Folks, no one ever won the Tour de France without a handful of unsung teammates quietly breaking the way. Similarly, in Toastmasters, there are times when a couple of stars are pushing for a big goal, and the team folds in around them and makes it happen.

This week VanCore members left a couple of speaking spots open for Jonathan and Connie – call them our Lance and Ryder (the cycling metaphor ends here, we promise) — as the two veterans raced to finish Advanced Manuals. Their aim is to nab their AD Silver and AC Bronze citations by month’s end. That’s great for Jonathan and Connie, and it’s great for VanCore, because it’ll earn the club two points to the enviable position of  “Select Distinguished Club.”

But VanCore’s about much more than the highballers. This week, for example, Angela, new this year, chaired her first-ever meeting. And did it well. She was cool, gracious, and covered the agenda like a Trojan.

The club also welcomed its newest member, Renee, about whom everyone has a great feeling. Susan’s Father’s Day-themed Table Topics drew touching impromptus from Loa, Cory, Vanessa, Renee, Cal and Corrine — a guest who dived in.

New blood, old blood: that’s the way it works. Everyone’s getting better in their way, at their speed. There are no prima donnas in VanCore.

Even though that WAS the word of the day.