Filling
in for director made permanent job inviting
In October 1996, Anne Gault stepped into a new role as executive director of what was then known as the Crim Festival of Races. She had already served in that role for five months on an interim basis.
She originally expressed no intention of seeking the job permanently when she replaced Laurie McCann, who left unexpectedly in April after four years. But after leading a successful race on Aug. 24, 1996, Gault indicated she would apply for the job. The Crim board scrapped its plan for a national search.
``She dazzled us, every one of us,'' Brian Barkey, president of the Crim board said in an October 1996 Flint Journal article. ``She just performed magnificently. The longer she was working, the better we liked it."
She is credited with focusing the Crim organization's attention on training. That focus was prompted partially by the Crim's first and only fatality. it occurred in 1994 when a runner collapsed.
Gault understood the importance of training, partially because of her growing interest in the industry of racing. She and her husband's business focuses on using technology efficiently to run races.
Today, you'll often find Gault at the keyboard working on race results.
Gault, who was marketing director of the United Way of Genesee County in the 1980s, joined the Crim staff in 1994 as the assistant director. She also kept busy teaching a course in public relations at the University of Michigan-Flint and working with husband John putting on road races.
It was that road race management company, owned by her and John that led to her resignation, announced in January 1999. She agreed to stay until a new director was named.
``It's a very difficult decision,'' Gault said then. ``If I could just become two of me and do both. I love both of them. It was a tough call. I decided this is the right thing to do. I hope I'm right.''
Gault Race Management at http://www.gaultracemanagement.com/took over the timing and scoring of the race from Burns Computer Services, the Ann Arbor company which brought computer chip scoring to the United States.
In 1999, the Gaults were scoring 60 races a year, including about 35 outside of the Flint area.
Gault said the two things she will miss most are the people involved with the Crim and the thrill of race morning.
``Standing up there on the start podium on race day and looking out on that sea of people, the first year I had chills,'' she said. ``I feel them talking about it. I'll miss that, going out and saying, `Wow, all of this came together.' I never felt like, `Wow, I did this.' I felt everybody did that.''
In October 1996, Anne Gault stepped into a new role as executive director of what was then known as the Crim Festival of Races. She had already served in that role for five months on an interim basis.
She originally expressed no intention of seeking the job permanently when she replaced Laurie McCann, who left unexpectedly in April after four years. But after leading a successful race on Aug. 24, 1996, Gault indicated she would apply for the job. The Crim board scrapped its plan for a national search.
``She dazzled us, every one of us,'' Brian Barkey, president of the Crim board said in an October 1996 Flint Journal article. ``She just performed magnificently. The longer she was working, the better we liked it."
She is credited with focusing the Crim organization's attention on training. That focus was prompted partially by the Crim's first and only fatality. it occurred in 1994 when a runner collapsed.
Gault understood the importance of training, partially because of her growing interest in the industry of racing. She and her husband's business focuses on using technology efficiently to run races.
Today, you'll often find Gault at the keyboard working on race results.
Gault, who was marketing director of the United Way of Genesee County in the 1980s, joined the Crim staff in 1994 as the assistant director. She also kept busy teaching a course in public relations at the University of Michigan-Flint and working with husband John putting on road races.
It was that road race management company, owned by her and John that led to her resignation, announced in January 1999. She agreed to stay until a new director was named.
``It's a very difficult decision,'' Gault said then. ``If I could just become two of me and do both. I love both of them. It was a tough call. I decided this is the right thing to do. I hope I'm right.''
Gault Race Management at http://www.gaultracemanagement.com/took over the timing and scoring of the race from Burns Computer Services, the Ann Arbor company which brought computer chip scoring to the United States.
In 1999, the Gaults were scoring 60 races a year, including about 35 outside of the Flint area.
Gault said the two things she will miss most are the people involved with the Crim and the thrill of race morning.
``Standing up there on the start podium on race day and looking out on that sea of people, the first year I had chills,'' she said. ``I feel them talking about it. I'll miss that, going out and saying, `Wow, all of this came together.' I never felt like, `Wow, I did this.' I felt everybody did that.''
"Standing up there on the start podium on race day and looking out on that sea of people, the first year I had chills."
