Cycling Festival Begins This Weekend

Amateur and professional cyclists are gathering in Roswell for the Roswell Criterium races in the historic district.

Student-Athletes Sign Scholarship Offers

An additional 43 Cherokee County student-athletes were honored at the February signing day.

Cherokee County had 41 more student-athletes sign scholarship commitment letters to compete at the collegiate level. Parents, coaches, athletic directors and principals joined the students at a ceremony at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Conference Center to be honored for making their college choices in their respective sports. The spring signing day ceremony was sponsored by the Credit Union of Georgia. There were 43 other students who were honored at a February signing day for their scholarship commitments. Check here to see the list of students who were honored earlier this year. The following students were honored at a brunch on April 11:

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Woodstock Canoeist Paddles Toward Olympic Qualification

Woodstock native Eric Hurd, 25, continues his dreams of qualifying for Team USA.

Eric Hurd of Woodstock and Jeff Larimer of Marietta will compete this weekend to earn a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Canoe Team at the Slalom National Team Trials in Charlotte, NC. Both these men are following in the wake of their paddling fathers, Mike Hurd and Mike Larimer. The elder Hurd and Larimer trained with each other on the Chattahoochee River just north of Atlanta. Mike Hurd was also a high school All-American basketball player. Mike Larimer narrowly missed out on competing at the 1992 Olympic Games, but he was able to coach Team USA at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics. Surprisingly, their sons have only recently joined forces in doubles canoe. But the duo quickly established themselves as the best C-2 boat in North and South America …

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CTC AD Steps Up to Region Director

David Archer was unanimously voted in as the men’s region director for the 2012-13 athletics year.

The Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association and commissioner David Elder announced this week that Chattahoochee Tech athletic director David Archer was unanimously voted in as the men’s region director for the 2012-13 athletics year. Archer, who also coaches the men’s basketball team at Chatt Tech, currently is in his first season as assistant men’s region director of the GCAA. “It’s going to carry more responsibility with the GCAA and its member teams,” said Archer of his new position. “I also welcome the challenge of working more closely with the NJCAA.” The previous men’s region director, Charles Mullis of Middle Georgia College, will be vacating his position on July 1 as MGC begins its merger with Macon State College and exits the GCAA…

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Ember Yoga Holds Free Classes

Choose from eight free classes this Saturday to try yoga at Woodstock's Ember Hot Yoga.

If you've wondered what hot yoga is or even had the itch to try to contort your body in odd but comforting shapes, you have an opportunity to check it out without opening your wallet. Yoga beginners and intermediates can swing by Ember Hot Yoga in downtown to take free hour-long classes this Saturday starting at 9 a.m. All you need is a completed new student form, an empty stomach, hydrated body and comfortable clothes you don't mind getting a little sweaty. You can also bring your own yoga mat and towel or you can rent mats for $2 and towels for $1. You can register online for the following classes: For more information, visit Ember Yoga's website or email them at info@emberyoga.com.

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CTC Holds Basketball Tryouts

Open tryouts begin April 21 for the men's basketball team.

Chattahoochee Tech men's basketball is holding open tryouts  at the JH Morgan Gym in Cartersville on April 21. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the tryout session will run from 1 to 3 p.m. Players will need to bring a current sports physical, copies of high school transcripts and SAT/ACT scores, copies of college transcripts (if they have attended another college) and a reversible jersey for scrimmages. The JH Morgan Gym is located at 129 Aubrey St., Cartersville, GA 30120. For more information, email head coach David Archer at darcher@chattahoocheetech.edu or assistant coach Keith Lundy at klundy@chattahoocheetech.edu. Subscribe to Woodstock-Towne Lake Patch's free newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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Calling Runners for Peachtree Race

Registration ends 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 22.

Registration for the 2012 AJC Peachtree Road Race opens at 7 a.m. today.  There will be 60,000 participants selected for the 43rd AJC Peachtree Road Race through an online lottery at ajc.com/peachtree. Interested runners have till Thursday, March 22 at 11:59 p.m. to register online.  Entrants will receive an email by Monday, March 26 informing them on whether or not they were selected for the July 4 10K in Atlanta. You can register at ajc.com/peachtree. Information about registration, start wave placement details and specifics on the Peachtree Health and Fitness Expo can be found at peachtreeroadrace.org.

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Woodstock Cyclist Gears Up for Cross-Country Trek

George Weidman, Woodstock High School graduate, will travel from Georgia to California on the Adventure Cycling Association’s Southern Tier route on his Trek 7200 hybrid bicycle.

Eagle Watch Offers Discounted Lessons

Starting this month, Eagle Watch is offering group lessons starting at $99.

Eagle Watch golf course is offering discounted golf lessons as part of a nationwide effort from the PGA called Get Gold Ready. Canongate Golf, owner of Eagle Watch, is offering a package of five group golf lessons for $99, a savings of $200 to $400 for typical lessons. The series of five weekly 60-minutes sessions, available for juniors, ladies and men, start this month and run through October. The group lessons range from two to eight people per lesson. The sessions will be held at consistent times on Saturday afternoons and Sunday afternoon at other courses in metro-Atlanta. All sessions will be held at the following times: Contact Eagle Watch at 770-591-1000 for more information.

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Woodstock Canoeist Earns Olympic Slot

Eric Hurd and his partner still have to compete to be named the U.S. athletes to fill the men’s C-2 boat in London.

Eric Hurd of Woodstock and Jeff Larimer of Marietta won the gold medal and earned a 2012 Olympic boat quota slot for Team USA in the men’s C-2 final Saturday at the 2012 Slalom Pan American Championships in Foz do Iguassu, Brazil. Hurd said he feels great about their accomplishments. "We had a really good training time down here prior to the race and we are just really happy to have pulled through with our plan and get it done," Hurd said in a release. The duo finished in 107.13, 2.16 seconds ahead of the second-place finishers from Brazil. Hurd, 25, and Larimer, 30, entered Saturday ranked second among eligible boats after two qualifying heats, trailing the Canadian duo of James and Adam Cutts. Hurd and Larimer moved ahead of the …

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