By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

The state of Georgia has enjoyed 10 years of statewide athletic competition with the Georgia Games.

The Games were formed in 1990 to help the state prepare for the 1996 Olympics and to promote an interest in amateur sports. The Games return to Atlanta this summer and will use many of the same venues used in the last Olympics.

The athletes, expected to number over 50,000, will compete in 43 sports. The event has grown over the last ten years. The initial Georgia Games had 18 sports and only 6,000 athletes involved. This year, Clayton, Fayette and Coweta County will get a firsthand look at the spirit of the Georgia Games.

Peachtree City's amphitheater and BMX track will be the site of the Volksmarch and BMX competition, McCurry Park in Fayetteville will host archery, the Coweta County Recreation Center will host the Olympic style weightlifting competition, and Independence Park in Jonesboro will host the adult softball competition.

The BMX competition will be at the William L. Davis BMX Facility Sunday, July 23. Entrants can compete in age groups from 5 to 55-plus. The entry deadline for the competition is July 17 and the fee is $10.

There will be several different divisions, including rookie, novice, expert, girls, cruiser (24 inch wheels), and super class. Racers will be grouped by age and level of experience and the rules will be those of the National Bicycle League. Phone Missy Padgett at 770-254-8849 for information.

The Volksmarch, German for “people's march” will be Saturday and Sunday, July 22 and 23 at the William L. Davis BMX facility in Peachtree City. The 10-kilometer walk will begin at 8 a.m. and run through noon. The course closes at 2:30 p.m. Sunday to make way for the BMX racers. For award and credit, the entry fee is $8 with a $2 fee for late registration; for credit the fee is only $2 and it is free to walk the course. The entry deadline for the Volksmarch is Tuesday, July 18 and the rules have been sanctioned by the American Volksport Association. For information phone Chuck Lear, McIntosh Trail Walkers, 770-631-8543.

The Olympic style weightlifting competition at the Coweta County Recreation Center will combine the best two lifts in snatch-and-clean and jerk for total. There will be two age divisions for boys and girls, 12-17 and 18-20. The fee to compete is $10. For men and women, there will be an open division and a masters division. The entry fee is $15. The deadline for entry is Wednesday, July 12.

The women's competition will begin at 10:30 a.m., the 47- to 77-kg men will begin at 12:30 p.m. and the 85- to 105-plus-kg men will begin at 2:30 p.m. Weigh-ins for each division begin two hours before the competition begins. Phone Scott Ragan at 770-254-3750.

For future Robin Hoods, McCurry Park will host the archery competition Saturday, July 22 and archers from ages 11 and under to 60 and older are eligible to compete. Young archers will shoot from as far as 30 yards away, while adults will shoot from as far as 60 yards away. The entry fees are $15 for adults and $8 for youths under 14. The entry deadline is Wednesday, July 12. Phone David Aven at 770-460-0513.

The softball competition, an ASA double elimination competition for adults, will be at Independence Park in Jonesboro Thursday, July 20 through Sunday, July 23. The entry fee is $145 per team and the deadline is Monday, July 17. Call Troy Hodges at 770-997-5945.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are track and field events at life University, shooting events at Wolf Creek Shooting Range, Ultimate Frisbee at Georgia Horse Park in Conyers, soccer competitions at Piedmont Park and Georgia Tech, and more. To find out more about the Georgia Games and register, visit www.georgiagames.org.

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