We are all Role Models
Thursday Gavin Hill is getting a video message from National Champion/Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Tebow has befriended Gavin due to his battle with neuroblastoma for the second time. Why you might ask? Is Tebow a cancer survivor? Nope, he just understands the power and brotherhood of football. Tim has taken Gavin under his wing and even had Gavin as a guest on SEC Nation.
What’s the difference between Tebow and Gavin’s relationship & Gavin & company’s relationship with our Junior Black Knights? Not a lot in the eyes of people living in Davidson County and surrounding communities. I am always encouraged by the support of people living in this community. This weekend was a prime example of it.
The Davidson County Youth Football Championship games were played this weekend at West Davidson High School. We all know the love/hate relationship between Midway, Wallburg, and North Davidson. We know that if you accidentally wear the wrong shade of blue or orange you could be banished from the community. It’s almost like gang colors in the good ole Davidson County Community.
The games were close, but what stood out the most to me was the support from all the communities. Yes, as parents we expect all of our family members to support our little tikes in the championship game, but what I personally didn’t expect was to have a live DJ (thanks DJ Ladd), smoke for the entrance, and most of all to see the high school players there supporting our teams.
Speaking from personal experience, the last place you could find me on a Saturday morning would be on the field in Tyro. Well, maybe sleeping in a cornfield.. Definitely not on the football field watching the little guys play.
This meant the world to my two, and to the rest of the team. It amazes me how they understand as a young adult to pour back into the community. We have Gavin Hill, fighting cancer and giving pep talks at halftime; my own, Teddy Jenkins, came down the mountain from App State to be there to hug Jay (my son) when we lost in the final seconds; Tanner Jordan and Reid Nisley had better things to do than freeze their tails off Saturday morning after giving West Henderson a beatdown the night before.
They still endured with a smile on their faces and supported their own fans the same way we support them on Friday Knights. Gavin has now become the Tim Tebow for other kids battling cancer. On most Friday nights you can find one or two Gavin super fans like Merritt Plummer and Roe Roe Tucker that have found their own Tim Tebow.
This blog isn’t to promote our company, or trying to convince you why should move to Davidson County. It’s just to acknowledge and thank those that came before us, and those that are supporting the future too. No matter what we are going through the Piedmont Community has each other’s back.
I can still remember looking up to Travis Williams and Smiley Wagner. A few years ago, I saw Travis and was still starstruck, left gushing to my wife about how great they were in the early ’90s for the rest of the evening.
Final thoughts
Thank you to the parents, coaches, and community surrounding these young men. You have raised them well, and hopefully, my kids will be there supporting theirs on these same football fields one day.
