ridecamp@endurance.net: New attitude at the Old Dominion

New attitude at the Old Dominion

kevin baird (kbaird@roanoke.infi.net)
Wed, 18 Jun 1997 23:36:26 -0400 (EDT)

The Old Dominion has suffered in the past, perhaps justifiably, perhaps
undeservedly, from some negative perceptions. For those of you who have had
a less than ideal experience and for those of you who have heard ugly
stories, you must give the Old Dominion another chance.

There is a new wind of change at the OD. In the fourteen years that our
family has devotedly started this ride, we can see those changes being made
dramatically. The OD organization is TRULY trying to become responsive to
feedback from participants, to make everyone feel welcome by smothering you
in hospitality and good will, and to make the trail less forbidding.

This year, management held pre-ride parties and provided pre-ride and
post-ride hot meals. Ride officials announced over and over again how glad
they were that EVERYONE was there, regardless of mileage! The trails were
impeccably marked--plenty of ribbons and glow sticks. Management spent
countless hours re-doing vandalized trails. Even though this is not their
fault, they still felt compelled to apologize repeatedly, probably due to
the fiasco of last year when so many were lost. Vet staff was in the most
facilitating mood we have ever seen at the Old Dominion--you really felt
they were there to help you. Head Vet Lani Newcomb, an Old Dominion veteran
herself, took most of the vet staff on a pre-OD training ride to Kennedy
Peak--a really gut-busting piece of trail. The idea is for the vet staff to
have a clue of what you, the rider, are going through up there. We think it
made a difference. Keep it up, Lani.

There were lots of novices this year in both the 50 and the 100. All the
novices received special recognition at the awards ceremonies, and many shed
proud tears over their accomplishment.

As Lani said repeatedly, yes, Virginia, there are rocks out there. This is,
after all, Virginia, and that is what we have--rocks. HOWEVER, the trail
was the best we have ever seen it in terms of avoiding the really awful
sections of rocks. The sweaty hours of volunteers in building new, less
rocky miles of trails were greatly appreciated.

If you have a bad taste for the Old Dominion because of your own experience
or what you have heard from others, you must give it another try. In
addition to being the ultimate endurance adventure, it's on the road to
being a whole NEW endurance adventure. We'll be there every year for the
rest of our lives!

Brenda and Kevin Baird

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