The name of the volunteer isn't important. His response to a citizen made angry over not being able to turn onto Market Street during last Monday's USA Cycling Road Race National Championship is, however.
Told by the driver that she hoped he'd be run over by the cyclists, the cars following them or both, the volunteer reportedly defused the tension with a smile and replied, "I have a lot of friends who feel the same way."
As Larry English repeated that story Saturday afternoon, he broke into a small chuckle, then said, "I'm proud to say that I never had one complaint about our volunteers regarding the USA Cycling event, or any other sporting event I've been involved with over the last 15 years. This city is very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of volunteers. We just need a few more of them."
But if quantity is sometimes lacking at all levels of civic service, English argues that quality is never an issue, at least where his events have been concerned. Having served as USA Cycling's event volunteer coordinator for each of its three years in Chattanooga, he filled his preferred quota of 275 that first Memorial Day weekend in 2013, then made do with closer to 240 the next two years. Everything still went off without a hitch, but not without a scramble.
Photo Gallery
Movies in the Park
"The Wizard of Oz" brings a large crowd to Movies in the Park, August 1.
"The last two weeks leading up to the event I probably worked 40 hours at work and 40 hours at home," English said. "But we wound up with enough to make everything run smoothly. This is one of those times I fall back on the 90-10 rule, though. When it comes to volunteering, 10 percent of the people are doing 90 percent of the work."
This doesn't mean our town and English won't miss USA Cycling's national championship weekend now that it's moving on to Winston-Salem, N.C. Even if USA Cycling's own $5.9 million assessment of its economic impact on the Scenic City in 2014 might be optimistic, it certainly added millions of dollars to our downtown businesses.
But the work of those who volunteer their time for the grand prize of, as English mused, "a cool T-shirt and a meal," can't be praised and appreciated enough. Their Southern hospitality -- a phrase used often by the competing cyclists -- has helped make us one of the premier outdoors sports destinations in the country, if not the world.
It's at least one really big reason we appear headed for our second "Best Town Ever" crown from Outside Magazine. It's also why we're being strongly considered to host the 2017 World Ironman 70.3 against heavyweight contenders Lake Placid, N.Y., and St. George, Utah.
"It's definitely a differentiator," Chattanooga Sports Committee president Tim Morgan said when asked the role volunteers have had in the city landing national events. "The passion for community involvement here, especially with outdoor sporting events, is amazing to me. And I hope that flame never burns out."
Morgan then turned to a statistic from last September's Ironman to back up his premise.
"The Ironman sends out a post-event athlete survey," he said. "We had a 97 percent satisfaction rate. That's the highest percentage they've ever seen."
Jenny Berz is one reason for that rating. A lifelong resident of Chattanooga who'll be coordinating the Waterfront Triathlon on June 28, she estimates she volunteers for at least one outdoor sports competition a month from February to November.
"I'm a community-minded person," Berz said. "I've volunteered for both Ironman events through the Chattanooga Track Club. If I'm not participating, I like to support those who are. Anything for the betterment of the community."
But betterment isn't only about making athletes and visitors feel welcome. Sometimes it's about tending to the needs of those already calling Chattanooga home.
In an email to last week's USA Cycling volunteers, English told the story of an 87-year-old woman who couldn't figure out how to get back to her home in the Continental Apartments in North Chattanooga during the brief break between the women's and men's road races.
"(She) was obviously lost and visibly upset," English wrote. "She had spent most of the morning visiting her deceased husband at the National Cemetery. With a car full of flowers and an American flag, one of the volunteers helped her to the passenger side of her car, jumped in the pilot's seat and drove her back home."
But that left the volunteer without a car and much too far away to walk back to her post on Vine Street.
Wrote English: "Fortunately a friend who lived close by picked her up and took her to the north end of Veterans Bridge, where she then walked back to her post to finish out the day.
"This, folks," English added, "is what volunteering is all about."
And for those worried that most of the volunteering is done by an older crowd on the verge of retirement, empty nesters with enough time on their hands to help others without erasing all their own free time, English made an interesting observation.
"Forty-three percent of our volunteers (for the cycling) came from somewhere other than our mailing list, many of them through social media," he said.
So all this civic pride and assistance could last a while. Just don't expect English to curl up in a fetal position next Memorial Day, hopelessly depressed over USA Cycling's decision to move elsewhere.
"I'll probably be out riding my bike," he said.
When you live in what figures to soon be voted the best outdoor town in America, how could you not?
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.