OUR VIEW: Staying in shape during the dog days

» The summer doldrums haven’t slowed down area sports fans, as evidenced by the success of the Culpeper Sprint Triathlon and other events around town.

We’re always excited to see August roll around, because it meansthe Culpeper Sprint Triathlon is in full swing. The triathlon routinely brings scores of athletes to the Culpeper area, and this year was no different. Nearly 700 triathletes participated in Sunday’s event, bringing with them thousands of dollars in tourist money to help boost our economy.

It’s also refreshing to see our own young athletes such as Steven Reynolds and Jacob Aber do so well in their first triathlons. We hope they continue to represent Culpeper well and join the group of dedicated athletes we already have who routinely participate in triathlons.

Finally, we owe a shout-out to Set-Up Inc., which brings the triathlon back to Culpeper each year. Great work, guys!

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The triathlon wasn’t the only sporting event boasting impressive numbers — Eastern View High School tennis coach Worth Richardson’s inaugural tennis camp also did an excellent job, as more than 40 players turned out to embrace a sport that doesn’t receive as much national attention as others.

While it’s too early to tell if the next Andy Roddick is set to come out of this camp, we’re pleased to see more tennis enthusiasts hitting the hard court. Kudos to Richardson for setting up the camp and providing top-notch instruction.

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The Culpeper senior softball all-star team traveled to the state tournament in late July, finishing 1-3 with an 11-0 win over Wilson.

What makes the feat impressive is that the team plays in the 15- and 16-year-old bracket but con-sist mainly of 13-year-olds.

We expect these players to be back in the tournament for years to come, and wish them the best as they aim to bring home a state title.

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Finally, some quick praise to the folks at Culpeper Baptist for putting on a terrific youth sports camp this week at Yowell Meadow Park.