Sorinex
06-01-2007, 02:05 PM
Honoring a Raider
Howarth fund provides new equipment in son's memory
By Travis M. Chaffin
Sports Editor
North Forsyth coaches Mike Hudson, on left, and Jim Bishop flank the Howarth family, mother Melody, son Clay and father Jim, at a ceremony to dedicate new weightlifting equipment honoring Tyler Howarth, above, who died in a lake accident in July 2006.
Ten months ago, Tyler Howarth had his last workout at North Forsyth High School.
With football season approaching, the then-rising sophomore was hard at work in the weight room trying to reach his goal of squatting 400 pounds.
The first attempt was close but didn't break the parallel plane, and Raiders strength and conditioning coach Jim Bishop made him go again if he wanted it to count.
Again, he grabbed the bar and went down for the squat, this time breaking the plane and achieving his goal.
"I got it, Coach," he said, marking the achievement.
Later that day, the 15-year-old was dead, the victim of drowning after an accidental electrocution while working on a recreational watercraft.
This past Thursday, exactly 10 months later, Howarth's family returned to the Raider weight room -- where Tyler had spent so many hours -- to present North Forsyth with two new squat racks, courtesy of their son's memorial fund.
Atop the rack, etched in steel, reads Tyler's name, his birth and death dates and the quote he told his coach after making the squat.
Jim Howarth said he knows the presentation ceremony would have pleased his son.
"I know Tyler's happy about it, [having] his name up there," he said. "He was just a great kid. He had the grades, he had the athletic ability, and he had it all in front of him -- he had it all in front of him. But we've just got to believe that ... there was some reason for all this happening. And we're trying; we're trying."
Melody Howarth agreed that the weight-room plaque was a fitting tribute to her son.
"Tyler was a good kid, and he's mine. He was very well-respected, an excellent example for the boys and one of the leaders in the weight room. We wanted to do something for the weight room and we knew it would be pleasing for Tyler to get them the state-of-the-art squat racks," she said.
Jim and Melody and their 13-year-old son, Clay, saw the new equipment during a visit to North Forsyth's early morning weightlifting "class" before school Thursday, meeting with a host of Tyler's friends.
"All of the kids there came by and said a few words to us. And we got a lot of hugs," mother Melody said. "[They were] some of Tyler's best friends."
The next day, Clay went back to North Forsyth High School for his first workout with Bishop. Next year, he will be an eighth-grader at the new Little Mill Middle School.
"He [Clay] has been so good about this whole thing. He has supported us, he really has. He's just been a trooper. It's like, 'Mom and Dad, don't cry about Tyler,' " Jim Howarth said.
"It's been a tough year for him, too," Melody said of Clay. "And going into the weight room has been hard for all of us because Tyler was there at 7 o'clock [almost] every morning since about the seventh grade. ... He was extremely dedicated to it."
That dedication was noted not just by the Howarth family, but by the coaches at North Forsyth.
"He loved working out and sharing time with the other people in there," Bishop said.
Former Raider defensive coordinator Mike Hudson remembers taking Howarth and the others to a defense camp at the University of West Georgia last summer. That same offseason, Howarth won the starting job as North Forsyth's starting strong-side linebacker.
"He was the only freshman who came up and truly played as a varsity player," Hudson said. "We had two playoff games, and he actually started on special teams because he was a player. A lot of kids dress out for the playoffs ... but he actually played."
Costing just less than $6,000, the pair of squat racks typically retail for twice that amount. But, hearing about Tyler's story, Richard Sorin from Sorinex Exercise Equipment got involved and saw to it that the scholarship fund's dollars went as far as possible.
"He was so touched by the story, because of what we were trying to do, [which] is uplift everybody else around who was touched by Tyler's life. [Sorin] put a lot of 'extras' into the squat rack," Hudson said.
Upon seeing the new racks, everyone was pleased -- even Melody, who admits she's no expert on squats.
"They were nice, not that I'd know anything about squatting. But I guess if you're into squatting, they look good," Melody added with a laugh.
Since establishing the Tyler Howarth Scholarship Fund through Regions Bank in Cumming, the Howarths have been able to continue their son's memory through charitable giving. The donation of the weight-room equipment follows an earlier presentation of new laptop computers for two college-bound seniors with qualifying grade-point averages.
Former head coach Jeff Hollis said the new squat racks and accompanying name plate will be a permanent, lasting remembrance of the young Raider.
"The whole idea behind it was to have something on a day-to-day basis where kids would see that boy's name," Hollis said.
"He was a guy who showed up every day and went to work. You could just count on him to give his all. I think that's what made him such a special boy. ... Gosh, if you had a whole team full of those kind of guys, you'd never get beat."
And as good as Howarth was as a player, Hudson says the Raider was an even better person.
"He was a great athlete and a great kid, and his character was as great as his overall athletic ability," Hudson said. "It's been a tough year."
E-mail Travis M. Chaffin at sports@forsythnews.com.
Originally published Sunday, May 27, 2007
Photos by Jim Dean
Captions read: North Forsyth coaches Mike Hudson, on left, and Jim Bishop flank the Howarth family, mother Melody, son Clay and father Jim, at a ceremony to dedicate new weightlifting equipment honoring Tyler Howarth, above, who died in a lake accident in July 2006.
Howarth fund provides new equipment in son's memory
By Travis M. Chaffin
Sports Editor
North Forsyth coaches Mike Hudson, on left, and Jim Bishop flank the Howarth family, mother Melody, son Clay and father Jim, at a ceremony to dedicate new weightlifting equipment honoring Tyler Howarth, above, who died in a lake accident in July 2006.
Ten months ago, Tyler Howarth had his last workout at North Forsyth High School.
With football season approaching, the then-rising sophomore was hard at work in the weight room trying to reach his goal of squatting 400 pounds.
The first attempt was close but didn't break the parallel plane, and Raiders strength and conditioning coach Jim Bishop made him go again if he wanted it to count.
Again, he grabbed the bar and went down for the squat, this time breaking the plane and achieving his goal.
"I got it, Coach," he said, marking the achievement.
Later that day, the 15-year-old was dead, the victim of drowning after an accidental electrocution while working on a recreational watercraft.
This past Thursday, exactly 10 months later, Howarth's family returned to the Raider weight room -- where Tyler had spent so many hours -- to present North Forsyth with two new squat racks, courtesy of their son's memorial fund.
Atop the rack, etched in steel, reads Tyler's name, his birth and death dates and the quote he told his coach after making the squat.
Jim Howarth said he knows the presentation ceremony would have pleased his son.
"I know Tyler's happy about it, [having] his name up there," he said. "He was just a great kid. He had the grades, he had the athletic ability, and he had it all in front of him -- he had it all in front of him. But we've just got to believe that ... there was some reason for all this happening. And we're trying; we're trying."
Melody Howarth agreed that the weight-room plaque was a fitting tribute to her son.
"Tyler was a good kid, and he's mine. He was very well-respected, an excellent example for the boys and one of the leaders in the weight room. We wanted to do something for the weight room and we knew it would be pleasing for Tyler to get them the state-of-the-art squat racks," she said.
Jim and Melody and their 13-year-old son, Clay, saw the new equipment during a visit to North Forsyth's early morning weightlifting "class" before school Thursday, meeting with a host of Tyler's friends.
"All of the kids there came by and said a few words to us. And we got a lot of hugs," mother Melody said. "[They were] some of Tyler's best friends."
The next day, Clay went back to North Forsyth High School for his first workout with Bishop. Next year, he will be an eighth-grader at the new Little Mill Middle School.
"He [Clay] has been so good about this whole thing. He has supported us, he really has. He's just been a trooper. It's like, 'Mom and Dad, don't cry about Tyler,' " Jim Howarth said.
"It's been a tough year for him, too," Melody said of Clay. "And going into the weight room has been hard for all of us because Tyler was there at 7 o'clock [almost] every morning since about the seventh grade. ... He was extremely dedicated to it."
That dedication was noted not just by the Howarth family, but by the coaches at North Forsyth.
"He loved working out and sharing time with the other people in there," Bishop said.
Former Raider defensive coordinator Mike Hudson remembers taking Howarth and the others to a defense camp at the University of West Georgia last summer. That same offseason, Howarth won the starting job as North Forsyth's starting strong-side linebacker.
"He was the only freshman who came up and truly played as a varsity player," Hudson said. "We had two playoff games, and he actually started on special teams because he was a player. A lot of kids dress out for the playoffs ... but he actually played."
Costing just less than $6,000, the pair of squat racks typically retail for twice that amount. But, hearing about Tyler's story, Richard Sorin from Sorinex Exercise Equipment got involved and saw to it that the scholarship fund's dollars went as far as possible.
"He was so touched by the story, because of what we were trying to do, [which] is uplift everybody else around who was touched by Tyler's life. [Sorin] put a lot of 'extras' into the squat rack," Hudson said.
Upon seeing the new racks, everyone was pleased -- even Melody, who admits she's no expert on squats.
"They were nice, not that I'd know anything about squatting. But I guess if you're into squatting, they look good," Melody added with a laugh.
Since establishing the Tyler Howarth Scholarship Fund through Regions Bank in Cumming, the Howarths have been able to continue their son's memory through charitable giving. The donation of the weight-room equipment follows an earlier presentation of new laptop computers for two college-bound seniors with qualifying grade-point averages.
Former head coach Jeff Hollis said the new squat racks and accompanying name plate will be a permanent, lasting remembrance of the young Raider.
"The whole idea behind it was to have something on a day-to-day basis where kids would see that boy's name," Hollis said.
"He was a guy who showed up every day and went to work. You could just count on him to give his all. I think that's what made him such a special boy. ... Gosh, if you had a whole team full of those kind of guys, you'd never get beat."
And as good as Howarth was as a player, Hudson says the Raider was an even better person.
"He was a great athlete and a great kid, and his character was as great as his overall athletic ability," Hudson said. "It's been a tough year."
E-mail Travis M. Chaffin at sports@forsythnews.com.
Originally published Sunday, May 27, 2007
Photos by Jim Dean
Captions read: North Forsyth coaches Mike Hudson, on left, and Jim Bishop flank the Howarth family, mother Melody, son Clay and father Jim, at a ceremony to dedicate new weightlifting equipment honoring Tyler Howarth, above, who died in a lake accident in July 2006.