Ski to Sea -- Only nine (gulp) more days!

Hello Amazing Grace team and friends!

Are you getting psyched?

I am!

Here's some news and other items.

--Entries are closed, it appears as if there are eight other Masters division teams. Now I know, we all said we're in it for fun, fellowship and fitness, but feistiness appears when I say that their are plaques for the top three teams in each division. RAH RAH GO!

--Don't be confused, there's another team among the 400 called "Amazing Grace and Chuck" in the Rec. Mixed division.--You might poke around the Ski-to-sea website, i.e. check out the online chat forums for each section of the race: http://skitosea.netforums.us/ .

--Of course you're all invited to join the Hovander Park picnic on the following day, Memorial day, May 26. Hope to see you all there. But since we're not meeting before the race, here's a few photos of fellow teammates.

--So Dave Anderson, our kayaker, was having trouble getting the time off from work to kayak. "Help, don't think I can be there!", he says. What to do? So Team Captain (moi) starts making a few phone calls. Tried to talk by bro-in-law into it. At work the UPS driver stops in, says his team fell apart and he says he'd be able to kayak. Hm, tempting.... but I have another dude in mind who knows a thing or two about grace. Please welcome our new kayaker ....

.... Mr. Dave Knebel! Yup, in the flesh, not a cheap imitation. He has experience on the water, but not necessarily in a kayak. Welcome to the team!

--Mark Lyford calls and says
"Randy, I just don't think I can do it."
Okay bro.
Perhaps it's a God thing,
because who should become available but...

... Mr. Eric Rooth! Arms of Steel. (The picture above is not entirely accurate.) When asked if he's ever been in a canoe, he responded, "No, ha ha!" Our goal is still the same: Keep Out of the Water. (We've already been baptized, thanks.)

--Here's our intrepid snowboarder Angie Zehnder after church last Sunday:

She's working out and ready for snow.

--And I've known Dean DeKoster, street biker and aviator, for a couple decades now. Here he is with his lovely bride Renate:

If I remember right, Dean was once in a commercial for the Olympics (swimming).

--And our Mountain Biker has left this photo of himself up on the web, so I snagged it:

Founder of Envoy Theatre group, and yet another long time Hillcrester, Bill Akers has his mountain bike ready to rumble.

--In preparation for the most grueling of the Ski to Sea legs, Scott Hagen is doing intensive Nordic isometric exercizes while guiding his big rig down the road.*

--Holly Rooth has run Ski to Sea before, and IMHO is adequately prepared by running down Vista Drive in Ferndale.

So, this appears to be the final linup for Year One of 'Amazing Grace':

Scott Hagen
CC
Angie Zehnder
DH
Holly Rooth
RU
Dean De Koster
RB
Eric Rooth
CA1
Randy Kaech
CA2
Bill Akers
MB
David Knebel
KA

Let your light shine!

Grace, Randy K

*Creative fiction was my minor in college.

"If you want to see God smile, tell him your plans".