Trikes race for a good cause
BUTLER TWP — Big things can come in small sizes.
For the United Way of Butler County, they can come in the form of children's tricycles.
United Way board members or their replacements raced the trikes Thursday morning at Baglier Buick GMC to kick start the 2013 campaign.
“I must have the best board in all of Butler County,” said Leslie Osche, executive director of the United Way and mastermind behind the fundraiser.
Board members met their goal of raising $10,000 at the event. That is a first step to meet the campaign goal of $1.65 million.
Osche said she wasn't sure what response she'd get when she presented the idea of a tricycle race to her board members.
“I honestly thought they would fire me,” she joked.
But the reception turned out to be great.
Each board member had a custom trike which they raced down and back the 100-foot-long track. Many riders decided to race in costumes.
With 27 racers, the event was broken into heats of three or four riders, with the winners moving on until a champion prevailed.
County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton rode dressed in his “Pinky” clown outfit.
“It was real fun,” he said of the race.
Pinkerton was a substitute rider for Amanda Feltenberger, a representative of Butler County Human Services.
“She asked if I could do it for her because she knew the type of money I could raise,” he said.
The move paid off as Pinkerton raised the most money of any racer with $1,070, earning him the “fund-racer” award.
The commissioner said the United Way's campaign is a vital aspect of the county.
“I don't think there's a family in Butler County that somehow does not benefit from the United Way,” he said. “Without them, I think our community would be in pretty bad shape.”
Frank Girardi, representing Northwest Bank, created a buzz with a speedy lap in the first race.Girardi, dressed as DC Comics' superhero, The Flash, was substituting for his colleague at Northwest Savings Bank, Ben Jamieson.“This is pretty neat,” Girardi said of the race. “It's a great idea.”Girardi said it was a great way to start the campaign.“I'm very impressed with the event,” he said. “Leslie and everyone else did a great job organizing it.”Dan Slaugenhoup, representing Peoples TWP, won the championship race with his slightly modified tricycle. He was racing for board member Robert Hovanec, also with Peoples TWP.“It was just a fun day for a good event,” Slaugenhoup said after his victory. “The United Way always does nice events for the community.”Slaugenhoup was one of a few riders with specially modified tricycles. He had his tricycle extended to accommodate his height, but he didn't have the most noticeable adjustment.Ron Bowser, representing the United Steelworkers, radically modified his ride to include full-length bicycle tires.Bowser cruised to victories in the first few heats before Osche jumped on the back during the championship round in hopes of slowing him down.Osche was amused to see what the members did with their tricycles.“I thought they were all very funny,” she said. “It's all in fun. But I couldn't let him win.”While some modifications worked to the advantage of riders, some had costly effects.Joellen Shever raced representing Butler County Community College.Her Molly Hatchet themed ride featured strobe lights, skulls, and a working audio system. She came with a 10-member pit crew which included cheerleaders.While it was enough to win her best “tricked out trike” award, the accessories proved detrimental on the track.“A strobe light got caught in my tire,” Shever said. “I think I could've won if it weren't for that.”While Slaugenhoup walked away with the trophy, Jennifer Roxbury felt she also had claim to the title.“I feel like I won the unmodified version,” she joked.Roxbury, who served as the chair for the board last year, said the race was a big success.“It was great,” she said. “The United Way always works so hard to put these things on.”Josh Fye, the current board chair, echoed her remarks.“I thought it was a wonderful event to get folks to come out and support our campaign and to help out our member agencies,” he said. “And they had a lot of fun doing it.”In addition to the $10,000 raised by the board members, the Butler County United Labor Council presented a check for $5,000 to the United Way. That money was raised last month at a charity golf outing.
The United Way of Butler County has a goal to raise $1.65 million this campaign season.To donate, call the United Way at 724-285-4883 or visit www.butlerunitedway.org.
