About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (June 5, 2019)
SPORTS DawsonNewscom Wednesday, June 5, 2019 facebook.com/dawsonnews twitter.com/dawsonnews Elliott in top-5 for 6th time at Pocono Streak began with April 28 win at Talladega By Bob Christian bchristian@dawsonnews.cQom NASCAR started the second half of the Monster Energy Cup Series on June 2 with the Pocono 400 at the Pocono Raceway of Pennsylvania. Known as the Tricky Triangle, Pocono is the only NASCAR oval to feature three turns instead of four along with the widest and longest straightaway on the circuit. In a race that featured strate gy over speed, Kyle Busch picked up his fourth win of the season and the 55th win of his career ranking him second amongst active drivers, behind Jimmie Johnson’s 83 wins, and tying him with Rusty Wallace on the all-time winners list. Dawsonville native Chase Elliott finished the race in fourth place to complete his sixth top-5 finish in a row, a streak that started with his win at Talladega on April 28. Elliott secured his place in the post season with the Talladega win, but he moved into a solid third place in the MENCS rankings with his fin ish at Pocono. A straightaway that allowed for five-wide racing, and three turns that presented a different challenge for the drivers on every lap led to a patient, strategic race that saw only eight cautions over 160 laps and no major wrecks. For the third time in his career, Kyle Larson managed to capture the flag on both Stage one and Stage two of the race See Elliott 14B The woman behind the curtain Personal trainer Kristi Creegan has big impact in Dawson County Photo courtesy of Kristi Creegan for the Dawson County News Personal trainer Kristi Creegan stands with her first group ofTigers in 2012 featur ing Anna Lowe, Maggie Schandera, Kaylee Sticker, Fallon Lacey, Chloe Bennett, Jill Daniel and Frankie Muldoon. By Bob Christian bchristian@dawsonnews.cQom Kristi Creegan does not stand out when she enters a room. Short of stature and humble, Creegan prefers to remain in the background and avoids the spotlight, yet she has been an integral part of the lives of the student athletes of Dawson County for over a decade. “It’s a little bit weird, I mean it’s really nice, but I don’t know if I want to or should be the spotlight of an article,” Creegan said. “The greatest thing I’ve gotten out of this is these families that I have become part of, and their kids are part of me now. The lime light, or whatever, is not important.” Creegan has been chasing her dream of becoming an ath letic trainer and personal coach since the age of 16 when she founded her first park and rec level team. Her story has taken a strange series of turns to bring her to this place in her life. “When I first started out. the only way into coaching was through teaching,” Creegan said. “Teaching was not really my thing, and I found myself not enjoying it. I decided it was time for a move.” After a brief stint in North Carolina, Creegan came to Dawson County in 2007 and took a job with the Parks and Recreation department while, at the same time, founding her personal training business Active Fitness focused on pro viding individualized training to male and female adult ath letes. A few months into her time at Park and Rec, the Athletic Director position came open and, encouraged by co-work ers and friends Creegan applied for and got the job. “I kind of just fell into the job,” Creegan said. “I don’t do anything halfway, so I soon found myself working 10,12,15 hours a day and I didn’t have time for much else, much less pursuing a business.” Four years after taking the job, Creegan stepped down to focus on building and running her business and with the cre ation of her first Dawson Tigers basketball team in 2012 she formed the basis of her coaching career. This year Creegan has been part of the coaching staff of four of the most prominent athletes in DCHS history — Anna Lowe in track and field, Frankie Muldoon in cross country, Maggie Schandera in softball and Kaylee Sticker in basketball. “One thing my dad taught me, we were very close, you’re not there to coach, you’re teaching them to be a better person,” Creegan said. “You want to be the best ver sion of yourself, and you want them to be the best version of themselves.” “All these kids, I love that they’re having success, but I am just one small part of that." Creegan said. “For me, I don’t care if anybody knows, I just enjoy seeing them be success ful.” Her rise to prominence in the community was solidified in 2015 when she was approached by newly installed DCHS coach Tonya Porter for help in building a Lady Tigers volleyball team. Creegan immediately offered not only her time, but to donate all the proceeds back into the pro gram in an effort to jumpstart the team. “I think I kept just enough to put gas in the car,” Creegan said. “The rest I put back into the team because in the begin ning they just didn’t have the money.” Now entering their fourth season the Lady Tigers are a perennial playoff contender in region 7-AAA and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the GHSA playoffs in their third year on the court and at least one member of the team has been coached by Creegan for over a decade. “Chloe Bennett, for instance, I picked her up in the third grade,” Creegan said. “I have been coaching her since the third grade and now her love is volleyball.” Having finally found her place in life, Creegan is excit ed to be a part of the commu nity and a part of so many lives, but her biggest take away from the years has been the impact the people she has met have had on her and not the other way around. “As long as you are giving it your all, and your doing the right thing, it doesn’t matter what it is you do,” Creegan said. “Trying to tell these kids that, it really flipped, and they have made me the best version of me that I can be.” Photo courtesy of Leslie Shirley The Dawson County Parks and Recreations Grey Tigers completed the 2019 regular season sweep with an 8-1 record and winning the end of season tournament. Grey Tigers nab Park and Rec spring title By Bob Christian bchristian@dawsonnews.com The Dawson County Parks and Recreation department wrapped up their 2019 8U spring baseball season with a two- game tournament in late May and, after a dramatic walk-off hit from Elliot Suhrie, the Dawson County Grey Tigers picked up their third straight championship trophy. “The teams are distinguished by either their team colors or the head coaches last name,” Park and Rec Athletic Director Stanton Rogers said. “Generally, they are all named Tigers.” The Grey Tigers victory marked a com plete sweep of the season, as they entered See Spring 14B Dawson County Racers start summer swimming season By Bob Christian bchristian@dawsonnews.com Moving around the side of the pool at Veteran’s Memorial Park on Saturday, June 1, Dawsonville Racers Head Coach Stephanie Morgan was a whirlwind of energy and activity as she brought together over 100 swimmers and parents to kick off the 2019 summer season. Although the first tournament of the year, featuring teams from Cornerstone Christian Academy and Lumpkin County, emphasized fun over competition there were still a lot of loose ends to bring together as the one-month season got underway as new members of the team continued to register for events at the last minute. See Racers 12B Players of the Week! Mariah Benson Having never picked up golf clubs until this year, sophomore Mariah Benson completed an incredible personal journey with the Lady Tigers as she made her first appearance in the GHSA State Tournament at Cateechee Golf Club on May 20-21. Benson’s natural skill and rapid development over the course of the season was critical to the Lady Tigers top-ten finish in the 2019 tournament and will be a key building block for next year’s team. Certified Collision Center Il-C« 706-216-0992 We’ve Gone Green! “We will be here when you need us. ” DAHLONEGA 130 Industrial Park Rd, Dawsonville M-F: 8:00 - 5:00 Dawsonville's Premier Collision Center PLAYER OF THE WEEK Hudson Sapp Dawson County senior Hudson Sapp was named the 2018-19 Blitz Sports Baseball Player of the Year on June 1. Sapp, playing center field and pitcher, led the Tigers with a .582 season average as he wracked up 11 doubles, three triples and six home runs to account for 37 runs and 22 RBIsfor the year. From the mound, he posted a record of 2-1 with an .45 ERA and 30 strikeouts. Sponsored by: A State Farm Ryan Scott Ins Agency Inc Ryan Scott, Agent 1000 Old Dawson Village Road E Suite 210 Dawsonville, GA 30534 • Bus: 678-456-4785
