1/12/03 by Ted Ingraham
On Friday evening, the exact number of Freewheelers showed up at Papa Joe's in the valley to fill the 28 places set by the restaurant. After checking out sizing sample jerseys and shorts from Voler we all enjoyed a hot meal as we watched a steady snowstorm outside. It was already a pleasant evening when, after the meal, Ted reviewed all the support the club received from sponsors and volunteers throughout the 2002 season and Jim Mullins talked about the growth and success of Team Summit. Then, George Liolios took over for what turned out to be the highlight of the night! George presented the 2002 Points Programs trophies with Denis Osowski getting the first place trophy, Jim Mullins second, and Jim Gilmore third. However, it was George's narration of his excitement watching the Ohio State Buckeyes win the National Championship (the previous Friday) that really brought the house down! We never knew that another of George's talents is being a comedian! He had people rolling the isles as he described how he'd pat his dog on the head and line-up his bobble-head dolls for good luck. There is no doubt; George has the best imitation of a bobble-head doll that I have ever seen! George, I don't know if I will ever be able to look at you without thinking about a Woody Hayes bobble head vibrating like a tuning fork! We all left with big smiles on our faces!
The next morning about 25 of us showed up bright and early for an indoor training session at the Cuyahoga Falls FOP lodge. After more checking out the clothing, we heard a presentation on becoming a USCF official form Dan Gableman. Dan is putting together training and help for people who want to become an official. Anyone interest in officiating is encouraged to contact either Dan or Ted. Jim Mullins then took over with a video presentation of race team tactics. Jim used a large collection of video highlights to point out how the pros do it. It was very educational to have him explain the many tactics that are playing out during races. Then, the sweating began as we did TWO Spinervals tapes. After more than one and a half hours of sprinting, climbing, and spinning, everyone was literally "cooked" as the temperature in the lodge must have hit 90 degrees! No one complained about not getting enough of a workout!
Join us again on February 7 when we do it all again at the second indoor session!