FanPost

It's almost that time,...


With the off-season & training camp well behind us the excitement for the upcoming season is starting to reach a fever pitch ( at least for me ). Plans are coming together for road trips to Cincy & NY while I anxiously wait for the season opener. I really do enjoy hanging out with the Toledo Dolphins Fan Club. It's something about the camaraderie, win or lose we all still love the Dolphins.

Camaraderie. That's something I need to touch on for a moment. I need you guys,...badly. Yes,....I know, not another DCC pitch. Ralph Waldo Emerson said,...."Enthusiasm is the Mother of effort, and without it nothing great was ever achieved". Well,....I'm putting in the effort. Maybe I should start there first.

After winning that "Boldest Fan in the Game" contest, I left Florida "fat & happy". I let myself go and I ballooned up to 240LBS. That is 20 LBS more than my normal weight, which was 20 LBS heavier than I wanted to be. This me after a 38 mile ride on hills of Austin, TX. Not a good look !

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After winning that "Boldest Fan in the Game" contest, I left Florida "fat & happy". I let myself go and I ballooned up to 240LBS. That is 20 LBS more than my normal weight, which was 20 LBS heavier than I wanted to be. This me after a 38 mile ride on hills of Austin, TX. Not a good look !

So I started to train once we landed in Dallas,....seriously. it was Map My Ride's Le Tour Challenge that really jump started me. I rode 25% of the Tour's milage finishing the challenge in the top 100 out of the couple thousand that registered. My plan is, as far as the riding goes, to make riding 170 miles look easy. But make no mistake, spending 10 hours in the saddle is NOT easy. My training has me down 30LBS with over two months left until the event in early Nov. That might change as I'm ordering a hometown favorite was we speak,....Gino's Pizza !!! But anyways,....210LBS was my goal. I repeat was,....I now what to roll into Florida at 190LBS,.....or 50LBS lighter. So, in a sense, the DCC has helped save my life as heart disease runs in my family.

I said said the ride is going to be the easy part. Asking for donations,....that's a bit harder. i'm going to be persistent, be it with friends & family, FB, co-workers, the local fan club,The Deep End crew, panhandling at the two road games, and of course....here at The Phinsider. I'm going to go as far as to reach out to the folks at the DCC to contact the local media here in Toledo on my behalf. Hells bells,....there has to be a feel good story here somewhere. Could be the Toledo/Dolphins connection ( Danny Thomas, Curtis Johnson, Bob Baumhower, Brandon Fields, and......me). Or,...Mad Dog angle of all the Ohio born Michigan fans here in Toledo ( that makes my stomach turn,....lol). What about the whole winning the contest thing. The weight loss achievement by participating in this fundraiser. How about just the fundraiser itself. Who knows if it will work. But I do know if I don't try,....nothing happens.

Can I achieve 'top tackler" status ( $10 K ) ? No ! But "we" might,....

I only need to raise another $150 or so to reach my quota of $600. That's half of the $1,200 for the 170 miles because I'm an out of state rider. I don't know where my total will end up this year. I could get my $600 and shut it down, or I could try to top last years total of over $3K. What you do if you lost a close friend or family member to cancer. What would motivate you after seeing the twinkle in a loved ones eyes fade to loss & despair.

FUCK YOU CANCER !I I'm pushing back. And when I set my mind to something,.....lookout. This is a picture I took in Canton a few weeks ago. Read her sign. Look at her face. I don't know here, but she motivates me !!!

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That is my Uncle Brad on the right.

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This is him shortly before his death....101_0211

That is why I'm riding. And best believe I'll be again taping his picture to my head tube for this year's event.

Camaraderie,....I can't do it alone. And I humbly ask for your support,....

OFF4L

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Phinsider's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of The Phinsider writers or editors.