CSD Athletics: Bulldog News

Bulldog Families,

It's nearly time to (officially) celebrate!! We are looking forward to celebrating with all of our Bulldog coaches and parents at the Bulldog Bash on March 22. If you have not already done so, see the link in our DBB section to purchase your tickets. This is a great community event and a key fundraiser for all of our CSD athletic programs.

As we always say, 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. Thanks for your support. 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)

Decatur High School is proud to celebrate the induction of former Athletic Director Carter Wilson into the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Hall of Fame. A DHS alumnus, Coach Wilson dedicated his career to shaping student-athletes and promoting excellence in high school athletics. Serving as Decatur’s AD from 1999 to 2017, his leadership left a lasting impact on our programs, facilities, and community. His tireless work at the local, state, and national levels has now earned him one of the highest honors in interscholastic athletics. Congratulations, Coach Wilson, on this well-deserved recognition!

We're wrapping up a great cheer season at DHS and already, it's time to begin preparing for next year! Please see the flyer for details about the Interest Meeting. All aspiring cheerleaders will meet with our coaches on March 17 at 4 PM to discuss tryouts and expectations. This is for all rising 9th-12th grade students.

Congratulations to our Girls' and Boys' Track & Field teams. Both teams competed in the Dekalb County / Atlanta Public Schools Track Challenge this weekend. Our Girls' team walked away as RUNNERS-UP in 2nd place, with some 1st, 2nd, 5th,, and other top 8 finishes along with many athletes getting a personal best in their throws, jumps, and races. Great job, Bulldogs!

Congratulations to our DHS Literary Team! The Bulldogs finished second in the Region 4-5A competition and will send a number of students to the State Meet. See below for our State Competitors:

Decatur Winners of Regionals, Going to State:

Extemporaneous Speaking: Domestic: Eva Hamilton

Extemporaneous Speaking: International: Camillo Saravia

Argumentative Essay: Prachi Patel

Personal Essay: Kendal Henderson

Literary Analysis Essay: Abigail Lancaster

Congratulations to our Basketball teams! The Region-4 5A All-Region Team was announced at the Region Tournament last week. 5 of our Bulldogs were recognized for their outstanding play throughout the season in Region-4 competition! Great job to these individuals, their teammates, and their coaches who have dedicated a lot of time and energy towards these impressive accolades!

Boys’ Basketball:

Bryce Howson – Jr. – 1st Team All-Region

Jason Welborn – Jr. – 1st Team All-Region

Girls’ Basketball:

Bailey Butler – Jr. – Honorable Mention

Ryan Elmadi – So. Honorable Mention

Nadiya Mohamed – So. Honorable Mention

Congratulations to our Beacon Hill Middle School basketball teams. Both teams had two players selected to the Dekalb County All-Star team!! Our Bulldogs will compete in the All-Star game on March 1. We are proud of these Bulldogs, their teammates, and their coaches. These awards not only recognize individual talents but also the effort and accomplishments of the entire team.

Leighellen Lucas – 8th Grade

Stella Rucker – 7th Grade

Hugh Olandt – 8th Grade

Hollis Rucker – 8th Grade

Congratulations to Landon Lockhart-Keener who has committed to continue his academic and athletic career at the collegiate level. Landon will attend the University of Kentucky and join their national powerhouse Rugby program. We enjoyed watching Landon play football this year at DHS and look forward to his continued success as a Wildcat! Great job, Landon.

This year's Bulldog Bash 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. Plus, Hapa Kitchen will be serving up delicious Hawaiian comfort cuisine. All proceeds go to support Decatur Athletics, including more than 1,100 student athletes, on 57 teams, representing 19 sports at DHS and BHMS. Purchase tickets here.

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

Thursday, Mar. 6 - V Girls' Lacrosse ITP Tournament - 5:55/7:30 PM

Friday, Mar. 7 - V Boys' Lacrosse ITP Tournament - 6:30 PM

Friday, Mar. 7 - BHMS Soccer vs. Howard - 5:15 PM

Saturday, Mar. 8 - V Girls' Lacrosse ITP Tournament

Monday, Mar. 10 - V Baseball vs. Dunwoody - 5:55 PM

Monday, Mar. 10 - JV/V Lacrosse vs. Parkview - 5:55 PM

Monday, Mar. 10 - 9 Boys' Soccer vs. Providence (Ebster) - 5:00 PM

Tuesday, Mar. 11 - V Soccer vs. Alpharetta - 6:00 PM

Tuesday, Mar. 11 - JV Baseball vs. Collins Hill - 5:30 PM

Thursday, Mar. 13 - V Baseball vs. Dunwoody - 5:55 PM

Thursday, Mar. 13 - V Tennis vs. Chamblee - 4:00 PM

Friday, Mar. 14 - JV/V Girls' Lacrosse vs. River Ridge - 6:00/7:30 PM

Friday, Mar. 14 - BHMS Soccer vs. Drew Charter - 5:00 PM

Saturday, Mar. 15 - JV Boys' Lacrosse vs. Lakeside/Mill Creek - TBD

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

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"