NEWEST RED BADGE MEMBERS
Jean Ann Gabby
Elaine Heller
Byron Piro

GREETERS
Josh Steele
Gary Finkelstein

BACK TABLE DUTY
Kathy Hanson
Grant Ringel

• • •

The mailing address for the
Bellevue Rotary Club is:

Laurie Larson
Club Administrator
P.O. Box 523
Bellevue, WA 98009
bellevuerotary@seanet.com
Ph 425 451-3819
Fax 425 451-8025

• • •

Are you receiving The Rotarian Magazine?
If not, contact Laurie Larson or email The Rotarian Magazine.

Chris Porter, 04/01
Rob Petersen, 04/04
Gary Neumann, 04/09
Lisa Carroll, 04/12
Gregg Jordshaugen, 04/13
Mike Evered, 04/16
Rob Rose, 04/17
Kathy Hanson, 04/19
DickForeman, 04/20
Lee Graeve, 04/20
Kim Wold, 04/20
Cy Oskoui, 04/21
Stan Winter, 04/21

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM:

Todd Turner, Athletic Director
University of Washington

William Tarleton "Todd” Turner was named director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Washington on June 19. The 53-year-old Turner is the 15th athletic director in Washington’s history. A veteran of 28 years as a college athletic administrator, Washington is the fourth university where Turner has served as athletic director. He joins the Husky staff after directing Vanderbilt’s athletic program for the past seven years. His position was dissolved last September when the athletic department was restructured and placed under the direction of the newly-created Office of Student Athletics, Recreation and Wellness.

Turner previously held the position of athletic director at North Carolina State University and University of Connecticut. He worked in athletic administration at the University of Virginia in a number of different capacities.

Turner was chosen after a national search by a 15-person search committee chaired by Michael Eisenberg, dean of the University’s Information School. The committee was assisted by the executive search firm of Barker, Parker and Associates, Inc. of Atlanta.

Turner comes to Washington with the reputation of being highly respected by his peers and a leading advocate in the movement to bring academic reform to NCAA member institutions. Since leaving Vanderbilt he has continued to serve the NCAA as chair of the NCAA Management Council’s Working Group on Incentives and Disincentives tied to academic performance.

This past year his efforts on academic reform were felt when the NCAA implemented changes in academic requirements and eligibility restrictions aimed at improving graduation rates among student-athletes. This spring the Incentives/Disincentives Working Group completed work on an academic reform proposal that includes raised initial and continuing academic eligibility requirements. That group developed an ambitious proposal to penalize schools based on poor academic performance.

The welfare of student-athletes is at the heart of Turner’s philosophy. His goals emphasize academic achievement and athletic success.

A 1976 graduate of the Ohio University Sports Administration program, Turner received a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973. He earned the Ohio University Graduate School’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 1993.

Turner, a native of Raleigh, N.C., is married to the former Sara Newbold, also of Raleigh. They have four children: Kate, 24; Allison, 20; Molly, 17; and Drew, 14.

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Camp Goodtimes, June 29

Bellevue Rotary will again bring the best day of the whole summer to Camp Goodtimes on Vashon Island. Save Thursday, June 29th, for this fun event. We are expecting 140 kids with cancer, on or off treatment, and have arranged to rent carnival games for this day.

At least 40 Rotarians are needed to be at camp as carnie workers. Look for sign-up sheets in May or early June. Contact Charlotte Ellis if you have questions.

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2007-2008 Ambassadorial & Cultural Scholarship Applications Are Available

Rick Taylor

This Rotary year District 5030 has available at least two one-year Ambassadorial Scholarships and one six month Cultural Scholarship that will pay up to $26,000 for education in another country.  Rotary International has requested that we consider scholars whose study fields will have a strong humanitarian impact.

For information and applications please contact me (Ph 425-454-4858).

Thank you for your help.

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Crystal Mountain Moments 2006
Scott East
Photos courtesy of Alan Flup

Something about the setting and the attitude of alpine enthusiasts always makes this event fun, even with just a handful, and more so when we have 10 or more (albeit a little hectic at meal times for 25 or more). The day before our trip, Monday, weather forecasters warned of a Wednesday storm, our signups dropped from 19 to 15, and I was thinking the nose count could go lower (Murphy's law when the chefs have already stocked supplies). But the number held. Those disregarding storm warnings were rewarded with an easy, scenic drive to the mountain after Rotary on Tuesday. Never mind about driving home on snow half way back on Wednesday (truly, not a problem, returning after rush hour). And it was well worth it for all the fresh snow and slopes to ourselves.

Regulars for this trip can always be counted on to make it a success. When Lisa Carroll learned at lunch the week before the trip, that we were short a dinner chef (I was considering takeout as a fallback), she mentioned that our own Laurie Larson had catering tucked into her vast skill set. Laurie, immediately seeing the prospect of plying us with fine food and wine, preliminary to taking our money at cards, said not to worry, she would handle it. Then she hit a snag just before the trip and was not able to free up from family to join us. But she assured me she would have all ready for pick up. When asked her how such a promising menu could be executed without her presence on site, she asked, "Do you have anyone who can turn on an oven?"

I then cribbed her “just turn on oven” line when Milt Douglas innocently asked after the meeting on departure day if he could help with anything. Little did he know the need. Milt’s timely offer to pick up the plug and play dinner display by Laurie and get it to the mountain on time was a relief, given the other odds and ends yet to do. And Debbie Acton took care of the snacks, napkins, and all the other essential extras that make the munchies and meal times go smoothly, as she so often has in the past.

My relief at everything coming together at last minute was dampened during the drive to Crystal, a sense of failure for having let down first timer Rick Hervey. I had assured him in an email the week before that I would get him grouped with someone who knew the way, and would give him the details at Rotary. But I did not spot him at Rotary, he did not respond to voicemail at the one good number on our BRC list (the others having recently been changed, and no one knew his new numbers).

Despite the promising prospects of an enthusiastic turnout in face of storm, it was hard to shake that sad vision of an eager Rick standing anxiously by his door, skis and gear in hand, then wondering if being left behind was a cruel final requirement of the red badge routine. But whew, that vision was happily dashed upon arriving at the lodge to find him enjoying a cocktail hour in full swing. He had made the very astute move of driving up early for an extra day of skiing. My emotions fluctuated between admiration, and visions of vengeance, contemplating how much mandatory air he might get on a special run I would cheerfully recommend to him next day, for not checking his voicemail while away.

The pre-function flowed in relaxed fashion into the dinner hour. As you might have guessed from seeing her other smooth moves, Laurie's dinner was delicious and nutritious: chicken, mushroom and spinach lasagna, Caesar salad, herbed foccaccia, and low fat dark chocolate biscotti (the bread and cookies both from scratch). Milt did a tremendous job pulling all together and presenting it perfectly, modestly insisting that it took no more effort than Laurie had promised.

The feasting was such fun that it took awhile for Game Master Lisa to finally get everyone to stop it with the over-eating and clear the tables for games of chance. She tapped host Spoon to be the bank this year. He was rewarded royally, ending up as one of the big winners (with card cunning, not borrowing big bank techniques), Of course, he had help from Debbie who coached from the side (saaay, what were those special spectacles all about?).

Others read by the fire place and chatted, while those of us at the tables cut cards and cut up in our customary manner. I inadvertently mitigated Spoon's big wins at my expense, and his earlier hits on my malts, upon discovering how much better biscotti soaked in port was than in coffee. (It turned out to be Spoon's bottle at the open bar, learned next day when I was clearing the counters and corking cripples). With all the evening's incredible ingestibles, it was all I could do to waddle to bed, visions of good things dancing in my head.

We awoke to Alan Fulp and Ron Poborsky's extra special breakfast: Smoked Salmon Frittata (recipe posted earlier due to popular demand), Fresh Fruit with Honey Vanilla Yogurt, Banana Crunch-top muffins (more from scratch than Alan had intended, as he realized he had forgotten to buy flour, so had to improvise with Krusteaz borrowed from host), all the usual morning beverages, plus a first for this trip, bloody fine Bloody Marys (secret recipe, other than the Vitamin G)! It wasn't enough to have strutted their culinary stuff; Alan and Ron refused reimbursement from the event coffers for this bright start to the day, making for an especially merry Mary morning indeed, as well as factoring significantly in our contribution to the foundation.

Suffice it to say that everyone headed up the slopes enthusiastically, lift tickets donated by long-time supporter Frank Young for those who didn't have season passes. And I mean everyone, all who were up for the night, Jim Price, Phil Bevan, Norris Bevan (still performing picture perfect parallels), Rick Hervey, Spoon Dickey, Debbie Acton, Andy Baker, John Baldwin, Lisa Carroll, Milt Douglas, Alan Fulp, Ron Poborsky, T.J. Woosley, myself, and Bill Jeude who joined us on the slopes, a total of 15 fun skiers.

We started just ahead of the storm, fresh snow having fallen the night before, but ahead of the front. We all cruised together before 4 grouped for the powder coated groomed trails, while Spoon Dickey led 11 to a variety of runs, featuring the untracked steep and deep, including some tree dodgers off the beaten track in the back country.

This terrific terrain tempted and tested TJ's tender knee (blown ACL years ago). But the thrill of being back on the boards powered him through until the late lunch, when he denied greed and called it a day. Given the high speed lifts and lack of lines, it's easy to get a full quota of vertical by early afternoon on those midweek late season visits. Everybody on top skied everything, albeit I sensed that Red Badge Ron was pondering at the top of one steep pitch whether his complicity with Chef Alan on the Blood Mary Morning, had motivated the group to take on more than he might have envisioned of his elders. Not very nice of us vets of the BRC ski brigade to treat a newbie this way, especially after serving up the bella brunch. But he hung in with enthusiasm (I think that was enthusiasm….doesn't everybody bite hard on their gloves before launching off a sharp ridge, survival routes defined by adjacent "CLIFF!" lines strung above the don't-fall-here chutes?).

Fearless under fire award also goes to Pres-elect John, a veteran of the off-piste. On the last run before late lunch, picture him salivating over a steep open slope of deep, unbroken powder in the back country. He linked fast fall line turns flawlessly, until protest by one ski, which enforced a second opinion about his speed toward trees. That untimely tweak left him limping, favoring strained thigh (a week later he described a very colorful contusion). Still, no quitter, he toughed it out with upbeat spirit through the trees and narrow trails (duh, like there was a choice, what with no patrollers puttering about in that forbidden forest), able to turn in only one direction. When there was not enough room to hop a turn on one ski, he executed sitting glissades, laying back for more speed, wringing out the final thrills. He had obviously been an astute observer of the Skeleton competition in last Olympics, as he shot through the tight spots feet first. (Those survival skills will serve him well at the BRC helm in the coming year.)

John's self-evacuation innovations were followed by a display of his wilderness pain relief techniques, tapping into the micro self-meds cached at the Snorting Elk shelter. In fact, we all benefited by the knowledge of the good Doc, downing his Rx of a brew or two with lunch in that warm and inviting setting as the raging storm erased our marks of the morning, not a cause for mourning (hey dude, that's heavy, but caveat fate of Hemingway hankering hops, then bettering Cheney's errant shots).

The biggest gusts of the front blew through as we sipped cold suds with hot sandwiches, then we were greeted by even more fresh powder for the late afternoon. We took in all that guilty pleasure, powder on groomed, mixed with off piste, until thighs were fried and the lifts retired for the night. Everybody pitched in on piece of picking up at the lodge, so end of day effort was easy, allowing us to savor memories of another fun fellowship at Crystal Mountain.

And, it was again, a bargain at $60 per overnighter. Thanks to Spoon and the Enumclaw Ski Club Lodge extending to us their spring guest rates, Laurie's cost conscious gourmet talents, Frank's lift vouchers, and the Alan & Ron hosted breakfast, we ended up with a surplus of $170 donated to the BRC foundation.

If you want to get in on this most affordable annual adventure, protect your schedule for same time every year: the first Tuesday and Wednesday of March, whenever they've got skiable snow at Crystal. See you there next year!

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Rotary District 5030 Leadership Assembly

Presidents, Presidents-Elect, Club Secretaries, Treasurers, all incoming Officers and Board Members, All Committee Chairs, Newsletter Editors, Webmasters, New Members, and all interested Rotarians are invited to join District Governor-Elect Mike Montgomery at the District's Annual Kick-Off Event!

The Assembly is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at the Bellevue Community College, from 7:30AM-12:00 noon.

If you are interested in volunteering or contributing to the 2006 District 5030 Leadership Assembly, please contact District Leadership Assembly Chairperson Son Michael Pham (Ph 206-484-4830).

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