Mitchell County held a ribbon cutting for its new Recreation Center recently.
The new center is located in Bakersville beside the county’s administration building.
Brock Duncan, director of the Mitchell County Recreation Department, spoke about the department’s importance to local youth. Duncan thanked numerous local and state leaders for their support, as well as his staff.
“God brought us together,” Duncan said.
Duncan said that rec sports offers a sense of home to many local children, and to him personally.
“Because of rec league, I’ve got a family,” he said. “This is a great place for kids, this is a great place to learn, and this is a great place to learn how to be with the public.”
A number of former and current participants in local rec sports also spoke.
“I grew up laying rec sports,” Brody Smith said. “I started out dreading everything about it, both practice and games.”
Smith described a particular coach who helped him learn to love sports.
“He showed me compassion, that he cared about me. … That coach is Brock Duncan,” Smith said. “My home life growing up wasn’t ideal, and rec sports pulled me away from that.”
Smith thanked Duncan for his support.
“You showed up for me when I thought nobody would,” he said.
State Sen. Ralph Hise also spoke about his days in local rec sports, noting that when he went off to college he learned that Mitchell County youth sports fans have a reputation for being particularly hard on referees and officials.
“It made such a difference in who I am, and in knowing who I represent in Mitchell County,” Hise said. “This is who we are as a community.”