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School welcomes Tour de Georgia for second year
Apr 5, 2005 9:34 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
When the 120+ cyclists participating in the 2005 Dodge Tour de Georgia ride into town on April 20, the city and Darlington will be ready to make the two-day stop in Rome both exciting and successful.
The School was quick to agree when asked to serve as the location for the start of the time trial for the second consecutive year. This year’s time trial will be held in the afternoon on April 21, the day after the stage two finish, unlike last year when the race and time trial were held the same day.
Spectators will be able to watch some of the world’s top riders, including six-time Tour de France Winner Lance Armstrong, start the time trial, in front of the A.J. Huffman ’67 Memorial Athletic Center. The first rider will leave at 11 a.m., with other riders following in one- to two-minute intervals.
Middle and Upper School classes will be dismissed from 10:10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and all students and faculty will be on site in matching T-shirts.
“We are extremely excited and honored to have Tour de Georgia use our facilities as a starting point for the time trials,” said Headmaster David Rhodes. “It is a wonderful chance for our students to observe highly trained athletes from all over the world. In a school such as Darlington with such a diverse international population, it gives our students great pride to watch their fellow countrymen compete in a race of this stature. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, and thankfully for us, after this year’s event we will have been able to be a part of two Tour de Georgia races.”
Beginning around 10 a.m., event-sponsor Maxxis will host a stunt show for students and visitors. Darlington’s varsity cheerleaders and mascot will also be on hand to enthuse the crowd, and Middle and Upper School student art will be displayed in painted signs saluting Tour de Georgia as well as in sidewalk chalk designs.
Shortly before the first rider departs at 11 a.m., Lower School third-grader Maggie Beth Atha of Rome will perform the national anthem.
“Maggie Beth’s music and acting skills are certainly advanced for her age and are a reflection of her fine attitude and effort,” said Lower School Assistant Principal Diane Lumpkin. “She was a natural choice to sing the national anthem for the time trial.”
A stage will be set up in the back right corner of the Huffman Center parking lot, on which the School’s Steel Drum Band will perform throughout the afternoon. SAGE will provide lunch to all students and faculty members in a private tent that will be located at the back of the parking lot next to the softball field. For the public, vending booths manned by the Student Life Office will be set up near the start ramp. Food and beverages will be available.
After departing the School, cyclists will race against time for 18.6 miles along Black’s Bluff Road, over Mount Alto and back to the downtown finish line via Shorter Avenue and Second Avenue. As they pass the Lower School, where students will also be dressed in matching T-shirts, hundreds of red, orange and yellow balloons will be released. Student art will also be on display at this location.
Shuttles will be provided for visitors wishing to travel from the time trial start to the finish line on East First Street. These buses will depart every 20 minutes from the softball field entrance to the Huffman Center parking lot.
Dodge Tour de Georgia is an annual, world-class, professional cycling stage race and series of city festivals across Georgia. Proceeds from the event benefit the Georgia Cancer Coalition, a statewide network of people and organizations working together to fight cancer. Dodge Tour de Georgia is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale and USA Cycling.
For more information on the time trial start, please contact Tannika King, director of media relations, at 706-236-0422. To find out more about Tour de Georgia and the 16 teams participating in this year’s race, click here. For information on road closings in Rome on April 20 and 21, call 706-295-5184.
The School was quick to agree when asked to serve as the location for the start of the time trial for the second consecutive year. This year’s time trial will be held in the afternoon on April 21, the day after the stage two finish, unlike last year when the race and time trial were held the same day.
Spectators will be able to watch some of the world’s top riders, including six-time Tour de France Winner Lance Armstrong, start the time trial, in front of the A.J. Huffman ’67 Memorial Athletic Center. The first rider will leave at 11 a.m., with other riders following in one- to two-minute intervals.
Middle and Upper School classes will be dismissed from 10:10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and all students and faculty will be on site in matching T-shirts.
“We are extremely excited and honored to have Tour de Georgia use our facilities as a starting point for the time trials,” said Headmaster David Rhodes. “It is a wonderful chance for our students to observe highly trained athletes from all over the world. In a school such as Darlington with such a diverse international population, it gives our students great pride to watch their fellow countrymen compete in a race of this stature. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them, and thankfully for us, after this year’s event we will have been able to be a part of two Tour de Georgia races.”
Beginning around 10 a.m., event-sponsor Maxxis will host a stunt show for students and visitors. Darlington’s varsity cheerleaders and mascot will also be on hand to enthuse the crowd, and Middle and Upper School student art will be displayed in painted signs saluting Tour de Georgia as well as in sidewalk chalk designs.
Shortly before the first rider departs at 11 a.m., Lower School third-grader Maggie Beth Atha of Rome will perform the national anthem.
“Maggie Beth’s music and acting skills are certainly advanced for her age and are a reflection of her fine attitude and effort,” said Lower School Assistant Principal Diane Lumpkin. “She was a natural choice to sing the national anthem for the time trial.”
A stage will be set up in the back right corner of the Huffman Center parking lot, on which the School’s Steel Drum Band will perform throughout the afternoon. SAGE will provide lunch to all students and faculty members in a private tent that will be located at the back of the parking lot next to the softball field. For the public, vending booths manned by the Student Life Office will be set up near the start ramp. Food and beverages will be available.
After departing the School, cyclists will race against time for 18.6 miles along Black’s Bluff Road, over Mount Alto and back to the downtown finish line via Shorter Avenue and Second Avenue. As they pass the Lower School, where students will also be dressed in matching T-shirts, hundreds of red, orange and yellow balloons will be released. Student art will also be on display at this location.
Shuttles will be provided for visitors wishing to travel from the time trial start to the finish line on East First Street. These buses will depart every 20 minutes from the softball field entrance to the Huffman Center parking lot.
Dodge Tour de Georgia is an annual, world-class, professional cycling stage race and series of city festivals across Georgia. Proceeds from the event benefit the Georgia Cancer Coalition, a statewide network of people and organizations working together to fight cancer. Dodge Tour de Georgia is sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale and USA Cycling.
For more information on the time trial start, please contact Tannika King, director of media relations, at 706-236-0422. To find out more about Tour de Georgia and the 16 teams participating in this year’s race, click here. For information on road closings in Rome on April 20 and 21, call 706-295-5184.
