Badger State Games – June 26, 2005 

The inline portion of the Badger State Games provided a glimpse of what local cooperation and camaraderie is all about.  Volunteers, from Jamie Redner to Jim White, are the engine that drives the vehicle to provide a golden opportunity for sports like inline skating.  There are many who are worried about the decline of races around the country, and we all need to support grass-roots events, such as the Badger Games.  Even though this race is located in a seemingly remote location, about a half-hour’s drive north of Madison, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be here.  Even though it rained during the race, I didn’t hear any negative comments about the race.  Skaters from as far away as Chicago and Minneapolis drove over in the 90 plus degrees of humidity, and still managed to have a great time. 

Teams represented included Rainbo Sports, Aloe Up, Flanders, Twin City Speed, Millenium and Bont, as well as a host of others.  120 skaters lined up at the wet start of the race, which was timed by Champion Chip, the same group that provides the timing at Duluth.  The skaters were kept guessing whether rain was going to fall from the sky, and it did.  From the gun, Millenium’s Justin Kubichek, Rainbo’s Peter Starykowicz, Matt Robinson and Bont’s Jilleanne Rookard broke out early.  Eventually, Robinson dropped out of the pack, leaving the three to decide who would finish 1-2-3.  Kubicheck tried several times to shake Starykowicz, who’s gritty performance was impressive.  The boys separated themselves from Rookard around the 15 mile mark, leaving her to skate in the wet alone the rest of the way.  The final sprint to the mats was as exciting as it gets, with Starykowicz edging out Kubicheck by a wheel at the line, helped out by some very long legs.  Rookard came in about six minutes after the two, with about a three minute gap back to fourth place finisher, Rainbo's Greg Major. 

Congratulations to every skater there, and thank you for visiting the Bont booth. 

From a local newspaper, this sums everything up:   
The Badger State Summer Games that concluded Sunday offered a refreshing look at what athletic competition ought to be.    

Since the days of ancient Greece, athletes have been celebrated as heroes.  But for fans of modern professional and college sports, it’s becoming difficult to sort through criminal behavior, the use of drugs to enhance performance, and general boorishness to locate heroes worth celebrating.   

Not so at the Badger State Games, Wisconsin’s annual Olympic-style summer sports festival.  At the games roughly 16,000 amateur athletes competed in 28 sports at locations in and around Madison.  They were all heroes, one and all. 

These were people who competed not for money or fame but for the love of the sport, the camaraderie and the thrill of testing their own mettle.   

The games produced stories of people who conquered disabilities, age, and even the shortage of talent to pursue their dreams of athletic competition. 

The athletes were not the only heroes.  Also deserving admiration were the 2,500 volunteers who helped administer the games and make them operate smoothly.  Without their efforts, the state’s showcase of amateur competition would have been impossible. 

Everyone who participated in this year’s games deserves a gold medal for inspiration.  Through their accomplishments, each of us can see what’s possible.

Complete results Here.

*Photos courtesy of Katie Derksen, Portage Daily Register

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		Photo courtesy George Quinn