Windshield Time

Part of the coaching gig for most small sports is time behind the wheel - driving to meets, championships, 'away races', head races, tail races, camps, tramps and.. - well, you get the idea.

This upcoming weekend, I'm doing a long haul - Minneapolis to New Haven Connecticut to St Louis, MO and home.  Not in 2 days thankfully, but it will still be a haul.

What in the world would possess me to do such a thing?  Boats and trailers.  After Nationals in Georgia, and the near disaster we had with our little local outfitter surplus trailer, I swore I'd NEVER make another road trip with that hunk of scrap metal on wheels.  It's great around town, but on the road? Never.

After Nationals, I started watching for a 'real' trailer, one capable of hauling our growing club, including K-4s, which are 35' long.  Who uses that kind of trailer? The backwards facing bunch! (rowers).  And where do you find such a trailer? On the rowing websites like www.row2k.com.  And low&behold, the New Haven club had a decent 'light' trailer for sale. 

 Some emails, pictures, etc, and it's ours.  And to make this work, I involved the athletes in a kilometer challenge, and me in some ride sharing 'opportunities'.  

I'll deliver a boat to Connecticut for my good friend Kevin "Mr. Wizard" Carr of Creating Ability.  Huge props - Kevin is in San Diego right now working with a bunch of Wounded Warriors on Mission Bay at the National Disabled Veterans Summer Sports Clinic.  He does amazing adaptations and customizations for these incredible men and women.  If you ever have a need, want to contribute, or just want to learn more, please follow the link above and say "thank you"

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The trip gets a lot busier on the way home.  Meet up with a friend from one of my past employment lives who lives in that area, pick up a sprint kayak for one of my athletes, pick up the trailer, load a rowing shell going to St Louis, somehow bypass NYC in the early hours of Saturday morning, pick up a whitewater boat near Allentown, and then head for Madison, IN, St Louis to drop off a boat, and home.

All in all, about 3,000 miles.  It's a darn good thing I like to drive, have an iPod full of tunes, lots of football over the weekend on the radio, and books on tape!