Newspaper Page Text
Friday, December 29,2017
Lake Oconee News
Page C7
sports Year in Review
4. Greene County cross-country sees massive growth
Justin Hubbard
justin@lakeoconeenews.us
If you have driven through
the streets of Greensboro
over the past few months
and noticed packs of kids
running in the afternoon,
then you’ve seen the Greene
County cross-country team
on full display.
In total, the team features
about 80 middle and high
school students on its roster,
all coming from Union Point
STEAM Academy, Carson
Middle School and Greene
County High School. That’s
quite a big jump in roster
size compared to last year’s
team, which included only
six runners.
Mike Smith is one of the
team’s co-head coaches.
Smith teaches physical sci
ence atUPSA. Adam Bradley,
who works at Greene County
High School, is the other
co-head coach.
Smith said he was dis
heartened when the duo first
took over the program, but
words of encouragementfrom
Bradley proved true.
“When we started in
summer conditioning, we
had six or seven,” Smith said.
“I was alittle discouraged, but
coach Bradley kept saying,
‘Wait till school starts,’ and
then the numbers kept grow
ing and growing. We have
students that have joined the
team this week. They’ve come
in and said, ‘Hey, we hear you
have great things going on and
we want to be a part of it.’ We
take in everybody.”
Bradley previously worked
at GCHS before his current
tenure at the school. He was
the school’s cross-country
coach back then, too.
When this year’s team
began competing together, it
was clearto Bradleythere was
a big difference between the
first cross-country team he
coached at Greene and this
year’s team.
“That team, they made it
easier on me,” Bradley said
of his former squad. “Most of
them were friends, and they
pushed each other. This year,
we have more of a variety of
students. Some ofthem didn’t
know each other when they
came in. I think the first year
that I coached, they did a lot
of the teamwork stuff before
I even was in the picture
whereas this year we’ve kind
offorgedthoserelationships.”
That “variety of students”
is a unique one.
Smith was originally
brought in to coach the
middle school cross-country
program, and Bradley would
coach the high schoolers.
Shortly after starting summer
conditioning, the decision
was made to combine the
two teams.
Smith said there are now
plans to further expand the
program.
“It started out with middle
school and then it just kind of
evolved to coach Bradley andl
doingthe whole thing, taking
the high school and middle
school,” he said. “Next year,
we’re even gonna implement
an elementary level, just
because it has taken off.”
Combining the two pro
grams has certainly worked,
but it presented a unique
challenge to Bradley in the
beginning.
“It’s different dealing with
the younger kids,” Bradley
said. “I have to kind of have a
different approach to teach
ing younger kids to learn
to love to run. I was a little
bit nervous at first but now
that’s kind of the backbone
of the future of the team. A
lot of them, next year or in
two years, will be running
for varsity, and they’ll have a
good foundation.”
In addition to building up
the program for the future,
Smith said he hopes to help
his runners improve their
grades, too. He said he’s seen
it happen at a school where he
previously coached.
Slate
Continued from C3
drivers from Charlotte that
had been here 1,000 laps
worth,” Shawn Slate said.
“Wewatchedthem, andreally
figuring out the line around
the track started to bring our
times down, way faster than
anything we could do with
the car.”
Once Slate picked up
speed, it was clear he could
have a strong weekend.
Unfortunately for Slate, a
crankbroke on the car during
final practice. The race was
scheduled for later that after
noon, so the Slate family
hurriedly replaced the engine.
Duringthe race, Slate made
some moves toward the front
ofthe field. He went as high as
sixth at one point but wound
up moving backward in the
pack.
Trouble struck once again
later in the race, as Slate blew
an engine. His car momen
tarily caught on fire, but he
escaped unharmed.
Slate replaced his engine
once again and returned to
the track to finish the race.
“It’s tough to come off the
track when you’re doing that
good and charging to the
front,” Shawn said. “When I
saw it start blowing smoke in
the turns coming around, he
started getting smoke in the
cockpit, it’s one ofthose things
(where) everybody knows
what’s about to happen, but,
man, it stinks.”
Slate’s final standing in
the national and state points
ranking is impressive regard
less of the disappointing
events of the Nationals race.
He has proven himself
as a tough contender in the
Legends racing series, driving
last year in the Young Lions
division and contending this
year in Semi-Pro.
Next, Slate hopes to make
his mark in the Pro divi
sion. His time in the Pro
classification started soon
after Nationals with races at
Atlanta Motorsports Park in
Dawsonville.
Slate saidheis confidenthis
successful run in the Semi-
Pro division will carry over
into his new class.
“I feel like a lot of people
at the top of Semi-Pro are
good enough to be near the
top in Pro, so I feel pretty
comfortable,” he said. “I’ve
seen how a lot of the people
in Pro drive and I’ve talked to
a lot of them and know them.
I feel pretty good, feel pretty
comfortable.”
r.
SAVE $10
Wild Alaskan Smoked
Sockeye 1 lb. Salmon
cfrqo 4»OQ
tpOi/ ipAU
(Item #1-16316)
Use code MB17085 online at BuySeaBear.com
or call 855-388-8041
“When I coached at Archer
in Gwinnett, I just noticed
early on that the kids that ran
cross-country and ran dis
tance, their grades improved
over those that didn’t,” Smith
said. “Once they came into the
program, their grades started
getting better and better,
and I think that’s something
aboutthe discipline ofhaving
to run distance - it just rolls
over into your academic work
as well.”
So far, Smith said he’s been
impressed by his runners’
work.
“With it being the first
year, I think we’ve done really
well,” he said. “We placed at
our last meet, we got second
place in high school boys and
girls. ...Themiddleschoolgot
third at a huge, huge meet
in Conyers where they had
Justin Hubbard/Staff
The Greene County cross-country team, comprised of runners from Union Point
STEAM Academy, Carson Middle School and Greene County High School, poses with
co-head coaches Adam Bradley (left, bottom) and Mike Smith (right, bottom) for a
team picture.
37 schools represented. One Smith and Bradley plan to Bradleysaid, “but here it kind
of our ninth-graders, Leo make Greene’s cross-country of feels like it. I want that to
Lopez, has gotten first place team a force in the area. continue to grow and I want
several times in meets. We’re “Cross-country’s not other people in the commu-
doing really well.” considered a major sport,” nityto feel that same feeling.”
UGA COACH
Vince Dooley’s
Latest Book
The Legion’s Fighting Bulldog
Get your signed copy by coach Dooley
S39 95 Value
FREE with
5-year subscription to:
(Du' Lhitmttmt ^Messenger
Lake Oconee News
(Hite IJcntes (Euuntu Nems
I Baldwin Bulletin
New or
Renewal
Read the exciting account of young Lieutenant Colonel
William Gaston Delony, an Athens, Georgia Bulldog who
served in Cobb’s Legion in Robert E. Lee’s Confederate Army
of Northern Virginia. Delony was a graduate of the University
of Georgia and the first real fighting Georgia Bulldog.
Oirisf
Gftj
□ 5 year subscription, any paper, new or renewal - FREE
□ 2 year subscription, any paper, new or renewal - $ 22 00
□ 1 year subscription, any paper, new or renewal - $ 32 00
PICK UP YOUR COPY AT
The Eatonton Messenger -100 North Jefferson Avenue - Eatonton
Lake Oconee News - Lake Office -1106 Market Street, Next to Publix
Lake Oconee News - Madison Office -195 West Jefferson Street - Near Town Park
The Baldwin Bulletin -136 South Wayne Street - Downtown Milledgeville
The Jones County News -102 Stewart Avenue - Gray, Georgia
Smith Communications Inc. - Printz Plus Building -1030 Village Drive - Watkinsville
Call for more information * 706.485.3501
□ EM □ LON □ BB □ JGN
Smith Communications Inc.
P.O. 4027 Eatonton, GA 31024
G MC G Visa G Disc.
C3 AmEx G Cash G Check
cc#
Expiration Date
□ Local (including tax)
$35
$65
$155
□ Out of County (including tax)
$45
$80
$199
□ Out of State.
$55
$99
$245
Name:
Address:
City:
1 Year 2 Year 5 Year GET YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK
FREE with any 5-year subscription
for only $29 for a 2-year subscription
for only $39 for a 1-year subscription
State:
Zip:
Phone:
LIMITEm SURPLY-lPfflK UP Y@UR W@PYffi®imY
