By MARK GILCHRIST
Chief Photographer
Along with the four Personal Event Challenges of Take the Lake this year, we’re introducing a fifth event, the party.
We were thrilled last year with the hospitable response from Lake residents toward participants who walked, rode and paddled past their homes. They waved and cheered and even handed out water and snacks. Certainly appreciated were the many signs and posters motivating participants forward.
Take the Lake – which is only about 11 weeks away, on Labor Day weekend – is four fitness events on and around Lake Waccamaw. We refer to those events as Personal Endurance Challenges because, while they are not races, they are not cakewalks, either. The Walk/Run and the Bike & Hike are 15 miles long, the Paddle is 14 miles long, and the Swim is four miles.
These are formidable challenges requiring preparation, and most participants will likely train for the summer, and then stay in pretty good shape the rest of the year. This isn’t the most rigid fitness program going, but it sure can help keep you off that slippery slope of declining fitness through the years.
But, back to the party. Many residents last year had the clever idea of inviting friends and family to join them for the weekend. This is what we want to encourage, and in true Take the Lake style, we’re encouraging it in a big way.
Similar to hospitality houses at golf tournaments and major events – and what you see along parade routes during festivals here – we’re encouraging people to throw their own parties Labor Day weekend, and make Take the Lake a part of it all.
On the front lawns, I love to see the water stands and posters, but I’d also love to see who’s showing the spirit. Tabor City and Chadbourn middle schools inspired me last year when they displayed their school names, and I think schools, organizations, businesses and other groups can make their presence known around the lake that weekend.
Show the colors, with banners, signs, custom tents, etc. Think Relay for Life, without fund raising. (Take the Lake, after all, is all about your health.)
For an example, I spoke with Columbus County Library Director Morris Pridgen the other day, and this concept played out nicely – even though we have no idea if the library will be able to participate in this way this year.
What an organization like the library could do, for example, is, well, first, find someone with a home on the Take the Lake route around Lake Waccamaw – not too hard when there are 500 of them.
Then plan the party. Maybe a “Columbus County Library Loves You!” banner out front, and a few books, for atmosphere? Then start inviting librarians – and this is where the fun begins.
Fun, with librarians? You bet. There are a half-dozen library branches around the county, and employees at them seldom get to meet each other, so this is a great opportunity for employee fellowship and networking.
And, it’s cheap. Make it a potluck affair if you like, and make it as large or as small as you like. You don’t have to host everyone the entire weekend, just at the times that you feel are best. Remember, Take the Lake is free this year, and that’s great for any budget.
The excitement begins on Saturday morning with the Walk/Run. In 2009, we had well more than 200 people walking the four streets around the lake, (and this year we’re hoping for twice that many). This should be over in time for a late lunch for our librarians, their families and friends.
On Sunday, paddlers will circle the lake in the morning (when it should be calmer) and the Bike & Hikers in the afternoon, so any of our librarians not participating in either of those events may enjoy a morning on the beach watching paddlers float by, or the afternoon encouraging cyclists.
The Boys and Girls Homes chapel rescheduled its Sunday service last year to accommodate participants, and the campground has an outdoor service, which can all help make the weekend complete.
I see enthusiasm building through the weekend as some librarians work on their Personal Endurance Challenges and achieve goals beyond what they had thought possible. They may cheer and encourage each other as they work toward healthier lifestyles.
Ask any expert and they’ll tell you that one of the best things you can have in your fitness program is a partner who will encourage and motivate you, and these “parties” are really all about building teams and integrating support to build a healthier Columbus County.
But it gets even better. Why stop with just this county’s library? Invite some employees from surrounding counties to visit Lake Waccamaw that weekend. They can share librarian stories and compare overdue fines.
They may actually hold an educational seminar (librarians do that sort of thing) Saturday afternoon.
Let’s show everybody around the Carolinas what a beautiful county we have, and how we are forward-thinking people taking positive steps for our health.
If this works, then eventually, groups could hold team-building events, friendly competitions (the book-shelving relay?) or even clinics on cycling, paddling, swimming or other cool outdoor activities. We don’t mind starting out small, though, so just do what you’re comfortable with, and let it grow from there.
Someone mentioned this might be a good time to hand out literature promoting a company or organization, but I bet that won’t work. These participants are in the middle of a great challenge and they will not want to stop and discuss anything but the finish line, and they will not want to carry anything with them.
Monday morning is the swim, the oldest and greatest challenge, but also not a crowd-pleaser. So, for the most part, Saturday and Sunday should be the big days at your hospitality house, with Monday as a wind-down.
I see alumni joining in on the fun. Groups from SCC, the UNC system, Wake Forest, Duke and others could host reunions around the lake. Spend part of the weekend improving your health and the rest, your spirit.
This should be a beautiful weekend for church groups, corporations, civic clubs, outdoors groups, healthcare professionals, fire departments, rescue squads, scout troops and packs, family reunions and many others.
It can give people the chance to participate in Take the Lake with their friends, and it also gives the people who can’t participate – or just don’t care to – a chance to join in the fun of the weekend.
Take the Lake, after all, is all about fitness, and if it’s not fun, then it’s not fitness for life.
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