Sports have always been an important part of Daron Atkins’ life. Daron wasn’t necessarily the best athlete growing up, but he has always been a “student of the game”… any game. This love of athletics and his desire to understand all the underlying components of sports led him to become a sports official. Daron officiated his first baseball game at the age of fifteen and has since called semi-pro, college, high school, and recreational baseball, softball, basketball, football and volleyball for more than thirty years. He has mentored countless officials as they began their careers. Daron has been selected to officiate local, regional, state and national championships. He, along with his wife of 13 years, Kim, are the only husband and wife team to officiate a North Carolina High School Athletic Association state championship together. Being part of the WIFM Sports department seems to be a natural progression in his life. He brings a different prospective to broadcasts through his understanding of the many subtle nuances of the game.
Daron and Kim have never met a stray they don’t like. Over the years they have adopted dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and basically anything that walks, crawls or flies. Together, they both teach high school, own a vineyard and winery and basically work from daylight to dusk, seven days a week. What most people call the evening, they call “second shift!” Daron has a passion for volunteering and serves on several boards for many non-profit organizations in the Yadkin Valley. He is an avid reader and a life-long learner calculating that he has been a student, either full or part-time for over forty years! Daron loves to tell stories and brighten people’s day and being part of the WIFM family affords him that opportunity.