Kayaks serve as the classroom of discovery By Mike Savicki Tracy Tripp knows the local waters in a way that most people never will. Her passion is kayaking, and from the cockpit of her bright red sea kayak, Tripp regularly explores the hundreds of…
Gaye Busch keeps her racing worries in check By Mike Savicki Like all caring mothers, Gaye Busch is concerned about the well-being of her children. She worries about them when they are on vacation, driving on the roadways and, especially, when they are at…
A motorcycle lifestyle has personal appeal By Mike Savicki At first glance, Patty Griffin of Cornelius does not appear to fit the stereotype of the rough and tough outlaw that is the traditional Harley-Davidson motorcyclist. She is a mother of two, a wife, a…
Charlotte Rugby Club draws an eclectic mix of players who can’t get enough of the game By Mike Savicki A popular bumper sticker on cars parked at the Skillbeck Athletic Grounds in northwest Charlotte reads, Give Blood Play Rugby. To the uneducated eye, it is…
Katie Kirk has the golf ball rolling her way By Mike Savicki On an afternoon when most golfers might choose to leave their clubs in the trunk, sixteen-year-old Katie Kirk is on the practice area at River Run Country Club in Davidson. The driving…
Crew Chief Steve Letarte knows how to build a team By Mike Savicki For the last seven years, Steve Letarte has run nearly every lap of every NASCAR Sprint Cup race. He knows what it takes to win and he knows how it feels…
Moonshine and racing history go hand in hand in the Piedmont By Mike Savicki Before the Earnhardts, Pettys and Waltrips became household names in the racing world, the Graftons, Lippards, Littles, Heffners and Burgess brothers pegged their speedometers and turned heads across the Carolina…
A Mooresville company’s high-tech turf gives athletes an edge By Mike Savicki It was 1965 when the Houston Astrodome opened as the world’s first multi-purpose, large scale, domed sports stadium. Nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” it featured numerous groundbreaking innovations that changed…
Karl Noonan has led an extraordinary life filled with setbacks and victories By Mike Savicki A sign hangs above one of the televisions in Karl Noonan’s home. It simply reads Another Day in Paradise. The sign could serve as a reminder of Noonan’s…
Brad Keselowski doesn’t stop when the race is over By Mike Savicki A twenty-seven-year-old who is living his dream in racing. That’s how Mooresville’s Brad Keselowski summarizes his current lifestyle as we conclude an interview near Penske Racing headquarters. NASCAR’s two weeks of Charlotte…