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March 31, 2005
The final four...
With all the talk of the "Big Four" dominating the sports news over past couple of weeks, you would naturally expect that this would also be a hot topic of discussion in our office. Well it certainly was, but it had nothing to do with basketball. You see we had our own final four competion going on. For the past few weeks we have been conducting interviews for a new administrative asistant position within our organization. It was amazing how many quality resumes we received. Unfortunately anyone who lived more than 10 miles from Clermont was automatically eliminated. I did not want anyone coming in to the office in the morning with road rage.
My hiring record has not always been the greatest. I have learned the hard way that enthusiasm for the job does not always equate to great job performance. This time I let Brian and Cindy perform the preliminary in person and phone interviews. After doing so, they came up with their final four and that is when I was brought in for the final interview process.
I'm excited to report that we now have a new administrative assistant that will be joining our organization next week. I'm psyched!
Posted by Fred at 10:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts
I'm still alive...
I know it has been a week since I last posted, but don't fret, I'll have have my posts from this past week up tonight. I have a bunch in progress, but have not had the time to finish them off. These 15 hour + work days take their toll on you...
Posted by Fred at 08:46 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts
March 29, 2005
Man I feel old!
Easter weekend I traveled to Daytona Beach to time the 37th Annual Easter Beach Run. Easter came early this year, placing the run in the middle of the spring break craziness. I knew heading over to Daytona it was going to be a wild weekend. Once I left Orlando I heard on the radio that there was a tornado warning in effect for the Daytona beach area. I then realized I was on an intercept course with the storm's projected track. Oh well I figure, I'm driving a fairly solid rig, a big Ford F350 with our 24 foot, 10,000 pound timing trailer behind it. No such luck, after I pass the speedway the storm rolls in and I thought I was going to roll over. Time to pull over and sit this one out.
I arrive at my hotel and the place is crazy, college and high school kids are everywhere. It brought back memories from my high school days and the frequent trips to Daytona we made. Walking back from the parking lot to my hotel I had one of those classic experiences you think only happen in the movies. The roads are still flooded from all the rain so I make sure I walk as far away from the edge of the road as possible. I want to make sure I'm not a target for a car splasher. The coast is clear so I approach the intersection where I need to cross over to get to my hotel. Well this card load of kids swerves over from the inside lane to the outside lane to hit a giant puddle on edge of the road where I am standing. A giant wall of water leaps up from the ground and toatally drenches me. The kids blast their horn at me and zoom off. I was pissed, but then I remember, I was young once too. I was a total hell raiser as a kid and I splashed many an unsuspecting tourist in my younger days.
Saturday afternoon is race day and the storms return. We are all set to start the 4-miler and the beach patrol tells us it is a no go, lightning is moving in. We start to review our options; cancel, delay, postpone, or shorten the course. Meanwhile, while watching the beach patrol's radar, it appears the storm is slowing down and moving slightly inland. The race director is able persuade them to let us start the race and off the runners go. Five minutes later you can here the rumble of thunder and the rain starts up again. The thunder faded away but the rain picked up and everyone and everything got drenched.
Usually we end up with an average of three drenched races a year. We've already had two so far this year so maybe the rest of the year will be dry!
Posted by Fred at 10:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts
March 23, 2005
Want to trade spouses????
This could be the opportunity many of you have been hoping for...to trade in your current spouse for a new one! You could even make $50,000 in the process...what a deal!
Here's the scoop. I was contacted by a casting agency looking for a fitness oriented family for the TV Show Trading Spouses. Below is an excerpt ftom her email:
I think a motivated and driven Mom/Dad involved in athletics would be fantastic for the show. If you are not familiar with 'Trading Spouses', it is a family-oriented reality-based show on the FOX network that highlights various cultures and lifestyles of families across America. It’s been compared to a "foreign exchange student program" for Moms. It's a once in a lifetime experience that is fun, educational, and profitable – at the end of our seven day shoot, each family that has participated has received $50,000.00!
Perhaps you know of a family that may be perfect for the show. (FYI, each family must consist of at least one child between 6-17 years of age and have two parents within the home). We have a deadline approaching, and I would love to extend this opportunity to as many families as possible.
If you know of a family that may be interested, tap back at me and I'll fill you in on the rest of the details.
Posted by Fred at 06:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts
March 21, 2005
My final USAT Board Meeting.....
As board meetings go, this past weekend's meeting was fairly mellow. During the six+ years I have been on the board, there have been some wild times. Verbal assaults, slander, pushing matches, jumping across the table and grabbing another board member by the shirt, threats to one's life, and much more. In order to protect the integrity of the board, I will not go into all the juicy details. At least for now that is. Although this was my last face to face meeting with the board, I'm still on the board until the new board is seated on July 1.
There is a common link to most of the wild actions I mentioned. They all involve the same board member.
Looks like someone could use some anger management training.
More later....
Posted by Fred at 06:58 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | More in: USA Triathlon
March 19, 2005
The official word from USAT
Our Board meeting just wrapped up so now it's time for all of us to go out and celebrate! Here is the official media release on the USOC vote - USAT Media Release.
If I am sober enough when I get back in tonight I'll recap the meeting. If not, I'll do it in the morning before I head out to the airport.
Posted by Fred at 07:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: News, Triathlon, USA Triathlon
The vote is in
While the USAT Board is currently on our morning break, I wanted to update my readers on the outcome of the USAT vs. USOC resolution. After much discussion by the USAT Board and staff, Jack Weiss decided to pull his resolution requiring USAT to secede from the USOC family. Rob Kasper then submitted another resolution confirming USAT's support of the USOC program. This resolution passed unanimously.
I'll post my take on this entire issue later tonight. Now it's time to head back to the meeting...
Posted by Fred at 10:35 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: News
March 16, 2005
Let the games begin.....
A battle of Olympic proportions, or shall I say Olympic priorities, is about to be waged in Colorado Springs this weekend. This weekend is the date for the Spring USAT Board meeting. It will be a monster meeting with all the regional presidents and various commission chairs in attendance. After six consecutive years on the USAT Board, this will be my final USAT Board meeting. While my original term was set to expire at the end of last year, election issues, and the bylaw changes spearheaded by Lew Kidder and Dan Empfield, two guys with way, way too much free time on their hands, resulted in a six month extended sentence, I mean term extension.
If you keep up with the triathlon news, you are aware of a push for USAT to secede from the USOC family. It is being driven by board member Jack Weiss. Jack's approach to issues is often too direct and not always diplomatic. He says what is on his mind, and it comes out unfiltered. That is not always a good trait to have.
His issue with the USOC has made the headlines in major papers in California and Colorado. The USOC has not been silent about all of this and it has reminded us publicly that USAT is small potatoes in the world of sports and they can squash us if they like. This should set the stage for a lively board meeting and weekend.
Upon arrival in Colorado on Thursday, I have a lunch meeting with Kathy Fortin, a former employee of mine now residing in Denver. She knows me well and booked our meeting at a local brew pub. Thank goodness Thursday is St. Patrick's Day, I now have a reason to celebrate.
Check back this weekend for my daily Board reports.
Posted by Fred at 12:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Triathlon, USA Triathlon
March 14, 2005
Gators and spiders and snakes, oh my!
We had one of those weekends you live for; warm and sunny, very little humidity and a nice breeze....you had to be crazy to stay indoors. You can tell winter is over because our cold-blooded creatures are beginning to stir. Saturday morning, while running along the Minneola Trail, I was greeted by a beautiful 4 foot black racer. As it slithered across the trail in front of me, I had all to do to keep myself from chasing it into the woods. You see I still have a bit of "Crocodile Hunter" in me. In my younger days, I had all sorts of animals and reptiles for pets. Over the years I've captured about every type of reptile you can find in Florida, even the poisonous ones. Normally it was just a catch and release program, although I did take care of a few poisonous ones that made themselves a bit to comfy in my house or yard. Yes I said house. You really don't want to share your living space with a coral snake. If you know where I live you would understand why. I still live in the house I grew up in. It's a grand old wooden house, built in 1929, overlooking Lake Minneola. It still has some undeveloped land attached to it and it is refuge for a bunch of animals, including a cute little red fox.
Sunday I decided to spend a few hours kayaking. I have a 17 foot touring kayak, the kind you sit inside. Before I climb in, I always look inside the hull to make sure no unwanted passengers are inside. You would be surprised how many creatures love to make the kayak their home. Nothing jumped out at me, so away I go. Sunday was fairly breezy so kayaking across Lake Minneola was sort of challenging. About half way across the lake I feel something large climbing up my leg. By instinct I reach down, scoop it up with my hand, and toss it out to sea. I've done this drill before. Of course my heart skips about three beats and I nearly capsize my kayak in the process. Damn wolf spiders! I don't mind spiders when I know where they are at, but I do not like being surprised by them. If you are a native Floridian, you know that wolf spiders are our friends. They can have a leg span about the size of your hand and they love to eat large insects, like cockroaches. If you shine a flashlight on them at night, their tiny eyes glow bright red. I felt guilty that this spider was now going to be lunch for some large mouth bass.
Another animal that has red eyes at night is the trusty alligator. I learned as a kid during our night-time excursions to find gators, the further apart the red eyes are, the further away I needed to be!
One of my missions during my kayak tour was to check out a piece of property that developers were getting ready to rape and pillage. It used to be a sand mine years ago and it is connected to Lake Minneola and other lakes in the Clermont chain via the Palatlakaha River. There is small canal that surrounds the entire back side of the property. I decide to check it out. I used the opportunity to relax and let the wind blow me along. I was at peace with nature and the local wildlife....large turtles, rabbits, a Florida otter, swamp birds, and an alligator! That is where the "at peace" part ends. As I was drifting down the canal my mind was in another world. All of a sudden a small gator jumped off the bank and splashed into the water about 5 feet in front of me. It scared the bejesus out of me! Had I seen the gator lounging on the bank in advance, it would not have been a big deal. But when you are in a relaxed state of mind and you see a large black object jump off the bank into the water in front of you, you quickly get a reality check. It was just a baby, maybe 5 or 6 feet max, but it certainly got my adrenalin pumping. I waited in the area for a few minutes to see if it would surface, but it decided to stay down below. They can stay underwater for 20-30 minutes before they have to come up for air. I continued on with my journey, but this time I was more alert.
What a cool weekend...I got to experience gators and spiders and snakes, oh my!
Posted by Fred at 04:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts
March 11, 2005
Iron battle in the outback...
If you follow the sport, you may have heard about the big battle brewing in the outback. Forster has been the home of Ironman Australia for nearly 20 years. Well their contract is up this year and the folks that own the rights to Ironman in Australia, IMG, have been shopping for a new location. It appears that Forster was not on the list.
The headline from ABC News Australia says alot -
Council outraged over Govt's triathlon support
The NSW Government's decision to financially back Port Macquarie's bid to host the Australian Ironman Triathlon from next year has left Great Lakes Council reeling in shock.
The Major Events Board is providing $100,000 a year to Port Macquarie for three years, with performance agreements after that.
The news follows Great Lakes Council's decision last week to withdraw its bid.
Mayor John Chadban says it is a scandalous situation.
He says despite years of lobbying Great Lakes Council, which hosted the event for 20 years, has never been able to get any support from the Government and it is the reason it pulled out.
"We were never able to attract money because of the commercialisation of the event we were told anyhow," he said.
"We're absolutely shocked of the likelihood of that event being funded at another location.
"One wonders whether this is a political ruse and we're caught in the middle of it and that's of concern to our community."
The good news is that Forster has decided to stage the event on their own in 2006 as an independent iron-distance race. You may recall the same thing happened in Germany a few years back when Ironman Germany pulled out of Roth. The race continued on as an independent and still sells out. Foreign athletes are not as obsessed with the Ironman brand name as American athletes are.
Go Forster!!!
Posted by Fred at 09:18 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts, Triathlon
March 10, 2005
This year our athletes will dine like kings!
Until recently, dining in Clermont was always an experience. It was easier to drive into Orlando and eat than to deal with Clermont's culinary experiments. Another reason to leave town was the fact that Clermont didn't have a decent Italian Restaurant.
Last fall that changed when Lil' Anthony's Pizza came to town. The public voted their Orlando restaurant as having the best pizza in Orlando. Finally Clermont got what it deserved, a great Italian Restaurant.
The gals that own Lil' Anthony's are awesome and they are partnering with us for all of our Clermont triathlons. They will be providing specialty pizzas and pasta for the post race food following each event. These are not mass produced pizzas like the ones we have served in the past, they are freshly made, hand tossed pizzas. They use nothing but the finest ingredients, and what's cool is that they only use bottled water when making their pizza dough. The pasta will be fresh also and will be more than just plain pasta with sauce. This will certainly be quite an upgrade from the tired old beans and rice you receive at many of Florida's other triathlons.
Lil' Anthony's will also be producing the spread for this year's Great Floridian and Florida Challenge pasta feast.
Next time you are in Clermont be sure and check Lil' Anthony's out. They are located on North US 27 in Minneola, about one mile north of the Citrus Tower.
Darn, now I'm hungry......
Posted by Fred at 09:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Central Florida Triathlon Series, News
March 08, 2005
Not to be outdone by NYC, Clermont wraps Waterfront Park
Look out Cristo, you have competition. Some folks here in Clermont commissioned Crisco to wrap the area around Clermont's Waterfront Park. With sureveyor stakes and flagging tape, it doesn't have quite the impact as the gates of Central Park. Hey this is Clermont, it's hard to attract someone of the caliber of Cristo
You think I'm joking, no way! Well maybe the Crisco part, but it is Pig on the Pond Weekend and I'm sure Crisco is the foundation for many of the treats that will be served up during the weekend.
Pig on the Pond is one of Clermont's few festivals. It started a few years back and has really taken off. I'm not exactly sure why. It's a sanctioned BBQ cook off, but the BBQ is not served to the general public. Throw in some carnival rides and games, several funnel cake vendors, live gospel and country music, and a Saturday night fireworks display and you have Pig on the Pond.
The first year I went to the festival it really lived up to it's name. I had never seen so many "Hefty Honeys" gathered in one location in my life. I guess you should expect that when the festival has a food theme.
Clermont's wrap is quite ugly and darn right tacky. Unfortunately I have to take some reponsibility for it. You see about 6 or 7 years ago we started using flagging tape to keep athletes from parking on the yards in close proximety to Waterfront Park. The day before the race we would drive stakes and run the tape from stake to stake. It did the job it was meant to, at least when it stayed up. You see the tape is quite thin and it doesn't take much wind to stretch or break the tape. Usually by the time the race got underway the tape was already on the ground. Since then we have graduated up to a few strategically placed no parking signs and a bunch of cops to keep cars from accessing the no parking areas before the race. Public parking is limited in close proximety to the park, hence the need for the parking restrictions. Got to keep the local residents happy you know.
The Pig on Pond folks were told that the triathlons use stakes and tape to keep cars off yards, so they must have decided that if it is good enough for the triathlons, it's good enough for them! Early this week they drove about two miles worth of stakes in the ground and started running tape. They went stake crazy....at least two thirds of the areas they staked and taped you couldn't even park there if you wanted to. By the end of the first day the tape was already sagging and broken in many locations. The trouble is the festival is still three days away.
The bottom line is that it makes the area around Waterfront Park look like crap!
Posted by Fred at 01:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts
March 07, 2005
Are these cool or what!
Are you tired of looking at the same old photo on your desktop wallpaper? If so, we have just what you need...some great new triathlon wallpaper photos. For starters we just picked a few cool photos from our staff photographer, Mark Lepow. Webmaster Josh resized them down to the two most common monitor screen resolution sizes so all you have to do is click and save.
We'll be adding fresh new photos throughout the season to keep you motivated. Check-out our cool wallpapers now!
Posted by Fred at 09:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | More in: News
March 04, 2005
Protect your banana!
Are you tired of finding your banana bruised or squashed??? If so, then check out the Banana Guard. This is for real!
I never know what I will find during my morning web searches...
Posted by Fred at 06:52 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts
March 02, 2005
Delayed awaiting inbound aircraft.
That was the message on the board when I arrived at the airport. I knew I should have checked my flight's status before I left the hotel. My brain does not function well when the temperature is in the single digits outside, and it just slipped my mind.
You guessed right, this was my return trip to Zion to get city approval for our TriAmerica Chicago race. At least I made it up OK this time. My flight was late arriving, but not late enough to make me miss the city council meeting. Fortunately the major snow storm had already passed and was on its way to ceate havoc on the east coast.
It is always enjoyable to go to a new city because in most cases they really want us to be there. Everyone is so positive and the "can do" attitude is quite a change from what we experience in our own backyard. Because I have been hosting triathlons in Clermont for 21 years, I'm not sure the business community and city folks appreciate what we do for the community. I'm still waiting for the day when our city manager actually thanks me or expresses some type of appreciation for what I have done for Clermont. He's been there for 20 years and I'm still waiting. Today we had a joint meeting with the Lake County Sheriff's Department and Clermont Police Department to talk about our 2005 Clermont events. If I encountered the same negativity at one of our TriAmerica host community meetings, I would most likely say thanks, but no thanks, and look for another host community. Don't get me wrong, the police do a great job at our events, they just don't embrace these type of events like other communities.
Posted by Fred at 09:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | More in: Random Thoughts, Travel
