DR. PAUL DAVIS

Every Challenge has its own timbre and tone. It’s the sum total of the venue, the weather, the Regionals that precede it, the spectators, the atmospheric pressure and the wind drift- a host of variables that seemingly gel at the last minute. And the shaman start to pontificate on the favorites, with furtive looks at the standout guys of the 10th year of the Challenge. Talking under their collective breath, the odds start to be calculated and the posturing begins.

They say, "It ain’t bragging if you can do it." And Bob Russell wasn’t talking trash, but in that kind of quiet confidence exuded by a Champion, he confidentially remarked that he was going to put that record at a place that would suggest that he was from another cosmos. And like him, the boys from Missoula weren’t saying much unless you asked.

WCX
We wondered to what extent the events of 9-11 would affect our attendance. Clearly, some departments were marshaling their resources for travel to the yet-to-be-announced memorial services. However, when the counting was completed, our census stood at 584 actual competitors and thousands of friends and family members. There were 33 states and provinces representing 277 different departments. The host hotels, Marriott and Comfort Inn, were both sold out. This number is consistent with our past attendance and certainly more than what we expected given the circumstances.

The Venue
Mud Island, Memphis, home of The King, had its own aura. A respite strategically located in the middle of the Mighty Mississippi would be the battlefield for five riveting days. While the name of the Park doesn’t conjure up images worthy of the venue, there have been few World Challenge locations to rival the picturesque backdrop of the Memphis Skyline. Chip Sneed , perennial Challenge competitor had a dream to bring the event to his hometown. Many years before, he had come to Washington, DC and played on the Mall. We had talked many times of that experience; most noteworthy was the unexpected difficulty of dragging hose on the tall grass. Last year he convinced Jay Staeden to plan an event in Mem-phis. The reception was overwhelming and deserving of a return visit. One of the most remembered events of all the Regionals that year, we knew that Memphis needed to be put on the an-nual rotation. But for the finals, the only troubling factor was the issue of weather that late in the season.

Chip said, "I’d just as soon be lucky as good." Talk about luck. The prior week was in the 40’s and rainy. Our week was in the tall 70’s and sunny. All week. It was the weather that you would have dialed-in, if you could.

The Scoreboard
In our never-ending quest to raise the bar, we had added a traveling 64 x 64 LED pixel Scoreboard this year, sponsored by POK and SuperVac. The crown jewel, if you will, of our sports event. It was worth the wait. Our objec-tive to have every Challenge competitor see their name in lights is fast becoming a reality. The unit was delivered and installed late in the season and is fast becoming an integral part of information dissemination. Daniel Pace, the Challenge registrar and resident genius, without even reading the manual, began immediately to integrate our proprietary event management software into the operations. Keith Patton, who would post PR’s and standings over the five days of competition, ably assisted him.

Instant Replay
We also added instant replay cameras and a recorder for those isolated times when a fall at the finish line precludes capturing the elapsed time on the dis-play. Corky Dorey ran the recorder and provided assistance in our Tactical Operations Center (the TOC).

Kid’s Crawl, Drag & Squirt
John Upp, native of Maryland, and member of Cecil County’s VFD, had taken over responsibility for the Kids Crawl, Drag & Squirt™. Our traveling children’s attraction has been drawing record numbers of participants all sea-son long. The sideshow was placed just north of the main course and provided entertainment for Challengers who brought along their progeny.

Challenge Staff
Our Course Officials were a veteran group and the best ever. Bill Edwards, venerable tower operator and the best starter ever, kept an eagle eye on the high-rise packs. Steve Tow, John Granby and Rick Dorey could be easily identified by their zebra shirts and flags. Ron Beckman, recently retired Deputy Chief from Albuquerque (sounds familiar, doesn’t it), wearing his new Neon vest, is clearly the best Course Marshal ever. Performing the work of four people, Ron manages the south end of the course, feeds the masses and keeps the Hackney in a state of readiness that rivals any Squad any-where. When it was time to officiate the Streamlight Relays, Jay and Rick would take positions on the top back landing of the tower for a perfect vantage point from which to observe the handoffs. Two overhead cameras, with a monitor in the TOC answered the question "did the hose stay in the box?"

Paloma Costa, a recently minted graduate of the University of Mary-land’s Business School, had done the advance and coordinated local logistics and sponsorship affairs. Jason Cannon, currently an intern from my alma mater, the great UoM, assisted her. Mindy Watkins, Challenge Registrar, managed check-ins and John Kraft, aka the Great Cheze, headed up Merchandising Operations. Making his annual pilgrimage to the World Challenge is Chuck DeGrandpre. Chuck is the perpetual motion machine; the guy who can fix anything, or as he says, "break it, if it isn’t." Chuck runs Emergency Vehicles of Maine when he’s not assisting us.

Dr. Jack O’Connor, now VP for Television Productions at On•Target Com-munications headed up the ESPN shooting and provided management oversight of the Drug Testing. Bob Ramsey, standout sports commentator from St. Louis again joined the broad-cast team. Rich Dawson, CEO of our affiliate, First Responder Institute, wit-nessed in person his first Challenge.

Sponsors
The WCX Scott Team included John Skryak, Keith Smith, Greg Gatlin, Russell Bolden, Kurt Klinkhammer, Mark Robertson, Chris Fallon, Bruce Page, Trent Smith, John Irvin, Keith Watson, Becky Snyder. Other sponsors in attendance included Bud Converse, John Hendershot and Mike Murphy from Nederman; Allan Lance, Streamlight; Cindy Peterson, Ferno; Heath Knox, PharmaVite. John Granby brought Mark Staten and Allen Pompee from Lion Apparel. Allen Karson represented Tower Solutions; Dale Pay from Detroit Diesel; and Tom Regan from Shelby Glove; IST-AIM was represented by Jay Holloway and Stephanie Wright-Blado.

Media Coverage
TV, radio and newspaper reporters were very much in evidence; interviews of the Memphis women’s relay team and Ben Barksdale were the captivating subjects of timely topics on firefighters. Channels 3, 5, 13 and 24 were on loca-tion. CNN picked up a feed and ran a feature over the weekend. Additionally, we had print media coverage in a num-ber of local newspapers.

Practice Sessions
The previous weekend’s retreat from daylight savings time meant that prac-tice would be past sunset; but no prob-lem. Tower Solutions, a new sponsor to the Challenge, put on site an 80 foot light mast, with 9 flood lamps, basking the course in nearly daylight conditions. We would have the use of this most unique engineering marvel for the entire span of our competition. Many thanks to our new friends from Minnesota, especially John Norris and his wife who spent the week at the event manning the lights and Tower.

The Mouthpiece
New to the Challenge, but clearly not the microphone was T. Rex Nimrod, IV. With years of tour experience under his belt, T. Rex has been on many sides of the entertainment equation. A motocross rider, now on injured reserve, he’s done color commentary for ESPN and is a highly talented player of the bass. Rex brings his Kansas twang and a wry perspective on life to the color commentary. His unique coinage of all-things-Challenge are already becoming institutionalized, i.e., "Check it out, there’s a race going on here, Ladies and Gentlemen!"

Last Chance Challenge
Last Chance Challenge was a harbinger of what was to come- one of the most electrifying World Championships ever. The top dogs were smashing their Per-sonal Records and the general consensus was that this is a good place to be when you’re at the peak of your form. The surface was that rare combination of asphalt that is perfectly level, with a composition that allows great traction while not becoming too slippery when wet, nor a drag on the hose advance station. Everyone knew that records were going to fall. The only question was, "how many and how far?"

Challenge Amusements
The helmet-judging contest was won by SAM Squad, the only joint-services (Marine, Army, Air Force, Navy) team. Their standout artwork featured a Bald Eagle on an American flag. The air-brushed work took 22 days to complete. There were a number of runners-up and we continue to be amazed by the talent demonstrated in the form of decorated helmets. The SAM team hails from Goodfellow AFB near San Angelo, TX.

Another light moment came during the relays when the El Paso Fire-fro Five took the course. Executing dance steps not seen since John Travolta starred in Saturday Night Fever the team won their first race before being vanquished. The Worlds Oldest Relay team com-prised of over 40 (and some over 50) members wore gray wigs and beards.

Records Fall
They would not have to wait long. Almost immediately, Kevin Voyles, the quiet guy from Idaho’s INEEL FD, would break the World Record, held by Bobby Russell for nearly two years. His time of 1:25.5 would soon be displaced by Brad Roe, no stranger to the rarified air at the top of the ziggurat. Brad’s 1:24.11 was nearly matched by fellow Missoulian Derek, who posted a 1:25.50 of his own. With these two sub-90’s, the odds makers began to posture. Clearly Missoula was here to bring the trophy home, south of the border. No one would have guessed that a couple of days later, Brad’s time would be the third fastest on his team. The Wildcards would set the tone for the rest of the week.

Ottawa, the quiet ones, and reigning World Champions would all improve their PRs, but wondered, "What’s it take to stay on top?" Stirling McNeil came in 3rd overall with a 1:24.35. Phil Miller did a 1:36.86. Shane Ireland’s 1:32.72 was 25th over all and Pat Titley posted a 1:36.99. However, in spite of the fact that they bettered their previous WR by 8 seconds, it would only be good enough for 5th place.

Overland Park was pretty certain that they were ready. But, as we all know, it takes 3, baby. Poudre (the Fort, as in Fort Collins) never looked better. Ross Reinking, heir-apparent to the King of the Jungle would do a 1:24.79 for 4th place. Fellow teammates of Jim Pie-trangelo, clearly no slouch at 1:32.63 bested over-40 teammate, Dave Min-chow. Dave’s 1:35.55 was good enough for capturing the category. Poudre FA total time of 4:32.97 would have been enough last year for top honors, but that was then and this is now. But it was good enough for 4th place. Clearly, PFA, with the young Doug Cupp at 1:35.56 is going to be a contender for the out years.

The other Over 40 class members stacked up as follows: 2nd place: Steve Kotch , Little Rock Fire Team Farm Bureau: 1:36.55; 3rd Place: John Butler, Mississauga - Team ADT, 1:38.65 ; 4th Place: Scott Bartell, Austin (TX), 1:38.70. And 5th Place: Bret Yundt, West Lafayette (IN), 1:42.29. Bret, last year in Memphis had bested Jeff Ellis’s time and was on the same 1:33 pace when he fell with the dummy.

Ben Barksdale, Man of Steel
Ben Barksdale, now a Battalion Chief with the Arlington County Fire Department is unique for a whole lot of reasons. First, Ben holds title to the Iron Man of the Challenge. He’s been in this event before it was a national competition. Ben started playing in 1991 when the first Council of Gov-ernments event was held at the drill tower at Maryland Fire Rescue Insti-tute. He’s played every year since then and only missed one year’s finals when the chief’s promotional exam con-flicted with the date. This year, Ben was the incident commander at the tragic Pentagon crash site and worked for four straight days before relief. Ben was instrumental in conducting the field research that resulted in the removal of the prohibition against run-ning on the course. He was also a member of the focus group that designed the Jostens Challenger/Champion ring. And if that’s not enough, Ben is one of the clinic instructors for our Winter Course. Having said all that, it’s only fitting that Ben lay claim to a title he so worked so tirelessly to achieve: Best Chief Officer. Plus, the bonus of a World Record to boot. The late Brent Cooper was the last person to hold winning positions for two categories: over 40 and chief. Ben broke Brent’s record (1:38.91) with a 1:38.33. Now, Jeff Ellis of Murray, Utah has sole claim to the longest standing record, the over 40 at 1:33.76 from 1997. Ben returned on the final day to sew up the category with a 1:39.45 only slightly off his previous recording setting run. The other chief officers in the top five positions were 2nd place: Randy Hill, Leawood (KS), 1:43.19; 3rd Place: Randy Kalan, Kitchener (ON) 1:49.09; 4th Place: Don Kempf, Cleveland, 1:52.44; 5th Place: Scott Grinnell, Perry Area (MI), 1:50.78.

The Over 50 Set
With perennial favorite, World Record holder (an amazing 1:53.70) Roy Davis sidelined with a rotator cuff injury, a bevy of over-50 competitors were anxiously awaiting an opportunity to seize the mantle. Juan Ontiveros, of El Paso became the second individual in history to go sub-2:00 in the over-50 class he would finish fourth over all with a 2:00.35, slightly off his Wild Cards time. This was his fourth-only race in the Challenge. Once Juan showed the way, three other compatriots followed. New members of this elite group now include, first place fin-isher Don Williams, 1:57.57, Tyler (TX) second place Ray Fredette, of Durango 1:57.63 and third place was claimed by Russell Elzinga Creve Coeur Fire Protection District with a 1:58.13. Chuck LeBlanc, Leomin-ster (MA) PR’d with a 2:01.

Women’s Division
In the Women’s division, 1st place Andrea Belczyk (Vancouver Fire Local 18) would receive the Kim Smith memorial trophy, courtesy of Lion Apparel with a 2:26.23. Andrea was competing injured and only decided at the last minute to compete this year. Second Place went to Lisa Belanger, Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service, 2:35.90; 3rd Place: Stacy Billapando, Colorado Springs, 2:37.44; 4th Place: Sue Sweetman Deerfield Beach (FL), 2:50.81; and 5th Place: Jacqueline Rasenberg, Team McDonalds (Vaughn, ON), 2:51.00. Martha Ellis, now expect-ing delivery of her first newborn, April 8, still reigns with a 2:22.74.

The Streamlight Survivor Tour-nament
Friday morning, the first, full-fledged Streamlight Survivor Single Elimination, 64-bracket tournament relay kicked off. Overland Park (Bobby Russell, Doug Hall, Pat Schibler, Brett Kampmann, and Morris Duffy) posted a new World Record of 1:10.93, then DQ’d. Team Fairfax (Joe Knerr, Brodie McKendree, Jerome Williams, Sam Gray, and Rodney Vaughn) was running strong and had posted a 112.29 earlier. To win the Survivor, it takes 6 wins- and no losses.

Windsor had cruised through their competition with a best time of 1:17.04. These two teams had met at the season opener and Fairfax emerged triumphant. In the final heat, Brodie nearly lost it on the hose hoist when the donut roll slipped two stories before he recovered. Windsor (Jack Bailey, Darren Hillman, Jim Marusic, Robert Fawcett, and Cory Bessette) needed two seconds to take the title since they had incurred a false start penalty. Fairfax put a 1:14.64 on the board to put Windsor in second place with a 1:15.74. Third and fourth went respectively to Altus (OK) Team Dr. Pepper (1:26) and Bluff City (TN) Elite (1:36.70).

The Lion’s Den
Friday night’s Lion Den induction ceremony at the Marriott saw some 50+ new members receive their letterman jackets. Larry Vandenberg, (Anaheim FD) another of the 10-year veterans had brought a video from the first World Challenge competition, 1992. It was fascinating to watch what was now fast becoming ancient history. Bill Noland, Pala-tine (IL), had retired earlier this year, but was still competing in the over 50 category. He and retired fire chief, Rich Payne, are highly welcomed, familiar faces, friends for life and an integral part of the fiber that ties us all together.

The Nederman Highlights Video
The finished product is a highly desirable and long-to-be-treasured souvenir of WCX. This 30-minute VHS cassette contains tons of action that you’ll never see on ESPN. We apologize for the sound problems with the Hotel’s audio system, but wait till you get all of the fun and flavor of your own copy. See the en-closed order form, or order from our website.

Opening Ceremonies
The opening ceremonies were lead off with the Wolf River Bagpipe band- one of the most professional we’ve ever seen. Following the bag-pipe, hundreds of competitor’s bearing their state, city or depart-ment’s flags or banners marched on the concourse. The Memphis FD color guard followed, with Captain Alvin Benson providing a stirring rendition of the national anthem. Keith Dutton, from the Niles FD, as he had all week, again sang the Canadian national anthem and Lee Greenwood’s "Proud to be an American." Director Chester Anderson welcomed all and delivered a stirring kick off talk.

Women’s Relay
The women’s final 8 advanced to the last day with the Vaughn Girls (Team McDonald’s: Ingrid Van-Gelder, Jacqueline Rasenberg, and Lisa Belanger) taking first place and posting a new World Record (1:57.37), narrowly edging out the ladies from Deerfield Beach (2:00.16); Deerfield had earlier set a new World Record themselves. The Team McDonald’s time is the first-ever sub 2:00 female relay time. Third place was claimed by the Miami women in the consolation round in a race against Prince William County (VA). We have already decided that the Women’s Relays will be run concurrently with the Stream-light Survivor Tournament on Thursday, next year.

Rookie of the Year
There were several contenders, but hats, or should I say, helmets off to Lance Hughes of Kitchener, who posted a 1:30.82. Not bad for your first year in the Challenge.

Top Dogs
During the final match-up, the head-to-head competition between Windsor and Missoula, the crowd was on their feet. They had earlier witnessed the most incredible of spectacles: Bobby Russell had smashed the World Record with a blistering and unbelievable 1:19.02, the first ever sub-eighty second run. How could you top that? Pat Schibler had posted a PR of 1:25.41. But without a third man, the team prospects for first place weren’t there. Windsor would be the only team likely to best Missoula. And who would have believed that Brad Roe would be the third man on the team. Thinking that he was done on the slammer, Brad had to return to the Keiser, and with a one-armed swing, knock the beam back the last two inches. It was enough to claim the trophy and a new team World Record of 4:19.33. The final count was Derek Mullins (1:25.50), Garrett Venters (1:26.56), Brad Roe (1:27.27), Randy Thorpe (1:54.00) and Rob-ert Hanneman (1:57.00). Windsor finished with a very respectable 4:23.45. Jack "Jumping Jack Flash" Bailey finished second in the indi-vidual category with a time of 1:22.16; Darren Hillman, the second fastest member of the Windsor team posted a 1:30.20.

Prizes & Awards
Scott, in a magnanimous gesture provided gift certificates to the winners in amounts from $500 to $10,000. Lion Apparel awarded turnout gear and helmets to first place finishers and Eagle Creek furnished all of the top five placers with prizes. On this note, Eagle Creek, like all companies tied to the travel business, appreciates your loyal support. Christmas is coming, and what better surprise and thoughtfulness than to give a loved one an Eagle Creek product. As we’ve mention before, the proprietors, Steve and Nona Barker are members of their local San Diego County fire department. An expression of appreciation for their staunch support is always welcome; email works very well as a vehicle for communication. You can reach Nona through her AOL account at ECLlamas@aol.com.

ESPN Air Dates
The first airing of WCX will be on ESPN2, December 20 (Thursday), 11 PM. The second showing is on the 23rd, (Sunday) at 4 PM. The third showing is on ESPN, the 30th at 4 PM. We don’t have air dates for the Streamlight Survivor Tournament yet.

In closing:
A decade of "The Toughest Two Minutes in Sports" had come to a cataclysmic finale. All 22 of the top teams had posted times that would have been first place finishers only a few short years ago. The fireworks were an appropriate capstone to what had been a truly awesome week. And to think that we had wondered at the beginning if anyone would break the two-minute barrier? One of the great things about sport is the relentless pursuit of excellence. As we continue to wonder, "Where will it all end?" one thing is for certain, the Challenge has demonstrated its staying power and it value as the traveling public relations arm of the North American Fire Service. As our venerable champions become en-sconced as members of the Hall of Fame, new talent is always waiting in the wings. The electrifying excitement of World Challenge has barely faded and already the somnolent chant begins anew, "Wait till next year!"