Chequamegon Fat Tire essay contest awards race spots

Some days you are lucky and some days you are not. At the end of March, those who submitted entries for the annual registration lottery learned whether the luck of the draw was on their side in the annual drawing for spots at the starting line of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Fest's signature races.

But take heart. Even those unlucky in the draw or late in the application process still have a chance to ride in the sold-out Chequamegon events, September 16-18.

Once again hundreds of entries were returned to those not picked in the drawing. Those who came up short and others who may be just learning of the Chequamegon race still have a chance to join the fat tire fun. Fifty guaranteed reserved registrations will be awarded to the 50 Ways to Ride the Chequamegon essay contest winners.

Contrary to the contest title, essays are not required to list 50 individual reasons for wanting to ride. Contest submissions may be written, drawn, photographed, filmed or recorded. Chequamegon event related stories, songs, poems, drawings, parodies and even chunky crayon notes from children have all been used to gain the judge's favor.

Essays from previous years have sighted personal relationships, healthy lifestyle motivations, event historical connections, advocacy efforts, competition accomplishments, demographics, geographic location and countless other reasons for wanting to be included. Whatever the reason, the authors of the winning submissions will receive a coveted discretionary race spot.

Each contest submission is graded on a multi-point scoring system. Originality, creativity, humor, sincerity, special effort and other broad-spectrum factors produce a total essay score. With hundreds of contest submissions, the competition for the reserved entry awards is keen.

Essays must be legible, with a 500-word maximum (most are much shorter) and if three dimensional in nature, less than two feet by two feet in overall size. All submissions must be postmarked, emailed or delivered to the Chequamegon office no later than July 1. After the submission judging, winners will be selected and all contest participants notified of the outcome by July 15.

Winners will get reserved entries. Those still not in the winning column will be encouraged to join the spectators or volunteers over the Chequamegon event weekend. The decision of the judges is final in this last-chance-at-an-entry-spot essay contest. All essays become property of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, will not be returned and may be reproduced at some future date without further notification.

To be included in this year's "50 Ways to Ride the Chequamegon" essay contest postmark your submission by July 1 to the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival, P.O. Box 267, 13460 Spruce St., Cable, WI 54821. Emails are acceptable if received by that July 1 deadline at cheqfat@cheqnet.net.

GU Energy Labs sponsors clean up effort

Since its inception in 1983, a "tread lightly" philosophy has been an essential element of the Chequamegon Fat Tire Fest. That sustainable and responsible concept is especially important when the busy September race weekend brings 2,750 riders to the wooded trails. Trail clean up is an important race weekend assignment and the Gu Clean Up Crew is there to get the job done.

Supporting Sponsor GU Energy Labs and the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival will again partner to pick clean anything left behind on the 56 miles of race course. You can join this commendable volunteer advocacy action as a member of the GU Clean Up Crew. Sixteen volunteer crew members will be selected from those who best complete the statement, "I want to be on the GU Clean Up Crew because ...."

If you are interested in one of the crew spots, mail in or email a short written statement, postmarked by July 1, to the Chequamegon race office. GU Crew chief Irv Berlin will select the team of participants from among all submissions. All applicants will be notified of the crew selections by July 15. As the event weekend draws near, those selected will receive further instructions about their specific race day assignment.

A job well done deserves an appreciative thank you. Each volunteer GU Crew member will receive an assortment of GU Energy Labs products including GU Energy Gel, GU Brew, GU Chomps and other GU premiums. In further recognition of the noble clean up efforts, each GU Crew member will receive a guaranteed reserved registration for the 2012 Chequamegon event.

This is a great opportunity to participate in a note-worthy Chequamegon weekend effort to do something good for the trails.

Crew applications should be submitted by the July 1 postmark deadline to: GU Clean Up Crew, P.O. Box 267, Cable, WI 54821 or you can email your submission to cheqfat@cheqnet.net.