Meet the Twin Cities 3-Day Coaches

Every Susan G. Komen 3-Day® event has a core team of three coaches, each of whom plays a different role in helping our walkers and crew members prepare for the Komen 3-Day. For months, these dedicated staffers have been having personal conversations with walkers to help them with their training and fundraising, have hosted dozens of local events to bring participants together and build a community of encouragement, and have organized and inspired the amazing team of crew captains and crew members.

Let’s meet the coaches for the Twin Cities 3-Day® event!

Stephanie Winkel – Twin Cities Local Events Coach

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Recruiting walkers and securing community involvement for a fantastic event!”

We’re a few weeks from the Twin Cities event. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “Crazy! The last minute details are my favorite part- involving participants in our ceremonies; driving the route and getting community participation from local businesses and private cheering stations; soliciting donations to make the participant experience a memorable one; securing entertainment! I love watching it all come together.”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I’m a nationally certified personal trainer and recently had an opportunity to box with Jillian Michaels (world famous fitness guru and trainer on the hit show, The Biggest Loser). This was my 3 minute claim to fame and gave me rockstar mom status to my 3 kids; 2) I’m obsessed with Pinterest and actually do use a lot of the things I pin; 3) I love my morning coffee so much I stand at the coffee pot everyone morning watching it drip until it’s ready. I’m useless until I have it.”

Eileen Barnick – Twin Cities Participant Coach

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Eileen (second from right) and family

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “I support amazing people who are changing the world. #bestjobintheworld”

We’re a few weeks from the Twin Cities event. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “Busy! My days are filled with wonderful interactions with wonderful participants. I am really getting to know the Twin Cities participants through the many emails and calls I am receiving. It’s that time of the event season wheb I am helping with missing donations, assisting with Online Check-In and providing event details. Everyone has a story that connects them to this cause. The conversations I have each day are very important to me because they help me understand how and why we have all been brought to this cause. I am looking forward to finally meeting all of the new 3-Day friends I have met as being the Twin Cities coach this year!”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) In my previous life (before children) I was a certified scuba diver and licensed stock broker; 2) In my future life (after children move out) there will be an RV and an ocean (watch out California friends!); 3) My one hidden talent (to the embarrassment of my children) is that I am a rockstar hoola hooper!”

Kiki Setterlund – Twin Cities Crew & Volunteer Coordinator

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Silliness from Kiki and family

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Fun, challenging, rewarding…all wrapped up in lots of laughter.”

We’re a few weeks from the Twin Cities event. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “We’re kicking it into high gear here in the Twin Cities. We’re looking at maps and schedules and playing the ‘what if’ game ahead of time. This is all to make sure that the walkers, crew, community and others are safe, well supported and of course, having a good time on-event. I am in weekly contact with my Captains and Senior Captains: Kathy H., Stephanie F., Tami G. and Kate S. to ensure the Crew has the information they need and when they need it. We’re busy recruiting day volunteers and watching the amazing fundraising progress of our Crew. The days (and nights) are long, but they are so worth it. It’s exciting to see all of this hard work and preparation come to fruition. I’ve got an amazing team of Crew Captains I work with and could not be more thankful for them.”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I once saved [opera legend] Placido Domingo at a special event from a man wearing a poncho and sombrero; 2) I have solid hips. I once broke a window by giving it a ‘hip check’; 3) My favorite past time is weekend ‘family cuddles’ with my husband Seth, and kids, Finn (8) and Evy (5).”

If you’ll be at the Twin Cities 3-Day, be sure to say hello to the coaches! They’ll be happy to see you!

Part 3 of the ABC’s of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Crew

Welcome to part three of the ABC’s of the Komen 3-Day Crew! We’ve shared letters A – E, F – J and this week, we’re excited to present letters K through O. We invite you to tell us your ideas for each letter here or on Facebook, and to share these images with your family and friends. (To see the 3-Day walker version of the ABC’s, click here!)

The 3-Day is a place where crew members go above and beyond to show kindness in everything they do. They work long hours and get little sleep. They work together, with strangers for the good of a common cause. They’re ready for anything that could pop up at any time. Being on the 3-Day is like living in a perfect world for three days: kindness, goodwill, adventure and the joy of working towards one amazing goal – ending breast cancer forever.

See also: Knife (This may seem like an odd thing to spotlight on the ABC’s, but many veteran crew members would agree about the importance of a good cutting tool. Whether it’s for opening the dozens of boxes of packaged food at pit stops, quickly slicing through zip ties to take down route arrows, or cutting apart cardboard for walkers to sit on at lunch, having a good knife is important for a lot of the crew.)

Being a 3-Day crew member is not an easy alternative to walking. Many crew jobs require great physical demands from team members, including heavy lifting. This could include loading luggage onto gear trucks, moving bags of ice or boxes of food, or even setting up the large tent structures in camp.

See Also: Lasting Memories (You’ll make lots of them!); Legacy Pins

Some of the coolest looking crew members you’ll see are on the Route Safety crew. They’re the ones on motorcycles, patrolling the route to ensure safety and monitoring intersections to make sure walkers get safely across. And if those motorcycles are occasionally wearing giant pink bras, then you know you’re on the 3-Day for sure.

Meet the Michigan 3-Day Coaches

Each Susan G. Komen 3-Day® event has a core team of three coaches, each of whom plays a different role in helping our walkers and crew members prepare for the Komen 3-Day. For months, these dedicated staffers have been having personal conversations with walkers to help them with their training and fundraising, have hosted dozens of local events to bring participants together and build a community of encouragement, and have organized and inspired the amazing team of crew captains and crew members.

Let’s meet the coaches for the Michigan 3-Day® event!

Jennifer Hanskat – Michigan Participant Coach

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Jennifer (left) with a fuzzy friend

Describe what you do in ten words or fewer. – “Answering all things 3-Day-related on a daily basis.”

The Michigan 3-Day is coming up soon. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “We are less than one month out from the start of the Michigan 3-Day and my days are most definitely interesting. I answer a lot of phone calls and emails about preparing for the event and donations, especially matching gifts. I am also the designated 3-Day coach for our Series walkers [participants walking in all seven 3-Day events] so it is not unusual to hear from these folks as well, mostly with logistics questions.”

What are three things we didn’t know about you? “1) I was incredibly shy in high school, a total wallflower; 2) I have been up in a hot air balloon twice; 3) My grandfather had a special nickname for me: Sally Weird. And that just about sums it up!”

Ann Love – Michigan Local Events Coach

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Ann sharing a silly moment with her family

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “I recruit walkers, supporters and businesses to paint the route pink! (Oops, that’s 11 words…I lose…)”

The Michigan 3-Day is coming up soon. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “My typical day, at this point, is spent talking to friends and family who want to support their participants, contacting businesses to solicit in-kind donations for our walkers and crew, talking to participants who are interested in taking on a larger role within our ceremonies and camp show, and approaching neighborhoods and businesses along the route to encourage them to show their support as we walk by.”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I’m a science nerd. I have a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and a master’s in environmental science; 2) I’m also a huge geek. Talk Star Wars or Star Trek to me and I will be your new best friend; 3) In “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”, I am a 4.”

Gina Guerreso – Michigan Crew & Volunteer Coordinator

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Gina and her sweet little man

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Honored to work with amazing Michigan Crew Captains and Crew. OR Spreading joy and being supportive to the amazing Michigan Crew. (I couldn’t decide!)”

The Michigan 3-Day is coming up soon. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “My days are jam packed as we get closer and closer to kicking off the 3-Day season in Michigan. On a typical day I have a growing pre-event ‘to do’ list and lots of communication with Crew Captains and Crew. I am also working to finalize certain parts of the All-Crew Kick-Off. I am also your girl for all questions related to host hotels and tenting (for all events, all participants) so it’s a big juggling act, but I am blessed to have a supportive network of co-workers and friends.”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I am a reality television junkie (Real Housewives of New Jersey anyone?); 2) I have worked on 3 different 3-Day events in past years: Arizona, Chicago and now Michigan; 3) I secretly love to dance and think it would be fun to be on Dancing with the Stars. Too bad I am not a professional dancer or a celebrity!”

The Michigan coaches are looking forward to seeing and meeting the fabulous walkers and crew members in just a few weeks. Seek them out and say hello!

Next week, we’ll introduce the Twin Cities coaches, so stay tuned!