Taking it to the streets ...

The idea of kids playing, free of adult supervision, expectations or involvement, seems so simple, and yet it happens so rarely these days. US Youth Soccer hopes to turn that around, with a promising program entitled "Street Soccer." It's a brilliant concept, both elegant and daring in its simplicity. Just let the kids play. For the sake of this sport, and our kids, I hope it takes root, and takes off.

My story on a new "street soccer" program in North Andover, written for the Boston Globe, can be found here. The unabridged version is below.

Giving back the beautiful game
New "street soccer" program puts children in charge

NORTH ANDOVER – Almost two-dozen youngsters, ages 10 to 14, boys and girls, mull about Home Grown Lacrosse indoor field during a recent Thursday evening. Jeremy Dalmer, a licensed youth soccer coach, signs in each child, directs them to the field, drops off a bag of balls and a bag of pinnies, and then steps aside. He tells the kids that they’re on the clock, and on their own.

The children gather in small groups from their own community – primarily Lawrence and North Andover – and start pawing at the artificial turf with their cleats, or tapping a ball. Slowly, they start chatting with each other, form three teams, decide on rules (first team to score twice wins), and begin playing.

“My heart was in throat, when the clock first started,” said Dalmer. “I was just watching the kids, hoping they’d get it started. And they did.”

Dalmer’s trepidation was justified. Any new venture runs the risk of failure. And “street soccer” is certainly different: No adults are allowed to coach, referee, or even enter the playing area, except to deal with an injury. But this first session, judging from the reactions of parents, coaches, and the kids, was an unqualified success.

“I think it's so cool. We can just play, and no one is yelling at us,” said 12-year-old Mariah Sanchez of Lawrence, who came with her brother, Xavier, and several Lawrence teammates. “We get to meet new people. I already made a new friend.”

At its core, the mission of “street soccer” – the term the US Youth Soccer coined for these loosely organized pick-up games – is to return the sport to the kids. Sandlot, or “street,” soccer, after all, is how most of the world learns the sport. In this country, however, parents have taken soccer – generally considered a great outlet for wholesome recreation – and twisted it into a petri dish of adult expectations. For far too many children, the beauty has been squeezed out of the beautiful game.

“I see two fundamental approaches to coaching,” says Dalmer, a 32-year-old father of two. “One being the adult trying as best he can to shape the kids into his vision of the sport. And the other being accepting how the kids see a sport, on their own.”

Dalmer first learned of the street soccer program at a National Youth License Course sponsored by US Youth Soccer National in Kentucky in 2008. The idea struck a chord, he said, because that was all he ever knew during his childhood in Vermont.

“I always loved soccer, but my family was religious, and I was never allowed to play organized sports growing up,” he said. “So the only soccer I could play was just with my friends, in backyards.”

However, street soccer has been part of the US Youth Soccer curriculum for a decade, says Sam Snow, US Youth Soccer's coaching director. “It's not terribly new,” he said. “It's just growing slowing across the country.”

The program, said Snow, is being integrated at all levels of youth soccer, from beginners to Olympic development teams.

“The genesis was, fundamentally, about giving ownership of the game back to the players,” he said. “It was also to provide an environment so kids could experiment in how to play the game – ball skills, tricks, moves that they'd do in a game – without the results being on the line, and the anxiety on the part of the adults, coaches, and parents surrounding the field. They're anxious about the outcome, pressuring the kids to play it safe all the time. That was stifling the kids' development.”

The street soccer movement has a distinct “back to the future” feel, which makes sense, given soccer's meteoric rise in this country over the past 40 years. Essentially, soccer's popularity outstripped chances for youngsters to see the game played at a high level.

“I'm 55, and I grew up in Orlando,” said Snow. “When I was growing up, there were no examples at all. We were progressing in the dark. That was the case for most of the country. “There was a need, for a long time, for the environment to be very coach-centered. For a kid to learn how to make a push pass, the coach had to demonstrate it, because the kid otherwise was never going to see someone execute a push pass.”

Today, young players now have ample opportunity to watch top-flight competition.

“We can do this now because of our stage of growth as a soccer nation,” said Snow. “The kids have examples now of how to play the game. They can watch a lot of very good soccer on TV from all around the world.” Snow said he's surprised that street soccer hasn't taken off, but realizes the obstacles.

“It's growing slowly mostly due to the parents,” he said. “There's a sense of, ‘What am I paying for?’ They want things that are, in their eyes, more structured. They want the referees, the won-lost record, having their kids on a roster.”

Well-intentioned coaches can also be a roadblock. “Coaches say, ‘I have so little time with them. I don't want to give up that time,’” said Snow. “And we say, ‘You're actually going to be more productive this way, because you're going to open the door for the kids taking leadership, taking ownership, increasing their organizational skills, their communication, their group dynamics, their understanding of one another's capabilities.' You grow through all of that.”

“The coaches who are willing to step out on the edge of the cliff are the ones who, once they take that leap, and give it a reasonable amount of time, see that the kids will actually begin to improve faster.”

Snow doesn't have any empirical data to back up these claims, but said the program has a common sense foundation. “As a bunch of soccer guys, we just know it works. It's painfully obvious,” he said. “So we just haven't bothered (to collect data). But we probably should, to bring along skeptics.”

The parents at Dalmer's inaugural session didn't need any convincing.

“I love it,” said Janet Werry of North Andover. “Parents are too hands on today. We have to back off sometimes. It's good to let the kids organize things, and make decisions for themselves.”

North Andover’s Mark Kornachuk, watching his 10-year-old daughter Kaitlin, said: “It reminds me of when I was a kid, growing up (in Danvers), playing with my friends. We always played pick-up games, baseball, football. You just assumed everyone would show up at the field. The kids got together, they made the rules, and they lived by them. They ruled themselves.”

Dalmer’s goals for his street soccer sessions are simple: “Just to have the kids enjoy the play enough to return. And that's not even within my control.”

The two one-hour sessions at Home Grown Lacrosse will be held Thursdays through March, and he’s already added a session Tuesdays for U-10 players that combines 30 minutes of skills training followed by an hour of street soccer. Some spectators predicted the sessions would sell out.

“They're going to back to school, and they're going to tell their friends. This is going to be huge,” said Ray Mahoney, a longtime North Andover youth soccer coach. “Look at them – they’re all smiling, they're all laughing."

During a break in the action, Werry’s daughter, Morgan Fox, ran off the field for a drink. Asked if she was having fun, she flashed a bright smile.

“It's just so random,” said Morgan. “I'm just here to play.”

Then Morgan scooted back inside the netting, to the field. To play. Like a child.

FINIS

Queen of the hill ...

Marti Shea, to use one of my brother Sean's quaint colloquialisms, is a "device." The Manchester, NH, native isn't just going strong at 47, she's shattering long-held notions of what women can do past their 40th birthdays. Now based in Marblehead, Mass., Shea is a personal trainer and strength coach, when she's not riding her bike straight up hills. I profiled Shea recently for the Boston Globe. That story can be found here. Below is the unabridged version.

Queen of the Hill
Former runner Marti Shea finds her niche in cycling

There was no way Marti Shea was missing the Allen Clark Memorial Time Trial in Vermont last Sunday. The Marblehead cyclist held a razor thin 3-point lead in the BUMPS Challenge (Bike Up the Mountain Point Series), even though she had defeated Kristen Gohr, the second place rider, in four races this summer. The BUMPS scoring system, said Shea, worked unfairly against her. That ticked her off, which was bad news for Gohr. The last thing any racer wants to do is have Shea angry.

"It's crazy. I've beaten her by three minutes up Mount Washington, 2½ minutes up Equinox, and 2½ minutes up Ascutney," said Shea before the series' penultimate race at Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, when she actually trailed Gohr in the standings. "The three times we've met head-to-head, I've crushed her. How can you beat someone three out of three times and still lose to them? I don't get it."

So Shea took matters into her own hands, winning at Mount Greylock in September, and then dominating the Allen Clark race up Vermont's Appalachian Gap. To put an exclamation mark on that win, she set a new course record of 26:46, shattering the old record (set by Gohr, coincidentally) by 80 seconds.

"I felt great," said Shea.

And, oh yeah, she's 47. The feisty, 5-foot-4 blonde who talks as fast as she rides simply crackles with energy. And she has a remarkable gift for denying gravity. Last year, she won the inaugural BUMPS Challenge, earning the moniker Queen of the Mountain. This past summer, she won both bike races up the Northeast's highest peak, the Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb in August, and Newton's Revenge in July. In between her Greylock and Allen Clark victories, she finished second in the Everest Challenge, which features more than 29,000 feet of climbing in two days of racing in California and Nevada.

"I'm bummed to say I took second place both days behind a 24-year-old pro rider," said Shea. "But I did give her a hard time on both days."

When it comes to competition, Shea is an undeniable force of nature. Want proof? Entering her second cycling stage race ever this past September, Shea convinced race organizers and USA Cycling officials to upgrade her license so she could race against the pro riders. She finished 11th overall, despite he fact that she had never raced a criterium, which was the final stage.

"It went out so freaking hard," said Shea of the crit. "I somehow managed to get on the end of it, for eight laps. All these girls are getting dropped all around me, and I'm telling myself, 'Don't give up, don't give up.'

"It wasn't the smoothest, but I finished with the leaders."

Shea has always been hyper-competitive, dating back to her days as a high school student at Manchester Memorial in New Hampshire. "Marti Shea? I played soccer against her," says MaryEllen Stergiou, who graduated from Manchester Central. "She was a beast."

Shea laughs when she hears Stergiou's comment. She was a five-sport athlete at Memorial – soccer and cross-country in the fall, basketball in the winter, and track and softball in the spring – until the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association adopted a one sport/one season rule. Shea's competitive gene, she said, comes from her father, William "Willy" Shea, who was a ball-hawking guard for St. Joseph's (now Trinity High) basketball team in Manchester.

"Willy was an outstanding guard," said William Pare, who now lives in Maryland. "The basketball coach at St. Joe's at the time was Doddie Healy, and when asked what an aspiring kid should do to learn how to play basketball, he'd simply say 'Watch Willy Shea.' Which was amazing, since Willy was very short for a guard."

At 5-foot-4, Shea's daughter is also small in stature, but with a big engine. A gifted all-around athlete, she concentrated on track "because I thought I'd get further with that." She was right, parlaying her high school accomplishments into an athletic scholarship at Boston University, where she ran the 3K, 5K and 10K, indoors and out, as well as cross-country. After earning her bachelor's degree in K-12 physical education, and a master's in education, Shea continued running as a sponsored athlete for Nike, while starting her own personal-training business, Select Fitness in Marblehead. She also participated in the 1988 Olympic trials, an eye-opening experience.

"There was really a lot of drug use, a lot of people making big teams doing stuff. And I didn't want to go down that route," said Shea. "I felt like I had reached my potential naturally, I wasn't going t get much faster. I was a high 32:50 10K runner. Back then, the Olympic time was about a 30:30. If I could have knock off another minute, that would have been phenomenal. Anything under 32 was exceptional. But that wasn't going to happen, not without doing something I didn't want to do."

Instead, Shea turned her focus to the marathon trails in 1992, but foot and knee problems became increasingly more chronic. "My dad told me a long time ago, you only have so many races in the tank. You can only go to the well so many times, and then you don't want to do it anymore," she said. "I remember him saying, 'You're going to grow up and you'll know when it's time to quit.' I felt like that in running. I remember doing a track workout, and thinking, I don't want to do this. Something just snapped."

So Shea hung up her running shoes, and got on with her life. "In all honesty, I felt like I needed a break from competing," she said. "I had been competing since I was 15. I just needed some time. I still loved running, but I was tired of having to push myself so hard. I missed sports. I wasn't doing anything else when I was running. So when I stopped, I took up windsurfing, snowboarding, mountain biking. I had a blast doing a bunch of other stuff."

It proved to be a real transitional period in Shea's life. She got divorced, entered into a new long-term relationship, and started putting more energy into her business. However, working as a personal trainer brought She into constant contact with athletes, and one started talking up the Mount Washington bike races. At the age of 44, with an arthritic right knee that prevented her from running, even for fun, Shea thought cycling was a good fit. Plus, she felt a spark again.

"Part of the reason I did it was to see, 'What can I do? Am I never going to be a great athlete anymore? Is this it? Is it over? I wanted to wee if I could still do it, still perform at a high level," she said. "It was really for fun. I love challenges. That's why Mount Washington became a goal. I wanted to show that I was still fit, that that I could still do it."

Sponsored by her husband Joe Tonon's Destination Cycling business, Shea entered the Mount Washington race in 2006, and came in third, with a time of 1:11:40, only three minutes off the winning mark. Last year, she finished second, and this year she won the women's category outright.

"I think I'm breaking some boundaries here. I feel like I'm really making a statement for older women, that it is possible for us to do these things," she said. "It's great. I'm totally intrigued by it, because I'm surprising myself. I believe in my heart that I can compete against these younger girls, but it's one thing to say it, an it's another thing to prove it."

Once again, as she did in high school and college, Shea is letting her results do the talking. She won the very first stage race she ever entered – the Killington Stage Race in Vermont last May – and now has two BUMPS titles on her resume. With the help of sponsors such as Cervelo bicycles, Laser helmets and Fit Werx of Peabody, Shea plans to take her talents to the road-racing arena next year, and will compete in several major stage races, including the Tour of the Gila in New Mexico and Cascade Cycling Classic in Oregon.

"To me, it's like a second chance. This is the twilight of my career," she said. "I have no idea how long I can compete at this level. I'm definitely making a commitment for two years. If I still have the ability to compete against young girls who are 25, 26, I'll keep going. I'll keep going as long as I can."

Her experience at the Everest Challenge, where she finished second to 24-year-old Kathryn Donovan, was both a wake-up call, and an inspiration. "She is the real deal," said Shea. "She came in 10th overall in the Gila and Cascade, so that tells me the work I have cut out for myself to raise the performance bar over the next eight months."

Given her track record, it wouldn't be wise to bet against Marti Shea. "I'm a wicked tough competitor. I love to win, I hate to lose," she said. "But I also love the process of getting to that goal as much as attaining that goal."

FINIS

Drop the puck!

I always look forward to Hockey East's Media Day, because its the milepost that indicates that the college hockey season is right around the corner. This year, I covered the festivities for ESPNBoston.com. The main feature can be found here, with the accompanying Notebook posted here. Below, you can find both. Full props to Steven King of Icon SMI for this great shot of Boston College netminder John Muse.

Defending champs tabbed as nation's No. 1
BC faces tall task of repeating, gunning for third crown in four years

Make no mistake. Boston College hockey coach Jerry York knows exactly the odds he's up against this season as his Eagles (29-10-3 overall last year; 16-8-3 Hockey East) look to defend the national crown they won last spring. Minnesota (2002-03) and Denver (2004-05) were each able to repeat earlier this decade, but an East Coast squad hasn't won back-to-back championships since Boston University turned the trick in1971 and 1972.

That hasn't discouraged the pundits, who pegged York's Eagles as the overwhelming preseason favorite in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll. BC garnered 28 of 34 first place votes and 504 points, easily outdistancing North Dakota (4 first-place votes, 462 points). Hockey East coaches agreed, giving the Eagles the top spot with a virtual unanimous vote (York cannot vote for BC).

"That's the best hockey team I've seen in a long, long time," said Northeastern coach Greg Cronin. "They could get 40 wins."

But for York, the memory of a lackluster 2008-09 season (18-14-5, no NCAA bid) on the heals of BC's 2008 championship is still fresh. The same thing happened to York's Eagles after their 2001 title run, when they responded with an 18-18-2 mark, and again missed the NCAA cut.

On Wednesday, though, York looked cool, calm and composed during the Hockey East Media Day at TD Bank Garden in Boston. The No. 1 ranking, he said, is simply "an indication that we have a lot of good players."

Like their cross-town rivals Boston University, the BC Eagles don't rebuild as much as they re-load. The leadership void created by the loss of senior captains Matt Price, Ben Smith and Matt Lombardi is expected to be filled capably by seniors Joe Whitney and Brian Gibbons, and junior Tommy Cross. Add senior goaltender John Muse, who already lists two national championships (2008 and 2010) on his glittering collegiate resume, and the Eagles have the players that can crack the whip.

"Obviously, we'll get everybody's best game, every night," said Muse. "I think our guys have prepared this summer. At the end of the day, it will all come down to how hard we work, and how much fun we'll have."

As for coming into each game with a bull's-eye, Muse replied: "When you come to Boston College, there's the expectation to win every year. So I don't think we'll get worn down by expectations."

York concurred, saying that his players understand that Boston College is never a date that opponents look past. Though the coach prefers to nurture his team during the course of the season, allowing younger players time to develop and mature, he knows the No. 1 ranking brings added pressure from the first drop of the puck this year.

"We're accustomed to that," said York. "We also have high expectations. Now it's time to tee it up."

York can afford to be eager. Cross, the highly regarded blueliner (a Boston Bruin draft pick), is finally healthy, and York expects the junior to have a breakout season. Cross heads a young defensive corps that made huge strides last year (Brian Dumolin led Hockey East with an astounding plus-40 rating as a freshman). Muse and goaltending partner Parker Milner shore up the goal. And up front, the Eagles return their top three scorers, and seven of their top nine, from a team that outshot opponents 33 to 26½ per game, and outscored them 171 to 104, last season. Leading that Magnificent Seven are junior Cam Atkinson (53 points), and senior captains Gibbons (50), and Whitney (45).

And more reinforcements are on the way. York's incoming class, with three NHL draft picks, including first-rounder Kevin Hayes (Chicago), is again rock solid, despite the loss of NHL draft pick Cody Ferriero (San Jose) to Northeastern. Ferriero won't have to wait long to get a close look at the team he spurned, as the Eagles and Huskies clash at Northeastern in the season opener on Saturday, Oct. 9. NU's Cronin knows his Huskies will have their hands full.

"BC has so much returning talent," said Cronin. "So much firepower."

York, however, isn’t making predictions. He expects another season-long battle in Hockey East play, pinpointing Maine (ranked No. 2 in the coaches poll), New Hampshire, Boston University and Merrimack as teams he's particularly concerned with. Asked to handicap his team's chances of repeating as NCAA champs, York opted to hold his hand close to the vest. "That's a question that has to be answered in late April," said the coach who has the second most wins (850) in college hockey history.

But York made the statement with the confident air of a man who expects to be there when the final cards are dealt.

NOTEBOOK
BOSTON - While Boston College is looking to defend its national title, here's a look at Hockey East's other Boston-area schools following media day on Wednesday:

Boston University
Legendary BU bench boss Jack Parker has seen plenty of surprises in his 37 seasons at the helm of the Terrier program, but few could have prepared the 65-year-old for the shock he got late last July. Parker went into the hospital to have a stent implant, but left after having quadruple bypass surgery on his heart.

"I feel fine," said Parker on Wednesday. "I was all blocked up. They say I'll have more energy, now that everything's flowing again."

Which leaves the Terrier coach, who has more wins (834) at a single institution than any other hockey coach in NCA history, itching to get back on the ice. He also has a team that he's excited about, despite losing five of last year's top six scorers (only 31-point man Chris Connelly returns).

"We have 17 freshmen and sophomores on the roster, so we're very, very young," said Parker. "It's quite a turnaround from the championship season of two years ago." This coming season, the Terriers must make due without the bruising presence of Eric Gryba (the school's all-time penalty minute record holder), slick puck-moving defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk (who left a year early to pursue his pro career with the Colorado Avalanche), and feisty forward Nick Bonino. The loss of Bonino, a face-off specialist who was critical to BU's success when he was healthy, may loom largest, but Parker wants to make certain his gifted-but-young blueliners continue to mature.

"Our biggest concern will be on defense," he said. "The only guy (on defense) back from the championship team is David Warsofsky, but he's a hell of a player."

A talented junior goaltender tandem of Kieran Millan and Grant Rollheiser return from last year's 18-17-3 squad as well. Also keep an eye on the freshmen forwards, led by NHL draft picks Charlie Coyle (San Jose) and Yasin Cisse (Atlanta). "It'll be interesting. I think it's a terrific (incoming) class," said Parker. "We expect two or three forwards to be very important right out of the gate. And from what we've seen in practice, we can expect a lot of them."

Merrimack College
The Warriors have one of the league's most gifted offensive threats in sophomore Stephane Da Costa, who ran away with the league's Rookie of the Year honors last season after tallying 45 points on 16 goals and 29 assists. However, like BC, Merrimack coach Mark Dennehy (an Eagle alum) must prevent his charges from being simply happy with getting to the Hockey East playoffs. "We took huge steps, but we didn't achieve a lot of our goals," said Dennehy. "Complacency won't be part of our vocabulary."

To make inroads, and possibly gain home-ice advantage in the Hockey East playoffs, the Warriors must improve on last season's woeful 4-16-1 road record. "What it comes down to is confidence," he said. "We know we're good enough. Now we have to take that on the road."

A key could well be the play of junior goalie Joe Cannata. "I think Joe Cannata is floating under everybody's radar," said Dennehy. "I think he's one of the best goalies in the league. And when the lights are shining brightest, he's at his best."

Northeastern
Woe to any Husky who thinks coach Greg Cronin won't be breathing fire this season. The Huntington Hounds missed the Hockey East playoffs last year on the last game of the season, a short 12 months after one of the program's most successful campaigns of recent vintage.

Sophomore netminder Chris Rawlings will have another year under his belt, and if he can mirror the same improvements he showed last season, NU will be set in goal. The incoming freshmen class, which includes forward Cody Ferriero, who spurned Boston College, looks promising as well, with a quartet of towering defensemen, Jake Hoeffler (6-foot-5, 210), Jamie Oleksiak (6-foot-7, 240), Luke Eibler (6-foot-2, 180), and Anthony Bitetto (6-foot-2, 200).

"Those guys are going to be critical," said Cronin. "I'm tired of being small. We've got to make sure we're defending our net."

Up front, Cronin expects typical tenacious Northeastern hockey from his upperclassmen forwards, especially captain Tyler McNeely and fellow senior Wade MacLeod, as well as talented sophomore Steve Quailer, who was granted a medical red shirt after a season-ending injury last fall.

UMass-Lowell
So, who's left to play defense for the River Hawks? UMass-Lowell coach Blaise MacDonald acknowledges that the conventional wisdom is to build from the net out, but the reality is that he lost his top two goaltenders and four top defensemen from last year's 19-16-4 squad. Perhaps UML's best defense will be a strong offense.

"I think we can roll out 12 really good forwards," said Riverhawk coach Blaise MacDonald. "Our forwards are faster and better than last year."

MacDonald said he'll rely heavily on the leadership of his four captains, and especially senior center Scott Campbell.

UMass-Amherst
Coach Donald "Toot" Cahoon lost his two most potent offensive players from last year's squad when James Marcou and Casey Wellman turned pro. "We've got 13 freshmen," said Cahoon. "We're the youngest team in college hockey. We're the great unknown."

"But I love the character of our kids,' he said. "The joy of this is that it's fresh. I'll have their attention."

FINIS

Thirty miles to glory

An epic accomplishment by my new friend, Davis Lee, who succeeded in his quest to conquer the English Channel. My account in last week's Boston Globe can be found here. Below is the unabridged version, accompanied by a stunning photo from Lisa Poole.

Thirty miles to glory

So, Davis Lee, you've finished your long-anticipated solo swim across the English Channel. What's next? According to the 35-year-old nuclear physicist from Newburyport, that's a question that requires reflection.

"I'm not sure if I've exorcised whatever demons made me want to do it, but perhaps it's all still a little too surreal," said Lee after his 12-hour, 41-minute swim from Dover, England, to Calais, France, last week. "I think one needs to stand on the cliffs of Dover and look into the distance, the cold, gray, rough water, with tons of shipping traffic, to even start to comprehend the absurdity of the task."

Lee was joined in England by his two-year-son Oliver, and his wife, Katharine, who is expecting the couple's second child in November, as well as his coach, Andrew Soracco, and his brother, Timothy Lee. Having a solid support crew was a comfort, though it didn't offset all the obstacles thrown at Lee. His anticipated swim date was delayed for two days. When he finally got the green light, it came at 1 a.m. Lee learned his start time six hours earlier, so he'd been awake for 16 hours by the time he stepped into the murky waters off Shakespeare Beach.

And he was already cold. The swashbuckling crew aboard his pilot boat, the Sea Satin, were below deck "guzzling tea and chain-smoking," said Lee. So the first-time channel swimmer had to choose between staying above deck, and getting chilled, or keeping warm below deck and risk nausea from the secondhand smoke. With high humidity, the salt air felt as cold as the water, he said, and swimming at night was "really, really freaky."

"The first hour was very calm, the next eight were very rough," Lee said. Worse, the tide changed just a few miles off the coast of France, turning the channel into "a washing machine."

"There were times, both early on and later on in the swim, when it was just dark, figuratively and literally," said Lee. "I wasn't going to allow myself to give up before I got to France, but if they pulled me from the water, I don't think I would have minded."

Even stepping onto French soil, after swimming 31.6 statute miles, was a bit anticlimactic. "I wish I could say it was amazing, with fireworks going off," said Lee after his first day back at Axcelis Technologies in Beverly. "But I was just spent. I was cold. I'd been awake for more than 30 hours. There was nothing left there to feel."

"And once you get out (on the French coast), you have to swim back to the boat to go back to England. That was probably the longest 300 yards of my life."

Reunited with his family in Dover, Lee grabbed a pint at The White Horse, a pub named after the channel's whitecaps that are said to resemble horses. The walls and ceilings are littered with signatures of successful channel swimmers.

"One of my favorites, because I could relate, had the name, time, date, and just said 'It was bloody horrible,'" said Lee. Lee took a similar tact, finding a spot on a ceiling beam above the bar, and signing his name, date, time, and adding, simply, "It was cold."

This week, Lee said he finally feels normal again. "I've forgotten a lot of the pain. The saltwater has been rinsed from my mouth. If you gargle saltwater for 13 hours, your mouth is destroyed."

Still, the question remains: What's the next challenge? Prior to his English Channel adventure, Lee admitted he was eyeing the North Channel between Ireland and Scotland, a stretch of open water that makes the English Channel look like child's play due to the frigid temperatures.

"It's equally long, but about 10 degrees colder. There are only eight or nine people who have done it," said Lee. "It's significantly more complicated. They have a little web site, that says, 'If you haven't completed an English Channel swim, we wouldn't even consider taking you on this. Don't even bother calling.' That's pretty hard-core."

However, after his channel crossing, Lee acknowledged he's gained a new perspective of the effort required, and the potential hardships. "We've got a baby coming," Lee said. "I'm going to see how that goes before planning any big, crazy swims."

Plus, the prospect of even colder waters would force Lee to recalibrate his training regimen. "I'd probably have to train in Maine all summer," he said, laughing. "And pack on another 40 pounds of fat."

FINIS

'Cross and burn

I never tire of writing about cyclocross, one of the most dynamic and spectator-friendly disciplines not just in cycling, but in all of sports. This was done for the Boston Globe (th published version can be found here).

'Cross and burn
The manic sport of cyclocross on full display in by the sea

GLOUCESTER – Stage Fort Park, with its expansive views of the Atlantic Ocean and rolling hillside topography, is an undisputed gem, for residents and visitors alike. Children can romp, and parents relax. And this weekend, cyclists can race, as the park again hosts the two-day ode to cyclocross, the Great Brewers Gran Prix of Gloucester.

"There is something about that place. It's got a soul," said Chris Zigmont of Exeter, N.H., an avid amateur racer and longtime cycling industry representative. "I've been everywhere in the world that cyclocross races, and little comes close to the aesthetic drama of Gloucester. It's becoming one of the very special places for cycling."

Now in it's 12th year, the GP of Gloucester, put on by local cycling club Essex County Velo (ECV), is firmly established as the pre-eminent cyclocross event in the Northeast, and one of the most prestigious in the country. Despite New England being a hot pocket for this zany, off-season cycling discipline, the Gloucester races are the only ones in the six-state region affiliated with a national race series – the North American Cyclocross Trophy. Still, the race is known from coast to coast.

"My wife and I were in Mexico with some friends last year, standing in the surf break, and we ran into some folks from British Columbia and Seattle," said Scott Bumpus of Seaside Cycles in Manchester-by-the-Sea, one of the sponsoring shops for ECV. "When we told them we were from Cape Ann, they told us they had heard all about the race, and wanted to come out to do it."

It's proven a win-win for the city as well. "Any time you can bring in that many athletes and their families, it's great for the business community," said Bob Hastings, president of the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce. "It's also good for the psyche of the community. This is one of a number of big-time events coming into our city, and that gives the Gloucester and Cape Ann brand a nice bump."

The Gran Prix has even raised eyebrows across the Atlantic. Cycling News, one of the sport's leading voices based in the United Kingdom, recently ranked Gloucester as one of the best events in North America. In this gritty seaport city often known for hard knocks, cyclocross seems to be a perfect fit. There are no shortcuts. The only way to win is to bury yourself in the pain, and push through it harder and faster than anybody else. Former national junior champ Jesse Anthony of Beverly, when asked if the Mount Washington Auto Road Hill Climb race was the toughest 60 minutes he'd ever spent on two wheels, just laughed. "It's not even close," he said. "Nothing compares to cyclocross."

Cyclocross has often been referred to as the "steeplechase" of cycling, featuring a cross-country format with a mix of natural and man-made obstacles requiring racers to dismount and run with their bikes. Racers must combine the quick-twitch speed of a 100-yard sprinter with the agility of a star halfback and the endurance of a 10K runner. It's that sublime mix, coupled with the spectacular venue, that will draw 700 racers each day to Gloucester this weekend, rain or shine. In the past 11 years, the Gloucester races have been held in pelting rain, snow squalls, and dazzling sunshine. Nothing short of lightning will prevent a cyclocross race.

"The weather is always a factor," said former national team member Josh Anthony of Beverly (Jesse's older brother). "There was the year it snowed one day, and was 60 degrees the next."

Visitors to Stage Fort Park this weekend can be forgiven if they suspect a two-wheeled cage match just broke out. Suffice to say, all is fair in love and 'cross. The races often feature full-body contact, and bruised egos, especially at the elite men's level. In fact, something of a border war has been brewing between Tim Johnson of Beverly, a three-time national elite champ, and New Hampshire's Jonathan Page, who has also claimed the national elite crown three times. The two rubbed elbows and more during the Gloucester races last year, and again this past weekend at the Planet Bike Cup races in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The clash led to a war of words between New England's finest after Johnson's victory, prompting Page to state that he was returning to his Belgium home for the European season.

However, fireworks are still on the Gloucester menu. Johnson and his Cannondale-CyclocrossWorld.com teammates Jeremy Powers of Easthampton, MA, and Jamey Driscoll of Vermont are expected to lock horns with the upstart Team Seaside Cycles-Antero Resources, lead by homegrown riders Shawn Milne (pictured above) and Phil Wong.

The bottom line, say competitors, is that despite all the hard work, and possible carnage, cyclocross is flat-out fun. "When you find yourself racing in something big, like Gloucester, the crowds are unreal," said Fries. "The courses are narrow – just 10 feet wide – and the crowd is leaning over the fences, and ringing bells so wildly you simply cannot quit."

"The thing that sticks out to me about the Gloucester cross races is the intensity, the atmosphere, the wild crowds," echoed Josh Anthony. "In my opinion, the only other race in the United States that comes close is Nationals. It's always the 'hometown' race as well. For me and the rest of us North Shore riders, it's even more intense because of everyone screaming at us."

Former masters national champ Paul Curley of Taunton agreed. "You always try harder when lots of people are watching," he said. "Misery loves company."

"Company," or camaraderie, is another aspect that makes the sport special. Unmistakably, there's a genuine sense of "we're all in this together" among 'cross competitors.

"The New England and even national cyclocross community is tight-knit and easy going," said Dan Tieger, a veteran amateur racer and ECV member from Manchester-by-the-Sea. "Race days are mini-parties. You can race in the morning, get something to eat, and then watch the best."

At Gloucester, that party atmosphere includes grabbing a carbonated beverage, as the title sponsor – Great Brewers – returns with the ever-popular beer tent. The Gran Prix, says promoter Paul Boudreau, is the culmination of North Shore Beer Week, and spectators and racers can sample craft brews from Ommegang, Victory, Brooklyn Ale, Stella Artois, Smuttynose, Jack's Pumpkin Spiced Ale, Wachusett and Cape Ann Brewing. For the youngsters, there's a free Kids Race, which will be held shortly before 2 p.m. Sunday.

Last, but not least, the event has a charitable component. A portion of the proceeds collected will be split between two local non-profits, the Gloucester Fisherman's Athletic Association and the Gloucester Writers Center.

For details on the Gran Prix of Gloucester, visit gpgloucester.com.

FINIS

Channeling his energy!

How can you not enjoy meeting someone like Davis Lee, an individual who is both inspirational and inspired? Articulate, humble, brilliant - he's the ideal interview. But what drives a man to want to tackle the English Channel? It's a simple question, but one that has no easy answer. Below is the unabridged version of my story that ran in the Boston Globe (click here to read the published article).

The Long Swim
Newburyport man attempts to cross the English Channnel

When Newburport's Kate Lee learned she was expecting her second child this spring, she sent her 2-year-old son Oliver to greet his father at the door with a bottle of tequila and a shot glass. Given Davis Lee's plans to swim the English Channel later this month, seven week's before Kate's due date, the couple's friends might wonder if he didn't finish off the entire bottle.

But such recklessness would be far too rash for this 35-year-old nuclear physicist. Lee, a native of Greenwich, Conn., has actually been entertaining thoughts of an English Channel swim for two decades, since he was 14, living in the Bahamas. In a way, much of what he's done since has pointed toward the day that he would tackle the feat.

"Most people think I'm nuts," said Lee recently, between training swims. "It's just something I got in my head. Not many people have done it. Maybe I have something to prove. I don't really know. It's just something that became a goal. Why do people climb Mount Everest? You set a goal, and you do it."

The idea never left him. After Lee secured his doctorate in nuclear science and engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2003 and moved to California, his fascination with the Channel took flight. He started swimming off San Diego's La Hoya Cove several times weekly. A chance encounter with another swimmer training for the Channel cemented Lee's ambition.

"That's when it all came together," said Lee. "It just spiraled from there."

Lee immersed himself, literally, in his pastime. In 2005, he contacted the Channel Swimming Association one of two governing bodies overseeing crossing attempts, for details. Two years ago, he and Kate, even as they became parents, agreed to marshal their resources for a Channel swim this fall.

"Pushing myself is a big theme," said Lee. "Physically, you can train yourself to do anything. But there's this massive mental component. I like putting myself in situations where I have to tell myself, 'I'm going to power through this, somehow.'"

Those who know Lee well won't be surprised. This is a man who overcame the challenge of dyslexia to earn his degree in math and physics from the University of Mary Washington in 1998 and his Masters in applied physics from John Hopkins in 2002 before securing his PhD from MIT. He's approached this latest challenge in the same vein – decide on a goal, plot a course, and follow that plan religiously.

"It's one of my big problems," said Lee. "I don't know when to quit."

A strict adherence to training over the past 18 months has Lee in ideal shape for his Channel adventure. Stocky by nature, Lee now has 190 pounds hung on his muscular 5-foot-9 frame. In July, he tamed the Kingdom Swim, a 10-mile race across Lake Memphremagog in northern Vermont, in 4½ hours. Last month, Lee entered the Boston Light Swim, an eight-mile race from Little Brewster Lighthouse to South Boston, for the second year running, and shaved 44 minutes from his 2009 effort, finishing under three hours.

"Davis is definitely ready. If anything, I've had to hold him back," said his coach, Andrew Soracco. "He's pretty amazing."

He'll have to be. The English Channel crossing is no small task. The 21-mile gap between Dover, England, and Calais, France, has played its siren song to swimmers for more than 135 years, ever since Captain Matthew Webb first completed an official, observed crossing on Aug. 25, 1975, in 21 hours, 45 minutes. However, due to tides and currents, Channel swimmers are typically forced to take a more roundabout line. Lee can expect to swim at least 30 miles in a large "S" formation, said Soracco.

Still, there are very real dangers. Lee, claiming he's not averse to risks (although he has put his sky-diving hobby on hold for the past 18 months), nonetheless employs his analytical approach to minimize them. "I like to know as many variables as possible," he said, sounding every bit like the nuclear physicist who works for Axcelis in Beverly.

"Everything in my make-up says I'm in the low probability side of the equation. I'm relatively young. I'm fit. I've really put in my time training. I've conditioned myself to the cold water."

Lee's chief concerns are water temperatures, changing water conditions, the distance, and stress.

"Physically, probably the most important thing is being able to withstand the cold water," said Soracco. "The channel averages between 55-56 degrees. If you can't keep your core temperature up, you're going to go hypothermic. That's the number one safety concern."

Lee estimates his body fat percentage is "somewhere between 12 and 18 percent," but he's not worried. After his tune-up at the Boston Light race, and a required 6-hour practice swim in late August, Lee and Soracco both deemed the swimmer Channel worthy.

"If I could magically be in England and swim tomorrow, I'd happily take the day off and just go do it," he said. "I don't have any anxiety or fear about it. I'm just eager to go.

Soracco also knows that conditions can change dramatically during the brief window when swimmers leave Shakespeare Beach. "The day Sybil swam, the Channel was like a washing machine," he said. "The first four, five hours, she fought to get her rhythm. The waves would come up and roll her over when she tried to take a breath. It was really harsh. The day after, it was as smooth as glass. I couldn't believe it was the same body of water."

Consequently, mental toughness is often the swimmer's greatest asset. And Lee has that trait in spades. "You have to have the mental capacity to keep everything together, and to keep moving," Soracco said. "The real draw is the risk, and overcoming the risk. It's so easy just to bag it. People quit, even though they certainly could have made it. Most people are their own worst enemy. They cave."

"Davis is almost supernatural. He never seems to falter. He never seems to have any doubt, at all," he said. "This guy is set. I'm just trying to keep him healthy. But mentally, he's unstoppable."

Unlike San Diego, where seal and shark sightings aren't uncommon, there are few "natural" dangers in the Channel, other than jellyfish. "The biggest hazard is the shipping traffic, which is ridiculous," said Lee.

"You're really trusting the Channel federation guys to know their route and know the boat traffic and let everyone know we're there," Soracco said. "Those tankers, they don't even see you. Those things are immense."

Kate, meanwhile, admits she knew exactly what she was getting into when she embarked on a life with Lee. "I actually asked him to marry me," she said. "When I met Davis, I knew this type of adventure, doing something that some people might consider out of the ordinary, that was him. To take away his ability to do any of that would be to take away Davis. It would have been signing up to be with someone else."

"People keep asking whether I am nervous, but I'm not. Both Davis and I grew up on the ocean. We both have a deep respect for the ocean, and having that understanding and respect for the ocean really makes me comfortable with him doing it."

She may not see her husband swim firsthand, though. She'll be seven months pregnant by late September, and she doesn't want to be a distraction on the pilot boat. If not, she and Oliver will be waiting in Calais. "I want all of Davis's concentration and energy to be focused on the swim," she said. "Even if I'm totally fine, I don't want people to be concerned about me on the boat. I want them all to be focused on Davis."

Concentration is key. While fewer than 1,200 swimmers have made crossing, thousands have failed.

"I want to finish, first and foremost," Lee said. "Assuming I do that, I would like to do it under 12 hours, and I would be ecstatic with a time under 10 hours."

Lee said he's not sure if he's prepared for the San Andreas-type shift that his life will take once he completes the crossing. There's the young family's new addition, a daughter, due to arrive on Nov. 14, to consider. Plus, the family bank account will need time to recover (Lee estimates the swim, from start to finish, will cost between $15,000 and $20,000).

"It'll be weird when it's all over, just because so much of our life has been focused on the swim for so long," said Kate Lee. "But so much of our life has been focused on this for so long that we're also excited for it to finally happen."

As for the immediate future, there's likely to be a glass of champagne, or maybe a shot of tequila, to be shared on the shores of northern France.

To follow Lee's Channel adventures, visit his web site at SharkyTreat.com, or his blog at sharkytreat.blogspot.com.

FINIS

Sidebar 1
In the boat

Davis Lee won't be adrift alone when he attempts to cross the English Channel.

For safety, and verification, every official Channel swimmer must hire a pilot boat. Lee rented a boat from the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation, the second of two sanctioning groups, to escort him through the Strait of Dover. Typically, the boat is a 35- to 40-foot fishing vessel, and the pilot helps navigate the waters, communicates with other boats, and often provides "encouragement."

Lee's coach Andrew Soracco said he'll play second fiddle to pilot Lance Oram in the cheerleading department. In 2003, Soracco took another swimmer, Sybil Fisher, to the Channel. Oram's father, Michael, was the pilot, and he didn't mince words when Fisher faltered in the heavy chop.

"His basic concept is, 'If you've got enough energy to complain, you've got enough energy to keep swimming. So, shut up and swim!' That's his motto," said Soracco. "Now we've got his son, Lance, and they share the same philosophy."

Meanwhile, Soracco will concentrate on keeping Lee's engine running. To fuel his Channel effort, Lee will rely on training drinks and energy gels, plus the occasional banana. Soracco will prepare a regimen of drinks and gels (and bananas) that he'll relay to Lee by way of a Tupperware container duct-taped to a rope.

"It's really high tech," said Soracco, laughing. "We spared no expense."

Competitive swimmers, on average, burn between 800 and 900 calories an hour, said Soracco. Open-water swimmers, who must also generate heat to combat the cold, consume more than 1,100 calories an hour, meaning Lee can expect to expend more than 11,000 calories during his effort. That's especially important since English Channel crossing rules don't permit wetsuits.

Still, those limitations don't faze Lee. "I'm a purist," he said. "I'll wear a swimsuit, cap, and goggles. That's it. Those are the rules. A wetsuit doesn't count. I plan to abide by those rules."

Sidebar 2
Big Red Numbers

2 – Number of sanctioning bodies that govern "official" Channel crossings, the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation and the Channel Swimming Association.
43 – Number of crossings by the Queen of the Channel, Alison Streeter (United Kingdom)
34 – Number of crossings by the King of the Channel, Kevin Murphy (United Kingdom)
6:57:50 – Time (in hours, minutes, and seconds) of the fastest recorded solo crossing, by Petar Stoychev (Bulgaria) in 2007
7:25 – Time (in hours and minutes) of the fastest recorded solo female crossing, by Yvetta Hlavacova (Czech Republic) in 2006
26:50 – Time (in hours and minutes) of the longest solo crossing, by Henry Sullivan (United States) in 1923
70 years, 4 days – Age of the oldest man to cross, George Brunstad (United States, in a time of 15:59)
60 years, 10 months, 4 days – Age of the oldest woman to cross, Linda Ashmore (United Kingdom, in a time of 15:11)
11 years, 11 months – Age of the youngest person to cross, Thomas Gregory (United Kingdom, in a time of 11:54)
12 years, 118 days – Age of the youngest girl to cross, Samatha Druce (United Kingdom, in a time of 15:27)
Source: The Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation (channelswimming.net)

Getting down and dirty!

Adventure racing maven Joe Desena's latest offbeat competition is the Spartan Race series. My advance of the Boston race, done for the Boston Globe, can be found here. Below is the unabridged version. The reward for winning? Entry into Desena's annual Death Race in Vermont. Which gives a whole new meaning to the old adage, "To the victors go the spoils" ...

Spartan effort
New series amps up the typical 5K race format

The earthen bump that houses the Amesbury Sports Park alongside I-495 has been many things over the years: forest, farmland, ski hill (Lone Tree Hill, circa 1949), snow and water tubing park, soccer and lacrosse fields. On Saturday, Aug. 28, it will be transformed again, this time into a battleground, as the Spartan Race series and 2,000 competitors come to Boston.

The Spartan Race is the latest creation of adventure race aficionado Joseph Desena, a successful Wall Street trader who has taken his love of the deal and applied it with equal fervor to his serious adrenalin habit. These off-road races are designed to shake TV zombies and desk jockeys out of their doldrums and their comfy chairs by boiling the adventure-race concept down to a short, 5K format that typically lasts between 35 minutes and an hour. However, this is not your average 5K jaunt. Instead, the hilly course will be littered with at least a dozen spirit-breaking obstacles, including a mud crawl, wall climb, balance-beam course, fire jump, spear toss, jousting, and barbed-wire crawl, all designed to test not only the participants' strength and stamina, but their creativity and cunning.

"These races are for someone who is looking to break out of a routine, whether it's running 5Ks on the road, or sitting behind a desk and not having any excitement in their life," said Michael Morris , a personal trainer from Marlborough and the manager of the Boston Spartan Race. "Or someone who's dreamt of doing something really exciting, but hasn't had the access to do it."

Someone like Justin Mattarocchia, a 30-year-old from Newburyport who said he was intrigued by the race, in part, because he traces his Greek heritage to Sparta.

"I agree that people generally place personal comfort above all other concerns," said Mattarocchia. "Even I'm guilty of this, but I find that forcing myself into an uncomfortable place, overcoming adversity, even if manufactured, can serve to strengthen my character and resolve. Pushing myself to do this will benefit me in other parts of my life where I might have to choose between comfort and adventure."

Desena often draws parallels between business and racing, focusing on the common qualities that breed success in each. He has traveled the world to feed his adventure-racing appetite, but understands that not everyone has the same drive, or financial wherewithal, to pursue racing in such exotic locales. That spurred the city-based Spartan Race concept. Boston is the fourth stop on the 2010 calendar, with previous races held in Burlington, VT, Montreal, and New York City. Future races include two in Great Britain (Cambridge and Manchester), Houston, TX, and Los Angeles, CA. All aim to get competitors grimy and sweaty, while serving as a stepping-stone to bigger events.

"That's one of the things that prevents people from getting more involved in the more arduous races. One of the challenges is that you have to schlep yourself to more remote areas," said Morris. "One of our goals is to be near more metropolitan areas so accessibility is easier. It's one less barrier, one less excuse that people can come up with. Like any business, it's about 'location, location, location.' And we've got a great location at the Amesbury Sports Park."

The steep pitch that serves as a backdrop to the playing fields is only the first of several natural obstacles that the park offered organizers. Toss in man-made barriers, and the race becomes as much a mental test as a physical one.

"What differentiates this from your traditional 5K or even a road race or trail race is that the obstacles create a nice change of pace, a really different way to challenge people," said Morris. "It's going to get people out of their running rhythm. It will bring an added element of challenge for people who are used to plowing straight ahead. They'll have to jump over stuff, and crawl under stuff. There's a bushwacking component that will force people to keep their heads up and look where they're going."

But there's no question that the event has hit home with fitness buffs looking for something out of the ordinary. As of mid-August, the race had more than 2,000 participants pre-registered, and the contestants ran the gamut, from rough-and-tumble veterans to absolute neophytes. A training session held in Salem in July attracted 80 contestants.

"I have no interest in running and have never entered a race before this one," said Kellyn Nahas, a 40-year-old business owner and mother of two from Amesbury. "I'm the adult who likes to play on all the equipment at the playground, and the thought of doing the obstacles really excited me. I'll have to suffer through the running to get to the fun stuff."

"We wanted something more challenging and more fun," said Dale Bob Eckert, a 54-year-old cancer survivor from Newburyport. "This looks like it will break up some of the monotony of just running."

Eckert and his wife - Dale Ann Granger-Eckert – compete in "about 35 races a year," on and off-road, including several marathons. However, as fans of the show "Wipe Out," he said they couldn't resist the lure of an obstacle-filled event like the Spartan Race, especially since it was being held in their own backyard. "I like surprises," said Eckert. "I don't even like see the racecourses in advanced. We take as it comes and make the best of it."

The top three finishes from each Spartan Race automatically qualify for the Death Race (youmaydie.com), a 24-hour painfest held every June in Pittsfield, VT, home of Desena's Peak Adventures. Next year, Desena plans to expand the format, creating a Super Spartan Race series. All reflect his bedrock belief in the benefits of hard work.

"I'm fighting the whole world on my ideas, things that I think are pretty basic, normal ideas," said Desena recently. "We're animals. Nobody can dispute that, although some people may not realize it, living in the world we're in. Well, what would you do if you came home, and you saw your dog, sitting on the couch, smoking a cigarette, drinking a coffee, hair in a bun, toenails painted, watching Oprah, taking an insulin shot because she's overweight, sleeping pills in her pocket because she can't sleep at night?"

Desena's tone has a distinct rhetorical quality, but there's no mistaking the point he wants to make: We've got it far too easy. "Now think of coming home to see your dog after it ran 22 miles in backyard, completely exhausted, happy to see you, wagging its tail, and falling asleep," he said. "That's normal for an animal. I would argue that everything that I'm promoting, or involved in, is normal. The rest of the world is abnormal."

While Desena admits his views might seem "hard core" or even over the top to some, he says that impression is simply further evidence that people, and society, have gone soft. "Think about years ago. It was really simple. You either succeeded in hunting for your food, or you didn't and you were dead," he said. "We had natural selection, positive selection, of tougher and tougher people. In today's environment, the lesser person, the softer person, the lazier person, can actually survive."

"The Death Race and the Spartan Race are more akin starting and running your own business, which I've done since I was 15 years old," said Desena. "I've also had the benefit and luxury of working for a large corporation. The rule about starting your own business is, 'Everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.' Customers leave you at the wrong time. Buildings catch on fire. It rains when it's not supposed to. You can either deal with it, 24 hours a day, every single day, or you can't.

"Working for a large corporation, you're coddled. Everything you need is at your fingertips, just like a marathon or an Ironman. You've got water and food and people cheering for you. It's really just a catered training day."

Both Desena and Morris acknowledge that Spartan Races sacrifice some authenticity by employing man-made obstacles, but that was the trade-off required to bring the series to the big city, and to the masses.

"If we have to dumb down the Spartan Race, if we have to shorten the race to entice people to get off their couch, we're going to do that, because we know it's the right thing to do," said Desena. "If I have to contrive some things, but it changes some people's lives, then it's worth it."

Of course, no "Spartan" event would be complete without a bacchanal, and the organizers plan to host a barbecue bash at the park, complete with live entertainment, for spectators and competitors alike. Dale Bob Eckert, for one, can't wait. The party, he said, "makes all of the difference."

"Some people just do a race and go home," he said. "It's all about the party and the social interactions. Running is a social activity. In the long-ago past, if you didn't run fast enough, you were called 'dinner' or you starved to death."

Desena, who expects to be at the finish line, will no doubt consider Eckert a kindred spirit.

For event details, visit spartanrace.com.

FINIS

These old guys are off the hook

Boston, bright

I'm not a skateboarder, but there's no doubt that these characters -- the Geezers of New England -- are kindred spirits. The published article that ran in the Aug. 19 edition of the Boston Globe can be found here. The following is an unabridged version ...

Even at their age, these guys are off the hook
For the Geezers group, the thrill of skateboarding never gets old

The video would probably look more stylish, and more accurate, if it was in grainy black & white, or maybe weathered sepia tones. The YouTube clip entitled "Noob Airy Port" shows a smiling crew of grizzled skateboarders dropping into the concrete bowls at the Newburyport Skate Park at the Nock Middle School.

But these aren't your stereotypical teen shredders (there are no pants, for example, falling halfway down anybody's backside). They're all older than 30, with several in their – gasp! – 40s. They are husbands, fathers. They have jobs, and mortgages. They wear helmets and pads. They are the self-proclaimed Geezers of New England (GONE), a group of past-their-prime characters who share a love of skateboarding. True, there's no denying the inexorable march of Father Time. But the sensation of riding? That, according to 44-year-old GONE founder Richard Falzone, never gets old.

"What I love about skating is the freedom. It's a form of expression," says Falzone, a psychiatrist from Melrose. "Physically, it just feels really good, that flowing motion of going back and forth. I'm kind of a speed addict. I like to go really fast, right on that verge of going out of control. And there's just something cool about doing something you're 'not supposed to be doing.'"

The boarding bug bit Falzone in late December of 2006, just before he turned 41. "My wife told me, 'That's just dumb. You're going to hurt yourself," said Falzone. "My daughter was actually begging me not to do it. She was mortified that I'd even consider doing something like that. It was just too embarrassing."

Unfazed, Falzone rolled back into the sport, and soon met Jesse "Chip" Jones, Steve Forcucci, and Eric Martens – three engineers who worked in nearby Wilmington – at the Ipswich River Park ramp in North Reading. A fast friendship was formed.

"There was definitely a long break in my riding," said Martens, a 39-year-old software engineer from New Hampshire. "Working with Chip and Steve rekindled the memories, and I bought a more modern board off of eBay. We used to go out to local parks on our lunch hour. I like the challenge and camaraderie. I like sports where you can compete against yourself. I don't have to be the best, just better than last time."

Inspired, Falzone created the Geezers group in the fall of 2007. He set up a rudimentary GONE web site (goneskating.org cq), employing the tag line "Old dogs, new trick," and posting a few homemade videos. Brian Callahan, a 38-year-old Geezer from Melrose who owns Helium Design, later took the reins of the web site, creating a true blog that enables members keep in touch, bragging about exploits and planning riding sessions. You can even find GONE merchandise, from T-shirts to coffee mugs. GONE now numbers almost 50 members, reaching western Massachusetts, Brattleboro, VT, and Stamford, CT. And while they love skating locally, the Geezers will also road trip to places like Northampton, Taunton, or the Rye Airfield on the New Hampshire coast (where over-30 'boarders pay only $10 for a 3-hour session on Wednesdays).

"Bros on boards – what could be better?" said Martens. "They are a great bunch of guys with different backgrounds, but a love of the sport. They are a real encouragement to new guys starting out. I remember them taking up a collection to get one of the newcomers a decent helmet."

Still, these Geezers don't suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome. They understand that they've grown up, and have responsibilities. They know they need to go to work in the morning. "I've been wanting to skateboard again for the longest time, but with two small kids, I wasn't sure it was the smartest thing," said 42-year-old Andrew Bjornson of West Newbury with a chuckle. "Almost every single Geezer wears pads and helmets all the time. We old guys have to be careful."

But they've also figured out that life's To Do list doesn't preclude a good skate session, or giving up a pastime they're passionate about. Falzone, who often works with troubled teenagers, will occasionally incorporate skateboarding into his counseling sessions. "It's all about progressive risk-taking," Falzone told me. "There are smart, healthy risks, and stupid risks. With skating, there's a real risk. It's a metaphor for life in a number of ways."

In a very real way, they're also inspiring the next generations of skateboarders to adopt their pastime as a lifetime sport. "That's something that's changing," said Falzone. "This current crop of kids will continue to keep skating, because they say, 'Why would I have to stop at 25, when I see this group of 40 or 50-year-olds out there?'"

At the park, the Geezers typically find that they're a welcomed addition, if a bit of a curiosity. Jones recalled a moment about three years when "I went to Coliseum, the now-defunct skateshop in Melrose, to buy some stuff. When I was paying, the guy behind the counter asked if the stuff was for my kid, to which I replied 'Well, that stuff is for my kids, and this stuff is for me,' And he said 'Aw, that's sick, dude!'"

"I never get any bad vibes or snide comments behind my back, maybe because we're so quick to make fun of ourselves we beat everyone else to the punch," said Jones. "Mostly I get treated as just another skater, and occasionally kids and younger guys will let me know that they think it's pretty cool that we're out there."

In fact, say the Geezers, occasionally immersing themselves in skateboarding actually benefits their home and work lives, because the sport can be a great stress-buster.

"My wife likes it because I come home in a great mood after a good session," said Forcucci, a 47-year-old engineer, and father of two, from Winchester.

Further, many have parlayed their positions as contributing members of society to give skateboarders – generally considered a politically ineffective group – a more mature voice. The Geezers, through advocacy and financial donations, have helped create, refurbish, and maintain several North area skateparks, notably Melrose, Newburyport, Malden, and Marlboro.

"The Geezers are older, wiser. Savvier," said Bjornson, referring to the group's efforts to help save the Newburyport Skate Park. "Younger kids might do it, but might not have the means or connections to make it happen."

Jean-Francois "JF" Fullum, a.k.a. "Monsieur Smooth," works with Bjornson at New Balance in Lawrence, and was instrumental in securing a $2,000 grant from the athletic shoe manufacturer for the Newburyport park. "It's part of our role to educate people and help reinforce that skating is here to stay and growing," said the 37-year-old Fullum. "Skateboarding is one of the fastest growing sport in the U.S., so we need a lot more facilities, especially on the East Coast. It frustrates me when I see empty baseball fields left and right; it's not the '50s anymore. Let's build more skateparks."

The group also brings a parental perspective to a sport that sometimes suffers from a "bad boy" image. While Falzone readily admits that skateboarding's "alternative" aura is part of its attraction, the Geezers also recognize that building and preserving skateparks is a great way to garner public approval.

"A lot of the street skaters are looked on negatively," said Forcucci. "But, I noticed this with skiers versus snowboarders, where snowboarders were looked at unfavorably back in the 90s. It's not the sport – it's the age. Young skiers were jerks on the mountain too. Young kids are going to get into trouble because they have the time and energy, period. Give them a place to skate and play or whatever, and it will take care of itself."

That's one of the reasons that Falzone and Callahan teamed up on the skatepark committee in Melrose. That facility, said Falzone, is "a very humble park, but it's the busiest quarter acre in Melrose by far. It gets so utilized, much more so than the soccer fields or basketball courts."

"Any park that gets built, I'm happy to have it," echoed Callahan. "We had nothing when I was a kid."

Looking to the future, the Geezers have set their sights on repairing the dilapidated ramp at Ipswich River Park, the Winchester skatepark, and the grand prize, the Charles River Skatepark by the Zakim Bridge in Boston. While the Charles River Conservancy has raised $2.5 million for this park (which officially launched in 2001), the project is moving at a snail's pace.

"Various Geezers are writing letters, trying to keep it alive, showing that people care," said Falzone. "All this money has been raised, but because a bunch of complex reasons, it's just not going anywhere yet.

According to the Charles River Conservancy web site, the delay is the result of "re-organization of state agencies and concern over long-term maintenance due to the recession." However, in July, the state Department of Conservation and Recreation announced it would issue a Request for Proposals for a company or organization to operate and maintain the skatepark, said the CRC. "It's a shame that a city like Boston doesn't have a world-class skatepark," said Falzone. "My hometown of Houston just put in a gorgeous world-class concrete park. There's no excuse that a city like Boston, where there's a very active skate scene, wouldn't have a great park."

But these Old Schoolers will continue skateboarding wherever there's a solid ramp, a smooth bowl, and a few like-minded free spirits. For as long as their bodies let them. "We are geeks at heart," said Brian Packham, a 47-year-old father of three from Melrose, about the Geezers of New England. "It's great to know others like yourself who have never lost the passion for skating."

To learn more about the Geezers of New England, visit goneskating.org.

Sidebar: Skateboard slang

If you're going to walk the walk, you'll want to talk the talk. Here's a quick-hit glossary to help you get started:

Air, noun. The space between your board and the ground during jumps and tricks.
Bail, verb. Falling off your board.
Bro, noun. A fellow skater or friend.
Gnarly, adj. A term meaning bad, horrible, or, occasionally, really good.
Locals, noun. The riders that frequently ride the area you're in.
Off the hook, phrase. Very cool, sweet, or unbelievable.
Old School, noun. Original skateboarding style, using fishtail boards and grab tricks.
Props, adj. Respect.
Rad, adj. Abbreviation of "radical," very impressive.
Session, noun. The time you're skating, like a musical session.
Sketchy, adj. A trick that needs work, or an unpredictable or damaged surface.
Stoked, verb. Really excited.
Street, adj. Skating that involves curbs, rails, and pyramids. Also done on streets.
Vert, adj. Skating that incorporates half-pipes.

FINIS

Nicky get your gun

One of the real joys of the writing business is getting to meet really interesting people, like young sharpshooter Nicole Ellis of Peabody. My story for the Boston Globe can be found here. Below is the original draft.

Nicole get your gun
Peabody sharpshooter sets sights on college, Olympic team

BILLERICA – From under her camouflaged baseball cap, Nicole Ellis peers through rose-tinted glasses, her features a study in concentration. Swirling winds at the Minute Man Sports Club have made her task all the more daunting. She slowly shoulders her Beretta 682 trap gun, steadies herself, and barks "Pull!" An orange clay comes spinning out of the bunkhouse, and Ellis tracks it like a cobra ready to strike before squeezing the trigger. An instant later, the clay shatters, compliments of Ellis's unerring eye.

The sight of a teenage girl so comfortable, so capable, with a shotgun might induce double takes from the uninitiated. Not at Minute Man, and not in the Ellis home. Her mother, Patricia Ellis, recalled a time when a sister-in-law, on seeing Nicole walk through the kitchen with her instrument of choice, rolled her eyes and quipped: "Some kids have a violin. Nicole has a gun."

Still, clay shooting is certainly further from the mainstream than Ellis's former pastime, Irish step dancing. From the age of 4 until she was 15, Ellis was a step-dancing enthusiast. Her folks spent thousands on lessons and elaborate dresses, as well as competitions. Eventually, though, Ellis said she tired of the subjectivity that began to permeate the sport, where placement was often decided on what program you belonged to, who your coach was, or what judge you had on any given day.

"It was all political," she said during a recent meet at the Minute Man Sports Club. "With shooting, you either hit the bird, or you don't. It's simple. I like that."

Toward the end of her freshman year at Peabody High, Ellis asked her dad about the guns he had stored in the basement. She had friends in ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps), and was intrigued by their conversations about shooting. Michael Ellis was once an avid shooter, but packed the guns away when his daughter was born. At her insistence, he took her to the Danvers Fish & Game Club in Middleton, and the pair began shooting pistols. Nicole soon graduated to rifle, and then shotgun.

Today, Ellis feels right at home here on the range. The shooting range. "It's a ton of fun," she said, flashing a broad smile. "I'm here to compete, and to enjoy myself and my friends. And if I'm winning in the process, that's pretty cool too."

For Ellis, winning is becoming a habit. This weekend, the 18-year-old is competing in the national Junior Olympics in Colorado Springs, CO. It is a return visit to the nationals for Ellis, who secured her first invitation last summer, less than three years after taking up the sport. Such a rapid rise through the ranks is far from commonplace, but her accomplishments don't surprise her coach, Hank Garvey. Ellis took full advantage of shooting being a year-round sport, and has embraced the sport's various disciplines, including trap and skeet, and various styles, including American and International.

"I can remember when she first started at Danvers Fish & Game with us. Nicole was as green as could be," said Garvey. "One of the greatest thing about her was that she never got too serious about herself. She always had an attitude of continuing to try, continuing to improve, continuing to work at it. It's been a great asset for her. She's never really shown any frustration with her performance over the years. And she's progressively gotten better and better over time."

Shooting clays requires physical skills, or "mechanics," such as core body strength, stamina, a calm demeanor, a steady hand, and above-average hand-eye coordination. The best shooters, however, can block out distractions. Garvey refers to it as the "vision channel."

"It's about getting on the right channel so your mind isn't wandering on to any inner thoughts, like having to win the competition or being focused on your competitors," said Garvey. "If you start to worry about those things, it will eat you up, and you won't perform to the best of your abilities. What we ask the kids to do is to worry about their performance goals, not their outcome goals. Performance goals include preparation, imagery, making sure your body is physically ready to do what it needs to do, and that you're on the vision channel.

"You can teach all the mechanics in the world, but the second side to this sport, and a huge part of it, is the mental preparation side. Nicole's been able to handle that side very, very well. When she approaches a competition, she'll put on her game face, and she's able to stay focused. She does exceptionally well because of that. That's a tribute to her. She's done everything we've asked her to do, and now she's reaping the benefits."

Last summer's Junior Olympics competition was admittedly a disappointment, said Ellis, as her gun jammed repeatedly, affecting her routine. However, the experience had a silver lining, as she met Olympic team coaches, rubbed elbows with a number of young shooters from around the country, and was introduced to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. The mid-size (15,000 students) liberal arts institution outside St. Louis is a dynasty in the sport of clay shooting, winning seven straight national collegiate championships, a run that would make most Division 1 basketball coaches salivate.

"The fact that Lindenwood had a shooting team really made it stand out for me," Ellis said. "And having such a good shooting team, how could I say 'No'?"

Ellis parlayed her superior grades at Peabody High (taking all Honors and Advance Placement courses, except for math) and superb shooting results into a scholarship (part academic, part athletic) with Lindenwood, where she plans to major in Fire and Paramedic Sciences. She said she won't put any additional pressure on herself, despite the school's overflowing trophy case, but definitely wants to take the sport as far as she can. That means a potential spot on the national development team and perhaps even a trip to the Olympics. She draws inspiration from Melissa Mulloy (now Melissa Mulloy Mecozzi), a Danvers native who took 8th place in the women's 50-meter rifle competition at the Sydney Summer Games in 2000.

At Lindenwood, where she's already known as "that girl from the Northeast," Ellis will join a team of roughly 120 shooters. She'll also have added inspiration – the team's head coach, Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Dulohery, was a member of the United States 2004 Olympic team. Just last weekend, Dulohery, who hopes to make the 2012 Olympic team, was competing at USA Shooting's national championships.

"Nicole will have some wonderful experiences competing at a collegiate level," said Garvey, adding that his star pupil has benefited from the support of her parents. "To think of where she started four years ago, and where she's going now, is just phenomenal."

All the while, Ellis maintains a sense of perspective that belies her age. "Making the national team, and the Olympic team, is the ultimate goal, but it's not the only goal. As long as I'm having fun shooting, that's what I want to be doing," she said before departing for Colorado. "As soon as it stops being fun, I'm just going to put the gun down."

Pressed, though, Ellis admits she doesn't see that happening. "It's something I'd love to do with my own kids someday," she said.


SIDEBAR
A sport on the rise
Clay shooting may not be a sport synonymous with Massachusetts, but it's one that's taken hold, and continues to flourish, especially on the North Shore.

"The sport as a whole, as a youth-involved sport, has grown tremendously in the last 10 years," said Hank Garvey, coach of the Minute Man Sharpshooters, and one of 38 people countrywide on the National Coach Development staff for USA Shooting. "Just in Massachusetts, there are more than 100 kids on different teams throughout the state."

Garvey and his wife, Mary, formed the Sharpshooters when their son, 11-year-old Hank Jr., expressed an interest in the sport. The group was originally based at the Danvers Fish & Game, but later moved to the Minute Man Sports Club (minutemansportsmen.com) on the Billerica/Burlington line to accommodate its growing numbers.

"They've rolled out the red carpet for us," said Garvey. "We have ample fields to train in all kinds of disciplines, and also have multiple coaches to work with kids on individual things."

In addition to a first-rate facility, the Sharpshooters also give members access to three national organizations: the Scholastic Clay Target Program (sssfonline.org); AIM (Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship) through the Amateur Trap Association (shootata.com); and USA Shooting (usashooting.com). Those organizations, and the club structure, are helping to erase any misconceptions about the sport.

"You might not think of Massachusetts as a gun-friendly state, but I'm finding it to be just the opposite," said Garvey, who taught hunting and shooting for two decades before forming the Sharpshooters club. "We have a lot of athletes coming from non-shooting families. I've found that anyone who tries shooting, nine times out of 10 they want to do it again.

"The first thing, and most important thing, we teach the kids is gun safety. That's our primary concern. We build it up from there. As the kids show the capability to be able to handle a firearm, we give them more responsibility."

FINIS

Spin cycle ...

My advance of the Gran Prix of Beverly for the Boston Globe on Aug. 1, 2010. Printed version can be found here.

Gran Prix promises a grand evening of bike racing

Take hundreds of bike racers, all pumping their legs at more than 100 revolutions per minute, pegging their heart rates at 200 beats per minute and hitting speeds of close to 40 miles an hour, combine them with a tight, technical course running along city streets and a raucous crowd toting cowbells, and you've got all the ingredients for one scintillating state championship.

This Wednesday, the heart of downtown Beverly will again be transformed into a race venue, as the 2nd annual Fidelity Investments Gran Prix of Beverly brings high-end criterium bike racing back to the Garden City. Last year's inaugural event proved such a success among racers, spectators and city officials that it was rescheduled to coincide with the 44th annual Beverly Homecoming, ensuring even bigger crowds. Another draw for elite racers is that USA Cycling, the sport's governing body, recently awarded the Gran Prix the title of state championship. It can also serve as a nice tune-up for the USA Cycling Pro Criterium National Championship being held on Aug. 14 in Illinois.

"Any time you have the word 'championship' attached to an event, it definitely makes you want to target it, makes you really try your best that night," said Tim Johnson of the UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis squad, a Middleton native now living in Beverly. "Being a state championship definitely puts the GP of Beverly on a higher plain than some other races."

Held on relatively short circuit course, a criterium features competitors constantly jockeying for position as they repeatedly circle past spectators at high speeds. Each race lasts between 40 minutes and an hour, and consists of several "races within a race," called primes (pronounced "preems"), resulting in non-stop, white-knuckle action. The race is expected to highlight a number of Beverly-based racers who've established themselves as top-flight riders on the national level, including Johnson, Jesse Anthony of Kelly Benefit Strategies, and Shawn Milne of Team Type 1. Add former Team Saturn stars Lyne Bessette (Johnson's wife) and Mark McCormack, Saugus native Maureen Bruno Roy of M&M Racing, and last year's winner, Benjamin Zawicki of Richmond Pro Cycling, and spectators can count on a exciting evening of racing.

"As a local, I'm partial to the Beverly Gran Prix, but even as a racer I have to admit that it is one very cool event," said Milne, a Gloucester native who now calls Beverly home. "There need to be more races that are oriented around local businesses. Coming through the start/finish line of last year's event was as exhilarating as any crit that I have done because the crowds were just amazing."

Those crowds are a welcome sight for city officials and race organizers, as both groups consider the event a win-win situation. "The city has embraced this event," said race director Paul Boudreau. "City officials have partnered with us throughout the planning process, and acted as a liaison between the race and businesses on the race course."

Local restaurants Soma and Mandrake were granted one-day licenses permitting sidewalk service alongside the racecourse, adding to the festival atmosphere, while nearby Chianti Tuscan Restaurant and Jazz Lounge is hosting a post-race party.

"It's desirable for a city to have activities that are unusual, special," said Beverly Mayor William Scanlon. "They were able to build a course that was short enough so you certainly didn't get bored. Seeing those racers coming around the corners and hitting the straightaway sections was really something.

"Now people know about it. All the people who saw the race last year will be coming back, and bringing more people with them," said Scanlon. "Last year, all the spectators were pretty much on the Cabot Street, but this year I'd expect to see more all around the loop."

That "loop," which incorporates Hale, Dane, and Winter streets as well as Cabot Street, also serves as a unusual attraction to both racers and spectators, says Boudreau. Most criterium races are held on giant ovals, similar to NASCAR races. The Gran Prix of Beverly, however, features six corners, more like a Formula 1 race, making for a much more challenging course that puts a premium on biking handling as well as pure speed.

Future cycling stars will also have a chance to shine, as organizers have scheduled free Kids Races (ages 5-12) at Beverly Common, followed by a Kids Parade down Cabot Street (these events are free, but require registration). The amateur men's race is set to start at 4:30. The women's state championship race is scheduled for 5:20, and the showcase elite men's state championship race slated for 6:35.

For details, visit granprixbeverly.com.

FINIS