Starting today, the state swimming meet will take place at Westminster and there will be numerous representatives from local schools.

The winter sports season isn’t over yet but the spring sports season will kick off in a big way this weekend.

Some of the highest ranked soccer teams in the state, many from this area, will begin the season with jamborees this Friday or Saturday.

Forty-one athletes from Fayette County participated in the State Special Olympics Winter Games in Marietta January 19-21.

The McIntosh High School varsity Chieffettes dance team recently competed in the UGA Red Hotz Invitational in Athens, Ga.

By this point next week, teams will be heading into their final game of the regular season. Each game has significance for every team, whether they are firmly established with a good standing or they are a team looking for some momentum heading into the most important part of the season. Coaches want to see their team performing at their peak and players are looking for that confidence and swagger that can help drive them in those huge tournament games.

The Indians scored big at the Clarke-Oconee Invitational on Saturday. The Indians had a combined score of 265 which put them in 7th place out of 30 teams represented. The boys placed sixth with a score of 161 points and the girls placed 10th with 104 points.

Foot Solutions’ head running coach and certified Nordic Pole instructor, Margaret Sue Bozgoz, a U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) is an All-Army marathoner, track runner and road racer who has coached tens of thousands of walkers and runners. She has completed 51 marathons and road races too numerous too count. She started Nordic Pole walking and coaching after retiring from the Army this past summer.

It is getting to be crunch time in the high school basketball season and some local teams are stepping up to the challenge and playing some great ball.

The area 2-AAAA wrestling tournament begins a week from Friday and local teams are trying to get their teams ready for what is sure to be a grueling weekend. Last weekend, Fayette County wrestled at North Hall High School, while Whitewater and McIntosh wrestled at East Paulding High School.

The Infinity Elite Titans Junior Coed Advanced team led by Coach Myke Johnson won a National Championship title at the JamFest Cheer Super Nationals Competition in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The same fitness components used to train athletes are essential to the average person. The Fayette County Recreation Department is urging local citizens to get in shape while improving their athletic performance by enrolling in the outdoor fitness program. Program organizers promise that students will be challenged, the competition will be exciting and their knowledge level of fitness will be enhanced.

• On Sunday, Jan. 7, Christian Taylor, a junior at Sandy Creek High School, won the triple jump event, jumping his personal best 48.02” at the Ed Temple Classic at Tennessee State University in Nashville.

Although there are still eight weeks until the 13th Annual AFC Lightning Spring Challenge, teams from seven different states have already registered. With three teams from New Hampshire currently holding the long distance title, teams from Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama, and Florida have also signed up.

Several schools swept their opponents in basketball on Tuesday night, either offering their fans more of the same play they were used to or glimpses of their team’s turning a corner.

Region 2-AAAA, on both the boys and girls side, has a lot of teams playing well and able to pick up a win on any given night.

Fresh off his Emerald Bowl win over UCLA in San Francisco two weeks ago, Florida State University Defensive End Darrell Burston signed with Perennial Sports and Entertainment, enlisting the Washington D.C.-based management and legal firm to represent him in his professional football career.

The Starr’s Mill Panthers swim team finished second at the Clayton County Invitational with the boys placing second and the girls placing first.

The McIntosh High School Swim Team closed the season on a victorious note, winning the Chatham County Invitational overall title. The men finished first and the women took second in the 10-team meet in Savannah.

As the end of January looms large, pointing towards the end of the regular season of high school basketball and the all important post season tournaments, teams continue to shoot for region wins and either solidify or advance their position in the region standings.

The Whitewater wrestling team, currently ranked third in AAAA according to the most recent GaSports.com coaches poll, placed second in the state dual meet over the weekend. The Wildcats, coached by Mickey Statham, started with a 53-21 win over Glynn Academy and followed it with wins over Woodland, 36-33 and Lakeview, 33-27 before falling to Stockbridge 31-29 in the finals.

Wrestlers from the Fayette Thrasher Wrestling Program flew to Nebraska to compete in the 8th Annual Omaha Metro Classic January 14, 2007.

The Atlanta Silverbacks announced that Steve Muccillo will serve as the head coach for the Atlanta Silverbacks U23s - the Silverbacks franchise that participates in the USL’s Premier Development League.

Tuesday night’s high school basketball games featured some good region rivalry match-ups. Fayette County’s boys and girls swept Whitewater, while Landmark and Our Lady of Mercy split. Northgate’s boys and girls edged past Starr’s Mill, McIntosh’s boys and girls fell to Westlake and Sandy Creek swept past Haralson County.

Starr’s Mill, Whitewater and McIntosh swam in Augusta last weekend and two teams left with titles.

The Starr’s Mill Panther swim teams placed first (women) and fourth (men) out of 10 teams at the Evans County Invitational.

The local wrestling teams went to a number of different tournaments last weekend with some teams traveling to Alabama and Savannah.

Calvin Johnson is going pro.

The Sandy Creek graduate declared his intention to enter the NFL draft at a press conference on Monday, leaving Georgia Tech as a junior. Many experts predict Johnson will be picked among the top five players in this year’s draft.

Who would like to run a marathon at the North Pole (for free)? Does spending several hours running in sub-zero temperatures further north than even polar bears are willing to go sound like a fun adventure?

The high school basketball season gets back underway tonight and many local teams have some significant region games in their future.