CSD Athletics: Bulldog News

Bulldog Families,

We have an exciting and busy week ahead! Next Friday, we are looking forward to hosting everyone for the Homecoming game on Friday night. The week of festivities, the homecoming parade, and the football game bring together our community, current, past, and present Bulldogs, and we hope you will join!

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)

On Friday morning, our DHS cheerleaders brought some additional spirit to the Oakhurst Community Circle! Along with Spike and Oakie, the cheerleaders helped to create some special Bulldog memories for our Future Bulldogs in CSD. Great job to everyone who helped to make this happen for our students!

Tryouts for our JV and Varsity Flag Football teams at Decatur High School will be held on September 9th and 10th. Tryouts will be from 4-6 pm at the DHS Stadium. Students must have an updated medical profile in DragonFly to participate.

If you have any questions, contact Coach Paul (apaul@csdecatur.net)

This weekend, our DHS Cross Country team traveled to Jekyll Island for a weekend of coastal running. Our students represented DHS well, both on the course and off! Congratulations to our Girls' team who finished in 3rd place. On top of some impressive racing in the south GA heat, our teams were able to bond as a group in the Jekyll island sand and sun!

Our DHS Softball team continue to compete in Region play. After three challenging games, the Bulldogs Region record is 3-2. Most recently, the Bulldogs defeated Arabia Mountain before falling to Chamblee and Lakeside. The Bulldogs will host Woodward on Thursday at McKoy Park. Come out to support the Bulldogs in another important region matchup!

Click the link HERE for game write-ups

CONGRATULATIONS to all of our athletes for a job well done this past Saturday at the AT&T Starrs Mill Cross Country meet in Fayetteville. Out of 12 teams, the girls took 1st place, and out of 16 teams, the boys took home 3rd place. In addition, several athletes ran personal bests.

Click HERE for a full list of top 25 finishers

Bulldog Fans! The Decatur High School Cheerleaders have an exciting opportunity for you to support their program and show your Decatur spirit!

We have a special Lululemon shop where you can be game-day-ready by purchasing your favorite items with Decatur logos. The shop is open from August 30 - September 9.

Click here for the store and use access code uhZXSBbpkU to shop.

Thank you for shopping and supporting the DHS Cheerleaders!

All students interested in participating in Swim & Dive at DHS and BHMS should plan to attend the Interest Meeting on September 10. The meeting will be hosted in the BHMS Cafeteria at 6 PM. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Randall (mrandall@csdecatur.net)

Already in the holiday spirit?! Order your poinsettia and support the Decatur Bulldogs. All proceeds go to our Flag Football and Boys' Lacrosse programs. Follow the link below to order. All orders will be processed on October 21st.

Poinsettia Fundraiser

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!

Head to Legacy Park on Friday, Sept. 6 from 5-9 p.m. for a fun family evening of live music and community! We’ll have some of CSD’s amazing community circle bands bringing the tunes – you bring your school spirit! The school with the largest percentage of school representation will win a music grant, along with a trophy (and bragging rights, of course)! We’ll have food vendors and sweet treats to supplement your picnic.

*If cost is an issue, please email Drew@DecaturEducationFoundation.org.

Purchase tickets for adults HERE (kids enter free)!

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

@Decatur Bulldog Boosters

@rwtd5k

@decaturbulldogbash

Thursday, September 5 - JV Football vs. Newton - 6:00 PM

Thursday, September 5 - JV/V Volleyball vs. Midtown

Thursday, September 5 - V Softball vs. Woodward - 5:30 PM

Friday, September 6 - V Football vs. Stephenson - 7:30 PM

Saturday, September 7 - BHMS Football vs. Bunche - 10:00 AM

Monday, September 9 - BHMS Volleyball vs. Stone Mountain - 5:30 PM

Tuesday, September 10 - V Volleyball vs. Tri-Cities/Shiloh

Tuesday, September 10 - JV Volleyball vs. Wesleyan/Dunwoody

Tuesday, September 10 - BHMS Volleyball vs. Stephenson - 5:00 PM

Thursday, September 12 - V Volllyeball vs. Lakeside - 5:30 PM (Senior Night)

Thursday, September 12 - BHMS Volleyball vs. Howard - 4:30 PM

Friday, September 13 - V Football vs. Chamblee - 7:30 PM (Homecoming)

Saturday, September 14 - BHMS Football vs. Young - 10:00 AM

Saturday, September 14 - BHMS Volleyball vs. Champion/Salem - 9:00 AM

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

Coach Felton is a dedicated Football coach, who as also served as a Wrestling coach here in CSD. At DHS, he also serves as a PE teacher. With 15 years of coaching experience, including 12 at CSD, Coach Felton has built a career around inspiring and guiding young athletes. One of his favorite memories is winning the Region Championship in 2022 on a thrilling Hail Mary pass with time expiring. He admires the resilience of his athletes and draws inspiration from their determination. "I was always a helper," he shares, explaining how coaching became a natural path for him to make a difference in students' lives. His favorite sports movie is Remember the Titans, a story that resonates with his values. For Coach Felton, the most rewarding part of coaching is seeing his athletes succeed in life, applying the principles he's helped instill. A fun fact that might surprise his athletes is that he holds three degrees! We are grateful to have Coach Felton in our community leading our Football program and guiding our youth!

This weekend, a team from Florida defeated Chinese Taipei in the Championship of the Little League World Series. The closely contested game went to extra innings after both teams scored only one. The game ended on a dramatic play in the bottom of the eighth inning that gave Florida a one run lead and the victory. As you will see, and as we've seen before, ending like this on the biggest stage, provide us with both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. What is most impressive about this video is the sportsmanship displayed by the Florida team, almost immediately consoling their opponents. In competition, it is difficult but important to remember that without opponents, there is no game, no race, no match. This level of respect for an opponent is great to see from young athletes and something we must continue to emphasize, teach, and reward.

Sportsmanship in the Little League World Series

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

The Olympics provided so many stories of great achievements. As sports fans, we know where there is great joy, there is often disappointment. This video shows a quick conversation between a father and his daughter after a disappointing finish in synchronized swimming. Praising effort. Showing pride. Providing encouragement to continue to work hard and improve. Even at the highest levels, our athletes benefit from positive reinforcement from the adults who care for them.

The Moment a Father Consoles Daughter After Missing out on Olympic Medal

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"