Newspaper Page Text
JULY 27, 2016
The Commerce News
The Banks County News
Phone: 706-621-7204
Fax: 706-367-8056
cameron@mainstreetnews.com
Section B
Adios amigos
It's been an honor
For those who do not know,
this week will be my last as the
sports editor of the Banks Coun
ty/Commerce News. On Sunday,
1 will depart Atlanta en route to
France, then Spain. I am both
eager and anxious to start a new
chapter in my life, but I would be
remiss if I didn’t reflect on the
past three years of my life and
my time at MainStreet Newspa
pers.
I will be forever grateful to
Mike Buffington and Angela Gary for granting me
the opportunity to work here back in 2013. I gradu
ated from the University of Georgia in December of
2012 and entered the workforce in a recovering and
reeling economy. After rejecting multiple offers for
unpaid internships, MainStreet News offered me a
paid position where I could use the skills I learned
in college, and continue to develop as a journalist
and person.
In the last three years, my writing, photography
and interviewing skills have improved dramatically. I
owe much of my professional progress to Commerce
News editor Mark Beardsley. Mark is an incredibly
proficient journalist and editor, but more importantly,
he’s a kind and thoughtful person with a great sense
of humor. He’s been a great mentor to me and Com
merce is lucky to have him.
I also want to thank Ben Munro for having a
huge impact on my quality of work. Ben doesn’t get
enough credit for the unbelievable job he does as
the sports editor of the Jackson Herald. He provides
Jefferson and Jackson County with the most in-depth
sports coverage of any high school in the state -
probably the country. Between writing stories, taking
photos, conducting interviews and the countless
hours he spends on social media, I’m not sure how
he has time to sleep, much less take care of his son.
He set an extremely high bar for me to aspire to, and
though I may not have always reached it, I appreciate
the challenge and insight a journalist of his caliber
provided.
All of my coworkers at MainStreet Newspapers
were extremely helpful and kind to me during my
time here - from the reporters I worked with in the
newsroom, to the front desk staff, to the pressroom
workers. I can’t say enough about the generosity and
warm attitude of everyone at Main Street Newspa
pers.
I also want to thank the countless coaches, admin
istrators and students I’ve worked with over the years
at Commerce, Banks County, East Jackson, Jackson
County and Jefferson. I would not have been able to
do my job without the support of, and communica
tion with the athletic programs, which I cover. I’d like
to give special thanks to Amy Flint, Tricia Massey,
Melanie Lawhorn, Randy Cmmp and all the other
people who made my life easier - by volunteering
their time and effort to help me cover countless
events.
I’ll admit, when I first started working in Com
merce, there was a part of me that dreaded being
back in a small-town environment. I was even more
distraught when I found out that I would be covering
Banks County athletics as part of my regular duties.
Having grown up in Banks County, I spent much
of childhood and teenage years eagerly waiting for
my chance to escape. As soon as I graduated high
school in 2007,1 jetted off to the University of Georgia
in Athens and never looked back. And even though
I’ve lived out the past seven years only 40 some odd
miles from my former home, the university setting of
Athens proved quite different than that of Homer -
especially when it comes to a diversity of ideas and
people.
But despite my reservations, I tmly enjoyed my
time working in Banks County Jackson County and
Commerce. The communities I wrote for treated me
with kindness and respect. And aside from a couple
of scathing parents (sorry again if I misspelled your
kids’ name), I felt that the students, coaches and com
munity members who I came into contact with appre
ciated the work that I put into covering their teams.
But all things must end and so must my time here.
And as I plunge forward into the vast unknown,
I can’t help but reflect on the parallels between the
unpredictability in my life, and the world at large.
An old cliche claims “change is the only constant.”
But what that statement fails to mention is that change
is frightening. It’s trading comfort for uncertainty. It’s
a step away from tradition - a relegation to wander.
But change is also thrilling. And it’s that anxious
excitement that’s been the catalyst for some of civ
ilization’s greatest achievements. Sailors in the age
of exploration threw caution to the wind in search
of a new world. Great philosophers and scientists
dared to doubt their reality instead, dreaming of a
better one.
I’m no de Gama, no Plato and definitely no Ein
stein. But I admire and am inspired by their courage,
skepticism and embrace of the unknown. And in my
humble opinion, courage is the impetus needed to
make sure that inevitable change is positive change.
Cameron Whitlock was the sports editor for the
Banks County News and Commerce News from
2013-2016.
MLB veteran Ransom 'Handsome'
Jackson speaks at Commerce Kiwanis
BY MARK
BEARDSLEY
Ten-year veteran of
Major League Baseball
and recently-published
author Ransom “Hand
some” Jackson regaled
the Commerce Kiwan
is Club last week, while
pitching his book — Hand
some Ransom Jackson:
an Accidental Big Leaguer.
Jackson, who lives in
Athens, spoke in a pro
gram for Terry Minish, tell
ing stories from his career,
most of which are in his
new book.
Jackson played 10
years (1950-58) for the
Los Angeles Dodgers
(and Brooklyn Dodgers),
Chicago Cubs and Cleve
land Indians competing
with and against and cre
ating memories with the
likes of Ernie Banks, Don
Drysdale, Yogi Berra, Jack
ie Robinson, Duke Snyder
and Stan Musial and even
enjoyed the friendship of a
Mafia boss.
Having never played
sports in high school,
Jackson was not your typ
ical college athlete, but
watching football practice
at Texas Christian Univer
sity (sent there by the U.S.
Navy during World War II),
the coach asked Ransom
to try out. He would up
as a starting halfback in
1945, and TEU won the
Southwestern Conference
title and played in the Cot
ton Bowl.
The Navy transferred
him to the University of
Texas in 1946, and Jackson
played for the Longhorns,
helping them win a South
western Conference title
and a trip to the Cotton
Bowl.
See “Jackson” on 2B
Accidental Big Leaguer
Major League Baseball vet
eran, turned author Ransom
Jackson gave a presentation to
the Commerce Kiwanis Club last
week.
CHS Football
I'll take that
Commerce safety Matthew Flint (L) towards the end zone after picking off an East Jackson pass last
Thursday. The Tigers and Eagles held a joint padded practice and training session that involved a 7-on-7
passing scrimmage and Oklahoma drills. See more photos on page 2B. Photo by Cameron Whitlock
Tigers of the Caribbean
Massey trains in Puerto Rico
Island athletes
Commerce swimmer Kate Massey (R) spent two
weeks training at an aquatic center on the island
of Puerto Rico this summer. She is pictured at el
Castillo de San Cristobal in San Juan with her team
mate Anna Marie Garmon.
BY CAMERON WHITLOCK
Top-notch athletes rarely take
a break from perfecting their
craft - even during the offsea
son. But a rigorous exercise
schedule and a vacation don’t
have to be mutually exclusive.
Commerce High School
junior Kate Massey recent
ly returned from a two-week
getaway to Puerto Rico, where
she and other swimmers
sharpened their skills under the
warm Caribbean sun.
Massey a two-time state
qualifier with Commerce, has
trained with the Athens Bulldog
Swim Club every offseason for
the past seven years. The swim
club compares to a baseball/
softball travel team as it gives
athletes a chance to continue
development, gain exposure
and challenge themselves
against a high level of compe
tition at tournaments and invita
tional meets.
Massey’s team is instructed
by Hubert Humphries, an assis
tant swim coach at the Uni
versity of Georgia. For the past
couple of years, Massey and
her teammates trained at an
aquatic facility in Athens. But
due to renovations and con
struction, the team had to seek
out other options.
Luckily for the Bulldog Swim
Club, Humphries’ has friends in
sunny places.
One of his former pupils cur
rently operates a facility and
coaches a swim team in Car
olina, Puerto Rico, where the
Bulldog Swim team sat up shop
in early July.
Massey said she enjoyed
training in the Caribbean, but it
wasn’t without its disadvantages.
“Normally we practice inside,
but (in Puerto Rico), the pool
was outside, so that was a lot
different,” said Massey. “We also
had to drink a lot more water
than we normally do because it
was really hot down there.”
While hot temperatures and
high humidity proved challeng
ing, Massey believes the amount
of oneon-one work she got with
Humphries proved a worth
while reward.
“Our whole team didn’t go,
so we had more space,” she
said. “We only had two people
per lane so our coach was able
to give us a lot more oneon-one
time. That was a positive I took
from the trip.”
Massey noted that she got
more from her trip than simply
athletic gains, she also racked up
a few “life lessons.”
“I had to room with four
other girls and I got to sort of get
a preview of what college was
like - living with other people,”
she added.
She also found socializing
with the members of the local
Puerto Rican swim team to be
an engaging and interesting
experience.
Massey’s week was pri
marily filled with swimming
exercises and coaching, but
one does not go to a tropical
island without spending time
on the beach. Massey also
enjoyed the privilege of kaya
king through bioluminescent
waters - a phenomena where
luminous algae produce a
bright blue light and appear to
make the ocean glow.
“We went to the beach pret
ty much every day,” she said.
“One night we went on a bio
luminescent kayaking tour. We
weren’t allowed to take pic
tures but it was like nothing I’ve
ever seen before.”
Now back in Commerce,
Massey will continue her train
ing in Athens before trading
in her swim suit for a pair of
running shoes as cross coun
try season begins. She plans to
pick up where she left off this
winter as the Tigers continue
to build a strong swimming
program.
“I hope to continue to drop
time and just strive to constant
ly beat my personal bests,”
said Massey. “And we’ll see
what happens in February at
state.”