Chris Bridges Wins Writing Awards

Monticello native Chris Bridges was named the top sports writer in his newspaper’s division Sunday at the annual Georgia Sports Writers Association convention held this year in Atlanta.

Bridges, the sports editor of The Walton Tribune in Monroe, won the Furman Bisher sweepstakes award for a story on Monroe Area High School football coach Al Pollard recalling his playing days at the University of Georgia in the 1970s.

The award representatives the best overall story for Division III, which is comprised of all newspapers in the state published once, twice and three times per week.

Also, The Walton Tribune’s sports section was named best overall for its division. Bridges took home a total of 12 awards including four first-place honors.
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Other first-place awards included:

•Best Local News Story about the firing of the athletic director at Social Circle High School and;

•Best Local Feature Story Award about Pollard.
Bridges also earned the following second-place awards:

•Best Local News Story about the death of former Monroe Area High School coach Bonnie Mattox;

•Best Sports Column about Monroe Area High School track coach Timothy Kemp;

•Best Sports Photo (tie) for a picture from a Loganville High School softball game and

•Best Special Section (tie) for the Tribune’s annual Fall Sports Preview.

Bridges also earned several third-place awards including:

•Best Local News Story about the passing of legendary University of Georgia football fan Herschel Scott;

•Best Local Feature Story (tie) about the George Walton Academy football team preparing for the state championship game against Tattnall Square;

•Best Column (tie) focusing on what society still has to learn after Sept. 11, 2001 and a column about how University of Georgia basketball players were treated unfairly by school officials.

Bridges was re-elected vice-president for membership of the GSWA and had the opportunity to announce the renaming of the Sweepstakes Award in honor of Furman Bisher, long-time sports columnist for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Bisher spoke at Bridges’ 1989 high school graduation at Piedmont Academy.

“I am humbled by each of these awards,” Bridges said. “To be honored by your sports writing peers is always an honor. It was also a pleasure for me to honor Mr. Bisher with the renaming of the Sweepstakes Award for him. He is a sports journalism legend.”

Judges for the contest included Lenn Robbins of the New York Post, Ron Higgins of the Memphis Commerical Appeal, Alan Schmadtke of the Orlando Sentinel and Gene Duffey, former sportswriter for the Houston Chronicle and Hunstville Alabama Times.

Bridges is the son of Paul and Melba Bridges and the grandson of the late Roy and Mildred Bowden, all of Monticello.

He contributes articles for The Monticello News about Piedmont Academy athletics.