Remembering "The Barn"

Column published in The Madison County Journal. To subscribe to the Journal visit http://www.mainstreetnews.com/

By Dallas Bordon

There’s no place like home. Now that basketball season has tipped off I can’t help but remember the old days of Raider basketball in “The Barn.” I’m of course referring to the former home of the Red Raiders; the old high school gym that sits in the parking lot of the Lady Raider softball field.

The front of the old gym has the “Class Of 1966” stamped high above the main entrance but the walls surrounding the old barn have seen its share of exciting times dating back to the late 50’s. Many former players, fans and students can recall the noise level in the building reaching a point to where you could feel it in your chest. A high level of cheering and taunting that was so loud that you were lucky to hear the blowing of the referee’s whistle.

I moved to Madison County in 1987 and witnessed my first Madison County game in the barn the following year. I’ve attended many high school basketball games at much larger schools while living in Augusta, but nothing compared to the noise level of those games in that old Madison County gym. The success of the (26-3) 1988 Raider team filled the barn full of parents and fans not only from Madison County or the opposing team followers but from surrounding counties. Basketball fans trying to catch a glimpse of Charles Wilkes’ 1988 Raiders who went on to win the state championship by defeating Marist 73-60 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum in Atlanta. Those followers, either pulling for Madison County or just those interested in watching that title team play, came in groves hoping to see the rafter shaking slam dunks from Arlando Bennett and Keith Gantt. I have heard the stories of fans being turned away at the doors because of the filled capacity of the building that included standing room only. I can remember the cars forced to park roadside along Madison Street because of the filled parking lot. The excitement level of those years was something to see. Names like Bennett, who went on to play for Georgia, Sheila Collins, a member of the 1981 state champion 30-0 team, who ended up at Tennessee under Pat Summitt are just a couple of names that had the crowds jumping. So many games and so many players that wore the Red & Grey are etched in the memory of the old barn.

Not to be lost in the memory bank was Coach Leon Fitzpatrick’s years which included a 164-17 run during the years of 1978 through 1985, twice being ranked at number 3 in the state polls. The boys’ success in the barn included a 23-3 1981 season under Phil Thornton capped off with Wilkes’ state champion ’88 team. 

 One vivid memory I have of a game in the barn was a comeback win against Monroe in the mid 90’s. Trailing by seven points with 10 seconds left, the Raiders rallied with the help of two straight three pointers from Ron Kelley. Kelley ended the game hitting 2 of 2 shots from the free throw line that gave Madison County the win and kept them in the rankings. That wild comeback sent fans pouring onto the court. It was like a scene taken out of the movie “Hoosiers.”

There are only a few of the older gyms like the barn left that are still in use by high schools. Old rival schools such as Franklin County and Hart County are among two of the older gyms still in use today. Royston’s play by play radio announcer called it a “Coliseum Slam” from Keith Gantt that was part of the region title run for Madison County in 1988 at the Lion’s Den in Franklin County. Despite Raider memories held in that old gym like Gantt’s monster dunk that night, nothing compared to what happened in “The Barn” on many nights.

Dallas Bordon is the former Sports Editor of the Comer News/Danielsville Monitor and a regular columnist with the Madison County Journal.

What's recycled in Georgia, stays in Georgia

Published in the Madison County Journal a month ago. To subscribe to the Madison County Journal visit www.mainstreetnews.com

By Dallas Bordon

Suki Janssen is the Recycling Coordinator for the Athens/Clarke County Government. If you visit her office you might see anything from a lamp stand made of glass bottles to a flower pot made of bottle caps that hold aluminum flowers made from shredded coke cans. These are among many more reusable items that prove the point; there is a use for almost everything that we might toss into our trash cans. Over the years recycling has been a popular growing industry. While Janssen’s office decorations might just be a minor use for items, there are many other products we throw away daily that can be recycled into reusable items such as the carpet we walk on. 

There are some people that might not understand the importance of recycling. It’s not just the tossing items into bins for recycling that Janseen views the importance of but it’s also the facts such as how it helps Georgia’s economy and helps save landfill space. Most residents don’t realize that recycling creates jobs for Georgians. Workers are used to pickup, transport and sort items at many facilities around Georgia such as right here in Athens.

You take the recycling of plastics for example. Georgia’s recycled plastic industry employs 36,398 Georgians with a payroll of $874.7 million and accounts for $1.55 billion in annual product sales in Georgia. Georgia’s glass industry employs approximately 600 Georgians and the paper industry employs 25,000 plus Georgians and accounts for $10 billion in annual product sales in the state.

Statistics also show that the most valuable recycled item is aluminum, in which 48 thousand tons of cans are disposed of in Georgia, has an estimated market value of 80 million dollars. The aluminum recycling industry in Georgia employs more than 100 people and has an annual payroll and tax contribution of $7,000,000. “What’s recycled in Georgia stays in Georgia.” Georgia has many recycling centers throughout the state that handles our recycling needs. With the huge number of facilities in Georgia, the product such as aluminum cans are usually recycled and back on the store shelves within 60 days. And when you think of the impact of one recycled can here’s a fact for you; recycling one can saves enough energy to run a computer for three hours. Also, recycled aluminum conserves 95 percent of energy it takes to create cans from raw materials.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of recycling paper. 1.9 million tons of recycled paper is thrown away each year right here in Georgia. Forty percent less energy is used when making paper out of recycled materials instead of using trees. Seventy gallons of water is conserved when using recycled materials to create paper. Just think about this; recycling five pounds of paper conserves enough water to offset the water you use in a typical shower in the morning.

Like paper and aluminum cans, the recycling of glass serves a huge purpose to all of us. An estimate of 240,000 tons of glass is thrown into landfills each year in Georgia. The manufacturing products from recycled glass conserves one third of the energy it takes to manufacture the same product from raw materials. Next time you flip on a 100 watt bulb think about this fact; recycling one glass bottle conserves enough energy to light that 100 watt bulb for four hours.

Another type of bottle, the plastic type, one recycled bottle alone conserves enough energy to run a television for 1.5 hours. Right here in our state, one million tons of recyclable plastics are thrown away each year. Of the plastics recycled over twenty five percent of all number one plastic bottles are part of that carpet you might standing on while reading this column. One half of all polyester carpeting is made from recycled plastic beverage containers right here in Georgia.

So there’s a risk we take next time we toss a recyclable item into the convenient trash can. “What’s recycled in Georgia stays in Georgia,” in one means or another.

Dallas Bordon is the former Sports Editor of the Comer News/Danielsville Monitor and a regular columnist for the Madison County Journal.