CSD Athletics: Bulldog News

Bulldog Families,

A huge thank you for your patience, flexibility, and positivity this week!! While unique, fun, and picturesque, this weather has created many challenges for us to navigate as a group. We are grateful to our coaches for their communication with parents and student-athletes as they continue to adjust plans and reschedule events. Reworking this many cancellations takes creativity and resilience and we appreciate everyone's support as we adjust. Be on the lookout for new dates and times. We hope everyone will find time to come support our students and coaches at an event as soon as it is safe to do so!!

Spring sport parents, thank you for your diligence in updating DragonFly profiles. If you need assistance, please reach out to your coach and Mr. Harbin (dharbin@csdecatur.net) for support. We want to ensure that all of our students who are interested in participating in tryouts are cleared.

Finally, we are looking forward to our Run With the Dogs Road Race fundraiser on Saturday morning. See below for details. Given roads are safe, we hope that you will join in for the fun and fundraising!!

There is always a lot to celebrate in CSD Athletics. If you have any questions or need guidance relating to our programs, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Go Bulldogs!!

Director of Activities & Athletics: Rodney Thomas

(rthomas@csdecatur.net)

Assistant Activities & Athletics Director: David Harbin

(dharbin@csdecatur.net)

Bookkeeper & Administrative Assistant: Kelli Aaron

(kaaron@csdecatur.net)

While the weather certainly feels like Winter, our Spring sports are preparing for tryouts this month. Please note the start dates below and click the link for more information about each sport. If you have questions, contact our coaches for details. Remember, students must have an updated medical profile in DragonFly to participate.

Jan. 21 - BHMS Girls' Soccer **Adjusted due to weather - See communication from Coach Herriot

Jan. 27 - DHS Baseball, Gymnastics, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Tennis, Track & Field

See more complete details HERE.

Congratulations to Gabriel Westry. Gabriel, DHS Senior Baseball player, committed to continuing his athletic and academic career at Morehouse College. We are proud of Gabriel and all that he has accomplished as a student-athlete at DHS and look forward to cheering him on at Morehouse! Thank you, Gabriel, for allowing us to share in this celebrated accomplishment with you and your family.

We are proud to announce that Isaac Klein and Kimball Bryant have been selected to the Preseason Team of the Year by the Georgia Athletic Coaches Association (GACA)! This prestigious recognition is a testament to their exceptional talent, hard work, and dedication to our program. Both players have demonstrated outstanding leadership and skill, and we look forward to seeing their continued impact on the field this season. Congratulations, Isaac and Kimball, on this incredible honor!

Great job to our DHS Baseball program. As a team, the Bulldogs picked up and recycled over 100 trees in the Decatur Community!! Thank you to everyone who supported our Baseball Bulldogs in this fundraiser! We are looking forward to a fun and exciting season this Spring.

DHS Tennis Tryouts will take place from Jan. 27-29. Tryouts on Monday will be held at Dekalb Tennis Center. Tuesday and Wednesday's tryouts will be at Glenlake Park. See the flyer linked here for more information!

Please contact Coach Messer with questions (dmesser@csdecatur.net)

Interested in playing girls' Ultimate Frisbee? The DHS Girls' Ultimate Frisbee team is looking for new and experienced players for its 2025 season! We are hosting interest meetings on December 18 at 5pm at the Agnes Scott and on January 9 at 6pm at DHS Stadium. No-cut tryouts to determine V and JV will be held on January 12 and 15. Please complete this form to show your interest. For more information on interest meetings, clinics and tryouts visit www.decaturultimate.com or email Keri Chayavadhanangkur (chaya.keri@gmail.com)!

The forecast looks great for a run, and our goal is to get 600 registrants for the Run With the Dogs 5K and Pup Trot on January 25.

In addition to being a Peachtree Road Race qualifier and great community event, all proceeds go to support team play needs for 1,100+ athletes on 57 teams, representing 19 sports at DHS and BHMS. All that and you get an amazing t-shirt designed by Decatur's own Adam Pinsley!

Bib Pick Up at Fleet Feet

• Thursday, Jan. 23: 3-5 p.m.
• Friday, Jan. 24: 4-7 p.m.

Onsite registration is available. And be sure to visit all our wonderful sponsor tables!

2025 Run With the Dogs Sponsors:

Event Sponsors

Decatur FC

Green Orthodontics

Presenting Sponsors

Amy Widener, Realtor

Body 20 Decatur

Associate Sponsors

Fleet Feet Decatur

Gracie Jiu Jitsu Decatur

M. Cary and Daughters Plumbing

The Law Office of Ken Lanier

Plans are underway for another super-fun event to raise money for Decatur Athletics -- The Bulldog Bash!

This year's event is on March 22 at Independent Distilling Company. There will be a live, online auction featuring everything from artwork and experiences to trips, restaurant gift cards, tickets for sporting events, self care and lots more.

Do you have a connection, a talent, a vacation home or something unique that can help us raise money for our student athletes? If so, please fill out this form!

And, save the date for the event on March 22!

Boosters offers ticket packs that are good for any game* throughout the year at Decatur High School and Beacon Hill Middle School. Click HERE to choose your level, and Go Bulldogs!

(*Excludes away games and playoff games.)

Watch the game while also raising money for your team. Any DBB-supported sport can earn up to $100 per game by encouraging their athletes to manage concessions.

• $20 per volunteer per game
• Max: 5 volunteers per game
• DBB pays quarterly payouts to the Athletics Play Fund for each participating sport

Sign up HERE!

We appreciate all of our local families and companies who step up to support our Bulldogs every year!!

Learn more about how you can become a Bulldog Sponsor for the 2024-25 school year by clicking the button below.

Check out the new Bulldog spirit wear, which will be on sale during home football games at the Decatur Bulldog Booster table. New styles and items are being printed as you read this, so check back often to make sure your Bulldog apparel hasn't turned into vintage wear!

Stay in the know on all things Boosters by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

@Decatur Bulldog Boosters

@rwtd5k

@decaturbulldogbash

Friday, Jan. 24 - Varsity Basketball vs. Lakeside - 6:00 PM

Saturday, Jan. 25 - JV Basketball vs. Chamblee - 10:00 AM

Friday, Jan. 31 - Varsity Basketball vs. Shiloh - 6:00 PM

Feb. 5-7 - GHSA State Swim Championships

This year, we are excited to highlight our student-athletes and the value they bring to their teams and our school community!

We are blessed to have so many thoughtful and dedication coaches supporting our student-athletes. We will use this space to highlight different coaches each week!

Here's a feel good story from Women's College Basketball: When TCU women's basketball faced a roster shortage and was on the brink of canceling their season one year ago, walk-on Ella Hamlin, along with a few others, participated in an open tryout to fill out the roster, stepping up to help a team in a time of need. One year later, it is obvious Hamlin's selflessness and commitment left a profound impact on her teammates and coaches, who recognized her value beyond statistics. In a heartfelt gesture, she was awarded a full scholarship, a testament to the team's appreciation for her courage and willingness to step into an unfamiliar role. Her story celebrates the importance of recognizing and valuing those who take risks and make a difference behind the scenes. Here's to those who play valuable roles on their team in ways that don't always show up on the scoreboard or the stat book and to the teammates and coaches who celebrate them!

"Celebrating the Under-frogs"

The role of an athlete's parent is challenging for many reasons! Finding opportunities for your child to participate, encouraging them to take risks, celebrating their accomplishments, supporting them through various challenges... It adds up and can take a toll. This resource from the Positive Coaching Alliance emphasizes the importance of building a partnership with your child's coach and provides helpful strategies to do so. There are many valuable lessons our students can learn through sports, many of which are not fun or easy to learn, and having adults who are working together makes the challenging times beneficial!

Tips for a Positive Parent/Caregiver-Coach Partnership

This year, the Bulldogs are partnering again with the Positive Coaching Alliance to enhance the experience of our students, coaches, and Bulldog families. The PCA has a vast number of resources that can help us make the most of our experience.

This resource is an activity we shared last year that aims at helping students and their families determine what their goals are as student-athletes. This exercise can spark some important conversations about how families decide to navigate this experience. Making sure everyone is on the same page about what desired outcomes can help to create a positive experience!

"What are YOUR Youth Sport Goals? Parent/Caregiver 100 Point Exercise"