Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

By SANDY RHODES When Micah Irwin crossed the finish line of Saturday's Willow Creek Triathlon, he was not alone. Actually far from it. There was the announcement over the PA system, "Welcome to Willow Creek." There were the two lines of veterans clapping and eagerly waiting to shake his hand. And then there was the image of Irwin's grandfather on the front of the 24-year-old's T-shirt. "I did this in memory of my grandfather (Ralph French) who was a World War II veteran," the Bradford man said. "He passed away a few years ago. Irwin was one of 290 who participated in the ninth annual triathlon that this year raised $40,139 for the transportation funds of the Disabled American Veterans of Mckean and Warren counties. This year's event surpassed last year's donation by more than $10,000. The nine-year total is more than $151,000. All of the proceeds help local veterans. The funds are earmarked to help with transportation - making su...

There is still time to register for the Willow Creek Triathlon. Registrations will be accepted from 2 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Bradford Family YMCA where particpants can also pick up their registration packets. Those interested may also register starting at 7 a.m. Saturday at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park. A rules meeting will be held at 9 a.m.; the triathlon will start at 9:30 a.m. This year, the committee added a duathlon element to the event. The duathlon features the bicycling and running facets and eliminates the swimming. The cost is $50 for individuals; $90 for teams. All proceeds benefit the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

There are several reasons to do the Willow Creek Triathlon –money helps disabled veterans and gives people a chance to do something for those who put their lives on the line for our freedom. Now there are two more reasons. Participants have the option of doing a duathlon this year. The committee organizers added individual duathlon and team duathlon – paring down the stages to the 15-mile bike and three mile run – for both individuals and teams. This is in addition to the standard sprint triathlon on the same course, which is a 300-yard swim in Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park, the bike leg to the Corydon Hotel and the run to Willows Restaurant. Registration is under way at www.score-this.com or www.willowcreektriathlon.org. This year’s event is set for Saturday, Aug. 2. “We added the duathlon for teams and individuals for those who may not want to do all three events,” said Race Director Gregg Reynolds.“The triathlon is in its ninth year and we felt like we could expand what we of...

By SANDRA RHODES Marty Gregoire has taken life one step at a time, but his steps are not like most. The Western New York native was born with cerebral palsy and has not let this slow him down. One big step will be done this week. On Saturday, Gregoire will compete in his first outdoor triathlon. He chose the Willow Creek Triathlon. “My sister Eileen told me about the Willow Creek Triathlon. She competed in her 100th Triathlon last summer and encouraged me to challenge myself as she often does,” Gregoire said. “Once read about the event and its support for disabled veterans, I knew it was an event I wanted to do.” The Willow Creek Triathlon is a sprint triathlon that starts in Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park in New York State. Following a 300-yard swim in the lake, participants will bicycle 15 miles to the Corydon Hotel then run three miles to the finish line at the Willows Restaurant. In the past, Gregoire has done indoor triathlons or “try a tri” which are 15-minute timed ...

By SANDRA RHODES Most people can’t imagine life without the slightest of conveniences – the smartphone, a television or car. Just think of what your life would be like without your limbs. But that is life day in and day out for David W. Riley, National 4th Jr. vice commander of the 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans. Riley will speak about his abilities, as well as his disability, at the Eighth Annual Willow Creek Triathlon set for Saturday. Proceeds from the triathlon benefit the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. The day is set to begin at 7 a.m. with day-of registrations, if spots are available, at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park in New York State. Registration has been capped at 400 participants. A rules meeting will take place at 9 a.m. with the start of the competition at 9:30 a.m. Competitors swim 300 yards in Quaker Lake, followed by a 15-mile bicycle ride to the Corydon Hotel, then a three-mile run to the Willows. The fastest compe...

By SANDRA RHODES The Willow Creek Triathlon committee is expecting this year’s event will be grand - one hundred thousand grand to be exact. That is the amount the committee is expected to surpass in donations to the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. “Our event has grown in participation and in money raised for this worthy cause,” said Gregg Reynolds, the new race director. “We are very proud of what we have accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. This is something we could not do without the support of this community.” This sprint triathlon, in its eighth year, will be held on Saturday, Aug. 3, starting with a 300-yard swim at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park in New York State. That is followed by a 15-mile bicycle ride to the Corydon Hotel on Route 346. Runners complete the with a three-mile run to the Willows Restaurant. “One of the best things about our triathlon is the course was laid out by Mother Nature herself,” Reynolds said. “F...

The Bradford Family YMCA and triathlete/ironman Gregg Reynolds have joined forces to present "Preparing for Swim, Bike Run and Victory," a four-week series geared toward helping people prepare for and finish a triathlon. The series starts at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning March 26, at the Bradford Family YMCA. The series is designed to help those interested in doing a triathlon, such as the local Willow Creek Triathlon. You can attend as many of the sessions as you'd like free of charge. They are: Triathlon 101 (March 26), Training for the Triathlon (April 2), How to get to the Start Line ... Healthy (April 9) and Race Day (April 16). Reynolds has taken over as race director for this year's Willow Creek Triathlon, which is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, and benefits the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. For more information on the classes, call the Y at 814-368-6101. For more information on the Willow Creek Triathlon, visit its website at w...

Saturday's 7th Annual Willow Creek Triathlon raised $23,654.52 for the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

By SANDRA RHODES When Mark Doolittle attends his 30th high school class reunion Saturday night, the 1982 Bradford Area High School graduate, along with two classmates, will have a little something special to brag about - like taking part in a sprint triathlon that morning. Doolittle, joined by Chris Wilson Minich and her twin brother Chuck Wilson, are participating as a team and the seventh annual Willow Creek Triathlon on Saturday. Proceeds from the triathlon benefit the transportation fund for the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. For Doolittle, who is traveling from Indianapolis, Ind., for Saturday's events, the triathlon takes on special meeting. Doolittle himself is 60 percent disabled. A veteran of both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army, Doolittle was injured as a result of an accident involving "friendly fire" when a fellow soldier fell asleep at the wheel and ran him over. This left him a three rods inside his right ankle plus a plate and 14 scre...

There’s still time to sign up for the Willow Creek Triathlon, but don’t wait too long. The annual triathlon, now it its seventh year, will be held on Saturday, Aug. 4. It starts at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park in New York state with a 300-yard swim. Participants then ride their bikes 15 miles to the Corydon Hotel on Route 346. The last leg of the triathlon is a three-mile run to the Willows Restaurant where the medals are awarded. This year, the committee capped off participants at 400. To date, there are currently about 200 registered so there is no guarantee registrations will be accepted the day of the event. Registration starts at 7 a.m. followed by a rules meeting at 9 a.m. The race starts at 9:30 a.m. Both individuals and teams may participate. Entry fees are $35 for individuals; $75 for teams if they are pre-registered by July 24. After that time, if spots are available, registration fees are $45 and $85, respectively. Money raised benefits the Disabled American Veterans o...

Those interested in participating in this year’s Willow Creek Triathlon should sprint to register as there is a cap on participants this year. This year’s triathlon, slated for Saturday, Aug. 4, will be capped at 400 participants. In the past, there has been no limit to the number of people who could participate in this sprint triathlon, which benefits the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. Race director Shane Oschman explained this move was made to ensure the safety of all those involved – participants, committee and onlookers. This number will also help in the efficiency for transportation of participants and getting their belongings from one place to another. Those interested in participating are encouraged to register soon since there is no guarantee there will be openings the day of the event. The triathlon, open for teams and individuals, starts with 300-yard swim beginning at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park, N.Y., a 15-mile bike ride to Giordano’s New C...

By SANDRA RHODES The Sixth Annual Willow Creek Triathlon is one for the record books. There was a record number of participants as well as a record number of dollars donated to the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. The pouring rain did not dampen the spirits of the participants in Saturday's triathlon. More than 360 - over 100 more people than last year - either swam, rode a bicycle or ran - or did all three. But the number that really counted - $22,192.57, the amount donated to the DAV - dwarfed last year's amount of just over $11,000. The money goes towards funding the transportation network for veterans, which ensures veterans transportation to and from appointments at VA hospitals and clinics. Dan Pierce and Sandy Trocki, overall male and female winners, were awarded the Master Sgt. Thom Maholic Award. Maholic, a Bradford native, died in 2006 while fighting with the Special Forces in Afghanistan. The awards are custom made knives from W.R. Case &...

By SANDRA RHODES The Willow Creek Triathlon has been a family affair for the Confer family since the event started six years ago. And this year is no different. The family patriarch, Wade Confer, leads the charge into the event, which will be held on Saturday, Aug. 6. The sprint triathlon starts with a 300-yard swim in Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park, N.Y., followed by a 15-mile bicycle ride on Route 280, which turns into Route 346, to the Corydon Hotel. A three-mile run to the Willows Restaurant finishes the race. Confer, 77, will be part of a team with 17-year-old granddaughter Rachel and 8-year-old grandson, Ethan Varner. Rachel will swim while Confer will do the bike portion with Ethan doing the running. They hope to channel some luck off the team’s name - 7-17-77 – after the ages of all the participants. While Ethan is currently 8, he was 7 years old when the team was conceived. And they are not the only family members participating. Rachel’s 15-year-old sister Ann is competing...

Ryan Race, a member of the Willow Creek Triathlon committee, and Kelly Platko from Roseart Co. in Bradford, look over one of the Zippo Manufacturing Co. lighters that were produced for the triathlon, which will be held on Saturday. The numbered, limited edition lighter will be available for purchase at the triathlon. Roseart donates the proceeds from the lighter sales to the triathlon. Only 50 lighters were produced; # 50 of the series will be raffled off at the event. The triathlon benefits the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. Those interested may still register for the triathlon via the website - willowcreektriathlon.org - or at the day of the event. The triathlon starts at 9:30 a.m. with a swim at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park, N.Y., and continues with a bicycle ride to the Corydon Hotel on Route 346 in Bradford and ends after a run to the Willows Restaurant. Photo provided by Sandra Rhodes

Story and Photos by Sandra Rhodes The winner of the Willow Creek Triathlon may have finished the race in less than an hour, but the effects of this annual event will be felt for a long time to come. Saturday’s triathlon amassed the largest number of participants to date as well as more than $11,000 for the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. There were 255 participants – 104 more than last year – who swam, bicycled and ran to help to help the transportation network for veterans, which ensures veterans transportation to and from appointments at VA hospitals and clinics. In the end, the combined efforts of the participants and sponsors – as well as a group of girls who sold lemonade and donated their profits to the triathlon – raised $11,090.63 – 23 percent more than last year. “We are very grateful for all the participants and sponsors that made this happen,” said race director Shane Oschman. “And we are equally ecstatic to be able to give this check to the DAV for...

Participants and spectators trying to get to Quaker Lake for the start of the Willow Creek Triathlon from Interstate Parkway will have to find an alternate route. The Fifth Annual Willow Creek Triathlon, which is set for Saturday, starts with the opening ceremony and the swimming event at Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park, N.Y. The access point from Interstate Parkway, Bradford, is closed due to bridge replacement. Those attending and participating in the triathlon should take Route 346 West, also known as West Washington Street, 16 miles to New York State at which point the route changes to Route 280. Turn right into Allegany State Park and drive around the lake to the swimming area. Those traveling on Interstate 86 in New York should take Exit 18 to Quaker Lake and continue straight into the state park. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m.; rules meeting at 9 a.m. and shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. The triathlon, which also includes bicycling and running, benefits the Disabled American Vet...

By SANDRA RHODES If competition breeds success then there are already many winners in the Willow Creek Triathlon. The obvious winners in the Fifth Annual Willow Creek Triathlon, set for Aug. 7, may be determined by those who benefit from the race – the Disabled American Veterans of McKean and Warren counties. There are also the participants who strive to better themselves as well as bring out a little competitive side, pitting friend against friend, family member against family member. Participants swim for 300 yards in Quaker Lake in Allegany State Park, bicycle 15 miles to Giordano’s Corydon Hotel and run three miles to The Willows Restaurant. Individuals can do all three events or be part of a team. One example of the competitive spirit is a group from the Bradford Kiwanis Club. The team of Karen Buchheit, Candy Tingley and Denise Bean will compete against Steve Cottillion, a fellow Kiwanian. Buchheit will swim, Tingley will bike and Bean will run. Although none were clear on how th...