Photo by Paul Lagos
ONE TWO THREE!
The Race Report that I would script has less to do with racing the race, but rather the process of creating the manifest and rallying the volunteers.
This would be a novel if I were go backtrack to he initial planning and creating of this manifest. The Confer Cat is Cate Cohen's brain child. Cate was David's girlfriend\partner. And each year around David's August Birthday Cate hosts an event with dual purpose. Cate hosts an event that in the spirit of David Confer brings the DC Cycling Community together and then also the event works to spread the word about Systemic Racism and how the system has failed us. It is Cates understanding and belief that David was refused proper treatment because the system favors the wealthy and the white.
Creating the manifest?
It was a process. Early on in the planning Cate and I discussed the returning checkpoints and the new theme. Cate thought fountains... I agreed... FOUNTAINS OF YOUTH! It was decided that I would create a manifest with destinations that fell under the theme of Fountains of Youth!
The intention was to create an Alleycat that carried the Spirit of David Confer. The goal was to create a different race that include a handful of the primary checkpoints of Confer Cats Past. Easy enough... sure. But really... everything is easier said than done. There was planning on the computer and there was planning on the bike. Locations had to be scoped out and approaches had to be pre-ridden. It is a process. Volunteers need to be found and assignments need to be created. Part of my intention was to create a challenging Alleycat with fun and foolishness thrown in... BUT... I wanted the Alleycat Race to be scored strictly... no subjectivity... I wanted it such that Alleycat Racers would need to DO THE CHALLENGES, but the challenges were simply Pass Fail and there score on the achievement was not factored into the finishing score, the race would be determined by FASTEST COMPLETE MANIFEST. Basically finishing order, for those that finish with a complete manifest.
This is where the idea of TWO MANIFESTS came about... I thought that there could be an Alleycat Race manifest and then a Just for Fun Alleycat Lite manifest. Thus allowing riders not interested in racing to get to migrate the city, go to some of the Confer Cat Checkpoints and participate in some of the challenges and get scored on a subjective Just for Fun sort of way. One example of the Classic Confer Cate returning checkpoints would be the Sashay Challenge at the Titanic Memorial... a favorite to many... less of a favorite to me as its subjective scoring played too greatly into race finish order... but I know this checkpoint has its place... for me this check point represented some of the confusion or years past. I wanted the event to allow Cate and Company to have their silliness and their fun... their subjective scoring... and their random prize give away... while not conflicting with messenger types doing an messenger style race that gets scored in a less subjective sort of way.
Cate and I would have direct message conversations and occasional phone calls. I understood, this is Cate Cohen's event... Cate has the power of Veto.... Cate gets the final say.
It was late in the process in working with Cate that I heard the words, "I do not want to throw a 'REAL' Alleycat"
This was a notion that I was slow to realize. It was intentional in years past that people were rewarded more greatly for subjectivity than action performance. Oh... that was not a mistake? My bad. Just as I had to learn Cate's intentions. I think Cate grew to understand my effort and my intention. The two manifest system made sense. Two different manifests with two different sets of objectives and two different ways of scoring... great... something for everyone!
Communication. It is all about communication. Communication can be tough.
Cate is a strong woman. This is Cate's event. I also have a strong personality. Cate has a strong personality. The event planning was a process. The communication was part of the organic process. As things moved along and the manifest developed I started to create checkpoint games and get an idea of checkpoint challenges. Sponsors popped up and there was the acquisition of items for checkpoint pick ups.
The process of creating an Alleycat can be fun. Cate and I talked and Cate gave me a basic outline to build off of by having the Bartholdi Fountain at the base of the US Capitol Grounds as the Start and then The Pug as the finish. Then of course there would be Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown Hospital Center as Bonus Checkpoints. There were some Best of Confer Cats Past that were also on the list... Hole in the Wall and The Titanic Memorial, other than that... it was just an effort to follow the fountain theme. We knew that the race would be in August and we thought that it could be COOL and FUN to have the racers go to a few SPLASH PARKS and have COOL DOWN OPPORTUNITIES during the race!
The Alleyat and its potential checkpoints occupied the recesses of my brain. As I did Uber Eats on my bike I rolled past all sorts of fountains and splash parks and considered the Alleycat potential.
Eventually as we were getting closer to Game Time I had a basic manifest... I presented it to Cate... we talked about things... I let her know that we would finish the Alleycat Race Manifest and then we\she could decide how to modify this manifest for the Just for Fun Alleycat Lite Manifest. Then Cate threw a few more forgotten checkpoints into the mix... Don Juan's in Mount Pleasant and Cate\David's house in NE... now worries... those two spots fit in... this will all work. Sure... these checkpoints will make things a little longer... Don Juan's is just a little more north and then the 1000 K Street would have racers go past the Pug and Have to go back on what I believed to be a logical loop. But these things were important and these things worked.
There were so many ideas... What other places had David included in previous events? What were David's interest? Would we have a KITE FLYING CHALLENGE at a Checkpoint? What games and fun would we have at this event that would be DAVID-ESQUE! DICE AND CARDS! We would have some Dice Games and a Card Game.
As said... we would have some manned checkpoints from Confer Cats past in the 2024 event. Two of these spots would be The Hole in the Wall spot with its Locks of Love art installation and the Titanic Memorial. Both of these checkpoints came along with enthusiastic volunteers. Alan Goad was going to be the master mind behind the Hole in the Wall checkpoint while Cate's sister Amy would be the energetic host of the Sashay Challenge at the Hole in the Wall Checkpoint... perfect... that makes things easier... no need to micromanage either of those people... they know what needs to happen... that makes things easier for me in that respect... but what about the other checkpoints?
The process is organic. Things fall apart as things are coming together. There was the talk of getting some inexpensive Sunglasses from one sponsor... so... I had thought that we could have sunglasses picked up at an early checkpoint and those sunglasses would have to be worn in the Bonus Selfies... but... it turns out the sunglasses were not available... so modify on the move... water bottle pick up at that same spot...
When Cate added Don Juan's I took a measure how that northern checkpoint effected the manifest... not much of an alteration... racers would have to go to Meridian Hill\Malcolm X Park... Don Juan's in Mount Pleasant would not be much further. I have had Kelvin at Don Juan's run various challenges in Alleycats past... we thought bout what had been done and what should be done... we both agreed that The Hot Sauce Challenge had been done and we needed to come up with something else. We both came up empty. I had to step back and give this some thought. Checked the Web for DIY Games... was not having any luck... then I looked at my life and my things around me... I had some empty Deer Park 5 Gallon Water jugs... I thought further... hmmm... what could be done? I created a game.
Pick a Card and Take A Lap Carrying the Jugs
Kelvin was given two decks of cards.
Racers upon arrival picked a Card
The card they pick would decide how many jugs they had to carry on a small loop from the patio at Don Juan's across the street and around the art installation in Lamont Park by Hester Nelson
ACE WINS! Signature and Roll - No Jug Carry
Face Card! One Jug and One Lap
Even Card! Two Jugs and One Lap
Odd Card! Three Laps and One Lap
I saw Vik's video from when Dario and Vik did this checkpoint challenge... it played out better than I had planned! Thanks Kelvin for Volunteering and Running that Checkpoint!
While talking games... there was also a dice game... David Loved Dice Games... David hosts events with Dice Checkpoints and even hosted the World Series of Dice Alleycat which had a Just for Fun Feel to it...
Just as I created a card game... I thought I would create a Dice Game... then it came to me... Laps at the Fountain at Banneker Park at L Enfant! YES! Perfect. I Created a Dice Game!
DOUBLES ARE LUCKY
Roll the Dice - Ride Your Laps - Get Signature
racers would roll up
roll the dice
DOUBLES ARE LUCKY
Double Ones - NO LAPS - Signature and Roll
Double Sixes - NO LAPS - Signature and Roll
any other doubles - Number of Laps same as Number on Dice
Mismatch Roll add the Dice
Maxium of Seven Laps
EXCELLENT! I am not a dice game player... yet I created a card game and now I have created a Dice Game! I AM AMAZING! Yes... my lips are numb from tooting my own trumpet and my arm I sore for patting myself on my back.
A week out from Race Day I had a volunteer locked in for this checkpoint. One Wheel Cody was stoked to run the Dice Game... Cody is a D&D player... dice are part of his life... Cody and I discussed the game and its simplicity... Cody was on... Cody Upped the Fun Factor and bought 100 Purple Dice! Each Racer\Rider would get to keep a set of Purple Dice! PURPLE DICE! Cody brought in a nod to Dzhoy!
But then... later in the week... actually... I think it was on the eve of Race Day... I learn... Cody has\had Covid... he is recovering... Cody is still in the Quarantine Window. Now... the event is outside... Cody could wear a mask... but honestly... as an event organizer... I wanted to do anything and everything that I could do to keep people safe... Cody and I talked... we went back and forth... in short... in the end it was determined by all that it would be best if Cody sit this one out. I had initially thought I would send at least one person to assist Cody... turns out I would send someone to replace Cody and then have that person work with them instead. Bob Cannon of Bikenetic Crowd and a guy named Aaron had stepped up as volunteers. I direct messaged them... they were willing and able to take on the Doubles Are Lucky Dice Game and Laps at Banneker Park at l Enfant. Cody was a trooper. Cody stepped down and then sent the 100 Purple Dice to me via Uber Delivery that night! Thanks Cody! Thanks for you contribution... hope you are feeling better soon!
Oh man... so many pieces of the puzzle... so much wrangling of volunteers at the last minute.
Although the ADMO BID did not have anything to donate this year... I would supplement some of the prize bags with ADMO Swag from events past... and then I needed to grab some water bottles from the NOMA BID... Thanks for the Support... grabbed a big box of water bottles from the NOMA BID! The Water bottles would be used instead of sunglasses at the Yard Park Splash Park! But this box would need volunteer assistance. I was able to enlist Rasika... and then paired Rasika with Deaf Ben... they were given instructions... they were to meet up... ride to Cate and David's... pick up the water bottles... and be AT THE START ONTIME... then take the water bottles to their assigned checkpoint for hand out... the notion of being ONTIME was stressed to everyone... I snapped when one volunteer was building into his day the notion that things would start late... did not want excuses... did not want late... just wanted people to be on time and to complete their tasks as assigned
Organizing Volunteers can be like Spinning Plates.
I was spinning lots of plates.
So... things were coming together... the thing about events like this... they can not be planned too much too far out... things may change... there could be road construction... or life plans... the tendency is that the person who volunteers first is most likely the first person to cancel... so as frenetic as the planning can be with the last minute volunteer assignments... in many ways that is how it has to be done... the reality... it is better to run an Alleycat without having to have manned checkpoints... but to have silly games... you have to have manned checkpoints
in this idea of different places to send racers I had thought Buzzard Point would be a great checkpoint location... I have been wanting to use Buzzard Point Park and its concrete slab on the water as a checkpoint in an Alleycat before it gets developed. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to send people to Buzzard Point... it is far and remote... but with Titanic Memorial and the Navy Yard Splash Park... we would already have racers at that part of town...
Buzzard Point Park was on the manifest. Cate picked up my camping grill when she picked up some NOMA tote bags for prizes. Then when Cate mentioned her list of volunteers I farmed out Wheeler. Wheeler had assisted at The Hole in the Wall last year... I would steal Wheeler for the Buzzard Point checkpoint. Cate had to handle some specifics on this. In addition to buying hot dogs, veggie dogs, hot dog buns, gluten free buns, and then mustard\reslish\ketchup... Cate also coordinated getting Wheeler and Uber to the location with the good to make this happen... it was understood that Wheeler would need hot dogs ready for the 5 O Clock Race Start. Two more volunteers were sent there on race day.
Wheeler would run the gas grill to perfection.
Albone was handling signatures.
Sven previously Steve Hill would handle Bike Arlington Bike Mirror Pick Ups
(they were an efficient machine - all the checkpoints went well, but this grilling of the hot dogs was an extra ask that I am really pleased about how well it went)
the last manned checkpoint would be The Gantry
I have used The Gantry in Alleycats before... and I have gone there in alleycats that I have raced.
It is a new build over by Union Market. It is an interesting spot because it can be approached three ways, running up a long set of stairs, riding a series of long handicap switch back ramps, or going around into Union Market on the street. Nate was given the ask of a Water Ballon game. Nate Delivered... but... there was a manifest debacle...
somehow The Gantry had the wrong address... this threw things off for those racers.. bummer... I hate when Alleycats have these sorts of errors... I was agitated that I made this error... also bummed that not every racer got to experience this water balloon challenge.... it was fun... it was funny... and Nate and others worked hard to make this spot happen. Nate was bummed... I was bummed... some of the Alleycat Racers with wrong addresses were ENRAGED!!!
I will see I if I can run the rest of the unmanned checkpoints in my head... off the top of my head I will run through the race and some of its subtleties... there were two Race Manifests... there were 20 or so checkpoints... 3 of them were different... Fountain at the Base of the US Capitol there was Summer House Fountain and Olmstead Fountain, Top or Bottom Decks at Meridian Hill\Malcolm X Park, and then 16th and Constitution there were fountains on each side of the street, one with White House in the background and one with Washington Monument in the background...
Oh... Pie Eating Contest - forgot to mention the pie eating contest
A week or so out I spoke to Sol of Acme Pies
just seeing if Sol wanted to come out to the event... maybe help out at a checkpoint
Sol did me one better... Sol offered to be a sponsor and run a checkpoint
we talked... talked about a pie eating checkpoint... I asked about how many racers... Sol was like ALL...
okay... if Sol was game... I was game... I gave Sol Volta Park as a Pie Eating Contest Checkpoint location
Greg Web would be working with him
in the end... I got pie... racers got pie... we all got pie...
Start at Bartholdi Fountain in the park across the street from the US Botanical Garden
then... manifest pick up at Senate Fountain
Summerhouse Fountain or Olstead Fountain at the base of the US Capitol Grounds
Hole in the Wall
Navy Yard Splash Park
Buzzard Point
Titanic Memorial
Banneker Fountain Park
1600 Constitution Fountains
2500 Virginia Watergate fountains
3200 K Street Georgetown Water Park
Pies at Volta Park 34th and Q Street
((Georgetown Hospital Bonus))
then some options on order
Don Juans Jug Card Game
Malcom X top or bottom Selfie
15th and Q Barbie Display in front yard
Ledriot Park Splash Park
((Med Star Washington Hospital Center))
The Gantry
Dave and Cate's House
The Pug Finish
I think that is it... that is off the top of my head... need to loop back and scroll up and mention the Acme Pie Checkpoint...
I think that is it... maybe I will add a few photos...
Gwadzilla Confer Cat 2024 Photos
here are the results and the manifest
It was a great day... well attended and well received
I always want more people... I always expect more people...
in the end... it was an AWESOME DAY!
Like and URBAN GRAN FONDO!
all those checkpoints with food or snacks!
Freezer Pops\Watermelon, Water\Drinks, Hot Dogs, and PIE?
and people were griping about prizes at the finish
the whole event was a prize
everyone needs to throw an Alleycat before they criticize and Alleycat
lots and lots of hours
many many hours of planning
all for free
other than the intrinsic reward of hosting
what do I get?
just for fun racers got fancy bags and whatnot...
