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SPORTS
DawsonNewscom
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
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Harvick gets 1st win of season
21-race winless streak ends by holding off Hamlin in Foxwoods Resort Casino 301
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
After a 21-race winless streak dating
back to Nov. 2018 at Texas Motor
Speedway, Kevin Harvick picked up his
first win of the 2019 Monster Energy
NASCAR Cup Series on July 21 in the
Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Opting not to pit under the final yel
low flag of the race on lap 264 of a
scheduled 301, Harvick took over the
lead on the restart and aggressively
defended his front row view for the final
34 laps to claim the “Magic Mile” for
the second year in a row. Overall, the
win marked the fourth checkered flag
for Harvick at the 1.058-mile oval track,
moving him into a tie with Jeff Burton
for the most all-time.
“I was really questionable about how
that was going to go, and the thing took
right off,” Harvick said. “We’ve run well
enough a few times this year to win, and
we’ve just made mistakes, and to finally
battle and get over that hump is a great
day for everybody at Stewart-Haas
Racing, everybody on the No. 4 car.”
Runner-up Denny Hamlin, who had
led the previous 112 laps before putting
on four new tires under caution, felt the
.210 second margin of victory came
down to a difference in strategy between
the drivers.
“I wanted to just tap him there, but I
didn’t want to completely screw him. I
at least wanted to give him a fair shot
See Harvick 14B
Honoring a hometown hero
Kevin D. Liles/Atlanta Braves
Master Sgt. David Sapp of Dawsonville waves to the crowd during the July 19 Atlanta Braves game against the
Washington Nationals.
Iraq War veteran retired from active military duty in 2009
Sports Specialization:
An athletes’ view of
a growing interest
By Bob Christian
bchristian@dawsonnews.com
As a girl, Dawson County High School
senior Kaitlynn Bennett tried a wide variety of
sports and activities, ranging from tumbling to
cheerleading to basketball, but it was when she
discovered softball “at like the age of four”
that she knew she had found her sport.
“Growing up, I had a cousin that played
softball and I wanted to be like her, I
guess,” Bennett said. “She played when she
was young, so I did too.”
Sports specialization, defined by a sum
mary study entitled Sports Specialization in
Young Athletes published in May 2013 by
the American Orthopaedic Society of Sports
Medicine “as intense, year-round training in
a single sport with the exclusion of other
sports,” is a growing trend in youth sports
across the United States.
A 2011 study of 519 U.S. Tennis
Association junior tennis players found that
70% began specializing at an average age of
10.4 years old with that number increasing to
almost 95% by the age of 18. Multiple studies
have found this trend mirrored in a wide spec
trum of sports with the biggest shifts taldng
place in basketball, softball, volleyball and
hockey.
Since discovering the game, Bennett has
played some form of organized softball every
year of her life. Progressing from parks and
rec leagues into middle school ball and now
playing year-round as she enters her final year
of high school playing for the Lady Tigers and
an elite travel team, the Georgia Prime.
Based out of the Woodstock/Canton area, the
Georgia Prime is a softball-only training organi
zation with the “goal of making each young
lady that joins our program the best overall per
son and player that they choose to be.”
“I wanted to focus on myself as a player.
My strengths. My weaknesses,” Bennett said.
“I felt that if I could focus on myself that I
could be a better player and a better person.”
Tryouts are usually conducted in late
July or early August each year, and the
travel schedule begins immediately at the
See Athletes 14B
2019 Varsity Football Schedule
Aug. 9 N. Forsyth (Scrimmage)
Away
Aug. 23 Flabersham Cent. (Senior Night)
Flome
Aug. 30 Chestatee
Away
Sept. 13 West Flail
Away
Sept. 20 Denmark
Home
Sept. 27 Lumpkin
Away
Oct. 4 East Flail (Park/Ftec Night)
Home
Oct. 11 G.A.C. (Flomecoming)
Home
Oct. 25 Fannin
Home
Nov. 1 Cherokee Bluff
Away
Nov. 8 North Hall
Away
By Joshua Demarest
jdemarest@dawsonnews.com
The Atlanta Braves honored veteran
Master Sgt. David Sapp of
Dawsonville during their July 19 game
against the Washington Nationals.
Sapp enlisted in the United States
Army in 1988 at the age of 18.
“The Army served a great purpose
for me as I had a very successful
career,” writes Sapp in a brief biogra
phy sent to Dawson County News.
“My duty assignments consisted of Ft
Benning, GA; Ft Campbell, KY; Ft
Bragg, NC; Dahlonega, GA; Ft
McPherson, GA; Italy; and Germany.
My achievements included:
Infantryman, Airborne, Ranger,
Jumpmaster, Air Assault, and
Pathfinder. My awards included:
Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Purple
Heart, Meritorious Service Medal,
four Army Commendation Medals,
and three Army Achievement Medals.”
In 2006, Sapp was wounded in a
firefight outside of Hit, Iraq. During
the skirmish, Sapp sustained gunshots
to the left temple, right shoulder and
right leg.
“After being wounded, I was left
wondering what life would be like
with my disabilities,” writes Sapp.
“My new normal consisted of me
being blind in my left eye, a shattered
upper right humerus with very limited
mobility, a shattered upper right
femur, mild traumatic brain injury,
depression, and post-traumatic stress
disorder.”
After sustaining these injuries, Sapp
and his family moved back to their
Dawsonville home, which they had
bought during Sapp's time stationed in
Dahlonega.
“My wife and I coped with many
issues that I had, along with raising
two young girls,” writes Sapp. “I am
thankful that I have such a great wife,
as she has remained with me despite
these years of frustration and uncer
tainty.”
After retiring from the Army in
2009, Sapp became a stay-at-home
dad to his two daughters, Celine and
Yelena. This sudden switch from a
lifestyle of activity to one of staying at
home took its toll on Sapp.
“My depression grew from a lack of
purpose and no real sense of direc
tion,” Sapp writes. “Since I am not a
person that allows obscurities to over
come me, I continued to seek ways to
find contentment. Initially, I found this
through college. In the spring of 2013,
I completed my bachelor’s degree in
Business Resource and Technology
Management from Troy University.
Since then, I’ve sought ways to occu
py my time through therapeutic recre
ation and hobbies that fulfill my
desires mentally and physically. These
hobbies consist of Deer hunting, fish
ing, snowboarding, cycling, Whitewa
ter kayaking, and gardening.”
Sapp also discovered another way to
find fulfillment — veteran outreach
and service with Team River Runner,
a nonprofit that hosts weekly paddling
excursions across the country for dis
abled veterans.
“Although initially, I wanted a ful
filling, fun adventure, my expectations
were far surpassed as I had no idea I
was going to be put in a kayak and
strapped down with a skirt,” writes
Sapp. “The unexpected undertaking
has been thrilling and exhilarating to
See Sapp 14B
Player of the Week!
Zac Holtzclaw
With a demonstrated ability to score
through the air and on the ground 2018’s
Most Valuable Offensive Player (gth grade
team), rising sophomore Zac Holtzclaw,
has emerged as a leading contender to
takeover the Dawson County backfield.
Holtzclaw’s unique combination of size,
power, and accuracy will challenge
opposing defenses as he looks to lead the
Tigers back to the playoffs in 2019.
706-216-0992
We’ve Gone Green!
“We will be here when you need us. ”
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Olivia Martinez
Sophomore Olivia Martinez’
defensive skills at second base and
clutch-hitting at the plate, capped
off by a monster three-run shot in
the team’s final playoff game, were
key pieces of the Lady Tigers 2018
post-season appearance. For the 2019
campaign, Martinez steps into the
circle as she takes over the pitching
duties for the Lady Tigers as they look
to build on the success of last season.
Sponsored by:
estate Farm®
Ryan Scott Ins Agency Inc
Ryan Scott, Agent
1000 Old Dawson Village Road E Suite 210
Dawsonville, GA 30534 • Bus: 678-456-4785
