SoFA to take ride in Little 500 despite short practice time

For the first time in Little 500 history, the IU School of Fine Arts is represented in this year’s race by Team SoFA.\n“On Super Bowl Sunday, we just decided to form a team,” team member Nick Just said. “So, really, we’ve only had about ten weeks of training.”\nDespite the short duration of training, Team SoFa placed 27th during Little 500 Qualifications, solidly above the cut-off at 33rd, Just, a senior fine arts major, said.\n“We’re definitely not the underdog,” Just said. \n“No, we’re, like, the underdog’s underdog,” teammate Danny Weddle added.\nWith no prior Little 500 or cycling experience, the team admitted that none of the members had ridden a bicycle since they were kids. In addition, the team said that it has had only two practices together as a team since forming, but averages three individual practices a week per rider.\n“While most (other) riders have had, on average, about a year’s training, between three of us, we’ve had about nine months,” Weddle, also a senior and fine arts major, said.\nDespite having relatively less training than the rest of the men’s field, Team SoFA managed to qualify on their second attempt, Just said.\n“We fell on our first attempt during qualifications,” he said. “But all of our times have cleared for rookie riders.”\nWeddle said he looked most forward to the Team SoFA cheering section. \n“I’d just like to see a giant section of pink shirts,” Weddle said, referring to the team T-shirts on sale at the School of Fine Arts gift shop.\nSince this is the school’s first team in the race, many SoFA students who would not normally go to the race have expressed an interest in coming, Just said.\n“Almost everyone in the School of Fine Arts bikes, and there’s a lot of promise for teams in the future,” Just said. “We want to be able to keep this team now for 20 years.”\nFollowing the men’s race on Saturday, the team will celebrate its accomplishment by hosting an art show/after party at the McCalla School across from Yogi’s Grill and Bar on East Ninth Street.\n“We’re definitely in this for fun,” Just said. “We’re a team for people to get drunk and cheer for, other than frats.”