Dr. John Wolfe Sr. turned to me and said, “Isn’t this great? We’re excited because the kids are excited. And no one is yelling at the officials, because we don’t know enough to complain.” That was about 1984. I am sure soccer eventually would have come to Wayne County, but I know how the ball got kicked into play.
In January 1983, Pam and I attended our first Leadership Georgia meeting at Unicoi State Park, near Anna Ruby Falls, outside Helen. In the hubbub of 150 or so 30- and 40-something Georgians—many with young children—soccer was mentioned off and on. Pam listened at first, and then she started asking questions.
On our six-hour drive home, out of the hills of Northeast Georgia, the mother of our three children wanted to talk about soccer. I was willing to listen, but I knew nothing about that sport. I grew up in a baseball and football culture, with a smidgen of basketball mixed in. But soccer?
Pam had heard enough at Unicoi. She decided Jesup was going to have a soccer program. She rattled off her selling points, based on what she had just learned:
1. Boys and girls can play.
2. Size doesn’t matter.
3. Uniforms and equipment won’t break the budget.
4. Kids will benefit from the exercise.
5. Soccer is a global sport, and Jesup needs to get with it.
We hadn’t gotten to Cornelia and U.S. 441 before I was sold, but I kept listening. By the time we connected with Highway 15 in Athens, I knew where she’d be first thing Monday morning. She’d be heading to Cracker Williams Recreation Center to see its director, Terry Thompson. I warned her, “Terry has a baseball background, and he’s still an exceptional player. And Jesup is a huge football town. Yellow Jacket and Tiger fans are still talking about state championships in the 1950s.”
