Austin Whitten joins Staff at Trion Recreation Department

On August 13th, Austin Whitten began working for the Trion Recreation Department as the Evening Shift Supervisor. “We’re just really excited to have him. He has a great attitude, great work ethic and he’s excited to be a part of the bulldog family,” Jeff Maddux, Trion Recreation Program Director told AllOnGeorgia.

Whitten’s job duties include overseeing evening shift duties and assisting parents, players and coaches with their needs.

“I love working at the Rec, this is a great group of guys to work with. I love being around sports in general but getting to watch and interact with the kids is what it’s all about. I am really looking forward to many years here at the Trion Rec,” Whitten said.

Whitten is the first wheelchair bound Recreation Department employee.

Austin Whitten was a 15-year old boy at a pool party on June 9, 2012. He stood 6’4″, a three-sport athlete who was already being recruited. On that hot summer day, Austin did a belly flop into a pool and was paralyzed from the chest down as a result. He says if he could go back to that exact moment in time he wouldn’t change anything, “because that would be me, not God.”  The freak accident shattered his C6 vertebrae, jamming it into the spinal cord. The result was permanent paralysis.

Whitten graduated from Lafayette High School and is currently attending Dalton State College. He is engaged to Lorna Pilcher.