Dallas Fort Worth 3-Day Coaches’ Favorite Memories

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You already know coaches Gayla, Liz and Val from your Dallas Fort Worth 3-Day team. They are the group who are so ready for all our walkers and crew to begin their 60-mile journey this weekend. And they will be welcoming everyone with smiling faces and pink-clad open arms!

As you get your final preparations done this week, they’re here to give you even more to be excited about. From favorite spots on the route, to their most prized memories together, to their top pump-up jams the coaches are sharing their personal 3-Day highlights.

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What are your favorite memories of the 3-Days past?

Coach Val: I’ve built some amazing relationships with my crew members over the years and seeing them each year make the entire event feel like one big wild and crazy family reunion. The year I got duct taped to a gator by our crew and youth corps (as a reward for fundraising) will always stand out as a fun year.

Coach Gayla: My favorite memories of my past 3-Day events have been on the TaTa Towing Sweep Crew with my mom (for three years) and with my daughter (for two years).

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What are your favorite memories of your fellow coaches?

Coach Gayla: I look forward to every November because Liz will always fly from Arizona to Dallas a week early to work/play with Val and I. Last year we registered and participated in the MS Muckfest together with some friends/co-workers. It was a hilarious and filthy good time!

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What are your favorite spots on the route?

Coach Liz: I love Vitruvian Park and the Cattle stampede in downtown Dallas

Coach Gayla: My favorite spots on the route are Day 1 after pit stop 1, walking by Aldridge Elementary School students first thing in the morning. They are SO excited to see us! Day 2 I like Vitruvian Park where the last public cheering station is before we enter camp. It’s beautiful and people love to gather there. Day 3 has to be either Curtis Park or Lakeside Park in Dallas.

Coach Val: Much of the route travels through the area in which I grew up. I used to spend my Friday nights as a teenager at Collin Creek Mall and I went to college at Brookhaven, so you could say the whole route is my favorite. But, I truly love Day 3. I never realized how amazing downtown Dallas could be until I did a route drive (via bicycle) with Gayla one year. Ever since then, Day 3 has been my favorite. And this year I’m so excited for our new Closing Ceremony site!

What are your favorite spots in DFW to eat, play?

Coach Liz: Well since I live in Arizona, when I come to Dallas, it is all about where to eat. One of my favorites is a small family owned Italian place called Eddie’s Napolis in Frisco. But there is also Ida Claire’s, The Truck Yard, and Fuzzy’s Taco’s

Coach Gayla: Living in Frisco, just north of Dallas, there are so many things to do! The Dallas Cowboys Headquarters at Ford Center is a cool place to visit, Cowboys Fit to work out, restaurants at The Star, and so much more. Also, Legacy West in Plano has all kinds of new things. The Legacy Food Hall should be opening the weekend before the 3-Day, so I’m chomping at the bit!

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Coach Val: In Dallas, I LOVE Jorge’s Tex Mex Café. They have some of the best tortilla soup and their location in the Arts District is a perfect spot to grab a bite before or after a show at the Winspear Opera House, the Wyly Theatre or the Moody Performance Hall. I love musical theatre and the Arts District is one of my favorite areas to spend the day. Theatre, good food, museums, an over-the-freeway park, what’s not to love?

Living in Denton (North of Dallas) is lots of fun. I enjoy spending time on the Square and eating a fantastic burger at LSA before heading over to the Oak St. Drafthouse for a tasty adult beverage.

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What are your favorite pump-up songs?

Coach Val: My go-to get out of bed or get moving when exercising song is “Let’s Get It Started” by the Black Eyed Peas. Really, anything by them counts as a great walking song! I also like anything by P!nk.

Coach Gayla: I love…

That’s What I Like and 24K Magic – Bruno Mars

Bicycle Race and Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen

Can’t Stop the Feeling and SexyBack – Justin Timberlake

Meet Your Dallas Fort Worth 3-Day Coaches

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Coaches Gayla, Val and Liz

If you’ve been following along with your Dallas Fort Worth 3-Day coaches on social media, you already know they’re one fun and loving bunch! But how much do you really know about Coaches Gayla Cruikshank, Liz Parks and Val Jones? Let’s put it to the test! Before our Texas 3-Dayers arrive at Opening Ceremony on Friday, here are some things you need to know about your coaches…

They are 3-Day veterans…

Coach Liz has been involved with the 3-Day the longest, joining our family in 2004 in honor of her aunt, who is a two-time survivor. Since then, she has crewed 11 times, walked 7 times and is already registered to walk in 2018 with her daughter for her first walk. Coach Gayla joined the next year with friends in 2005, and has been a passionate DFW 3-Dayer ever since. In 2006, Coach Val rounded out the group because she “wanted to do something that was big and bold. Something that truly made a difference. After I walked that first year I was hooked and never looked back.”

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They are super close all year long…

These ladies are always in touch! They talk often to each other separately but always have a video call at least once a week to talk about things going on in their market, plus a lot of fun stuff, too. They share a love of their furry friends (Liz and Val have cats and Gayla has two dogs) and always make each other laugh. Plus, they are each other’s biggest supporters.

Coach Liz and 3-Day pals

Coach Gayla says Coach Liz is “the biggest supporter of anyone I know. She’s always available to walkers, Val and me, ready to answer any question that comes her way. She’s very knowledgeable and patient. She’s dedicated to health and fitness and is an inspiration to me and so many others.”

And about Coach Val, she adds, “Val has a strong connection to her crew and cares deeply for them. She’s had many years with the 3-Day and can answer almost any question you throw at her.”

How could you not love that love?

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Coach Val (right)

They’re foodies…

When asked about their favorite foods, every woman has a strong and passionate answer!

Coach Val swears by chips & salsa, while Coach Gayla loves ice cream and chicken fried steak.

And Coach Liz? She couldn’t choose just one!

“It would be so much easier to ask what I don’t care for, because I can name those on one hand: cilantro (tastes like soap), okra and tripe. I like just about everything else!”

Coach Gayla (left)

They are super women…

“If I had a superpower, I’d want to be a clone of myself, because I want to be everywhere at once with everyone I know and love. I don’t like to miss a THING!” says Coach Gayla with a grin.

But if she could, you’d find Coach Liz flying through the skies.

“I want to be able to fly! I want to travel and experience the entire world and that is the only way I would be able to do it.”

Coach Val, however, is happy just as she is, no super powers needed.

Power of flight or not, we think all these ladies are pretty dang super already!

They can’t wait for this weekend…

“Since most of my interaction is on the phone, I look forward to meeting everyone I have talked to and supported throughout the year,” says Coach Liz. “It is so wonderful to meet them face to face and give them a hug in person!”

Coach Val echoes that, saying, “This year it has felt like there have been a million little special details to take care of and to pass on to my amazing team. I am absolutely most looking forward to spending the weekend with them and watching all these little details become one truly beautiful event!”

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If you needed any more excitement from this team, Coach Gayla has it.

“I can hardly stand my excitement to see how many people will be on the route cheering on our walkers. Komen partners, local businesses, mom and daughter charity groups, just to name a few. This is going to be a fantastic year!”

Do you want to know anything else about your Dallas/Fort Worth coaches? Put your questions in the comments, or ask them on Facebook!

Atlanta Coaches’ 3-Day Highlights

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You already know coaches Karen, Libby and Susan from your Atlanta 3-Day team. They are the group who have been (im)patiently waiting for our walkers and crew to begin their 60-mile journey this weekend. And they will be welcoming everyone with open arms!

As you get your final preparations, training and packing done this week, they’re giving you more to get excited about. From favorite spots on the route, to their most prized memories, to their “must-visit” Atlanta spots, the coaches are sharing their personal 3-Day highlights.

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Coach Susan

Favorite memories of 3-Days past

Coach Susan: Walking in the pouring, freezing rain in Atlanta in 2008! Plus, working with Youth Corps for 2 years! And of course, all the laughing…so much laughing. More than the moments, it’s the community that I look at with gratitude and fondness. I’m grateful that I can be a part of something that brings out the best that humans have to offer.

Coach Libby: I have lots of favorites over the years but seeing friends and family connect with participants at the Closing Ceremony gets me every time.

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Coach Libby

Favorite parts of the 3-Day this year

Coach Karen: I am looking forward to reconnecting with walkers who I haven’t seen in a few years. It will be great to get a big hug and catch up! Then, on the route, I love Virginia Highland. I lived there when my kids were little and it is such a fun, diverse and creative place to live.

Coach Susan: I love the areas around Decatur and Emory on Day One, the beautiful Buckhead homes on Day Two, and I love the Vinings area on Day Three. I’m also looking forward to a new Closing Ceremony site along with a new Day Three route! Everyone, including 20-mile walkers will get to enjoy our all new Day 3 route this year! We’ll be walking through parts of Atlanta that we haven’t been through on the 3-Day before.

Coach Libby: This year we are walking through Vinings and I am excited to see what walkers think out such a cute area of Atlanta! I also love the new route and closing at SunTrust Park – Go Braves!

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Not-to-miss Atlanta spots

Coach Susan: I love the Atlanta Beltline! We are big baseball fans in our family, and the new stadium is great (Go Braves!). I love eating at some of the unique Atlanta places. Table & Main in Downtown Roswell is one of our favorites!

Coach Karen: I love to eat, and my favorites right now are Miller Union, The Optimist and Bacchanalia. For local favorites, I love Mac Magee in Roswell and Murphy’s in Virginia Highland.

What are looking forward to most on the Atlanta 3-Day? Tell us in the comments!