8/3/2009

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to ride in a monster truck driven by Courtney Jolly, one of the few female drivers on the monster truck circuit. My heart was in my throat as we spun around the arena floor, doing donuts and jumping dirt obstacles. When the ride was over, as I was getting unstrapped from the truck and out of my fire-suit, Courtney talked about some of the difficulties she had to overcome to reach this high level of competition. When I asked her why she did it, she said, smiling, Its the thrill of the ride. I love a challenge.

As president of AAF of the Midlands, I keep thinking about what a ride this year has been. In these economic times, all of us have faced challenges. But I look forward to the upcoming year because I know that, as a group, we will overcome these challenges and, like Courtney, we will enjoy the thrill of the ride as we go.

We have a lot of exciting events planned that will be great reminders of the benefits of being a member of AAF. These include networking, professional growth and development, industry and government advocacy and peer and industry leadership. We'll kick the fall season off with our Annual Kick-Off Party on Wednesday, August 19 at our new meeting location, 701 Whaley. Check out this link for more information on this incredible building.

During our kickoff, youll learn more about the great opportunities available through AAFs many committees. Our club thrives on the work of volunteer members who, in turn, gain invaluable industry experience during their service. Our club also thrives on our members ideas. If you have any suggestions or comments for ways to move our club forward, Id love to hear them.

Looking forward to seeing you in August! Keep on truckin.

Best,

Abey Coker
President, AAF of the Midlands
abeycoker@sc.edu