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We have written plenty of times in this space about the amount of athletic talent residing in Chambers County.

This past weekend, we covered every local football team that played in person and we witnessed firsthand the new breed of talent developing in our community.

Long before this season began, we gathered in our newsroom and decided to put together an athlete of the week program to celebrate the talented athletes we have the opportunity to watch compete.

We launched our first week’s nominees Monday evening and the voting response has been nothing short of impressive and we hope to see that response grow week after week.

Each week, we will select one athlete from each of the schools in our coverage area and let the community vote. It is not a popularity contest but a way to let you, our readers decide who had the most impressive performance from the past week.

This fall, football may dominate the nominations, but if a young lady has 10 kills in a volleyball match, it would be safe to say she may be nominated. In short, this is not just a football award, this is all-encompassing.

We also welcome reader submissions for athlete of the week as well. Those submissions can be sent to sports@valleytimes-news.com.

Now, let’s talk to our business community. We are looking for a sponsor for this new feature, so we can award an athlete of the year and provide them with some type of prize.

If you are a business owner and wish to sponsor our athlete of the week, please call us at 334.644.1101, and we will schedule a time to meet with you and give you all the details.

Thank you all for your support and don’t be afraid to say hey if you see us roaming the sidelines.

Good luck to all athletes this season.