Bike Polo Requires Xtreem Sport Dexterity

Posted on October 18, 2014February 7, 2022 by Thor

On June 5th, I went to Langford Park (1808 East Central Blvd Orlando FL), around 6pm to watch an Orlando Bike Polo match. Not everyone had arrived yet so the bikers sat and talked. They flipped their bikes over and tuned them. The front wheels on several bikes had the spokes covered which I imagine is to keep the ball from passing through. Each contestant had a mallet which was long enough to reach the ground and was often used as a kick stand by the goalies who kept their feet on the peddles.

Once enough players arrived the split up into two teems with three bikers per team. The action is fast and furious. One of the younger bikers was working on a hopping maneuver to change directions. He would stop and balance the bike in location and then hop up and down to change directions. Crashes were quite common. One wheelie resulted in the bike flying out from under the rider who landed hard on his tailbone. Another biker skidded into the fence inches from me. At the start I asked if I’d be out of the way leaning against the fence. As a spectator however, you are better off standing, so you can jump out of the way in case of a headlong crash.

As the first match was winding down, more bikers arrived to play in the second match. These Bike Polo matches happen every Friday starting around 6pm. Stop out to watch or play sometime. This is a unique urban experience.

Bark at the Park Night

Posted on July 28, 2012February 7, 2022 by Thor

Fans were encouraged to bring their dogs to the ball park for Bark at the Park Night Sunday July 21st sponsored by Pet Rescue by Judy. I went to Alfond Stadium, (801 Orange Avenue, Winter Park), where the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs played against the Sanford River Rats. This Collegiate Summer League game featured the most talented of the college players that could be drafted to the big leagues. Between the parking lot and the first base line, tents had been set up where vendors offered pet supplies for all the dogs that came out to the ball park. Dogs were everywhere. A retriever lounged in a kiddie pool wearing a red white and blue cardboard top hat. In ten minutes the game was going to start so I found a seat in the stands.

I could hear the announcer behind me and seconds later his delayed voice boomed and sizzled through the muffled sound system. A few fans had taken their dogs into the stands. As I sketched, the sun burst out from behind some clouds and I cursed myself for not having my baseball cap. I shielded my eyes with my left hand. The sun slowly set behind the left field fence with the clouds rimmed in orange. Then the outfield lights flickered on. There were several home runs and the score was much higher than most pro games. I paid close attention to the pitcher’s wind up. A Pomeranian yipped in his owners lap.

I enjoyed the silly kids games between innings. Two boys had to place their foreheads on the end of a bat and spin around it 5 times then run to the finish line. One boy fell as he spun and they both stumbled off balance towards the finish line. Then there was the chicken toss, where rubber chickens had to be tossed into baskets. And of course the sixth inning stretch where all the fans stood and sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The announcer asked trivia questions like, What breed of dog do you get if you cross a Golden Retriever with a Poodle. The answer was Golden Doodle. The winner of the evenings raffle would win half the money from raffle ticket sales and a Winter Park Team autographed baseball.

Heat lightning flashed on the horizon in the clouds behind the outfield fences as the teams entered the 9th inning. A dog barked loudly when the catcher had to leap to catch a stray ball. The Diamond Dawgs won easily 12 to 7 against the River Rats. Peanut shells littered the stands as everyone filed out of the stadium. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed the church of baseball.

Bay Hill Invitational

Posted on June 14, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

Once a year the Bay Hill Invitational golf tournament caused all sorts of traffic in my neighborhood. Our neighborhood association issued parking permits to residents so they can get into the neighborhood. Policemen directed traffic for people trying to get to the golf tournament. I decided to go for a walk to see what traffic was like at the golf course. The walk there and back was perhaps three miles. Glancing between the quiet suburban homes I could see that there were plenty of cars parked on the green grass of the golf course itself. Some homes charged people to park on their front lawns and they then shuttled fans to the entrance using golf carts.

I ended my walk in front of the Bay Hill Club House. It was late afternoon and there was a long line of Buses waiting to transfer fans back to their cars. I believe a large empty lot near Universal Studios was being used as the overflow parking lot. Since all the buses were blocking the street, event staff and police had to use walkie talkies to be sure that cars could go down the single lane without a head on collision.

Walking home I realized there were several spots where I could have walked on the golf course to do a sketch. It was hot however and I didn’t feel like watching grown men hit a ball with a stick.

Daytona International Speedway

Posted on February 20, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

Mark Baratelli of TheDailyCity.com gave me a call and asked if I would like to go to the Daytona International Speedway to sketch a race. I of course said, “YES!” We met at IKEA and I drove the rest of the was to the speedway. Mark had been invited by Red Bull to experience the start of the race from the Pit Road Patios. This involved VIP access to the infield of the race track. We were both stoked but at 8:30 AM our excitement was restrained. At least Mark had a full cup of coffee for his morning jolt. We Knew we were getting close when we started seeing RV Parks. Then the bandstands loomed on the horizon and traffic settled to a crawl. The lot we had been instructed to park in was reserved for handicapped parking. After several calls to our contact, we were told to park across the street at a mall. Parking there was $50 but we were told we would be reimbursed. We walked to tunnel four which would lead to the infield. A Red Bull “Wing Girl” drove up in a jolt cart and drove us the rest of the way to the Red Bull Patio.

There were beautiful women everywhere. On the track, I swore I heard a 747 jet airplane firing up its engine. The patio grandstands were right behind the pit stops. I picked up a Red Bull and slopped some breakfast food on a plate and then started sketching as the pit crews set up. We had several hours before the race world start. We were offered a walking tour of the pits and the garage area where all the cars went through multiple inspections. Groups of five men would push the race cars from spot to spot. There were so many amazing sketch opportunities. I hope I get to return someday when I can fully commit myself to the event. As it was, I only had time for one sketch before I had to go back to Orlando to go to my night job at Full Sail.

Right before race time lunch was putout. It was an impressive spread. A D.J. was mixing music. This was a young crowd most of college aged kids. We were told this was part of a champagne to introduce NASCAR to a younger demographic. I was sad when we had to go, the party was just firing up.The sound of the race cars rushing by was deafening. As a “Red Wing Girl” drove us back out with the golf cart, we saw row after row of fans who were waiting for the race to start as they stood on the roofs of their RVs.The entire infield was an RV city.

Packer Backers

Posted on February 14, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

Terry and I went to One Eyed Jacks to watch the Super Bowl along with hundreds of rabid Packer Backers. I had sketched this group before and they are a fun, boisterous crowd. Brian O’Halloran who organizes the crowd had asked me to come and sketch. A stone brick encased in a wooden box sat on a stool. Like everyone else, we rubbed the stone brick for luck. We got to the bar about an hour before kickoff and I immediately sat on the staging area and started to sketch. The fan that caught my eye had on jersey 52 and he had a flag that he would wave whenever the Packers scored. The little statue of a Packer player would do a happy dance at the press of a button. The tiny mechanized hips would thrust provocatively. There was a little boy seated next to me who was wound way too tight. He had tiny lights that he kept shining in my eyes and he kept jumping up and down off the stage. I ignored him. A very drunk fan got on stage next to the boy and stumbled sending the boy flying off the stage.

By the halftime show I was finished with my sketch. Terry had disappeared. I fired off 6 or so text messages but she didn’t respond. In the second half the Packers started making mistakes and giving up ground. Fans got quiet and serious as the score got dangerously close. One of the people in charge had to jump up on stage often as he tried to play audio clips with a failing remote control. The audio would fire up shouting, “Go Pack Go!” Everyone shouted along in unison. He then fired up a dance number that had everyone dancing with their hands in the air. Terry and I danced along.

The Packers won and the place went wild. Think of New Years Eve times one hundred. People were dancing on the bar and tables. A woman flashed her breasts. Two women were french kissing. Everyone was dancing and giving high fives. On the walk back to my truck, Terry gave a dollar to every homeless person she met. The drive home was strangely silent.

Highland Games

Posted on February 12, 2011February 7, 2022 by Thor

The Scottish Highland Games are always held the third weekend in January at Winter Springs. When I arrived, the parking both were packed. I pulled my SUV up over a curb and parked next to some woods. When I went to the press tent and asked for my pass, the man asked, “Are you that artist that sketches?” I thought to myself, don’t most artists sketch? But I said, “Yes?” He related that he follows the blog and he always wanted to meet me. We chatted for a while. I entered the event site feeling golden. Of course the first thing you hear upon entering the Highland Games is bagpipes. Bagpipers perform and compete for coveted prizes. I followed my ears and found a group of bagpipers standing in a circle rehearsing.

I wandered over to the playing fields which were surrounded by construction site orange mesh fencing. Women were throwing heavy metal weights. There really wasn’t much competition for Kate Burton, who threw that thing twice as far as any other woman on the field. Later at the caber toss it was the same story. A caber is a telephone pole sized log which is supposed to be tossed end over end. The competitor that tosses the caber closest to 12 o’clock wins. When it was Kate’s turns the announcer said, “Kate Burton is on the caber!” There was laughter from the crowd. I didn’t understand why at first. A man helped her get the caber up into position, though I think she could have done it herself. She stood up and took a step back to catch her balance. She ran forward and thrust her arms in the air achieving an 11 o’clock toss on her first try. The crowd went wild. No other woman was able to up end the caber that day.

The men’s caber toss competition was surprising in that the larger men were not the best caber tossers. Having a thick chest, legs as thick as barrels and thick beefy arms didn’t matter. It must all be about technique because the smallest man on the field, perhaps 5 foot tall and of medium build, was the clear champion.I sipped a delicious apricot ale as I sketched.

On another field, Scottish Sheep Dogs were demonstrating how to herd sheep. Four sheep were on the field and the dogs would circle around them to bring them back to the herder. Using just a series of whistle commands the dog could even get the sheep to follow an intricate course maze. It was an impressive sight. I ended the day listening to a Scottish Band called Albannach. Their high energy music had a large crowd of people dancing in front of the stage as the sun set and golden orange light filtered up to the treetops.

East Orange Shooting Sports

Posted on October 26, 2010February 7, 2022 by Thor

Katie Windish’s friend Arden Monroe suggested I come out to a shooting range to sketch. It was a crisp clear fall morning. I arrived at the East Orange Shooting Sports (7210 Gardner Street, Winter Park) perhaps fifteen minutes early since there was no traffic on the East West Expressway. Entering the parking lot my heart started pounding. I have never touched a gun in my life. The parking lot was almost full with perhaps twenty vehicles. When I killed the engine I suddenly heard the distant popping of the guns being fired. There was a bench next to the entrance and I sat next to a man wearing a Magic jersey. His exposed deltoid, biceps and triceps had a New Zealand style sharp spiraling tattoo that snaked down his arm. The American flag waved in the cool breeze beside me.

Toby Monroe walked up with a rifle case and several other smaller cases with hand guns. All the windows were barred. Hand guns and rifles decorated the walls behind the register.We all had to fill out release forms. Questions such as, “Have you ever been arrested? and, Are you an American Citizen?”, I quickly checked “No.” One question read, “Have you ever been depressed?” caused me to pause. Who hasn’t been depressed at some point? I decided to lie and checked “No.” We were given a quick five minute lesson on how to handle the guns on the range. The most important point being to keep the barrel of the gun always facing into the range. Katie and I got ear phones and protective goggles. When we entered the range the noise was deafening and constant. Katie was the first to fire and Toby showed her how to hold the handgun. I quickly blocked in the sketch. Her first shot was so loud that other shooters looked around with gun envy. The Luger spit out the empty bullet shell which ricocheted off the side barricade and flew back hitting me in the shoulder. I jumped and the line I was drawing swerved.

When it was my turn, Toby explained how to use the safety and how to hold the gun. Toby works for Kel-Tech designing and testing rifles and handguns. Many of the weapons we were shooting were new designs. I fired the Luger and was blinded and surprised by the muzzle flash and kickback. Araden let me shoot her grandfathers Sears revolver. I emptied the spent shells and reloaded. This gun had less of a kick and I felt a bit more confident with my aim. When we pulled back the target, clothes line style, I could see how I did. Arden said I had a good grouping most of my shots were in the area of the right lung. She said having a tight grouping is more important than hitting the bulls eye. I took comfort in that. I was glad I had even hit the target. I returned to the sketch adding color washes.

Toby pulled out the rifle which unfolded neatly. I had to take off the headphones and goggles to use this weapon in order to press my cheek up against the stock looking through the cross hairs. I emptied the entire clip into the target with spent shells arching to the floor all around me. Over lunch after, Toby said that countries that require all citizens to own a gun had less crime than any other country. Apparently there is a town in Texas that also insists that everyone must own a gun. For me, shooting guns at a range is a bit more exciting than bowling. Since I never bowl, I will probably never shoot.

Bullets cannot be recalled. They cannot be uninvented. But they can be taken out of the gun.
– Martin Amis

World Cup

Posted on July 18, 2010February 7, 2022 by Thor

I put out a request on Facebook asking where would be the best place in Orlando to watch the World Cup Soccer match. Someone responded Graffiti Junktion (400 East Washington Street in Thornton Park) so that is where Terry and I decided to go. When we first entered there was literally not a seat available. Terry wanted to go to a quieter bar down the street, but I knew this is where I needed to sketch. When we went back in the bar area, I found a spot in the corner of the room and I leaned back against the wall and started sketching. This meant I would have to stand for the duration of the game, but I thought it was worth it. Terry couldn’t find a seat so she asked me for my car keys and went back to get my portable stool. Right after she left a table opened up and I sent her a text to that effect. It turns out she had left her purse with me and her phone was in the purse. She ended up walking the 4 or 5 blocks and when she got back she realized she didn’t need the stool anymore.
At the table right in front of me there were several lesbian couples who were very affectionate. I found out that the two countries competing, Spain and Portugal, both recognize full marriage equality for all citizens. In other words, marriage need not only be the union of a man and woman. The fellow with the face paint was very boisterous. He was shouting and screaming the would game which then set the stage for a very loud crowd. He noticed me sketching and he climbed over to see what I was up to. The ink work was finished and I was about to start adding watercolor washes. Thankfully he loved what he saw and he took the sketchbook from me and started showing around to friends. When I got it back I started painting.
There were several moments where everyone in the room jumped to their feet and shouted. The moment the game winning goal was scored the place went ballistic. People were shouting and hugging, it was pure pandemonium. Since the people in front of me were rooting for Spain and had on orange and yellow face paint, I thought the team with the orange jerseys were from Spain. When the game was over I found out I was rooting for the wrong players the whole time. The orange jerseys belonged to Portugal.

Tomorrow Thor will be sketching “From Dust to Life”, the art of Jason Lee, at the Peacock Room (1312 North Mills Avenue) between 8PM and 11PM.

Rebounderz

Posted on April 6, 2010February 7, 2022 by Thor

Rebounderz (408 South Ronald Regan Boulevard, Longwood) his an indoors trampoline arena with 7,460 square feet of rebounding surfaces. The trampolines not only cover the whole floor, but also the walls. This was my second time going to Rebounderz. Katie Windish first told me about Rebounderz, and I finally went, thanks to a facebook invite from Amanda Chadwick. The first time I went, I didn’t do a sketch, I simply jumped for as long as my body would allow me. You rent shoes just like in a bowling alley and are given a wrist band with a number which allows the staff to know how long you have been bounding. I was given a quick series of lessons from one of the “referees”. I was taught how to roll and advised against landing straight legged on any of the green mats. I was told that if I wanted to do somersaults, I should ask for more advice. I had no intention of doing somersaults.
I limited my activity to bounding straight up and down trying to gain more height by throwing my arms up as well. Within ten minutes I was exhausted. I tried bounding off the walls, but I tended to just go splat and then slide straight down till I found myself seated on one of the mats. While seated I watched one guy bounce off a wall and then bound off the floor trampoline and complete the circuit by bounding off the other center pyramid shaped trampolines.
During the course of doing this sketch two girls had to be helped out of the room being supported by a friend and one of the referees. They hopped on one leg just like a football player being guided off the field. I don’t know how serious their injuries were. You might notice that the line work in this sketch is a lot more hectic than usual. That is because when seated on the green mat, I would be violently bounced around anytime someone bounced on the trampoline in front of me. Rather than loose patience, I simply learned to stop drawing when they bounced and then put down a quick pen stroke before they bounced again.
How often is it that you get to do something completely new? Rebounderz was certainly a new experience for me, and it is a really good workout.