Morgan House, manager of the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue, has a passion for the Hall County community, Lake Lanier and the canoe/kayak sport in general. House became manager of the LLOV 18 months ago and is loving every minute.
If you don’t know about Morgan’s accolades on the water, you certainly will be impressed. Previously, Morgan has been named the Canoe/Kayak Male Athlete of the Year along with competing in the U.S. National Championships, Pan American Games, World Cup and the U.S. Sprint Team Trials.
We recently spoke with Morgan about upcoming events at LLOV and his love for the Hall County community.
Question: Who are some of the most interesting people you’ve met while living in County?
Answer: “I was born in raised in Hall County and so I have had the privilege of meeting so many interesting people over the years. I would say that my job as the Venue Manager of the Lake Lanier Olympic Venue for the past 18 months has afforded me the opportunity to meet a wide variety of professionals within our community. I am so happy to be working with our local government leaders. These leaders include Mayor Danny Dunagan, Chairman Richard Mecum, Commissioner Scott Gibbs, Senator Butch Miller and Congressman Doug Collins.”
Q: If you could give a piece of advice to a crowd of people what would you say?
A: “To pursue your passion and work your butt off to make your dreams come true. My favorite quote is from Winston Churchill, ‘Never give in, never give in, never, never, never. In nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.’”
Q: What is your favorite movie and why?
A: “‘Forrest Gump.’ I love the movie because it covers so much in one story including action, drama, comedy, and romance. Forrest Gump was a simple man who only did what he thought was right. He was not concerned with worldly possessions.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
A: “I love Hall County because the community is so supportive of each other. When we want to get something done, we do it. Gainesville and Hall County have the most incredible leaders in the world and I can’t even count how many people I aspire to be like who live within our county. I feel very fortunate to have so many people I look up to and who are willing to help me in all of my endeavors. I hope to be able to give back to the community more than I get.”
Q: What is your favorite social outing in Hall County?
A: “I have a few… I like the bar at Mellow Mushroom, music at Recess, dinner at Yellowfin, lunch at Avocados…. Pretty much anything on the square is fun.”
Q: What are some things happening at the Olympic Venue in 2016?
A: “We have new renovations happening in 2016 that will increase the ADA accessibility of the venue as well as make it more functional. We will be holding concerts, weddings, corporate events, and more. On May 19-22, we will be hosting the 2016 Pan American Championships which is the last Olympic Qualifying event for the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil!”
Q: Who are some of your sports heroes?
A: “Anders Gustaffson (Swedish Kayaker), Peter Vanderkaay (American Swimmer); and all young athletes getting outside and playing sports that they love.”
Q: Of all of the places in the world you have been to compete in canoe/kayak over the years, where has been your favorite and why?
A: “This is very hard question since I have visited so many amazing places. I would say that my favorite Country would be Italy. There were two cities in Italy I really enjoyed. First, was a small city outside of Lake Como called Pusiano. This town was very small and surrounded by mountains. It was very peaceful and had the best food I have ever had in my life. The second place would be Rome. Rome is filled with so much history and beautiful architecture. I would love to go back one day.
“One of my favorite places to train was Hawaii. I really enjoyed Hawaii, aside from obvious reasons, but because that is where I asked Emily (House) to marry me.”
The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live or work in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.
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