KISSSENA needs YOUR help!

The weekend before Thanksgiving, (Nov 17-18) Kissena will be sponsoring the Rockland County Supercross Cup. That’s right, our club puts on one of the best races in the Northeast, and definitely the best race close to NYC. It's gonna be awesome. 

We need YOUR help! The success of this race depends upon our volunteers and KISSENA in particular. I have emailed several members that I know directly. If you haven't heard from me or responded, please reach out to me so we can coordinate your participation: livetoridebikes@gmail.com

There are a multitude of roles in which you could contribute whose time commitment could range from a few hours to all weekend. The amount of time is up to you. The more Kissena members we have pitching in the less there is a need for members to put in longer efforts.

People available for a few hours can help with registration, marshaling, course setup, tear down, or other similar tasks. Those with more time will fill roles as captains that will be in charge of a particular area (like the power wash area and nearby course crossings) and manage the volunteers assigned to that area.  

Benefits:

• Feel good putting on an awesome race
• Have fun with your teammates and see what they look like without spandex and goofy orange helmets
• Get your registration fee reimbursed if you are racing
• Race in the Club CX champs
• Get entered into one of several volunteer raffles. Raffle details will be finalized soon. In the past two years Max Thorn and Phil Maronilla won complete Van Dessel CX bikes. Others won wheel sets, Silca tools and Nokia smart watches. Stay tuned
• The more you volunteer the better your raffle chances

The race venue is less than 40 minutes from the GWB by car and JP has posted directions on how to get there via train (scroll up through this thread). Historically, team members have carpooled to the race, although some have shared cheap housing in the area. Our greatest manpower needs are early in the morning on Saturday and Sunday (registration is swamped) and Sunday after 5pm. We also have a need for help with setup on Thursday or Friday. We are willing to accept any reasonable offer for help. The more people chip in the better for everyone.

If you want to sign up for one or two volunteer slots, use the volunteer sign up sheet here. Email me if you are available for a larger portion of the day (or multiple days) and might want to be a captain (no need to use the form). Either way, everyone is entered into the raffles etc. Also, consider helping with setup Thursday or Friday or tear down Sunday if you are available. 

Post comments or questions on this thread or email me or text me at 516-987-6404 and I'll answer your questions.

Thanks!

Patrick

Kissena president and SupercrossCup volunteer coordinator 

LINKS: 

volunteer: here

Register: Bikereg

jim_nelson said:

I'll be driving up Saturday morning (leaving Brooklyn around 5:15ish and staying all day (back to Brooklyn around 8:00ish). If those times work for anyone let me know - I have room for three more and bikes.

Every year Kissena volunteers help with registration at Charlie’s Prospect Park races, but our biggest volunteer effort is putting on SupercrossCup each November. Please take a moment to read about your teammates’ efforts and come to our holiday party on the 9th to celebrate our accomplishments and spend time with each other.

I want to give a BIG THANK YOU to all the Kissena members who helped put on an epic SupercrossCup last weekend. The race wouldn’t be possible without them. As you know, the NY area got hammered by a snowstorm Thursday which forced us to change the course layout and threatened our ability to be ready for our first race Saturday morning. Adding insult to injury, wind blew down all the course tape we put up Friday. In the end, all the races went off on time and without a hitch in large part due to our club’s efforts.

There are so many volunteer stories this weekend: John Olsson and Todd McLoughlin showed up for FOUR days in a row even after getting stuck in Thursday night’s snowstorm. Several people put in a full day on Saturday starting at 6:30 AM: Bruce van-Schalkwyk, Niall Smart, Jim Nelson, Erik Pfiffner, and Rich Freeman. This was the first time volunteering at Supercross for most of them. Erik competed in his first ever cross race with a bike and shoes he borrowed that morning. Rich won the raffle for a Van Dessel WTF frameset. Bobby Peras raced his second ever cross race and volunteered a shift while still in shock from racing in the mud. Eloy Anzola took photos of the elite fields after looking good running in his own races. 

On Sunday Dan Reiners, Dale Suttle, and new member Patrycja Lupinska each put in a full day helping make the podiums and other aspects of the mudfest run smoothly. That morning, Giacomo Vischi and Scott Kuhlke  rode from the city to the venue and pitched in after changing out of their cycling gear. Max Thorn and JP Partland pitched in after their races. By the end of the weekend we were all feeling pretty shot. Luckily, Ricky Cornetta, Robert Mullen, and Josh Wilson arrived before sundown to help tear down the course. Josh won a raffle for a Clif tote bag full of sponsor goodies. 

Is that it? No way. Several members were involved in getting things ready ahead of time including Marcos Girado and John Malcolmson with graphics, Dave Yangwith the website as well as JP Partland and Eloy Anzola with media. Whew. 

Race promoter and long time Kissena Myles Romanow is the brains and energy behind the race. Somehow, he had the energy to push a snowblower around the course Friday (that he had bought that day), power wash the elite bikes and race as Adam West’s Batman on Sunday. 

What was the course like, you ask? If you’ve raced at this venue before you know it has a reputation to be one of the more difficult races in the Northeast due to the heavy climbing and off camber turns. This year the mud was so long and deep that only about 30 percent of the course was rideable. Elite riders who have raced across the Atlantic compared this to the muddiest of European races. Everyone, and I mean everyone, ran the majority of the course. The mud played havoc with bearings and disc brake pads. I raced Saturday but when JP and I were the only ones lined up for the Club Champs we decided bag it. Our bikes and running legs appreciated it. 

I hope to see you all at the holiday party Sunday December 9th from 5-8pm at Strong Rope. Volunteers will surely have stories to share with those who were not able to attend. We will have raffle prizes for SupercrossCup volunteers, but the party s for all members. It is a good time to celebrate the whole year with your team mates without their silly orange helmets.

Hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and look forward to seeing you on the road.