Posted: 6/18/03

VFW holds 4th annual Jimmy Olson wheelchair races

Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
The Forest Lake VFW held the 4th Annual Jimmy Olson Wheelchair Races on Wednesday, June 11.

This years races welcomed its youngest competitors in nine-year-olds Mark Braun and Lucas Towle, both of Moundsview. The other competitors were Steve Labort, Mark Gassel, Augost ìSkooterî Bellach, and the VFWís very own John Flakne.

Braun, Towle, and Flakne all raced in a distance race that circled the VFW hall with Braun edging out out his competitors. Flakne, Gassel, Bellach, and Olson all had shorter sprints of their own with.

In a special bonus race, Flakne, Towle, and the one known simply as Charlie raced. The special part was that Charlie was on his motor cycle. Towle was the first to cross the finish line.

ìThat motorcycle was going really slow,î Braun said.

The race was Flakneís idea and is named after Vietnam vet Jimmy Olson who lost his legs in the war. Olson passed away a few years ago and event organizers felt it only fitting to name the races after him.

After the races all participants were awarded medals for participating, and Braun was awarded a trophy for overall winner.

ìIt was a lot of fun and I felt really good,î Braun said.

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