March 28, 2002 — Lacrosse is North America’s oldest sport. You would think, then, that most people would have heard of it by now. That’s not the case in Northeast Georgia. Even though lacrosse was played religiously here by the Cherokee, Creek and Oconee Indian tribes hundreds of years ago …
Read moreFebruary 7, 2002 — There was so much enthusiasm in the gym, I was surprised there was room for anything else. The Johnson High cheerleaders may be small, but their sound is decidedly big. From the moment the Knights opened their collective mouth, they owned the room. They controlled everything …
Read moreJanuary 24, 2002 — Clinton Howard stood up and screamed: “Ohhhhh! Ohhhhh! Ohhhhh!” He pointed his finger outward repeatedly at nothing in particular. In several settings, such behavior would merit a trip to the mental ward. But not at a boys high school basketball game between East Hall and Gainesville. …
Read more“You gotta love it,” West Hall High head football coach Tim Marchman says of his job. “It’s just a way of life around here.” Coaching high school football is a year-round job, filled with long hours and sacrifice. Sporting Life columnist Dan Washburn caught a glimpse of the life of …
Read moreMACON, March 10, 2001 — Coach Seth Vining was smiling. And laughing. And jumping up and down. His players were, too. Chanting and screaming, the team became one big mass of celebration in the Macon Coliseum locker room Friday afternoon. The East Hall Vikings had just defeated Calhoun, 78-67, for …
Read moreNovember 14, 2000 — You can only run from reality for so long. And last week, I believe reality finally caught up with me. It’s been nearly a decade since my days as a high school basketball player. Nearly a decade since I ran my last suicide sprint. Nearly a …
Read moreAugust 8, 2000 — Good golfers generally aren’t good miniature golfers, somebody told me recently. That person was wrong. And so was I, for assuming that the opposite also holds true: That awful golfers — like me — would somehow be ameliorated by the plastic greens, colored balls and banked …
Read moreMarch 28, 2000 — Wrestling is perhaps the most basic and intrinsic of sports. One on one. Man against man. Strength, cunning and endurance your only weapons. There are not many sports as physically and emotionally draining. Last six minutes on a wrestling mat and you can barely muster the …
Read more