Reminder - 3 days left to enter raffle!

Time is ticking down - raffle entries must be postmarked by midnight Sept. 22. MORE INFO

To further whet your appetites, a clip from one of the bonus tape options - namely, last February's Chicoutimi World Cup - has been made available, courtesy of Mylène, Maggie and Sonia. (Visit the raffle site for more info about bonus prizes!)

Download the Chicoutimi Trailer Right-click and save target as...

OZ is back up!

*glances around*

Everyone/everything still here? The place looks just the way we left it yesterday...

As you may have noticed, OZ was knocked offline last night around 6:30pm ET. I learned this morning from our hosting company that they experienced a serious fire yesterday at their network operations center, so all their servers went down overnight. They've been working hard to bring us back online and I'm pleased to see we made it! Thanks to Apollo (with 2 L's) for getting us back up and running so quickly!

Thanks to all of you for hanging in there... :)

Operation Kirkland Update - Raffle News and Message from Kim

Part 1: Raffle News

Win an Apolo-signed beret just like this one!

There's one week left to send in donations and enter yourself in the raffle to benefit Cody Kirkland. The raffle team has announced new bonus prizes:

- Donate $30 or more and become automatically eligible to win one of two custom bonus tapes.
- Donate $50 or more and become eligible to win an Olympic beret signed personally by Apolo just last week in Colorado Springs! (Apolo doesn't sign many of these, so this is a special item indeed.)

Note: If you donate more than once, the raffle team will pool all your donations and enter you in the bonus drawings for which you qualify.

Remember, all entries must be postmarked by midnight on Sept. 22! The raffle team thanks all who have contributed so far. :)

Full details available at
http://www.angelfire.com/hero/projectao/.
(if that site is not available, try this link:
http://www.angelfire.com/magic/aovtransfer/)

Operation Kirkland Update

Part 2: A Message From Kim Kirkland

"How does a mother express her gratitude to the people that have helped her be strong enough to keep fighting for her children? So many of you have sent cards, letters, t-shirts, origami… I cannot express how much we all look forward to our mail. Not many of you know the difficulties that we have been through since Cody’s transplant. Not only with his health and Kyle’s changing schools, but also their father walking out on us one month after we got home from the Ronald McDonald House. Then Cody went through five rejections of his new heart, and even radiation treatments that gave him an ungodly infection.

"I have missed an incredible amount of work and those of you that run your own business know that can’t happen. Through the grace of God, my patients have stuck with me, including Apolo. For that I want them to know I am eternally grateful. Some have even bought massages in advance to try and give us a boost.

"Without all of you, we would be lost. This experience has been humbling, yet amazingly gratifying. I have always believed in people and gone out of my way to help in any way I can, believing that it would come back, and it has. This week we were told that Cody could wait another month to see his doctor because he is doing better. This is the longest he has ever gone between appointments since his transplant. I can’t tell you how happy we all are. Please pat yourselves on the back for us, because I know it was love and the prayers that each and every one of you sent that did it. You are all part of this incredible family called the Ohno Zone, which I truly believe can do anything it sets its mind to. Please contact me through our P.O. Box if there are others that I can send my prayers and love to as we get stronger, so we can give back.

"A special hug to Barb Freeland without whom we would have probably ended up an unfinished story or poem. Bless all of you for believing in us."

-- The Kirklands

The Kirklands can be reached at PO Box 5692, Colorado Springs, CO 80931

This just in from the Fanda team...
Fandamonium Wants You

Are you an artist, and have secret desires of having you work displayed? Then do we have a deal for you, Fandamonium needs a new logo. We have a few simple guidelines for you.............

Rule 1 Submissions can be hand sketched or computer graphics.
Rule 2 Representations cannot resemble any single athlete.
Rule 3 Company logos are not allowed. If manipulating a picture, company names must be completely removed.
Rule 4 The name "Fandamonium" must be in Red.
Rule 5 Deadline is December 1, 2003. No exceptions.
Rule 6 The Board of Fandamonium reserves the right to suggest changes to chosen submissions.
Rule 7 The chosen submission becomes the property of Fandamonium. The artist will be credited. Artist's signature will be allowed within the image.

To increase the chance that your submission will be chosen include both Short Track and Long Track, and possibly Inlining, themes.

If you have further questions, or you want to submit your work please contact Robin at skinsuitsnskates@aol.com or Dyan at dyan@skinsuitsnskates.com.

From Friday's Marquette Mining Journal newspaper:

"Speedskaters visiting Marquette this October for the only World Cup event held in the United States will be welcomed by decorative skates on downtown lamp posts.... The signs will be placed on lamp posts for two weeks, between Monday, Oct. 13 and Monday, Oct. 27."Read more.