When Al Horford came out of January 11^th’s game against the Indiana Pacers with what was initially perceived as a minor shoulder injury, no one thought too much of it. But when later reports of the All-Star center possibly missing 3-4 months with a torn pectoral muscle hit the news, fans were devastated.

The Hawks were starting out the season playing great team basketball, and fans began to develop a thinking that this just might be the year that the Hawks’ make a championship run. It appeared as if the only teams standing in the way of an eastern conference title were the Bulls and Heat, and the Hawks had already beat them both early on. What if I told you Atlanta could’ve beat both Chicago and Miami not once, but twice in one week? Well it should’ve happened. The Hawks blew a huge 2^nd half lead and ended up losing in the first matchup with the Bulls by one free throw. The night after that the Hawks seemed to be in route to a home win against an injury bugged Miami team. But once again, missed free throws gave the opponent a chance to tie it up, and Chris Bosh delivered with a three. The Heat stole that game in triple overtime, eliminating the Hawks’ chances to be the talk of the East for a few days. Even the media was about to hop on the Hawks bandwagon! The media?! Atlanta sports?! The media?! Cmon!

Despite the two disappointing losses the Hawks went right back to work having only lost one game since. They even got revenge over the Bulls in a convincing 109-94 thrashing of the currently top team in the East. But of course the entire media has decided to completely ignore the currently #4 ranked team in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks. They’ve acted as if the franchise doesn’t even exist. Al Horford’s injury, which seemingly came out of nowhere, did not help the Hawks’ cause. The positive mindsets of even the most dedicated Hawks fans quickly shifted gears. Horford’s loss means that the Hawks would lose the most consistent player on the team and the league leader in mid range field goal percentage the year before. He was just starting to come into his own as a dominant force. Even I believed that the Hawks couldn’t finish as a top 3 seed in the East without Horford. Once again my mindset has been altered.

During Horford’s absence the Hawks are 8-2. One of those wins includes an 18-point comeback against the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was a game many believed the Hawks would lose because Al Horford’s defensive presence was needed to help against Kevin Love, arguably the best power forward in the NBA right now.  Instead, this was the game where Joe Johnson continued to emerge from his secret cave. Johnson seemed to flip a switch in this game, becoming aggressive on the offensive end and displaying full confidence with the ball in his hands. As a team the Hawks weren’t flying, so Johnson put the team on his back and carried them to victory instead. Johnson finished the game with 25 points, 5 boards, and 3 assists. The game before that Johnson had 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. He hasn’t stopped since, and neither Josh Smith.  Joe has posted at least 23 points in each of the 4 games since Horford’s been out, and Josh Smith has gone for a double-double in all but one of those games. Joe Johnson is beginning to pay an understood debt to the organization and it’s fans. We aren’t seeing any signs of the “I don’t owe these fans anything” attitude. It’s like seeing the Joe Johnson before Al Horford was drafted. Coincidence? I think not.

Al Horford’s absence has inflicted a very positive affect on Joe Johnson and Josh Smith. It has forced them to become more aggressive on the offensive end. There’s a reason why Johnson’s scoring numbers have considerably declined since Al Horford’s arrival in 2007, and it’s not the new jersey’s either. When the team got comfortable with Al Horford in the system, Johnson became less aggressive over time. When he became less aggressive he lost confidence in his shooting. Instead of using his skillset to create open shots for himself, he instead settled for end of the shot clock, contested pull up jumpers (Iso Joe). [CS5] It appeared to fans as if Johnson wasn’t trying hard enough. Jamal Crawford’s arrival took some of the pressure off of Joe but all it meant was Joe’s numbers would decline even more. Now that Crawford is in Portland and Horford is on injured reserved, Joe Johnson is forced to be more aggressive on offense. Johnson’s confidence is at an all time high. He’s got his mojo back. Hawks fans are excited to see the old Joe. The Joe that drains a pull up three from thirty feet to rub their opponents faces into the ground. Even Josh Smith has gotten the message. He’s playing like he’s mad at the All-Star voters from the past two years. Some may think that Josh is playing like the Hawks best player right now, and that may very well be true.

Whatever the Hawks are doing they need to keep doing it. Joe, Josh, and the Hawks need to come out with the same killer instinct night in and night out in order for this team to consistently win like this. And not just while Horford’s gone! When Horford returns it should be no different. I have a feeling that the Hawks will fully realize this concept. Of course there are still plenty of doubters out there. Among them, GAC’s own Justin Lewis, a sophomore that had this to say about the Hawks, “The Hawks won’t win in the playoffs just like every other Atlanta team. They don’t have that killer-instinct just like the Falcons don’t have.” Then there are some “fans” that are still going back and forth in their minds about whether or not they want to jump on the Hawks bandwagon this year. Junior Harrison Payne explains why he falls into that category, “I’m really close to jumping on the Hawks bandwagon but I’m afraid they are going to let me down just like the Braves and Falcons did. I mean they look really good but I don’t know right now.”

Are the Hawks for real this year, or are they just setting up Atlanta fans for another huge disappointment? I say Joe Johnson and Josh Smith will continue their aggressive play, leading to a lot of regular season wins for the Hawks. If Al Horford returns in the playoffs they will have no excuse not to play even better.

The game of baseball has changed. No longer will there be balls flying over the “touch em all” boundary, or long balls towering over the stadium. A change has come among baseball.

A new type of bat, called a BBCOR bat, does not stack up anywhere near where standard aluminum BESR bats did. This bat is required for all colligate levels of play and high school levels.

The way the BBCOR bat works can best be described with a simple analogy: Think of you as a ball and the floor as a bat. If you jump off of the floor, you use strength in your legs to get off of the ground. However, if you get on a trampoline you bounce higher.

This can be good and bad. The good news is the bat will still provide you with a little bit of pop. The bad news is, the pop is tainted because the BBBCOR bat gives more pop than the BESR bats, which will cause a great drop in distance in the ball.

The reason for this change is to give the game a more balanced feel. Although it will make more games tighter, it will be sad not to see as many balls soaring over the fence. Tests have proven a 10-15% decrease in bat performance, which means a much lower batting average as well. It also has been proven that 6 mph are also dropped from the overall speed. With baseball season coming quicker than many think, it is a good recommendation to start hitting the weight-room or else your stats will drop like the US economy. For example, in this years College World Series, players hit 7 home runs in 12 games. This is a puny amount compared to the enormous 32 home runs hit in 14 games last year. Some say the BBCOR bats have as much pop as a wood bat. This shocking change has hit baseball players nationwide. With the decrease in action in games, will this change be lasting? Or will the BESR bats resurrect and return once again? Only you can decide.

            Here in Atlanta, there are three main sports franchises. The Falcons, the Braves, and the Hawks. There was a fourth franchise (Thrashers), but due to lack of fan support and team success, the franchise moved to Winnipeg. The Thrashers were up and down franchise with a weak fan base. Granted there were a few dedicated fans but they were not enough to save the franchise. Some fans blame the ownership for the incident, and they did have an impact on the move but if the Thrashers’ fan base was more attentive and dedicated then they may have been able to stop the move.

            Ever since the Braves dominated in the 1990s and won the World Series in 1995, Braves’ fans have been dedicated to the franchise through thick and thin. In the 1990s the Braves under manager Bobby Cox dominated and probably should have won more titles than they did. Lately the Braves haven’t had the same success that former Braves teams had. The Braves made the playoffs last year, but failed to make it this year after a monstrous end of the year collapse. Braves fans across the globe were sickened by such a disappointing collapse and many are still bitter about the collapse today. If the Braves are too get out of the funk they are in right now, they need their fans to stick by them through this rough time. Braves fans can not give up now and must continue to support the team that once was the top team in baseball

            The Hawks are in a similar situation that the Braves are in. The Hawks have made the playoffs the past few years and have improved greatly. But last season the Hawks did not win as many games as they did in the previous years. The Hawks did however beat the Orlando Magic in the first round and advance on. Due to miscues and lack of execution at key times, the Hawks lost in the second round playoff series to Bulls. The Hawks are a solid team; they just need to take the next step. The fans need to help the Hawks do that by not letting Phillips Arena echo with the chants of opposing fans. The empty seats in Phillips Arena must be filled and the chants of “Lets go Boston!” or “Go Knicks!”  Must end now. The Hawks need to look at themselves to improve but also need fan support to become a dominant team in the NBA.

            Right now the Falcons are a mystery team. They won 13 games last season but had a pitiful 3-8 stretch that went from the past 11 games including the preseason and the playoff loss to the Packers. Luckily, the Falcons have won several games in a row and are back on track. The Falcons have a key game against the Saints on Sunday. If the Falcons win, they will gain the lead in the division. Falcons’ fans are “Rising Up” and have been very supportive of their team. Right now Falcons’ fans need their team to continue to play well. The 3-8 stretch that the Falcons went on can not happen again, especially with all of the talent this team has.

            Fan bases are also important in High School. At GAC we have enjoyed constant success in almost every sport and activity. I have been at GAC for 5 years and I have seen fan support grow each year. We need to continue this growth and not get complacent. Without fan support, teams and players are not as motivated as they would be with fan support. Fans are important to the continued success and progress of teams and are definitely need, especially in high school. On Friday, the Spartans Varsity Football team takes on the Buford Wolves and the game is at Buford. Some people believe that the Spartans can not win, but as a fan base we Spartans must go out and support our team.  No matter how bad things can get, as fans we have a duty to support our team and believe in our team. This message doesn’t just apply to one sport either. Every team needs fans. It is impossible to have a successful team without great fans. Teams need to give us fans something to cheer for, but teams also need fans to be something they can play for.

The Freeman Aquatic center is a state-of-the-art facility that provides the swim team a true home arena where fans and parents can catch the exciting action that goes on during a swim meets and practices. “It gives us a huge advantage… we don’t have to rush through practices, we can get more yards in, and we don’t have to practice really early in the morning or really late at night,” Bufton, on the advantages of having the Freeman Aquatic center.

Though the Freeman Aquatic Center is important towards preparation, the swim team had to make many changes after many swimmers on the team graduated last year. “I think our main difference is just really stepping it up… we are practicing more, and being more of a team. We are learning to rely to each other and our program here at GACS rather than just rely on our swimmers who swim at Swim Atlanta.”

The six captains for the Varsity swim team this year is: Kelly Lord, Sarah Becker, Tyler Martin, Tin Lazar and Chris McCarter. Along with the six captains, Coach Bufton looks forward to coaching all members of the team. Juniors to watch for during swim meets are Drew Hayes, Kayla Puzas and Max Musser. Freshman Taylor Wright, Dylan Kearney, Landon Keller and Hunter Dye are players to look out for as well.

Along with all the great swimmers on the team and the competition, being swim coach is a very fulfilling position for Coach Bufton. “I absolutely love the sport, but mostly I love the relationships I get to have with my swimmers. It’s different from teaching them in the class. I get to push them through hard practices, but also have a ton of fun with them playing water polo, sharks in minnows, or going out to eat after meets. My favorite part is also watching them succeed- there is really nothing better.”

The team will face good opponents this year and Bufton is excited for the challenge. “I’m really excited about swimming some of the teams GACS has swam for years (Duluth, St. Pius) but I also am excited about swimming teams that I swam in high school like Wesleyan, Northview, and Alpharetta.” Come out and support the GAC swimmers towards a promising year. Best of luck to our swimmers this season!

The team will begin next year and is open to 6-12 graders who have some experience in the sport. GAC will be joining the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), and the team will be a parent-sponsored sport with competitions against other schools. They will be competing against schools like Westminster, Pace Academy, Lovett, Holy Innocents, North Gwinnett High School, South Forsyth High School, Lambert High School, Roswell High School, and lots more.

For those of you who are new to Equestrian but would like to participate in next year’s team, here is a bit of advice Elizabeth Barker, one of the parents starting the team would like to give. “As with most competitive teams, the assumption will be that team members will have at least some experience riding horses. Since the team won’t be forming until next year, if a student is interested but hasn’t ever ridden a hose before, there is plenty of time to take lessons to see if riding horses is something they are truly interested in.” Qualified trainers will determine what level a rider is comfortable riding at. So if you already know you want to be on the team, start training now.

A practice and competition uniform will be initiated with the start of the team.  The practice uniform will consist of riding pants, uniform shirt, riding helmet, paddock boots, and half chaps. The competition uniform will be a show coat, show shirt, tan riding pants, black leather field boots, a black riding helmet, and gloves. Equipment such as horses and tack will be provided at a designated place of practice. There has been a great response to the introduction of the new team, and next years season is looking like a great start for the sport. For more information contact Elizabeth Barker at 7girl@bellsouth.net. She will be more than happy to answer any of your awaiting questions.

The mission: Win or go home. After a wonderful 8-2 season, the GAC Spartans went home. Even though the Spartans had only won loss coming into the weekend, they still had to win one more game to advance to the playoffs. The entire game was a battle and it came down to the very last possession.

While the first half was a defensive affair, the second half was a shootout. Lovett tailback Grant Haley (who scored a touchdown in the first half) got another touchdown on a 47 yard run after a pass interference call on GAC. Lavondre Nelson answered with a 14-yard touchdown run, but Haley answered with an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Both teams traded scores but this time Haley threw a touchdown.

In the first half, the Spartan defense gave up a touchdown early in the game but they managed to stiffen the Lovett offense by forcing three straight three and outs. The Spartan offense then finally woke up and scored a touchdown on a 12-yard run by Delano Spencer. Right before half, the Spartans tried to run the clock out with senior tailback Lavondre Nelson, but he had other ideas. Nelson broke four tackles on the way to a touchdown with 12 seconds left in the first half. The Spartans went into the halftime up 14-7.In the fourth quarter, Lovett had a 3rd and 17 at its own 44-yard line with two minutes left in the game. The Spartans were primed to get the ball back, but then Lovett quarterback Willie Chandler threw an 56-yard touchdown pass to John Jameson for the go ahead score. The Spartans got the ball back but they could not match Lovett as they threw an interception that ended the game. One key to the game was that the Spartans got zero points on three trips to the red zone.

Of course we have the Atlanta Falcons, one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL at the moment. After “rising up” last season and posting a NFC best 13-3 record, the Falcons were dismantled by the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round of the playoffs. This embarrassing defeat virtually wiped out all of the triumphant memories of the season. The disappointment wouldn’t stop there. The Falcons would go 0-4 during the 2011 preseason and lose this season’s opener to the Bears in blowout fashion despite all the positive insights about the Falcons heading into the season, including Sports Illustrated’s Peter King predicting the Falcons to win the Super Bowl. I’m not saying this can’t happen, but the Falcon’s performances have been underwhelming thus far, and they stand at 2-2, not to mention their playing Green Bay next Sunday night.

Then there’s the Atlanta Hawks, a team that also seems to disappoint year after year, but disappointment is beginning to become expected from the Hawks. The Hawks make the playoffs every year, but never get past the 2^nd round. Many people are questioning the effort, or lack there of, from some of the Hawks players, especially in critical games. Despite all of the negativity, this team is still steadily improving each year with their array of talent, but talent can only take you so far. During the offseason, the majority of the Hawks were purchased by businessman, Alex Meruelo, making him the new team owner. This is something for the city of Atlanta to celebrate, as this might bring new life and motivation for the Hawks. In a radio interview Meruelo guaranteed that the Hawks would win an NBA Championship within the next 5 years. So with all that said, I have the Hawks as the leading candidate to bring a championship home to Atlanta, for now. (Besides the Atlanta Dream of course).

But this article isn’t about the Hawks, Falcons, or even the Thrashers. This article is about the most recent disappointment. An event so devastating it is being called “the collapse”. This “collapse” is the icing on “the cake of disappointment”.

Last Wednesday, the 28^th of September, Atlanta Braves fans received a heartbreaking reminder of this pattern of disappointment, The Braves entered the month of September with a 9 game lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, and were bound for a second straight NL wild card ticket to the playoffs, so it seemed.  Atlanta controlled the NL Wild Card all season long, so why should they surrender it now?

Everyone was so convinced the Braves were headed to the playoffs, that the NL Wild Card wasn’t even considered a race. GAC 7^th grade student, Bo Davis, put it this way, “They had to do really bad in order to miss the playoffs. They only won [one out of ten] games to finish the season, and during those last games they couldn’t hit anything. They weren’t doing what they were doing in the middle of the season, and the pitching wasn’t there to help out the lack of hitting. But they still should have won that last game with the lead they had going into the 9^th.”

It was simple. Just go .500 during the month of September, don’t take any big chances, rest some starters, and you’re in the playoffs. Turns out the Braves had a lot more room for error than that: The Braves could have gone 10-14 during the month of September and would have still secured the NL Wild Card. They finished 8-16. Add in an 18-8 September run for the Cardinals and you’ve got one of the biggest collapses in MLB history. GAC 10^th grade student, Justin Lewis, added his explanation, “The hitting wasn’t all there. Heyward struggled. After a good rookie season he just hit an unexplained sophomore slump. Uggla was cold to start the year, then got hot when he hit the 34 game hitting streak, then he just faded out as the season neared its end. The pitching kind of let us down, especially Derek Lowe. Freddie didn’t really play Conrad at all during that final stretch and I felt like he should have. Freddie also should have gone with Jose Constanza over Heyward.”

The slow and miserable death of the Braves 2011 season ended with a slamming of Freddie Freeman’s helmet after grounding into a double play. “Braves Country” could only sit frozen in shock, their minds blown. If anyone even had the words to describe what happened, they couldn’t muscle up the strength to speak them.  So what does this mean for Braves fans now?

Now begins the healing process for Atlanta Braves fans. They are most likely feeling the same pain Falcons fans felt when they lost the playoff game to Green Bay. Lucky for them, they have the new football season to ease the pain a little bit and take their minds off what happened. What if I’m not a football fan? Then sorry you’re out of luck, especially since the NBA is on the brink of being locked out. Many of you may just have to tough it out and begin the countdown until next season.

Another thing that is conducive to the healing process after a disappointing season is the off-season transactions. A great example of this is when the Atlanta Falcons traded up to draft future superstar wide receiver, Julio Jones. When this happened, many Falcons fans immediately forgot about the past and looked forward to what the future might hold for the superstar as an Atlanta Falcon, and the team as a whole. So there’s a chance the Braves might make a big off-season move or two and generate some excitement and positive thinking around the franchise. But didn’t the Braves do that last season? That is true. As we all know, the Braves picked up an all around great player in Dan Uggla from the Marlins last off-season. This transaction generated a lot of hype around the 2011 Braves team. The Braves nation was also excited to see how Jason Heyward would follow up his stellar rookie season.

There were good times and bad. There were also times of pure brilliance. Take Dan Uggla’s 34 game hitting streak, for instance. The Braves would look like an elite World Series contending team one day, and then like an under achieving MLB bottom-feeder the next. When it was all said and done it came down to one word: D-I-S-S-A-P-O-I-N-T-M-E-N-T. But there is little something we like to call the year 2012 waiting in line, and that my friends, will be a new year. Stay loyal.