Good ol' Jack from Ironhead

heading there now..    I need a laugh this morning

wow... Sounds like a pleasure to work with and a real "character".  Write him back and tell him you're his Daddy, although he seems like he may be a little on the volatile side of life.

WhAt's the link to your blog?

Click on anyone's name and then the "logs" button; takes you to anyone's training log/blog.

gracias!

All I can say is...wow

He's not volatile, just ex-military. I've got plenty of them in my family so I know how to deal with them, and Jack's demeanor is well-known around DFW. Once in awhile he outdoes himself though, and this would be one of those times.

You know that your email exchange just lengthened the pre-race meeting from 30 minutes to 45 minutes....yep, there is NO CHANCE your race is starting on time.  Better take a snickers bar, your going to be there awhile.

I love it when he repeats  five times that    "   transition is closed,, Don't come up here and ask me to go in, the answer is no !!"  someone will always goes up and says they forgot something and can the get it...

Why did that make me think of the bathroom scene in Full Metal Jacket?

Wow. John's alive. Haven't seen you on here in a while. Welcome back.

WTF?  I'm gone for 6 months and Tim's logging workouts now??


(Thanks, bro!  It's like coming back home.)

I have mixed feelings about the guy...Sometimes I'll talk with him and he'll be as nice and friendly as anyone I have ever met...then I see another side of him.  The first time I was ever made aware of iron Jack was when I was alarmed to turn around and see some guy (him) yelling curse words at a volunteer because he got off course on the swim at a local triathlon.  I think I decided I'd make better decisions in terms of when and where I race from then on.

OK. . . .  I guess I have to tell my story, or my wife's story that is. . .

I talked her into doing her FIRST Tri.  2008 Athens Tri.  The 2007 Athens Tri had PERFECT weather.  2008 it was 28 degrees at Transition set up, 34 degrees out of the swim, and about 45 at the finish.  My wife has never been a sporto athlete, but she does her share of H20 arobics (instructor for 6 years), does her share of Rowing in a rowing class along with Ab workouts, and she likes to cycle.  But doing a triathlon with bad knees and exercise induced asthma is tough. 

So here we are in Athens getting the IRON Jack pre-race LECTURE, and then off she went.  I will tell you first that she did not finish LAST in the race, but had 8 people that were slower than her.  I was so proud! ! ! !

But, she was third from the last coming off the bike.  By that time the volunteer that was supposed to be directing the bikes into the turn to go to T2 had abandoned his/her post.  Now I know all of us at our FIRST Tri were somewhat overwhelmed, as she was, and when she go to that turn she went right past it.  At that point our Buddy IRON Jack saw her and started screeming at her (who knows what he was screeming), but it was certainly that she had missed the turn.  She stops, as this Short, Bald guy comes at her screeming, and what do y'all think she forgot to do? ? ?   If you guessed, "unclip from her pedals", you are correct.  She fell plum to the ground.  Had to get up (Embarrassed as all get out), and turn around only to have to walk her bike about 100 yards to get to the T2 entrance.  I'm standing there watching all this as my heart just started to sink.  All this in about 38 to 40 degree weather.

She doggone finshed, and we have a great IRON Jack story for the forums of BT.

Thanks JACK. . .  You're my Hero. . .

Yeah, I think he's actually an ex-drill sargeant...I can totally see him in Full metal jacket as well

Don't forget that he's tough as nails, too. He cheated death (or at least serious long-term injuries) a couple of summers ago when he was forced off a bridge by a newbie cyclist's error and landed on the rip-rap embankment, broken, bruised and bloodied. There was a thread about it right after it happened. There was also a poll/thread comparing the big 3 N. Tx RDs. I think IronHead (Jack) fared pretty well among local triathletes.
How does that line go? "He may be a 'scurvy dog' but at least he's our 'scurvy dog'."

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Tri Waco was a great event. Although his pre-race briefing was long winded and drill sergeant like, it was a very well run event. Of course I have not had the pleasure of dealing with him directly.

That sounds about right.

I am probably not the best judge of this since I haven't raced much the last couple years, but from the few races I have observed and/or participated in, I would take Jack's pain-in-the-rear persona, and race in his races a hundred times out of a hundred, compared to DA/DSU.   Jack may be a crusty stick in the mud from time to time, but his races are safe, well-run, and even have the added bonus of nice dri-fit race shirts (as opposed to the crap shirts that DSU puts out that aren't even of sufficient quality to use as a garage rag).

Edited by OldAg92 2009-08-27 1:23 PM