AIDS Ride 2000

...The Trials and Tribulations(but mostly Joys!)
of Team Oz

PostRide Summary
Reflections 1 of AIDS Ride 2000!

Please note that more reflections will be communicated as they are received. Also for riders and crew, feel free to e-mail your experiences to ediekalweit@cs.com . They will get into future "reflections" writings.
-Thanks, edie

The theme for the Mpls.-Chicago AIDS Ride 2000 was “I'm Possible”, (a play on the word, impossible)! Many of us shared laughs with relatives over which word was appropriate for us taking on the challenge of the long ride. Team Oz, proudly wore shirts with the words "courage, wisdom, love and home" written on the back. Crew and Riders fulfilled those promises! Team Oz concluded the ride in full force with the words "We're possible" etched in our hearts.
We were blessed with good weather this year, by far the greatest uncontrollable variable from ride to ride, year to year. Jim Maurer reported that day five was his worst last year, with a dreadful headwind impeding progress forward. This year he was grateful for a tailwind helping him along that day. The sunshine on Saturday when we rode into Chicago made the city seem "absolutely magical" quoting Jim! I will agree, Chicago was beautiful.
My earliest reflection centers on Father Jim Cassidy offering to come to any house party, any of us might hold, for the purpose of fundraising for the AIDS ride. This was not an empty promise, either. Jim helped Team Oz raise a lot of money. Many riders met their fundraising goals because of these house parties. This was a generous donation of Jim's time, way beyond the call of duty. His commitment needs to be recognized by all.
Our Team Oz shirts were designed by a woman, Pamela Glander , who donated the work she did on the design in exchange for a shirt! A offering of generosity, I believe she also did last year. Bless you, our shirts were bright, photographed well, and brought us together as a team. One of our riders, Ann Maczuga, coordinated the logistics of printing and distributing the shirts. She included with the packaged shirts a note and a poem relating life to a bike ride. (The poem was wonderful, I'll share it with you by e-mail or send it out if you request). Thanks to Ann and her daughters for their assistance, and to her family for later greeting us in Chicago with posters!
A reflection of our training ride bike mechanic, Tom Renner, teaching us how to determine where the "glass" in our tire might be by using a pen to mark relative positions of tube and tire. Then having a tweezers along to remove glass or other intrusive item from the tire to prevent it from later puncturing yet another tube. The tweezers I thereafter included in my tool kit helped others on the ride! Thanks, Tom.
I reflect on how good our webmaster, Jeff Rholl, made me look for doing the reporting I did during the AIDS Ride 2000! The truth be told, Jeff's efforts before, during, and after the ride as my "technological mentor" were and are superb. He coached me on-line on how to format the digital photos, he sifted through photos and text, and came up with the final product. Jeff creatively captured distant images, enlarged them, and modified them, he added text to photos to add reader interest. I can't thank Jeff enough, (and his family for whatever sacrifice of time with Jeff they contributed), for taking "what he got" and transforming it in a timely and elegant manner. Again, I reflect on how blessed this parish is for the wonderful people we have!
The multiple Team Oz meetings at the homes of JoAnn and Jim Parsons and Pat Murphy and Craig Wilson. And of course the final shindig at Charlene and Paul's. The decorating, the hospitality, the good food and drink is part of my early reflections of good friends, good food, good work.

Onto ride reflections!

Standing in line together be it for eating or washing up or for the biffs! It's amazing the friends one makes in lines and at lunch tables! Then those flushable port-a-potties in Illinois, complete with sinks! (Mom wouldn't have minded using those)! I wonder how expensive those babies are to rent?!
Images of beautiful and unique bike shirts. Many purchased for the benefit of one fundraiser or another. Our own Mary McKenna modeled socks the "Butterfly Man" was selling for a fundraiser. They were bright lime green with black butterflies. Other jerseys told wonderful stories or had powerful poetry written upon them.
" I wanted to let you know how much it meant to me to be part of Team Oz. This was my third Ride, but my first one as a member of any special team. I have to say that being a part of a team - especially one as wonderful as Team Oz - definitely enhanced my Ride experience. It was so much fun to share my past experiences and packing suggestions with first timers and to generate so much excitement and enthusiasm during the cold, damp winter months, way before the Ride actually happens. And to feel the support and love that was always available to me from the team and to allow me to share my gifts so easily. Special thanks to Kay and Jim for inviting me to be a part of Team Oz and to the rest of the team for so readily accepting and supporting me. I can't wait until next year!" - Sandy Joiner, Crew #7411
The many sisters and other relatives, who traveled from out-of-state to be with family for the ride. Thank you and thanks for the work as crew you performed.
Ice! The closest thing to gold on a hot day. Thank you, thank you, thank you to John Spielman for working from 4am to 9pm to provide ice to whomever needed it. An intense crew assignment well done!
Many thanks to Williamson Bike Works and Trek for the on-site bike repair. Often long lines, but very short bills! Much was done at cost or for free. You were loved!
Starbuck's Coffee! The Starbuck's desserts with shaved chocolate-heaven on earth- at least while they are being consumed. Many thanks to them for bringing a true extravagance to the trip.
Our Team Oz "sweeps" extraordinaire, Jo and Fran in one vehicle, and Craig and Pat in the other. I never got a good photo of their decorated wagons, but hopefully someone did and we can add it to this account. They were the best! Craig and Pat took on the added challenge of "lugging" around the laptop computer used to report each night. Above and beyond the call of duty, they executed their jobs!
A reflection on the work the pit stop crews did every day to serve us food and drink and provide us with necessary medical aid. Thanks for the many outfits you brought along and sported to make our days brighter. The effort and imagination shown at the pits was great fun. Origami flowers were made at one and corsages at another, both generously distributed. Teeny-tiny Polaroid photographs were taken. Thanks for the fun.
Thanks to the folks at home who early on helped gather "Wizard of Oz" paraphernalia, and who encouraged their loved ones on this journey. And to the loved ones who met us along the way or who came at the end of the ride.
Thanks to the cheering people along this wonderful route, as Jim Maurer noted, "The outpouring of support from the communities we rode through was stronger than ever."
Jim wanted to also add, as a representative of the local beneficiaries, his utmost gratitude for all that has been done on our behalf. We met our goals for Ride 5 and that is very important to our ongoing delivery of service to persons living with HIV/AIDS.
And lastly thank you to Father George Wertin for "holding down the fort" this week and taking on added duties during Father Cassidy's absence.

To those of you I didn't thank or acknowledge, let me know! Your pictures, stories and reflections need to be part of our story. Please give me a phone call or e-mail. My phone number is 952-707-0401, e-mail ediekalweit@cs.com

Edie Kalweit has been a St. Joan of Arcer for 23 years now. Now that her children are grown, there is time to participate more fully in activities taking place at St. Joan's. She very much looks forward to the AIDS ride next week! Team "OZ" will make every attempt to keep St. Joan's informed as they approach Chicago!
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