ARC Photo Contest

Decatur has many good photographers, professional and amateur, and photography is a fun way to get in some good exercise as one walks through the city, cemetary, parks, etc., taking photo's.

Click here for info. on the Atlanta Regional Commission's "Framing The Future" photo contest. There is no entry fee, and prizes include AirTran roundtrip tickets.

The Atlanta Regional Commission has been doing nice work on pedestrian and bicycle issues, aging resources, the environment and more. Their new "Bike Buddy" program is currently focused on the Emory/Clifton Corridor area, but will be expanding to the entire metro area shortly.

Staff Member Recognized

Stacy Green, Athletics Program Supervisor for the City of Decatur Active Living Division, has earned the "Certified Youth Sports Administrator" credential. The credential is earned through the Academy for Youth Sports Administrators, in conjunction with the National Alliance for Youth Sports.

Topics covered for the training include:

-Youth sports philosophy
-Professional development
-Mission statements
-Policies & procedures
-Volunteer management
-Child abuse prevention
-Parent management
-Conflict resolution
-Insurance & risk management
-Inclusion of children with disabilities
-Evaluation & marketing of your program

National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) also offers training for youth sport coaches, volunteers and parents.

As the NAYS website states: "Youth sports administrators are the foundation for a successful youth sports experience." Congratulations to Stacy for earning her CYSA!

Break out the running shoes...

Metro Atlanta has an endless number of running races, whether 5k's, 10k's, biathlons, triathlons, half-marathons, etc. These road races aren't just for the elite. You can jog, walk, push the little ones in a stoller, etc. Exercise is always more fun and productive in a social setting, plus you can get a cool t-shirt (well, sometimes cool, sometimes tacky, sometimes yuck...).

The best local online race calendar is the Atlanta Track Club's. Run Georgia also has good race info., as does Running4Fitness. Tri-Atlanta has the best calendar for triathlons and biathlons.

One of the best places to run nearby the City of Decatur is Emory's Lullwater Park. It's well shaded, with paved and gravel trails, and has a nice lake (watch out for goose droppings!). There is a huge parking deck, which is free after 6 pm weekdays and on weekends, at Emory's Clairmont Campus, 1945 Starvine Way, right off Clairmont Ave. Lullwater is best for short to medium run's.

The Red Devil Dash is an upcoming 5k to be held at Lullwater Park on Sept. 13th, and there are many races held at Lullwater thoroughout the year.


Mr. Reggie Howze, a member of the Decatur Keenagers and the Decatur Stride Walkers Club. Mr. Howze competes in the 400m, 800m and 1500m runs, and will be competing at the National Senior Olympics in San Francisco in early 2009. This is one 63 year old who has no plans for slowing down!

USA Today article & CNN Article on "Bike Emory"

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-08-06-Outofcars_N.htm
Schools move to eject cars from campuses
High schools and colleges are steering students away from cars to save money on gas, save the environment and promote physical fitness. The National Center for Safe Routes to School gets state and federal funding for kindergarten through eighth grade. A bill sponsored by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would fund high school programs. High schools' wider attendance boundaries, students' reduced physical activity and their desire to be self-reliant make funding necessary, he says. "We have over 100 million bikes that are sitting around in garages and basements and back porches," Blumenauer says. "When people start to use them, it can be transformational."

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Emory U. is doing great things with their Bike Emory program:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/10/college.bikes.ap/index.html
Forget parking, bike to class
Emory University is hoping to make bikes the must-have back-to-school accessory this fall.
The school is selling discounted bicycles to students and faculty, adding bike lanes to campus roads and stocking bikes that can be borrowed for free.
The university is pushing its $250,000 "Bike Emory" initiative, launched a year ago, in hopes of convincing students and faculty that the eco-friendly bikes are a better alternative to their four-wheeled, gas-guzzling counterparts.
Emory started a bike-share program a couple of months ago. It has just 20 bikes now, but that will double by this fall, said Jamie Smith, who oversees the initiative. The sign-out lists for the bikes had just 12 names on them after the program started in April, but that number climbed to 45 in June during the typically slow summer, Smith said.

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City Resident and avid cyclist Neil Norton, with one of his little ones in tow

Georgia Golden Olympics

If there's one thing the City of Decatur has, it's a large number of residents who are 50 yrs & older and in great shape!
The Georgia Golden Olympics is a great opportunity for those 50 and over to compete against others in a very fun, supportive environment. The competition takes place on September 24-27, in Warner Robins, Georgia.
The 2008 Georgia Golden Olympics is the qualifying event in Georgia for the 2009 Summer National Senior Games, scheduled for August 1-15, 2009 in the San Francisco Bay Area.
If you would like to compete or volunteer as part of the City of Decatur's contingent, please contact Christine Lewis, 678-553-6547.

Aug. 28th & Sept. 4th - Youth Soccer Coaches Info. Mtg & Coaches Clinic

Coaches Needed!
-Youth Soccer Coaches Info. Mtg., 7 pm, Thursday, Aug. 28th
Decatur Rec. Center, 231 Sycamore St.
-Youth Soccer Coaches Clinic, 6:30 pm, Thursday, Sept. 4th
Ebster Field & Rec. Center, 404 W. Trinity Place

Contact Person: Stacy Green, Stacy.Green@decaturga.com or 678-553-6549

If you’re an adult and haven’t played an organized sport for years, even decades, you probably can still remember the names of your coaches from your childhood teams. As a volunteer youth sport coach, you can make a lifelong lasting impression on a child. The lessons learned from a good coach, such as teamwork, sportsmanship, work ethic, communication skills, respect for others, etc., transcend sports.

Frank Lesesne, a city resident and longtime youth soccer coach, enjoys the aspects of coaching “beyond the soccer”. “It’s amazing how quickly they can learn” says Frank, who is now coaching on some of the same fields he grew up playing on as a kid.

Volunteering to coach youth sports can be an incredibly rewarding experience. We need you to continue our success! Next up for our youth sports program is soccer. If you would like to be a volunteer soccer coach, and/or coach another youth sport, or assist as a volunteer, please contact Stacy Green, Stacy.Green@decaturga.com or 678-553-6549.

BBQ Festival - Volunteers Needed

From Mary Miller, Director, City of Decatur Children & Youth Services, 404-378-1082:
The BBQ and Blues Festival Needs YOU!

This event benefits the Decatur Youth Fund; over $21,000 in the last 2 years, and other Decatur programs. The Decatur Youth Fund makes it possible for kids to play sports, go to day camp and special interest camps.

The Children's Area needs volunteers for helping kids onto the train, taking money for the face painter, taking money for the balloon sculpture person, helping former Harlem Globetrotter Mike Douglas with a basketball shoot, distributing information and accepting donations for the Youth Fund at our booth, relieving and/or providing water for other volunteers.

The shifts are 3:45pm-6:00pm and 5:45pm-8:00pm. Volunteers get free admission to the event and a BBQ & Blues volunteer tee shirt. This past year Decatur families received over 179 scholarships totaling over $14,000. With the current state of the economy, we are already receiving more requests for financial aid than ever before. Please consider volunteering for this event.

We still need 6 volunteers for the early shift 3:45-6pm and 7 for the late shift 5:45-8pm. Please email Greg White or me if you would like to volunteer. We need your name, email address tee shirt size, and the shift you would like to volunteer for. Let us know ASAP so we can make sure you are on the list at the gate and will receive your FREE tee shirt and FREE admission.