Petal's power

City honored as Sports Illustrated Sportstown for Mississippi

By Andrew Schulman

Officially, the Petal, Miss., Recreation Department staff includes one recreation director, one grounds supervisor and two assistants.

Unofficially, these four people -- Director Tom Hardges, Grounds Supervisor Gerry Standley, and Staff Assistants Lura Huffman and James Howard -- all deserve an additional title: Jack of All Trades.

When it comes to overseeing recreation for Petal’s population of approximately 10,000, Hardges, Standley, Huffman and Howard do it all. It's a testament to their hard work that a city the size of Petal has earned the title Sports Illustrated Sportstown for having the Magnolia State's best community sports programs.

"I have never been around a harder working group of people," said Hardges, who came to Petal Recreation nine years ago after serving in the military. "The staff and volunteers here do whatever it takes to get the job done."

And, in recent years, that job has including expanding the city’s recreation offerings for both youth and adults -- from two programs in 1999 to seven today.

One example is Petal’s annual Spring Break Camp. Now in its fourth year, the camp provides more than 70 local children, from kindergarten through fifth grade, a full week of activities during their spring break from school. Hardges and his staff, along with a cadre of volunteers, were responsible for the entire program, from developing the schedule to leading the clinics and activities during the week.

"The parents love it because after running around and being active for the entire day, their kids come home and go right to sleep," Hardges said, laughing. "In a full week, the kids never do the same thing twice and they get exposed to every sport imaginable."

Local parents are also happy that Petal Recreation has helped to develop more youth activities for their children, meaning they can stay in town and play in local leagues instead of traveling to play in nearby Hattiesburg.

The Department, along with the Petal Youth Sports Association, has helped bring several youth sports organizations to the city, including Pop Warner football, youth basketball, youth soccer and girls’ softball, which on its own attracts about 500 participants every season.

It’s no surprise then, that softball is also one of the most popular sports among Petal’s adults, as well. So much so, in fact, that the city operates two leagues of 12 teams each during both the spring and summer.

"If you take softball away from this community, you might as well close this city down," said Hardges, only half joking.

Petal also currently offers basketball and flag football for adults and, based on suggestions from residents, is looking into starting up an adult dodgeball league.

Hardges and staff organize and prepare a weekly breakfast for the seniors in the community, and the Department provides general transportation for those who are unable to get around on their own.

Hardges and his staff are particularly thankful for the support of the city’s residents, and its Mayor, Tony Phillips.

"Petal is a real close-knit, family oriented place, where people go out of their way to help others," said Hardges. "And as the city has grown -- and continues to grow -- the staff at the Recreation Department is proud that we’ve been able to meet the changing needs of the community."

And as Petal zooms ahead, it’s lucky to have Hardges and his staff at the wheel, ensuring that the city’s recreation programs continue to meet the standards of an SI Sportstown.