Sports Columnist

I hope my column today finds you as full of turkey and dressing as I am and you’re looking forward to a great New Year’s Day.

Christmas was wonderful at my house. I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends and that’s really what makes Christmas so special.

The celebration of the birth of the Christ child and the love for family and friends makes this the best time of the year.

Hope you’re excited about the new year! The new year is a time when a lot of us set goals and resolutions. I promise you this year I’m going to lose weight, eat right and exercise. I’m going to be a better Christian, a better husband, a better father, a better friend and a better citizen. I promise to give more of myself to people that are less fortunate then I am. I want to let everyone know that I love them and I appreciate them.

If I can stick to those resolutions I think I’ll have a pretty good year in 2002.

Make sure you eat plenty of black-eyed peas and ham on New Year’s Day so you can get off to a good start.

Some things you can look forward to in 2002 are:

n Troy State basketball starts back next week in Troy when the Trojans host Central Florida on Jan. 10.

n Local basketball climaxes with the Southeast Regional at Trojan Arena in February.

n TSU baseball begins on Feb. 7 at the newly renovated Riddle-Pace Field.

n Troy State tennis plays its first matches at the Jimmy C. Lunsford Tennis Complex in March.

n Lady Trojans’ softball kicks off its season in February at its brand new ball park on Elm Street.

n The TSU Spring Reunion and St. Patrick’s Day Parade are held in March. Former Troy State College Athletic Director and Dean of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Dr. Earl Watson will be the honored guest.

n The annual T-Day football game will be on the same day in March.

n In late April, TSU hosts the annual Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state track meet at Memorial Stadium.

n The Bobby Bowden Football Camp comes back to Troy in June. Over 400 of the top quarterbacks and receivers in the country will converge on Troy State that week.

n TSU’s football camp is held in late July.

n TSU’s band camps are also in July.

n In August it’s time for football practice to start in the county.

n Troy State opens its football season in Lincoln, Neb., against the Cornhuskers on Aug. 31. Mississippi State, Marshall, Arkansas, Utah State, Iowa State and Middle Tennessee makes this schedule even tougher then last year’s. By the way how about 7-4 for a first season in Division I-A?

n Charles Henderson, Pike County, Goshen and Pike Liberal Arts will put teams on the field in September that will be better then in 2001.

n The AHSAA cross country meet will be held in November on the Trojan Oaks Golf Course. Over 1,500 participants from across the state will be in Troy that week.

n The third annual Alabama Independent School Association Football Championship Tripleheader will be held in Troy the third week of November.

n Basketball season starts in November.

n The AHSAA state football playoffs! What a ride for Wayne Grant’s Bulldogs to the semifinals in 2001. Maybe all three of Pike County’s public schools will be in the playoffs again in 2002.

See, we’ve got a lot to look forward to when it comes to sports in 2002. I’m not forgetting you hunters, fishermen and golfers. Every year is a great year for you as well in Pike County.

So here’s to you and yours a loud cry of "Happy New Year!"

Keep the resolutions you set!