Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, January 21, 1992 TAG: 9201210190
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Kathleen Wilson
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SWIMWEAR GETS AN ICY RECEPTION
The Rebels were taking on the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds on Saturday night before a standing-room-only crowd. Parking was such a problem at the LancerLot in Vinton that the announcer seemed to spend more time calling out license plate numbers than hockey stats."Will the owner of the car with license plate VICKI 71 please move it? You're blocking somebody in."
It was so much more than hockey. It was all very "Viva Las Vegas."
The excitement didn't have much to do with slapshots, goals or assists.
"Do I wear the pink and green or the black and gold?" Andrea Williams asked fellow swimsuit calendar gal pal Kathryn Markiewicz, referring to swimwear. She described one as conservative, the other as so-so conservative.
Kathryn had bigger problems. Should she wear the yellow, red, green or blue?
Kathryn is an engineer. It made sense. You'd have to make big bucks to support the 20-plus swimsuit collection she admitted to owning.
Changing in an absolutely frigid room filled with Rebel pucks, T-shirts, pennants and bandanas, the two supermodel wannabes drove all the way down from Charlottesville for a two-minute turn around the ice between periods on the Zamboni.
("Will the owner of a yellow Volvo please move the car? You're gonna be towed.")
To reach the Zamboni, Kathryn and Andrea participated in what amounted to a full contact sport, teetering on spike heels and battling their way through a tunnel on the beer side of the sports complex to reach their chariot.
The intelligent, articulate women did this with style, admitting it wasn't anything they'd bargained for when being photographed for the "Girls of Southwest Virginia" calendar, published by Macado's restaurants. It was, they said, the longest two minutes of their lives.
Hockey fans had mixed reactions. John Neaze thought it was "kinda silly." Parker Ivey, a Hollins College senior, majoring in French and computer science, agreed. "I sure wish my boyfriend was here to tell you what he thought about this."
Where was he?
"He's out moving my car."
Are you VICKI 71?
"No, I'm the yellow Volvo."
Only one thing would make an evening like this more enjoyable.
Sure wouldn't mind seeing Spanky Macher mount that Zamboni wearing nothing but Speedos.
Meanwhile, over at the National Guard Armory in Rocky Mount, Whitey Taylor was hosting the 1991 Franklin County Speedway awards banquet and dance.
It was my first step toward conquering stock car illiteracy, and it was a blast.
The hall was festooned with black-and-white checkered flags and tablecloths. Guests enjoyed a chicken, ham and turkey buffet prepared by Wayne Hogan, a 14-year veteran of this event, who was wearing one of those Dairy Queen-like caps that folks were actually autographing.
Taylor was garbed in white tails and fluorescently colored Caribbean-esque sneakers and was noshing on a pear.
Carole Polter explained that Whitey tries to make sure every one of his drivers wins some sort of award, even if it's only in the "Big Cheater" or "Tantrum" categories.
But Dickey Wilson was the big winner, getting a trophy almost as tall as he was for being the track champion in the late-model division. The room was filled with people talking about what a really great guy he is, including his mother, who watched her son not only win this award for the first time, but also making his first public appearance in a tuxedo.
"I am just so proud of him," Jackie Wilson said. "Isn't he good looking? He just looks so beautiful in that tuxedo."
Twentysomething self-described Dominionettes bade farewell to Ricarda Beamer at a Jan. 11 party thrown by Rhonda and David Maddox at their Raleigh Court home in Roanoke. Beamer, a 10-year Dominion veteran, is moving on to bigger and better things working for the city of Lynchburg, and no, she was not laid off.
Rhonda went way above the call of duty in the ham-biscuit domain, making hers out of chopped ham, cheese, poppy seeds, onions and Worcestershire sauce. Potent potables included margaritas, brew and "Lynchburg Lemonade," concocted of triple sec, Jack Daniels, sweet and sour mix and 7-Up.
By moving on to Lynchburg Beamer will be giving up her big shot to work in Warner's new Dal-House.
Kathleen Wilson is a Roanoke free-lance writer. If you'd like to invite her to a party or social gathering, write her in care of the Features Dept., Roanoke Times & World-News, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491.