The Challenge Begins

For the U.K. team, Kate Balchin (from Bagshot in Surrey) and Martin Yardley (from Portsmouth), this means battling the elements in an extreme sports competition in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

The female Metropolitan Police Officer and the Royal Marine PTI travelled to Canada last Friday to begin preparations for the event. They will compete against nine other countries – including Germany, Belgium, Austria and Canada – to win two Klondike gold nuggets and the title of 2006 Fulda Challenge champions. The punishing schedule allows no break for the team as they compete in a wide range of sporting events in temperatures as low as -50ºC.

Today’s challenges are a demanding half-marathon, followed by a downhill-kayak. A popular event at the 2005 Fulda Challenge, the downhill-kayak will see the contestants steering a canoe down a snow-covered mountain.

Kate, 25, has been looking forward to the kayak since she was chosen for the team. “I have seen the photos of the 2005 challenge and the kayaking looks amazing!” she said before departure the Yukon. “I am really excited about the prospect of this exciting event and I will throw myself into it with 100% enthusiasm.”

“The team has a really tough task ahead, but I am incredibly confident in their ability,” says Fulda’s Brand Support Manager Nicole Howitt. “Kate and Martin form one of the strongest teams we have ever had. They are very balanced and one’s weakness is the other’s strength, so I really believe that they can win this – go team U.K.!”

The Ohio Tire and Automotive Association (OTAA) held its annual golf outing this year at The Country Club at Muirfield Village, close to the renowned Muirfield Village Golf Club, home of the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament.

OTAA leadership welcomed around 116 OTAA members and thanked sponsors before teeing off and, following golf, attendees gathered for dinner, drinks and donations. OTAA leadership, including new President Jon Boyd, tire business manager, from Boyd’s Tire and Service, presented a $3,000 donation to the Automotive Aftermarket Charitable Foundation (AACF). OTAA also presented the William Floyd Distinguished Service Award to Tom White, owner of the six-store Tire Source chain based in Canton. White received the honor in recognition of his long-term dedication and contributions to the OTAA board and the broader Ohio tire industry.