SILENT SPORTS SHORTS - MAY 2008 Trail that would help link Milwaukee to La Crosse  wins local support Shape Up Wisconsin Kids offers cash for phys-ed programs First Griffen bike race to circle Lake Winnebago on Aug. 17 Pool swimming option added to SAGBRAW bike tour SW Wisconsin to host 200K Insane Terrain Challenge on July 19 Illinois paddlers adopt water trails Chequamegon Fat Tire lottery losers can send in essays Gu Crew to clean up Chequamegon trail after CFTF

Trail that would help link Milwaukee to La Crosse wins local support

Elected leaders of three Sauk County, Wisconsin, communities have endorsed public acquisition of a dilapidated rail line along the Wisconsin River for development as a recreational trail, a move that is a key in linking Milwaukee with La Crosse via recreational trails and bikeways.

The boards of the town of Prairie du Sac and villages of Prairie du Sac and Sauk City took the unanimous action while meeting in a joint session in Sauk City on March 25. The call for the rails to trails conversion now goes to the Sauk County Board.

The municipalities previously wrote a comprehensive plan calling for the development of a riverfront trail along the Wisconsin River. The trail would use the existing right of way of the Wisconsin and Southern Railway between Mazomanie and Devil's Lake State Park.

The rail line has been out of service since 1997. A span is missing from the railroad bridge that once crossed the Wisconsin River at Sauk City and the tracks are overgrown with trees and other vegetation.

The action by the three communities is important because the section of track involved would allow extension of recreational trails and bikeways across Wisconsin.

It would connect the U.S. 12 bikeway from Madison to the former Badger Army ammunition plant and Devil's Lake state park south of Baraboo, where a Union Pacific rail line extends to Reedsburg. Efforts are expected to construct a recreation trail parallel to that rail line, which is still being used and has a corridor wide enough to add a recreational trail

If these segments were completed, Wisconsin would have a bicycle facility extending all the way from La Crosse to Milwaukee, connecting the La Crosse River State Trail, Elroy-Sparta Trail, 400 Trail, U.S. 12 bikeway from Sauk City to Madison, Capital City Trail through Madison, Glacial Drumlins Trail from Madison to Milwaukee and the Hank Aaron Trail in Milwaukee. That's over 200 miles of connected trails.

The resolution adopted by the leaders of the three communities directed their Intergovernmental Planning Committee "to aggressively pursue the conversion of the rail line to a recreational trail."

Approvals will be needed from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission and the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, with which the state has a current rail operating agreement, even though the line is not used and has fallen into disrepair.

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Shape Up Wisconsin Kids offers cash for phys-ed programs

Shape Up Wisconsin Kids gives schools, community centers and after-school programs a chance to win money for their physical education programs.

Shape Up Wisconsin Kids, an annual event that promotes regular, lifelong physical activity for kids, will take place May 7 in K-12 schools throughout Wisconsin. Schools must coordinate 30 minutes of physical activity for 100 percent of their attendance on that day. Registered schools are put in a drawing for cash prizes. Last year's grand prize of $3,000 was awarded to Luxemburg-Casco Intermediate School.

Twelve participating schools from across the state will be randomly selected to win the grand prize of $3,000, second prize of $1,000 or one of 10 $500 cash prizes.

This year community centers and after-school programs are eligible to participate. Ten community centers or after-school programs will be chosen to win a cash prize of $250 for physical activity programming.

The program aims to challenge schools statewide to sustain at least 30 minutes of continuous activity on that day. More than 350 schools registered last year with 115,000 participants.

For more information, go to www .shapeupwisconsinkids.com, call Jordan Bingham, WSDC Health Initiatives Director at 608/226-4780, ext 231 or e-mail her at jbingham@sportsinwisconsin.com.

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First Griffen bike race to circle Lake Winnebago on Aug. 17

The first Griffen Race the Lake, a 90-mile bike race around Lake Winnebago in east central Wisconsin, is scheduled for August 17. This multicity, multicounty bike race will follow the shoreline and start and finish in Fond du Lac.

The only timed 90-mile bike race in the Midwest will circumnavigate Lake Winnebago which, at 137,700 acres, is the largest and most popular lake in Wisconsin. The Griffen bike race, sponsored by Dallas, Texas-based Griffen Bikes, will offer a $10,000 prize purse.

Besides drawing professional bike racers, the event will challenge recreational cyclists. There will also be a 3-mile run for triathletes who would like a brick workout after finishing at Lakeside Park.

The event is open to cyclists of all abilities. A cut-off time of 7 hours and 15 minutes will ensure that riders maintaining a speed of 12.5 mph will finish before the course closes. Two- and 3-person relay teams are also welcome. High Cliff State Park will host the transition area for 2-member relay team members. The 3-person relay teams will transition in Oshkosh and near High Cliff State Park.

Gloria West of Midwest Sports Events is staging the race at Fond du Lac's Lakeside Park. West  founded the Oshkosh Half Marathon, Fox Cities Marathon and Green Bay Marathon and organizes several triathlons in Wisconsin.

The Griffen bike course will pass through 20 communities in Winnebago, Outagamie, Calumet and Fond du Lac counties and pass such sites as the lighthouse in Fond du lac, the sundial and Menominee Park Zoo in Oshkosh, Riverside Park in Neenah, downtown Menasha and High Cliff State Park in Sherwood. Participants will also get panoramic views of the east shoreline of Lake Winnebago.

 A pasta dinner, post-race activities and awards ceremony will take place near the lighthouse at Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac. The race will start at 6 a.m. to avoid the peak of summer heat and traffic on race day. Numerous aid stations will be located along the course.

For more information and to register, go to www.midwestsportsevents.com. E-mail info@midwestsportsevents.com or call 800/429-8044. Additional information can also be obtained from the Fond du Lac Area Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800/927-9123.

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Pool swimming option added to SAGBRAW bike tour

In its 31st incarnation, the 2008 Schramm's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Wisconsin (SAGBRAW) will introduce the Endurance Endeavor to the July 27 to August 2 bicycling tour, giving participants opportunities to put in some lap time at community pools and enhance their healthy vacation experience.

"We have set up early morning lap swims and admittance fees at the overnight locations along the route, and we also take care of the logistics of moving gear," said Annemieke Tennis, SAGBRAW Endurance Endeavor coordinator. "After a morning swim, we have fully supported bike routes on some of Wisconsin's finest back roads. All you have to do is swim, bike and have fun."

For duathletes and triatheletes, this means having a pool available before training rides – during which the scenery changes daily.

Tour participants may also test ride state-of-the-art bicycles from the Specialized demo bicycle trailer scheduled to appear on the 2008 SAGBRAW tour.

For more information, call Becky Afonso at 608/843-8412, e-mail Becky @bikewisconsin.com or go to www.bikewisconsin.com.

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SW Wisconsin to host 200K Insane Terrain Challenge on July 19

The Insane Terrain Challenge, brought to you by the Viking Biking Club which directs the popular Horribly Hilly Hundreds (HHH), may soon be king of Wisconsin challenge cycling events.

Mapped by Greg Krystek, creator of the Abomination and HHH, the course of the Insane Terrain Challenge will tackle the infamous terrain of southwestern Wisconsin. The 200K route will requires cyclists to climb 100 feet of elevation per mile traveled.

This ride, set for July 19, was created not only for endurance athletes but also those wanting to test themselves physically and mentally.

While the Insane Terrain Challenge will start in Blue Mounds and end within the Blue Mound State Park like the HHH, the new ride will only overlap a two-mile section of the HHH route.

Enjoy fully stocked rest stops, SAG support and finish line refreshments, goodie bags and a free t-shirt

Registration is open at www.bike reg.com. For more information, visit www.vikingbikingclub.com or call 608/575-9098.

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Illinois paddlers adopt water trails

Dead trees fall into Illinois' slow prairie streams forcing canoers and kayakers to go over, under or around them. Sometimes figuring out which agency is responsible for removing logjams is more difficult than getting past an obstruction, however.

For several decades there was a Clean Streams Committee in Cook County, but with its demise several years ago, little in-stream maintenance has been done. Some counties and forest preserve districts have crews that do maintain streams, but many don't. And with the creation of a dozen new water trails in northern Illinois over the last decade, more paddlers are encountering more obstructions.

A new program called Illinois Water TrailKeepers will now provide stewardship of local water trails. TrailKeepers is a joint project of the Illinois Paddling Council, a statewide organization that represents the interests of canoers, kayakers and paddling clubs, and Openlands, a regional not-for-profit open space advocacy organization.

Openlands is sponsoring the TrailKeepers' Reach Stewards who will adopt a section of a water trail and monitor and report on stream conditions. They will maintain water trails by conducting on-the-water cleanups and may also advocate for the development and improvement of particular water trails.

Reach Stewards will also recruit and coordinate the work of other paddlers, nonpaddling volunteers and local community groups to conduct access site and bank cleanups. The stewards will establish relationships with local governments and coordinate stream maintenance with forest preserve districts and counties that have trained crews to maintain streams.

During the 2008 season, TrailKeepers will provide stewardship for seven designated water trails in nine counties totaling 350 miles of river. These water trails are divided into 53 reaches that vary in length from a few miles to over 10 miles. The adopted water trails are the Chicago River, Des Plaines River, Little Calumet River, Salt Creek, Fox River, DuPage River (including its west and east branches), and the Kishwaukee River in Boone and Winnebago counties.

In 2008, a Water TrailKeepers crew will clear obstructions on the Cook County portions of Salt Creek while a second crew works in Lake County on the upper Des Plaines River and in Cook County on the north branch of the Chicago River.

But paddlers don't have to volunteer to be a TrailKeeper to help their favorite water trail. Paddlers can be the eyes and ears for TrailKeepers by reporting deadfall, strainers and dangerous obstructions.  To report a human hazard on the water trails listed above, click on the "report a problem" link at www.illinoispaddling .org/trailkeepers.html.

For more information about Illinois Water TrailKeepers visit the Illinois Paddling Council's website www.illinois paddling.org and click on the Water TrailKeepers link.

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Chequamegon Fat Tire lottery losers can send in essays

The Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival staff extends heartfelt condolences to those who were not smiled upon by Lady Luck in the recently completed 2008 Chequamegon registration lottery. A typical 900 checks for entry fees were returned to those who remained after the 2,500 chosen ones were selected.

Some think the toughest challenge in the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival sponsored by Trek is simply getting in.

But lottery losers, latecomers and Chequamegon newbies take note: With a bit of creative effort, you could be awarded one of the 50 reserved registrations for this year's event in the 50 Ways to Ride the Chequamegon essay contest.

Contrary to the contest title, essays don't have to list 50 individual reasons for wanting to ride, although some entrants have. Sincere letters, cycling stories, original songs, poems, drawings, parodies and even chunky crayon notes from children have all been used to gain the judge's favor. Past essays have cited family relations, health considerations, personal event history, advocacy efforts, race resumes, demographics and other reasons deserving of the coveted spots.

A 15-point scale is used to score each submission. Originality, creativity, humor, sincerity, special effort and a variety of other undisclosed factors produce a score for each essay. As a scoring tip to contest entrants, points are not awarded for whining about not getting in or demanding that the event owes you a spot for any reason. Also bribes of any monetary, nutritional or other value will not be considered in the judging process nor are they encouraged. Competition for the reserved entry allotment is stiffer than the lottery drawing with several hundred submissions expected.

Essays must be legible, no longer than 500 words and postmarked or e-mailed to the Chequamegon office no later than July 1. Shortly after that date, submissions will be judged and winners selected. All those who entered the contest will be notified of the outcome by July 15.

Winners will get reserved entries. Those out of the winning column will be encouraged to join the spectator or volunteer fun at the Chequamegon event in the fall. 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 notification.

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

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Gu Crew to clean up Chequamegon trail after CFTF

As trail advocates, Gu Sports and the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival have partnered to leave the trails ridden during the festival cleaner than before the event. The Chequamegon/Gu Cleanup Crew was created to ensure that whatever is left behind is picked up and disposed of properly. Small teams of volunteers will be dispersed on sections of the Chequamegon cross-county race courses with the objective of leaving no trace.

You can be a part of this commendable advocacy action by becoming a member of the Chequamegon/Gu Cleanup Crew. To be considered for the crew, complete the statement, "I want to be on the Chequamegon/Gu Cleanup Crew because …" Short written statements should be postmarked by July 1 to the Chequamegon race office. Gu Crew chief Irv Berlin will select participants from among all applications submitted. All applicants will be notified of the crew selections by July 15. Closer to the event weekend, those selected will receive further instructions about their specific race day assignment.

As a thank you for a job well done, each volunteer Gu Crew member will receive an assortment of Gu Sports apparel and nutritional products including Gu Energy Gel and Gu2O sports drink. In addition, each Gu Crew member will receive a guaranteed reserved registration for the 2009 Chequamegon event.

This is a great opportunity to do something good for the trails you use while participating in the nation's most popular off-road adventure

Short essays should be postmarked by July 1 and sent to Chequamegon/Gu Cleanup Crew, P.O. Box 267, Cable, WI 54821 or you can e-mail your submission to cheqfat@cheqnet.net.