Trey Love/All American Imaging

The Captain & the Flag Remain the Same

WORN FLAG MAKES SPECIAL TRIP TO TOURNAMENT

By John McDevitt/USTA Southern

Louisville, Kentucky is one of the most famous sports cities in the world. Being the home of the Kentucky Derby, the Louisville Slugger, as well as a major collegiate athletic program (University of Louisville Cardinals), there is a great amount of sports history that is attached to this city. At the 2011 USTA League Southern Section Championships another team is attempting to add some more history to this city’s great legacy.

In their sixteenth year, the Hays Mighty Warhawks are setting their sights on a trip to Nationals later this year. Throughout this season, the Hays Mighty Warhawks have simply dominated the competition. Before arriving here earlier this week, the Kentucky Senior Men’s 3.5 team faced twelve opponents and recorded twelve victories for a perfect (12-0) record. However, despite their outstanding season, the history of this team has not always been so “perfect.” 

Since 1995 this team has seen many changes. Like any team, players have come and gone, but the real changes have come by way of the team’s name. Originally the team was entitled the Hays Hawks and that name stuck for the first several years. But after showing signs of aging and looking less fearsome, the Hays Hawks wanted to make an addition to their team name so their opponents would become even more intimidated. They settled on the team name of Warhawks. But once again after a few years and overcoming a few major injuries, the team was in need of another name upgrade. So with the best players on the team having a plastic knee, a steel hip and a rubber heart, the name turned into the Hays Mighty Warhawks.

Even though the players and the team names have changed over the course of sixteen years, two things have not changed. The first item that has stayed the same has been the team captain. George Hays has been the captain of the Hays Mighty Warhawks from the beginning and despite an attempt by last year’s co-captain to dethrone him; George doesn’t plan on giving up his title any time soon. Even though the trips to the bar after their matches (that sometimes would not end until the early hours the next morning) have ended, he still captains a winning team and enjoys every moment of it.

The other item that has remained constant over the years has been the team flag. From the Hays Hawks, to the Warhawks, to the Hays Mighty Warhawks the same flag that was given to George by a fellow team member in 1995 has been hanging on George’s deck for sixteen off-seasons. The flag used to make it to all of the Hays Mighty Warhawks matches, however, because it is in critical condition, the flag can only make it out of Louisville for special occasions. Of course the flag is here in Mobile and is hanging with pride alongside the courts of the Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center. We can be certain if the Hays Mighty Warhawks move on the USTA League National Championships, the flag will be with them.