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WeHaMiLTOnCraigBSiTe:standoffstudios.comfiLM:MayanBlue
“I was onsite during one of the two filming seasons and it was a life-changing experience for me,” Craig says. “The winding, twisting roads, the surrounding mountains and volcanoes, the deep blue waters, the colorful temples — the Mayan world is one of the cultural centers of the ancient world. It is a storyteller’s dream.”
“I guess I’ve always been interested in writ ing and film,” remarks Dalton-native Hamilton Craig. “I’ve always loved movies — especially comedies. When I was a kid, I made stupid videos with one of those giant VHS camcorders. And I’ve long admired the works of the Coen broth ers, who wrote, directed and produced movies like No Country for Old Men and Fargo.” After studying journalism at Alabama for a while, Craig eventually transferred to the Savannah College of Art and Design, and in 2005 graduated with a BFA in Film and Television. Today, Craig is both a producer and film writer at Standoff Studios, an independent production studio based in Athens. His producing contributions can be seen on the reality show The Catch: Costa Rica and the docu mentary Letters from Banaz. His writing credits include the animated Cole Petticoat P.I., several short films, commercial spots and Mayan Blue “Mayan Blue is a 78-minute documentary film that follows the archeological survey and mapping of a lost Mayan city hidden deep beneath the deep waters of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala,” he says. “The underwater site of Samabaj has lain dormant since its catastrophic flooding some 2000 years ago. I co-wrote Mayan Blue with Raphael Garcia, and I helped produce it.” The scale of the production was immense — an epic collaboration of world renowned archeologists, historians and elite dive specialists joining forces with the film and production crew. As co-writer of the documentary, Craig was faced with the chal lenge of sculpting an exciting, compelling story from a task-oriented, scientific expedition. As co-producer, he scoured the earth in search of stock and archival footage to fully complement the story.
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The resulting film is a symphony for the eyes.
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Alexandria Bombach says that her passion for visual storytelling developed when she was 13. “That’s when I bought my first video camera with $500 that I had saved over the course of a year,” she says. “After that, I was hooked.” Today, Bombach is a free lance videographer who uses film to tell the stories of individ uals who pursue their passions in the outdoors and who dedicate themselves to envi ronmental and social issues.
aLexandriaBOMBaCHWeBSiTeS:alexandriabombach.comredreelvideo.comfiLMS:23feet,MoveShake(aseries)
“23 Feet is about people who make the conscious choice to live simply to do what they love in the great outdoors,” Bombach explains. “We [Bombach, Greer Glass and Lisa Montierth] just packed up and left. We set off across the west pulling a 23-foot, 1970 Airstream trailer behind our truck to search for these people and tell their stories.” Her film features the powerful stories of an eccentric few — a twentysomething snowboarder who lives out of a van, a river guide who lives in a 25-foot school bus, a surfer who moonlights as a registered nurse, a videog rapher who lives off the grid near Moab, Utah, and others. “We kept the camera going — even when disaster struck,” she says. “At one point, the truck overheated and we had to get the truck and Airstream towed into Yosemite. The three of us were feeling pretty low.” But in a fortunate stroke of serendipity, Bombach and her entourage found themselves camping next to legendary Yosemite climber Ron Kauk, who gifted them with oatmeal and profound commentary on simple living and the art of identifying what’s sacred and what’s necessary for survival. From 100 hours of foot age, Bombach plucked and patched 30 minutes of shots and interviews to create her poignant documentary. 23 Feet will be featured at the Lookout Wild Film Festival. “I love Chattanooga,” she says. “I filmed triathlons and climbing events there and started Red Reel while I lived there.” Bombach’s film production company, Red Reel, works with outdoor industry companies as well as select nonprofit organiza tions to create commercial branding and documentary features. Her clients include big names such as Osprey Packs, Horny Toad, Clif Bar and the Conservation Alliance. “Filmmaking is a 7-days-a week, 16-hours-a-day, kind of job,” she says. “But I find it immensely gratifying.”
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As a young man, Lucas Ridley enjoyed the end less outdoor opportunities surrounding Chattanooga. He climbed the vertical cliff faces lining the Sequatchie Valley and the Cumberland Plateau. He launched himself into the wild blue yonder from the rocky edge of the Lookout Mountain Flight Park. And when he needed a way to share his passions and experiences with others, he turned to filmmaking. His five-minute film, A Leg to Fly On, will be featured at the Lookout Wild Film Festival this month. “It’s a short inspirational film that I literally threw together after shooting footage for only one day,” says Ridley. “It’s a documentary that profiles Tip Rogers, a man who hang glides despite the fact that he lost one of his legs several years ago.” The film braids together informal interview segments with Rogers and stunning footage of his launching, his flying, his floating — his freedom. Lucas shot the film on a Canon HF100 — some of it using the JagPro dof adapter with a Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens. He used Magic Bullet Looks with After Effects to color grade and Premiere Pro and Sony Vegas to cut and add music. “I used two cameras; two angles. And Tip launched one time,” he says. “That’s the great challenge of filming adventure sports and documentaries — stuff happens once, and if you miss it, you miss it. There’s no duplicating it.”
f i LM : aLegtoflyOn 53March 2013 GET OUT CHATTANOOGA
Today, Ridley’s filmmak ing reaches into realms far beyond extreme sports documentaries. After falling in love with animation, he com pleted the highly reputable Vancouver Film School’s 3D Animation and Visual Effects program. He currently works as an animator at Moonbot Studios, whose film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore was awarded an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in the 84th Academy Awards. “But I’ll never put my camera down,” he says. “I’m obsessed with skydiving now and I want to eventually try wingsuit BASE jump ing. I need 200 jumps total. And yes, I’m sure that it will seep into my filmmaking.” lucasridley.com
rLuCaSidLey We BS i T e:
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KirKPaTriCKWeBSiTe:gambitstone.comfiLM:TheWatersofgreenstone
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“And growing up in Chattanooga molded me into the outdoorsman I am today,” he says. “My grandfather [Buck Rudisill] taught me to hunt and fish there. I learned to fish at Blue Springs when I was three, and when I was older, I fell in love with fly fishing standing knee-deep in the waters of the Hiwassee and South Holston rivers.”
Kirkpatrick credits Chattanooga for shaping his future saying the region fostered a creative and entrepreneurial spirit that drives him to conceive ideas and follow through with a myriad of projects.
TayLOr
In December 2009, Taylor Kirkpatrick and friend Hardwick Caldwell pooled their savings, bought a camera and plane tickets, and set off to pursue a child hood dream. The two traveled to the far reaches of New Zealand, embarked on an epic fly-fishing expedition, and moreover, cap tured their experience on film. “People thought we were crazy,” describes Kirkpatrick. “It was really our first film endeavor, but it was something that we felt strongly about doing.” The result is The Waters of Greenstone — 62 minutes of cinematic bliss as Kirkpatrick and Hardwick face the mental and physical challenges of navigating rolling green hills and snow-laden mountainscapes chasing a chance to hook the world’s most elusive brown trout. The fly-fishing seg ments are simply mesmerizing. “We didn’t have a helicopter or a production crew, and we didn’t use fishing guides,” says Kirkpatrick. “It was just the two of us, our gear and our camera. We accepted the challenges head on in order to capture a more authentic experience for our audience.”
Much of their time was spent planning and setting up shots. For example, the two had to hike to a vantage point, set up the camera, then go back and film themselves hiking in. “And then we had to go back for the equip ment and hike out,” he says. “We felt that we were doing everything two and three times, but that’s what it took to tell our story.” Their efforts paid off. The film made it on to the prestigious Fly Fishing Film Tour in 2011, and Kirkpatrick later licensed it out to a premier outdoor sports television network. Along the way, he founded Gambit Stone, a production company specializing in adven ture media and expedition films.
river rocks
rocks 2012 With 90+ fun-filled, adventure sporting events and activities scheduled betWeen oct. 5 and 14, your epic fall adventure starts here in chattanooga With riverrocks. B y a MB er L anier nag L e
The race is one of dozens of extraordinary adventure sporting events offered during RiverRocks, a 10-day festival that celebrates the incomparable natural resources of the Tennessee Valley, the benefits of active lifestyles and Chattanooga’s commitment to environmental stewardship and land conservation. “RiverRocks offers something for everyone,” explains Claudia Moore, the festival’s director of marketing and brand development. “From high-octane activities to dare devil sports to laid back spectator events, the festival offers a breadth of experiences to satisfy all types of adventure seekers.”
To learn more about swim the uck or celebrity swimmers, visit RiverRocksChattanooga.com or suck10mile.com.
celebritiessuckevents
HOTOPHOTOAPP AP PHOTO/RAMON ESPINOSA penny palfrey martinstrel
In partnership with local clubs and organizations, the festi val, produced by Chattanooga Presents, features river-related, terrain-related and other events held at surrounding parks, trails, waterways, rock formations and scenic venues. More than 48,000 people attended or participated in RiverRocks events and activi ties during last year’s festival and organizers expect more interest this year.
come to the water’s edge on Saturday, Oct. 6, and watch as 80 swimmers participate in one of the fastest-growing sports in America — open water swim ming.Swim the Suck is a 10-mile swim through the Tennessee River Gorge. “This year, our swimmers come from 30 different states and four countries outside of the United States,” says Karah Nazor Friberg, who organized this year’s event with co-director Philip Grymes. “And we are excited to welcome two world famous swimmers, Penny Palfrey and Martin Strel, to the event this year. They’ll swim with us.”
Palfrey, an Australian marathon swimmer special izing in channel swims, holds the world record for longest unassisted solo open water swim. Strel — also known as Big River Man — is a Slovenian endurance swimmer who holds successive Guinness World Records for swimming the Danube, Mississippi, Yangtze and Amazon rivers. He swims to draw attention to environmental problems such as water pollution and global warming. “The Big River Man will host a film screening at the Tennessee Aquarium on Oct. 4, from 6:30 to 10 p.m.,” says Friberg. “Tickets are $10.”
arah Nazor Friberg can’t re sist the Tennessee’s tempta tion. She jumps in the river and experiences firsthand the water’s glorious gift of buoyancy. “For me, swimming in the river is complete freedom,” re marks Friberg. “I find swimming laps in a pool to be rather monoto nous — you swim, you hit a wall, you turn, you swim, you hit a wall, you turn. But there are no bound aries in the river, and as with other outdoor activities, the scenery is spectacular.”Fribergfounded Chattanooga Open Water Swimmers, a group which swims outdoors in large bodies of water escorted by kay akers who watch over them, guide them through their course and help them eat and drink every half hour or so. She is also the organizer and co-director of Swim the Suck, a 10-mile open water swim event scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6.
sWim
60 GET OUT CHATTANOOGA SEPTEMBER 2012 cutting through the Cumberland plateau and creating 27 river miles of bold canyonland known as the tennessee river gorge. As the river winds through Chattanooga, its tame, turquoise waters captivate many. For some — the paddlers, rowers, boaters and swimmers among us — standing on its shoreline is simply not enough. The lure of the water is too strong.
k
m
Want to learn the ancient sport of rowing? Lookout
iinterestednrowing?
Rowing Club offers adult rowing classes each summer. The 10-lesson sculling class costs $200. Membership dues are $100 for the first year. The club furnishes boats and equipment to its members. To learn more, LookoutRowingClub.com.visit
ANIELSPHOTO:JAKED RESSIMESHATTANOOGACTFREEP
61SEPTEMBER 2012 GET OUT CHATTANOOGA come pull for your collegefavoritecreW Steeped in tradition, rowing is one of the oldest intercolle giate sports in the United States. Pick a spot on the Walnut Street Bridge or join the crowd at Ross’s Landing to cheer on your favorite collegiate rowing crew. Schools participating in this year’s head race include: Auburn University Berry
VirginiaVanderbiltUniversityUniversityUniversityUniversityUniversityUniversityNorthwesternMurrayGeorgiaGeorgiaEmoryClemsonCollegeUniversityUniversityStateUniversityTechStateUniversityStateUniversityofAlabamaofCentralFloridaofGeorgiaoftheSouthofTennesseeofTennesseeatChattanoogaUniversityTech oore says one of the most popular spectator events lines the riverbanks and downtown bridges as fans watch individuals and rowing teams navigate the Tennessee River stroke-bystroke as they compete in the 20th annual Chattanooga Head Race on Oct. 13. “The Chattanooga Head Race is such an elegant event,” says regatta director Mike Connors, a rowing veteran with seven U.S. national titles and 21 masters titles. “Chattanooga is one of the best, if not the best, rowing venues in the Southeast for head racing. It’s beautiful, especially in the fall.” head race
EVEnT CATEGoRy: TERRAin EVEnTs
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“Our race attracts trail runners from all over the United States, including some of the best runners in the world like Max King and Duncan Callahan. And lots of great vendors are participating in our vendor fair (Oct. 5) this year including Salomon, The North Face, Patagonia, Jackson Kayak and Smart Wool.”Forthose looking for a shorter, less daunt ing trail run, Rock/Creek offers an 11-mile run winding through similar terrain. “Since I am a race organizer, I don’t get to actually run the StumpJump,” says McKnight, an avid trail runner himself. “But last year, I ran the Urban 10K up and around Stringer’s Ridge. The run combined trail running and some road running, which I wasn’t as famil iar“That’swith. the beauty of RiverRocks,” he describes. “It calls attention to many differ ent sports and gives people an opportunity to cross over into new activities. I also tried stand-up paddleboarding for the first time last year and loved it.”
thers may want to add trail running to their RiverRocks to-do list. Now in its 11th year, the Rock/Creek StumpJump on Oct. 6 takes trail runners on a challenging but beau tiful 50-kilometer run through Prentice Cooper State Park with over 4,400 feet of ele vation gain. “Six hundred people have signed up to run the StumpJump 50K this year, so we’re full and have closed registration,” says Mark McKnight, Rock/Creek’s eCommerce and marketing director and race organizer.
events for path-ological hikers and trail runners, cyclists who let the good times roll and the fearless group of climbers, boulderers, hang gliders, zip liners and spelunkers.
stumpjump
KORNYLAKPHOTOS:ANDREW
POPEPHOTOMARYLEEMARTIN
PHOTO: DAVID WEAVER
and
that make you say, “Wow!” music, wine-tasting, hot air balloon flights and rides, hot air balloon glow, demonstrations, lectures and so much more.EVEnT CATEGoRy: oThER EVEnTs
FOR KIDS !
Another new and notable RiverRocks ed-venture scheduled for Oct. 13 is the 5 points orienteering CHallenge, a regaining event involving cross-country navigation. The event pits teams of traditional map-and-compass orienteers against techies with handheld GPS devices. Wilderness-loving partici pants hike or bike to checkpoints within the boundaries of the 5 Points Recreation Area. Competi tors must pre-register as either a Tradie or a Techie. The festival also offers outrageous adventures sure to makeSome RiverRocks events offer a big dose of ed-venture — a combination of education and adven ture. The Bike2farm event on Sept. 29 takes cyclists on a lovely 25-mile bike trek through the Chatta nooga Valley, stopping at four local farms to sample fresh fare and learn how fruits, vegetables and meats are produced through more natural methods and techniques. The ride is just $10 and starts and ends at Crabtree Farms.
eventsother
events activities
The festival is not just for the athletic, the deeply daring and the uber outdoorsy. The speCtaCular Balloon gloW event Oct. 6 and the fun-filled Tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides Oct. 6 and 7 are back by popular demand at Coolidge Park. And speaking of hot air balloons, for $250 individuals can go up, up and away on a one-hour Hot Air Balloon Flight Oct. 6 with reservations made in advance.
On Oct. 13 at Coolidge Park, adventure kids will inspire children to learn, create, play and explore the world around them. Interactive activi ties include rock wall climbing, zip lining, archery, knot tying, dissecting owl pellets, painting rain barrels, chipping arrowheads and more. Kids are invited to listen to storytellers, see live animals up close, build an eagle’s nest replica, watch stunt cyclists and marvel at slackline performers. And as usual, RiverRocks organizers have a few surprises up their sleeves. “We are really excited about our finale entertain ment,” says Carla Pritchard, president of Chattanooga Presents. “This year’s finale will celebrate Tennessee’s musical culture combin ing entertainment, education and technology. We plan to utilize the city’s powerful new broadband capabilities to showcase musicians on our outdoor stage at Coolidge Park performing live with artists thousands of miles away. It’s going to be another wow moment for Chattanooga.”
FreshAir20GeTOUTcHATTANOOGA December 2013
“Everybody tries to get on the water by 3 p.m. at least, depending on what they did the night before,” says Woody Janssen, one of the organizers of the Chili Run on the Cartecay River near Ellijay, Georgia. Believed to be in its 28th year, the paddle is held New Year’s Day and serves up an all-you-can-eat helping of paddling and chili. “It’s nothing fancy,” says Janssen, who owns Cartecay River Experience in Ellijay. “It’s a pretty good community of paddlers and they all contribute. It’s a fun atmosphere.”
Janssen acknowledges that word gets around quickly about which pots are the “killers.” “We do warn people,” he says. “Everybody has their own preference. They bring what they like to eat.” The food, friendship and frigid water stir up a recipe for a great tradition, Miller says. “There’s no way i’d rather start the new year,” he says. “it’s a lot better than sitting around getting drunk.
The run was started by the late Jay and Carol Srymanske, who ran Mountaintown Outdoor Expeditions for three decades before they died of extended illnesses within hours of each other on Nov. 1, 2008. In addition to pad dling, the couple was known as mountain bike race pioneers in the Peach State.
Paddling instructor and Chili Run vet John Miller of Atlanta says there are plenty of pots to go around. “They range from mild to ‘holy crap that will burn the paint off your truck,’” he says.
Conditions on the water vary widely for the run, paddlers say. Air temperatures have ranged from 30 to 60 degrees, and some years water levels have turned the Class ii+ current into Class iii.
In a warm year with low water, Janssen says the event can be great for novice paddlers, but when the mercury drops and the water rises, organizers try to keep newbies from putting in. “You do have to respect Mother Nature,” says Janssen, whose company provides free shuttle service.
” 1. Everything you wear should be synthetic fabric that wicks away moisture. 2. Avoid cotton cloth. It’s the worst fabric to wear in cold weather. 3. Bring a change of clothes. 4. Don’t ever take your keys on the river (in any weather). You will drop them! WooDY JANsseN’sTiPsFoRColDWATeRPADDleRs Chilly Chili Run he chili is always hot. The water is always cold. The paddlers are sometimes hungover, depending on how hard they partied on New Year’s Eve.T 21December 2013 G e T OUT c HATTANOOGA “THeY RANGe FRom milD To ‘HolY CRAP THAT Will buRN THe PAiNT oFF YouR TRuCK.’”
No matter how cold it gets, paddlers can at least look forward to a dozen or more hot pots of chili when they get out of the water.
For starters, a team of four participants will climb the Adventure Guild climbing wall underneath the Walnut Street Bridge. This might be the appropriate time for another Goo Goo Dolls track — “Long Way Down.”
WHEN: June 16 START TIME: 10 a.m. WHERE: Riverfront Parkway at Market Street
This year’s Riverbend will also feature a longboarding competition and slide jam for skateboarders along Riverfront Parkway during the festival’s second Saturday. Longboarders will take to the course at speeds of up to 45 miles an hour to compete for top times. “To add that new component is just exciting and a new experience,” Morrow says. “This just seemed like a perfect fit.”
“We’re always trying to come up with new and creative things to engage folks,” Morrow says. “We try to make it more than just the festival.”
WHEN: June 16 WHERE: All races, runs and walks begin and end near the bottom of Cameron Hill Circle Register online at chattanooga-tn/riverbend-run-2012active.com/running/
A new beat at Riverbend this year is the Adventure Challenge featuring climbing, paddling and a trail run B y A n D y J ohns
2 3 1 l2 BoArds PHOTO CREDITS: CLIMBING WALL: KATE MEDLEY; RIVERBEND RUN: ANGELA LEWIS; SKATEBOARD: VADIM; PADDLEBOARD: DAN HENRY
w hen the Goo Goo Dolls take to the floating cen ter stage at this year’s Riverbend Festival they are almost guaranteed to play “Name,” the smash hit that put them on the map in 1995. And when they get to the sec ond verse of the song, frontman Johnny Rzeznik will croon the words “Scars are souvenirs you never lose.” The line, which in the song laments the loss of childhood hopes and dreams, can also be applied to a new feature of the festival — the Riverbend Adventure Challenge. Scars are only part of the fun. Like a mid-90s mix tape, the Adventure Challenge blends area favorites — trail running, standup paddleboarding and rock climbing — to form some thing new. “We just wanted to come up with something cool to go with Riverbend,” says Mark Baldwin, owner of L2 Boards downtown who is spearheading the challenge. “I think it’s one of the coolest combinations in the country for the race.” Amy Morrow, the public rela tions director for Friends of the Festival which runs Riverbend, says the challenge joins the BlueCross Riverbend Run & Walk in making the festival about more than funnel cakes, music and chicken on a stick.
Three of the routes are easy but one is for advanced climb ers, so pick your teammates wisely. Each team member must ring a bell at the top of the climb before coming down and running to the river. ¶ Incorporating a climbing com ponent was a no-brainer for Baldwin because of the strong community of crag-seekers in the city. “Chattanooga has such a history of rock climbing,” he says.Next, the teams will paddleboard out to Maclellan Island where they’ll have to change stations to a different ‘90s alt rock anthem: Collective Soul’s “Run.” Participants will run a 1.8-mile course around the island. Baldwin says including the island was a goal from the outset of the event’s planning stages. “That’s kind of a gem of an island right there downtown,” he says. ¶ A portion of the proceeds from the event will go to the Chattanooga Audubon Society, which owns the island and maintains its trails. “It helps the island because it brings awareness to where the island is and what we are,” explains Bill Fisher, president of the society. The club has spent a couple of weekends clearing trails for the race and Fisher adds that he’d like to see more events take advantage of the down town wilderness. The island’s guests are in for a treat, espe cially, Fisher notes, if it will be their first time on the island. “I think it will be very rewarding to them to see it,” he says. After the run, rac ers will dash back to the paddleboards to return to Coolidge Park, sprinting to the race’s finish. As Rzeznik says, sooner or later it’s over. scan this to see some longboarding in getoutchattanooga.comorchattanoogavisitusatl2 BoArds
WHEN: June 9 START TIME: 8 a.m. WHERE: Coolidge Park
The adventure challenge is limited to about 25 teams. The top three finishers not only get prizes and a trophy, but an added bonus appropriate for the Goo Goos themselves: everyone will know your name. For more information visit L2boards.com/riverbend-adventure-challenge
BLuecRoss RIVeRBenD run & WAlK
DIVISIONS: Mens, Womens, Coed (4 people per team) COST: $225
chALLengeD
sLIDRIVeRBenDeJAM
48 GET OUT CHATTANOOGA June 2012
The 10k (6.2-mile) and 5k (3.1-mile) races are competitive events with overall cash prizes and age/gender categories and awards. The 10k and 5k courses are UST&F certified. Competitive races are timed and scored by Event Tech using the ChronoTrack System. The 5k Fun Run & Walk and the 1-mile Fun Run & Walk are non-competitive events designed to encourage everyone, especially families, to take steps toward a healthy lifestyle. Wheelchairs and stroll ers are encouraged. Bicycles, skateboards and in-line skates are not allowed.
riverBend Adventure ChAllenge
Mark Baldwin of L2 Boards
49May 2012 GET OUT CHATTANOOGA
jaimie davis 44 GET O u T CHATTANOOGA July 2013
PHOTO:
45July 2013 GET O u T CHATTANOOGA
On the Waterfront
Overcoming life’s trials at the Waterfront Triathlon
Is it the perfectly manicured green grass beneath the toes of swimmers before plunging into the Tennessee River? Or could it be downstream where competitors race to their meticulously organized bikes for the riding portion through our mountains? Or it could be the quick run through the city, showing athletes the best of downtown, all converging back onto the green for the finish? By Meghan Pittman
And when he finished that first triathlon, Rogers went to pick his daughter up from school with all of the indelible ink marks from the race.
or 64-year-old Steve Rogers, former Chattanooga Track Club treasurer and president, the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon is all of these things, plus a yearly reminder of family, tradition and a life-changing decision.
“They probably thought I was a thug, but it was funny to me; it made a memory.” Since that first race, Rogers has competed in all versions of the triathlon over the years, and though less competitive for him now, the race serves as a special day for him and his family. As a “pretty good runner” who travels for races and triathlons year-round, Rogers keeps coming back to the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon because of the history. “I remember in the ’90s, if we had 400 people, it was a banner year for us. I take my hat off to the organizers
46 GET O u T CHATTANOOGA July 2013
“I used my daughter’s pink bike for it. It was my first, I had no idea what I needed or what to do. All I’m saying is it took a real man to ride that bike, with all those people,” Rogers laughs. “At that time, 400 people jumped in at the Chickamauga Dam together for this crazy race, and we swam so close together. We had some fun times with that race, my brother and me, and we keep it going.”
F PHOTOS: LefT: jaimie davis; righT: TOm aNgsTeN
“When I was 35 years old, I had three daughters and I was 210 pounds. I was drinking too much, eating too much red meat and I had to do something,” Rogers says. “So I found running. I had to turn my life around.” After running with his brother Richard for a few years and “getting pretty good at it” the pair decided to try out the Bencor Riverbend Triathlon, the event that eventually evolved into the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon. It was the event that helped Steve Rogers fall in love with the triathlon.
Calder Willingham, honored Chattanooga Track Club member who helped bring the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon to the waterfront, passed away from aLs in 2010. The Chattanooga Track Club honors one member annually with the Calder Willingham award, a distinction given to someone who embodies Willingham’s passion, vision and philosophy. Steve Rogers is a past recipient of that award.
47July 2013 GET O u T CHATTANOOGA
48 GET O u T CHATTANOOGA July 2013 now; they are seriously doing things we could have never done,” Rogers says. “It’s amazing to see the race as it is today.”Forthis year’s event July 14, Steve, his brother Richard and nephew Russ are competing together as a team: the Stud Monkey Stallions. The race won’t lose its special meaning to him as he bikes his portion of the race; instead, he says working as a team helps him push harder for the good of the family. “My nephew had some issues, but he’s overcome them and running is such a positive thing for him, a positive addiction for him like it was for me. When I was 35, I found running and now at 33, he’s found it too,” he says. “It’s an invaluable experience for me now, getting to do this with my family. I’ve done the Waterfront Tri alone before but it’s so much better when you have your family there too.”Those memories and the attachment to Chattanooga are what Chattanooga Track Club President-elect Bill Brock hopes will continue to bring national and international competitors to the annual event. To Brock, the Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon, now in its 8th year at the waterfront, is an evolution of the running community and Chattanooga itself.“Before it moved to the waterfront, it was the Dam Triathlon for years and one of the key events of the Chattanooga Track Club. It was spectacularly run by Rita Fanning, but the reality is, when she retired we couldn’t do it as well as she did,” Brock says. When the Chattanooga Track Club was faced with the decision, Chattanooga’sdowntownwaterfront had just opened the 21st Century Waterfront in 2005. Honored members Betsy and the late Calder Willingham had an idea: Take the event to one of Chattanooga’s most valuable assets.
“We had to really consider if we could do it, and what we could do to do it differently. Are we the best fit for the race? We needed a concept, to do something pretty different and work the course differently. It needed to happen at the waterfront,” Brock says. And like that, the event took off. This year’s race will draw about 1,500 competitors from all over. “It’s now a well-recognized
I remember in the ’90s, if we had 400 people, it was a banner year for us. I take my hat off to the organizers now; they are seriously doing things we could have never done.
— Steve Rogers
PHOTOS: jaimie davis
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SPORTSBARN SPRINT TRIATHlON
COMIN g SOON
51July 2013 GET O u T CHATTANOOGA PHOTOS: jaimie davis
The Chattanooga Waterfront Triathlon isn’t the only mega race this summer: the Sportsbarn Sprint Triathlon is coming back to Chattanooga on Sunday, August 4. The event features a .25-mile open water swim in Lake Chickamauga, an 8.2-mile flat bike ride and a 2-mile run. Registration is $50, $75 and $55, $80 after July 31. You can also register Saturday, August 3, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Downtown Sportsbarn.
RegISTeR aT: active.com/triathlon/chattanooga-tn/sportsbarn-sprint-triathlon-2013 event. Chattanooga’s venue is unique, and it’s just a wonderful venue and people love it,” Brock says. After a 1.5-kilometer swim from University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Scrappy Moore Field to right before Ross’s Landing, a 42-kilometer bike ride up Tennessee Highway 27 North and back, then finishing with a 10k run on Riverfront Parkway, competitors can take their families and friends and still enjoy Chattanooga, says co-race director Jenni Berz. She says the race route gives visitors and locals a glimpse of Chattanooga, from the waterfront to the mountain views, back into downtown. “People are really able to take it all in and we think that is nice, and then people will stay around the area a while, since it’s summer,” Berz says. She and co-director Sherilyn Johnson coordinate everything local for the event—permits, volunteers and partnership sponsors. “We have over 300 volunteers who help us do this; we partner with the City of Chattanooga’s Outdoor Chattanooga, we partner with the amazing Team Magic. There’s all of this community support and we couldn’t do it without them,” Berz says. Not only is this triathlon a Chattanooga favorite, it’s also a nationally competitive event, Berz says. “We’re also a part of the Best of the U.S. Amateur Triathlon Championship,” she adds. “We do have some elite racers who will come, you know, and test their time. In July it is so hot, and that’s really a challenge for them.” Elite, or new to the combocompetition, racers mark their calendars each summer and get ready to race. For some it’s family tradition, for others it’s an individual challenge, but for all it’s a passion for running and Chattanooga.“There’snothing like the feeling of crossing the finish line. It makes it all worth it. I’ll be at the starting line every year that I can, until I can’t,” Rogers laughs.
RegISTeR imathlete.com/events/chattanoogawaterfrontOnlIne:
Outdoors
Aside from their cycling, Alan and Shannon are passionate about inspir ing others to lead more healthy, vibrant lives. Indeed, both are consultants for Isagenix, a solution-based company help ing people lose weight, age gracefully and enhance their athletic performance. And Shannon works as a relief veterinar ian in Chattanooga and North Georgia.
The couple married and spent half of their Hawaiian honeymoon on bikes. Five years later, the couple still rides together at least once a week. “Cycling is a great couple sport,” says Alan. “We enjoy working together — communicating and taking turns drafting one another on our bikes.” “And for both of us, riding really clears the air,” adds Shannon. “After a challenging day, riding together makes everything better. There’s just nothing like
To commemorate the month of love, five couples discuss how playing together is the key to staying together.
The couple’s favorite local rides include the climb along Suck Creek and rid ing Cove Road in North Georgia. “One day, we want to travel to New Zealand and tour the country on our bikes,” says Alan. “That’s on our bucket list.”
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Alan and Shannon Dawkins
By Amber Lanier Nagle
Shannon Dawkins started cycling as a teenager in New York. “I loved weekend touring,” she says. “I actu ally biked across the country when I was 18. I didn’t start racing until 2005, and that’s how I met Alan — through Auburn’s cycling team.”
“And we are proud foster parents,” says Shannon. “Our foster son rides a bike, too, and we really enjoy our together time riding with him. Seems like every aspect of our lives is complementary, and we feel blessed to have it that way.”
Outdoorsit.”marriage…Love
Matt Christyand brown As lovebirds Matt and Christy Brown talk about their trip abroad, they laugh and giggle and finish each other’s sentences. Last summer, to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, the couple traveled to Europe and experi enced the French and Italian countryside up close and personal — by bicycle. “We rented bikes in Italy and rode through the historic villages and spectacular vis tas of Tuscany,” Christy describes. “We stopped one day at a hilltop winery for lunch and wine. I don’t know why, but I think about that day a lot.” The couple also traced two of the legs of the Tour de France on their bikes — to the top of Col du Grand Colombier on the first day, then to the summit of Col de la Croix de Fer (the Pass of the Iron Cross) — on the second day. “It was an epic climb — maybe fourteen miles uphill,” says Matt. “We rode through areas that looked like postcards. The road wound along green valleys and overlooked rocky hills and mountains before reach ing the cross. I’ll never forget that either.” For the Browns, the romance of their vaca tion was amplified by the fact that they mixed travel with together ness with their passion for cycling, and that’s a very good thing for their marriage say experts like psychologist Arthur Aron of State University of New York-Stony Brook. Research done by Aron and others consistently shows that couples who play together are more likely to stay together. together is a cooperative endeavorwhere we share the work and most of all, share experiencethe.”
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“Riding
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But that’s no surprise to the Browns. Their recreational companionship runs deep. Their love story began while attending Vanderbilt University. Christy got Matt interested in whitewater kayaking, and Matt introduced Christy to cycling. Today, they are both members of competitive cycling teams and spend lots of quality time riding together. Last fall, the couple rode four centuries — 100 mile rides — in just four weeks. “We love riding together and completing a ride at or below a goal time,” says Matt. “Riding together is a cooperative endeavor where we share the work and most of all, share the experience.”
“We love everything about climbing — the hiking, the exploring of the land, the being outdoors, the sitting in the woods and the fact that we can do it as a family.”
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andHestonChristy mercer C
upid shot his love arrows into Heston and Christy Mercer twelve years ago when the two rock climbers met at Leda, a small roadside crag near Soddy-Daisy. “I always tell my single friends that they will find the right person when they least expect it doing what they love best,” says Christy. “That’s how it happened for us.” The couple said their vows on a cliff at Sand Rock, a popular climbing destina tion in Alabama that offers an array of climbing experiences and chal lenges. Next month, the couple will celebrate nine years of wedded bliss. “We climb year-round — anytime we aren’t working, we’re off somewhere climbing,” Heston says. “We love everything about climbing — the hik ing, the exploring of the land, the being
outdoors, the sitting in the woods and the fact that we can do it as a family.”
PHOTOCONTRIBuTED
For the Mercers, climbing is an almost spiritual experience, and though they once cherished the quiet, alone time that accompanied their climbing excur sions, today, they share the adventure with their three children, Canyon, Lily and Violet. “Climbing is not for everyone, but I think that everyone should try it,” says Christy. “Age and size aren’t constraints. It does, how ever, require a great deal of patience, time and determination to build up strength and maintain it. But it’s so rewarding — it has taken us to beauti ful destinations, and we’ve enjoyed views that most people will never see.”
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“...just the two of us with no distractions. We have some really great conversationsonourbikes.”
James and Jenny DeLong fell in love as young nursing students attending Southern Adventist University and married in 2004. “James had been riding since he was 17,” says Jenny. “So he was spending a lot of time on his bike and I wanted to spend more time with James, so I got a bike, too. He was so encouraging and patient with me.” In 2007, Jenny started devoting more time to the training required to be competitive. Around this time, the DeLongs began taking travel-nurse assignments. “The assignments were usually three months here, and three months there,” says James. “We went to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bakersfield, California and the Bay Area. And with each assignment, we explored the region on our bikes.” They returned to Chattanooga in 2009 and began careers at Erlanger. “We’ve even ridden up the Generals Highway to Sequoia and the Crater Lake region,” James says. “We’ve seen a lot of beautiful places on our bikes, and Chattanooga is hard to beat. We still love riding the backroads of Ooltelwah, and the ride up to Lookout Mountain is one of the prettiest rides around.” “I love breathing the fresh air,” says Jenny. “I love to ride in groups, but I also love to ride alone with James, too — just the two of us with no distractions. We have some really great conversations on our bikes.”
James and Jenny DeLong
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Neil Emilyand smoot Newlyweds Neil and Emily Smoot tied the knot on the Walnut Street Bridge in December after a yearlong, whirlwind romance filled with biking, hiking, running, swim ming, paddling and the great outdoors. “I think that most couples’ idea of the perfect date is dinner and a movie,” says Emily. “But not us. We prefer to be outdoors doing something active. That’s just who we are.” “We’ve made a lot of memo ries together in the last year,” says Neil, who is a member of the Scenic City Velo-Village Volkswagen Elite Cycling Team (formerly the Krystal Cycling Team). “We trained together and competed in the Booker T. Triathlon, and we did well — both ending up on the podium. I came in second overall, and Emily came in first in her age group.” And while on their bikes, the Smoots shared a terrifying trek down Stringer’s Ridge when a powerful windstorm moved through the area. “At the time, we thought it was a tornado,” Emily recounts. “The wind was really pitching our bikes, and sand and dirt were blowing everywhere. During the descent, we both got 5 hit by so much debris. It felt like we were racing for our lives. We were so glad to get to the car that day — safe and sound.”
Aside from cycling and triath lons, the couple loves to navigate the clean, pure waters of the Hiwassee River via their kay aks. Emily is an ACA-certified kayak instructor. Later this year, she plans to introduce Neil to the roller coaster rap ids of the Ocoee River. “Emily and I are both happiest when we are pursuing a healthy, active lifestyle, and we love to share our outdoor adventures with each other and with my daughters,” Neil says. “In fact, we recently bought life jackets for the twins, and now I can’t wait for the weather to warm up.”
“Emily and I are both happiest when we are pursuing a healthy, active lifestyle, and we love to share our outdoor adventures...”
