Rolling for Autism Comes to Dataw

After meeting up with Dan, Sean, Carson and Jason briefly in Savannah and Charleston I was excited to host them for the day at my mother's house on Dataw Island located just outside of Beaufort, South Carolina. They arrived shortly after 3pm having completed forty miles of rollerblading in 90 degree weather and humidity which some believe to be unbearable. After Dan polished off the entire plate of brownies my mother had baked for them the guys began the task of attacking the oversize laundry bag stuffed to the brim with dirty socks, under armour gear, and someone’s very special pair of orange underwear. With the multiple loads of laundry underway, we were off to the pool. A few curious residents came over to talk about their trip including a proud Union alum and a lady who may have taken a special interest in Carson, she may not have been Jenny McCarthy but I heard no complaints.
Although raising money for autism is the number one goal of this great adventure, apparently spotting an alligator was also on the top of the list of things to accomplish during their 2,000 miles. I hadn't been gator hunting for about three summers when I took the 4 and 7 year old brothers I was babysitting but I was happy to help out anyway I could. We left Jason to relieve his "two week golf itch," traded in their rollerblades for golf carts, and set off to find some gators. Our mission was a success. The first lagoon allowed Dan to play tough guy which entailed throwing pine cones at a gator, its size...about three feet long. With that baby alligator officially traumatized we figured it was better to move on and avoid a run in with its parents. However this did not stop any of us from trying out our luck with the creatures lurking around Dataw; for example when Sean did a little trespassing to get closer to another gator baby or when Carson offered up his shoe to allow for me to smack a gator in the face (why the only girl stood up to the challenge I’ll let the boys explain). Gators were the main attraction of our golf cart adventure however we made a little visit to rearrange some people’s crab traps, check out the marina and recklessly drive the golf carts into one another after which Carson announced he will never ride in a motor vehicle with me ever again. We found Jason on the golf course perfecting his swing and tried our best to distract him, which included Dan’s own PG-13 version of a sports fan streaking across the green, however Jason held strong.
Overall, Dan, Sean, Carson and Jason had a long and full day putting forth a tremendous effort on the road working for a great cause and I couldn’t have been happier having them join me at home even if just for one day. I wish them the best of luck the rest of their journey and anticipate great success from Rolling for Autism and from each of them individually in the future.
Gretchen Olney