Spring Break
Former Georgia athletes marry, build life together
TYLER ESTEP
Issue date: 6/26/09 Section: Sports
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When "Charlie" is born on Sept. 24 (give or take a few days), he'll have a deep set of athletic genes to draw from, not to mention red and black running through his veins.
Charlie's parents will be Katie and Stephen Dodson, a pair of former Georgia athletes, and good ones at that.
Katie (formerly Katie Heenan) is a four-time NCAA gymnastics champion and the Gym Dogs' all-time points leader, while Stephen is now plying his wares as a minor league pitcher after being selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball entry draft last year.
That's one hell of a gene pool.
"That's what everyone keeps telling us," Stephen said. "But we just want it to be healthy. That's all we care about."
Between 2005 and 2008, Katie was a 13-time gymnastics All-American and the rock of consistency that the Gym Dogs relied on. She graduated in May with a degree in Middle School Education.
Stephen, who left Georgia after his junior year, was merely the Diamond Dogs' Saturday starter on their way to a run in the College World Series' championship series in 2008.
Stephen and Katie were married in November of last year, and now live in Asheville, N.C., where Stephen pitches for the Single A-affiliate of the Rockies as they await the birth of their first child.
Which, by the way, they already have some plans for.
"Stephen's already said we've got to start him switch-hitting from the beginning," Katie said, "and if we can put the ball in his left hand that would be better."
Said Stephen, a 6-foot-4 inch righty: "Oh yeah. I'm going to try and make him a lefthander from the beginning. It's a little easier road."
While Stephen gets a lot of heckling from former teammates and both his parents and in-laws ("they always remind me that she's got all the rings and bling"), it may be the genetic input from Katie's 5-foot-3 inch frame that plays the biggest role in determining Charlie's future.
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CoastalDawg
posted 6/25/09 @ 1:50 PM EST
It's great to hear a success story about some UGA athletes even though the groom here might feel as if success is still ahead of him in the world of baseball. (Continued…)
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