More Jackson County Opinions

More Jackson County Opinions...

September 12, 2001

Column
By Tim Thomas
The Jackson Herald
September 12, 2001

Give up or give all; your choice
Editor's note: This column was written prior to the horrible events of Tuesday morning. Though sports don't seem quite as important today as a result of those attacks, our lives will go on and our nation will move ahead.
There were a couple of ways this column could have gone.
It could have been negative. Lord knows there's plenty of reason for it to be, but what would it accomplish? There's enough negativity floating about out there concerning this subject. Besides, being negative would be detrimental to the objective of this space.
Enough babble; right to the point.
The Jackson County football team has begun its season with consecutive losses. Given the talent the Panthers boast, we should give that statement a moment to sink in, but I fear the moment is not needed.
Panther football has been a joke for a long time. Before the current players, before the current coaching staff. It didn't start with you, guys. But you're the ones the folks see on the field, and so you're the ones who catch the flack.
The question is not whether that attitude is warranted or unfair. The question is, what are you going to do about it?
Will you lay down and die and give up after two losses, before your first region game? Will you let 2001 be yet another losing season?
Or will you finally unveil the potential that all your coaches, your parents, your fellow students, your community, all know lies within you?
Some of you may have already quit reading. "This guy's giving another one of those speeches. Doesn't amount to nothin'. Blah, blah, blah."
If that's how you feel, you're the problem. Do your teammates and coaches a favor; put your sorry buttocks on the bench or at home on the couch where they belong.
To the rest, the ones who really care, what's it going to be? Will you rise to the task at hand, or bow out and chalk it up to "just another losing season"?
Okay, you've lost a couple of games. You've got eight left. Look at the region standings. That's right, 0-0. Look at Hart County. 0-0. Stephens? 0-0. Elbert? 0-0.
There's a long list of things that lead to a successful team, in any sport. Talent, experience, coaching, training and luck - they're all necessary in order to win. But there's one more factor that is more important, at least right now.
You have no control over your talent. Sure, you can adjust it here and there, but in the end, some folks have it and some don't.
You have no control over your experience level. That comes with time.
You have no control over your coaches. Nor should you.
You can control your training, but if you haven't trained well by now, it's probably too late.
You certainly can't control your luck.
What you can control are things like outlook, attitude and determination. You can see Elbert and Hart and Stephens as opportunities rather than obstacles. When coaches ride you hard in practice, you can see it as helping you to get better, rather than just another adult yelling at you.
When that Elbert County lineman knocks you on your can in the first quarter Friday, you can see it as a reason to get up and knock him on his the rest of the night.
Failure understandably breeds complacency, or more accurately, acquiescence. And acquiescence is death to a high school sports program. When you give up, it's over. And eight more weeks is a long time to suffer through if you decide to give up now.
Do you ever stop to wonder what it is that makes one team a success year in and year out, while others simply trod through the slime of inadequacy?
In many cases, it's a singular entity. One event. One game.One person.
A winning tradition is not built overnight, but it can start overnight. Every sports dynasty has its roots in that one upset win that gave hope, or that one player or coach who gave more than anyone thought he had.
Ask yourself, could this week's be the one game that turns the tide for the Jackson County football program? Could you be that one person?
Or will you always wonder if that little bit of effort you held back could have made the difference?

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Column
By: Adam Fouche
The Jackson Herald
September 12, 2001

What's cooking from the kitchen of Adam
I am a guy. On top of that, I'm a college guy. So before you read much farther into this column, you must know that neither of those actually qualifies me as a good cook.
But after three years of living away from home, you learn how to be a cook. You learn to cook what you have. You invent new foods. And you even sometimes buy the cheap stuff at the grocery store. (I even use a discount card at my grocery store.)
Now, not many people have been brave enough to walk into our kitchen. In fact, I'm scared to walk in there right now because I dropped a glass that shattered into five million pieces. I swept it up, but you and I both know that you can never get up every piece of glass.
But let's just say, for argument sake, that you did go into my kitchen. What would you find?
First, you'd probably notice dirty dishes in the sink. The clean ones are taking up too much room in the dishwasher, so we leave the dirty ones sitting out. You'd also find a floor that hasn't been mopped in one year, 12 days and 22 hours. And, oh yeah, there are coffee stains on the counters too.
Now that you basically know what my kitchen looks like, I can give you a few recipes. I'm always disappointed by the "What's Cooking" features I read in the paper each week. I never see anything original. Everyone either gives a recipe for green bean casserole or grandma's chocolate chip cookies.
But not me, I have original recipes. The good thing is, you only need a handful of ingredients to make any of the following recipes. In my refrigerator, I have milk, orange juice, mayonnaise, pickles, eggs, salsa and some pizza that I swear has been there since sometime this summer. In my kitchen cabinets, the only edible items you would find are salt, pasta, grits, cereal and maybe tortilla chips. Purchase all of those items, and you're ready to cook any of my meals.
PASTA AND EGGS
2 cups of pasta, 4 eggs (two whole eggs and two whites-you know, to lower the cholesterol)
First, cook the pasta in water until it is done. (The pasta can be shells, swirls, bow ties or regular noodles. I prefer shells.) Before the pasta is done, scramble the eggs in a skillet. Add salt to taste. Serve hot. Garnish with pickles. Makes one serving.
MEXICAN EGGS AND GRITS
2 eggs, 2 packages of grits, 2 ounces of salsa, 2 cups of tortilla chips.
Fry the eggs in a skillet. Boil water and mix with the grits. Add salt to taste. Garnish with Mexican style salsa and chips. Serve with orange juice.
CEREAL
A little bit of milk, 1 bowl of cereal
Pour the cereal into a bowl. Pour the milk over the cereal. Serve cold with orange juice.
FOUCHEAN SURPRISE
1 ounce of mayo, 2 cups of pasta, 2 eggs, beaten, a pinch of salt, 2 ounces of milk, 2 ounces of salsa
Cook the pasta and scramble the eggs. Drain the pasta when it is done cooking. Mix the eggs and pasta together in a saucepan. Stir in the salt, milk and mayo. Serve hot with the salsa on the side. Sure to be a crowd favorite.
I hope you will give my recipes a try. They have saved me from starvation hundreds of times.
If you like these recipes, you might like my book, "Cooking 100 different things with less than 10 ingredients." You can order it for only $29.99 a copy, but only if you cut out my column and mail it with your order. Otherwise, the book is $30,000.
If you have any questions about the recipes or would like to order my book, please call me. In the meantime, I'll be at the doctor, trying to recover from food poisoning.
Adam Fouche is a reporter for MainStreet Newspapers. His email address is fouche@arches.uga.edu.

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