MW/GL Banquet

[DanO966]

Ya it was great to see everyone again!!
Nuttin' like a little winter bench racing.  

Nice job Tiff!

Stumpy...how was the party?  Sorry I missed it we ended up closing the bar and I had to drive back to Crystal Lake... ;)

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Tiff, take a bow!  
That was a great banquet.  I was the one who originally suggested the Clocktower Inn, and I really don't think it would have been one bit nicer if we'd held the banquet there instead.  The thing about needing signs to find the banquet was a hotel problem, not a CCS problem.
My favorite part of the evening was Kim Olsen getting the "On the Gas" award from Learning Curves.  What a well deserved honor.  For those who don't know kim, she has every possible disadvantage.  She's a woman in a man's sport, she's larger than your typical 150 lbs racebike jockey, she's dead broke at all times, she didn't know a dang thing about how to sport-ride a motorcycle before she began racing one, and she's on a TL1000, for cripes sake!  Inspite of that, Kim never stops trying.  For all the time, blood, bruises and money she's invested, Kim has one fifth place plaque to her credit.  It's been an uphill struggle, but Kim never tires of trying. She's always (mostly) in a good mood, and never (mostly) fails to brighten the spirits of everyone around her.  (Remember, Kim.  There's no crying in baseball!!! ;))
I'm honored to be Kim's friend, and I totally salute Rick Breur for choosing her to recieve the award.

[stumpy]

 Ya!!!! What K3 said....Great Job Kim! Good to see you made it, And even got to give a speech. With no notes or anything ;)

StUmPy

[TiffineyIngram]

I am thrilled that everyone had a great time.  I booked the resort again for January 15, 2005, so mark your Slider Photo calendars!  The only changes will be:
We are now in the Lake Lawn/Queen's Table room.  It holds up to 350 guests and has higher ceilings.
All tables will be the same size as this year, however they will seat 8 instead of 10 (more elbow room).
Cocktail "hour" starts at 6pm and goes until 7:30.

I think I have made changes to meet everyone's requests.  Unfortunately, since there are so many banquets and events going on at the resort at the same time, we are unable to hang CCS banners or signs.  However, on the invitations for next year the room will be listed along with a resort map (I had no idea it would be so BIG!).

Thank you all again, and I'll (hopefully) see you all again very soon!

P.S.--Doc, you and your lovely wife are awesome!  Thank you so much for the baby bibs and safety gear!  I can't wait to see Bean wear his first checkered flag!

[KBOlsen]

I just want you all to know I'm still blushing.  

And I'm still not convinced that John didn't know something was "up" by the way he kept insisting I come out Saturday night.

Now, that scruffy, scary-lookin' guy really deserves an award.  If it wasn't for him sending me home on his Hayabusa one fine summer day NONE of this would have ever happened.  

When I said I wanted to take a riding school, he cheerfully taped up and removed the bodywork from his immaculate, pristine TLR so I'd be able to make the April date with Learning Curves.  He even found a second one, thinking I could ride the '98 full-time on the street, thereby getting more comfortable with it.  When I trashed the first one the weekend before the second one was ready to make its' debut, he never got upset.

He never complained about the nights spent sleeping on the passenger seat in our van (he insisted that I sleep on the slightly longer and flatter bench in the back, next to the bike).  Nor did he ever say a word about giving up all his vacation days so we could spend our weekends at the track.

When things were going really bad, he never tried to influence my decision to tough it out.  It was always "Whatever you want to do"... and I believe he meant it.

The ultimate happened at the June Blackhawk this year, when my motor munched itself during Friday practice.  When the bike came off the crash truck and he turned the key, hit the button and nothing happened, saying "It's done", I figured that meant exactly that.  Motors are expensive and by all indications we would need at the very least a new head, cylinder, piston, etc.  I figured we'd go home, and I'd just come back out Saturday to watch my friends compete.  I never expected for him to take the bike home, park it next to the other one and then move ALL the components from one to the other (he'd never swapped motors on a Japanese bike and not wanting to take any chances, figured it would be easier to move everything ELSE around).  We left the track at around 4 p.m. and by midnight we loaded an identically-prepped bike into the van and were back at the track by 2 a.m.

As for quitting... how the heck could ANYONE quit coming out to a place with so many generous, friendly and otherwise wonderful people?  Even in the beginning when things were REALLY scary (those who shared the grid with me those first few outings know what I mean) I was amazed by the number of folks who were genuinely interested in trying to help... CCS staff, cornerworkers, hell, everyone!

Racers are truly a class by themselves.  I'm just proud as hell to know you all.

[tzracer]

I was very pleased when Rick told me who the recipient would be. I wish I could be as cheerful as Kim when things go wrong. I am glad that we changed the award from a go fast amateur award to a sportsmanship award. There is far more to racing than going fast. The main reason I still race after 21 seasons (motocross, karts, and roadracing) is the people at the track. People like Kim make teaching riders school worth all the work. Congratulations Kim.

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

I am thrilled that everyone had a great time.  I booked the resort again for January 15, 2005, so mark your Slider Photo calendars!  The only changes will be:
We are now in the Lake Lawn/Queen's Table room.  It holds up to 350 guests and has higher ceilings.
All tables will be the same size as this year, however they will seat 8 instead of 10 (more elbow room).
Cocktail "hour" starts at 6pm and goes until 7:30.

I think I have made changes to meet everyone's requests.  Unfortunately, since there are so many banquets and events going on at the resort at the same time, we are unable to hang CCS banners or signs.  However, on the invitations for next year the room will be listed along with a resort map (I had no idea it would be so BIG!).

Thank you all again, and I'll (hopefully) see you all again very soon!

     Tiff, I'm glad to see that you took our critique as suggestions for the future as we intended them to be, and not complaints. (After all women in your condition have been known to be..umm...well...overly sensitive shall we say?  ;)  ;D LOL )

     It sounds like you have things set pretty well for next year, good job! :) A map of the resort will help alot since we now know we can't have signs at the resort. Just out of curiosity, what was our grand total on attendance numbers? When you mentioned the capacity of our next room that made me wonder.

     Also a big Thanks to Kevin for hosting the awards ceremony and doing a good job at it too!  :)

[GSXR RACER MIKE]

No...

You shaved from the last time I saw you...LOL!

Didn't I have that dazed look on my face...?

I though that I would see you, but...   ::)

     Don't you have that look all the time? LOL, just kidding Dave  ;D I kind of thought you wouldn't recognize me, after all we have never really talked face to face yet, other than a passing hello. That will change this year when I attend your VRS University class, and I will TRY and not babble on and on like I do here  ;D (I realize your time is very valuable). I am planning on running up in the front group this year, like I did in the past, so hopefully I will be seeing alot more of you on the track too!

[Super Dave]

    Don't you have that look all the time?


 I am planning on running up in the front group this year, like I did in the past, so hopefully I will be seeing alot more of you on the track too!

LOL!  I do.

And the more the up front, the better.
 ;D

[TiffineyIngram]

I had 185 reservations for Saturday evening, and I believe next year we'll top that.  I'm setting up the room a little differently so there's more room to meet and greet, so that's why I wanted the biggest and best room they've got.
 ;D

And I don't see any of the critiques as complaints--I figure that's the only way I can get the banquets the way y'all want them, and I think I've gotten pretty dern close this time.  Keep in mind, though, you guys make the banquet fun, I just make sure tummies get filled.

P.S.--Open bar?  Never going to happen again.  Been there, done that, and I think we can all agree it wasn't a great idea.

[K3 Chris Onwiler]

Ok, next year we want the Rosemont Horizon.  We'll have the banquet in the sky boxes, and hold a pit bike race down on the main floor, right next to the open bar... ;D

Best banquet ever, Tiff!  You da man, woman!

[StumpysWife]

Kim, no one is more deserving of that award than you.  You had me all teared up.  

K3, Congrats to you and your "neighbor".  You're right, every racer has one.  Our guy is John. Great speech!  

Even if Stump didn't get to give a speech (don't they have prizes for best looking or something?), it was a wonderful way to break up the winter.  Also, we finally put some faces with names (GSXR Racer Mike!).    

I've never been to a CCS banquet, but I think it was great.  The larger room next year makes sense.  Good job!  

We're really looking forward to next season, the sophomore year, and what the white plates have in store for us.

Or should I put it this way, what Stumpy has in store for the white plates.  Yup, that sounds better  ;).

Heather