Giant Relay Day 2022

Giant Relay Day traditionally signals to the CA community that summer is just around the corner. Field Day activities, a BBQ in the Sculpture Garden, the Giant Relay Race, and the Alumni-Faculty Party on the Welborn Lawn are highlights year after year. Always memorable, it is the day alumni return to campus for the first festivities of their Reunion Weekend. The day this year was certainly unforgettable, most notably because of the weather, which included rain changing to snow and temperatures in the low 40s, which combined to produce a less-thanoptimal race environment of slick, soggy grass and scattered mud puddles. Despite conditions, memorable moments happened: Alumni ate the traditional BBQ lunch in the Campus Center, took a guided tour of campus, participated in the Giant Relay Race, and gathered for warmth and camaraderie in the Campus Center for Happy Hour.

Giant Relay Race

To race or not to race, that was the question. Would there be injuries on a wet course? Would Senior girls playing in the State Championship Lacrosse game on Sunday risk a slip and fall? Could the faculty even field a team with a number of teachers home sick? Could the parent team finally win? As race time neared, and with monitors on the course, only two teams had the gumption and the personnel to participate, the alumni and the parents. Swimmers enthusiastically warmed up in the 86oF pool, mountain bikers evaluated the conditions, kayakers donned life vests and headed to Woody’s Pond, and runners stretched, scoped out the shortest route to the next relay station, and took up their positions. Both teams were winners for even participating under such disagreeable circumstances. Wearing hot pink T-shirts to honor the 50th anniversary of the “pioneer girls” who inaugurated coeducation at Colorado Academy, the alumni team led, almost from the beginning; but in the end, it was the anchor leg parent runner who crossed the finish line first. The parents were finally triumphant after all these years and will see their team name engraved on the Giant Relay Trophy. Congratulations to parents Lauren Benjamin, Michael Borgelt, Laura Briger, John Briggs, Dan Carson, Colin Dunn, Stephanie Dunn, Meghan Geisler, Mike Hewitt, Christina Joymon, Jesse Schumacher, and Rick Zimmerman! Hats off to the ever-intrepid alumni: Caroline Briggs ’20, Roger Burleigh ’02, Sabra Peine Fleck ’72, Norm Harris ’94, Walt Jones ’20, Kiah May ’21, CJ Romine ’20, Andrew Seaton ’92, Sophie Sileo ’17, Annabelle Swenson ’21, Terrie Dickinson Warren ’72, and Monika Williams ’19. We hope to see all teams resume participation in 2023! n

See all photos at coloradoacademy.org/ alumni/ca-alumni-association.

Bikers Andrew Seaton ’92 (L) and parent Jesse Schumacher started the Giant Relay Race.

From Left: Swimmers Roger Burleigh ’02, Kiah May ’21, and parents Laura Briger, Rick Zimmerman

Kayakers Caroline Briggs ’20 (L) and her father John Briggs, parent team

Alumni Relay Team