood out for the
Lady Tigers in 2019 as a two-sport athlete
playing both softball and basketball. With
a reach that far exceeds her size, Henson’s
defensive efforts at first base were a key
piece of the softball team’s 2019 GHSA
State Tournament run. Her level-headed
play underpressure was also a factor in
the basketball team’s 2019 post-season
as she routinely made big plays from the
bench for the Lady Tigers.
706-216-0992
We’ve Gone Green!
“We will be here when you need us. ”
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Collin Kilgore
In his first season with the Dawson
County Tigers track and field team,
junior Collin Kilgore captured school
records in both the 800-meter and
the 4x400. Kilgore set both records at
the 2019 GHSA State Tournament in
May and, along with a seventh-place
finish in the 1600m, bringing home
three top-10 finishes overall. Kilgore
looks to have a similar impact in
2020 as he begins his first season with
the DCHS cross-country Tigers on
July 30.
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Dawsonville, GA 30534 • Bus: 678-456-4785
