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Ready to welcome eight new members (bios)

John Rocker hugs his old FPD baseball coach Jimmy Turner (left). George Foster and Gerald Fitch played at city schools about two decades ago, and were happy to be repping alma maters Southeast (Foster) and Westside (Fitch).

Photo: Michael A. Lough/The Sports Report of Central Georgia, www.centralgasports.com

Scholar-Athletes
ACE: Kameron Johnson, Jared Taylor
Central: Nicole Hill, Xavier Darden
Central Fellowship: Dara Oni, Jonathan Warren
Covenant: Kara Bedingfield, Jack McCormick
FPD: Molly Lee, Austin Cox
Howard: Jordan Rozier, Joshua Asbell
Mount de Sales: Sara Allman, Matthew Daniel
Northeast: Sadajia Price, Ty’Ree Gilbert
Rutland: Alizza Payton, Aubrey Merrit
Southwest: Leiaysha Wilson, Larry Howard III
Stratford: Caroline Cole, McKinley Thompson
Tattnall: Breonna Glover, Miles Morris
Westside: ShaMiyah Chambliss, Sheddrick Risper
Windsor: Mackenzie Roberts, Channing Guest

Recognized
The Stratford girls basketball teams from 1975-76, 1976-77, and 1977-78 that went 85-7 and won three straight state GISA titles.

Editor’s Note: Apologies for the somewhat grainy video, and some low audio.

By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          Gerald Fitch and George Foster were a little surprised at how big a deal it was.

          John Rocker liked the family feeling the awards ceremony had.

          And Jimmy Turner? Well, the longtime FPD baseball and softball head coach took the full Monument Room crowd on an emotional journey during which he reeled off games and hits and plays and players and fields and situations.

          Turner was the final inductee of the Macon Sports Hall of Fame ceremony Tuesday night at the Coliseum, and there was no way he was getting the “it’s time to finish” hook despite going twice as long as anybody else. He had to stop several times to wipe away tears as specific memories and people – many of whom were on hand – flashed in front of him as he tried to read some prepared statements.

          He kept apologizing, but plugged on.

          Afterward, Rocker said he and King Kemper, an FPD dad and on the Hall board of directors, gave Turner about a minute before he’d break down.

          “He lasted a whole two minutes,” smiled Rocker, who played for Turner and traded hugs with his old coach afterward.

          Actually, not even that long. Turner was talking about when he worked with Don “Duck” Richardson, and offered praise to God, and had to stop a 100 seconds into his acceptances of just more than 11 minutes. Master of ceremonies Frank Malloy popped up and gave him a hug.

          Both parts of that would be repeated, Malloy also offering a hankie.

          “I practiced,” Turner offered through a suddenly hoarse voice. “I really practiced.”

          Former Westside and Kentucky basketball standout Fitch and ex-Southeast and Georgia football mainstay Foster didn’t have much prepared. Fitch in particular found himself humbled more on the day of the ceremony as he began looking at the resumes of his new Hall classmates, including Mercer head women’s basketball coach Susie Gardner.

          “I didn’t realize this was the real Susie Gardner from Mercer basketball,” said Fitch, who has settled back in town, Juliette, after retiring from a long international pro basketball career. “She’s like the new-age Pat Summitt.”

          Gardner noted that she was the only inductee who didn’t grow up, play high school ball in Macon.

          “I appreciate this so much,” said Gardner, who just finished her ninth season leading the Bears. “I did not grow up here. Sometimes, when you move into a town, you’re not readily accepted, you’re not adopted.

          “I appreciate you guys so much for adopting me and appreciating what we do at Mercer, and I’m so blessed and thankful to be a part of tonight.”