(continued from page 15) 16 JESUIT PERSPECTIVES • SPRING 2017 Eight cyclists and 10 crew members are a part of George Pollock Jr. ’85’s FSHD cycling team in the Race Across America in June. Pictured with him here on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa are (L-R) Jon Edwards (rider), Leah Pollock (mother, crew), Karin Kramer (crew), George Pollock Sr. ’59 (father, crew), Brian McGuigan (rider), Greg Pollock ’87, (brother, crew), Jane Pollock (wife, crew), and Adam Carnegie (rider). For bios on all riders and crew members, go to www.fshdcycling.com/team. do to help others with FSHD, how he could help with awareness and diagnosis, and help researchers develop treatments and a cure. .............. “The idea was how to capture attention by participating in a crazy, once-in-a-lifetime event,” Pollock said. “So I put 2-and-2 together.” With his cycling background, the Race Across America (RAAM) – the renowned “World’s Toughest Bicycle Race” – was a natural, albeit daunting challenge. “This is an epic adventure,” Pollock said of the 35-year-old race, which is 50% longer than the most famous bicycle race, the Tour de France, and completed in one week instead of three because it is continuous racing, not a stage race. So in 2016, Pollock began putting it all together, recruiting a team, planning, and targeting the June 2017 race. Pollock believes the FSHD Cycling Team’s quest will help continue the great strides made recently with FSHD. “The researchers and scientists are making progress,” said Pollock, who is a co-founder and Chief Financial Offi cer of a Tampa-based company called vXchnge, which owns and operates Internet data centers across North America. “More drug companies are working on it, there are dozens of clinical trials, and there is more cross-pollination in research. “If we can create awareness and fund more research, we can make a difference. These efforts will lead to tremendous changes in the quality of life for those affected with this disease.” Pollock has set a goal to raise $101,000 for the FSH Society. Why $101,000? Pollock’s maternal grandmother, Mary Bear, died in the fall of 2015. She was a lifelong resident of Tampa, a business owner, and had a signifi cant infl uence on his life. Pollock said she lived a life in accordance with the Jesuit motto of ‘Men for Others.’ She left each grandchild some money, and Pollock used his to seed this effort. Bear was 100 years old, in her 101st year of life. So $101,000 became the goal. Pollock, of course, also had to convince seven of his cycling comrades that they should join him in this endeavor to conquer the renowned Race Across America. Some of them he rode with back when he raced. Some he met more recently and are partners on training rides. Six live in the Tampa area. One lives on the east coast of Florida, another in Asheville, N.C. They all have manipulated their training, their work schedules, and their lives, to be a part of this. To put this treasured notch in their bike frames, and to help a friend with a noble purpose. Pollock, who turned 50 in April, is training 4 to 5 days a week on the bike, covering more than 200 miles. The FSHD weakness requires more rest for his muscles, and he is more wary of cumulative fatigue, though he believes the training is good for the muscles. He is preparing for long days in the saddle, and – as best he can prepare for such things in mostly fl at Florida – some hard days in the hills across America. In order to meet the ambitious 6 ½ day goal Pollock has established, the team of veteran cyclists will need to average 20 mph. They will ride nearly 400 miles each, in rotating shifts of a few hours apiece like one continuous relay race, while riding nearly half the time in the darkness. “We want to hit our (6 ½ day) target, and we want to be safe,” Pollock said. “Hopefully everyone gets along as we suffer together!” .............. Pollock is in the middle layer of three generations of Pollocks at Jesuit. His father, George Sr., graduated in 1959 and lives in Tampa. His two younger brothers, Greg Pollock ’87, a Master Detective with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department, and Dr. Glen Pollock ’89, a neurosurgeon, also are Tigers, as is his son, Jacob Pollock ’15, who is completing his sophomore year Florida Gulf Coast University. The Jesuit culture is ingrained in his DNA. “My father meets weekly with guys from his class,” Pollock said. “You see that kind of bond, then you live it – there is just something special with Jesuit. “The ’85s, we had lunch the other day. There were 14 guys there. That’s almost 10% of the class to show up for lunch.” The Jesuit experience made an impact on Pollock, and ultimately on this mission. “When you are fortunate enough to go to Jesuit, you have an obligation to give back,” said Pollock, who was a member of the baseball team in high school. “It is about ‘Men for Others.’” Pollock’s family has jumped on board his FSHD/RAAM mission, providing several members of the crucial 10-person support crew for FSHD Cycling. “The idea was how to capture attention by participating in a crazy, once-in-a-lifetime event,” Pollock said. “So I put 2-and-2 together. This is an epic adventure.”
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