A Georgia woman will throw for a million dollars ahead of national championship game

Before Clemson and Alabama square off Monday night in the national championship game, a South Georgia woman will be looking to cash in and take home a million dollars.

Cheryl Turnmire, a retired P.E teach from Ben Hill County, will compete in Eckrich’s $1 Million Challenge. She earned the opportunity by winning the Road to the National Championship sweepstakes. She had entered into this sweepstakes in years past.

“Every once in awhile, I’ll enter contests online,” Turnmire said. “I kinda look out for it when it comes football season.”

The thing that sets this contest apart from others Turnmire has tried is that it is more interactive, she said. There are games that the participants can play online to earn extra entries into the drawing.

“Eckrich does a good job with its contest and how they laid it out,” Turnmire said. “Anyone can join it. For the national one, the one that I won, it is for everyone in the United States.”

Turnmire said she received the news through an email. At first, she was in a state of shock.

“My kid said, ‘Look out mom. It might be a scam,’ and I said, ‘No, I entered this online,’ ” Turnmire said. “When it finally sunk in, I could not believe that I’m going to get to throw for a million dollars.”

At 2:15 p.m. Monday, Turnmire will make the throw live on ESPN.

She has been practicing with her kids in the yard to prepare. Her background as a P.E teacher has helped her with the basics. Her main goal now is get over the pre-throw jitters as she admits she is nervous to throw on ESPN.

“I am little scared,” Turnmire said. “Can I even hit the target? ... The last couple days my heart has been beating faster.”

Whether she wins or loses, Turnmire is still excited for the opportunity to travel out to Santa Clara and the San Francisco area. Eckrich is also flying a guest out to the game with her. Turnmire is taking her son who has never flown on an airplane.

“We get to do some sightseeing on Sunday. We are going to do the Golden Gate Bridge and things like that,” she said “We are excited to experience all that.”

Turnmire hasn’t decided who she will root for yet when it comes to the national championship. She says her son wants her to root for the SEC team, but she has taught students who have played at Clemson in the past.

“On that morning, I might just flip a coin,” she said.

When she settles in to throw for the cash, she understands that this could change her life forever. She already has some plans if she wins.

“This is the chance of a lifetime,” Turnmire said. “I would give back to my community, help with the schools. It would mean a lot.”