I couldn’t wait to leave my hometown. Now, I won’t shut up about it.

When Hurston Waldrep made his MLB debut with the Braves, Thomasville High baseball coach Erik McDougald said his call-up was “a big day for our community” down in South Georgia.

A year later, Waldrep looks like he belongs in the big leagues with a 1.01 ERA through 35⅔ innings in August. Manager Brian Snitker called him “awesome” after his win last week.

I’d agree. It is awesome that someone from my high school is a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster Braves summer.

Less than two weeks ago, Mason Howell, a senior golfer at the Brookwood School — a small private school located 3.5 miles south of Thomasville High — won the U.S. Amateur and secured eligibility for an invite to The Masters.

Another moment of pride for the Rose City.

For all of the emotions that we feel watching our favorite teams and players — love, hate, disbelief, hope — one feeling often endures through all the ups and downs: community.

On its grandest scale, that feeling takes the shape of patriotism. We all bleed red, white and blue during the Olympics or and chant “U-S-A” during the World Cup.

But on a more intimate level, that sense of community is what ties you to home.

Thomasville, with a population less than 20,000, sits just above the Florida border. It’s a charming town with a Main Street District that has blossomed in the past decade into a social hub.

You can find the best cheese, the best hush puppies and a killer old-fashioned all within two blocks.

And, if it happens to be 5 p.m. on a Friday, you can find my family eating pizza in the back corner of AJ Moonspin.

Oftentimes, when people ask where I am from, I tell them “Thomasville. Not Thomaston, but Thomasville. It’s near Valdosta.” That’s always helpful for the metro Atlanta crowd.

When I left South Georgia for Athens to go to college, I could not have been more ready to leave. A cliche, I admit. And to this day I wrestle with the complexities of its history, politics and gossip (just kidding. ... I love the gossip).

But for someone who couldn’t wait to get out of Thomasville, I sure have a hard time keeping my mouth shut about it now.

Arguably best known for being headquarters for Flowers Foods (maker of Honey Buns) or its quail hunting, its athletic contributions punch above its weight class.

Whether you realize it, the Rose City has been in your sports orbit for a while.

Former Thomas County Central standout Charlie Ward, 1993 Heisman Trophy winner and longtime NBA player, now coaches basketball at Florida A&M, less than an hour south of his hometown.

Speaking of Central, the Yellow Jackets, which won a football state championship in 2023 and had an AJC Super 11 selection in 2024, currently are top 100 in multiple national rankings.

The Jackets host my beloved Thomasville Bulldogs, who are currently the favorite to win their region, in the big crosstown rivalry game Friday.

You can bet I will send my daughter to daycare, 240 miles away, in a red diamond-T shirt that day.

From Georgia Tech stars Shawn Jones, Joe Burns and Tashard Choice, to Falcons great William Andrews, to Super Bowl champions Guy McIntyre, Danny Copeland, and Myron Guyton, the Rose City long has produced football talent.

Former Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin played football and basketball for Thomasville before competing as a two-sport athlete on the rugby and track and field teams at West Point.