RECREATION

Time once again to look back at the year in recreation, rewarding those who engage in the sporting life rather than watching others get paid to play. Forthwith, the Reccies, an unjuried presentation of imaginary awards to folks who deserve real ones.

Pirates of the Yaharabbean Trophy: Team Survivor Madison's Dragon Boat Team
 Local boatwright Jim Caldwell crafted a 40-foot, 600-pound dragon boat so this team of area women (all diagnosed with or surviving cancer) could train in a proper vessel. Buoyed by their hot new boat, these women paddled their way to a third-place finish in the Survivor Challenge Class at the 2008 Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival — plundering bronze-medal booty. Avast!

Gilded Running Shoe: Ronald Mexico
He may not always be the fastest guy in the hyper-competitive 30-39 age group, but he is the most consistent and persistent. Entering 17 of the 19 races in this year's Madison Area Running Series (at distances ranging from one mile to 20 kilometers), Mexico racked up 169 points for a 10-point margin over the next-highest total among more than 150 men and women of all ages who registered for MARS 2008.

Commodore's Cup for Career Accomplishment: Iceboating great Bill Mattison
After some 70 years of the punishing sport, Mattison, 80, announced his retirement earlier this month and started clearing out his boat-building garage. It was there that he crafted many of the fastest iceboats in the world, pushing the evolution of the elite Skeeter class with his design innovations. Between 1962 and 1986, he cemented Madison's claim as the world's ice-yachting capitol by racing his boats to 11 International Skeeter Association titles — three more than anyone else in the sport's premiere event (though the runner-up is still racing). Having filled his trophy case with scores of other sailing championships on waters both frozen and unfrozen, Mattison leaves his friends and admirers in the Four Lakes Ice Yacht Club to carry his legacy forward.

Spirit of Competition Medal: Trek Urban Assault Ride participants
While a few teams of two raced their bikes from checkpoint to checkpoint in an earnest effort to finish under two hours and vie for the title in their division, many reveled in the goofy fun of such challenges as bicycle limbo, the two-wheeled newspaper-delivery toss and navigating a course on ultra-ultra-mini bikes. The constant variety fused the thrill of participation and (with apologies to the late Jim McKay) the agony of helpless laughter with the human comedy of athletic competition.

Golden Spoke: Bicycle Benefits
 Ian Klepetar has been biking from city to city, selling Bicycle Benefits stickers (bicyclebenefits.org) for $2.50 each to businesses that turn around and sell the reflective all-weather stickers to people for $5. Anyone who buys a sticker and attaches it to his bike helmet is eligible for discounts and other deals whenever they patronize a participating business via bicycle. Communities of biking-positive businesses and customers have sprung up from Boston, Mass., to Bozeman, Mont. But nowhere has the concept taken off as it has in Madison, where 89 businesses signed on during Klepetar's brief stay — more than any other city he visited. From 25 cents off a cup of coffee to 10% off art, flowers, gifts and restaurant meals, local cyclists with BB stickers may log hundreds of miles in pursuit of benefits — thousands, if they care to pedal to participating businesses in distant cities and states.

Gusto Cup: Madison pond hockey enthusiasts
Throughout the snowiest season on record, undaunted pond hockey skaters persisted in shoveling off enough ice to shoot the puck around — exemplifying other recreational sports enthusiasts who are driven by the sheer joy of playing.

The Iron Amulet of Oops: Triathletes Who Drop Stuff
The Ironman Wisconsin Lost & Found tent was a veritable gear expo. With dozens of swim goggles, running shoes and flip-flops (single and in pairs) to bicycle pumps, wetsuits, bike jerseys, multi-function sport watches and high-end sunglasses, the display included enough cool triathlon stuff to launch a used-gear store. Amazing how many items (including at least one pair of running shorts!) a couple thousand people can drop when they're in a tearing hurry to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 and run 26.2.