CROSS COUNTRY
Following a record-setting season that was arguably the best in program history, Jones County officially celebrated its cross country program’s banner season with its annual awards banquet last Thursday.
And they welcomed an appropriately accoladed guest speaker to mark the occasion.
Grace Tinkey – regarded as the greatest middle- and high-school cross country runner in the history of the state of Georgia – was the guest speaker in an event capped off by recognition of runners for their accomplishments during a season in which both teams won a region title and placed in the top ten of the state meet.
Tinkey’s honors include being a three-time high school All American, three-time Foot Locker Cross Country Nationals qualifier, a four-time Georgia state cross country champion, member of the US National Cross Country team and a 2015 Division II All American and National Champion.
Thursday night actually came days prior to Tinkey’s induction this past weekend into the Georgia Track and field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“It’s an honor for all of us,” Tinkey said. “It’s taken a village to get me here.
It’s an accomplishment for everyone who has helped me get here.”
Tinkey, also a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force, imparted wisdom from her journey as a runner prior to taking questions from the crowd.
“I’m very honored to be able to,” Tinkey said of being able to address the Greyhounds and Lady Greyhounds. “High school running is a big reason that I am who I am today; it truly takes a village.
Anything that I can do to give back, I am all for it.”
Tinkey said she does not speak to high school-age audiences much, but when she does, it’s not hard to draw from her experience.
“Resilience and adversity, it’s about how you use that and believe that you can do anything that you put your mind to,” Tinkey said.
It was an added bonus for Tinkey, who was a standout in high school at FPD, to be there on a night where a team that held its own against teams from the Atlanta area was celebrated – something she recalls vividly in her earlier career.
“I love seeing Middle Georgia teams step up against the big dogs. I love seeing teams from where I am from show up big time,” Tinkey said.
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