Look with pride on big weekend

Welcome to the weekend hundreds of thousands of people circled on their calendars long ago. In Coeur d’Alene, it’s the Ford Ironman Triathlon. In Spokane, it’s Hoopfest. For the entire Inland Northwest, it’s a huge victory.

Hotels and motels are swelling. Cash registers are ringing. And a giant spotlight is shining on the quality of life we sometimes take for granted.

In Coeur d’Alene, triathletes and residents have developed a mutual affection. Each raves about the other. The 2,000 athletes love the scenery, the course and the overwhelming sight of packed stands at the finish line, cheering wildly. After winning the 2004 Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene race, Lynley Allison of New Zealand described on her Web site the “unbelievable sight” near the finish: “It would have to be the best finishing chute I have been through in nine Ironman finishes, not only because I was winning my first IM race, but due to the intense noise and excitement.”

Coeur d’Alene area residents, for their part, appreciate the training and endurance of the visiting triathletes as well as the positive exposure the race brings to North Idaho. Prior to signing a five-year deal for the Ironman, Coeur d’Alene was best known nationally during the summers for Aryan Nations conferences and downtown marches.

For the racers, the third Ford Ironman Coeur d’Alene is important because it’s a qualifying race for 80 spots at the 2005 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, in October. For the community, the race is crucial for its quest of landing the event for the long term. Despite internal squabbling with Post Falls over race costs the first year and two serious bike accidents last year, the race has run smoothly and become a favored stop for triathletes.

In Spokane, hundreds upon hundreds of hoops will be dragged onto the downtown streets, starting this evening. About 48 hours later, they will vanish. In between, over 100,000 people will take part in or watch the largest 3-on-3 basketball event in the nation.

This will be the last hurrah for Rick Steltenpohl, who is taking a job in Phoenix after 13 years as executive director of Hoopfest. Summer in Spokane hasn’t been the same since Steltenpohl transformed his passion for basketball into a remarkable community experience that is the envy of cities and towns everywhere. He will be missed, but we’re confident the new director and the hordes of volunteers will build on his legacy.

So get out and enjoy this special weekend in the Inland Northwest. And on Monday, while nursing sunburns and sore muscles, take a moment to look back with pride.