The Gainesville Cycling Club goes whirring along, wheels spinning endlessly, effortlessly, operating in what must seem to most members like complete autonomy. Without any effort on the part of the member, other than the $10 annual membership contribution; picnics, insurance, ride groups, the Horse Farm, the annual meeting, the newsletter and everything else just appears out of nowhere and falls in place. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. No single event that takes place in our club happens without the dedicated efforts of individuals with the drive to MAKE them happen. Now that I have been on the GCC board for several years I feel qualified to identify some of the people whose selfless dedication has made our club what it is today.
First, some long term Board members.
Bill Cochran, the long time Treasurer, has served the club faithfully for many years. Not only is he the Treasurer, but he is the man primarily responsible for coordinating many aspects of the Horse Farm Hundred, assuring its successful outcome. He seeks out vendors for good prices on our refreshments, secures transportation for materials, obtains permission for setup sites along the route and any number of other things that have to be done to make it all go down. Its an unenviable and tiring job, but he does it well and he does it year after year. From his efforts arise the largest part of the funds that make our club solvent. No bucks, no Buck Rogers! If you check out the video in the public library titled "Florida Crossroads - Pedal Power" you will see Bill interviewed at the November 1989 Horse Farm event. He was involved in the Horse Farm way back then.
Next there is Chandler Otis, Grand Poohbah for the club and maybe the Grandfather to the club as well. I'm sure that he has long ago lost count of all the people he has drawn in to our club (yours truly for example). He is a familiar face in our community in relation to ANY bicycling event. He actively works in the political arena outside our club to bring about needed change for the betterment of bicycling for us all. Chandler in person is so low key that you can hardly imagine the clout and respect that he wields within our community. I doubt that there is a member of our city government who does not know his face and name. He works to collect old bikes for refurbishment to be given to disadvantaged children. He paints the course markings that you see when you ride the Horse Farm or the Santa Fe. He does the bike repair for these rides and for the Bike Florida. He fires the hamburgers and hot dogs at picnics and always brings the sodas. He does anything needed, whenever and wherever needed. And he faithfully leads the Newnans Lake ride to offer a slow option for those who are speed challenged. When I think "bicycle" in Gainesville, I think of Chandler. And you are more likely to see him quoted on TV or in the paper, about biking, than anyone else in our community. Chandler's efforts reflect well on himself and our club.
Now to the man I think of as "Mr. GCC". He has been with the club forever and it would certainly not be the club it is without him. I'm talking about Roger Pierce, our Membership Secretary, who might be better titled General Business Manager. He does so many things that make our club run that for me to attempt to list them all would be utterly impossible, but here is an attempt. He.... maintains the data base for the membership, coordinates the Horse Farm and Santa Fe events, edits the Newsletter, writes most of the newsletter that has no specified author, updates the AllTel Ride Line, sends out the weekly email ride schedule, maintains our Web Home Page, maintains the Florida Bicycle Touring Calendar (check out how many other bike club sites have linked to this page), sets up meetings to get club events organized, provides his home for board meetings (for members with homes that aren't big enough for the purpose) and for the Christmas Party; takes care of fees collection and tabulation for the club, the Horse Farm event and the Santa Fe, acts as our liaison with the Boys Club for the Santa Fe, takes care of all the correspondence and administrative outfall from the club's activities, trains the volunteers for the Horse Farm and Santa Fe, provides a leadership role at all board meetings, and does any other miscellaneous thing that needs to be done. And I'm sure I missed something here. You may be able to imagine my and the other board members horror when we heard that Roger had been injured in a bike accident shortly before last years Horse Farm Hundred. Aside from our natural concern for his physical welfare we feared that we would have to somehow pick up all those tasks for him. But trooper that he is, we hardly even needed to lend a hand.
And the next time you use one of the maps from the reference guide, note the name on each map. Yep, Roger Pierce drew it up. And you can be sure I have missed something important that Roger does for the club. Yes, Mr. GCC, thanks for dedicating so much of your time and effort for the benefit of the Gainesville Cycling Club. How do you still find time to ride all of those centuries?
Now I must also mention some people who help make things happen even further behind the scene, but who are easily identified. Look at the last inside page of this newsletter at the names of the people in the box. These are the people who play various roles that make sure your newsletters arrive in your mailbox. Now look at the first inside page, there you find the names of the other board members who work tirelessly, without compensation, for the clubs benefit.
Also deserving of mention are those club members, who regularly go unnoticed, that work independently in the community to bring about various sorts of change in the political environment that promote bike awareness and increase every bicyclist's safety.
Last, but certainly not least, are the volunteers who serve so faithfully at the Horse Farm and the Santa Fe, the Ride Group Leaders who take it upon themselves to set up and lead rides on a regular basis for the club, and the members who write and/or edit articles for the newsletter.
When you see one of these faithful unpaid workers out on a ride or at some other club event, tell them how much you appreciate their efforts. It won't cost you a penny, but you will be giving them the small treasure that they seek - your acknowledgment.
Following winds, my friends,
Rob Wilt