Well, I will officially admit, I’ve been proven wrong. But there’s still a challenge that remains.
I have tried to lay low after putting my column out called, “What happened to the passion? My challenge for Hart County.” But everywhere I turned, someone had something to say about it. I even had someone come up to me and say, “Your column is the talk of the town.” Saying that, thank you to everyone who has walked up to me, called me, texted me, shared the article, and commented on The Hartwell Sun’s post. I seriously have read them all and nothing has gone unnoticed. Thank you!
More importantly, thank you for putting it into action. It didn’t start when Hart traveled to Elbert, it started to make a difference at the Oconee scrimmage. The cheerleaders cheered from the moment they stepped off the bus until the moment they got back on the bus, and they were loud. It quickly drew my attention and I couldn’t help but notice how much passion was on display, even when we were down 35-10, they were still cheering their Hart’s out. Then on Aug. 13 at a junior varsity volleyball match against Oglethorpe, I have never seen so many fans packed into the Dog Pound to watch a junior varsity game and make a difference like our fans did that night. Bulldog Nation made a difference in that match and it was obvious when Volley Dogs head coach Kate Beardsley leaned over to me and said, “Looks like they took your column to heart.” But it didn’t end there. James Owens from the Hart County Recreation Department stopped by our office and said he was challenged by the column and has put together a community pep-rally that is set for Sept. 5 at the recreation department on Elberton Highway at 6:30 p.m. More information is to come on that event. On top of all of that, I was told over 30 businesses within Hart County have asked the cheerleaders to come out and paint their windows, which becomes the most businesses to partner with them to paint windows in a very long time. Shout out to them for doing The Hartwell Sun’s windows as well. Then it led us to the Elbert game.
From the moment that I was standing on the field on Friday night, I got goose bumps just hearing you all cheer as the Dogs headed back to the locker room after warm ups. From that moment on, you showed up and you showed out. Our student section, our band, our cheerleaders, our fans, and our community truly became the 12th man. Steve Burton and Brooks Mewborn now own the title of hype men on the sidelines. The “Move The Chains” crew grew from three or four into the entire fan base. Third downs were a nightmare on the opposing quarterback all night long. For that, I thank you for making these past few weeks the most enjoyable weeks of covering Hart County Athletics I have had since being at The Hartwell Sun.
There are a lot of positives to take away, but what we don’t realize there is still a challenge before us. Many people tried to point and say this is where the passion began to fade. It is easier to point fingers than to help be a part of the change. It is also easy to be a part of change when it is successful. Saying that, losses will come. It is just the nature of sports. But it is how we as a community continue to respond. In recent years, once the team loses, the morale and support tend to fade away. Let’s not let that happen. Let’s start by backing the softball and volleyball teams as they look to begin a win streak for the first time this season. Continue to support the football team and cross country teams this fall, as they have started off the season with success. Let’s continue to carry this momentum over into all of our winter and spring sports. Trust me, if we do this as a community, watch the culture change in this community. It’s already beginning to happen. I can see it. See you on Friday in Herndon Stadium, Saturday at cross country in Jefferson, Aug. 27 at softball at home, and Aug. 29 at softball and volleyball at home.