Page 34 - Winter 2021

s| ACTIVE LIVING
Athlete makes his grandmother proud
Ann Kimsey is one proud grandmother.
One of her oldest, John David Lerch, was not just on the North Oconee High School Homecoming Court, but he also met his goal of breaking a 20-minute 5K on the cross-country team.
With John David graduating next spring, Kimsey, who is 73, wants to enjoy as much time with her grandson as possible.
“He tries real hard, and his folks always brought him up to be very polite,” Kimsey said about her grandson. She attended North Oconee’s homecoming game in late September and watched her daughter, Sonya, escort John David down the field.
John David, or J.D., as everyone but his mother and grandmother call him, was happy to reflect on his senior season at NOHS.
“It was a goal of mine to beat 20 minutes in the 5K, and I
North Oconee High School runner John David Lerch celebrates a victory with his grandmother, Ann Kimsey.
sGeorge Zeliff is a senior journalism major at the University of Georgia. PAGE 32 | OCONEE THE MAGAZINE | WINTER 2021
actually ran 19:56 on the first race of the season and never beat it again,” J.D. said with a laugh.
At the 8-4A region meet this season, J.D. ran a 21:19 5K and finished 24th in the JV competition. His team would take 3rd place behind Flowery Branch and Jefferson High Schools. J.D. attended but did not compete in the State meet. The Titan’s boys team finished 6th overall in state, three places better than the 9th place finish last year.
J.D. has only been running for a few years but really enjoys the sport. He hopes to attend a big state college like LSU or UGA next year. He hopes that with good grades and keeping in shape, he might earn a walk-on spot one day. He already wants to meet another goal of finishing a mile in under five minutes.
J.D. and his younger sister, Kimsey Anne Lerch, both train with the same personal trainer. Kimsey Ann is a namesake for
Kimsey is proud of her grandson for being nominated to the NOHS Homecoming Court
By George Zeliff
Courtesy Ann Kimsey