Smithsburg High School student to carry torch

"It would have been fun to run together," Knable said.

"I'm not too disappointed," said Richards in an e-mail Tuesday. "I think Tara will get more out of it than me and it really feels great to help her do something she really wants."

Richards said she nominated Knable because of her positive attitude, generosity and determination. "Tara seems to be the most well-rounded person I know," Richards said.

Richards, a senior at Smithsburg High School, said Knable "always has a way of making you smile when you weren't having one of your best days and when you're having a good day, she just simply made it better."

At Smithsburg High, Knable participates in volleyball, basketball and track.

The Olympics represents the pinnacle in athletic achievement and carrying the torch for the U.S. will be an honor, Knable said.

Knable is the daughter of Wanda and Ronald Knable of Cascade.

The torch will stop in downtown Hagerstown on its way from Cumberland, Md., to Martinsburg, W.Va.

Someone carrying the torch will arrive in Public Square at about 3:30 p.m. After about 15 or 20 minutes, the torch will continue on its way to West Virginia.

The Olympic torch's 13,500-mile trip through 46 states will end in Salt Lake City in February, in time for the 2002 Winter Games.

The ceremony in Hagerstown probably will begin at about 3 p.m., before the torch arrives. The Olympic torch is expected to reach Edwin Miller Boulevard, near the Comfort Inn north of Martinsburg, at about 5 p.m.

About 65 people have been announced as torch bearers in Cumberland, Hagerstown and Martinsburg so far.