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By LAUREN SEXTON | Sports Reporter

There is something special about the place you called home all your life. It’s that place that helped define you and turn you into the person you are today. Regardless if it is a place you escaped the day you turned 18 or could never imagine leaving, it’s your home no matter what.

More often than not, I think of my hometown. While attending the University of Alabama was one of the best decisions I made in my entire life and now I found myself living in Birmingham, I still think about all the things that happened leading up to now. My hometown helped define who I am and I often think about it as I go and sit in the stands of high school games. Some of my earliest memories are cheering on my high school basketball team, so I easily miss having that feeling of rooting for your team.

American Idol winner Taylor Hicks knows what it means to honor and remember where you came from. It has been almost twenty years since Hicks climbed to fame after his reality television debut on the beloved show. However, he always finds himself coming back home. He had an intimate concert in Shelby County just months after attending and participating in the Regions Tradition NCR Pro-Am. Hicks always has his compass set to Alabama.

Shelby County is a unique place because almost everyone comes from this wonderful community. The pride that people take in athletics to their local business is something that is an honorable quality. 

I often miss my hometown. I miss the food, the culture, the landscape, and the ability to cheer on my hometown teams. It’s okay to want to leave your hometown or even stay in your hometown, no matter how long you stay it will always be a defining characteristic.