| 06/19/2001 | Saturn to Build Playground in Arlington to Honor Nicole ReinhartSaturn Cycling Team members along with Saturn retailers and the community of Arlington, Mass., will gather Saturday, June 23 to build a playground in honor of Nicole Reinhart. Reinhart was a former member of the Saturn squad who died in a race in Arlington last September 17.
The playground will be built at Cutter Park, on School Street off of Massachusetts
Ave. in Arlington, and will be named the Nicole L. Reinhart Memorial Playground
at Cutter Park.
Organized by Saturn of Medford retailer Adam York along with Brad Miller, who is Saturn's east regional market area manager, the playground will be constructed in one day and dedicated on July 7, the day prior to a race in Arlington. Joining in the effort will be Saturn Cycling Team members Frank McCormack and Mark McCormack, both nearby residents, and Andy Lee, director of operations for the team. At a future date a plaque with an inscription set in a special stone will be placed adjacent to the playground.
York and Miller were viewing their first bicycle race on that fateful day
when the elation of Nicole's potential victory and a $250,000 prize that
went with it was suddenly shattered by the accident that resulted in her
death. The 24-year-old rising star in American cycling went off the course
and struck a tree. She was pronounced dead at a local hospital 30 minutes
later.
Deeply moved by the tragedy and how the community of cycling worked its way through the events of the day and the tremendous grief that followed, York immediately became determined to honor the fallen star.
"It struck a cord with me," said York, who vowed on that day to do something in her honor. "It was such a tragic and sad event. I started by talking to the city, which said a good way to honor her would be to build a playground."
Cutter Park, which was sorely in need of a playground upgrade but lacking
funds to facilitate the improvement was chosen as the memorial location.
Located in an area with a lot of young children, there was tremendous community
support for this endeavor. After working through the local political process,
York began seeking funds for the project.
Because Saturn Corporation has often built playgrounds as part of its ongoing commitment to community involvement, Miller was able to step in with a company that could provide the materials and direction for the one-day event. He contacted a playground company, Pettinelli Associates, in Burlington, Ver., and the project progressed from there.
"They were able to take care of everything rather quickly and will oversee the construction," said Miller. The city is preparing the ground and community members will work alongside Saturn executives and Saturn Cycling Team members on June 23.
"This is our team and this is what they do -- they join together to achieve a common goal, whether it's in a race or a community event," said Christine Rivers, sponsorships and promotions manager for Saturn Cycling. "Every person associated with Saturn Cycling was devastated by the loss of Nicole. It is something the team feels each and every day. But to have a chance to be a part of something to honor her memory is part of the healing process that follows such tremendous grief."
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the Nicole Reinhart Foundation was started
using the $250,000 she would have received had she won the Arlington race,
the fourth in a series. The prize was to go to any racer who could win all
four over the course of the 2000 season and Nicole had captured the three
previous events. The NRF is partially funding the Saturn Cycling Development
Team, which is composed of 14 athletes who are all aspiring cyclists, including
Nicole’s younger brother Tim.
Across the country, cycling programs are creating awards and honors named
after Nicole, to encourage young riders that show the same determination
and dedication as she did. Recently some young riders were honored at the
Lehigh County Velodrome near Allentown, Penn., where Nicole grew up and
spent much of her early racing career.
www.saturncycling.com
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