ADVENTURE SPORTS BY WINA STURGEON 4/20
JOSIE WINS, DRIVER LOSES
The driver who fatally hit Josie Johnson as she was biking up Big Cottonwood Canyon, has lost a new attempt to have the conviction of criminal negligent homicide against her dropped.
Betsy DeSeelhorst, wife of the owner of Solitude ski resort, struck Johnson from behind in 2004. DeSeelhorst first blamed the victim, saying Johnson had swerved onto the road in front of her vehicle; but forensic investigators found that Johnson was over on the far shoulder of the road when DeSeelhorst struck her with the center of her SUV's bumper. Johnson was thrown 150 feet.
DeSeelhorst's defense team then claimed she was not guilty of wrongdoing in hitting Johnson by bringing up a possibility that their client could have had a mini-stroke, causing her to black out. The court rejected the claim and found the woman guilty.
In her latest attempt to deny guilt, DeSeelhorst argued that prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence to prove that she acted with criminal negligence in hitting and killing Johnson.
That argument was rejected in a unanimous decision by the Utah Court of Appeals.
The 2007 Annual Josie Johnson Memorial Ride will take place September 29, starting at Sugarhouse Park at 10:30.
LOCALS DO THE BOSTON
It was a long commute to run 26 miles, but Nichole Hugie of Taylorsville, Heidi Tyler of South Weber, David Holt of Washington, Robert Murphy of Salt Lake, plus Clyde and Molly Behunin of Ogden each finished this year's Boston Marathon. They were among more than 200 Utahns who competed in the famous event.
Clyde Behunin had the best Utah men's time: 2:37.52. Hugie was the top Utah woman across the finish in 3:15.24.
Winners of the prestigious event were Kenya's Robert Cheruiyot (2:14.13) and Russia's Lydiya Grigoryeva (2:29.18).
LAST DAY AT RESORTS A BLAST
The last day of skiing at most Wasatch Front resorts was a blast, despite cool temps and clouds. In a growing tradition, many snowriders dressed up in tutus, superhero capes and prom dresses (yes, guys in dresses!).
The icy snow didn't soften up until afternoon, but that didn't stop the diehards from skiing every run possible on the April 15th last day. The unfriendly weather did seem to limit crowds, however. Alta's traditional last run down High Rustler was sparsely attented, perhaps because the traverse over was more rocky than usual.
Even the tailgate party was smaller than usual, but Alta Race Director Coleman Motley still brought his grill, his great grilling skills, and enough gourmet garlic burgers and brats for everyone.
Not many know that Motley pays for the goodies out of his own pocket.
However, the day before closing was a gift from nature, especially at Brighton. It was a warm and cliched bluebird day; and Brighton's snow was excellent; full coverage, exceptional tree skiing, and no one got even a scratch on their bases.
It was so good, Mountain Manager Randy Doyle slipped out of the office to spend some time on Milly.
Speaking of Brighton, this was the last year for the poky old Millicent lift. The resort is spending three million bucks to install a new high-speed quad chair over the summer, so those who want the steeper terrain on Millie will now be able to spend less time getting to it.
HOCKEY: IT AIN'T WHATCHA THINK
Do you think of hockey as a goon's game, hard to play and needing great skate skills?
Wrong!
It's actually an intense workout, better than you can get in a gym, helping you lose weight and have fun, while improving your quickness, power, and ability for athletic strategty.
Now is the time to sign up for this underrated sport. Registration is starting for this season's summer USHL adult ice hockey leagues.
You can sign up as an individual and be placed on a team, or register with friends and play on a team together. Games are played Monday through Thursday at both the County Ice Center (Murray) and Steiner rinks, 6-11 p.m. The season goes from May 21 through August 30.
Register online or get more info at WWW.USHL.ORG
TYLER HAMILTON COMES BACK
It's been a long, hard road for cyclist Tyler Hamilton. He was banned for two years in 2004, after being charged with blood doping, and has insisted all along that he was innocent.
The former top racer says he's not sure if he can come back to his former dominance at his current age of 36, but he intends to try. He's been racing in Europe since January.
Hamilton is now racing in the Tour de Georgia, his first race back in America. In the first stage, he finished in the middle of the peleton, about two minutes behind Italian winner Daniele Contrini.
However, unlike the disgraced Jan Ullrich, Hamilton has a team. He is riding for new team Tinkoff Credit Systems, along with teammate Contrini.