Coaching ‘Coop’

by NAT HARWELL

I was coaching at Conyers Middle School in 1996 when I learned through the grapevine that some people in high places wondered if I would be interested in inaugurating the football program at the brand-new Indian Creek Middle School. For me, it was a no-brainer. I knew those seventh- and eighth-grade kids composed perhaps the greatest batch of athletes to come through the system in one group—ever.

Their team picture still hangs on a wall at Indian Creek. After an undefeated regular season, we won the semifinal playoff game before falling to powerhouse Henry County in the championship. I ran a simple offense built on the wing-T, which featured tailback powers, sweeps and devastating inside traps and end-around plays. Our Panthers were talented, deep, coachable and had great parental support, and I had three wonderful assistant coaches. It was a recipe for success.

Trap plays in middle school were not widely anticipated back then, and our opponents were not always apt at recognizing them. However, effective traps require a quick and fearless pulling guard who hits like a freight train. My pulling guard was Matt Cooper. He signed my championship football simply as “Coop.” Coaching him and that offense provided me with pure, unbridled joy.

A few years later, Cooper and a best friend, Matt Tyree, were in my wife’s science class at Eastside High School when passenger jets flew into the World Trade Center in New York and The

Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The two Matts reached across the aisle, clenched hands and decided then and there to enlist in the United States Army to right that wrong. They became one of the highest-rated sniper teams in the world. Upon returning to civilian life, Tyree entered the medical field as an EMT, while Cooper decided to defend and protect the people he loved as a Covington Police Department officer. They served freedom abroad and now desired to serve their own hometown.

One afternoon, as I worked on a manuscript, I got a phone call from my wife. She informed me that a Covington policeman had been shot and that the identity was being withheld. Five minutes later, I found myself leaning against my

Jeep outside the police department, unable to stop sobbing. A cop in a cruiser stopped by and attempted to console me. I asked him to tell me if the officer down was “Coop.” He told me he could not and went inside. A few minutes later, he came out and started to drive off but stopped and asked if I was under control. Awash in emotion, I explained that I had coached a few officers and simply begged him to tell me who was down.

“It’s Coop,” he said.

I had prayed fervently before, but the prayers I offered to God that day were the sincerest I had ever uttered. Parents are never supposed to bury their children, and the same holds true for coaches and their players. Thankfully, we were spared that experience.

‘It Takes a Village’

Matt has an interesting approach to talking about “the accident” with Noah and Natalie. The kids have heard others mention his having been shot, being a hero and so forth. “I tell them,” Matt said with a laugh, “hey, not everybody’s dad gets to get shot. Not everybody’s dad gets to be a hero.” Kristen rolls her eyes at the quip. “Everyone close to the situation knows about the many miracles which unfolded to keep Matt alive and to bring him through this,” she said, “but there are things that transpire—even now—that truly humble us both. People will show up and provide those random acts of kindness which aren’t expected, which makes them even more special. My parents, Matt’s parents… there are no words to express how great they’ve been.”

In fact, both of Kristen’s parents got involved in the medical field. Her father was studying in a nurse practitioner course and knew a specialist in cardiac and thoracic care at Emory. It became necessary to transfer Matt from Grady to Emory but only if a cardiac or thoracic care physician would sign off on it. James asked, the Emory specialist agreed and one more miracle in a chain of miracles occurred.

To see Matt and Kristen Cooper as merely remarkable people would not do them justice. The series of events befalling this young couple would be more than enough to buckle even the heartiest of people, test the faith of anyone and would at times appear just too overwhelming to contemplate. Yet through their renewed faith in God and with the support of loved ones and friends, they are making it work.

“It takes a village,” Kristen said with a sigh. “It really does.”

As for me, I think of an eighth-grade football player who was as rock-solid as any kid I ever coached. I remember my wife telling me on the dreadful day of Sept. 11, 2001 that Matt and his buddy, Matt Tyree, had decided to join the Army and serve their country. I think of the Covington police officer and the banner emblazoned with “148” we flew on our front porch during his recovery from “the accident.” Now, in a new chapter, as I reflect on this loving couple facing down adversity on a daily basis, I am reminded of yet another passage of scripture, this from the book of Isaiah, Chapter 6, Verse 8, which I believe sums up the courage evident in the lives of Matt and Kristen Cooper: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ And I said: ‘Here am I; send me.’”

by MICHELL FLOYD

Although Crystal Sanders has endured numerous obstacles in her life, she serves as a success story to many. She faced a difficult path as a high-school dropout who struggled to find stable work. Now, she devotes her time to sharing the resources she discovers with others. Sanders’ search for help as a Covington newcomer led her to connect with the Newton County Housing Authority, a GED program at Georgia Piedmont Technical College and Newton Family Connection—a 501(c)3 nonprofit collaborative of the Georgia Family Connection Partnership.

The state established GFCP in 1996 to meet the needs of families and children. Executive director Laura Bertram and program director Mollie Melvin operate Newton Family Connection, which serves as a clearinghouse of resources for individuals and organizations in the community. Bertram met Sanders some five years ago when she came to take parenting classes with the organization. She continues to be impressed with Sanders’ drive to make a successful life for herself and her two children.

“She took so much initiative herself,” Bertram said. “She’s such a forward-thinking individual and totally confident and willing to accept any help given to her.”

Bertram recalls when Sanders participated in an eight-week “Mom and Me” program that helps improve literacy skills. She was the only one at that time who took all of the classes and practiced skills at home.

“We get a lot of calls, and we don’t have funding for utilities, rent and so forth, but we try to refer them and connect them to resources,” said Bertram, who encourages citizens to volunteer with the Salvation Army and other organizations that assist local families. “We are cognizant of the needs of families who are in special situations, like single parents who are involved in resource courts, parents raising small children and the homeless. We are letting people know what they can do to help.”

Newton Family Connection led Sanders to facilitate training and reading events in conjunction with the Newton County Health Department. She also promotes the program to her neighbors and other parents she meets at the health department and elsewhere.

“We invited her to go and be a leader to teach us to be successful,” Bertram said.

In addition, Sanders participated in the Bridges Out of Poverty program with the Newton County School System. It pairs members of the low-income community with a middle-class mentor to help them learn about and coordinate resources. “She’s truly a competent and dedicated worker,” Bertram said, “and she is so dedicated to her kids.” Sanders, who dropped out of high school in Kentucky during her senior year, admits she now has a better understanding of navigating her future using resources in the community.

“I see what resources that I qualify for,” she said, “and I hope more families will get connected to assist them in ways I never knew.”

Sanders struggled to pass multiple sections on the GED test and later discovered it was due to a previously undiagnosed learning disability. When she began to take GED courses again, she learned that she had enough high school credits to exempt the exam. A new state program allows passing Georgia Piedmont Technical College students to bypass the GED test through a certificate program.

“I was thrilled and overjoyed,” Sanders said. “The GED test hinders so many people that drop out of high school, and so many [leaders] don’t focus on the reasons that they drop out. They may be frustrated or have a shortcoming, so people drop out [without] getting the help they really need or knowing they have an issue.”

Once Sanders completes her certificate program, she hopes to secure a long-term job, possibly in computer science. She also wants to find stable housing for her family and strongly encourages her daughter to finish high school.

“I want her to be guided,” Sanders said. “She can figure out her career pursuits she wants to embark on when she gets out of high school.”

Sanders joins Bertram in nudging others toward volunteering wherever they can.

“I’ve been trying to get more people to go get help instead of the route I took,” said Sanders, who linked arms with Newton Family Connection through the housing authority. “A lot of people at that age think they know everything, but if you don’t have a trade or a paper, you won’t get to the other side.”

Newton Family Connection helps adoptive and foster families, people in emergency situations and anyone who needs assistance with food, housing, utilities, transportation or other resources. The group facilitates connections between citizens and helpful organizations in and around the community. It welcomes volunteers and invites people to learn more by visiting www.nwtnfamilyconnection.org.