AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta Boxing Club is celebrating 50 years, and they have a huge boxing match coming up to mark the anniversary.

Their goal has always been to keep the youth off the streets and into a structured, safe environment.

We spoke with a couple of the kids there about what it’s like to be a part of the club.

“I learned that it is a lot of hard work, but it definitely pays off. Everyone in here, they work with you to make you the best version of yourself,” said TJ Nalley.

Nalley has been coming to the Augusta Boxing Club for more than a year.

“I started coming here because my dad passed away so I just figured it would be a good place to get that anger out,” said Nalley.

Nalley is now gearing up for the 50th-anniversary boxing match alongside 8-year-old Gary Thomas.

Thomas says this place is where he lets out his emotions.

“If someone is getting bullied or hurt, I can help out, and this is where I show my anger out at so I can punch bags,” said Thomas.

And punching bags is what he is good at.

Rayonta Whitfield has been the director for 16 years. It’s a place where he started training at 10 years old.

“It’s been a long road. Boxing has done so much for me and the kids, and the community, so going on 50 years is such a great accomplishment for us,” said Whitfield.

Whitfield says what they teach goes beyond just boxing.

“We can help them with school and different things and their journey on life and keep them out of trouble, so that’s what we structure our program on, the kids,” said Whitfield.

More than 80 kids come to the Augusta Boxing Club. Whitfield says no kid is ever turned away.

Whether you’re a teenager, eight years old, a news photographer or a news anchor, there’s a place here for you.

Thomas said: “If you want to come here, you have to train hard and you will get better and better every time. I started out, I was not doing too good, but as I kept going, I got better and better.”

Their 50th-anniversary boxing match will take place on July 27 at May Park Community Center at 1 p.m.

The proceeds benefit the Augusta Boxing Club and their scholarships for families that cannot afford it.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga – Ember Holloway has been named the Head Coach of Augusta University Women’s Golf.

Holloway joins Augusta after serving as an assistant coach for the Georgia women’s golf program. Before her tenure at Georgia, she was an assistant coach at Purdue University, working under legendary head coach Devin Brouse. 

“It became abundantly clear early in our search that Ember was not only a great coach but would be a perfect fit for our campus and community,” said Director of Athletics Ryan Erlacher. “Our women’s golf vacancy was highly sought after and produced a tremendous candidate pool. Ember embodied everything we were looking for in our next coach and we have no doubt she will continue the commitment to excellence Coach Caroline Hegg established.”

During her time at the University of Georgia, Holloway coached three All-Americans, three All-SEC performers, and four individual title winners. The 2023 Bulldog team won the NCAA Athens Regional championship and finished 14^thoverall at the NCAA National Championship. The 2023-24 UGA recruiting class was ranked the No. 1 recruiting class in the country by the Golf Channel. The team was ranked inside the top-25 nationally by GolfStat and Clippd Golf for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. 

“I feel truly honored to be the next head women’s golf coach at Augusta University,” said Holloway. “I want to thank Ryan Erlacher and the rest of the search committee for their belief in me to build upon the success Augusta Golf is known for. My family and I look forward to being a part of such a storied and passionate community. Augusta is truly a special place and I cannot wait to compete for championships.”
 
Holloway had a distinguished collegiate golf career at Illinois from 2010-14, competing under her maiden name, Ember Schuldt, and later played professionally for three seasons. In 2020, she was the assistant and interim head golf professional at Urbana Country Club in Illinois.  Prior to that, she worked as the senior assistant golf professional at Boot Ranch Golf Club in Fredericksburg, Texas.

A native of Sterling, Illinois, Holloway recorded the second-lowest career stroke average in the University of Illinois program history. Playing in over 50 career tournaments, she achieved ten topz10 and 20 top-20 finishes.

Holloway was the first Illinois golfer to participate in three NCAA Regionals and held the Illini’s lowest stroke average in 2013 and 2014. In her senior year, she was named second-team All-Big Ten after leading Illinois individually in six out of 11 tournaments, including a sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. Academically, she earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors as both a junior and a senior.

During her three seasons as a professional golfer, Holloway competed in 21 Symetra Tour events and 18 Cactus Tour events. She also qualified for two U.S. Women’s Amateurs and three U.S. Public Links Amateurs.
 

Fans of Jaguar Athletics can subscribe to the email listserv by clicking here. Fans can follow Augusta University at www.AugustaJags.com and receive short updates on Facebook at Augusta University Athletics and on Instagram at @AugustaJags
 

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump squared off in Thursday’s debate in Atlanta, some locals held watch parties around the CSRA.

The Republican party gathered at the Columbia County Party Headquarters, while the Democratic party gathered at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course.

The watch party is about showing up and standing up to watch what some consider a real debate.

“I think they’re having a real debate between two people and they’re the only two people in the room. It’s a real debate,” Democrat Franklin Williams.

It was the first time since 2020 that Biden and Trump faced each other on the same stage, and there were new rules in place to keep the candidates from interrupting each other.

“Necessary, very necessary. If you go back at those debates in 2020, those rules were necessary,” said Williams.

But others were curious about how the rule would work.

“It could be very interesting and might even have an impact on the way the results of the debate may go,” said Republican Trey Allen.

New rules or not, local supporters believe their respected candidate would perform well.

Viewers on both sides were watching Biden’s stama and Trump’s rhetoric.

“I ain’t worried about his age,” said Williams. “Age today ain’t what it used to be because we have better health care.”

Allen said: “I think Trump is gonna probably perform well but, again, I’m very curious to see what Trump shows up.”

Aside from the candidate’s personal performance, both sides were focused on different issues.

Williams said: “Why do we have a convicted person running for president?”

Allen said: “I’m looking forward to hearing that the plans are about the economy. I think inflation is something we are all concerned about but the standard topics are affecting us all.”

Ahead of the debate, we spoke with local voters on what they wanted to hear as Trump and Biden went head-to-head.

From overseas to here at home, it will be a heavily watched debate with a new set of rules.

It could be a pivotal night in the race for the White House.

With polls showing this to be a very close race, the stakes Thursday night are high with one in five voters telling Forbes they will be watching to decide who they will vote for in November.

What are voters from both parties listening for in Thursday’s debate?

People in Augusta have a lot to say about what they want to change but to sum it all up, people we spoke with want a cohesive plan to solve the financial squeeze many people in Augusta are feeling right now.

No matter the age, race or gender, people in Augusta seem to want the same thing — a better economy.

And on Thursday night, people want to hear genuine words from the candidates.

“Are they standing firm on their faith, or is it being more swayed by politics?” asked one Augusta resident.

Another resident said: “All candidates seem to sound very repetitive and robotic.”

It’s a debate that local political parties say is going to turn that tide for many people undecided.

“For those who are watching, it’s going to be very impactful because not only are you going to have die-hard Biden and Trump supporters you have a pretty good amount of people who are undecided,” Richmond County Democratic Party Chairman Jordan Johnson.

Columbia County Republican Party Public Relations Chair Ashley Lee said: “I think a lot of people’s minds are made up but there are still a lot of independents that go either way.”

In the end, everyone just says they want stability in the economy and direction, and they want it now.

“I am looking forward to hearing a plan for both sides because the plan right now is not working,” said a CSRA resident.

Other big issues people shared are control of immigration and the federal government using funds for the country first and not other countries.

Certainly, there are a lot of issues on the table that are on people’s minds, and they are waiting to hear what both candidates have to say.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.