Here I am after winning the Duluth championship.
(This is an early picture of our newly blended family.)
Award winning smile.
The photographers wanted a picture of mom kissing son. This was one of the first times I had kissed step-mom and it felt a little funny!
This is a picture from my old scrapbook. Here I am getting ready to go to Akron, OH for the nationals. I remember getting a free haircut at a barbershop! I asked for a flat top cut. I got a free "blazer" and slacks too.
Robert Woldmoe from the Duluth News Tribune was my escort on the free plane ride to Akron. We ate out at a restaurant late that night and I got to order whatever I wanted. I ordered jumbo deep fried shrimp (still one of my favorites) and it was great!
We got to stay at a camp (Derby Town) for a few days before the big race in Akron. One day a photographer pulled me away for photos. He carted me around to the different venues: the horse stables, petting zoo, archery, etc. Coincidently, out of 250 contestants, I wound up racing against this guy and I beat him!
This racoon kept biting my fingers.
I'm including this picture because Dad told me the photographer liked this shot the best because it showed my "anxiety". The whole thing was a little intimidating! You can see how they took off my beanie and propped my helmet up on my head for the photo...
This is me winning my first race (heat). I won my second heat and lost my third.
Here's the big picture view. 60,000 spectators.
I'm not sure, but this might be me losing my third heat.
Here's the creep that won the whole thing.
Actually, I'm kinda glad I didn't win. I don't know how I would have handled the media crush.
5 comments:
Wow, good memories (and good memory),Dean. I looked at the pictures of the family in larger view and do I ever look "lovely"! The glasses did something frightening to my eyes. Oh well, it's good to be grown and past that. It was fun to see our new "blended family" all together. Look how the years have improved this beautiful family! To God alone be the glory. I marvel yet at how he has carried all of us along. I read or hear occasionally on the radio the odds against blended families. Good thing that Mom and Dad didn't know todays statistics! They loved each other and trusted God to see us through whatever may happen in our lives. We definitely beat the odds! How thankful I am and the impact it can have on our children as they seek to find healthy relationships and eventually marry and have families or serve Him as singles for His kingdom.
Your recollections reaffirm my conviction that one needs to take ALL reported news with at least a grain or two (or three or four) of salt. Notice how many times Dean was prepped and staged to get the photo the journalist wanted? That conviction is bolstered daily by the reports of the numerous blogs that see it as their calling to hold the media's feet to the fire.
Do you still have the beanie?
Berger: Don't have the beanie. I do have the Duluth trophy plaque hanging on the wall. And I have several T-shirts and the "racer jacket". The T-shirts don't fit me anymore.
Dance: Yes, I'm sure a lot of quotes are paraphrased. I remember seeing some of the articles about me and saying, "That's not (exactly) what I said."
I wonder if I still have ANY pictures or memorabilia of my soap box. Yours sure brought back plenty of my own memories tho! Dan, one of my clearest recollections is that many things were attributed to me that I never said; and the things i did say were way wrong.
One of my favorite times at the camp in Akron was my ride on a horse! I don't think I had ever really rode horseback before, or at least without someone else holding the reins. I got on this big horse on a trail ride with several others, but as we got down the trail my horse decided to nibble his way along not at all concerned that we were falling way behind! Do know horses can be a little stubborn to a 14-year old who's never done this? I had watched plenty of Roy and Flicka and western shows; digging in with the heals; yelling giddyup; whistling; slapping the with the hands: nothing, for a few while. Then I had the ride of my life! It was a little scary, but also very exhilerating! Nice pictures, nice hair cut, good memories!
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