FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2008 SPORTS NEWS-LEADER


Hornets edge Raiders in '08 opener


 ED HARDEF/SIPECIAI,
Chris Twiggs, Tim and Donna Deegan, from left, after the training run in Fernandina Beach.



Long road to Sunday marathon



passed through Amelia Island


 ED HARDEE
 For the News-Leader

 Creating a major national marathon from scratch
 isn't easy, and neither is the discipline required to rain
 for and run 26.2 miles. But for everyone involved in
 this weekend's "26.2 With Donna," the payoff is just
 hours away. And the long road to the event passed,
 quite literally, through Amelia Island.
 The National Marathon to Fight Breast Cancer
 steps off from the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville at 8:30
 a.m. Sunday. Thousands of runners have signed up for
 the marathon and the accompanying half-marathon,
 a 13.1-mile distance.
 Among those runners will be a group that trained
 with the race's namesake, breast cancer survivor and
 TV anchor Donna Deegan, in a training program that
 began last July. Many were "first-timers" whose
 marathon journey started with a two-mile training
 run. Six months later, on Jan. 19, they could and did
 run 26 miles.
 "People were so dedicated and so elated about fin-
 ishing that last long training run. You should have seen
 the smiles at the finish line," said Dawn Hagel of
 Fernandina Beach, who led one of several pace groups
 in the training program. "It rained on us for the first
 two hours, and everyone was freezing to death, but
 everybody was so happy."
 Last Oct. 27, the trainees came to Fernandina
 Beach for a scenic, 16-mile run. Deegan had been
 sidelined the month before by a successful operation
 to remove a small cancerous lesion from a lung. Part
 of a rib had to be removed, which felt as if someone
 had "taken a hammer to my side."
 But she ran six miles with her group on that day
 in late October, and talkedabout the upcoming race.
SC.;',bben a lot6 more work thai I ever' imagined, but
so worthwhile," she said, while waiting for the rest of
her fellow runners to return to Main Beach. '"This is
the first national marathon ever to concentrate sole-
ly on breast cancer, and people love to run marathons."
 All of the race's entry fees will go toward breast can-
 cer research and financial aid for women living with
 the disease.
 The runners-in-training included other breast can-
 cer survivors, "two in my group alone," Hagel said.
 "One just had a recent bout and is doing the full dis-
 tance," she said. "In a way it breaks your heart to
 know the ordeal they've been through. These women
 are amazing, they get up and go out there and run ...
 they're so happy and alive, they push so hard, they
 have so much energy."
 Plans for the new marathon were announced in the
 summer of 2006. Olympian Jeff Galloway, a best-sell-
 ing author and running coach, is the race director. He
 developed a marathori-training program that bears
 his name, combining running with walking.
 The course, which starts and ends near the Mayo
 Clinic campus, will run through Jacksonville Beach,
 Atlantic Beach and Neptune Beach. It will remain
 open for seven hours, allowing up to a 16-minute-mile
 marathon pace.


 "People can walk the half-marathon if they want to,"
said Chris Twiggs of Fernandina Beach, who leads the
Galloway training program in Jacksonville and has
been actively involved in planning for the race.
 Race information is available at www.breastcancer
marathon.com. Mail and online registration have
closed, but runners can register in person at the
Health & Fitness Expo from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today
and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Morocco Shrine
Auditoritim, 3800 St Johns Bluff Road in Jacksonville.
 Galloway's involvement also has an Amelia Island
connection through Twiggs, who's an English pro-
fessor and also a veteran marathoner who sometimes
runs races of 100 miles or more. By chance, he found
himself on a bus with Galloway after a 1995 marathon
in Washington, D.C., and talked with him about his
books.
 After that, Twiggs provided notes and editing for
some of Galloway's work, while Twiggs' wife, physi-
cian Dr. Diana Twiggs, has consulted with him for
some of the medical portions of his books.
 From there, Galloway asked Twiggs to become a
leader of his marathon training programs, which he
did, starting programs in Greenville, S.C., and Daytona
Beach. Twiggs founded and has led the Jacksonville
program since 2000.
 But the hand (or foot) of running fate that brought
together the Olympian and the ultramarathoning
English professor wasn't done yet. A few years ago,
at a Friends of the Library event, the Twiggses were
inspired by the guest speaker, Donna Hicken. (She has
since changed her name to Deegan, after her marriage
to meteorologist and fellow marathoner Tim Deegan.)
 Twiggs decided to ask-Galloway about using the
Jacksonville training program to raise money for the
Donna Hicken Foundation, which the First Coast
*News anchor had founded to raise money for local
women living with breast cancer.
 "He said, 'Go for it,'" Twiggs remembered. "We'll
give people a discount rate into the program, basically
to cover the expenses. It was Tim who really made the
connection; he had been a Galloway fan.
 "Donna and I met, and said, if we could get just 10
people to raise $1,000 each, that's $10,000. Let's see
if we can do that."
 They did and much more. Last year the program
had more than 300 individual entrants. And now, they
have their own marathon to use as a goal.
 "After our first year of training, Donna called me
and asked, 'What do you think about doing our own
marathon?'" Twiggs remembered. "We met, got Jeff
Galloway on the phone. He was excited, and drove
down from Atlanta... and agreed to be the race direc-
tor."
 And a national marathon to combat breast cancer
was born. The inaugural marathon and half-marathon
have well exceeded organizers' goal of 5,000 entrants.
 "It's been wonderful," Twiggs said. And he has
high praise for the event's namesake, who plans to do
the half-marathon distance.
 "She's so focused on the race," Twiggs said. "She's
a tiny woman, but her heart is huge."


2008 SCHEDULES


YULEE HIGH SCHOOL
GIRLS.SOFTBALL
at Fernandina Beach
at Hilliard
BALDWIN
at Terry Parker
at Mandarin Christian
at Trinity
BOLLES
HILLIARD
TERRY PARKER
at Baker County
FERNANDINA BEACH
TRINITY
at Baldwin
at West Nassau
at Stanton
FLETCHER
WEST NASSAU (seniors)
at Bishop Snyder
at Bishop Kenny
at Lee
District at West Nassau


 FERNANDINA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL
 GIRLS SOFTBALL
Feb. 15 YULEE* 7:00
Feb. 19 TRINITY CHRISTIAN* 7:00
Feb. 20 at Lee 5:00
Feb. 22 at West Nassau* 7:00
Feb. 26 at Wolfson 6:00
Feb. 27 at Terry Parker 6:00
Feb. 29 at Bolles* 6:00
March 4 BISHOP SNYDER* 7:00
March 5 STANTON 6:00
March 7 WEST NASSAU* 7:00
March 11 BOLLES* 6:00
March 12 LEE 4:30
March 14 at Yulee* 7:00
March 17 FIRST COAST 6:00
March 18 TERRY PARKER 6:00
March 20 BALDWIN* 7:00
March 25 at Trinity Christian* 7:00
March 27 at Baldwin' 7:00
April 10 at Baker County 6:00
April 11 HILLIARD (seniors) 7:00
April 14-17 District at West Nassau
* Denotes District 4-3A games
 FERNANDINA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL
 TENNIS
Feb. 20 at Bishop Snyder 4:00
Feb. 21 at Stanton 4:00
Feb. 27 YULEE (AIP) 4:00
Feb. 28 WEST NASSAU 4:00
March 3 TRINITY (AIP) 4:00
March 5 PAXON (AlP) 4:00
March 7-8 Camden tourney 3:00
March 10 at West Nassau 4:00


March 12 BISHOP SNYDER (AIP)
March 18 at Bishop Kenny
March 25 at Providence
April 8-9 District at Bolles


Feb
Feb
Mar
Mar
Mar
Mar
Mar
Mar
Apr
Apr
Apr
April


FERNANDINA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL
 TRACK AND FIELD
. 19 at Andrew Jackson 3
. 21 WEST NASSAU 4
rch 1 at Sandalwood 8
*ch 8 at Forrest 8
rch 13 at Episcopal T
rch 15 at Ralnes 7:30
*ch 18 at West Nassau 4
rch 25 COUNTY MEET 4
II 5 at Ribault 8
il 8 District 4-2A meet T
il 16 Region 1-2A at Bolles T
il 26 State at Winter Park T


:00
:30
am
am
'BA
am
:30
:30
am
BA
BA
BA


 FERNANDINA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL
 VARSITY BASEBALL
Feb. 18 LEE 6:00
Feb. 22 at Stanton 6:30
Feb. 26 at Bishop Snyder* 4:00
Feb. 28 WEST NASSAU* 6:00
March 1 at Ware County 1:00
March 4 MARIST 7:00
March 7 at Winter Haven 7:00
March 8 at Lake Wales 12:00
March 14 BOLLES* 7:00
March 15 WARE COUNTY 1:00
March 18 at Episcopal* 6:00
March 20 TRINITY* 7:00
March 21 at Nease 7:00
March 25 at Yulee* 7:00
March 28 at Lee 6:00
April 2-5 DIAMOND CLASSIC
April 8 BALDWIN* 7:00
April 10 at Fleming Island 4:00
April 11 COLUMBIA COUNTY 7:00
April 14 CAMDEN COUNTY 7:00
April 17 YULEE 7:00
April 21-24 DISTRICTTOURNEY
* Denotes District 4-3A games
 FERNANDINA BEACH HIGH SCHOOL
 JUNIOR VARSITY BASEBALL
Feb. 19 at Orange Park 5:00
Feb. 20 YULEE 5:30
Feb. 22 at Baldwin 6:00
Feb. 26 WEST NASSAU 5:00
Feb. 28 at Yulee 6:00
March 3 at Bolles 6:00
March 6 STANTON 6:00
March 7 TRINITY 5:00
March 10 BISHOP SNYDER 5:00
March 12 EPISCOPAL 5:00
March 14 at West Nassau 5:00


March 18 BOLLES
March 19 at Episcopal
March 21 at Camden County
March 24 at Stanton
March 27-28 JV tourney at Yulee


March 31
April 1
April 7
April 9
April 10


Feb. 15
Feb. 19
Feb. 23
Feb. 23
Feb. 26
Feb. 29
March 1
March 3
March 7
March 12
March 14
March 18
March 20
March 25
April 1-5
April 1
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 7
April 8
April 11
April 15
April 17
April 18
April 21-24
* District ga


FLEMING ISLAND
at Fleming Island
BALDWIN
CAMDEN COUNTY
at Trinity
YULEE HIGH SCHOOL
VARSITY BASEBALL
BISHOP SNYDER*
at Baldwin*
at Gainesville
at Hawthorne
TRINITY CHRISTIAN*
at First Coast
at St. Johns Co. Day
FLEMING ISLAND
at Bolles*
ST. JOHNS CO. DAY
HILLIARD
at West Nassau*
vs. Mandarin at UNF
FERNANDINA BEACH*
at Terry Parker tourney
vs. DeLand
vs. Deltona
vs. Middleburg
Consolation/championship
EPISCOPAL*
WEST LAWRENCE, Ga.
at Paxon
at Hilllard
at Fernandina Beach
HAWTHORNE
District at Fernandina
ames


 YULEE HIGH SCHOOL
 JUNIOR VARSITY BASEBALL
Feb. 20 at Fernandina Beach 5:30'
Feb. 21 at West Nassau 5:30
Feb. 26 TRINITY CHRISTIAN 4:00
Feb. 28 FERNANDINA BEACH 6:00
March 4 BISHOP SNYDER 6:00
March 6 WEST NASSAU 6:00
March 11 TRINITY CHRISTIAN 6:00
March 13 at Episcopal 6:00
March 17 at Bolles 6:00
March 18 HILLIARD 5:00
March 20 at Baldwin 6:00
March 26-27 HORNET JV SPRING CLASSIC
March 26 West Nassau-Fernandina 4:00
 Paxon-Yulee 7:00
March 27 Consolation game 4:00
 Championship game 7:00


 With Yulee up 3-2 in the sev-
enth inning with bases loaded, two
outs and two strikes on the batter,
Orange Park's Tony Voiro, who
already had three hits, including a
home run on the night, was struck
out by Yulee senior pitcher Josh
McKendree. The Hornets picked
up a 3-2 victory on opening night
Tuesday.
 YHS senior Brock Dickinson
pitched five strong innings, giv-
ing up just three hits and one run
while striking out eight and walk-
ing one. Mckendree (1-0) came
into the game in the sixth inning
to pick up the win, giving up one
hit and one run and striking out
one, the final out of the game.
 Orange Park ace pitcher Chris
Geiger threw five innings, giving
up one run and two hits. Yulee
and Orange Park made one error
each on the night.
 Offensively for the Hornets,


 HIGH SCHOOLS

junior Josh Cassidy (1-1, two runs
scored), freshman Andrew Minor
(1-2, one run scored, one RBI) and
senior Josh Oliver (1-3, one RBI,
game winner) were the team lead-
ers at the plate.
 "Every year I try to put games
on the schedule that we would
consider to be signature wins
- big wins for the program if we
win games most people don't
give us a chance at winning," said
Will Minor, head baseball coach at
Yulee High School. "This win was
one of those signature wins,
because we played a big 6A school
with their ace on the mound and
were still able to pull out a victory.
 "Games like this (and the pre-
season game against Baker
County with their ace on the
mound) show me what type of


team we are capable of having this
year if we keep working hard. I
often say that pitching, defense
and timely hitting wins games; this
game had just enough of all three
to get the job done and get us the
win. I am very proud of our effort
and composure."
 Yulee (1-0) hosts district foe
Bishop Snyder at 7 p.m. tonight.
 The YHS Lady Hornet soft-
ball team is 1-2 with losses to
Bishop Snyder (4-2 in eight
innings Feb. 8) and Bartram Trail
(3-1 Feb. 5). The Lady Hornets
hammered Lee 16-4 Feb. 7.
 Yulee played at Bolles Tuesday
but the game was suspended due
to the weather. The Lady Hornets
travel to Fernandina Beach
tonight. First pitch is at 7 p.m.
 Key returners this season for
Yulee High School are seniors
Holly Sutherland, Kristen Bellar
and Kristeena Shirah.


SPORTS SHORTS


Cheer clinic
 A cheer clinic, six weeks of cheer technique and
preparation for upcoming tryouts, starts Feb. 21.
The cost is $45 per person. Instructors will be Kim
Storey and Carey Scott. Classes will be held at A
Chance To Dance. Call now to register, 491-5585.
Space is limited to 15 girls.

Surfcontest
 The Eastern Surfing Association First Coast
District will hold a contest at 8 a.m. Feb. 23 at Main
Beach. Call John Williams at 277-2359.

AIRweekly runs
 The Amelia Island Runners club holds weekly
group runs on Wednesday afternoons for runners
of all ages and abilities. Club members meet in the
parking lot of the Atlantic Avenue Recreation
Center at 5:45 p.m. The runs generally last about
45 minutes and are open to everyone. For more
information, visit the club's website, www.amelia
islandrunners.com, or call (904) 277-8365.

Elm Street Little League
 Elm Street Little League is holding registration
from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Charles L.
Albert Jr. Field. Fee is $40, additional $5 per sib-
ling. Contact Wayne Peterson at 753-1663.

Special Olympics
 Special Olympics Florida-Nassau County will be
holding its 2008 summer games today from,9 a.m.
to 1 p.m. at the Fernandina Beach High School
stadium. More than 125 athletes from Nassau
County Schools, ARC/Nassau and 329 Place will
be competing in track and field events such as
25m, 50m, 100m, 200m walk and run, running and
standing long jump, softball throw, shotput, a 30m
motorized wheelchair snlalo a,arr d for'the first time
in Nassau County, an athlete is participating in the
pentathlon event, a five-event competition that
includes the 400m run, 100m run, running long
jump, shot put and the high jump. The Olympic
torch run will start the games.
 An estimated 250 volunteers will be needed.
This competition is the first step for the athletes to
earn their way to the state games in April at
Disney's Wide World of Sports complex. Contact
Winnie Hunter at winnie.hunter@nassau.kl2.fl.us
or Bob Hinton at bob32041 @yahoo.com.

PAL registration
 The Isle of Eight Flags Police Athletic is holding
registration for the 2008 seasons for basketball
($25 fee), boxing ($100) and track and field ($110)
from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays at the
administrative office, 1525 Lime St., Femandina
Beach, or from 3:30-6:30 p.m. at the PAL
Community Technology Learning Center after-
school program, 202 South Ninth St., Suite 1.
 Birth certificate, wallet-size photo and copy of
latest report card are required. Students whose
grade point average is 1.9 or lower must attend the
PAL afterschool program at least twice a week to
play. Volunteer applications for prospective coach-
es and referees will be accepted during' registra-
tion. For information, call 277-7344.

Nassau County Gator Club
 The Nassau County Gator Club will meet at
5:45 p.m. Feb. 21 at Sliders Seaside Grill, 1998 S.
Fletcher Ave., Fernandina Beach, for social and
dinner. Guest speaker at 7 p.m. is Brent Beaird,
writer for GatorBait magazine and Rivals.comi.
Admission is free but scholarship donations are
encouraged. All Gator fans are welcome. Contact
President Tommy Roberts at 277-4111.


Yulee Pop Wamer
 Yulee Pop Warner will hold registration for the
 2008 season from 9 a.m. to noon March 8, April
 12, May 17, June 7, June 14, June 21 and June
 28. Fee is $125 first child ($100 additional child).
 Birth certificate and wallet-size photo are required
 at registration. End-of-year report card and physi-
 cal are required by June 28. The next board meet-
 ing will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the ballpark. Call
 Patty Ellington at 277-8136 or visit www.leagueline
 up.com/yuleehornets.

 Wild game dinner
 The Femandina Beach High School Foundation
 board of directors will hold a wild game dinner Feb.
 22 at the Amelia Island Plantation. Reception is
 from 6:30-7;30 p.m. and dinner will be served at
 7:30 p.m. Sponsorships are available.

 First Coast Fire registration
 Register for the First Coast Fire traveling girls
 fast pitch softball team from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 16-17 at
 Yulee High School. Fee is $75. Open to ages 9-12.
 Contact Vicki at (904) 424-5645.

 Hot Shot contest
 The Isle of Eight Flags Police Athletic League
 will sponsor a Hot Shot basketball contest at 10
 a.m. Feb. 16 at the Peck Gym in Femandina
 Beach. Age divisions are 10 and under, 12 and
 under and 14 and under. Fee is $10. Awards will
 be given for first and second place and each partic-
 ipant receives a T-shirt. All six winners advance to
 the April 5 contest at Disney's Wide World of
 Sports in Orlahdo. Call John Gilbert Sr., 415-3679.

 Ducks Unlimited banquet
 The 2008 Nassau County Ducks Unlimited
 membership banquet is from 6-9:30 p.m. Feb. 28
 at the Amelia Island Plantation. Cost is $75 single
 in advance and $85 single at the door. Price
 includes membership ($25), magazine subscrip-
 tion, dinner and a chance to win a door prize.

 North Florida Crushers
 The 9-U North Florida Crushers baseball travel-
 ing team is still looking for players for the spring
 season. The season runs January through June
.with half home games in the Fernandina Beach
area and half away games in the Jacksonville area.
Contact Scott Miller at 753-1620 or Karen Miller at
753-16?2 or e-mail k1 mil246@aol.com.

Yulee little League
 Yulee Little League will hold opening day cere-
 monies at 9 a.m. March 8. For information, call
 225-9611 and leave a message.

 Zumba classes for adults
 Kinderstudios is now offering adult Zumba
classesCall Alexandra Carroll at 415-0954.

Sailing Oub meets
 The Amelia Island Sailing Club meets the first
Tuesday of the month at the Kraft Athletic Club.
Social hour is at 6:30 p.m. and the meeting starts
at 7:30 p.m. Call Commodore Joe Blanchard at
277-4257 or visit www.ameliaislandsailing.org.

Challenger Bowling
 Nassau Challenger Bowling League for the
physically and mentally challenged meets the sec-
ond Saturday of the month from 3-5 p.m. at the
Strikers Family Bowling Center in Yulee. Call
Melinda Willaford at 261-3136.


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