THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 19, 1996 TAG: 9609170131
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 69 lines
Hordes of motorcyclists wearing black leather jackets and packing dice will hog the roadways of Hampton Roads Sept. 29, all in the name of charity.
The ride won't be an easy one for the expected 300 devotees of Hondas and Harleys. They'll cover a two-hour route of almost 120 miles, filled with frequent stops, starts and gawking motorists who sometimes can cause driving hazards.
But if all goes well, the seventh annual Charity Motorcycle Dice Run could generate thousands of dollars to make the last wish of a dying child possible.
The bikers' registration fees and other proceeds will go to the Make a Wish Foundation. Last year, the sponsors of the run - the Goldwing Road Riders Association Chapter B and Honda of Norfolk - raised $2,800 for the charity. This year, organizers hope to generate even more.
They also hope to dispel a few stereotypes about bikers.
``A lot of people think motorcyclists are rough, rowdy, Hell's Angels type of people,'' said Donna Lightfoot, a Goldwing member who is helping to organize the event. ``We want to let people know we're not like that at all. We do a lot of things for charity.''
In addition to the Make a Wish Foundation, the riders have given some $10,000 to the Joy Fund and the Salvation Army during the last six years of the dice run. The club also has sponsored first aid and CPR classes, participated in parades and competed in national motorcycle shows.
Two years ago, the group agreed to donate its run proceeds to the Make a Wish Foundation after one of its members told of the charity's work.
``Most of the members are guys, and she had us all crying,'' recalled June Boice, the club's director. ``It sounded like such a worthwhile group ... we decided we had to give them some money.''
If past years hold any clues, riders from other motorcycle clubs throughout the area, ranging in age from 18 to 80 and partial to all sorts of bikes, will convene for the run.
Included among them will be Goldwing member Dennis Capps, who turns 80 in October. Capps also participated in the run last year.
``I just love riding these things,'' Capps, a retired Norview bus driver, said of his top-of-the-line machine, a sleek, black 1500 Goldwing Aspencade. ``I know they're dangerous, but I still love them. I didn't even start riding until I was 64 ... after my wife died. Now, unless there's ice or snow, I ride mine every day, wherever I go. I've been all the way to Wisconsin and Florida on it.''
``Riding motorcycles is a lot like being in high school again,'' said Boice, a ``middle-aged'' member who rides with his wife. ``You just have a lot of fun and a lot of freedom.''
An acknowledged ``biker girl,'' Lightfoot said club members gather to ride somewhere every weekend. A 34-year-old customer service representative who lives in Virginia Beach, Lightfoot recently traveled 1,500 miles in three days on her bike to get to a New York state competition. Her baby blue Honda Aspencade show bike earned first place in the show.
``Heck, we'll ride all the way to North Carolina just to get an ice cream cone,'' she joked. ``This is our life.''
The dice run begins at 9:30 a.m. Groups of riders will head out from Honda's Tidewater Drive location along a predetermined route through all the Southside cities. At five checkpoints, the riders get off their bikes and roll dice to accumulate points. The rider with the most points at the end of the day wins a trophy.
But the run is not just for those going the long haul. Throughout the day, field events will take place in the parking lot of the motorcycle dealership. Bikers will compete in a timed slow ride, cone weave and bean-bag toss.
There also will be door prizes, a raffle for a new set of motorcycle tires and the pulling of a ``50/50 lottery'' ticket. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by GARY KNAPP
Dennis Capps, 79, of Norfolk drives a 1500 Goldwing Aspencade. by CNB