‘The Freeze’ has strong ties to Middle Georgia
“The Freeze” has become a major league sensation at Atlanta Braves games this season as he races a fan around the warning track at SunTrust Park during games in a promotion between innings.
Well, it just so happens that “The Freeze” has strong Middle Georgia ties. “The Freeze” is former Peach County athlete Nigel Talton, who is a grounds crew member for the Braves.
His name is Nigel Talton. He's a grounds crew member. Track star in college. In 2010, broke 23-year-old record in the 100m at Iowa Wesleyan.
— Steve Gelbs (@SteveGelbs) June 10, 2017
Talton played football and competed in track and field for Peach County and later ran track at Iowa Wesleyan, Shorter and Kennesaw State.
At each Braves game, Talton and a fan start at the left-field corner of the warning track and race to the right-field corner, and the fan gets a head start.
The Braves knew about Talton’s speed after he showcased it last year in a second-base challenge, according to the Washington Post.
“I did it in like 13 or 14 seconds,” Talton told the Washington Post . “Then (the Braves organization) contacted me and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got a new thing that we’re trying to do at the new stadium. Are you interested?’ I said, ‘Sure, I like to run.’ ”
you could write a 10-act play on this GIF alone pic.twitter.com/IxLo5ip3PM
— Joon Lee (@iamjoonlee) June 10, 2017
This story was originally published June 12, 2017 at 10:59 AM with the headline "‘The Freeze’ has strong ties to Middle Georgia."