The Game Plan By Charles Prince

The North Jefferson News



I’m sure by now, most of our readers have heard about the horrible tragedy last Thursday involving the Hayden cheerleading squad.

I meet one of the three victims just two weeks before the car wreck.

It was a short meeting, it lasted only five or six minutes, but it made an impression on me.

Courtney Niceley, who was a member of the Hayden softball and girl’s basketball team as well as being a varsity cheerleader, was selected by Hayden head basketball coach John Simmons as the senior player I should feature in our Athlete You Should Know section to accompany our preview story for the Lady Wildcat’s basketball team.

When all the questions had been answered, Courtney thanked me for my time.

I replied that she didn’t have to thank me for that. I put out my hand to shake hers, but she leaned over and hugged me.

I’ve seen a lot of prejudice against people who are overweight, like myself, but she didn’t have any such bias.

To me Courtney seemed to have the right demeanor to really go places in life. She was well-spoken and she had a huge infectious smile.

I doubt if anyone who met Courtney will ever forget her.



Friday will be ladies’ night

In the newspaper business, the deadline is everything. You have to make deadline.

At The North Jefferson News, our deadlines are set by by the printing department at our sister paper, The Cullman Times.

Our paper, although produced here in our office, is printed on the printing press at The Cullman Times.

Actually, a total of five papers are printed in Cullman—The North Jefferson News, The Cullman Times, Athen’s paper The News Courier, The Leeds News and The St. Clair New Aegis.

Due to the volume of papers to be printed there, the deadlines for each paper are staggered, so that no bottle necks occur in the printing process. Because of these different deadlines, our sports section will feature a Girl’s Basketball Game of the Week in Saturday’s paper and a Boy’s Game of the Week in Wednesday’s paper.

My deadline on Friday night’s is two hours earlier than my deadline on Tuesday night’s.

Last week, in order to meet my deadline I had to leave Fultondale gym right after the Lady Wildcats game with Gardendale ended.

Wouldn’t you know it, several people noticed me leave. I got four e-mails asking me why I had left. They all wondered why I didn’t stay and cover the boy’s game. If you were there and wondered the same thing, now you know.

I was able to get several girls games from Friday night into Saturday’s paper and I will attempt to continue to do so, but I’ll be leaving right after the girls game concludes on Friday’s and the boys will have to wait until Tuesday night to be featured in the game of the week.