“I’m going to make the Olympic Team before it’s all said and done…” These words started Doug Gjertsen’s journey, buy sickness and they were spoken when he was a 14-year-old boy. When it was said and done, physician he did become an Olympic Gold Medalist. He made the U.S. Olympic Swim Team, not once but twice, and joined an exclusive group of United States athletes who have won a gold medal and got to stand on the top step of the podium. Those words became his mission statement. He predicted his own future and became a member of Team USA!...
Like A Boss
…Do you have days when you feel out of control? …Moments when you aren’t really sure you will be able to keep yourself from yelling at the person who just cut you off? …Or throwing something away that you just can’t seem to get right? …What if for no reason you just banged your head against the wall; and out of the blue, you’re twitching so badly that those around you think you are having a seizure? Now the last two seem unreasonable to us — controllable. But for someone with Tourette’s Syndrome, they are a way of...
Tan Your Hide
Each year a surprisingly large number of American alligators invade the Southern Crescent. From the swamps of Louisiana and Florida, these ancient predators crawl from their watery home and travel through our fair community on their way to destinations around the world, like trekkers who endure a lay-over while venturing to an international appointment. Have no fear. Governmental authorities welcome this migration into our area. The instigator of the onslaught is a local company with a history of introducing creatures from the wild to folks who are much more comfortable fighting traffic than hunting game. Tucked away in...
Civil Air Patrol
In the summer of 2009, Marybeth Leavell was working as the Executive Director of Forest Park Street School (FPSS). During a meeting, Leavell had the opportunity to meet Col. Bracewell, who happened to be active duty military and a member of Civil Air Patrol (CAP). As they discussed the different opportunities that FPSS had to offer, he asked if they had a JROTC program. Being such a small school, they were not able to meet the requirements for JROTC, so he asked her about starting a CAP unit. She laughed as she shared the experience because she said she had...
Dave Womack……On Playing The Masters
When 35 year-old Henry County native Dave Womack won the 2006 U.S. Mid Amateur Championship in Flagstaff, buy shop Arizona, buy it set the stage for him to achieve what most golfers can only dream about……to play in the Masters. (Augusta National Golf Course invites the winner of the Mid Amateur Championship to participate in the Masters Golf Tournament.) So, in 2007 Dave headed to Augusta. “That first drive down Magnolia Lane was an awesome experience and one of my greatest memories,” he says. Dave tells of staying at the Crow’s Nest, a place where golfing legends like Jack Nicklaus...
The Thrill of Barrel Racing
Most of us have experienced the thrill of riding a roller coaster. We begin by anxiously waiting in line anticipating the excitement of the park attraction. When it’s our turn, we slide into the cockpit-like seat and get locked in with a padded lap bar, implicitly warning us of the impending danger. Finally, the car jolts forward and we begin the slow, rhythmic incline until we reach the crest of the hill and begin accelerating downward. With white knuckles we hold on for a harrowing 45 seconds as we traverse hills, valleys, and turns until the tracks lead us back...
Soaring With Eagles
As parents, we understand there is much more to life than just what is taught within the four walls of a classroom. It is the practical application of what we learn that allows the educational process to become so much more than just a degree. Things like teamwork, readiness, organization and leadership often never get developed properly without having a means of practical application. So parents help their children choose activities like, dance, soccer, softball, baseball and music to help them experience life outside the classroom. Another activity that may not get the same mainstream recognition is Boy Scouts; but...
Farguson School – Building Community
Great buildings that endure have strong foundations. So it is with great communities too. Henry County is fortunate to have a large population of foundation citizens who have invested their entire lives in fostering a strong sense of community – even when challenged by rapid population expansion and changing cultural norms. For many of these local patriots, their experience began decades ago when they attended grammar schools at small – one, two or three room – buildings located in their farming neighborhoods. Unless you live in town, you likely reside in one of these small communities whose identity has faded...
Personal Education
When a person decides their career lies in the field of education, there is really only one intention driving that decision for their life. Their focal point revolves around helping children. It does not matter if the help is academic, social, or about life in general. In the end, all three aims will be realized at some point through the course of their career. And it really doesn’t matter what educational level those students are on or how many are under a teacher’s guidance at a given time. The goal of taking a child from point A to point B...
Inspired by a Babe and a Book
It’s race day. The runners step up to the line. They pause to reflect on the hurdle’s of life they have leaped in preparation for this race. The sound of their own breath becomes increasingly audible as they attempt to clear their mind and focus on the race at hand. The starting pistol sounds. Swiftly the runners eject from the starting line with no other thought than to perform their best. As an experienced runner, Amy Waggoner knew this feeling all too well; but in 2009 circumstances placed her in the ready position at a starting line of a different...