All Hands on Deck

As Karin Weichlein stood before a crowd of volunteers at the USF Culinary Innovation Lab on Lakewood Ranch Main Street, she took a deep breath and smiled.

This meeting would be a call for “all hands on deck,” as Weichlein led more than 100 volunteers May 28 through a 12-sheet packet detailing the volunteer sign-in process, proper shoe and dress, attitude, duties and other details — all required to ensure the 2014 Modern Pentathlon World Cup Finals runs perfectly.

The event, for which athletes will compete in swimming, fencing, equestrian show jumping, running and shooting, will be held June 6 through June 8, at the Selby Aquatic Center and Sarasota Polo Club, in Sarasota.

“This is a new sport for Sarasota/Bradenton and (it has created) a very special bond (for everyone involved),” said Weichlein, who worked on the project fulltime for the last few months. “We have so many different people working on this event, and everyone comes to the table with a different skill set. I feel very privileged to be leading this team of volunteers.”

Weichlein’s volunteer base of more than 250 people will help with everything from galas for dignitaries, to transporting athletes, to setting up and breaking down tents and tables at the pentathlon.

Additionally, each sporting event has a chairperson or two with his or her own team of volunteers, who will assist with that event.

For example, shooting chairmen Sarasota Sheriff Tom Knight and Capt. Ron Locke will use students from Sarasota Military Academy to serve as spotters for the shooting portion of the contest. Nicole Chapman, co-chairwoman for running, will tap into the volunteer base she uses to organize triathlons for the Sarasota Storm Tri Club.

“We plan our triathlons a year in advance,” Chapman said. “This came up so quickly that you really have to be focused and have good communication to get it done. The pressure is on to make it a fantastic event, and there’s a lot of working pieces that you can’t just throw to the wind. People have to know what they are doing and you have to be very on point with your specific role in the committee.”

John Amabile, director of communication for USA Pentathlon, agreed.

“It’s a great example of getting community resources involved,” he said.

Lydia Kolbas, who will serve as site coordinator for the Sarasota Polo Club, where the bulk of pentathlon events and activities will occur, will utilize her experience volunteering at major equestrian events and her planning skills for her role in the pentathlon.

“The way people are coming together for the cause is really unbelievable,” she said. “The strength and the rich resources of people and talent and knowledge they all bring to the table — it’s been fun to see it all come together.”

The home of former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who serves on the Local Organizing Committee for the Modern Pentathlon, has transformed into a command center, with volunteers stationed there for meetings, stuffing envelopes or other projects every night.

Harris started pulling together a core team of volunteers in February, after the area secured the bid for the finals in January.

“When you plan an event like this, there are so many moving parts,” Harris said. “It’s all the stuff you don’t think about. Usually, you get about five years (to plan something like this).”

“I can’t tell you how amazing (they have been),” she said. “We need as many people helping as possible. Our goal is for the athletes to be happy the moment their feet touch the ground at Sarasota International Airport.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

PENTATHLON PRIMER

FENCING
Athletes compete in a series of one-touch bouts with epee swords. While fencing contests typically are held inside, spectators will watch pentathlon fencing outside. Each bout lasts about one minute.

The first fencer to score a hit wins. If neither fencer scores within a minute, both athletes receive a loss.

For the pentathlon, pentathletes will compete in a round-robin style tournament earlier in the morning, facing all other competitors, in an effort to score as many wins as possible. Pentathletes will compete in the fencing finals at the Sarasota Polo Club. There, the lowest-ranked fencers will compete first. The first-place fencer will only have to compete in the final fencing bout to win that contest.

SWIMMING
Pentathletes are placed in heats according to their personal best times to swim a 200-meter freestyle. Athletes earn 1,000 points for a time of 2:30. Each swimming second is worth about 12 points.

RIDING (EQUESTRIAN SHOW JUMPING)
Athletes will meet the horses they will ride for the first time about 20 minutes before the show jumping event.
The obstacle course is between 350 and 450 meters in length and includes 12 jumps, including one double and one triple jump. Jumps are up to about 4 feet in height. 

Riders vie for a 300-point total, with points lost for exceeding the time limit, knocking down jumps, incorrectly using the whip and other penalties.

SHOOT
Approximately every 800 meters, athletes will break from their 3,200-meter run to shoot laser guns at targets located 10 meters away. Athletes must hit the target five times within 50 seconds. The 50-second limit is considered the penalty, if pentathletes do not successfully hit the target within that timeframe.

RUN
Athletes run 3,200 meters total, nearly 2 miles, stopping to shoot a pistol four times throughout the course. Pentathletes vie for 500 points and start the race based on the combined score from the day’s previous events. Each point equates to a one-second time delay, meaning an athlete with 800 points would start five seconds ahead of an athlete with 805 points. The first athlete to cross the finish line of the running portion of the event wins the championship title.

SCHEDULE
** Events will be held at the Selby Aquatic Center (SAC), 8301 Potter Park Drive, Sarasota (SAC), and the Sarasota Polo Club (SPC), 8201 Polo Club Lane, Sarasota.

Thursday, June 5:
5:30 p.m. — Opening Ceremonies: A Salute to Veterans, at the Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota (Tickets cost $50)

Friday, June 6:
7:30 a.m. Women’s Fencing — Round-robin (SAC)
10:15 a.m. Women’s Swimming (SAC)
11:30 a.m. Gates open at Sarasota Polo Club
12:30 p.m. Women’s Fencing Final - Ladder Fencing (SPC)
2 p.m. Women’s Equestrian Jumping (SPC)
4:30 p.m. Women’s Combined Event (run/shoot) (SPC)
4:50 p.m. Women’s Final Medal Awards Ceremony (SPC)

Saturday, June 7:
7:30 a.m. Men’s Fencing — Round-robin (SAC)
10:15 a.m. Men’s Swimming (SAC)
11:30 a.m. Gates open at Sarasota Polo Club
12:30 p.m. Men’s Fencing Final - Ladder Fencing (SPC)
2 p.m. Men’s Equestrian Jumping (SPC)
4:30 p.m. Men’s Combined Event (run/shoot) (SPC)
4:50 p.m. Men’s Final Medal Awards Ceremony (SPC)

Sunday, June 8:
9 a.m. Mixed Relay Fencing — Round-robin (SAC)
11 a.m. Mixed Relay Swimming (SAC)
11:30 a.m. Gates open at Sarasota Polo Club
12:30 p.m. Mixed Relay Fencing Final (SPC)
2 p.m. Mixed Relay Equestrian Jumping (SPC)
4:30 p.m. Mixed Relay Combined Event (SPC)
4:30 p.m. Mixed Relay Final Medal Awards Ceremony (SPC)

A score of 250 equates to 70% bouts won by an athlete.

TICKETS
Spectators can purchase one-day or three-day tickets at sbpentathlon.com.
• For one-day admission, tickets cost $12 (18+); $5 (student/child age 5+); and $5 (veterans/senior citizens)
• For three-day admission, tickets cost $12 (18+); $12 (student/child age 5+); $12 (veterans/senior citizens)
Admission is free for children 5 and younger.
 

WELCOME WAGON
Children from several East County schools, including McNeal, Braden River and Bashaw elementary schools, have shown their support by writing and decorating good luck cards and writing welcome letters to athletes.

Cayden Newsome:
Welcome to Lakewood Ranch. I think you are going to love it here. It has all the stuff you need. Like it has Subway, Publix, McDonald’s. Lakewood Ranch has anything that you need… There are all kinds of special places here. My favorite is Wallmart. It has a million things in there.

Jenna Wheeler:
Dear Athlete,
Welcome to Lakewood Ranch. I love it here and probably so will you. It is pretty, very active and fun. You must be very busy traveling states and at the pentathlon, when you come you better bring shorts and short sleeve shirts because it’s summer and I have about two weeks of school left….
Well I hope you have fun in Lakewood Ranch. Try your best and I know you can do it! Have fun, and drink lots of water. (I think fencing looks most fun).