Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, June 1,2022
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B
Georgia Racing Hall of Fame hosts
13th annual Memorial Day Car Show
n
.. . j
—. iff 1
Photos by Rio White Dawson County News
Photo courtesy of USA Archery
Hardegree stands with Preston Dyer during the
Collegiate Target Nationals.
FROM 1B
Archery
be available to go to California,” Hardegree said. “I
got first place out of three [at the GSU meet].”
Although the regional meet had only a few com
petitors, the Nationals were a different story.
Hardegree and Dyer were one of 16 mixed barebow
teams to compete.
The pair came in as the No. 9 seed but showed no
fear in facing the higher-seeded teams. They began
by rallying to defeat California State-Long Beach in
the first round before winning against the University
of the Cumberlands and Mount Marty University.
“It was kind of intimidating because I just walked
on to the sport...and now I’m on national TV and
streamed live,” Hardegree said. “I’ve never been
under a spotlight like that. I had people from three
different churches watching and everyone from
home was watching.”
Despite falling to the University of California,
Irvine in the final, Hardegree has ambitious plans
for next season, wanting to win the individual bare
bow title.
By earning herself a higher scholarship for next
school year, she will be able to invest in her own
bow and become even more familiar with her sport.
And through this rapid entrance into archery, her
mother has been proudly watching.
“This girl has just amazed me,” Donnia Hardegree
said.“If she can accomplish what she has in he past
three to six months, imagine what she can do [in the
future].”
For Madalyn, a Christian ministries major at
Emmanuel, she is grateful for her opportunity and is
motivated through her faith to continue the path she
is on.
And she is keenly aware of how surreal her expe
rience has been.
“I really think God has provided me a way to get
through college,” Hardegree said. “Last year I was
showing goats and cows, and three months later I
was like ‘OK, let’s pick up a bow’.”
Bulldogs hold special place in my heart
Often when
traveling, if
someone learns
that I’m from
Georgia, they will
ask, “You’re a
Georgia Bulldogs
fan?”
I reply — this
is the unvarnished truth —
“I’m an SEC fan. I pull
for all the SEC schools
and, truth be told, I have a
special spot for Kentucky
and Vanderbilt during
football season.”
Of course, I grew up
with a particular affection
for the Bulldogs. I still
have the tiny — and
somewhat brittle — black
sweatshirt in a toddler’s
size-three that is embla-
zoned, “Georgia
Bulldogs.”
As my experience and
friendships grew, I found
a reason to pull, at one
time or the other, for
Southeastern Conference
teams. I have deep affec
tion for the state of
Mississippi. A favorite
afternoon once happened
on the Ole Miss campus
where I watched Archie
Manning walk through
The Grove toward his tent
where his family tailgates.
I spoke at the
Mississippi State journal
ism school. Mama was
with me and, as we drove
around the lovely campus,
I developed a lasting
affection for the Bulldogs
and that which the school
has contributed to our
country’s agriculture.
Tink was on a video
business call last fall. I
bounded up the stairs and
stopped at his office door.
He looked up from his
computer screen.
“I have some
thing important to
tell you,” I whis
pered.
He nodded,
paused the call
and looked a bit
concerned.
“What?”
I was excited. “BOTH
Kentucky and Arkansas
are 4-0 to start the foot
ball season!”
He was incredulous.
“THAT is what is so
important?”
“It is to the fans in
Kentucky and Arkansas.
This is big news!”
But, when it comes
down to it, I will always
have special affection for
the Georgia Bulldogs. It’s
personal. It’s unique. It is
heartfelt appreciation that
I will carry to my grave
and never cast into a lake
of forgetfulness.
By both accident and
good fortune, I became
the first female sports
reporter to cover
Southeastern Conference
football, full-time. It
wasn’t by design. It
wasn’t to make a state
ment. It was simply to do
my job.
Trying to dig myself off
the obituary desk and
other mundane assign
ments, I gratefully
grabbed a newly created
part-time sports position
— until then, there was
one full-time sports
reporter/editor — at my
hometown newspaper,
The Times, in
Gainesville, Georgia. I
knew little about sports
but no novice ever
applied herself more
'But, when it
comes down to
it, I will always
have special
affection for
the Georgia
Bulldogs. It's
personal. It's
unique. It is
heartfelt appre
ciation that I
will carry to my
grave and
never cast into
a lake of forget
fulness.'
energetically to learning a
trait.
I covered high school
sports as well as the
Georgia Bulldogs and
Atlanta Braves, sporadi
cally. The Bulldogs’ cov
erage became wildly pop
ular so, within a year, I
was covering them full
time, the only female,
regularly, on the practice
field, the sidelines, and in
the press box.
Vince Dooley was the
head coach, Claude
Felton was the Sports
Information Director, and
Assistant Coaches includ
ed Erk Russell, Bill
Hartman, and Ray Goff.
Those men — let me
admiringly call them
“gentlemen” — did not
roll their eyes when I
appeared, normally
attired in a dress and,
always, in heels. They
showed no contempt that
a young girl had invaded
a men’s club, nor they did
laugh, even smile, at a
half-baked question I
asked.
Importantly, they did
not patronize me. In fact,
they equalized the field.
In the third quarter of
each home game, Felton
went down to the press
box and asked which
players we reporters
wanted to interview. At
the end of the game,
Felton assembled those
players in a common
space, outside the locker
rooms, where I had equal
access to each player.
Society, politics, or law
did not push them to this
experience of equality for
me. They did it because
they were decent humans,
courteous Southern gen
tlemen, and no respecter
of certain people. There
was not a male chauvinist
among them.
During the recent
National Championship
game, I saw my beloved
“Dooley” — that’s all I
call him — standing on
the sidelines. I smiled.
When they claimed the
championship, I applaud
ed.
Young or old, I will
always be loyal.
And grateful.
Ronda Rich is a former
award-winning writer of
Southern sports teams.
Visit www.rondarich.com
to sign up for herfree
weekly newsletter.
RONDA RICH
Columnist
FROM 1B
Track
Angle led the way as Dawson
County swept the podium in the
discus event, with second place
going to Tanner Dykes and third
place to Samuel Loring.
Throwing coach Dana Loring
would see two more of her athletes
earn top-four finishes, with Tabatha
Martinez finishing second in the
girls discus event and Allison
Dodgen finishing fourth.
The Dawson County athletes
would also have top-eight finishes
in the shot put, long jump, 1600-
meter and 3200-meter races.
“The team proved to be a moti
vated and talented group of ath
letes,” Allshouse said. “It was
inspiring to work with these kids
because they came every week to
beat their personal best. I love their
determination to keep trying.”
