Newspaper Page Text
T1 U LAW
OFFICE OF
NICOLE L.
McArthur
• DUI
• ACCIDENTS
• INJURY
Section
May 25,
2023
See classified ads on Page 8-gB
706-253-9000
Carl Bledsoe continues to make an impact in horse training
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Carl Bledsoe at the Equine Affaire Ohio, April 13-16.
photo/provided by family
By Eli Galligan
Intern Reporter
Carl and Tammy Bledsoe,
Pickens County horse train
ers, recently participated in
two notable horse expos as
featured clinicians. They at
tended Horseworld Expo in
Pennsylvania, an Equinfaire
Expo in Ohio, and are plan
ning to attend another equin
faire based in Massachussetts
this November.
Carl Bledsdoe has a back
ground in show horse train
ing, but now specializes in
gaited breeds and can train
for any discipline. Gaited
horse breeds are known for
their ability to move each leg
independently, allowing them
to conserve energy and often
have a “smoother” walk than
non-gaited horse breeds. Be
cause of his early exposure,
he grew incredibly comfort
able with horse training tech
niques that are both unethical
and ineffective.
Carl said his wife Tammy
Bledsoe’s critical eye to
wards the horse training
world has shaped him for the
better.
“She was thrown into the
horse world, and she knew
something wasn’t right be
cause a lot of the training
methods had to be done when
there were less people
around,” said Carl.
Because Tammy didn’t
grow up in the horse world,
she raises an important point
about how people become
accustomed to familiarity.
Often times, such as in Carl’s
case, it takes an outsider to
bring light to the blind spots
in our lives.
“You do what you know.
Carl grew up in this world,”
Tammy said.
Carl and Tammy work to
gether as a pair, with their
message continuing to bring
awareness to the importance
of focusing on the needs of
the horse first, and advocat
ing for gaited horse breeds.
“They are very misunder
stood. They can do anything
any other breed can do. But
not every breed can do what
they do.” said Carl.
Along the way, Carl has
learned a lot about both
human and animal psychol
ogy. The things he has
learned better enables him to
help people to train their
horses.
“If you have fear, anxiety,
or hate in your heart, the
horse will unapologetically
give that back.” Carl said.
Because of their all-ac
cepting approach, they’re
able to communicate in a
way that leaves a lasting im
print on horse trainers, and in
turn, the horses.
“I’ve learned to recognize
what’s going on in the person
through the horse, because
the horse is the biggest dis
play of who you are,” Carl
said.
Above all, Carl’s is a story
of acceptance and tolerance
of those who differ from us.
“Horses don’t care what you
look like. Why should I?” he
said.
Tammy said the changes
he’s made within the horse
world have positively rippled
into his relationships with
people.
“He used to approach every
one with an arrogance. Now
IMPORTANT PARKING INFORMATION
FOR PHS GRADUATION
Outdoor Plan
Date: May 26th, 2023
Place: Dragon Stadium @ 500 Dragon Drive | Jasper, GA 30143
Access to Dragon Drive (Campus Opens): 4:30 p.m.
Graduates Report: 4:30p.m. to New Gym/PAC entry
Event Time: 7:00 p.m. (Access to PHS Stadium begins at 5:00 p.m.)
Tickets: No limit on number of guests, unless weather forces this event
indoors.
Parking: Graduating at night creates a few logistical and safety issues
that must be addressed. Among the most important of these issues is
parking. We have worked closely with the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office
to devise an effective and efficient plan to ensure the safety of our guests
is our top priority. Multiple shuttling options, traffic flow plans and parking
strategies have all been considered. To create the best and safest
experience possible for our guests, please adhere to the following:
• Parking alongside Dragon Drive will not be allowed for this event.
Returning to vehicles in the dark on an unlighted road poses a
significant danger to our guests.
• We have enough space to park three cars per graduate on campus.
Therefore, each graduate will receive three parking passes for them
and their family to access Dragon Drive on May 26th beginning at
4:30 p.m. We realize that this may take some forethought and
planning on the part of the families.Graduates will receive their parking
passes at the 5/24 graduation practice.
• Parking passes should be displayed on the dash (driver’s side) upon
entering Dragon Drive. Cars attempting to enter without a pass will
be directed to a shuttle location. This pass should be visible in each
vehicle throughout the event.
• Guests will also have the option of utilizing shuttles to access this
event. The following locations will offer a parking area and air-
conditioned school bus shuttle options for our guests:
Pickens Junior High School: The bus shuttles will load on the gym side
of the school and will depart between 5:15 -6:00 p.m. for to the PHS
Stadium.
Chattahoochee Technical College: The bus shuttles will load at the front
entry of the school (parking lot at Burnt Mountain Rd. and Pioneer Rd.)
and will depart between 5:15 and 6:00 p.m. for to the PHS Stadium.
Royston, LLC: The bus shuttles will load at the main parking lot. A tent
will be set-up at the loading area. Shuttles will depart between 5:15-6:00
p.m. for to the PHS Stadium.
*lf you are planning to ride a shuttle back to the location you parked after
the ceremony, please load within 30 minutes of the ceremony’s
conclusion.
Indoor Plan (Only if weather forces us inside!
Date: May 26th, 2023
Place: PHS Gymnasium @ 500 Dragon Drive | Jasper, GA 30143
Access to Dragon Drive (Campus Opens): 4:30 p.m.
Graduates Report: 4:30p.m. to New Gym/PAC entry
Event Time: 7:00 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Tickets: Each graduate will receive six guest tickets for the PHS Gym. In
the PAC, the event will be live-streamed. All guests will be required to
present a ticket upon entering the event. Graduates will be given the
allotted number of tickets for their guests at the mandatory graduation
practice on 5/24.
Parking: The same guidelines as mentioned for the “outdoor graduation
plan” as identified on the previous page.
*lt is our duty and responsibility to make this event as safe as possible.
Our hope and plan are to have this traditional graduation ceremony
outdoors at our stadium. If the weather does not look favorable to do so,
we will move to the indoor plan. This decision will be made no later than
4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 26th, 2023. Thank you for doing your part in
pledging to assist us in making this a safe and memorable event for the
Pickens High School Class of 2023! (from the PHS Administration)
he can better listen to peo
ple.” said Tammy.
Although based in Pick
ens County, Carl and Tammy
have impressively opened the
eyes and touched the hearts
of people across the country.
“It just goes to show you that
stepping up and doing the
right thing can only be bene
ficial.” said Tammy.
Chris would like to credit his
wife Tammy, and his horse,
Jazzy.
“He has been a rock star.
He shows up to everywhere
we take him, and more than
does his part,” said Carl. He
would also like to thank his
sponsorships; Mountain Sad
dlery, Triple Crown Feed,
and Allegany.
“I made up my mind that
I was gonna do better. Any
one can do something differ
ent and better,” said Carl. We
can all learn from the impact
Carl and Tammy continue to
make in the horse training
world.
Women in firearms
industry gather for
“mingle” at local range
Submitted by Andrew Weldon
Pickens Sportsman’s Club
“Shooter ready,” “show clear,” “range is cold,” these are
all terms that were heard over the weekend of May 20th
and May 21st at the Pickens County Sportsman’s Club on
Jones Mountain.
The Mingle was in town and participants from around
the United States were enjoying two days of firearms train
ing in the north Georgia mountains. The Mingle is an an
nual two day event run by The Complete Combatant, a
firearms and defensive training company which is based
out of Dahlonega.
According to Shelley Hill, Indispensable Organization
Wizard for The Complete Combatant, yes that is her official
title, “ The Mingle is an invitation only event intended for
professional women in the firearms community.
This includes instructors, gun store or range owners, and
even social media influences that support the 2nd Amend
ment. This is the 7th year it has been held and the second
at the Sportsman’s Club.”
Hill added that the event is geared to promote network
ing among the participants and help strengthen their busi
nesses. It also provides continuing education for top tier
instructors, basically train the trainer. This training is then
passed down to other instructors and students. The training
consists of both classroom time and live fire on multiple
ranges at the Club.
She further noted that the invite only guest list was filled
in just three hours this year. Hill detailed that The Mingle
offers a place for women to meet other “like minded ladies”
and build relationships.
The event is sponsored by notable companies in the
firearms industry such as HK, Langdon Tactical, Glock,
and others. They supplied firearms, ammunition, and other
products in support of the event. This year over 85 partici
pants traveled from all over to take advantage of this train
ing. This in turn was a large tourism boost to Jasper and
Pickens Country.
Hill noted that many local businesses helped with the
event by offering discounts to the students while they were
here. All the participants and instructors taking part in The
Mingle enjoyed meals supplied by The Lunch Box and
BIGUN’S Barbecue.
A good time was had by all. Old acquaintances were re
visited and new friends and relationships were made. All
in all a very successful event.
-r\:
The Mingle brings professional women from the
firearms industry to town for a two day training course,
which includes both business discussions and hands-
on sessions. Photos courtesy Sportman’s Club
With top national instructors and sponsors, the 85
person invite-only event is filled within hours. This
marks the second time The Mingle was held at the Pick
ens Sportsman’s Club on Jones Mountain.
Sports
Fanatic
By
Tommy
Gartrell
Columnist
“Duplicity”
In early May, news
broke about a gambling
scandal involving Univer
sity of Alabama head
baseball coach Brad Bo
hannon and his subse
quent firing. Allegedly, he
placed multiple wagers
against his own team in a
game versus LSU. If true,
his duplicitous treachery
warrants that punishment.
Let us not forget
though; the NCAA and all
of the major professional
sports leagues have be
come nearly as hypocriti
cal where gambling is
concerned.
Finding a news article
or game coverage or
watching sports news
without a betting line, the
score over/under and such
is all but impossible any
more.
How many advertise
ments do you see for gam
bling sites such as
FanDuel or DraftKings
nowadays?
There’s even television
and radio shows devoted
almost exclusively to
wager information and
betting tips on upcoming
ballgames.
Currently, a total of 33
states and the District of
Columbia have some form
of legalized sports betting.
SponsorUnited, an or
ganization which tracks
sports sponsorship re
ported recently that sports
betting has become a key
revenue stream for the
NFL, increasing 40%
across teams. Sports Bet
ting deals have quadru
pled in the last four years
(2019-2022).
The NBA, MLB and
NHL see significant in
creases as well although
not quite to the degree of
pro football.
Once considered the
ultimate taboo for profes
sional sports, gambling is
becoming mainstream and
ingrained in the culture
now.
We hear the league of
ficials talk about integrity
of the games and various
safeguards, the seductive
power of big bucks made
them all changed their
policies. In my opinion,
their words contradict
their actions and I refuse
to believe that insider bet
ting can be policed com
pletely.
To that end, what hap
pens after a major “points
shaving” or “game throw
ing” scandal occurs?
It will eventually, and
when it does, how much
confidence would you
have in a system that’s
proven to be corrupt?
Greed has caused this
duplicity by the leagues,
and I fear that the same
greed shall be the down
fall of them all.
Racing across Bmerica
Race Recap - 2023 All-Star Race
By Alex Korowotny
The All-Stars were back
night racing this weekend
for a cool million dollars,
and it was at the legendary
North Wilkesboro speedway.
North Wilkesboro was a
track NASCAR used to race
on since the beginning of the
sport in 1949, but they
stopped going there after
1996. Due to how long this
track had been away from
NASCAR, this race week
end had a ton of hype behind
it. The race had great atmos
phere with it being on an
old-school NASCAR track
and having a completely
sold-out crowd. However,
the race didn’t live up to this
hype at all.
The race started with
Suarez on pole. The only
caution for an incident hap
pened on lap 16 for Sten-
house spinning out after
Continued on Pase 3B
