Does Cutters have an advantage in Little 500 over the rest of the competition?

This is a question to which the answer will depend on who you ask.

Generally speaking, Cutters has been publicly proclaimed as ‘The GDI team’ (GDI is a term used to describe individuals who decided not to join the Greek system.)  So what does this have to do with riding a bicycle around a track for 200 laps?  Well, the answer to that is a little bit more complex than one would assume.

In the previous four years prior to the 2011 men’s race, Cutters has won the Little 500 each year, some races by an impressive margin.  This year, however, there were three or four quality teams that based on Qualifiers and Time Trails, could have finally edged out the now 5-time defending champions.  Those teams included Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, Delta Tau Delta, and Sigma Nu.

The first step in answering this question is to trace it back months before the actual race, when teams begin recruiting incoming freshman.  This is where individuals are separated into two categories, they either choose to ‘Go Greek,’ and join a fraternity, or simply put, they don’t.  Those recruits that do not decide to join the Greek community are prime targets for Cutters.

So does this give Cutters an advantage in recruiting by having a larger audience?

Maybe.  From a personal view, it really depends on what the incoming freshman chooses to do.  Who is to say that just because a future rider decides to join a fraternity, makes him less of an athlete than a person who doesn’t?

To me, it doesn’t.

“Cutters distinguish themselves in training,” junior Delta Tau Delta biker Nick Lenard said. “Not in recruiting.”

It is no secret that the social aspect of college may very well slow down the progress of a rider, so maybe this is where the advantage comes into play.

“If all you want to do is ride a bike in your four years at IU, then Cutters is the right choice for an incoming freshman.  However, if you want to not only have a great time, but also race in Little Five, then a fraternity becomes the obvious choice,” notes Lenard.

Fifth-year Delt rider James Coudright sees things in a bit of a different light.

“What gives a team an advantage is their passion,” he said. “Alumni support might buy you nice training equipment, and a larger recruiting field might find you riders, but those things are so small in comparison to passion.”

Some strong words from a competitive veteran rider, but a valuable point.  Without the right amount of desire and passion to win, one will not succeed, especially with the amount of competition that Little 500 brings year in and year out.

As a Greek member, it is hard to not despise Cutters in the sense that it seems as if they always find a way to come out with their hands in the air when ‘Lap 200’ is posted on the scoreboard in Armstrong Stadium.  Have they been fortunate in some cases where an opposing team falls or has trouble on an exchange?  Sure, but that is out of their control.  One cannot take away what they do in preparation for the race to give themselves the best chance to win.

So with all of this said, does Cutters really have an advantage?  It doesn’t appear so, but it is a subjective question that the public will continue to bicker over, at least until another team is crowned Little 500 Champions.

As for fraternities, the classic Chicago Cubs phrase continues to apply, “Maybe next year.”