For Waugh, it's time to partner up

With his introduction as Dalton State College’s athletic director on Wednesday, Derek Waugh joined the school’s Roadrunner mascot as the most identifiable personality for the reemergence of sports at the school.

Waugh is trying to make that personality an inviting one — not only for those on the campus on which he’ll operate, but for the high schools in Northwest Georgia that will be part of the recruiting grounds for his future coaches.

That’s because he knows good relationships are crucial from the start in this endeavor.

“Huge. Not only from a facilities standpoint, but dealing with the athletic directors and coaches, they will be a huge help to me,” Waugh said. “Fortunately in my background, that’s what I did for the past 15 years, is dealt with high schools and their athletic programs. So I think that will be a smooth transition.

“And, I want to emphasize to those schools, we are here to be nothing but a benefit to them. I think the more vibrant Dalton State College’s athletic programs are, the better the high schools can feed off of that. Again, this is a complete and total partnership, and I don’t want any part of Dalton to be left out of that.”

Waugh has indicated that basketball is likely to be among the first sports added by Dalton State. North Murray boys basketball coach Eric Bishop said he sees plenty to be gained from having the Roadrunners back in action after a layoff of more than 30 years.

“I think it’s great,” Bishop said. “I think it’s going to give some kids some more options that otherwise might not have them, or might not be willing to have them ... If that opportunity is available closer to home, it might change their minds.”

Bishop said having Dalton State on the recruiting trail will be beneficial even to those who aren’t offered an opportunity with the Roadrunners. Coaches talk scouting reports with each other, and names might be shared with other schools to expand a local player’s profile among colleges.

“The biggest thing with these kids is being able to know that somebody’s looking at them,” Bishop said. “For somebody locally to be looking at them is even better.”

Northwest Whitfield girls basketball coach Greg Brown thinks area schools will be good for Dalton State, too.

“I really think it’s great for girls basketball, mainly because the options for Northwest Georgia when it comes to college basketball are limited,” Brown said. “I think they’re going to be successful in the tri-state area if they can just recruit in Northwest Georgia and go over into Chattanooga and Northeast Alabama. ... I think this (recruiting area) could really be a diamond in the rough. Recruiting-wise, we’ve got the talent in this area.”

Waugh must be a good ambassador for sports on campus, too.

In 2010, Dalton State students were supportive enough of the return of sports to approve an athletic fee of $50 per student per semester — more than officials had asked for — with the collection of the fee starting last semester. On Wednesday afternoon, shortly after Waugh’s introductory press conference on campus, students talked about what having a team might mean to them.

Justin Coates, a freshman from Chickamauga who graduated from Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe, said he grew accustomed to having an athletic program to support in high school. It’s something he has missed in college.

“It would be nice to have something like that, just to have a team to root for,” Coates said.

Waugh talked during Wednesday’s press conference about including some “emerging sports” like crew in the school’s athletic program. William Robinson, a freshman from LaFayette, said that could make a difference in attracting students to participate.

“People that might not have been interested in sports in high school might find an interest in those sports because they’re different,” Robinson said.

“That would be great, because more people would want to be athletes.”

Sunny Patel, a sophomore from Dalton who attended Waugh’s press conference, said he’s glad to see athletics coming back.

“It means a lot, even though I don’t play any sports officially, for other people who want to go out and try something,” Patel said. “Especially at (Dalton State), where we don’t have any of that stuff.”

But having intercollegiate sports has been important to Dalton State College President John Schwenn since his tenure started a little more than four years ago.

“Everyone I’ve talked to has been very excited that we are finally bringing back athletics,” he said Wednesday. “... It’s taken a few years, but here we are.”

Waugh said it’s important to him for the school’s athletic program to be tied into the surrounding area, and he’s hoping for a partnership that will benefit both Dalton State and the community. And he knows that while his eagerness is important to getting sports going, he can’t do it by himself when it comes to supporting the Roadrunners.

“The bandwagon is wide open,” he said. “There’s plenty of space. You don’t want to be one of those that jumps on later.”

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