It’s only Monday, and I am already ready for the weekend. I’m headed back to Indiana University in Bloomington, IN all day Saturday. So what brought on this little adventure? Two things. 1) My dad now lives in Bloomington working as a professor at IU and it’s a chance to see him. 2) Little 500.
The Little 500 (also known popularly as the “Little Five”), is a bicycle race held annually at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the IU Campus. The race was founded in 1951 by Howdy Wilcox Jr., Executive Director of the Indiana University Student Foundation, who modelled the race after the Indianapolis 500. Racers compete in teams of four, racing relay-style for 200 laps (50 miles) along a quarter-mile (440 yards) cinder track.
Little 500 is a tradition that I grew up hearing about all my life. My dad would tell me tales of the days when he was in the race, the triumphs and horror stories, the history, and even shared pictures with me of this special time for him. My dad loves riding bikes even now so when the opportunity presented itself this year to attend the event with my dad, I didn’t hesitate to go buy my ticket. I know I am going to appreciate the race and the history it entails now as an adult and the special link it has with my dad.
Dad Practicing for Little 5
The last time I went to the race with my dad was my sophomore year at IU. I actually went to the race that year. It was the best Little 5 week during my time at IU. The concert that year at Memorial Stadium was John Mellencamp. I camped out overnight for those tickets that year. Can you tell what stuck with me regarding that year’s race?
Urban Dictionary had a good description of the events from the college student point of view. “The greatest college week of all time. Where a campus of 40,000+ students celebrate a seemingly ordinary bike race by engaging in a week of mind blowing, wasted beyond your wildest dreams, non-stop parties. Where class shuts down and drunken students stumble from bar to bar, frat to frat, street to street, drinking everything in sight and no amount of alcohol poisoning can stop them.” Yep…that’s a good description of Little 5 in the eyes of a college student.
Tomorrow I’ll go into how I was introduced to the world of Little 5 at a young age.
Filed under: Life in General Tagged: | bike, IU, Little 5, tradition
