Georgia
Harris County Champs look to make a splash in Georgia Special Olympics
HAMILTON, Ga. (WTVM) – The Harris County Champs are “rocking and bowling” into their inaugural season.
From the bowling lane to the swimming lane, this group is set to make waves in the Special Olympics.
“To see the joy on their faces, it’s just priceless,” said Angela Pavlakos, management team chair of Harris County Special Olympics.
Pavlakos said she helped start the Harris County Champs to get kids with special needs out of the house, including her son, Jacob, who has autism. She explained while living in Chicago, Jacob was exposed to many opportunities with adaptive sports, but that all changed when she moved to the south.
“When we first moved to Georgia, there was nothing here for us, especially in Harris County,” she said. “So he really suffered; didn’t have anything to participate in. Now that this is up and running, he is so happy, he’s active and it’s a nice change. The personality, and his self confidence, and the friendships.”
Speaking of friends, there are currently 20 Harris County Champs. Guys and girls ages 8-and-up can join, no matter the skill level.
“I wanted to join Special Oympics because I wanted to see my friends over summer, before school started back up,” said Champ Devin.
He also gave me a few tips on how to throw only strikes. He says it’s all about the “spin”.
Champ Jordan is both a bowler and a swimmer, but says he prefers bowling because just like Devin, he rolls strikes.
What’s an athlete without a coach? For this squad, it’s all volunteer coaches, like Gary Krannacker. His son, Luke, is also on the team and tells me there’s no better feeling than watching the athlete hit their mark.
“We’re improving week over week and seeing a lot of good strides being made by all of the athletes, including Luke,” Krannacker said.
As a volunteer coach, most of the costs come out of pocket. Pavlakos said this is where the community comes in and lends a helping hand.
“All of our donors, God bless them, they have contributed beautifully to make this possible,” she explained. “The facility makes this possible by giving us a reduced rate, and some of the other facilities have no charge. It’s a blessing in the community for all of these people to come together and do this for these kids.”
The Champs are still actively recruiting players and coaches. If you’d like to get involved, send an email to this address: harriscountychamps@gmail.com or find them on Facebook.
Copyright 2024 WTVM. All rights reserved.
They were designed to hold a drink, but cups produced in Rome, Georgia, have become one of the FIFA Men’s World Cup’s most unexpected souvenirs.
Inside the Top Cup plant in Rome, millions of cups were created to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event.
“We made 10 million over 70 different graphics for the World Cup,” said Rome native and Top Cup General Manager Zach Dixon.
The plant in north Georgia produces up to 750,000 cups a day.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup … but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Top Cup CEO David Cuthbert.
Fans have been taking them home from matches. Some have even been listed for sale online.
“We’ve always been really proud of the cup… but the World Cup has obviously taken it to another level,” said Cuthbert.
Dixon said they begin the process with massive coils of aluminum, each weighing about 30,000 pounds. The metal is stamped, stretched, washed, and moved down the line.
The plant produces about 1,100 cups every minute.
Ricardo Marques, the senior vice president of marketing for Michelob ULTRA, said that there have been venue-specific, match-specific, and Finals-specific stadium cups for the World Cup. There are also three separate red, white, and blue designs available for fans at bars and restaurants around the U.S.
“We’ve seen an incredible response to the collection. Together, these commemorative cups give fans a unique keepsake and a lasting reminder of an unforgettable FIFA World Cup experience and the moments that brought millions of people together through the world’s game,” Marques said.
Cuthbert said his company has seen how the World Cup has done wonders for metro Atlanta businesses.
“Our team in Rome, Georgia takes tremendous pride in helping bring this fan experience to life for one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” he said.
So when soccer fans celebrate the surprise victory or mourn their last-minute loss, they’re doing so with a little piece of Georgia.
Athlon Sports projected the best SEC games for each week of the 2026 regular season.
The conference features some of the most compelling matchups in all of college football, from opening weekend through rivalry week. The selections emphasize games anticipated to have the biggest impact on the SEC championship race and College Football Playoff picture.
Florida’s annual clash with Georgia was tabbed as one of the SEC’s premier fixtures. The game has grown in national significance since it began in 1904, continuing as a battle of blue-blood programs that routinely produces iconic results. The game temporarily moves to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta during the Jacksonville stadium renovations.
The Jon Sumrall era carries with it an increasing sense of belief — many experts see the Gators as a dark-horse CFB playoff contender. Regardless of its final win-loss record, UF will play a part in shaping the season’s narrative as they face several post-season favorites in Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma.
Noted in the article is the SEC’s depth and newly implemented nine-game conference schedule. Georgia, Texas, Alabama and LSU appear multiple times on this list, with Georgia facing Alabama in Week 6 and Ole Miss in Week 10 while LSU hosts Clemson in Week 1 and will see Texas in Week 11 take on Alabama.
Many contenders from the SEC face multiple nationally relevant foes over the course of the season.
Athlon Sports’ Best game for every week of the 2026 season
- Week 1: Clemson at LSU (Sept. 5)
- Week 2: Ohio State at Texas (Sept. 12)
- Week 3: LSU at Ole Miss (Sept. 19)
- Week 4: Oklahoma at Georgia (Sept. 26)
- Week 5: Auburn at Tennessee (Oct. 3)
- Week 6: Georgia at Alabama (Oct. 10)
- Week 7: Alabama at Tennessee (Oct. 17)
- Week 8: Ole Miss at Texas (Oct. 24)
- Week 9: Florida vs. Georgia (Atlanta) (Oct. 31)
- Week 10: Georgia at Ole Miss (Nov. 7)
- Week 11: Texas at LSU (Nov. 14)
- Week 12: Texas A&M at Oklahoma (Nov. 21)
- Week 13: Texas at Texas A&M (Friday) (Nov. 27)
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
-
Utah2 minutes agoMuslim man stabbed at Utah mall over his religion, authorities say
-
Vermont8 minutes agoBen & Jerry’s Foundation says it will shut down amid legal dispute with parent company – VTDigger
-
Virginia14 minutes agoDrought emergency declared for parts of Virginia; governor warns of water restrictions
-
Washington20 minutes agoTrump fires WA US Attorney within an hour
-
Wisconsin26 minutes agoWisconsin Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for July 15, 2026
-
West Virginia32 minutes agoConcerned West Virginians speak out against proposed Monongalia County power plant – WV MetroNews
-
Wyoming38 minutes agoJuly 15 recap: Wyoming news you may have missed today
-
Crypto44 minutes agoLuno Pushes South Africa to Rewrite Crypto Rules Through Parliament, Not Proclamation
