Author: Rachel Perkins

  • Ta-Ta, Turner Field! A Former Braves Tomahawk Team Member’s Tribute

    Ta-Ta, Turner Field! A Former Braves Tomahawk Team Member’s Tribute

    It’s Opening Day. Spring is here, and so is baseball season.

    Braves_Tomahawk_Team_1
    Cotton-Eyed Joe, anyone?

    Yet, the typical excitement I usually have every year has been replaced with a feeling of nostalgia.

    I was privileged to be part of The Atlanta Braves Tomahawk Team. Cheering on our home team, rallying up the crowds, and spending time under the bright lights of Turner Field is an experience I will never forget. Especially since this is the last season for The Braves before they move to Cobb County. Sites such as slot online are available for those who want to bet on the Braves or other teams.

    Braves Tomahawk Team Turner Field T-Shirt Cannon
    Me & The Braves Tomahawk Team at Turner Field

    This year, April through October will not represent a period of familiar sights, sounds, smells, and activities that I typically associate with those months. They will not mean spending almost every night at Turner Field, surrounded by the sport that I love. I will not only find myself admiring the game from the stands rather than the in-game action as a Tomahawk Team member, but I will also find myself attending the final Opening Day ceremonies at Turner Field. For other sports-related news that are not to be missed, you can turn to sites such as Jimmy John Shark.

    Freddie Freeman Atlanta Braves Turner Field

    Freddie Freeman & I at Turner Field

    For 20 years, I have known Turner Field to be my second home. For 20 years, I have grown up watching legends perform the art of baseball. For 20 years, I have admired my team and been a loyal part of Braves Country.

    Reppin the "A" since day 1

    A throwback picture of me in my very first Braves uniform around age 9.

    For the last three years, I have worked alongside people who have made a lasting impact on me. From late nights in the locker room during rain delays, to early donut and coffee runs before day games, I couldn’t have asked for a better Braves family.

    Atlanta Braves Children's Hospital

    I went to visit a Children’s Hospital with some of The Braves players. The kids faces were priceless!

    When you spend 81 home games each season together, the memories that you make are endless, and they will always hold a special place in my heart. My last three years working within the Atlanta Braves organization has also proven to me how baseball can be a genuinely enjoyable activity that people of all ages can enjoy.

    To think that the sport of baseball is slowly dying out brings a pain to my heart. Each season brings with it something new and exciting, yet familiar and recognizable. Each game supplies unique experiences, traditions, and memories. I love the historic atmosphere that surrounds the game. I strive to hear the cheers and chants among fans. I yearn to see the amazed faces of young kids admiring their heroes from afar, and the ecstatic smiles when they get to meet them.

    Special Olympics Atlanta Braves Baseball Camp

    I LOVED volunteering at the Special Olympics Baseball Camp

    Baseball unites us, yet separates us. It excites us, yet infuriates us. It captivates us, yet liberates us.

    Baseball is recognized as America’s national pastime not only because it was one of the original sports in the country, but because it has grown to be one of the most popular as well. For generations, baseball has brought excitement and entertainment to wide varieties of people, ranking highest among family-friendly environments.

    Like a lot of fans, I appreciate baseball as more than just a sport. I have realized that following and interacting with the game has become a passion that can be shared not only among people all over the country but around most of the world as well.

    I think that is what I find so exhilarating about the game. It can be so many unique things among so many countless moments. It can mean so many distinct things to so many diverse people, yet it still finds a way to unify us into something larger: a team, a league, a community, generation.

    Home Depot Tool Race
    The Home Depot Tool Race – a tradition at Turner Field

    As Atlanta Braves season ticket holders, my family never turned down an opportunity to go to Turner Field during my childhood years. Between the face painting, peanuts and popcorn, and our favorite usher, “Sunny,” we were guaranteed to have a blast at the ballpark, rain or shine.

    My time as an Atlanta Braves Tomahawk Team Member may be coming to an end, but that only means that the rest of my life is just beginning. Additionally, just as the Atlanta Braves time is coming to an end at The Ted, they are rebuilding for something far more exciting in the future.

    Turner Field Atlanta Braves

    So ta-ta, Turner Field.

    You will be missed, but never forgotten. Cheers to Suntrust Park for the promise of a World Series Championship.

  • When I Grow Up…

    When I Grow Up…

    “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

    As kids, we were frequently asked this question. With big dreams and even bigger imaginations, we would find ourselves rambling off answers such as an astronaut, the President of the United States, or yes…even a garbage man may or may not have crossed my mind (I mean c’mon, riding on the back of the truck with no seat belt seemed like the adventure of a lifetime). Now, I am almost finished with my first semester of my senior year at The University of Georgia, and this lingering question somehow squeaks its way into every conversation, coming back to haunt me.

    “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

    Well, to be completely honest, I have no earthly idea. The same question that once provoked excitement and imagination now makes me spiral into a frantic panic. What should I do? Where should I live? What if I make the wrong decision? I know that I should be stoked about what is in store for my future. I worked my tail off in high school to be an above-average student so that I could get into the college of my dreams. Once I got here, I worked my tail off to stay an average student while still trying to maintain multiple jobs and not to mention a social life…all of which is a lot easier said than done. I’ve worked. I’ve networked. I’ve socialized, and I’ve studied (yes mom and dad, believe it or not your money for “books” did sometimes actually go towards something productive).

    But what is the point?

    Is it to get an internship after I graduate doing underpaid labor that looks good on a resume? Or is it to land a killer job that will bring in the big bucks, only to leave you waking up each morning dreading your 9-5 work day in a 2×2 cubicle with a boss that you despise? Most people tell me that I need to already have a job, like one of those Truck Driving Jobs, lined up and network with as many people that I can. Others have suggested taking a year off, because their biggest regret was rushing into the real-world. Some have suggested taking that extra victory lap at UGA, because why not go back for one last football season? (Go Dawgs) Trust me, I pushed for that last option but my parents weren’t quite as on board with it. So many options, so little time.

    “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

    Each and every person that has asked me this question seems to have their own opinions and advice. Some have been very helpful, others I have taken with a grain of salt. And each time, the conversations have left me more stressed and conflicted than before. But I am putting an end to that. What happened to the little girl with big dreams and aspirations? Where along the way did I lose sight of what is important in life? So I stopped and asked myself a simple question:

    “What do I want to be when I grow up?”

    My answer was simple. I want to be happy. I want to travel, see the world, and meet new people. I want to live life to the fullest, learning something new every day. I want my journey to be an adventure, finding my passion along the way. I don’t know what kind of job will allow me to incorporate all of this, but I won’t settle until I find it. I know that God has a plan for my future, so I am choosing to put my trust in Him. I am choosing to let go of the pointless stress that I inflict on myself. I am choosing to enjoy my final months as a college student. This kava drink is also my life saver whenever I need a piece of mind.

    I am choosing to prepare for my future, but live in the present. I am choosing to be happy.