Jerald M Powell

Hi there:



Y'all got the message from Mike that the OBRA meeting and Banquet would be

a week from Saturday, and that you have to pre-register with Candi. Right?

OK, there is going to be stuff happening all day that you might be

interested in. At the same place where the OBRA meeting will be, (the

MAC), there will be a cycling conference with coaching information for

riders and club coaches, as well as organizational information, workshops,

and demonstrations. All at the same place, sign in between eight and nine

in the morning. Did I mention PREREGISTER?



Jerry



Here's the letter I intended to sednd, but the server kicked it back to me....



At the risk of being reviled for posting frivolous garbage, I want to make

sure everyone is paying attention to the opportunity for a well spent day

acquiring new information, seeing some new stuff, discussing effective

training methods and the development (if not the survival) of our sport.

Now, the fact that this all gets chased with a great dinner and good

company might be too much... So I'll keep it to the really important stuff.



I've been racing for over twenty years, and every season I learn something

new. I see folks out training and in races who could be a split second

faster, a bit ahead in a corner, or maybe staying upright (when they

aren't)... with a little polish they might not even know they lack. I've

lost races when I didn't even need to be faster to have won, and when the

mistake's I made could have been predicted and prevented before the race

even started. That's what a coach is for; to reduce your risk of errors.

And that's what training is for; to increase your marginal chance for

success.



Most of you know that I'm a part-time coach. Like most other coaches

around here, I try to help a few riders every year. I love to race. I've

been in a lot of them. I've had some good coaching myself, and I've studied

to be able to assure riders who depend on me that I offer the best

information and advice available. The two panels, and the break-out

sessions that follow them are designed to foster a dialogue between riders,

coaches and trainers on some basic (and often overlooked or simply

taken-for-granted) principles that make better, faster, safer riders.

Believe me, the best races, the most fun and the most rewarding, are when

the whole field is riding hard and aggressively, at a high skill level, and

all in contention. That's a real rush. And, in my (humble) opinion,

that's what every coach and every rider needs to support.



So the spirit of this conference, "Cycling into 2000", is to share

experience and information. Literally, to grow the sport. It's for all of

us.



The panelists are world class. For all of us, Local coaches, panelists,

riders, to be able to enter into the discussion we will have a week from

Saturday is the opportunity to capitalize what we have, what we know, and

come away with more, with better knowlege, with new ideas, with fresh

insights into training, racing, events, (road rash?)... uh, well...

Anyway,



Come on out on the fifteenth, it's guaranteed to be a day well spent.



Remember... Preregister with Candi before the 11th.



                   Candi Murray <cmur-@teleport.com>





See you there.



Jerry