DB: Where are you?
TS: We’re competing in the Great Race, a timed motorcar event where you go through checkpoints and score points based on how close you meet the designated time. Right now we’re in Cape Girardeau, Mo. (115 miles southeast of St. Louis). We started in Bloomington, Minn., and over nine days (and 2,000 miles) we’ll finish in Mobile, Ala.
DB: What’s the business lesson?
TS: Patience. My wife, Mary, is the driver, and I’m the navigator. The race is a takeoff of the (1965) movie, The Great Race, which starred Natalie Wood, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis. A number of years ago, some organizers turned the race into an annual event that raises money for autism. The rules are very specific. You can’t use cell phones or GPS navigation; it’s all road maps and a stopwatch. They even tape over your speedometer. It’s on paved roads, and at various points they put you through turns and changing speeds. The goal is to get to each checkpoint at exactly the designated time. If you’re a few seconds early or a few seconds late, you don’t score as well.
DB: What’s the hardest part of the trip?
TS: The rain. We’re driving a 1934 Ford Deluxe Phaeton. It’s an open car. We have a roof, but no windows. We do have umbrellas. This is our second year, and we’re still learning. If you come in at exactly the right time, it’s called an ace, and you get an award. There are cash prizes for the winners. It’s a great adventure. The challenge is exhilarating, but exhausting. You have to pace yourself like a marathon.
DB: And every evening there’s a ticker tape parade?
TS: Yes. The towns compete for an award for the most welcoming crowds, so there can be hundreds and hundreds of people lining the streets at the end of each day. When you finally park, people are coming up and asking questions about the cars. Some of our customers stop by and say hello. We’ve been fortunate to have operations all over the world as part of our textile and apparel business, and we’ve met some great people, but nothing quite prepares you for these crowds. They’re amazing. db
