BOE TOURS HCHS

Members of the Habersham County Board of Education toured the new Habersham Central High School June 13. Eighteen tractor trailer loads of furniture are being delivered and assembled this week, including furnishings for classrooms, cafeteria, media center and fine arts rooms. Shown, from left, are Habersham County Board of Education member Gilbert Barrett, Habersham County School Superintendent Robert “Buddy” Costley and Assistant Superintendent Mike Sanders. A photo gallery of the tour is posted on The Northeast Georgian's Facebook page.

North Georgia Technical College goes Cross Country « Georgia ...

– The pace of change at North Georgia Technical College has picked up again.  This fall, along with the transition from quarters to semesters, new building openings, and adjustments to HOPE, NGTC takes another giant step forward entering into college athletics with an inaugural Cross Country team.

“Cross Country was the ideal sport for us,” said President Steve Dougherty.  “With this incredibly beautiful campus and the low equipment and overhead costs, we knew this sport could get us ‘off the ground running’ in formal college athletic competitions.”

Intramural sports have long been a strong part of campus life, with teams for flag football often going to state championships.  In decades past, the college had a baseball team and a basketball team. Now, NGTC has been accepted into the Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) for Cross Country sports.

Coach Bob Roller from East Jackson High School of Commerce, Georgia, has been tapped as the inaugural coach and is already actively recruiting runners of all ages to join the team.  “Anybody can do it,” he said.  “This first year – and every year – we won’t turn anyone away.  For each race, we’ll pick the best runners, and that may change every week. Everyone has a chance as their ability and conditioning improve during the season.”

“The community is probably the biggest winner this year,” noted Dougherty.  “Every high school and college around here has a cross country team, but there are only a few with competition courses onsite.”

The NGTC trail, designed by Coach Sam Stovall, retired from Winder-Barrow High School, as consultant, flows over rolling meadows and winds through the woods around a peaceful pond.  It will boast courses in distances of 3K (for middle school), 5K (for high school and women’s college), and 8K (for men’s college).  These paths will be available for visiting team practices as well as some community access.

Already the races are being scheduled with the first college race slated for Friday, September 2.  “We wanted to start with an evening race,” said Coach Roller. “Having it on Friday evening of the long Labor Day weekend leaves the rest of the days free for celebrations.”

Also, Habersham Central High School has scheduled their hosted meet, the Mountain Eagle Run, on the college campus on Saturday, September 10.

For more information about Cross Country at NGTC, contact Coach Roller at 706-754-7818 or broller@northatech.edu .

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