Miles for Wellness Challenge 17

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One of my fondest childhood memories was camping on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in April, waking up to snow! What a wonderland! This spring, Miles for Wellness brought Challenge 17: An Outdoor Adventure Trail to state employees across North Carolina. This “virtual” trail took employees virtually from one beautiful scenic campground to another across our great country. Most stops provided a myriad of outdoor activities from hiking on mild to adventurous trails, to swimming in pristine waters, to boating, fishing, bird-watching, and of course, star-gazing at night!

Beginning at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, walkers followed a westward trail and virtually exited North Carolina after seeing the sites around Murphy, North Carolina, heading to Arizona, where some may have been tempted to stay virtually in a yurt overnight, before continuing the trek to Utah to see dinosaurs at Dinosaur National Monument! Speaking of mammoth sightings, employees were able to virtually see the giant redwoods in California or Yellowstone in Wyoming, where approximately half of all the world’s geysers can be found, some topping out between 300 and 400 feet! Then off to bird watch in North Dakota and Iowa, they saw the waterfalls in West Virginia, and rounding out the trip through Virginia and back to Falls Lake Recreational State Park, here in central North Carolina!

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Bionic Hare Division

1st Place:

Quads of Fury

North Carolina School of the Arts

Left to right, front row: Sheeler Lawson, Lisa McClinton, Erin Miller, Jeremy Grice, Nick Gawlik, Team Captain, Jamie Moore.

Back row: Sharon Fogarty, Natascha Romeo, Susan Mecum. 

Not pictured: Brandon Mitchell, Team High Stepper.

2nd Place:

S.T.O.M.P.

North Carolina Emergency Management; NC Dept. of Public Safety

Left to right, front row: Wanda Lewis, Cori Pope, and Dawn Wedig.

Back row: Aaron Brown, Ryan Kenney, Paul Bjornsen, Team High Stepper, James Young, and Trey Cash.

Not pictured: Kevin Kasai, Team Captain, and Tommy Wendelgass

3rd Place:

TRAILING AHEAD

NC Office of Administrative Hearings

Left to right: Lindsay Woy, Team Captain, and Debra Gray.

Not pictured: Julie Brincefield, Jason Thomas, Lisa Garner, David Sutton, Angeline Hariston, Robin Anderson, Darrell Siefring, Team High Stepper, and Arthur Harrell.

Super Hare Division

1st Place:

Sufficient Grace

Division of Employment Security

NC Dept. of Commerce

Left to right, front row:  Annette Whitley, Denise Williams, Margaret Streater, Regina Adams, Team Captain, Denise Lee and Judith Dobbin. Back row: Tim Davis, Charlita Jones, Assistant Secretary Lockhart Taylor, Sheena Cobrand and Katherine Hilliard, Statewide Wellness Coordinator.

Not Pictured: Stephanie Beard.

2nd Place:

The Force

Division 5

NC Dept. of Transportation

Left to Right, front row: Derrick Matthews, Carolyn Powell, Ferdinand N. Rivera, Team Captain, and Katherine Hilliard, Statewide Wellness Coordinator. Back row: Jeremy L. Warren, Dane J. Barber, Team High Stepper, and Sundarraj Isaac

Not pictured: Aaron Harper, Roger CastilloSantamaria, Samantha Williams, and George Harper.

3rd Place:

Walky Talkys

Central Regional Hospital

NC Dept. of Health and Human Services

Left to right, front row: Dr. Doris Ybarra-Salinas, Dr. Conne Hanes, Karina Alvarado, and Susan Lister. Back row: Stephanie Moss, Danielle Barkhau, Lauren Sheridan, Mark Stewart, Team Captain and Team High Stepper, Daniel Facer, Alexandre Fox and Katherine Hilliard, Statewide Wellness Coordinator.

Hare Division

1st Place:

L&T Fitness Leaders

DMV License and Theft Bureau

NC Dept. of Transportation

Left to right, front row:  Debbie Bryant, Team Captain, Lidia Ocampo, and Brandon Lemons.

 Back row: David Doerr, Caresha Rainey, Craig Kolhaas, and Robert Sawyer. 

Not pictured: Neil Ambrose, Team High Stepper, Justin Landis and Dustin Johnson.

2nd Place:

ITS US Steppers

Guilford Technical Community College

Left to right, front row: Dr. Randy Parker, President of GTCC, Evelyn Tinsley, Team Captain, Steven Johnson, Sheila Johnson, and Kenyetta Jackson.

Back Row: Darrin Douglas, Michael Bozarth, Don Harrington, Marty Hill, and John D’Englere, Team High Stepper.

Not pictured: Travon Bland

3rd Place:

LDC High Steppers

NC Office of State Human Resources

Left to right, seated: Reed Altman and Bobbi W. Brown, Team Captain. Standing: Annette Barefoot, Katherine Hilliard, Statewide Wellness Coordinator, Anne Miesel, Shanon Gerger & Beverly Townsend.

Not pictured:  Annis Barbee, Trace Barefoot, Team High Stepper, Carol Battle and Betty Coles.

Tortoise Division

1st Place:

SWATT-Sprinters, Walkers, and Trash Talkers

honorees with awards

Office of the Internal Auditor

NC Dept. of Health and Human Resources

Left to right, front row: Heather Burgos, Dottie Burns, Jarvis McBride, Team High Stepper, and Donnamarie Baldwin.

Back row: Mike Zanchelli, Cheryl Hunt, Tyrone Henderson, Krissie Taylor, and Rachel Leaptrot, Team Captain.

Not pictured: Bill Scott

2nd Place:

Our Names Were Taken

honorees with awards

Office of State Fire Marshall

NC Dept. of Insurance

Left to right, front row: Devin Cockrell, Lori Miller, Allison Cummings, and Renita Denton.

Back row: Jessica Lashbrook, Paula Brennan, Team Captain, Rich Hall, and Monna Gillespie.

Not pictured: Trisha Tripp, Team High Stepper, and Doris McLean Bates

3rd Place:

FRAUD SQUAD

honorees with awards

Industrial Commission

NC Dept. of Insurance

Left to right, front row: Lauren H. White, Dianne Daniels, Team Captain, Gwendolyn Herndon, Team High Stepper, Marcia Young, and Bryan Strickland.

 Back row: Ashley Snyder, Victoria Wise, René Cossin, Yolanda Newsome, and Gina Bunn.