From our race directors
No need to spend any time here patting ourselves on the back, all you need to do is check the WORS BB to realize that we out did ourselves again.
We are pleased to announce that we had 912 racers in the 7th Annual Wigwam/Ultimax Mountain Challenge. This is down 73 racers from last year. I do not take this as a failure as most other races experienced a drop in participation as well. (Probably due to a plateauing of the sport after an explosive growth spurt.) In fact, Don Edberg noted that any other race in later October would have experienced an even greater decline. Typical for us, the local participation was fantastic - the highest percentage in WORS- somewhere between 25% and 30%. And of course, two local favorites Brian Schanning and Tristan Schouten placed 1st and 2nd in the race and in the WORS race series. Can't beat that. We are pleased to report that Sheboygan Races and Racers ROCK!
The weekend started out with the Schwag Bag stuffing. Despite the new location, 1,200 bags were stuffed in exactly one hour. Our Schwag Bag continues to be the fullest of the WORS circuit. It is great to see our water bottles throughout the year at other venues.
Saturday morning dawned to the sleepy eyes of 20 or so volunteers. More soon came out to help. By noon, 90% of the course was marked, including the new "Psychedlic Mushroom Trail", made just 16 hours earlier. The rest of the afternoon was spent signing the racecourse and slow riding. Don sent a cast of characters to set up the start line scaffolding and banners, so minimal effort was required from our part.
Not to be overlooked was the Saturday night, night ride. Great idea, great participation, great fun. (Memo to self: get better lights.)
To be honest, there was some concern with the race venue due to the rain on Friday night and Saturday night. On Sunday morning, the course was slick. We made the appropriated decision to eliminate the Citizen's Mill Street Turnaround and the Comp/Expert Pucker Factor. As the day wore on, the sun came out and the trail firmed up. Moreover, the spectators were EVERYWHERE! Sheboygan is really warming up to our race, enjoying the greatest show in WORS. The Equalizer Prime Hill was incredible - it is a must see. Tear down went smoothly and we were essentially complete at 7:30 pm. There were only minor injuries, typical for a race.
From a personal perspective, this was the smoothest running and most satisfying race ever. Every time we turned around, there were volunteers and willing to turn our thoughts into action. We will not name names, as the last time this was done, some key workers were forgotten. Suffice it to say that the FAT KATS and volunteers make this race happen. Bonus - $200 was donated towards the 911 Fund.
Continued sponsorship by Wigwam is still under discussion, but all signs look positive. Representative were very impressed with our organization and commitment.
Inclosing, thanks to all for making this happen. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please bring them up at the Bust Up Party on November 2nd.
Respectfully submitted,
Rich and Brett