When Saturday morning rolls around there will be a lot of people in Boiling Springs waking up looking forward to the 5A football state championship game but few will be as excited as Adam Gosnell. If you’ve been to a Boiling Springs athletic event over the last decade you know two things are certain, the Bulldogs will be taking the field and Adam will be there to cheer them on. When I sat down with Adam and his father Danny Gosnell on Friday morning I got a chance to find out more about Adam’s devotion to the Bulldogs.
Adam, now twenty-four years old who also suffers from down’s syndrome, started his love for Boiling Springs athletics in junior high school when he first met Bulldogs head baseball coach Jeff Lipscomb and Bulldogs offensive line coach Joel Goff. Danny Gosnell says that “Those guys and some of the kids who went to school with Adam like Dylan Thompson, Issac Lawrance, and Reece Thompson really looked out for Adam and took care of him. They took a real interest in him and he in turn took a real interest in them and the sports that they were all playing.” Adam because of that took a real liking to the athletics at Boiling Springs and Mr. Gosnell says that it has just blossomed from there. “He always tells me when there is a game, ‘Dad we’ve got to be there to support them’ and his energy for that just inspires me.” It’s not just the football or baseball team that Adam has been devoted to but it’s the entire athletic program, as Danny says, “whenever the schedule is released for a team at Boiling Springs, Adam immediately downloads it and posts it on our fridge so that we don’t miss a game. We haven’t missed but I think only one football game in the last decade.” After games at Boiling Springs you can always see Adam there greeting the players to give them a hug, handshake, or a pat on the back thanking them for their effort on the field that day. The players always welcome the appreciation with a smile and a return gesture. You can tell that the players truly appreciate the support from Adam as many have returned the favor by going to cheer him on at his own Miracle League games. Mr Gosnell says “Those guys will come to see him play and it just tickles him to death when they’re able to make it to his games. They’ve been really supportive of his endeavors.” Mr. Gosnell says that he has a great thanks for the support that Adam has received from the administration, coaching staffs, and athletes at Boiling Springs. When I asked Adam what it would mean to him if Boiling Springs were to claim the state championship on Saturday he said, “It would be great!” Win or lose on Saturday though I know one thing is for sure, Adam will be there at the end of the game as the players walk off the field to thank them for their effort and he’ll be there at the next Bulldogs’ athletic event because “we’ve got to be there to support them.”
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JamesBoiling Springs native, lover of sports and food. 15x SC Press Association Award Winner. I do some sports writing and radio every now and then. Archives
April 2020
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