FCA North Georgia Coaches Podcast, Recorded live at Longstreet Café, Riverside Terrace as a part of the My Country 99.3 WCON Podcast Family.

Presented by Longstreet Cafe – fueling North Georgia (and a whole lot of FCA ministry) with two Gainesville locations. Learn more at : Longstreet Cafe

Get involved with FCA North Georgia: https://www.ngafca.org/

The Music That Made Country Great: https://www.mycountry993.com/

This week on the FCA Wednesday Huddle, Joel Williams and Clint Fair sit down at Longstreet Café with Coach Kyle Hardy, Head Baseball Coach of the Jefferson Dragons, for our first baseball-focused episode. Coach Hardy shares his Jefferson roots, his journey from player to coach, and the culture that makes Jefferson athletics special.

You'll also hear how FCA Team Time is shaping the Dragons beyond the diamond, including the powerful "One Word" tradition and what it looks like when faith becomes real inside a locker room.

• Why baseball is "the greatest game" (and why the defense starts with the ball)

• Coach Hardy's Jefferson story: from 3rd baseman (2010 grad) to head coach at age 30

• How Jefferson coaches support each other across sports (true community culture)

• Building a program without burning out players or families (efficient practices + priorities)

• Scheduling strategy, weather challenges, and why turf fields matter

• The real impact of FCA inside Jefferson Baseball: Team Time, "Build," and leadership

• A powerful testimony of a player stepping toward faith in front of the whole team

FCA North Georgia Coaches Podcast, Recorded live at Longstreet Café, Riverside Terrace as a part of the My Country 99.3 WCON Podcast Family.

Presented by Longstreet Cafe – fueling North Georgia (and a whole lot of FCA ministry) with two Gainesville locations. Learn more at : Longstreet Cafe

Get involved with FCA North Georgia: https://www.ngafca.org/

The Music That Made Country Great: https://www.mycountry993.com/

Guests:

• Coach Charlemagne Gibbons (Gainesville High School Boys Basketball)

• Coach Vanessa White (Gainesville High School Girls Basketball)

This week on the Wednesday Huddle, Joel and Clint sit down at Longstreet Cafe with two leaders on the Gainesville High basketball sidelines. Coach Charlemagne Gibbons (boys) and Coach Vanessa White (girls) talk postseason preparation, building culture, and how FCA's core values show up in the everyday moments that shape student-athletes.

• FCA season rhythm: Clint shares what's happening across North Georgia as winter sports wrap and spring sports begin, plus upcoming staff training at Real Time (Orlando).

• A special year for Gainesville Boys: Coach Gibbons reflects on an incredible regular season and the mindset that matters most when the pressure rises: "32 minutes a night" and finding a way to finish one point ahead.

• Defense and identity: Why defense has been a key ingredient, and how Gainesville's size and discipline create a consistent edge.

• Gainesville Girls building for the future: Coach White shares how a young roster is growing fast, why she challenged them with a tougher schedule, and what she's seeing as they learn to execute and play together.

• Roles win games: Both coaches highlight the power of every player bringing their "piece of the puzzle" to the team, from starters to the "spark plug" off the bench.

• FCA on campus: How faith-based leadership and character development support team culture, discipline, and unity.

• Coaching influence: Coaches who shaped them, including the impact of Coach Gene Durden, and how leadership is formed through life lessons, not just X's and O's.

• What makes Gainesville special: The tradition, community support, and "college campus feel" that sets Gainesville apart.

• Fun rapid-fire: If they weren't coaching basketball, what would they be doing? (One answer includes a tiny house school bus and a LOT of travel.)

FCA North Georgia Coaches Podcast, Recorded live at Longstreet Café, Riverside Terrace as a part of the My Country 99.3 WCON Podcast Family.

Presented by Longstreet Cafe – fueling North Georgia (and a whole lot of FCA ministry) with two Gainesville locations. Learn more at : Longstreet Cafe

Get involved with FCA North Georgia: https://www.ngafca.org/

The Music That Made Country Great: https://www.mycountry993.com/

Episode Summary
The FCA North Georgia Coaches Podcast rolls into the winter sports season from Longstreet Cafe (Riverside Terrace in Gainesville) and this week, it's all about wrestling.

Joel Williams and Clint Fair sit down with James Meyer, the young head wrestling coach at West Hall High School, to talk about the rapid growth of wrestling in Georgia, why girls wrestling is exploding, what fans should know about duels vs tournaments, and how the sport develops toughness that translates to football and beyond.

They also dig into what wrestling looks like through the lens of FCA, including team huddles, "mat talk" before tournaments, and James' passion for building athletes into godly leaders, not just better competitors. Plus, James shares his unforgettable experience on an FCA wrestling mission trip to Brazil, where the sport opened doors for life-changing conversations.

In this episode you'll hear:

• Why wrestling is growing in Georgia (numbers + skill level)

• The influence of MMA/UFC and year-round training

• Girls wrestling and what it looks like at West Hall

• Wrestling formats: duals, tris/quads, tournaments, individual vs dual state titles

• The importance of youth programs and why pipelines matter

• Parent concerns (yes… even cauliflower ears 😄)

• How FCA shows up in wrestling: huddles, devotions, mat talk, discipleship

• Middle school FCA growth and student-led leadership

• James' Brazil trip and why "sport first" breaks down walls fast