Day 3 Seattle

I finally got to see the cyclists on bikes this morning.  Wake up was at 5:00 a.m. because we had a scheduled skills assessment two blocks away at the Seattle Space Needle.  We wanted to get there very early because – it being a Monday – there would eventually be a lot of people arriving.  Some of the events that the cyclists were required to partake in were an obstacle course, working with a pace line, fixing a flat tire, and taking a drink of water/eating a snack while riding.  After a couple hours of working with the cyclists, people started showing up to visit the Space Needle, and it was time to head back to the hotel for breakfast. 

After breakfast, the cyclists changed into their uniform and we packed up the vans to head to Carry Park.  From this park, one can view downtown Seattle perfectly.  This is where we took our official team photo that will not be displayed until we arrive in Washington D.C. (we are very secretive here at Push America).  After many pictures were taken of the cyclists with each other and the one important photo, we headed back to the hotel for some down time.  One thing I would like to point out is that for this first week, we have a very special guest with us, Dean Peterson.  Dean is the head cycling coach at Marian University in Indianapolis, where he has won numerous national championships there.  He is here to help coach the guys and make sure they are doing everything correctly to ensure they are being the safest cyclists while out on the road. He is truly a blessing to this team and to all Journey of Hope teams, as he is flying to meet up with the North Team at the end of the week.

This evening was a night I have been looking forward to for a very long time.  Our first friendship visit with the Arc of Seattle was at Olympic Park near Pike Place downtown.  Because the Special Olympic regionals are in Seattle right now, there were not as many clients as usual in attendance.  Did this stop us from having a great time? Heck no.  We hung out underneath a pavilion because it was raining (in Seattle? Surprise, surprise) and had a pizza party.  One client I talked to for a very long time was a guy named Eric.  He could possibly be one of the funniest people I have ever met.  I asked him if he likes living in Seattle, and he explained that he loved it because he likes taking walks in his neighborhood to see all the pretty girls walking their dogs.  I asked if he ever tried to talk to them. “I love to hit on them,” he explained.”  Of course I asked what his favorite pick up line was to use. His answer was priceless. “Sometimes I see them walking with flowers or I will give them flowers.  And normally they say ‘aww these are beautiful.’ And then I say ‘No, you’re beautiful.’” He was awesome.  The friendship visit was an absolutely blast, and if the rest during the summer are half as fun, then the trip will truly be what it has been described to me as over and over: life-changing.