Oct. 5, 2005

"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the
illusion of knowledge." Daniel J. Boorstin

Oct. 30 has been set for the rescheduled MeatPie Triathlon in
Natchitoches.

<<Pro Cyclist George Hincappie Visiting Shreveport Oct. 9>>
Sent Via Alan Moore
Stage 15 winner of the Tour de France George Hincappie will be
visiting and riding in Shreveport on Oct. 9 at 5 p.m. It will be a
family-type ride starting from the WK Portico Center at 7925 Youree
Drive in Shreveport. There will be no entry fee, but participants
must register to ride by faxing forms to Sportspectrum. To get a
form call 318.798.1241. The first 300 registrants will get a t-
shirt. Hincappie will be meeting and mingling with folks starting at
2 p.m.

<<Oct. 9 Atchafalaya Duathlon Cancelled>>
From Keith Hebert, kthebert54@...
Yes, we decided to cancel due our first Atchafalaya Duathlon due to a
combination of issues.

Local law enforcement could not guarantee manpower because they have
people spread thin within St. Martin Parish as well as helping out
in neighboring parishes; our volunteer groups of Knights of Columbus
have members who are now out of town working with Katrina and Rita
relief efforts so that our volunteer numbers have dropped; the
Atchafalaya Welcome Center is without power as we speak, etc., etc.
It became an issue of safety, manpower, etc.

So we felt it best to cancel. Resources and monies will be
distributed to help with hurricane relief and we are now setting our
sites on Evangeline Oak Duathlon in February, 2006 in St.
Martinville.

From Heath Fontana
Sorry guys. When I received the Louisiana Multisport Report e-mail
recently that stated the race was to be held on Oct 9, I assumed it
was accurate information. Further investigation shows it's
cancelled. I apologize. No one feels more let down than I. Word is
the Piney Hills Classic off-road bike and multisport races are still
on, but I would check for sure before traveling to the event site in
Ruston.

<<Tarvers Report on Rita Damage to Lake Charles, Sulphur Area>>
From Diane Tarver
I was checking my email using a cell phone and a lap top plugged
into a generator.

It is a slow connection but at least it is a little contact.
Our family evacuated but we came back in behind the storm on Sat
night. We repaired the minor damage on our home and those around us.

Fully 50 percent of the trees are down and what is left is stripped.
It looks like winter. Roads were not drivable and we had to zigzag
around trees and power poles to get in. After a few days, the roads
are now more clear. Gas is limited. Most that are here are living on
generators, us included. However, we feel we have secure our home so
we may take a break and leave for a few days.

At this time, I cannot run my business. There is no mail or UPS, so I
cannot get my orders in or out. The website is still accepting
orders, but I cannot process and ship until the city allows people
to return. Calcasieu Parish is literally closed. I-10 is open but
the National Guard is not allowing exit off the interstate. Those
that come in are using back roads.

Schools are closed and suffered much damage. We drove by the high
school to see the damage and the National Guard has set up base
there and our new aquatic facility. As we drive down the road or
check the distribution points for supplies, it is hard to image that
these are all strangers to our town that have come in to help. Most
disappointing is that the national news still has more focus on
Katrina and little on Rita. They also focus on Texas
cities that were hit although Louisiana is suffering as well.

Hope all is well on the outside world. As soon as I get to a point
that I can get internet access that is not so slow, I want to post
some pictures of the storm on our website. Thanks to all those that
have emailed or tried to call.

<<Cajun Country Half Marathon Set Dec. 3>>
From Rusty Bex
The fourth annual Cajun Country Half Marathon is scheduled for Dec.
3, 2005. Set for Acadiana Park in Lafayette, the event features a
hybrid course consisting of almost three miles of cross country
running. It is ideal for the beginner as well as the seasoned
veteran.

In addition, the CCHM can serve as a great training race for the
upcoming 2006 marathon season.

Registration is limited to 300. So please register early. We will
have online registration only. You can register by going to
www.lafayettefitness.org and clicking on the Cajun Country Half
Marathon button or you can click on the below hyperlink.
http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1241887

<<Arizona Cyclists Looking for Ways to Help Hurricane Relief>>
From Brad Jones, jonescamp@...
I am a member of the White Mountain Road Club in the metro area of
Phoenix, AZ. I don't represent the club in any formal capacity, but I
would like to ask you a couple of questions about finding a
bike-related need to be supported in the wake of Katrina. Our club
tossed around the idea of making a donation to one of the major
charities last month, but I suggested that we use our personal funds
for general relief and wait until we can find a peer group in New
Orleans that might benefit from a collective donation from our club's
year-end leftover funds.

Could you email me some info about what needs have arisen in your
area as a result of the hurricane and flooding, including who and
how we can help in at least some small way? Is there another
resource you might suggest I connect with to explore the needs in
your area?

<<Pensacola Run May be Recipe for Relief>>
Oct. 26th is set for the Halloween Fun Run. It's a $5 fee to run.
Call 850.934.1248 or check out captnfun.net.

<<Still Lots of Bike Racing Going on for Louisiana Riders>>
From Alan Moore
This is just an update on race results for those who might be
interested and to know that there's still some racing left in the
season...just in other places.

Arkansas Mercy Celebrity Classic Report
Team LaS'port based in Shreveport had a couple of riders in
attendance. Heath Fontana won the Masters 35+/Cat. 4-5 criterium. He
then came back to take 8th place in the Cat. 4-5 race after nearly
crashing with three turns to go to the finish on a wet course
(thanks to the remnants of hurricane Hurricane Rita). He uncleated
and got a couple of nice bruises on the backs of his lower legs.
He raced again the next day, getting a second place in the Masters
35+/Cat. 4-5 event. LaS'port's Shannon Koch raced the Women's Open
events, getting a 3rd place and a sixth place the next day. Baton
Rouge rider Stan Prutz of Tiger Cycling got 18th in the Cat. 4-5
crit and 15th in the Masters 35+/Cat. 4-5 race on Saturday. He
finished out an IronMan-effort day by taking 8th in the Masters 45-
54 race!

You can find complete results at:
http://www.thecelebrityclassic.org/events/cycling/results.html

Shannon Koch has been busy racing the last few weeks, doing the
Twilight Criterium in Athens, GA and a criterium in Gainsville. Then
it was a return to Atlanta for the 10km Classic. You can read her
take on the races at her blog: http://fcshannon.blogspot.com/

Several LaS'port riders will be participating in the Texas state
road race championships the weekend of Oct. 8th and we'll probably
call it a season after that.

<<USA Triathlon Report from Regional Board>>
Olen Penn
info@...
New Board Member
First off, our new board member to replace Renae Mitchell is David
Young. The current board voted Young in during our Sept. 27th
teleconference. He is widely known in the Dallas community. He
currently manages Keifer swim shop and coaches the Plano Wetcats
Masters Swim Team. He has ties to many of the Dallas area tri clubs
and is also an IronMan many times over, having participated in the
original Hawaii IronMan races far before Kona obtained the status it
holds today. Contact him at irondave@....

All current board members will serve the SMW region through Dec. 31,
2006.

2006 Frost Yer Fanny
This is shaping up to be one big party that all you athletes do not
want to miss. This year we will be serving food around 6 p.m. and
getting things moving at a faster pace so that many of you can turn
in and get your zzzzzzzzs! This year, Chris Hunt, who is in charge
of rankings, is not planning on giving out glasses or serving
trays. Chris is working on something special and I wish him luck.
This year, we will be giving out the second annual Super Competitor
Awards. These awards will be for the male and female who completed
the most duathlons and the male and female that completed the most
triathlons.

Online registration for Frost Yer Fanny has been set up. The address
is http://signmeupsports.com/index_tri.htm. I beg anyone that plans
on attending to sign pre-register. We have more than $2,000 in
multisport merchandise to give away, but the kicker is that it will
be split amongst those that pre-register. If we go off of last years
numbers, then 35 people will make out like bandits, and 100 will sit
there and watch. Don't sit around and watch, get into the drawing.
For those of you who don't want to register online, you can mail
your payment. Mail information can be found on the online form. The
price is $16 until Dec. 31, and then there is a late fee.

The second thing you need to do after registering is to book your
hotel. Board member Terry Kincaid of West Monroe is handling the FYF
details. He has informed us of a special $65 rate. Last year, the
$65 rate did not last very long, so don't hesitate to book your room.

The race venue is also different this year. It will be a
5km/30km/5km held on the Louisiana Tinman Triathlon venue.

2006 Championship Races
We have selected the 2006 championship races for the SMW region.
These are the races that will weigh heavy towards your regional
rankings.
Duathlon
Regional Lazy E Formula 1 Guthrie, OK
AR State Du for The Parks Hot Springs, AR
LA State Opelousas Rotary Opelousas, LA
OK State Fall Classic Bethany, OK
TX State Dogwood Palestine, TX
Triathlon
Regional Marble Falls Marble Fall, TX
Regional Sprint Stonebridge Ranch McKinney, TX
AR State Ozark Valley Fayetteville, AR
LA State Hidden Paradise Ruston, LA
OK State The Lighthouse Oklahoma City, OK
TX State D Scott Texas Man Dallas, TX
You will need to check with the USAT national calendar or contact
these race directors to find out the exact dates for 2006. Clubs
races have not been listed because the club chairperson has
presented an alternative plan. We are interested in hearing the
athletes' views towards the club championships.

Hurricane Katrina
The hurricane caused the cancellation of the Lake Charles Gatorman.
The Gatorman was to be the Louisiana State championship. The board
voted and decided to award the championship status to the Meatpie
Tri. Hurricane Rita caused the postponement of the Meatpie Tri. The
race has been rescheduled for Oct. 30, 2005. The race is capped at
350 and already filled up. Go to
http://www.runwild.us/meatpietri.htm for contact information.

Know the course!
I just returned from volunteering at a local race in McKinney, TX.
My job was to lead the international distance lead runner through
the 10km course. I rode the course Saturday with the race director
to make sure I knew it. I rode it again the morning of the race to
make sure. As I was leading the lead runner out on the course, there
came a time when a volunteer was telling everyone to turn left when
the YELLOW arrows said to go straight. The point here is that
everyone should have KNOWN to go straight. If you didn't, you didn't
pay attention to the announcements and, well you did a little
extra. Volunteers and law enforcement officers are not usually
athletes and don't study the course like YOU and ME. My view on this
has changed as I've learned more about triathlon. I lost a race last
year because I missed the turn-a-round. I blamed the officer that
told me to go straight when it really was my fault. I didn't know
the course, hadn't looked at a map, and showed up to the race 20
minutes before it started.

Goals accomplished
The last regional letter ended with me telling you my goals of
completing my first half and full IronMan-distance races. On Aug.
20th, I completed Degray Lake Half IronMan and it was not a pretty
day. The heat, humidity, and hills claimed many athletes with truly
10 percent who did not finish. You can talk to anyone who was there
that weekend and they will tell you how tough the conditions were.
I look forward to returning next year. You can look for a full recap
of the race on the www.smwtriathlon.org website shortly. On Sept.
24th, around 8:30 p.m., I completed the Redman IronMan. I battled
cramps, fatigue, heat, and humidity. All I can say is that there are
a lot of things that can go wrong during 140.6 miles. Finishing is
an accomplishment all of its own. The guys in OKC did a good job for
a first year event and even better considering that this was only
their second year putting on races. A full recap of the race will
also be available on the regional website.

One last hurrah!
There is one last high point duathlon and triathlon left this
season. The triathlon is closed, but the duathlon in OKC is wide
open. Be in Oklahoma on Oct. 16th for the Fall Classic state
championship.

Races still to go:
Oct. 8, 2005, Dogwood Duathlon III, Palestine, TX
Oct. 9, 2005, South Padre Island Tri, South Padre, TX
Oct. 16, 2005, Fall Classic Du, Bethany, Ok
Oct. 16, 2005, Keep Texas Wild Sprint Tri,Mathis, TX
Oct. 16, 2005, LAC Fall Tri, Flower Mound, TX
Oct. 22, 2005, Tru Texan Tri, Borne, TX
Oct. 22, 2005, Piney Hills Off Road Du, Ruston, LA
Oct. 23, 2005, Abilene Frontier F-1 Du, Abilene, TX

With this being said, it is time for you to start paying attention
to your regional rankings. Go to
http://www.smwtriathlon.org/rankings/rankings.asp
and look at the lasted rankings which are supposed to be updated
twice a month. If you have done three triathlons or three duathlons
in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Texas, or Arkansas, you should be ranked.
If you are not ranked, or your time is incorrect for a race, or your
name/results are with another athlete with the same name as you, you
need to start contacting us to find out why. It is up to you find
errors now and not wait until we have put names to the awards to
complain.

++++++++++

That's it from here. Bless God America.

Kenny Dunaway
2325 Weymouth Drive #D
Baton Rouge, LA 70809-1481
USA
225/296-7490
Isaiah 40:31; John 3:16