Shelter Shuffle This Saturday

Visit the Shelter Shuffle web site for all the information about this event. If you're doing the 5K and haven't registered yet, please be sure to come well before the 8AM start time. There are awards for the race, as well as a special prize for the first finisher with a dog. Please bring your leashes; there won't be enough extra ones to go around!

SSR Meeting Tuesday April 1

The next regular club meeting will be at the Socorro Public Library meeting room, at 6PM, April 1^st. We'll recap the Shelter Shuffle, and items on the agenda will include the Relay for Life, the mountain bike picture rally, and a possible upcoming hash run.

Young Swimmers Set High Standards

Alyssa and Jennell Higgs, and Lucio and Damien Lopez-Plancarte recently competed at the New Mexico Short Course Swimming Championships in Farmington. Short Course swimming is in 25-yard (or meter) pools, and is generally a winter event, while Long Course is in 50-meter pools, and is generally a summer event.

All four placed at the championships, with big sister Alyssa coming home with high-point awards in her age group, including 6 first-place titles. Jennell came away with 7 first-place titles, and was the runner up for the high point award. Lucio finished second in the 500-yard freestyle, and will join Alyssa and Jennell at the USS Western Zone championship in Tempe. For you swimmers who want to compare, 12-year-old Alyssa finished the 200 freestyle in 2:21:50, 10-year-old Jennell finished the 100 IM in 1:08:07, and 13-year-old Lucio finished the 500 free in 5:09:17.

White Sands Century Information

The White Sands Missile Range will be hosting a century ride on April 12^th. The ride, which the sponsors emphasize is "not a race," begins between 7:00 and 8:00 AM at the Tularosa High School football field parking lot, and ends at the same location. All riders will be picked up by 6:00 PM.

The ride itself will be held on the roads inside the missile range. There will be water, energy drinks, and fruit at the 26, 50, and 79 mile points. Lunch will be provided at the midpoint. Photography is not permitted. Entry fee is $25, and there is no day-of-event registration. An online entry form is available at www.zianet.com/vinyard.

Take The Relay For Life Survey

Our discussion of Relay For Life fundraisers at the March meeting led to a suggestion that SSR resolve to donate a fixed percentage of event proceeds to the Relay cause. We'd like to know what you think: please fill out this survey form.

For those who don't already know, the Relay For Life is an American Cancer Society fundraising event for the whole community. The participants are organized into teams, such as the team SSR has with Trex Enterprises. Most money is raised by the teams before the Relay, while the Relay is an 18-hour overnight event that demonstrates the theme that "Cancer Never Sleeps."

The Relay itself will be June 13-14, 2003. For you triathletes, that's the weekend after the Milkman Triathlon. There is a $10 registration fee per team member, and the goal is for each team member to raise $100. Luminarias and star/crescent moon signs are available now; contact Fred Yarger or Camille Scliezi for more information.

Highway 6 Road Race

The two-lane road between Los Lunas and I-40 near Laguna is generally a place for trucks, not bikes, but on Sunday, March 23, there were over 140 cyclists there for the Highway 6 Road Race. This race was the first of the 2003 New Mexico Road Series. Mike Dennis took 8^th in the "D" race, while new racer Peter Mozley also took 8^th in the "E" race.

Wind Triathlon

This time at White Sands Missile Range, the weather was perfect! Saturday's Wind Triathlon saw little-to-no wind, and nice warm temperatures. Matt Perini and Robert Abernathy both had fun races, with Robert setting a 5K PR on his way to finishing in 1:34:23. Matt fought it out with the Clydesdales to finish with a third-place medal in 1:25:17.

10K Handicap To Be Held April 3

The next race in the spring handicap series will be a 10K handicap, to be held on Thursday, April 3^rd. The race will start near the IRIS/PASSCAL parking lot at 5:30PM. Currently, Joe Dickerson and Tyler Haughness share the series lead with 14 points.

Group Run To Be Held April 6

On the first Sunday of each month, the Sunday run meets at a location other than the Tech Pool for a special run. On April 6^th, we'll meet at the shrine on Hwy 60 (near mile post 133?) west of Socorro, at 8AM. This run is typically an out-and-back, with a few hills. Bring a friend and enjoy the springtime desert scenery!

Mountain Bike Picture Rally On May 3

Robert Abernathy is planning a fun, family-oriented, event for May 3^rd, a "Mountain Bike Picture Rally." The picture rally concept is based on the same sort of event for car or motorcycle clubs, where you're given a set of numbered photos, and you attempt to visit each place where a photo was taken. In our case, each photo may contain a different view of M Mountain, and you'll be following trails and streets in the Socorro area, until you arrive at the party at the end. More details on what to bring and where to meet will be coming on this web site.

NM Highway Department Representative To Speak

Mr. Greg White, the New Mexico State Highway And Transportation Department representative on the state's Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Equestrian committee, is coming to Socorro and talk to SSR about cycling issues for the SSR meeting on May 6^th. This is a good opportunity for you to make your voice heard about highway issue, bicycle commuting, or anything else you'd like to happen within the highway department.

Regular Rides and Runs Around Socorro

These are not SSR-sponsored club events!

• Cycling (Road): MWF 11:30 AM, meet at the IRIS Parking Lot.
• Cycling (MTB): Friday 11:30 AM, meet at the IRIS Parking Lot.
• Running: SSR Sunday social run, meet at Tech pool parking lot, 8AM Sundays.

Like to start a new regular run or ride? Contact Matt Perini to get it listed here.