After missing cut in 2011, fraternity Beta Sigma Psi aimed to qualify in 2012 Little 500

Beta Sigma Psi’s qualification run didn’t just start at 8:20 a.m. Saturday.

It started with last year’s qualifications when the team placed 34th, missing the opportunity to ride in the 2011 Little 500 race by 0.06 seconds.

This year was Andrew Schroyer’s first time riding for Beta Sigma Psi, but he had watched last year’s race from the stands and said “a couple bad exchanges” made the difference for last year’s team.

“It was just really terrible because the whole team was mostly seniors,” Schroyer said.

“And they didn’t really get that extra opportunity to come back next year like all of us will.”

This year’s team consisted mostly of first-year riders: freshmen Jacob Weimer and Seth Raebel, as well as Schroyer, a junior. Junior Vince Ballou had never ridden for Beta Sigma Psi’s team, either, but did not participate in Saturday’s qualification run.

The only rider with experience was junior Daniel Fickenscher. Saturday was only the fraternity’s second time in Little 500 qualifications since the National Lutheran Fraternity was brought back to campus in 2008.

But this year’s team logged many hours on both the road and the track to prepare for qualifications.

During Rookie Week in mid-February, all first-year riders were required to attend every educational session and practice. The whole team, including Fickenscher, never missed a session.

They opted out of spring break trips in exchange for training, and with last year in mind, they dedicated much time to exchanges.

“That’s what we really worked on this year,” Schroyer said. “Getting our exchanges down so we didn’t make the same mistakes.”

***

The team had one shot to get it right.

Fickenscher, the team’s only experienced rider, had to leave for a three-week trip to Boulder, Colo., and Utah with the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation at 9 a.m., 40 minutes after their scheduled qualification run time.

The team had to bargain for an earlier time slot to accommodate Fickenscher’s schedule.

Other teams received three chances, Schroyer said. By receiving a time so close to Fickenscher’s departure time, Beta Sigma surrendered their ability to try again if they faulted or opted for a black flag.

“For us, it was a lot of pressure because Dan is so crucial to our team that if we ended up faulting this morning, we were pretty much done,” Schroyer said.

Schroyer said the team handled the pressure well and had a good run despite complications from the track, which was slippery due to rain the night before.

The team even beat its previous year’s time by more than six seconds.

“It couldn’t have been better,” Schroyer said. “We honestly felt great after the qualifications run.”

***

It was 5:50 p.m., and Beta Sigma Psi was No. 33.

Only three men’s teams that had faulted twice in previous runs remained. If those teams couldn’t beat 2:34.12, Beta Sigma would qualify.

They were hanging on, but just barely.

A few of the team members remained in the stands with fraternity brothers and friends, wearing red and gold jerseys with the phrase “Per aspera ad astra” — “To the stars through difficulty” — written across the back. Others had headed back to their fraternity house on Park Avenue, discouraged.

Phi Kappa Sigma began its run. One of the Beta Sigma Psi fans joked about starting a “Fault!” chant.

Phi Kappa’s Sigma’s second exchange went smoothly, and the third lap began. Beta Sigma Psi fell silent. The fourth rider crossed the finish line for a qualifying time of 2:31.50.

Bumped to 34th place, Beta Sigma Psi’s team looked on, quiet, as volunteers removed its name plate from the bottom of the leaderboard.

***

Overall, Beta Sigma Psi’s team finished 35th, missing qualifying for the 2012 Little 500 race by two places.

“If you’re qualifying, it gets really intense, especially with us having to wait around,” Schroyer said. “We were at the track from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., watching us slide down the board.”

Despite the disappointment, Schroyer said he decided after Saturday’s run he would ride again next year, and he is motivated to work harder.

“Training for us next year starts tomorrow, you know?” he said. “If we want to be one of the elite, we’re going to have to make it the number one priority.”