Text and Photos
By Shari Benyousky
Guest Columnist
Editor’s Note: This is the second of three articles Behind the Scenes of The Fat and Skinny event.
Reminder: If you missed day 1, go back and read it first. This event utilized more than 330 unpaid volunteers, so this article catches up with only a few of those amazing people.
Claypool – The Turn One Girls
On Day 2, Saturday, May 18, races and events were going on long before I arrived at my first volunteer checkpoint out in Claypool where the Turn One Girls were working the Zimmer Biomet Circuit Road Races at the corner of W CR 700S and W CR 200S in front of Claypool Elementary School.
“Hey!” I waved, walking up the street. The sun baked down on my head already even at 10 a.m. In past years, racers had endured cold and rainy spring conditions, but today felt like August.
“Hey!” Kallie Chapman yelled back with her infectious grin. She gestured at the others scattered in orange vests around the intersection where the racecourse turned east. She explained the Turn One Girls’ nickname. “We’ve all been friends for a long time. Sometimes we get a little bit obnoxious out here when we’re cheering the racers on.” They rang their cowbells to illustrate. “We’re here to support our riders and volunteers in any way that we can. We cheer on everybody.”
Volunteer Jess Hauck agreed. “The more the merrier!” They planned to fire up the grill to feed the racers shortly too. Food options aren’t plentiful out in Claypool and racers are starving when they finish.
The Racoon
“Hold,” Kallie held up one hand. “There’s the light. Racers coming.” Co-Road Race Director Tom Wogoman sped ahead of the racers in his orange utility vehicle. “I’ve got to get a dead raccoon off the course!” he yelled as he gunned it. Seconds later the police pace car arrived flashing lights and the racers followed, leaning far to the left as they barely slowed to make the hard left turn.
After the pack whooshed through, Tom returned with a grimace. “That raccoon was really, really dead,” he said.
Volunteer Paula Deming crossed back over the road to tell me more. Paula lives in Colorado now but returned to help run the race as she did for many years in the past. “It’s all about the love of bikes. As we developed the Fat and Skinny, we asked ourselves, how can we get people interested and this event evolved? We want it to be for everyone. For all skill levels.”
I asked Paula what she wished more people knew about biking. “Hmm,” she bit her lip. “I do wish they understood the rules for signaling in a group of bikes. Like how to tell people to slow DOWN!” She illustrated the hand signal for me.
Winona Lake — The D.I.N.O. Trail Race
I drove back up to the east side of Winona off Packerton Road where KCV owns a new piece of property to stage the Do Indiana Off Road Trail Race. Vehicles packed the field and bikers were warming in front of the Starting Line. The D.I.N.O. website describes the event with the praise, “involvement from the community is second to none in Winona Lake.”
Volunteers in burgundy T-shirts were everywhere registering racers, making sure puppies and kids stayed out from underfoot, and helping direct traffic.
Under a light canopy, I found D.I.N.O. Director Brian Holzhausen and his wife Amanda. I asked Brian how it was going. He gave me a look with crinkles around his eyes. “Well,” he said and looked over at his wife. “It’s going well NOW, but earlier our main computer died. Then our backup failed. We’re on third string technology now, but we’ve got it back and we’re OK.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead. “The racers will get the results a few seconds later, but they won’t even notice. Whew.”
He took a few deep breaths to recover and then turned to me. “I start this race shortly but let me tell you that the Winona Lake KCV club is incredible to work with. They do a fantastic job of putting this on.” Holzhausen lives east of Indianapolis and oversees many of the series of 6 DINO races, so he knows. Brian also told me that the trail racers tend to be younger and more laid back. “Everyone is social and friendly. You see a lot more youth competing.”
One of the volunteers leaning over the makeshift desk shook his head at that. “A few days ago, I took a call from a youth who asked me where the race was. I said, Wait. You registered for a race and didn’t even read where it was located?!” He chuckled. “But he’s here. Somewhere.”
Brian switched the microphone on and started announcements. This meant it was time for the youngest ones on bikes and the puppies on leashes, and the others milling about under the start line to move themselves off. The racers lined up.
Winona Lake – The Children’s Events
Back in “downtown” Winona Lake, vendors, food trucks, and children’s events clustered in front of Light Rail and down towards the canal. I stopped at the Fat and Skinny Information booth first. Volunteer Nate Callithen told me about the ride-walk county-wide initiative for more bike and pedestrian initiatives. “For example, I ride my bike to work,” he told me earnestly. “But not everyone can.”
Nate moved to Warsaw to take a job as an engineer at ZB three years ago. He passionately explained the FORWARD Kosciusko greenways and blueways plans and pointed out his favorite action item — remaking Winona Avenue as a safe bike and pedestrian connection. If you would like to include your voice, check its website out here for maps and recommendations.
Tracey’s Trailer
“There’s a science to fitting your head for a bike helmet. Did you know that? Yeah?” Volunteer Kim Lezark told her charge as she helped fit the girl’s helmet. “A helmet needs to be tight enough not to bounce. Only 1 finger should fit in between your helmet and your head.”
Tracey’s Trailer is an educational program through KCV that aims to teach every third grader in Warsaw about bike safety someday. “It takes a lot of work. And I’m only one person.” Kim tells me as she watches the girl ride the sample bike. “This year we served 280 third graders from several local elementary schools.” The Kiwanis Club and its sponsored club at the high school, the Key Club, help with this initiative. Kiwanis Member Michael Suhany was there to help.
Kim reminded the parents waiting. “If a crash happens, your helmet is compromised. You need to get a new one. The padding breaks down over time in there.” KCV partners with the Winona Lake and Warsaw police departments for Tracey’s Trailer training. They recommend front and rear lights on bikes, reflectors, and brightly colored clothing.
Shout out to all the volunteers at the BMX Races and Stunt Shows and the Historical Bike Tour of Winona Lake too. These were all happening simultaneously on Saturday afternoon.
Robbie Gast
Dozens and dozens of volunteers kept working late into Saturday night. After the crowd petered out, two important volunteers received the best praise of their peers — the Robbie Gast Ride-on Award.
Robbie was a founding member of both the Kosciusko County Velo Club and the Fat and Skinny Festival. He helped make his family’s businesses succeed — Tarkio Road and The Trailhouse in Winona.
Robbie once fixed a flat tire for me like he helped many people. I remember his wide smile and how he didn’t bat an eye at my cheap bike. On Oct. 5, 2011, Robbie was unexpectedly killed when a deer leaped in front of his bike on the way home, stunning his family and community and leaving a huge hole.
Co-director of Fat and Skinny Greg Demopoulos was Robbie’s friend. Together they sat around those campfires and tables back in the day and dreamed about Fat and Skinny. “That was 20 years ago now,” Greg teared up as he chatted with me about it. “We wanted this thing to happen. Biking helps people physically. It helps businesses. It helps all of us.”
Robbie’s daughter Ella Gast handed out the award. This year, it went to two people — Nick Chapman and Megan Carr. “I thought of Nick as a second dad,” Ella said as she handed the awards out to grinning and exhausted volunteers Nick and Megan.
And that’s the end of the Middle — Day 2 — of the Fat and Skinny Tire Fest. Stay tuned for Part 3 — The End. Sunday, May 19, and more of Co-Director Greg Demopoulos’ Reflections.
