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PAGE 2B PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 12. 2015
Falcon great Steve Bartkowski to speak
at local FCA Banquet
Steve Bartkowski
The 6th Annual 515 Fellow
ship of Christian Athletes
Fundraising Dinner will be held
Tuesday, February 24, at 6 p.m.
at Chattahoochee Technical Col
lege in Jasper. We are happy to
announce that our keynote
speaker for the event will be Mr.
Steve Bartkowski, former quar
terback of the Atlanta Falcons.
Steve Bartkowski was bom in
Des Moines, la., in 1952. His
family moved to Santa Clara,
Ca., in 1962. After graduation
from high school, which in
cluded numerous personal hon
ors in football, basketball and
baseball, he chose from hundreds
of scholarship offers to attend the
University of California at
Berkeley. He was an All Ameri
can in both Baseball and Football
at Cal. In 1975, he was the first
pick in the NFL draft selected by
the Atlanta Falcons. He was their
starting quarterback for 11 sea
sons. He was the NFL rookie of
the year in 1975. He was the
highest rated quarterback for
three years and he earned All-Pro
honors for his efforts in 1980 and
1981. He was the most valuable
offensive player in the NFC in
1980. Steve led the Falcons to
their first ever play-off game in
1978 and again in 1980 and
1982. He is one of only a few
NFL quarterbacks ever to throw
for 30 or more touchdowns in
consecutive seasons. Steve still
holds many of the passing
records for the Atlanta Falcons.
Steve played his last season in
the NFL for the Los Angeles
Rams before multiple operations
on his right knee forced him to
retire in 1987.
Since retiring from Pro-Foot
ball, Steve hosted popular Out
door Television Series on called
“Back Road Adventures with
Steve Bartkowski.” The series
provided a powerful theme of re
spect and concern for wildlife re
sources and a strong
commitment to conservation. He
was also the host of a top rated
Outdoor Television Series called
“Suzuki’s Great Outdoors with
Steve Bartkowski” on ESPN for
several years. He has always
been extremely comfortable in
front of television cameras. He
saw these series as a vehicle to
reach thousands of people with
the message of conservation and
the sportsman’s role in the envi
ronment.
Steve’s business background
is in Marketing. He works for
DPR Construction, Inc., a Na
tional General Contractor based
in Redwood City, Ca., ...DPR
ranks #10 on the 2014 Fortune
Magazine list of the “100 Best
Companies to Work For.” Steve
works out of DPR’s Atlanta of
fice.
Personal: Steve enjoys the
outdoors, golfing and public
speaking. He is an accomplished
golfer who sports a “scratch”
handicap. He is a popular
speaker to both religious and sec
ular groups. He participates in
numerous charitable fundraisers
throughout the year. He is also a
member of the Board of Advi
sors for the Atlanta Falcons. He
also is affiliated with “Operation
One Voice,” an entity that raises
funds to support the families of
fallen and wounded Special Op
erations Forces from all branches
of the US military. He sits on the
board of directors of Preferred
Apartment Communities an
apartment REIT. Steve was in
ducted into the “Atlanta Falcon
Ring of Honor.” He is a member
of the College Football Hall of
Fame; the Georgia Sports Hall of
Fame; and the Atlanta Sports
Hall of Fame. He is also a mem
ber of the University of Califor
nia Sports Hall of Fame. Steve’s
wife Sandee is a talented photog
rapher and they live in the At
lanta area.
We will have both Corporate
and Individual sponsored tables
for this event. Corporate spon
sors will be able to attend a VIP
reception from 5-6 p.m. with Mr.
Bartkowski before the event. If
you are interested in hosting a
Corporate or Individual table,
please contact Eddie McDonald
at 770-324-3603 or Matt Queen
at 706-851-5074.
FELLOWSHIP OF
CHRISTIAN
ATHLETES
The heart and soul in sports
$ $5.000.00
515 FCA Sponsorship Levels
for February 24,2015
Hall of Fame (one available!
• Host of Steve Bartkowski's table (table of 8)
• Tour of UGA or GA Tech Athletic Facilities (to be arranged)
• Photo opportunity and meeting with Steve Bartkowski immediately pri
or to dinner
• Prominent sponsorship recognition to include:
* Acknowledgement in FCA advertising and promotional
pieces prior to the banquet
* Banner in program at the banquet
* Appreciation from the podium at the dinner
* Name in a featured position on banquet t-shirt
$ Si.ooo.oo M - American
• Photo opportunity and meeting with Steve Bartkowski
immediately prior to dinner
• Table of 8
. Name listed on banquet t-shirt
» Name listed in program at the dinner
S $350.00
Ajj - Conference
• Table of 8
• Name listed tn program at the dinner
The FCA Mission
To present to coaches and athletes, and all whom they influence, the challenge and adventure of receiving
Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, serving Him in their relationships and in the fellowship of the church.
Support the PHS Dragon Baseball Team
and do something nice for that special valentine.
Buy a $5 Valentine's Day Raffle ticket from any
PHS baseball player and you could win:
A Dozen Roses • Facial for Her • Dinner
Movie Tickets • Sweets • and MORE
Winners will be drawn
Friday, February 13 th
at the Dragons Black/Green Scrimmage
Racing Views
Old and new racing
By Jumper Cable Man
Last week our column ex
posed you to a new name on the
racing scene Tyler Clem. In the
report we noted that Tyler would
be chasing points for the Rookie
of the Year with the NeSmith
Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Rac
ing Series. We also noted that he
was racing Winged Sprint Cars
in 360 cubic inch engine series.
At that point Tyler had not raced
a 410 cubic inch Winged Sprint
Car.
Everything has changed in
only a week. Having just bought
the All Star Circuit of Champi
ons Sprint Car Series a week ago
Tony Stewart then reached
agreement with the owners of
the Renegade Sprint Series and
put the two 410 Sprint Car series
together. On Monday of last
week Tony appeared at Bubba
Raceway Park in Ocala, FL, to
open the 2015 racing season
with his new series the combined
All Star Circuit of Champions
Sprint Car Series for their first
three races.
First order of businessman
Tony Stewart was to put Tyler
Clem in the Tony Stewart 410
Winged Sprint Car and start
making laps at the raceway.
Somewhere along the line Tony
also inked a NASCAR develop
ment contract with Tyler to race
for Tony Stewart's Stewart-Haas
Racing. At 12 years old, young
Tyler has about six years before
moving to the “big-three” racing
series with NASCAR.
Oh yes, Tyler did get to drive
Tony’s Sprint Car in the All Star
events. The first night was rained
out and postponed to Sunday but
the second night Tyler finished
in the 14th spot just behind vet
eran racer Terry Gray. Then on
Saturday night he took a 15th
position and left Gray to the 19th
spot. Sunday’s makeup race had
Gray in 17th followed by Tyler
in the 18th finishing position.
Not a bad start for a 12-year-old
facing some of the toughest
competition he could possibly
face.
Tyler is still on schedule to
race with the NeSmith Chevrolet
Dirt Late Model Series but don’t
expect to see him there long as
he will be getting more seat time
in Sprint Cars from the feedback
from this past weekend.
Over the years we have had
many NASCAR racers have
their sons follow dad’s racing
path. Richard Petty followed his
dad, Lee, and then Richard’s son,
Kyle, followed him. Kyle’s son
Adam had a big future in
NASCAR racing on the horizon
before his accident. Ned Jarrett’s
son Dale was a NASCAR cham
pion before retiring. Bobby Alli
son tragically lost both of his
son’s, Davey and Clifford, to ac
cidents. Buck Baker and his son
Buddy were both known for no-
holds-barred flat-out racing in
the NASCAR ranks.
The Earnhardt racing family
started with Ralph, then his son
Dale and then Dale’s kids, Dale
Jr. and Kerry. After that we have
Kerry’s son Jeffery. NASCAR
also gave us David Pearson and
his son Larry and the father-son
combo of Cliffton “Coo-Coo”
Marlin and his son Sterling.
Now we enter the new
NASCAR father-son racers such
as our own Georgia racers “Awe
some” Bill Elliott and his son
(and youngest NASCAR cham
pionship driver) Chase. Dave
Blaney is bringing his son Ryan
into the ranks of NASCAR as is
Ward and his son Jeb Burton.
Matt Kenseth and his son Ross,
where Ross is only one series
below the NASCAR level.
Could it be that Tony Stewart,
who has no sons, is looking for a
yoimg racer to mentor to become
a NASCAR champion with
Tyler Clem? Could it be that
Tony sees himself as the person
who could have Tyler follow in
his footsteps with open wheel
championships leading to
NASCAR championships?
That would then open up the
question, “Are championship
racers bom or do we develop
them over time with great teach
ers?” Sometimes we see great
drivers come out of nowhere and
without any family ties to great
driving skills. Take Bill Elliott as
an example. I saw some of Bill’s
first races (maybe even his first
race) and he didn’t impress me
as a great driver. After a year or
so I did notice how consistent he
was on Dixie Speedway when it
was asphalt (yes, it was asphalt).
I remember making the com
ment that it looked like he was
on a string being controlled from
the middle of the track.
After Bill’s racing days I
watched Chase and to me he was
much better than Bill was early
in Bill's career. But this could
have been that Chase was around
racing all the time. He had great
teachers and he paid attention to
those knowledgeable people.
Racing is part art and part sci
ence and Chase became a master
of both.
Could it be that Tony Stewart
has watched the way Bill and
Chase worked together to start
claiming championships and has
decided that he can do the same
with Tyler Clem even without
Clem being related? It will be in
teresting to see what path Tyler’s
racing takes.
Golden Isles Speedway in
Brunswick will offer a full rac
ing program featuring the Ne
Smith Chevrolet Dirt Late
Model Series and the Top Gun
Sprint Car Series on both Satur
day and Sunday nights this
weekend.
This weekend of will find a
Valentine Day event as Swains-
boro Raceway in Swainsboro is
hosting the 14th Annual Trade
Show, Swap Meet, Auction and
Ride Along at the race track.
The racing is moving to
Florida and this Thursday, Fri
day and Saturday the American
Sprint Car Series will be at East
Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton
(Tampa). The following week
end it will be the non-winged
US AC Sprint Car Series bring
the 2015 WinterNationals to a
close.
Judging from the crowds at
Golden Isles Speedway this past
weekend with the Lucas Oil Dirt
Late Model Series event you will
need to get to the tracks early for
a good seat and for preferred
parking spots. The racing season
is starting 2015 with renewed
enthusiasm.
Send us your comments,
questions, answers or corrections
to P.O. Box 1522, Woodstock,
Ga. 30188-1522, orto our e-mail
at Jcableman@aol.com
Office space for rent
in downtown Jasper
Two offices have become available in the Edge Building upstairs from
the Pickens County Progress. There is one smaller office for $200 per
month and a larger one for $300 (includes power and water.)
706-253-2457
Pickens High School
Blood Drive
Tuesday, February 17th
8:00 am-1:30pm
Old PAC
To make an appointment, please see Mrs. Zuidema in
room 341.
Please eat iron rich foods, Drink plenty of non-caffeinated
Fluids and get a good night’s rest before donating blood.
ALL 16yr-old STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A SIGNED
PARENT CONSENT FORM
PHOTO I.D. REQUIRED
redcrossblood.org | 1-800-RED CROSS
C 2014 The Amencan National Red CnxM OIV_Co*ege_ Po*to»_07_20t3