Penguin World Conference IV
Toronto, Canada
May 24 to 27, 2002The first international Penguin encounter and the first encounter outside of the United States
PWC IV Report from Kecia LiCausi of St. Louis, Mo...
Date: Wed May 29, 2002
Subject: PWC 4 (long)
Great. Wonderful. Terrific. Awesome. Fantastic. Excellent. Incredible. Extraordinary. Magnificent. Superb. Amazing. Brilliant. Super. Marvelous. Splendid. Fabulous. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Why can't I find a word big enough and powerful enough to sum up PWC4? Like Violet said, I left this conference a different person than when I arrived. I left a different person because of the rich experiences I had while I was there. I left a different person because of the old friendships which grew stronger and deeper while I was there. I left a different person because of all the new friends I met. I left a different person because of
the fine example the Toronto Penguins set of what it is to be a part of the Penguin Brigade.Josh called me last night. We shared our thoughts and feelings about this weekend. We both agreed that this was a powerful experience. We also agreed that finding the words to write a post would be difficult, and it is. I just can't seem to do it. Instead here are just a few of the moments that I will cherish for a long time to come.
Most unexpected moment: After my plane landed in Toronto I made my way through customs and then started thinking about getting to the place where my wonderful roomie Pam and I had agreed to meet. I walked out of the relative quiet of customs and into a mob of people waiting for friends and family. In this huge mass of humanity, in an unfamiliar place, I heard a friendly voice call my name, it was John Bingham and Cheryl Link. I had barely been in Toronto 10 minutes and already I was among friends.
Most fanfare: The introduction of Becky at the opening ceremonies was grand! That nut really knows how to travel!
Most interesting taste experience: Ever since PWCI, I think, I've been wanting to have Korean food with Julia. When I saw that one of the ethnic dinner choices was Korean I jumped at the chance. I have no idea what I was eating but I truly enjoyed it all. Lauren tried to warn me that something had tentacles in it, but like everything else on the table it was yummy! The red bean sherbet was the only thing I was not real sure about, but I'm glad that I got to try it. Our tour guide Richard was a wonderful host and true gentleman. I was VERY glad that I rode in the car with a New Yorker like Daniel driving because Toronto traffic is a bit scary for a girl from St. Louis.
Best LOL moment: I ended up traveling to the baseball game with Little Lulu, Sheryl, Todd, and Ken Myers. At one point along the way we three ladies were left alone on the street. On the other side of the street we saw a group of men in kilts. One of us commented that they should lift their kilts so we could see what was under it, and wouldn't ya know it…one of them did! We all started laughing and we must have been really loud because they heard us. So the they all lined up and lifted their kilts in our direction so that we saw their bare bums! Then they turned around and flashed us from the front, they had flaps covering parts that might be
considered obscene to expose on the street. I was laughing so hard that I turned beet red!Most patriotic moment: Before the race began a woman sang the U.S. national anthem and then she sang O Canada. Personally, I have never been to a race in the U.S. where O Canada was sung, much less sung BEFORE the U.S. Anthem. I was impressed. Then watching Harriet run across the finish with an American flag in one hand and Canadian flag in the other was a very special. I'll be wearing my maple leafs with a lot more pride from now on.
Proudest moment: The race! Every Penguin there made me proud. There were PRs galore, and Boston qualifiers, and age group awards, and first races, and pace leaders. The Penguin spirit was shining bright! This was training run for me in preparation for the marathon in Alaska next month so I did not intend to race it. I hoped to run anything between 2:25 and 2:30. Since Patti and I run together all the time we easily fell into pace with one another from the beginning. About 14k she really started speeding up on me and we took our usual waddling pace up a notch. By 17k we were really looking forward to the Penguin aid station and it did not disappoint! By that time I realized that we were on pace for a PR for Patti. So we did not stop but all the energy there gave us the boost we needed to get us through to the finish! 2:23:48 chip time…we both exceeded our expectations! And I also have to mention how proud I was of our other St. Louis Penguin, Josh, who also had an outstanding race!
Most heartfelt hug: I will let Tonya tell her own story about her race. But the hug we shared at the race was one of true affection and friendship. Even though my heart was breaking for her I was very, very proud of her. Sometimes victories come in unexpected packages.
Most beautiful sight: The view of the city from the island was so incredibly beautiful! And seeing everyone all cleaned up and dressed in black and white was really fun! I'm glad that I was on one of the first ferries there and one of the last to leave so that I could savor the sight a little longer.
Most humbling moments: I was surprised at the number of people who told me they remembered something I posted years ago...it made me realize that our words here really do touch people. I also brought my copy of No Need for Speed to have Penguins sign. I was expecting just signatures but instead people wrote the sweetest notes..."like sunflowers in a green field!"
Penguin I was most excited to meet: Carol from Germany. Since we don't live on the same continent it was great to have this opportunity to meet her. Carol is a really neat lady and I always enjoy her posts. She even showed me a photo of her foxy husband that she posts about. What treat to finally meet her! Maybe I need to make a trip to Germany so that we can run together one day.
Most tearful moment: I have been to all the world conferences and this is the first time that I have cried at the awards banquet. I suppose it is the result of knowing where we started, and knowing where we've been, and now seeing where we are that really touched me. I know how important this was to Glenn and all the Toronto Penguins and they did it so well. When Todd got up and gave his speech I just could not hold the tears back.
Penguins who were there in spirit: Kathryn we missed you terribly but you were there with us every minute. And Marathon John in Bosnia, you too were there in spirit. Thank you for reaching out across the miles and being a part of this experience.
Toronto Penguins: well done. You deserve nothing less than the highest praise. From my heart and soul, THANK YOU!
Penguins everywhere…start saving your nickels and dimes for PWC V in Chicago!!! I'll be there.
Waddling in St. Louis,
KeciaClick here to return to PWC IV Reports Index
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