. . . in fact, I already am laughing. But I'm also crying. There have been some last minute *suprises* come up with the permitting of the
Sea & Sand Adventure Race. Suprises of the kind
[Grant has removed the rest of this per his wife's suggestion, she's the one with more common sense]. Yes, although Virginia Beach is the "
3rd fittest city in America" and the roads are crowded on weekends with road bikers in packs of 10, 20, and 30, the thought of adventure racers on mountain bikes (with front and rear lights required) in a team of 2, 3, or 4 sends terror through the hearts of some decision makers.
Everything about it is shocking . . . the timing, the tone, and just when it seemed like city forces were aligning together to finally build an
annual adventure-themed weekend in a city where it was long overdue. So many of the great folks in the City worked so hard to get us this far, too!
So why am I laughing?
I'm laughing because we will persevere (it's part of our
pedal, paddle, persevere slogan!). The adventure race course will be radically changed and, I suspect, we can do away with the need for a support crew (they'd be welcome to stick around and help out or enjoy the beach, but they could be unnecessary based on how things shake out). I won't say more, because the course must remain a secret to the competitors, but in many respects the new course will be tougher and better. The racers might never know anything came up last minute, in fact. And, not to worry, the rappel is still a go. Once we make a final determination we'll notify all the teams about any changes to the support crew requirements, etc.
[Grant has removed this entire paragraph per his wife's suggestion, she's the one with more common sense]So why am I crying? Besides the headache, inconvenience, and lots of extra work this will create for me in the next couple weeks as I modify all the race materials and maps and staff assignments, this is just sad for Virginia Beach. The City has worked with us from the very beginning, shaping the whole concept with us and providing financial support for our marketing efforts and guiding us through the politics. City businesses have rallied behind the cause and there was a lot of talk about "next year" and all the ways to expand for 2007.
My inclination is that maybe Williamsburg or Gloucester could use an adventure-themed festival in the Fall of 2007? As the President said, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me you can't get fooled again."