This week in the archives: Blue Ridge Brutal provides riders with views and experience, NCHSAA announces Marc Payne as member of 2018 Hall of Fame and Todd Island Park restoration begins

Editor’s note: This article features news and photos from past editions of the Ashe Post and Times (previously the Ashe Mountain Times).

Aug. 17, 2017

Blue Ridge Brutal provides riders with views, experience

The Blue Ridge Brutal bike ride took place Aug. 12, and riders from all over the state and beyond came to participate in one of the county’s biggest fundraising events of the summer.

Starting at the Ashe Civic Center in West Jefferson at 8 a.m., the Brutal takes participants through some of the most beautiful roads and the toughest hills in Ashe and Alleghany counties. There are three options for riders that are 55, 72 and 102 miles long.

Stacey Richardson, of Durham, has been attending the ride for eight years.

“The ride is beautiful especially, because, we are triathletes, and we’re not really gifted at dangerous descents,” Richardson said. “The ride has a lot of climbing, but not a lot of scary descents. It’s just right for most riders who are here. You don’t have to be a Tour de France rider to be successful at the Brutal. It’s so fun.”

Richardson usually does the 102-mile run, but this year she is coaching other riders on the 75-mile ride.

George Marut, of Wake Forest, participated in the full 102-mile ride and said it was “absolutely awesome.”

“You can’t find too many rides that are this challenging, especially late in the ride,” Marut said. “It’s a beautiful scenic ride and, moreover, it offers a great opportunity for anyone who is training for an ironman to get in some good hard miles.”

Of this year’s female riders, Lynn Berry of Lewisville, Laura Gellman of Charlotte and Stephanie Mishear of Davidson were the top three finishers in the 55-mile category. Shelly Franke of Charlotte, Laura Calvin of Concord and Denise Butler of Mooresville were the top finishers in the 72-mile run. Katie Hume of Carrboro, Sonya Kiziah of Taylorsville and Jacqueline Parsons of Crumpler topped the charts in the 102-mile run.

In the men’s category, Chuck Mantooth of Boone, Roy McCauley of Sherrils Ford and Kevin Zwetsloot of Boone were the frontrunners in the 55-mile ride. Greg Thompson of Harrisburg, Devin Jones of Mooresville and Gordon Stiel of Rock Hill, South Carolina led the pack in the 72-mile run. Charlie Brown of Salisbury, Keith Gerarden of Chapel Hill and Robert Crets of Cary rounded out the top finishers in the 102-mile ride.

The community, the views and the volunteers are what people like Richardson coming back.

“I come every year with a group of athletes, and we rent a house and support the ride,” Richardson said. “The volunteers are the best of any mountain ride in North Carolina. We love it. We come back every year.”

The Blue Ridge Brutal is a fundraiser for Ashe Civics Center.

Aug. 16, 2018

NCHSAA announces Marc Payne as member of 2018 Hall of Fame

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced the eight-member group of the Hall of Fame Class of 2018. This year’s class is the 32nd class to join the illustrious Hall of Fame dedicated to honoring those who “have done the most for high school athletics in North Carolina” throughout their careers.

This year’s class includes a wide range of involvement in high school athletics from administrators to coaches and an official. The Class of 2018 is: Jim Brett from Tarboro, Marsha Crump from Hickory, Bob Lewis from Clinton, Charles A. McCullough, Sr. from Charlotte who will be inducted posthumously, D. Gordon Patrick from Morehead City, Phillip “Marc” Payne from West Jefferson, Robert “Bobby” Poss from Asheville and Colon Starrett from Thomasville.

The class will be formally introduced at a Press Conference and Luncheon at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, August 22, at the NCHSAA Offices in Chapel Hill. The Press Conference and Luncheon is not open to the public.

Payne was the Head Basketball Coach at a trio of NCHSAA schools for a combined 37 years. He coached at Beaver Creek, Watauga and Ashe County High Schools, posting an overall coaching record of 574-383. During his tenure his teams claimed 13 Regular Season Conference Titles and seven Conference Tournament Championships. He won five sectional championships and appeared in the Western Regional tournament four times, earning 17 Coach of the Year Awards from various organizations.

Payne was also served as the Athletic Director at Watauga and then Ashe County from 1992 until his retirement in 2018. He was active across the state with the NCHSAA, the NCADA and the NCCA, serving on the Board of Directors for all three organizations. Payne has served on the NCHSAA Nominating Committee for over a decade in addition to service on the Association’s Scholarship, President’s Advisory and Ad-Hoc Committees. He helped found the NC Basketball Coaches Association in 1998 and was that organization’s first President. In 2011, Payne was honored with the NIAAA Distinguished Service Award, making him one of 11 North Carolinians to receive that prestigious distinction

The Induction Ceremony and Banquet will be held on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at the Embassy Suites in Cary. The Banquet and Ceremony is open to the public. Tickets to the event are $50 per person and will go on sale in January 2019.

Aug. 14, 2019

Todd Island Park restoration begins

Streambank restoration to improve Todd Island Park along the South Fork New River in Ashe and Watauga counties began Monday, Aug. 12, according to Jessica Janc of the Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development Council.

“The long-term goal is to repair river bank erosion surrounding the entire Todd Island Park,” Janc said. “This phase should take about 10 days — and will address an 800-foot section of the river on the parking lot side of the island.”

Due to use of heavy equipment causing public safety concerns, Todd Island Park will be closed for periods of time during construction, with most closures occurring during the week, according to Janc.

Riverbanks will be graded to repair existing erosion and reduce future erosion, rock vanes will be installed to redirect water velocity, measures will be taken to improve trout and hellbender habitat and invasive species will be removed, with native species replanted instead, Janc said.

“The public will see some vegetation removal, including trees,” Janc said. “This is necessary to eliminate invasive species, to grade the bank and to prevent bank erosion.”

Similar projects can be viewed along Big Horse Creek at Creeper Trail Park in Lansing, as well as along the greenway in Boone, near Ted Mackorell Soccer Complex.

“The banks will be replanted with native plants to improve soil stability and provide shade,” Janc said. “Kayakers and tubers will be instructed to use the right side of the river around the park during construction periods.”

The park is owned and operated for year-round public recreational use by the Todd Community Preservation Organization, which is funding the restoration project along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Division of Water Resources and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, according to Janc.

Organizations involved in the restoration project include Blue Ridge Resource Conservation & Development Council, Todd Community Preservation Organization, New River Conservancy, New River Soil and Water Conservation District and Foggy Mountain Nursey, Janc said.