Little 500 all about tradition

As riders attempting to qualify for this year’s Little 500 pumped their legs Saturday, fans took deep breaths and bellowed chants and team slogans. Signs of support rose into the air and a euphoric sense overtook some of the most straight-laced students.\nSuch is the atmosphere surrounding the event. \nEach year fans turn out in droves to support their teams and their friends. \nAs Phi Gamma Delta attempted to qualify, a sea of purple and gold filled the stands. When asked why so much commotion surrounded the race, many fans would give a standard response, hyping their team as the best on campus. A student from FIJI was no different. He simply gave the standard response and started to turn away.\nBut he stopped himself, appeared to consider for a moment and then surmised Little 500 in one word.\n“Tradition.”\nThe tradition of Little 500 belongs to the students. To the members of the IU Student Foundation who work so hard to make sure the event runs smoothly. To the student fans who show up early in the morning to cheer on their teams beginning with qualifications and continuing through to race day. And most importantly, to the riders who work tirelessly in pursuit of their goal.\nFor Little 500 Race Coordinator Matthew Ewing it is to these people that the eyes of all involved with Little 500 belong.\n“Everyday we come to this job and the focus is to enrich the lives of the students,” Ewing said.\nBut the 2007 Little 500 has been surrounded with controversy. \nFrom the debate surrounding the Student Coaching Initiative to the surprise at IUSF lifting of the lifetime ban on Courtney Bishop, the focus has not been on the riders and the students. \nAs apparent tension built between some alumni coaches (especially former coach Tom Schwoegler) and IUSF event coordinators leading up to qualifications, rider activities and actions fell from the headlines and were temporarily forgotten by many in the IU community.\nThe issue at hand is that there are two severely passionate groups who, at the moment, happen to disagree. Disagreements often erupt into discontent, and discontent is detrimental to the continued success of Little 500. \nFor those in control of the event and those whose job is to teach student riders, allowing disputes to pull concentration away from the men and women on the bikes is not acceptable.\nThe point is not to place blame, but rather to implore each to come back to the meeting table and discuss shifting focus of the IU community back onto the glory that is race day. This goal will be achieved only through placing differences aside and opening ears, remembering the common characteristic of all involved: The love for Little 500.\n“There’s always going to be creative differences,” Schwoegler said, “What solves situations is the willingness to listen.”\nGiven recent argument, it is easy to be pessimistic about such sentiment. \nBut if belief in such ventures is genuine, then the two might be able to set aside previous displeasure and turn the collective eye of Little 500 back toward tradition – a tradition which sees two students every year ride across the finish line, raise their arms in victory and celebrate accomplishments of their respective teams – and acknowledges the student fans roaring in the background.