THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9511300163
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
DAVE SILVA remembers meeting George Ganoung on the road.
Both were bicycling to their jobs at the Coast Guard's National Strike Force Coordination Center on U.S. 17 when Ganoung, 24, came upon Silva, 35, and greeted him.
``Between `Good' and `morning,' he was in front of me,'' Silva said to illustrate Ganoung's swiftness, and apparent ease. Silva kept up with the younger lieutenant junior grade, but it wasn't easy.
``When I finally finished, I thought I was going to die. I felt like I was coughing up a piece of my lung,'' Silva said jokingly, adding that Ganoung had to pedal twice the distance to reach their workplace.
A lot of people apparently have trouble keeping up with Ganoung, who outpaced the competition this year to be named the Coast Guard Elite Male Athlete of the Year.
The award is given annually by the non-profit United States Military Sports Association in Alexandria, Va., which supports military sports programs and athletes.
Lt. j.g. Amy Baribeau of Puget Sound, Wash., was named Female Elite Athlete of the Year. Like Ganoung, she is a triathlete and distance runner.
Ganoung, who transferred to Elizabeth City from Guam in July, decided to enter the contest after a friend did last year.
The military sports award, about 15 years old, honors men and women in the armed forces who are among the best athletes in their branches. The Coast Guard was added to the program in 1990.
While Ganoung has routinely finished at or near the top of the field in cycling, running and triathlon events, he said he is particularly proud of making the Guam Cycling Team and placing second among about 500 runners in an international 10K in Guam.
Locally, he finished first at August's Coast Guard Day 5K and ninth out of more than 700 at the Neptune Festival 8K in Virginia Beach this fall.
He also does well in intramural sports, such as soccer and football.
It was soccer, in fact, that first drew him to the sport he appears to enjoy most - running.
``I wanted to play soccer in grade school, so I started running to get into shape,'' he said.
A successful run at a youth track meet in his hometown of Tucson, Ariz., led to local road races and cross country in high school.
At the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, where Ganoung graduated in 1993, he set the current school record for the indoor 1,500-meter run and the 800-meter relay.
His favorite distances are the 1,500 meter and the mile, preferably done on a track.
``I think it's just the tradition behind it - the mile, I mean,'' he said, adding, ``I just like the purity of the track. There are no hills, no other obstacles. It's basically pure speed.''
Personal records are prized over trophies, he said.
``That's what I like about running - and all those other events too, in a sense. You're always competing with yourself, whether you're a 12-minute miler or a four-minute miler. You're always competing against yourself.''
Ganoung runs or works out one to two hours daily, taking time off when he chooses.
He advocates exercise, at any level, as a way to improve a person's health - both in mind and body.
``It doesn't matter whether you run two miles a day or 10 miles a day, just as long as you're consistent,'' said Ganoung, who, along with his wife, Jennifer, belongs to the Tidewater Striders running club.
``Not everyone is at a certain level. That's what is so great about it. You don't have to be a superstar. You can always compete against yourself.''
Ganoung's attitude has won him respect and admiration from his peers, as well as the national military sports community.
``He's just a nice guy,'' Silva said. ``Unlike a lot of the super athletic, he just seems to be doing things for fun.''
And that's the point, Ganoung said.
``That's just how I enjoy it. To me, all the running, triathlons and biking are just fun things to do.
``If it ever stops being fun, I'm not going to participate in it anymore.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo courtesy of George Ganoung.
George Ganoung, 24, routinely finishes at or near the top of the
field in cycling, running and triathlon events.
by CNB