Page 20 - DWV PROMO BOOK

Airport Olympics

I was working on my thesis in 1981. The goal was the human-powered world speed record. I was majoring in engineering, art and
aerodynamics so it seemed obvious that I should create a high-speed vehicle. Over the course of the Fall semester, my “project”
took on a life of its own. I was raising funds, designing the vehicle and all its component parts, sourcing supplies, finding sponsors,
and building prototypes. It was daunting. As my days turned into nights and sleep became an increasingly rare occurrence, my work
caught the attention of more and more professors, one of whom told PBS about what I was attempting. Suddenly, I was going to
be the subject of a PBS documentary... but I didn’t have an engine for my “bike.” I was moaning about this at lunch one day in the
cafeteria. One of my table-mates was a bike enthusiast and said, “Why don’t you get Eric Heiden to ride your bike?” Eric was a
household name thanks to his recent five gold medals in speed skating at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. Everyone at the table
laughed. I didn’t. I called information for one Dr. Jack Heiden in Madison, Wisconsin (also widely known given all the press Eric
was getting) and got a phone number. I called. Eric answered. That was pure luck. He loved the idea of pedaling a speeding bullet
and we agreed to work it out with his agents (they were scared at the thought of me causing injury to their golden boy). I also had
no money to pay for his participation. Thankfully, Eric was young and crazy–like me–and wanted to do this. Weeks later, we met
in the international terminal at JFK. It was long before all the TSA security stuff so I was able to carry a large wooden contraption
all the way into the gate area so I could get measurements to custom fit the actual vehicle to Eric. We had a blast while one of his
agents sat by with a very worried look on his face. This was just the beginning of a great time working with Eric. – DW

1981 • College Thesis • Fitting test for World Speed Record vehicle with Olympic champion, Eric Heiden, inside JFK airport lounge (before security protocols)