The Daily Citizen, Dalton, GA Outdoors

State Champ!

2012-05-06T08:11:12-04:00

Dalton girls track athlete Susan Meinders is a very spiritual young lady, who never hesitates to give God the credit in her athletic pursuits. So when the junior came over the next-to-last hurdle at the Georgia High School Association’s Class 3A state track meet, she had no fears even when she hit the top of the hurdle and seemed to stumble.
“God kept me balanced,” Meinders said after claiming the state title with a time of 44 seconds, 21 hundreths. “He kept me from falling, and He carried me through.”

Doug Hawley: Finish is just the start

2012-05-06T08:05:20-04:00

So often, people are caught up in thinking winning is all that matters in distance running and other sports. Nevertheless, much can be said for “personal” victories.
Harris Gallegly, an 8-year-old second grader at New Hope Elementary, achieved one such victory during a local road race in mid-March.

‘Great crowd’ for Gregory Classic

2012-05-06T08:03:19-04:00

Cohutta native Dean Thompson made history Saturday morning as the overall winner of the 32nd Bill Gregory Healthcare Classic’s first 10K race since the latter 1980’s.
“It feels good to make history,” the 46-year-old Thompson said of his 36 minutes, 18 seconds clocking over the tough course, which started and ended at Bradley Wellness Center. “It’s like the Dalton Half Marathon for me.”

North Georgia Speedway will break for a month

2012-05-05T08:03:58-04:00

North Georgia Speedway will be closed for the rest of the month due to upkeep with the track, but racing will return in June.
Keiff Ellis, the dirt track’s promoter, said a number of upgrades and maintenance will take place to improve the Chatsworth speedway, including a new timing system for the qualifying part of each race.

Run for John: Helpful push makes all the difference

2012-04-29T08:07:10-04:00

In the midst of the fifth annual Run for John 5K, participants in wheelchairs received first-time focus.
Dalton’s Mike Anderson, who lost his 9-year-old son Peter four years ago to muscular dystrophy, has been active since that time in My Team Triumph, a national organization that deals with MD and other disabilities. On Saturday, Anderson’s efforts resulted in two disabled adults being pushed by several runners along the race’s hilly 3.1-mile route, which starts and finishes at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dalton and follows Haigmill Lake Road in between.

Dalton golf director gets Hall of Fame nod

2012-04-25T08:01:59-04:00

Dalton Golf and Country Club Director of Golf Lowell Fritz has had a huge impact on local golf over a 46-year career at the club.

Tips for trouble-free bear encounters

2012-04-22T00:23:27-04:00

Seeing a black bear in Georgia, even in Metro Atlanta, is not unusual, especially during spring. That’s because during spring and summer, young male bears that are “on their own” for the first time sometimes venture into suburbs and even urban areas.

State DNR offers archery camps

2012-04-22T00:14:50-04:00

Designed with everything outdoors in mind, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division’s summer archery camps aim to educate and engage adventurous youth.

Cohutta man finishes in top 400 in Boston Marathon

2012-04-18T08:05:37-04:00

Dean Thompson, a 46-year-old Cohutta resident, finished 316th of 22,535 participants Monday in an unseasonably hot Boston Marathon.

CRBI plans paddle workshops for persons with disabilities

2012-04-17T11:16:56-04:00

The Coosa River Basin Initiative will host a series of paddle workshops for persons with physical disabilities to prepare them for participation in the organization’s WATERFEST XII event on May 4-5.