| Pancakes with a Side of Olympics Story + Video |
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SAVANNAH, GA (WTOC) - It was game time for Cheryl Haworth in Beijing, as it had been twice before in the Olympics.
It just didn't matter what time it was for friends and family back in Savannah. On the other side of the world and the other side of Saturday, dozens of supporters showed up at Aldersgate United Methodist Church to cheer on the local Olympian over breakfast. Video provided by WTOC-TV. Copyright 2008 Arriving well before the 7 a.m. local start time for the weightlifting competition, they watched live on-line. And they were more than lively every time Cheryl appeared on screen, cheering every lift she made even those she didn't .
"This was just fantastic. The turnout was great,'' said Don McCauley, Cheryl's personal coach. "Friends, family and people who didn't even know Cheryl came just to watch her lift. That's just unbelievable.'' It wasn't Beijing or the Olympics. But it was as close as you could get without leaving Chatham County Saturday. And it was an opportunity a lot of people took advantage of. They included teammates on her Coastal Empire Weightlifting Club and members of Aldersgate, whose gym she trains in. But there were people there from all over the community, Cheryl's community, from young to old and anonymous to prominent. "Cheryl has put Savannah on the map, put weightlifting on the map,'' said Congressman Jack Kingston, who was among the crowd of roughly 75 Haworth supporters. "She's done great things for women, she's done great things for Georgia. She's the sixth strongest women in the world. That's a heck of a thing for a local girl.'' But Cheryl is one with universal appeal, even from a different part of the universe. "Of course, you can't help but like her with that smile she's got and everything,'' said George Stewart, Cheryl's grandfather. "She's very popular. That's the way she was in school too.'' The crowd at Aldersgate proved that popularity is unconditional, turning 7 a.m. into prime time. And a sixth-place finish into a reason to celebrate. "Cheryl has been here and mentoring some of these kids and has really been cheering them on and motivating them and they wanted to support her too,'' said Kerri Goodrich, who organized the event. "She just didn't have the lifts today, but it comes back to sixth place in the world,'' added McCauley. "That's really good. We should be so appreciative of having an athlete like Cheryl around this town because she is so good.'' Saturday, that appreciation was obvious. And while coming from a distance, it managed to pull Cheryl Haworth's community together. |