BEST EVENT • Little 500

To truly grasp how big the Lilttle 500 is, look at the scheduling of the events. The first event of the year to prepare aspiring riders for the big race in April is the September biathlon, more then seven months before the main event.\nTo truly grasp the dedication that Little 500 riders put into training for the race, just look at the participants of last year's events. During a practice event the week before the race, two riders wrecked within less than a straight away of each other and left the track with broken collar bones. Be sure to recognize senior Dan Burns of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, who also broke his collarbone in the 51st running of the race, and Alpha Phi senior Jennifer Schaffer who was carted off the track unconscious with a broken wrist and pelvis. \nAnd to truly grasp the recognition the event has captured worldwide, Little 500 has been called "The Greatest Intramural Event in the Country" by Sports Illustrated; has been aired on MTV, CBS and ESPN; and was considered by three-time Tour De France champion Lance Armstrong "the coolest event" he has ever seen -- better then the Super Bowl and the World Series. Armstrong enjoyed the event so much that he agreed to allow the foundation to put his likeness on a T-shirt for this year's race to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research. \nAnd its next claim to fame: Best Annual Event in Bloomington.\nOrganized by the 300-plus member IU Student Foundation, the Little 500 has a history spanning 50 years. The first race took place in 1949 under the leadership of Howard "Howdy" Wilcox to serve as a philanthropy event, and to this date, has raised nearly $1 million in scholarships for the University. \nAccording to IUSF director and former director of Little 500 events Jonathan Purvis, last year's race alone raised more than $34,000 in scholarships. But more goes into the events then setting aside a track time at Bill Armstrong Stadium for teams to practice. Most of the activities are arranged by the IUSF Steering Committee. \n"A lot goes into it," Purvis says. "(The committee) knows it's a big responsibility on their shoulders. They relish in that opportunity."\nThis year's Little 500 director, Alex Ihnen, a graduate student, says he was in complete awe of the size of the event and the workload that comes with planning the events leading up to the race.\n"We're selling jerseys and items on the Internet to people in Japan and Norway," Ihnen says. "I always have people asking about the event. I can't believe I have a full-time job putting on a bike race. It's ridiculous it's gotten this big."\nThe event has gotten so big, that not everyone can participate. In qualifications for the 2001 edition of the event, a month before the race, several teams had to be cut from the men's event to narrow the field to the usual 33 teams. \nA member of last year's men's championship team, senior Josh Beatty says Phi Delta Theta has a strenuous training schedule to prepare for the series events. \n"I came in here a fat drunk, and then I was able to work towards something and gain a lot of friends," says Beatty, who rode the final laps in his team's victory. "It's hard work, but it's great riding with such a close knit team." \nRiding for the 2001 women's champion Roadrunners, an independent team, senior Jenn Wangerin noticed during the events that everyone in the stands has something in common -- a favorite.\n"One reason people like it, whether they are in a greek house or on an indie team, they someone to cheer for," she says.\nThe cheering is the main reason the Little 500 has captured Purvis' interest as a student, event coordinator and IUSF director.\n"Hands down, it's seeing the participants reaction at the event," he says. "Pure emotion and pure joy from so many people; that is phenomenal. There aren't many events like that"