Playing to Win
by Sue Bowron
photography by Heather Smith
3651 Peachtree Parkway Suite 425 - Suwanee, GA 30024
Match point. Touchdown. Ace. These are sports terms about winning. Their definitions are intrinsic with focus, perseverance and hard work. Some correlate winning with luck. Luck does not happen for the unprepared. Five seniors at Northview High School (NHS) are using their winning attitudes to take the next step in life after graduation. They have all been offered full college scholarships based on their athletic and academic performance. Most of them have been playing sports all their lives and have a natural talent for athleticism, but they will all say that sports have taught them how to live, how to work, and how to play to win.
Cordian Hagans gently folds his giant hands. As defensive tackle for the NHS Titans, he is a little shy and talks reluctantly about his talent. Smiling broadly, he proudly declares he is all set to wear the purple and yellow Tigers' uniform for Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge. Cordian received 18 offers from colleges and universities. Someone with that many offers must have played football for years. Cordian shrugs and admits he only started playing football last year. He's always loved basketball and started playing when he was in the fourth grade. His friend, Justin Tuggle, Justin's father, Jessie, and Cordian's mother all encouraged him to try football. He pensively credits "Mr. Tuggle for showing me what can be done with hard work." "I never thought about college football," he reflects, "But I'm really glad to be going to a great college." Cordian wants to pursue a career in sports and for the first time, he has set his ambition on the NFL. "Mr. Tuggle is my hero," he says, "I was virtually unknown to college coaches until Mr. Tuggle took me to the National Combine in Texas, and sent my highlight CD around the nation."
Justin Tuggle, NHS Titan quarterback, is an intense young man single-mindedly focused on the task at hand. He has been playing football since he was in the third grade. His father, Jessie Tuggle, played for the Atlanta Falcons for his entire 14-year career as a professional linebacker, and football is a way of life in the Tuggle family. Justin takes nothing for granted. He constantly takes things in and studies them. As he says, "I go over things in my head; I pray about things." He credits his mother for his strong faith. Every Friday, she slips a scripture verse in his notebook to encourage him. His dad has been his biggest inspiration. Justin tells the story of when his father was a free agent and was told he would never make it to the NFL. Jessie highlighted his career with the Falcons by appearing in five Pro Bowls and Super Bowl XXXIII. True to his careful nature, Justin has committed to Boston College. Long term, Justin wants to play for the NFL but, just as importantly, he says, "I want to be successful in anything I do."
The yellow galoshes say it all. MacKenzie Swindall thinks life should be fun and colorful. MacKenzie has been playing tennis for 12 years. When she played in the 10 to 12-year-old age group, she was ranked 55th in the nation. She started out playing other sports but her sister, Kelley, played competitive tennis and influenced her to develop her game. Playing tournaments around the country, MacKenzie was home schooled for two years returning to NHS for her junior year. MacKenzie feels her parents are her biggest inspiration. With seven kids a year apart in her family, she credits her mother as being a genuine role model. "She always puts our needs before her own," MacKenzie says, "My parents are big on instilling good morals." She admits that she wouldn't be the person she is today without tennis. "I've built a lot of independence on and off the court. You have to learn to rely on yourself." MacKenzie has been temporarily sidelined with multidirectional instability, a shoulder injury. She will be in rehab for three months, but she is still preparing for her college career at Kennesaw State University where she will study nursing to become a pre-natal or emergency room nurse working with children.
Richard Doverspike has a tough decision to make. He has been highly recruited by many top-ranked colleges, but is trying to decide between the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, or University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa. For Richard, choosing is like the mental process of a singles match. It is placement, strategy and match point. Born and raised in Johns Creek, he has been playing tennis since he was five-years-old and comes from a sports family. His mother, Debi, played tennis at UGA. His sister, Rachael, plays soccer, and he shares a passion for tennis with his other sister, Sarah. His father, David, has been a big influence over him. "He's taught me to stay focused and helps me manage my time," he admits. It has paid off. Since he was 12, Richard has been ranked in the top 60 tennis players in the nation. In the 16-year-old age group, he was rated #1 in the South. For the 12, 14 and 16-year-old age groups, he was ranked #1 in Georgia. Richard likes the struggle to win. "It's the individual pressure to please yourself that drives me to do well," he says. "I really want to play tennis from the bottom of my heart." Wherever he chooses to go to school, Richard plans to study business and then get a J.D. in sports law.
"I'm the tall volleyball girl," she introduces herself. Six foot, four inch Courtney Fletcher breezes into the room, fresh from mentoring kindergartners. "It's a great program where high school students get to help children in the surrounding elementary schools and I really like giving back," she says. Her excitement for volleyball spills over into coaching elementary and middle school children in the Jr. Titan program at NHS. A former basketball player, Courtney helped the 2005 Titan volleyball team win the AAAAA State Championship and earned two All-State accolades since then. Ranked 75th of all seniors in the nation by Prepvolleyball.com, Courtney says, "Volleyball has taught me so much. It's taught me how to deal with disappointment, how to approach people, have fun and be a team player. I love it." Her favorite quote is: "If you play not to lose instead of playing to win, you'll fail every time." Courtney will be on a full volleyball scholarship to the University of Michigan next fall to study broadcasting and film production for a career in sports broadcasting. A girl of varied interests, Courtney admits with an outrageous sense of pride, that she was the Beta Club State Champion for cross-stitching. "I'd love to start doing it again!" she declares with an infectious smile.
As the students go about their normal schedule, Vice Principal James Williams observes, "To marry both athletic with academic achievement, not a lot of students can do that successfully and remain genuine people. There are no airs with them. They're just regular great kids - what I call good characters - an asset to any school or sports program."
