O.P.I. and O-A-R-S: Rowing, Nail Polish and Femininity in Sports

The Marist crew team is full of people with very different personalities. Part of being on a team is using everyone’s different strengths and weaknesses to work towards a common goal. Besides rowing, however, we do have one thing in common with each other. Our team loves nail polish. Granted, it’s not everyone, but the amount of times one of our rowers has been distracted by another rower’s nail color is probably more than our coach would like me to admit on the internet. On the surface, this seems very shallow. What kind of athletic team goes out of their way to care how their finger nails look? Shouldn’t they be working harder? 

I used to be this doubter. I’ve never been a girly girl and the only “feminine” accessory I rock on a regular basis is a pair of fake pearl earrings – not because I necessarily think they’re pretty but rather for the fact that I think my earlobes rival Dumbo’s without them. As a freshman, I was teasingly chastised by my teammates for my bare nails. At one point, one upperclassman was so upset by this fact that she painted my nails in a parking lot while we were waiting for a hotel room the night before a race. Sure, I had the time to paint my own nails, but once they started chipping I didn’t care enough to redo them. Bare nails had always been fine with me and I didn’t see a reason to change.

Tory's nail polish "collection" prior to Summer 2011

Then, one day this summer, I had a less-than-perfect day. I’d had a bad row, a rough day at work and things just weren’t working out the way I wanted them to. I had a random and immediate urge to go straight to the mall. Surprised by this abnormal coping mechanism (normally I like to hit the gym), I went with it. I ended up at a store in the Poughkeepsie Galleria that was selling O.P.I. brand nail polish for $2.79 a bottle – when full price is usually $8.50. I bought two bottles and went straight home to paint my nails. To this day, I still have no idea where this overpowering urge to paint my nails came from. But I did it, and it made me feel much better. The next week, the same thing happened. I’d had a bad day, I bought a new color, painted my nails and felt better. 

Tory's current nail polish collection

What is the reason for this? My theory is that stems from a subconscious desire to make our tough hands look more feminine. It’s no secret: rowing has a lot to do with the hands. Sure, the rest of our bodies get beaten up pretty badly from the endless miles on the water and the erg combined with lifting sessions. However, it is our hands that manifest this work. The first weeks of practice everyone has gross blisters, but a month or so in, girls on our team are going callus for callus with gym rats who spend their free time with their hands wrapped around a weight bar. Calluses are a sign of hard work. Back in the day, women with rough hands were members of the lower class, because they could not afford to have servants doing manual labor for them. I believe that remnants of this stereotype still prevail today. If a guy has callused hands, he is considered manly. If a girl has callused hands, she is also considered manly. The same word is taken two completely different ways by different genders: one a compliment, the other an insult. 

I don’t believe that the desire to gravitate towards things considered to be “more feminine” is solely felt by rowers. My friends Steph (volleyball) and Dani (softball) said that their teams feel the same way too. During competition, both volleyball and softball teams have elaborate braided hair styles complete with ribbons to match the school uniform. And this isn’t just at Marist. If you look for a picture of Jennie Finch, arguably the best softball player in the US, you will see that she does the same thing. (She even has her own store to promote her look.) Female athletes often get a stereotype as “butch” or “manly” and I think that gestures as small as wearing pearls and painting our nails helps us feel that we are subconsciously fighting that stereotype. 

Jennie Finch: playing like a girl, winning like a champ

Last winter I deadlifting was in the weight room with my teammate, Angie. I was halfway through our set when she looked at me.

“I think your pearls go way better with the bench press than the deadlift bar,” she said teasingly. I just laughed. Sure, I might look silly walking around the free weights in a pink tee shirt and pearls. But once I start working, I don’t think anyone continues to laugh. I am a firm believer in a “look good, feel good” mentality. I know that painting my nails alone won’t help me win a race but I know that looking good combined with knowing how much hard work I put in on a regular basis means that I am going to feel damn good going down the course. 

Rowing Calluses vs. Rock Candy by Esse

 Next Saturday, our team races against Colgate in a four-mile re-enactment of the old IRA regatta. I’ll be racing in the women’s varsity eight, proudly representing my school in red and white. But you can be sure that my nails are going to be painted the most kick-ass color pink I can find. And my calluses? Well, they’re pretty awesome too.

Common Rowing Ailments and How to Treat Them

The first couple weeks of practice are tough for multiple reasons. There’s usually an erg test or two (or more), the workload is increased, and your body has to adjust to being in a boat again. Some of the most annoying things about this adjustment are the smaller problems: blisters, track bites, and chafing. While these problems seem small at first, in the face of a two hour practice, they can often become much bigger problems, especially if left untreated. Here’s a list of some common rowing issues and how to treat them to ensure a successful season. (And don’t worry, I’ll try to keep the gross pictures to a minimum.)

Blisters

Cause

Blisters are caused by the rubbing of the oar or erg handle on the skin of your hand. In my experience, they have come in three forms: a ripped blister, a full blister or a blood blister.

Treatment

Before practice: Tape your hands in a way that still allows the fingers movement. I prefer to use as little tape as possible, and usually only on my fingers, because I find that tape on palms can roll up while rowing, taking skin with it. However, I have seen various taping techniques, including doubling the tape over itself to cover the area without risk of having the skin pull.

During practice: Bring tape in the boat in case you need to reapply. Do not dip your hands in the river. As soothing as this might seem, this invites infection.

After practice: Clean with soap and water thoroughly. If you can take it, put Epsom salt in a bowl of warm water and soak your hands. This will help clean out the blister and cause hands to callous faster. Using tea bags to soothe the pain is also common. The tannic acid in tea causes it to act as both an anesthetic and hardener. However, hands should be cleaned again after doing so. Don’t use hydrogen peroxide, because even though it will clean the blister, it also take a layer of skin off and prevent calluses from forming.

If your blister hasn’t popped yet, a (somewhat gross) trick that I have found very helpful is this: Thread a needle with about two inches of thread. Put Neosporin on the thread. Pop the blister with the needle but continue to push the needle through until it comes out the other side of the blister and pull it through. This way the Neosporin that was on the thread will go under the skin and into the blister, preventing infection.

Prevention

Check your grip. A bad grip can lead to unnecessary blisters. Also, try to not use hand lotion. This is not proven at all, but in my experience, people who use hand lotion are more likely to have softer hands, causing them to blister more. However, blisters happen. Time will turn them into calluses.

Spring break: rowing both sides + overgrip = gross

 Track bite

Cause

Track bites are caused when the calf continuously rubs against the front of the slide. It usually leaves skin rubbed raw and can scab over.

Treatment

Before practice: Make a “track bite sock”. In order to do this, cut about two inches off the toe of a regular stretchy sock. It will now look like a leg warmer and you can pull it over the affected area.

During practice: Wear the “track bite sock”. You might think you look stupid, but it is way more attractive than calf scars…trust me, I learned this lesson the hard way.

After practice: Clean and wrap. This is another area that could get infected easily. Neosporin and large band-aids are my go-to. Because the track bite is rubbed away skin, I find that it often picks up dirt or fuzz from any clothing and keeping it covered prevents infection.

Prevention

Check the position of your feet before every practice. Don’t just assume that the person who sat in the seat before you was the same size. If that’s not the problem, you can also move the tracks in the boat (but check with your coach before doing this…coaches don’t always like when you mess with their equipment). However, sometimes your leg is just going to be positioned to hit the track, especially if – like me – you have big calves. If that’s the case, the track bite sock is your friend.

Save money: make your own track bite guard

Chafing

Cause

 Affectionately known as “chub rub” on our crew team, I’m talking about the kind of chafing that happens on your bum. Non-rowers should probably skip this section and assume that all of us rowers are beautiful athletes who would never discuss something so uncomfortably gross. Chafing happens when extensive rubbing occurs between the seat and the rear end of the rower. Because it happens in such a sensitive area, I feel like many rowers don’t even like to admit that they have it, for fear of disgust from teammates and friends.

Treatment

Before practice: Make sure you are wearing clean spandex or unisuit. Bacteria can build up on dirty clothing. Even though it might not smell, if you’ve worked out in a pair, throw it in the hamper. Also, baby powder the area to try to dry up sweat.

During practice: I find that chafing usually comes more from being on the erg than in the boat.   Here you can fold up a t-shirt or towel to put underneath your rear, just make sure that it doesn’t interfere with the workout. In the boat, you’re pretty much screwed. Unless you have a thin seat pad, you might just have to suffer.

After practice: Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. Try to let it dry out by wearing a loose pair of comfortable, breathable shorts (cotton pajama shorts work well for this). I’ve heard of rowers using diaper rash cream, so if you can manage to swallow your pride and go buy some, it can help the area heal faster.

Prevention

Make sure your rowing clothes fit and are properly adjusted when you start a workout. A minorly irritating seam can become a major issue in the middle of a long piece, and by then it’s too late. Sitting on the seat properly will also reduce the likelihood of chafing.

For all of these ailments, the main thing is to keep them from getting infected. In order to do this, wash all areas with soap on a regular basis and keep a close eye on them. One sign of infection is a red line leading away from the affected area. If this appears, go to a doctor. The area has reached a point where it needs medicine to stop the infection from spreading further.

Taking care of your body is important. The first step in this is following the steps to prevent small ailments from becoming big problems. September can be a tricky month weather-wise. Drink lots of water to combat dehydration on warmer days and bring layers for chilly mornings. The beginning of crew season can be a tough adjustment from self motivated summer workout but with proper care, your body will perform to the best of its ability.

As always, email me with comments, questions or suggestions!

Summer 2011 by the Numbers

Once again, summer has blown by in a flash and school is about to start for students everywhere. This time every year, I seem to look back at the past three months and think "What the heck did I even do all summer?" Well, this summer, I feel like I did everything. Here's a quick look what I actually did all summer during my hybrid rowing/triathlon season.

During the summer of 2011...

I raced 6 times in 3 different sports in 4 different states. I also attended 5 events as a volunteer or intern.

I ate 67 PowerBars, drank 450 oz. of Gatorade and drank 525 oz. of coffee.

I spent $384 in race fees and $55.50 on tolls.

I ran 161 hills and 65 sprints.

I spent 17 nights away from home in 3 states and 2 countries.

I got 5 awards, 5 t-shirts, and 2 bags from events...gotta love the swag.

I drove 1650 miles.

I worked out with people from 10 different sports backgrounds and learned a lot about sports that I knew little to nothing about.

I used up 2 sticks of deodorant, 3 tubes of sunscreen and bought 14 nail polishes (my new obsession).

I spent 54 hours in the weight room.

I spent 108 hours rowing, 5 hours swimming, 10 hours running, 17 hours biking and (unfortunately) 8 hours erging.

I interviewed 3 people, wrote 12 blog posts, tweeted 104 times, and had 1915 total page views from 10 different countries.

I met lots of new people, some of whom I believe will be my friends for a very long time. I learned the value of bringing baked goods into an office of hungry people. I learned that English majors can like (and be good at) marketing, but that I chose my major for a reason. I learned how to work hard in demanding environments under pressure and that the best way to keep people calm and happy is to keep smiling.  I learned how amazing it is having someone to cheer for you at the finish line, even strangers. I learned how much better wings taste on Wing Night. I learned that you can get people to do a lot of things for a free t-shirt. And I learned that having a blog is an incredibly rewarding experience that I am excited to continue with.

Thanks to everyone for a great summer! Here's to hoping that the fall is even better.

Tory's Top Ten: Myths About the Recruiting Process

As we rush headlong into fall, we reach the time of year where recruiting is at its height. High school juniors are looking at their potential college choices and high school seniors are going on official visits to finalize these choices. As someone who went through the recruiting process, I have to say I am glad that I never have to do it again. However, being a collegiate rower doesn’t mean that you don’t have to deal with recruits – I am pretty sure that my housemates and I have hosted over 25 recruits in three years. I also work for a collegiate coach, and although I am not involved directly with the recruiting process, I have seen and heard many a horror story from my boss and other collegiate coaches. Although I admit that I wasn’t perfect in my recruiting behavior, it bothers me how relaxed some high schoolers are in their treatment of coaches, athletic department staff and the recruiting process in general. I am nowhere near an expert – and most of these rules apply to D1 and competitive D3 schools – but here are some of my observations from the inside. 

 1. It’s okay if I don’t get good grades or standardized test scores because rowing is going to get me into college.

This might work for a football player or a basketball player, but 99% of the time it won’t work for a rower. Coaches need to know that you can handle schoolwork and rowing. At DI schools, this is a huge commitment and it’s hard to balance. If you can’t handle the schoolwork, you’re going to become academically ineligible and you won’t be any use to the team anyway. You have to be able to prove you can at least somewhat handle the workload of a college environment. Also, good grades can sometimes translate into merit scholarships, which are a big help when it comes to paying tuition bills.

2. If I talked to a coach once, he or she is going to remember me.

Coaches, especially rowing coaches, talk to a lot of people throughout the year. Unless they’re looking at their notes, they probably don’t remember you. This is why it’s important to identify yourself clearly – with at least your name, crew program and how to contact you – every time. Be as specific as possible with everything and don’t get frustrated if you have to explain your situation more than once. Coaches are busy people, and the more you help them out, the happier they’ll be.

3. Being good at high school rowing should mean that I’m going to be good at college rowing.

People who are good at rowing in college usually have two traits: they like rowing and they have a good work ethic. Talent can get you places in high school rowing, but without hard work, it won’t do much in college. Standards for most collegiate teams – especially Division I – are much higher than most high schools. Even if your high school team was strict about attendance and work ethic, the temptation of partying until 3 a.m. before morning practice was outweighed by parental discipline. Without self-discipline, a lot of talented rowers end up on shore because there are always people willing to work harder. 

4. I really enjoy rowing, but I’m not in a good high school boat, so I don’t think I would be able to row in college.

I repeat what I said above…people who are good at rowing in college usually have two traits: they like rowing and they have a good work ethic. “B” boat rowers who like rowing and are willing to work hard will last longer in a collegiate rowing atmosphere than “A” boat rowers who are in good boats just because of talent. A love of the sport combined with a good work ethic will last athletes much longer than any natural talent.

5. If a coach from a school I don’t want to attend keeps contacting me, it’s better if I just ignore them or talk to them anyway rather than tell them I don’t want to go to their school.

Coaches spend a lot of time recruiting their classes. If you know that a rowing program is not for you, the polite thing to do is tell the coach. They can then spend their time with people who do want to row for them. Letting a coach think that you want to row for him and then telling him at the last minute you don’t is going to make him super frustrated. It’s the same as a relationship: cut the ties so both of you can move on to better things.

6. I’m pretty busy, so coaches will understand why my mom or dad is contacting them instead of me.

Remember what I said about self-discipline? This falls under that category too. Yes, you’re busy but so are coaches and they don’t want to talk to your parents. Juniors and seniors in high school who want to row for competitive colleges should have enough self-discipline to make their own contacts. Not only that, but your parents might not know exactly what you want from a school. Send your own emails and make your own phone calls. It pretty much goes without saying that if your mom is the one on the phone with your future coach, you’re not making a good first impression.

7. I don’t have to be super courteous to every rowing coach that contacts me, only the ones I want to row for.

Remember that crazy ride at Disney where you sit in a boat and tour around a world made of painted dolls singing “It’s A Small World”? There’s a reason you’re in a boat: the world of rowing is very small. Manners are important whether the school is your top choice or your last choice before living in your parent’s basement and working at McDonalds. Chances are, if you’re less than polite to one coach, other coaches will find out. 

8. I don’t really like rowing but I like being part of a team, so I’m going to row in college.

This is why intramural sports were invented. Rowing is far too huge of a commitment to join just for the team atmosphere. Think about the time this way: other students have full time jobs, rowers train. There’s no point in putting yourself through the pain of training and racing just to make some friends. There are so many other ways to foster a team atmosphere in college – intramurals, student government, clubs, Greek life, the list goes on and on – that you shouldn’t waste your time if you’re only in it for the camaraderie. 

9. I only picked the school that I picked because of the crew team, but that’s fine with me.

Now, there are some people who disagree with me on this one, so feel free to have your own opinion. I believe that students should pick a school where they like everything, not just the crew team. Even if the only thing you want to major in is rowing, school is too expensive to not get a good education. If you have the financial freedom, pick a school that has the programs you want to study and a student body you like in a place where you want to spend four years. Coaches don’t want to recruit you to a place where you’re not going to be happy.

10. If I don’t really want to row in college, I’ll just use it to help get myself in and then quit.

This is probably the worst thing you could do. You are doing nothing better than lying to a coach when you agree to row for him or her, knowing that you are going to quit. Coaches spend a lot of time recruiting and you have just wasted it. Worse, if you are on scholarship, you’re wasting money that could have gone to someone else who actually cared about rowing (and it will be gone by the next semester anyway). And even worse than that, your decision doesn’t just affect you. You can black list your high school program. This means that anyone from your program who actually wants to row in college for all four years probably won’t get a chance to be recruited by your school – or by a school coached by someone who heard about you. If you don’t really want to row in college, it’s that simple: don’t.

Recruiting can be a stressful time, especially for rowers because we are usually doing all of the work ourselves. However, don’t forget that it is also stressful for coaches, who are usually under a lot of pressure to bring in a good recruiting class. Make yourself familiar with the NCAA recruiting rules as well as my rules to make your recruiting process as painless as possible. 

Do you have more advice about recruiting? Personal stories? Feel free to comment or email me!

The Brotherhood of Rowing

My family stopped at a rest stop on the way back from our most recent trip. It was an ordinary rest stop, except for one thing: there were rowers there. Four girls, in various rowing t-shirts, walked out through the doors as I walked in. I spied their “Australia Rowing”, “Funkin RowNuts” and “Independence Day Regatta” shirts, and gave them a smile. One of them noticed, and looked a little confused about my seemingly random smile until she saw my “Dad Vail Regatta” t-shirt and she smiled right back. We never said anything to each other, but we knew that we were part of a group, a small cross section of the population who had something in common, and that deserved a smile shared between strangers.

And later that trip…

            “Look, boats,” my mom said, craning her neck out the window to stare at a trailer that had stopped to get gas. “I wonder where they’re from. You might know them!”

I wondered too. But as I’ve recently been noticing, it’s a fairly common occurrence. For a sport whose fan base is relatively small, rowers are everywhere.

            We’re the guy who sits in the library with the Wintech and Vespoli stickers plastered to his laptop, compulsively checking row2k.com. We’re the girl who carries a unisuit around in her bag, just in case the opportunity presents itself. We’re the car with numerous Head of the Charles competitor stickers all lined up in a row, the way those who frequent Nantucket Island line up their sand permit stickers. We’re the man who keeps sneaking Rowing News into his briefcase, for a minute of downtime. We’re the person who shakes your smooth palm with our rough one, beat up and calloused from miles on the water and the erg. We’re the 220 lb captain of a collegiate men’s varsity team or the 105 lb Master’s coxswain, the lonely single sculler or the cheerleading two-seat. We jump in on any conversation regarding the merits of different types of spandex. We have big lats, sock tans and weird scars on the backs of our calves. We don’t giggle when we overhear the word “coxswain”, but try to lean in and see if we can hear a story about anyone we know.  We know that 7 a.m. isn’t actually early morning and shake our heads when fellow students complain about waking up for 9:30 a.m. classes. We spend our weekends in rowing meccas like Philly or Boston but don’t understand why people want us to have visited the Liberty Bell and Bunker Hill instead. We are a league of our own, small, but fiercely loyal to our sport.

A while ago I was at dinner with my family and parents of one of my brother’s friends. When the father found out that I was a rower, he seemed surprised.

            “You seem too normal to be a rower,” he said, giving me another once-over.

            “Well, rowing isn’t actually all arms, “ my mom jumped in, coming to my rescue. “Tory doesn’t have big arm muscles because rowing actually involves the leg muscles and-“

            “No, I know that,” the father interrupted. “I mean you seem too normal in general. All the rowers I’ve known are weirdos.”

            I think my non-rowing mother was a little offended on my behalf, but I just laughed. Of course we’re weirdos. What kind of normal person would go through all that we go through just to get some silly bowball across the finish line first? We are hard-working, spandex-wearing, early-rising, ass-kicking weirdos and proud of it.

I wished my friend from the rest stop had been there. She would have understood.

Confessions of a Beginner: Hudson Valley Triathlon

July 24, 2011

Located in Kingston, the Hudson Valley Tri was pretty local for me. The Saturday before the race, I headed up to Ulster Landing Park with my friend Steph, a volleyball player for Marist, to pick up my packet and scout the course. Boy, am I glad I followed my own advice. Not only was the park a little hard to get to (Steph asked me at one point “where the HECK are we?” and even though I was following the directions, I didn't quite know myself), but the course had some LARGE hills. The worst of these hills headed from transition to the entrance of the park, where the bike and run courses were. Now, experienced triathletes might think that I am exaggerating but for someone who spends most of her time on a regularly flat river, any hill is scary. I was glad I drove the course the day before (and was glad to have company, so thanks to Steph for coming on that mini road-trip with me! If you’re local, come support the Marist volleyball team this fall…they’re awesome!)

I was surprised to wake up the morning of the race to clouds. After a super intense heat wave (with a heat index up to 112 degrees), the break from the sun was a relief. As I set up my transition area, it started to drizzle. I innovatively covered my sneakers and bike shoes with the plastic bag that my race numbers came in – not that it mattered once I started racing!

Swim warm up

Swim start!

My swim was great. Normally swimming is my strongest leg of the tri even if I do poorly, but this swim felt really good. While some of you might be grossed out about swimming in the Hudson, it was not bad. It’s definitely a little weedier than I like (I am an open-water wuss…I hate vegetation). The buoys were really easy to sight and I got to the front of the pack enough so that it wasn’t crowded. I hit my pace easily and just went for it because I knew I was going to need to get ahead to make up for my shoddy biking skills. I was the first woman out of the water and had the 6th fastest swim of the day. Then the hard part started.

T1 is super easy when you don’t wear a wetsuit (it’s not a secret strategy, I just don’t own one) and I hopped on the bike and was up that massive hill. I have no idea how the people who transition into their shoes while riding their bike handled that, I would have fallen for SURE. I didn’t have my bike in the lowest gear, so I had to change gears going up the hill but thankfully nothing happened. I made it up and headed out the park entrance to tackle the 18 mile bike.

Ready to tackle that hill!

So despite my amazing advice for preparing for a race, I did not prepare myself for this bike. Even a semi- prepared racer would have biked at least 18 miles in one ride. A semi-prepared racer might have biked a loop of the course to get used to it. A semi-prepared racer would have spent more than 5 days all summer on the bike. I’d have to say that I was completely unprepared. I have this crippling fear of biking in traffic (so novice, I know) and because of this, I rarely take my bike out. I knew that I had the fitness to complete an 18 mile bike, but there wouldn’t be any kind of competitive goals.

But it wasn’t so bad. The course was two nine-mile loops. There was only one tough, winding hill that I was fairly unprepared for, but other than that it was fine, just slow going. I am more comfortable riding in a harder gear with more power than riding in an easier gear and moving my legs more (which is what you need to be able to do to climb hills). I have been told this is a function of the fact that I am a rower, but this is one thing that I need to work on before I race next time.

I biked into transition and had a moment of panic: where was my race belt with my number on it? The race website had said that anyone running in or out of transition without the number on would be given a two-minute penalty – not what I needed. I frantically searched around the area but I knew that I had put the belt on before the bike and it must have fallen off. Bikeway members Carleen and Justin called out to me to leave it and just yell out my number as I crossed the finish line, so I followed their advice and ran out of transition. As I headed up that giant hill again, a race official grabbed me and handed me my number! I have no idea where he had gotten it, but I guess it must have fallen off somehow. I was stoked: no penalty for me!

A surprising number of people walked up the hill but one of my race goals was to run the whole time. On that hill it might have seemed like I was running in slow-motion but I never stopped running! The run was an out and back, which I like because you can encourage people. Since I had my last article on my mind, I almost tried to adopt the Iron Girl philosophy of saying something positive to anyone who passed me or who I passed. I think some people were definitely confused by this (mostly the guys). For me, triathlons are a way to cross train for rowing and to keep me from getting bored with a lack of competition in the summer, so I’m not a cutthroat competitor. It was worth it to take the time to cheer for people, especially all the Bikeway guys who were headed back as I was headed out. 

All smiles because I'm thinking about going to the diner!

I ran down the giant hill to a finish line with Bikeway members and my parents cheering for me. That’s one of the best parts about finishing behind everyone: you get the most cheers! Overall, I thought NY Tri did a good job running the race: the courses were well marked, the volunteers were encouraging, there were enough safety precautions taken and since it was a smaller race, almost everyone got awards. I ended up first in my age group….out of one – not too many people in the women’s 18-24 age group in most of the races I’ve done – but I was 5^th overall. Not too shabby for a slow biker like me. 

Team Bikeway and our hardware!

I do have some people to thank: my parents, for driving all the way to Kingston for an early start, Steph, for driving the course with me the day before (a job that would have been much less fun without company) and all the Bikeway members, especially Carleen. I’m pretty sure that Carleen cheered for me like she would have cheered for a family member and it definitely made my race a lot better. Even the guys who were super competitive racers took five seconds to yell “Go Bikeway!” when they zoomed by me. And that really means a lot!