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Tesa Golden is co-chair of the 2007 Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS, scheduled for Sept. 29-30. The seventh annual event will raise funds for the Resource Center of Dallas, AIDS Services of Dallas and AIDS Outreach Center of Tarrant County.
How did you first get involved in the Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS?
My aunt, Sue Wyll, was riding in the second Tanqueray AIDS Ride [a precursor to the Lone Star Ride], and she asked me to work on the crew. I did, and I loved it. And I have been involved ever since. I took off one year because my partner, Tammi Odom, and I were trying to have a baby. But all the other years, I have either been a rider or on the steering committee or both.
What was it about the event that caught your interest so vividly?
The crew I was on that first year was the bike parking crew. When the riders came across the finish line, we would take their bikes and move them to the parking area so the riders could participate in the closing ceremonies. I got to see these riders people from all walks of life and in all shapes and sizes who had trained for months and months as they crossed the finish line. I could see that they really felt like they had accomplished something important. They were just ordinary people who had pushed themselves to do that, and it turned out to be the same way for me. It was this super-challenging thing to do, and I completed it. It was a really neat feeling.
Is your partner involved?
Yes, she is on the steering committee, too, on the rider recruitment committee. So it’s a family affair. Being co-chair, just being on the committee at all, takes a real big time commitment, and so before I would do it and maybe take that time away from my family, Tammi had to be on board with the idea. She was, and now it’s really neat to have this thing that we do together.
What kind of work do you do?
I am a former math teacher. Our son, Nathan, will be 2 on Valentine’s Day. The year he was born, I finished that school year. But now I stay home with him. I also take care of my nephew. This past year, I went back to do some math tutoring and to coach the math team at the elementary school Nate will attend.
Have you started training yet for this year’s ride?
I joined a gym on New Year’s Day, so yes, I am training. I am just not training on my bike yet. I will probably start training on the bike in March or April.
Soundout is a weekly column featuring people whose jobs and interests have an impact on the daily lives of members of the GLBT community. It features those who often go unnoticed by the press and community. If you’d like to recommend someone to cover in this column, contact staff writer Beth Freed at freed@dallasvoice.com.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition January 19, 2007