Mayor Dale Ross, Parks and Recreation Department staff, and other officials cut the ribbon on a new mile-long section of the San Gabriel River Trail on Friday. The event was held at Chautauqua Park, 602 Rucker Street. The new section of the hike and bike trail extends from University Avenue north to Blue Hole Park. The trail parallels Scenic Drive and goes through Chautauqua Park. (Click on photos for larger versions.)

City officials cut the ribbon on the new section of trail.

Improvements at Chautauqua Park include a new picnic pavilion.

A new restroom was constructed at Chautauqua Park.

The concrete trail is eight feet wide and follows Scenic Drive.

The new section of trail includes an overlook near University Avenue.

Lifeguard teams from the City of Georgetown took the top two spots in the state lifeguard competition in College Station yesterday. The state lifeguard team competition was part of the 2014 Summer Games of Texas sponsored by the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation.

Team Dauntless from Georgetown took first place in the competition. Pictured above in the photo (left to right) are Curtis Morgan with TAAF and members of Team Dauntless including Trevor Carey, Cameron Speegle, Hunter Boyd, and Baylee Hill with Stephanie Darimont, aquatic coordinator for Georgetown Parks and Recreation. Team Dauntless qualified for the state finals after placing first at the Texas Superguard regional competition in July.

Placing in second at the state competition was Team ReGuardless from Georgetown. Pictured above in the photo (left to right) are Curtis Morgan and members the ReGuardless team Saige Culbertson, Mason Sheppard, Sydney Sorensen, and Kate Krause with Stephanie Darimont.

The two top teams from Georgetown were among 12 teams statewide that qualified for the state finals competition. The top three teams from four regional competitions this summer qualified to compete in the state finals. Each team in the state finals yesterday competed in four events. In the events, teams demonstrated proficiency in first aid, CPR, and other rescue skills.

A third team from Georgetown that qualified for the state competition and participated in the finals was Team Four Bravery, including Bailey Vandegrift, Emily Sargeant, Jack McLean, and Trevor Springer.

The three Georgetown lifeguard teams were composed of lifeguards who work for the City of Georgetown in the Parks and Recreation Department at the City’s outdoor and indoor pools.

A team of lifeguards from the City of Georgetown won a regional lifeguard competition last week and has qualified to compete in the statewide competition.

Team Dauntless from Georgetown placed first at the Texas Superguard regional competition in College Station on July 7.

Members of Team Dauntless (pictured left to right in the photo) are Trevor Carey, Cameron Speegle, Baylee Hill, and Hunter Boyd. Among the 22 lifeguard teams in the regional competition, Team Dauntless earned the top rank. Teams must perform a variety of life-saving scenarios and are scored on their proficiency.

Also at the regional competition, Hunter Boyd was awarded overall top male lifeguard and the Four Bravery lifeguard team from Georgetown placed seventh overall.

The Dauntless team will compete in the state lifeguard competition in College Station on August 4.

The Texas Fire Ants from Georgetown played the Louisiana Crushers in the first official Granny Basketball game to be played in Texas. The two teams played Saturday afternoon at the Georgetown Recreation Center. The Louisiana Crushers drove nearly six hours from their home in DeRidder, Louisiana for the game.

Saturday’s game in Georgetown was the first Texas match-up in the Granny Basketball League, which started in Iowa nearly 10 years ago. The league is a revival of the six-on-six girls basketball popular in Iowa from the 1920s through the 1970s. More than 200 women over 55 now play in the senior league with 25 teams in five states in the U.S.

The league plays by the 1920s rules for girls basketball. Players may only dribble twice before passing or shooting.

Here the women on the Fire Ants team in white blouses work the ball against the Crushers, in the purple vests.

Running is not allowed in the game. Passing to an open player is a key element of the game.

Jumping also is not allowed. The players must stay in the floor when shooting.

Barb McPherson, who started the Granny Basketball League in 2005, served as the referee for the game. She travelled from her home town in Iowa to be here for the first Granny Basketball game in Texas. McPherson’s sister Linda Toerper lives here in Georgetown and started the Texas Fire Ants team.

All the rules are covered in detail in the official rules handbook for the game called the Joy of Six.

The Crushers (above), who have been playing together for seven years, won the game against the novice Fire Ants Team. But all the women on both teams seemed to have a great time playing. There were smiles and hugs among all the players at the end of the game.

The Fire Ants (above) now have 10 women on the roster ranging in age from 55 to 77. They work on skills or scrimmage each Wednesday at the Georgetown Recreation Center.

The Fire Ants plan to compete in the Granny Basketball League national tournament in Oklahoma City on July 12.

For information on how to get involved with the Granny Basketball team at the Georgetown Recreation Center, contact Robert Staton, senior recreation program coordinator for the City of Georgetown parks and recreation department at (512) 930-1367 or robert.staton@georgetown.org.