Beyond the Job: Everything from Badger Golf Clubs and Large Mouth Bass to Sailing and Triathalons

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – So many of the people appearing in the pages of Credit Union Times are known for just one thing – the role they play in the credit union industry. But what happens when they’re not conducting credit union business? In our new section, Beyond the Job, Credit Union Times will attempt to concisely capture an aspect of the non-work side of credit union leaders. If you have something you would like included in Beyond the Job, contact the Credit Union Times reporter or editor you typically deal with or call Editor Paul Gentile at (561) 683-8515, ext. 10 or e-mail [email protected]. Please note, color photos, preferably of the person doing one of their off-work activities, should be submitted. * From April through September CUNA’s Vice President of Executive Development Dean Archer puts on his professional golf clubmaker hat and spends most nights and weekends analyzing golf swings and fitting people for their perfect golf club or making customized clubs. This hobby-turned-small business all started with Archer’s offhand remark in the mid-90′s that he wouldn’t mind making his own golf clubs- since then he’s made about 5,000 clubs. You never know where his signature work will turn up, whether it be the University of Wisconsin Badgers golfing equipment or the popular credit union Children’s Miracle Network fundraiser, the Hank and Moose Open. The latest creation to come from his garage-turned-workshop is designed for golf-loving new dads or granddads who have everything-an engraved “baby” golf club complete with the child’s stats that is the exact length of the newborn at birth. “I just got a picture from someone who put his son next to the baby club to show me just how much he’d grown,” said Archer. “This hobby will never replace my day job, but I have a lot of fun with it and it is a great escape.” Curious how Archer does on the green? He has an 11 to 12 shot handicap. * Credit Union Times editor Paul Gentile is an avid fisherman and basketball fanatic (playing and watching). Hailing from the Jersey shore, Gentile’s fishing has mostly been of the salt water variety, but having recently moved into a house that sits on a freshwater lake stocked with bass, he’s busy honing his freshwater skills. As for basketball, Gentile has been sidelined for a few months due to a severe ankle sprain from a YMCA game, but he’ll be back. A huge Michael Jordan fan, Gentile will be taking in a Washington Wizards game while in town attending the GAC. * It was when he was just a boy growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that FAIRWINDS Credit Union President/CEO Ed Baranowski first fell in love with the rustle of sails in the wind and the swish of the water. When his son decided not to continue his studies at the University of Wisconsin in 1980, Baranowski bought his first sailboat and named it Instead. “Basically instead of my son’s college education we spent the money on a boat,” said Baranowski. Over the years Baranowski and his wife have had the opportunity to sail on some incredible vessels. For their 10th anniversary the couple sailed from Athens, Greece to Boadrum, Turkey and the captain let Baranowski have his turn at the helm. These days the self described “fair-weather” sailor says that now sailing is like an escape from hectic schedules and spending three to four hours at sea is a lot cheaper than seeing a psychiatrist. *Who says economists are too wrapped up in statistics and analyses to have fun? CUNA Economist Steve Rick dispels that image quickly every time he crosses the finish line of an Ironman Triathlon. The 40-year old Rick has always been involved with sports such as football, wrestling and track. In 1982, the Moorhead, Minn.-native came in second in the Mr. North Dakota bodybuilding competition while he was attending North Dakota State University in Fargo. About five years ago, he and a friend challenged themselves to run a 26.2-mile marathon around Owen Park in the city. Feeling confident when they completed that, they both ran the Chicago Marathon – Rick finished in 3 hours 30 minutes – and the Los Angeles Marathon. “I decided this was a lot of fun,” said Rick. “The question after Los Angeles was, what was the next level?” The answer: the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. Before you can even enter an Ironman Triathlon, you have to qualify. Qualifications are based on the competitor’s sex and age. Rick’s qualifying time is 10 hours, 40 minutes. He’s very close. In 2001 he competed in the Ironman Triathlon in Lake Placid, N.Y. The event included a 2.5 mile swimming phase; a 112 mile bike ride; and a full 26.2 mile marathon. Rick completed the event in 11 hours. What’s next? Rick is considering competing in eco challenges which are adventure races in different parts of the world.