Editorial, The Decatur Daily
Decatur residents should appreciate the energy and enthusiasm that Tami Reist puts into her leadership role as president of Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Her attitude is so positive that she is turning the loss of the city's biggest tourism event into a seemingly good thing.
The loss of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament in May will open hotel rooms for people attending the SoulStock one-day outdoor concert at Point Mallard, she said.
The softball tournament is leaving the city after a 13-year run. Reist and board members wanted, and received, quick feedback on why the teams left for Gulf Shores. With that information they can regroup and go after the tournament in two years.
In the meanwhile, the city has state tennis championships in 2011-13 and the Southwest Athletic Conference men and women's tennis championships next year.
It also has a three-on-three soccer tournament next year.
The Bureau also is working on hosting a rowing regatta at Point Mallard, and more tennis, softball and soccer championship events.
Reist said the Bureau was looking for a "wow" and wound up with an "ouch."
It was, however, a ouch with an asterisk — overall the ratings that team members gave the facilities and accommodations were good.
Now she has a goal to improve them, which based on her record will happen because people want to buy into her enthusiasm.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Getting ready to row, row, row their boat
Not going gently down the stream
Germans, Decatur educators enjoy time on Tennessee
Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Dailt
You won’t find centuries old castles on the Tennessee River like the ones that line the Rhine River, but a group of German rowers gave rave reviews for their week-long trip from Chattanooga to Huntsville.
And based on that feedback, local rowers from the Rocket City Rowing Club, including five Decatur teachers, hope they’ve started a river excursion that will catch on with more Europeans and Americans seeking new scenery and cultures to explore from their long, slender boats.
“You have much better water than we have in Germany,” said Olaf Ehses, 46, a German rower, who came to Alabama with four other Germans last week.
He explained while Germany’s largest and best-known river, the Rhine, has its stately castles and manicured vineyards and farms, it has far more commercial traffic, making for more choppy waves with which to contend.
“Here, maybe, we pass two or three barges while out rowing. In Germany, you pass 10 barges an hour,” he said. “It’s like biking on the interstate.”
Because the water is smoother, the rowing group can use sleek, 45-foot long racing shells, which was an extra incentive to lure the Germans to Alabama.
They started Sunday in Chattanooga and rowed to Nickajack Lake. On Monday, they rowed from Nickajack to about five miles south of Scottsboro. On Tuesday, they continued to Guntersville State Park. On Thursday, they drove to Tennessee to try whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River. On Friday, they rowed from Guntersville to Honeycomb Creek, and Saturday, they rowed to the club’s boathouse near Ditto Landing in Huntsville. They carried their boats around the dams instead of using the locks.
In addition to dealing with less traffic and getting to use faster boats, the Germans said they have enjoyed the calming scenery and varying wildlife, such as ospreys and herons.
“To see the green,” German rower, Christian Krause, 52, answered when asked what drew him to row the Tennessee River. “When I go on the river, I enjoy the quiet and the nature. That’s why you go touring.”
Ehses said he even enjoyed the hot humid weather because it is so different from rowing in Europe.
The German rowers said they got accustomed to the heat and humidity after a couple of days, but added they limit rowing to three or four hours each day on the Tennessee River, whereas in Germany they regularly row six hours. They also row at a less intensive 18 strokes per minute compared to 30 for racing.
Ehses got to know local rowers when he worked in Huntsville for nearly two years until 2008. A rower since age 9, he eagerly joined the Rocket City Rowing Club and made lasting friendships. In 2009, he invited a Huntsville group to row on the Rhine for a week. That led to the idea of bringing German rowers to Alabama.
Diane Winters said it took a good deal of planning to coordinate the trip and find places where they could launch and land their fragile boats as well as hotel accommodations that gave them a truer sense of the region.
The group spent nights on the Delta Queen river boat, a bed and breakfast, cabins at Camp Maranatha and Guntersville State Park.
“Part of the plan is to market it to other clubs,” Winters said, noting they can use fees to buy new equipment for the local club. “There’s huge interest in Chattanooga to join in something like this, Nashville, too.”
Ehses said he thinks more European rowers would like to visit the Tennessee River because of its natural scenery, noting that rowing tours are popular back home.
Krause said every German city has a rowing club, and major cities have as many as 10. His hometown of 25,000, has one club with 300 members. Almost every rowing club in Europe sponsors tours, some as short as a day and others as long as three weeks, he added.
The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau has begun efforts to stage a rowing regatta at Point Mallard with a course set up on Flint Creek in front of the beach.
In November, Chattanooga was host to 1,620 boats for the annual Head of the Hooch rowing regatta.
Need for Decatur club
Kim Qualls, 50, International Baccalaureate coordinator for Decatur City Schools, was one of five Decatur teachers who rowed with the Germans last week.
She said she’d love for Decatur to start a rowing club so they wouldn’t have to drive to Huntsville to practice.
She said she grew up on the river, and loves boating and water skiing, so rowing made perfect sense.
“I’m also a runner and this is better than running, Qualls said. “When I ran, I had to go to a weight room for an hour for an upper body workout. With rowing, I can get it all, upper and lower body and in half the time.”
The other Decatur teachers who rowed with the Germans were Cindy Moore, a Decatur High career tech teacher; Alice Evans, a Decatur High math teacher; D’Arcy Harder, a Decatur High math and science teacher; and Sabrina Helm, a Cedar Ridge Middle School science teacher.
Moore, 46, who has rowed for five years, said the week with the Germans was a true cultural exchange that all the teachers can take back to their classrooms.
“It’s funny how you can get one thing to unify you, which in our case is rowing,” she said. “It just brings you together and you see how you’re more common than different. So I will be able to explain to my students that all over the world, although the cultures are very different , we as people are really the same.”
Interested in rowing?
The Rocket City Rowing Club will have its next
Learn to Row class starting July 30. It starts that Friday night going over safety rules, and the next morning puts students in the boats. Students will learn the fundamentals of sweep rowing, equipment, terminology and common commands.
The cost of the class is $100, and $25 of that cost can be applied to club membership should students choose to join after the class. For more information, send an email to mastersdirector@rocketcityrowing.com.
Germans, Decatur educators enjoy time on Tennessee
Paul Huggins, Staff Writer, The Decatur Dailt
You won’t find centuries old castles on the Tennessee River like the ones that line the Rhine River, but a group of German rowers gave rave reviews for their week-long trip from Chattanooga to Huntsville.
And based on that feedback, local rowers from the Rocket City Rowing Club, including five Decatur teachers, hope they’ve started a river excursion that will catch on with more Europeans and Americans seeking new scenery and cultures to explore from their long, slender boats.
“You have much better water than we have in Germany,” said Olaf Ehses, 46, a German rower, who came to Alabama with four other Germans last week.
He explained while Germany’s largest and best-known river, the Rhine, has its stately castles and manicured vineyards and farms, it has far more commercial traffic, making for more choppy waves with which to contend.
“Here, maybe, we pass two or three barges while out rowing. In Germany, you pass 10 barges an hour,” he said. “It’s like biking on the interstate.”
Because the water is smoother, the rowing group can use sleek, 45-foot long racing shells, which was an extra incentive to lure the Germans to Alabama.
They started Sunday in Chattanooga and rowed to Nickajack Lake. On Monday, they rowed from Nickajack to about five miles south of Scottsboro. On Tuesday, they continued to Guntersville State Park. On Thursday, they drove to Tennessee to try whitewater rafting on the Ocoee River. On Friday, they rowed from Guntersville to Honeycomb Creek, and Saturday, they rowed to the club’s boathouse near Ditto Landing in Huntsville. They carried their boats around the dams instead of using the locks.
In addition to dealing with less traffic and getting to use faster boats, the Germans said they have enjoyed the calming scenery and varying wildlife, such as ospreys and herons.
“To see the green,” German rower, Christian Krause, 52, answered when asked what drew him to row the Tennessee River. “When I go on the river, I enjoy the quiet and the nature. That’s why you go touring.”
Ehses said he even enjoyed the hot humid weather because it is so different from rowing in Europe.
The German rowers said they got accustomed to the heat and humidity after a couple of days, but added they limit rowing to three or four hours each day on the Tennessee River, whereas in Germany they regularly row six hours. They also row at a less intensive 18 strokes per minute compared to 30 for racing.
Ehses got to know local rowers when he worked in Huntsville for nearly two years until 2008. A rower since age 9, he eagerly joined the Rocket City Rowing Club and made lasting friendships. In 2009, he invited a Huntsville group to row on the Rhine for a week. That led to the idea of bringing German rowers to Alabama.
Diane Winters said it took a good deal of planning to coordinate the trip and find places where they could launch and land their fragile boats as well as hotel accommodations that gave them a truer sense of the region.
The group spent nights on the Delta Queen river boat, a bed and breakfast, cabins at Camp Maranatha and Guntersville State Park.
“Part of the plan is to market it to other clubs,” Winters said, noting they can use fees to buy new equipment for the local club. “There’s huge interest in Chattanooga to join in something like this, Nashville, too.”
Ehses said he thinks more European rowers would like to visit the Tennessee River because of its natural scenery, noting that rowing tours are popular back home.
Krause said every German city has a rowing club, and major cities have as many as 10. His hometown of 25,000, has one club with 300 members. Almost every rowing club in Europe sponsors tours, some as short as a day and others as long as three weeks, he added.
The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau has begun efforts to stage a rowing regatta at Point Mallard with a course set up on Flint Creek in front of the beach.
In November, Chattanooga was host to 1,620 boats for the annual Head of the Hooch rowing regatta.
Need for Decatur club
Kim Qualls, 50, International Baccalaureate coordinator for Decatur City Schools, was one of five Decatur teachers who rowed with the Germans last week.
She said she’d love for Decatur to start a rowing club so they wouldn’t have to drive to Huntsville to practice.
She said she grew up on the river, and loves boating and water skiing, so rowing made perfect sense.
“I’m also a runner and this is better than running, Qualls said. “When I ran, I had to go to a weight room for an hour for an upper body workout. With rowing, I can get it all, upper and lower body and in half the time.”
The other Decatur teachers who rowed with the Germans were Cindy Moore, a Decatur High career tech teacher; Alice Evans, a Decatur High math teacher; D’Arcy Harder, a Decatur High math and science teacher; and Sabrina Helm, a Cedar Ridge Middle School science teacher.
Moore, 46, who has rowed for five years, said the week with the Germans was a true cultural exchange that all the teachers can take back to their classrooms.
“It’s funny how you can get one thing to unify you, which in our case is rowing,” she said. “It just brings you together and you see how you’re more common than different. So I will be able to explain to my students that all over the world, although the cultures are very different , we as people are really the same.”
Interested in rowing?
The Rocket City Rowing Club will have its next
Learn to Row class starting July 30. It starts that Friday night going over safety rules, and the next morning puts students in the boats. Students will learn the fundamentals of sweep rowing, equipment, terminology and common commands.
The cost of the class is $100, and $25 of that cost can be applied to club membership should students choose to join after the class. For more information, send an email to mastersdirector@rocketcityrowing.com.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
City gets 'Ouch!' from NAIA survey
By Paul Huggins, phuggins@decaturdaily.com, staff writer, The Decatur Daily
NAIA softball officials and participants felt Decatur lacked several keys to successfully host the annual national championship series, which could explain why Decatur’s biggest tourism event will move to Gulf Shores in 2011 and 2012 after 11 straight years at Wilson Morgan Park.
The teams and officials specifically listed a lack of quality hotel rooms for 32 teams, a lack of practice space/batting cages at Wilson Morgan Park, a lack of a nearby NAIA school and a lack of community attendance at games during the week-long event.
“We were looking for a Wow! and wound up with an Ouch!” Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said of the survey results.
Decatur was host to the softball championship tournament for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 13 of the past 15 years. The past two years, it expanded from a 20-team field to 32 teams, making it the city’s biggest tourism event with an economic impact of more than $1.5 million, according to the visitors bureau, which factors in the trickle-down effect of how tourism spending creates other jobs and spending.
The 12 teams who filled out surveys reported spending a combined $116,870 while in Decatur.
Reist said the most common weakness the survey participants listed for Decatur was a lack of practice space and batting cages at Wilson Morgan Park.
Several teams listed the quality of the playing surfaces and grounds crew as tournament strengths, but complained about having to schedule practice times, not having batting cages and a lack of rain tarpaulins. The team from California also said Wilson Morgan lacked stadium seating one would expect for a national championship.
“The report was favorable for parks and recreation, but they said they needed a new complex,” Reist said. “If we want to be competitive in this market, we got to keep upgrading our facilities. We can’t get complacent.
“I feel like in two years, we need to look at something new or make some improvements.”
Decatur Parks and Recreation already has a new, $12 million baseball/softball complex on its wish list to handle the city’s growing demand for fields. It would be at Beltline Road Southwest and Trinity Lane and feature six softball fields and eight baseball fields.
But there are other issues, unrelated to Wilson Morgan, that drew complaints from NAIA teams and officials.
Comments about some Decatur hotels included: “not quite what we expected;” “jacked up prices just for tournament;” “outdated;” “under-staffed;” “mildew and water damage;” and “some hotels don’t have a free breakfast.”
Each hotel received copies of the survey and the specific complaints listed for its property.
Overall, the teams gave Decatur a good score when rating their visit on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). Three teams gave a 5 rating, five teams gave a 4 rating, two teams gave a 3 rating and one team gave a 2 rating.
When reviewing the survey Thursday, there was sentiment among bureau board members that the tournament moved to Gulf Shores simply because it wanted a change of scenery and felt it needed to take place where NAIA member colleges were nearby to support it.
Athens State was Decatur’s NAIA representative until it dropped its athletic programs in 2004.
Some of the board also expressed hopefulness that the tournament going away for two years will show NAIA officials how special Decatur is and they’ll want to come back.
Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Tom Chappell inspected the softball complex in Gulf Shores and said while the facility is new and larger than Wilson Morgan, the playing fields are not as high quality as Wilson Morgan.
Reist said the bureau staff is having success in luring new sports events to Decatur to help make up for the loss of NAIA. It recently secured the state tennis championships for five classifications from 2011-13 and the men’s and women’s tennis championships for the Southwestern Athletic Conference next year. It also booked a three-on-three soccer tourney for July 2011 that will serve as a regional qualifier for the national tournament.
The bureau also has begun efforts to host a rowing regatta at Point Mallard, has bid to host the Alabama Community College Conference tennis tournament for its fourth straight year and is working to get the state high school softball and soccer championships.
In addition, Reist said the loss of the NAIA tournament opens Decatur hotels that third week in May to accommodate SoulStock, a one-day outdoor Christian concert that made its debut at Point Mallard this year after outgrowing Athens State. It attracted 12,000 to 15,000 attendees.
The bureau has mailed out SoulStock invitations to 900 churches in the region in hopes of filling up local hotels.
NAIA softball officials and participants felt Decatur lacked several keys to successfully host the annual national championship series, which could explain why Decatur’s biggest tourism event will move to Gulf Shores in 2011 and 2012 after 11 straight years at Wilson Morgan Park.
The teams and officials specifically listed a lack of quality hotel rooms for 32 teams, a lack of practice space/batting cages at Wilson Morgan Park, a lack of a nearby NAIA school and a lack of community attendance at games during the week-long event.
“We were looking for a Wow! and wound up with an Ouch!” Tami Reist, president of the Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said of the survey results.
Decatur was host to the softball championship tournament for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics 13 of the past 15 years. The past two years, it expanded from a 20-team field to 32 teams, making it the city’s biggest tourism event with an economic impact of more than $1.5 million, according to the visitors bureau, which factors in the trickle-down effect of how tourism spending creates other jobs and spending.
The 12 teams who filled out surveys reported spending a combined $116,870 while in Decatur.
Reist said the most common weakness the survey participants listed for Decatur was a lack of practice space and batting cages at Wilson Morgan Park.
Several teams listed the quality of the playing surfaces and grounds crew as tournament strengths, but complained about having to schedule practice times, not having batting cages and a lack of rain tarpaulins. The team from California also said Wilson Morgan lacked stadium seating one would expect for a national championship.
“The report was favorable for parks and recreation, but they said they needed a new complex,” Reist said. “If we want to be competitive in this market, we got to keep upgrading our facilities. We can’t get complacent.
“I feel like in two years, we need to look at something new or make some improvements.”
Decatur Parks and Recreation already has a new, $12 million baseball/softball complex on its wish list to handle the city’s growing demand for fields. It would be at Beltline Road Southwest and Trinity Lane and feature six softball fields and eight baseball fields.
But there are other issues, unrelated to Wilson Morgan, that drew complaints from NAIA teams and officials.
Comments about some Decatur hotels included: “not quite what we expected;” “jacked up prices just for tournament;” “outdated;” “under-staffed;” “mildew and water damage;” and “some hotels don’t have a free breakfast.”
Each hotel received copies of the survey and the specific complaints listed for its property.
Overall, the teams gave Decatur a good score when rating their visit on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). Three teams gave a 5 rating, five teams gave a 4 rating, two teams gave a 3 rating and one team gave a 2 rating.
When reviewing the survey Thursday, there was sentiment among bureau board members that the tournament moved to Gulf Shores simply because it wanted a change of scenery and felt it needed to take place where NAIA member colleges were nearby to support it.
Athens State was Decatur’s NAIA representative until it dropped its athletic programs in 2004.
Some of the board also expressed hopefulness that the tournament going away for two years will show NAIA officials how special Decatur is and they’ll want to come back.
Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Tom Chappell inspected the softball complex in Gulf Shores and said while the facility is new and larger than Wilson Morgan, the playing fields are not as high quality as Wilson Morgan.
Reist said the bureau staff is having success in luring new sports events to Decatur to help make up for the loss of NAIA. It recently secured the state tennis championships for five classifications from 2011-13 and the men’s and women’s tennis championships for the Southwestern Athletic Conference next year. It also booked a three-on-three soccer tourney for July 2011 that will serve as a regional qualifier for the national tournament.
The bureau also has begun efforts to host a rowing regatta at Point Mallard, has bid to host the Alabama Community College Conference tennis tournament for its fourth straight year and is working to get the state high school softball and soccer championships.
In addition, Reist said the loss of the NAIA tournament opens Decatur hotels that third week in May to accommodate SoulStock, a one-day outdoor Christian concert that made its debut at Point Mallard this year after outgrowing Athens State. It attracted 12,000 to 15,000 attendees.
The bureau has mailed out SoulStock invitations to 900 churches in the region in hopes of filling up local hotels.
Meeting Notes
The Decatur Daily, by Paul Huggins
Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau conducted the following business at its monthly meeting Thursday:
Passed a resolution supporting a new state bill to push back the school start date 10 days.
Reported May had a net income surplus of $13,080 and June had a net income surplus of $5,209. For fiscal 2010, the bureau now has a negative income of $42,933.
Reported the city collected $72,340 in lodging taxes in April. The bureau receives 75 percent of that for operating and promotional expenses. The amount was 13 percent less than the same month last year, and bureau treasurer Wade Weaver noted two hotels had yet to pay their taxes when the report was made. Lodging taxes are down 15 percent for fiscal 2010.
Reported the $2-per-night room occupancy fee generated $39,351 in April, down $4,874 from the same month last year. The fee has generated $308,300 in fiscal 2010, down 6.5 percent from fiscal 2009.
Reported April’s occupancy rate was 49 percent, down 6 percent compared to the same month last year.
Set Sept. 17 as the ground-breaking ceremony for the new pavilion at Ingalls Harbor.
Announced it has contracted with 21 hotels in Decatur, Madison and Huntsville to handle 850 of the 1,400 room nights needed to host the three-day Governor’s Cup soccer tournament next May.
Announced that the national 17-and-under soccer team from Ghana has cut six days from its planned three-week stay in Decatur during August as part of its preparation for its age group’s World Cup in Trinidad in September.
Announced Lindsey Wilson and William Carey colleges’ men’s soccer teams will play against each other in a fall preview at Jack Allen Soccer Complex.
Announced it will put a digital photo frame in local hotels with pictures of top attractions and places to eat with handouts next to the frame that give full details about the pictures.
PAUL HUGGINS
Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Decatur-Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau conducted the following business at its monthly meeting Thursday:
Passed a resolution supporting a new state bill to push back the school start date 10 days.
Reported May had a net income surplus of $13,080 and June had a net income surplus of $5,209. For fiscal 2010, the bureau now has a negative income of $42,933.
Reported the city collected $72,340 in lodging taxes in April. The bureau receives 75 percent of that for operating and promotional expenses. The amount was 13 percent less than the same month last year, and bureau treasurer Wade Weaver noted two hotels had yet to pay their taxes when the report was made. Lodging taxes are down 15 percent for fiscal 2010.
Reported the $2-per-night room occupancy fee generated $39,351 in April, down $4,874 from the same month last year. The fee has generated $308,300 in fiscal 2010, down 6.5 percent from fiscal 2009.
Reported April’s occupancy rate was 49 percent, down 6 percent compared to the same month last year.
Set Sept. 17 as the ground-breaking ceremony for the new pavilion at Ingalls Harbor.
Announced it has contracted with 21 hotels in Decatur, Madison and Huntsville to handle 850 of the 1,400 room nights needed to host the three-day Governor’s Cup soccer tournament next May.
Announced that the national 17-and-under soccer team from Ghana has cut six days from its planned three-week stay in Decatur during August as part of its preparation for its age group’s World Cup in Trinidad in September.
Announced Lindsey Wilson and William Carey colleges’ men’s soccer teams will play against each other in a fall preview at Jack Allen Soccer Complex.
Announced it will put a digital photo frame in local hotels with pictures of top attractions and places to eat with handouts next to the frame that give full details about the pictures.
PAUL HUGGINS
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Thrice is nice for triathlete Krichev
Huntsville physician fastest Wet Dog for third straight year
By Paul Stackhouse, Sports Writer, The Decatur Daily
The 11th annual Wet Dog Triathlon at Point Mallard Park on Saturday looked more like the Spirit of America Festival, with parking near the J. Gilmer Blackburn Aquatic Center at a premium an hour before the 7 a.m. start.
A record 600 competitors registered for the event, which benefits Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Morgan, Lawrence, Cullman and Winston counties. The number could have been even higher.
Huntsville’s Jonathan Krichev, a family and sports medicine physician, finished with a time of 47 minutes, 30 seconds to win in the overall male category for the third straight year.
Last year, he finished with a time of 46:30, and in 2008 he covered the three-sport event in 46:47.
Krichev’s training partners, Ryan Hensley and Chris Roberts, also from Huntsville, came in second and third, respectively, with times of 48:52 and 50:01.
First place in the overall female division was Donna McCullar of Leesburg with a time of 56:24. Decatur’s Jennifer Dunn claimed second place at 57:41.
Rachel Eubanks of Harvest was third among the females with a 57:56 time.
The triathlon consists of a 400-meter swim in Flint Creek, where the athletes hit the water from the beach at the aquatic center. From there, the contestants go on a 15-kilometer bike ride, followed by a 5K run.
“We all do a lot of training together,” Krichev said of Roberts and Hensley. “I really enjoy running the triathlons. We all do. This is my 14th triathlon, and I hope to be in a lot more. I swam at Emory, and maybe that’s a reason why, but myself and my wife (Alicia) enjoy doing this. My wife is usually running with me, but we just had our fourth baby, so she’s taking a hiatus.
“Our group tries to train as much as we can. Really, we do something just about every day. We decided a while back to take Sundays off, but every other day, we are doing something to train.”
Dunn, a former Austin High track standout and now a rising junior track-and-field athlete at Florida State, said running a triathlon wasn’t much different than usual for her.
“I’m primarily a runner, but I do a little swimming and biking every now and then,” Dunn said. “I don’t do a whole lot of the other two, so I just sort of winged it out there today. I have to say that I did enjoy it. It was more of a challenge than just running.”
The top local finisher was Kari Salomaa of Somerville with a fifth-place overall time of 51:28.
Other area athletes finishing in the top 20 were Andy David of Athens, ninth at 52:54; Bill Gannaway of Decatur, 15th at 54:31; and Patrick Fagerman of Decatur, 19th at 55:23.
Madison’s George Dewitt, 51, won the male masters division at 52:51, and Huntsville’s Cynthia Fuller, 54, won the female masters at 1:08:54.
Emily Rutherford, 23, of Town Creek won the female first-timer award with a finish time of 1:07:15. Cody Moore, 15, of Huntsville won the male first-timer at 59:27.
The Flying Dutchmen won the male relay team competition at 49:49. Team Zing had a 1:04:31 to win the women’s relay team title.
Two Twigs and a Berr recorded a 59:38 to capture the mixed relay team award.
Leah Brown, chief executive officer of Big Brothers, Big Sisters, was all smiles following the event.
“Awesome, awesome, awesome,” Brown said. “I am so pleased. Everything has gone so well. You know, the weather could have been excruciating hot, but it wasn’t. It was cloudy and overcast, and you could tell everybody was enjoying that, even the spectators.
“We had 87 people run in the very first one, and this time we had to turn some people away,” Brown said. “This has been so great. We probably could have had 700 or 800, but we were not prepared for that. We had 508 last year. This time, we had runners from 10 states and three countries. I just look around at all the people, and it gives me such a warm feeling.
“I can’t say thank you enough to the Decatur Jaycees and everybody else who helped with this. Last year, we made $12,000 for Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and I don’t know what it is this time around yet, but it all stays here. This is such a great event for such a great cause.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the event’s charity agency, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, may still do so. You can send your donation to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, P.O. Box 2171, Decatur, AL 35602 or you can telephone 256-353-0157.
By Paul Stackhouse, Sports Writer, The Decatur Daily
The 11th annual Wet Dog Triathlon at Point Mallard Park on Saturday looked more like the Spirit of America Festival, with parking near the J. Gilmer Blackburn Aquatic Center at a premium an hour before the 7 a.m. start.
A record 600 competitors registered for the event, which benefits Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Morgan, Lawrence, Cullman and Winston counties. The number could have been even higher.
Huntsville’s Jonathan Krichev, a family and sports medicine physician, finished with a time of 47 minutes, 30 seconds to win in the overall male category for the third straight year.
Last year, he finished with a time of 46:30, and in 2008 he covered the three-sport event in 46:47.
Krichev’s training partners, Ryan Hensley and Chris Roberts, also from Huntsville, came in second and third, respectively, with times of 48:52 and 50:01.
First place in the overall female division was Donna McCullar of Leesburg with a time of 56:24. Decatur’s Jennifer Dunn claimed second place at 57:41.
Rachel Eubanks of Harvest was third among the females with a 57:56 time.
The triathlon consists of a 400-meter swim in Flint Creek, where the athletes hit the water from the beach at the aquatic center. From there, the contestants go on a 15-kilometer bike ride, followed by a 5K run.
“We all do a lot of training together,” Krichev said of Roberts and Hensley. “I really enjoy running the triathlons. We all do. This is my 14th triathlon, and I hope to be in a lot more. I swam at Emory, and maybe that’s a reason why, but myself and my wife (Alicia) enjoy doing this. My wife is usually running with me, but we just had our fourth baby, so she’s taking a hiatus.
“Our group tries to train as much as we can. Really, we do something just about every day. We decided a while back to take Sundays off, but every other day, we are doing something to train.”
Dunn, a former Austin High track standout and now a rising junior track-and-field athlete at Florida State, said running a triathlon wasn’t much different than usual for her.
“I’m primarily a runner, but I do a little swimming and biking every now and then,” Dunn said. “I don’t do a whole lot of the other two, so I just sort of winged it out there today. I have to say that I did enjoy it. It was more of a challenge than just running.”
The top local finisher was Kari Salomaa of Somerville with a fifth-place overall time of 51:28.
Other area athletes finishing in the top 20 were Andy David of Athens, ninth at 52:54; Bill Gannaway of Decatur, 15th at 54:31; and Patrick Fagerman of Decatur, 19th at 55:23.
Madison’s George Dewitt, 51, won the male masters division at 52:51, and Huntsville’s Cynthia Fuller, 54, won the female masters at 1:08:54.
Emily Rutherford, 23, of Town Creek won the female first-timer award with a finish time of 1:07:15. Cody Moore, 15, of Huntsville won the male first-timer at 59:27.
The Flying Dutchmen won the male relay team competition at 49:49. Team Zing had a 1:04:31 to win the women’s relay team title.
Two Twigs and a Berr recorded a 59:38 to capture the mixed relay team award.
Leah Brown, chief executive officer of Big Brothers, Big Sisters, was all smiles following the event.
“Awesome, awesome, awesome,” Brown said. “I am so pleased. Everything has gone so well. You know, the weather could have been excruciating hot, but it wasn’t. It was cloudy and overcast, and you could tell everybody was enjoying that, even the spectators.
“We had 87 people run in the very first one, and this time we had to turn some people away,” Brown said. “This has been so great. We probably could have had 700 or 800, but we were not prepared for that. We had 508 last year. This time, we had runners from 10 states and three countries. I just look around at all the people, and it gives me such a warm feeling.
“I can’t say thank you enough to the Decatur Jaycees and everybody else who helped with this. Last year, we made $12,000 for Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and I don’t know what it is this time around yet, but it all stays here. This is such a great event for such a great cause.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the event’s charity agency, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, may still do so. You can send your donation to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, P.O. Box 2171, Decatur, AL 35602 or you can telephone 256-353-0157.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Misti Palmer looking for better marks in Wet Dog
By Michael Wetzel, Assistant sports editor, The Decatur Daily
Decatur’s Misti Palmer isn’t afraid of water. She proved that to a nationwide television audience in 2003.
Then in last year’s Wet Dog Triathlon, she swam the 400 meters in Flint Creek in a swift 7 minutes and 16 seconds. It placed her second in her age division in swimming — not bad for her first triathlon.
She finished 86th overall in the female division and 14th in the 30-34 age division.
Now the 34-year-old counselor at Calhoun Community College is trying to better her marks in the swimming, biking and running events in Saturday’s 11th annual event at Point Mallard.
Hosted by the Decatur Jaycees and Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the triathlon begins at 7 a.m.
This time, Misti says her husband Jason will be competing, too.
He’ll be swimming during a team competition, she said.
The Palmers have been swimming laps regularly at the Aquadome Recreation Center’s pool.
Misti said the training helps, but conditions are different on race day, especially your first time in such a grueling event.
“Last year, I was a bit surprised with the swimming portion,” she said.
Misti added: “There is quite a bit of difference swimming in a pool and swimming in the river with a current and plenty of other swimmers starting at the same time.”
The former cheerleader at Austin High and Auburn said she is expecting to improve her time on the bike this year, too.
She said she used a mountain bike during last year’s 15-kilometer ride from Point Mallard to Rhodes Ferry Park and back.
“I’ve been out on the bike a bunch this year,” she said. “I’ve got a bike now more built for speed.”
The Palmers finished second on an episode of ABC’s “Fear Factor” on Feb. 10, 2003. They won $25,000 winning two of the three events of the show.
On the show, they transferred 204 Madagascar hissing cockroaches from a box to their mouths to another box in three minutes. In a water stunt, Jason swam underwater, unlocked three locks of a Plexiglass box holding Misti, who swam to the surface and pulled a flag in 30 seconds.
Misti said competing in events such as the Wet Dog and “Fear Factor” keeps her motivated to set goals and try to reach them.
“It’s a way of testing yourself physically,” she said. “Having a race on the calendar forces you to work at it.”
The Palmers have changed their sleeping habits, too, preparing for the race. Misti said they have been working out each morning before their children, ages 7 and 3, wake up.
“We’re getting an early start every morning,” she said. “We don’t want this to steal time from our children.”
A regular in 5K races, Misti called the Wet Dog a “great event.”
“It’s a great fundraiser for Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and it is a great to train for and compete in. Two great things in one.”
Big Brothers, Big Sisters executive director Leah Brown said the triathlon’s field is maxed out with 600 competitors from 11 states and two foreign countries.
Last year’s overall winner Jonathan Krichev of Huntsville did the 400-meter swim, 15K bike race and 5K run in 46 minutes and 30 seconds. He’s back to defend his title for the third time. In 2008, he won with a 46:47.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters serves Morgan, Lawrence, Winston and Cullman counties.
Spectator admission is free.
Decatur’s Misti Palmer isn’t afraid of water. She proved that to a nationwide television audience in 2003.
Then in last year’s Wet Dog Triathlon, she swam the 400 meters in Flint Creek in a swift 7 minutes and 16 seconds. It placed her second in her age division in swimming — not bad for her first triathlon.
She finished 86th overall in the female division and 14th in the 30-34 age division.
Now the 34-year-old counselor at Calhoun Community College is trying to better her marks in the swimming, biking and running events in Saturday’s 11th annual event at Point Mallard.
Hosted by the Decatur Jaycees and Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the triathlon begins at 7 a.m.
This time, Misti says her husband Jason will be competing, too.
He’ll be swimming during a team competition, she said.
The Palmers have been swimming laps regularly at the Aquadome Recreation Center’s pool.
Misti said the training helps, but conditions are different on race day, especially your first time in such a grueling event.
“Last year, I was a bit surprised with the swimming portion,” she said.
Misti added: “There is quite a bit of difference swimming in a pool and swimming in the river with a current and plenty of other swimmers starting at the same time.”
The former cheerleader at Austin High and Auburn said she is expecting to improve her time on the bike this year, too.
She said she used a mountain bike during last year’s 15-kilometer ride from Point Mallard to Rhodes Ferry Park and back.
“I’ve been out on the bike a bunch this year,” she said. “I’ve got a bike now more built for speed.”
The Palmers finished second on an episode of ABC’s “Fear Factor” on Feb. 10, 2003. They won $25,000 winning two of the three events of the show.
On the show, they transferred 204 Madagascar hissing cockroaches from a box to their mouths to another box in three minutes. In a water stunt, Jason swam underwater, unlocked three locks of a Plexiglass box holding Misti, who swam to the surface and pulled a flag in 30 seconds.
Misti said competing in events such as the Wet Dog and “Fear Factor” keeps her motivated to set goals and try to reach them.
“It’s a way of testing yourself physically,” she said. “Having a race on the calendar forces you to work at it.”
The Palmers have changed their sleeping habits, too, preparing for the race. Misti said they have been working out each morning before their children, ages 7 and 3, wake up.
“We’re getting an early start every morning,” she said. “We don’t want this to steal time from our children.”
A regular in 5K races, Misti called the Wet Dog a “great event.”
“It’s a great fundraiser for Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and it is a great to train for and compete in. Two great things in one.”
Big Brothers, Big Sisters executive director Leah Brown said the triathlon’s field is maxed out with 600 competitors from 11 states and two foreign countries.
Last year’s overall winner Jonathan Krichev of Huntsville did the 400-meter swim, 15K bike race and 5K run in 46 minutes and 30 seconds. He’s back to defend his title for the third time. In 2008, he won with a 46:47.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters serves Morgan, Lawrence, Winston and Cullman counties.
Spectator admission is free.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Wet Dog Triathlon has full field of 600
By Michael Wetzel, Assistant sports editor, The Decatur Daily
Leah Brown admits she has a problem. But it’s a good problem to have.
The executive director of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program is forced to turn away entrants into the agency’s 11th annual Wet Dog Triathlon set for Saturday morning.
For the first time in the Point Mallard event’s history, it is sold out, she said.
“We have a 600-person limit,” Brown said Wednesday afternoon. “We hit that number Tuesday, and I’ve already had to turn away about eight to 10 people, and I know more will be trying to get in. I hate to turn anyone away. But we’ve got a full field.”
The triathlon, which includes a 400-meter swim, 15-kilometer bike race and 5-kilometer run, is the Big Brothers Big Sisters largest fund raiser of the year, she said.
Last year’s Wet Dog drew 508 participants, Brown said. She said the inaugural Wet Dog event 11 years ago attracted 87 athletes.
She credits the event’s growing success on the more than 65 hard-working volunteers, the Decatur Jaycees and local organizations such as the Morgan County Rescue Squad and Decatur Parks and Recreation.
Back this year is last year’s winner Jonathan Krichev of Huntsville. He covered the three-sport distance in 46 minutes, 30 seconds. Huntsville’s Tina Eakin won the women’s event in 2009 with a 50:48 time and is not in this year’s field.
Trying to better those times will be athletes from 11 states and two countries, Brown said.
She said two athletes from Army-Asia and another from Army-Europe have entered. “We’ve got entries from California, Texas, Louisiana and Florida, too,” Brown said.
The athletes will begin at the Point Mallard beach area by swimming 400 meters in the Tennessee River. The biking portion will begin in the parking lot of the Aquatic Center. The athletes will bicycle to Rhodes Ferry Park and back. The 5K run will be along the running trail at Point Mallard with the finish line being in the parking lot of the T.C. Almon Recreation Center.
Starting the triathlon at 7 a.m. will be master of ceremonies and new Decatur police chief Ed Taylor.
Spectator admission is free of charge.
The local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency serves Morgan, Lawrence, Winston and Cullman counties.
Didn’t get in?
The 11th annual Wet Dog
Triathlon is sold out, but you can still donate to the event’s charity agency, Big Brothers Big Sisters. You can send your donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, P.O. Box 2171, Decatur, AL 35602 or you can telephone 256-353-0157.
Leah Brown admits she has a problem. But it’s a good problem to have.
The executive director of the local Big Brothers Big Sisters program is forced to turn away entrants into the agency’s 11th annual Wet Dog Triathlon set for Saturday morning.
For the first time in the Point Mallard event’s history, it is sold out, she said.
“We have a 600-person limit,” Brown said Wednesday afternoon. “We hit that number Tuesday, and I’ve already had to turn away about eight to 10 people, and I know more will be trying to get in. I hate to turn anyone away. But we’ve got a full field.”
The triathlon, which includes a 400-meter swim, 15-kilometer bike race and 5-kilometer run, is the Big Brothers Big Sisters largest fund raiser of the year, she said.
Last year’s Wet Dog drew 508 participants, Brown said. She said the inaugural Wet Dog event 11 years ago attracted 87 athletes.
She credits the event’s growing success on the more than 65 hard-working volunteers, the Decatur Jaycees and local organizations such as the Morgan County Rescue Squad and Decatur Parks and Recreation.
Back this year is last year’s winner Jonathan Krichev of Huntsville. He covered the three-sport distance in 46 minutes, 30 seconds. Huntsville’s Tina Eakin won the women’s event in 2009 with a 50:48 time and is not in this year’s field.
Trying to better those times will be athletes from 11 states and two countries, Brown said.
She said two athletes from Army-Asia and another from Army-Europe have entered. “We’ve got entries from California, Texas, Louisiana and Florida, too,” Brown said.
The athletes will begin at the Point Mallard beach area by swimming 400 meters in the Tennessee River. The biking portion will begin in the parking lot of the Aquatic Center. The athletes will bicycle to Rhodes Ferry Park and back. The 5K run will be along the running trail at Point Mallard with the finish line being in the parking lot of the T.C. Almon Recreation Center.
Starting the triathlon at 7 a.m. will be master of ceremonies and new Decatur police chief Ed Taylor.
Spectator admission is free of charge.
The local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency serves Morgan, Lawrence, Winston and Cullman counties.
Didn’t get in?
The 11th annual Wet Dog
Triathlon is sold out, but you can still donate to the event’s charity agency, Big Brothers Big Sisters. You can send your donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters, P.O. Box 2171, Decatur, AL 35602 or you can telephone 256-353-0157.
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