Meet Your San Diego 3-Day Coaches

Before we head to the West Coast for the start of the San Diego 3-Day tomorrow, we wanted to make sure you are well acquainted with your local coaches! These are the amazing women who support the walkers and crew members all year round, answering phone calls and emails, hosting community events, assigning crew captains and juggling dozens of other tasks to make sure that the 3-Day is the best weekend of the year. If you don’t know Coaches Jen and Staci, Crew Coordinator Amy and Event Planner Meredith yet, you’re missing out! They are everything that is amazing about the 3-Day family, all wrapped up into one dedicated, supportive and loving team.

Before you lace up your shoes for this weekend, let’s meet your San Diego team, and hear why the 3-Day means so much to them (in their own words) …

What are you most excited for this year?

Coach Amy: Seeing the smiling faces of my sweet crew. It is a magical feeling when you are surrounded by people who desire nothing more than to give all that is asked of them and so much more. That includes the whole 3-Day community, too. The 3-Day is a beautiful example of what happens when you allow love to rule over everything you do!

Coach Staci: I am so excited to welcome participants from afar to my beautiful hometown! Seeing the 3-Day friends I’ve known for years and finally meeting new participants face-to-face is always amazing. I also love watching the 3-Day route come alive with community support.

Coach Jen is at left

What can walkers and Crew look forward to over this weekend?

Coach Meredith: The views, the hills, and the community support. What can I say, there are many reasons why San Diego is “America’s Finest City!”

Coach Jen: The breathtaking natural beauty of Torrey Pines, the newly added Quince Street Bridge on Sunday, and our Closing Ceremony at Waterfront Park, in the shadow of downtown San Diego. It’s going to be the time of our lives!

Coach Amy: So much beauty! The Top of Torrey Pines hill, waves crashing along Sunset Cliffs and sunrise at Mission Bay.

What is your advice for any San Diego 3-Dayers?

Coach Meredith: The 3-Day is an emotional journey as much as it is a physical one. Take a few moments before the walk begins to mentally prepare for the love, support, and emotional connections that are the foundation of the 3-Day community.

Coach Jen: Make time to make new friends. Laugh a lot, but know that it’s okay to cry, too. Be proud of every step you take, every dollar you raised and every minute you volunteer — you are making a difference in the fight to end breast cancer!

What does the 3-Day mean to you?

Coach Amy: It is magical. On the 3-Day, you will experience something that defies explanation. You will be challenged, inspired, pushed harder and appreciated more than you have ever before. It is a magical thing and I wish I could bottle up this magic and sprinkle it all year long!

Coach Staci: People from all walks of life coming together with a common purpose and determination. Yes, we’ll have fun (and lots of it), but the underlying mission of our time together is the unbreakable thread of connection that comes from a desire to make the world a better place.

Tell us about your fellow coaches!

Coach Meredith: I get to work with the DREAM TEAM in San Diego. My fellow coaches are dedicated, have a rich historical knowledge of the 3-Day and are just plain fun to be with!

Coach Jen: The most compassionate and committed women I know! Whether it’s assisting a new local walker, finding the perfect position on our crew or creating the safest and most memorable route for our San Diego 3-Day walkers…they are always ready to help!

Coach Staci: I’m incredibly lucky to work with the most compassionate and smart event professionals there can possibly be. Being able to also call them friends is the icing on top!

Meet Your 2019 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Coaches

The Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day is this week…can you believe it?! We are so excited to head to the Lone Star State, the home of Susan G. Komen, for an amazing weekend.

No one is more excited than your Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day team! Your coaches Gayla and Liz, plus your amazing Crew Coordinators Gina and Kiki, as well as Event Planner Eileen have all been counting down the days to this weekend for a whole year. They’re ready to welcome you with open arms!

But, before we officially kick off the weekend, they are here to get you pumped for your 60-mile journey with their favorite spots along the route and why they look forward to this weekend all year. They are truly a team full of love for each other, and for each of their 3-Day participants. That’s because they are all one big family…

“The 3-Day to me is a family, a family bound together by their passion, enthusiasm and drive to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer,” says Coach Gina.

And that includes this coaching team. They have so much love for each other!

Gina says that “Liz and Gayla are not only the faces of the DFW 3-Day, but the heart as well! Their love and passion for this event are incredible. I am constantly in awe of them. Everyone should be sure to give them both a high-five and a hug!”

They love Coach Gina as well, with Coach Liz calling her “the sweetest kindest person I know,” and Gayla saying that Gina “really appreciates the work all of the crew members put forth all season long. I am so honored to have her as a co-worker and friend. It makes my job that much more meaningful.”

The whole team also raves about Coach Kiki, who Liz calls “hilarious and oh so productive,” and Eileen, who has created an amazing 3-Days of route that everyone will be sure to love.

What are some highlights that the coaches especially love?

  • The Sculpture Garden right after Opening Ceremony
  • The Cattle Drive bronze statures
  • Walking through the Roughrider Stadium in Frisco and seeing everyone’s pictures on the big screen in centerfield
  • The energy and emotion at the Honor Ceremony at camp Saturday night
  • The brand spankin’ new route on Day 3
  • Experiencing the new Finish Line Festival at Tostitos Championship Plaza at The Star

Aside from the route itself, there are so many wonderful places in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that you can take advantage of if you arrive early or take a few days to stay after you complete your journey. Gayla and Liz recommend…

The Lone Star State has so much to offer, and our coaches know it’s going to be an amazing few days together.

“Savor the moments, every step, each interaction, all the 3-Day love you feel,” says Gina. “Because as the saying goes, ‘It’s the little moments that make life big.’”

But don’t forget to stop and give your coaches a hug ?. They can’t wait to see you all!

 

A Note About Saturday:

Due to the recent tornadoes in the North Dallas area, we are making changes to the second half of Saturday’s route and do not have the route cards to share with you just yet. We will give you a route card at the Opening Ceremony with the latest route information and the map of your journey will be updated as soon as possible. Please be flexible with staff, crew and city jurisdictions and understand these changes are being made for the safety of our participants as well as out of respect for the communities where homes, businesses and property have been destroyed.

Meet Your 2019 Philadelphia 3-Day Coaches

The Philadelphia 3-Day is tomorrow…can you feel the excitement? We are thrilled to welcome all our participants to the City of Brotherly Love!

Your coaches, Tisho and Carol, plus your amazing Crew Coordinator Gina and Event Planner Melanie, have all been working towards this weekend for a whole year. They can’t wait to welcome walkers, crew, volunteers and 3-Day supporters of all kinds to Philadelphia! Before we kick off the weekend though, the team is sharing tips and advice, their favorite memories, and what we can look forward to over this weekend.

Let’s start there! The Philadelphia route has so many highlights, and our coaches have their favorites:

  • Coach Carol loves Kelly Drive, where you can watch the boats rowing on the Schuylkill River. She also has a soft spot for The Porch at 30th Street Station and the Schuylkill River Trail.
  • Coach Tisho, on the other hand, is bee-lining for Pat’s and Geno’s! Even after all her years of being a Philly participant and coach, she still hasn’t visited these iconic restaurants. You’ll find her there or posing for photos with the Rocky statue or on the top of the steps. No one should miss those iconic Philadelphia spots.

The coaches also have advice to share. They come with years of experience as walkers and coaches, and their connection to the 3-Day family and cause runs deep.

Coach Gina says, “After 15 years and countless events, my 3-Day ‘why’ became much more personal over the past couple years and has renewed my energy in this fight. My own breast cancer battle brought surgeries, chemo, radiation, and my life is forever changed. I am blessed because I had my 3-Day community by my side, and they lifted me up when I needed it most and got me to THIS moment.

The 3-Day to me is a family  bound together by their passion, enthusiasm and drive to make a difference in the fight against breast cancer.”

The renewed appreciation has led to Coach Gina to encourage all Philadelphia 3-Dayers to “savor the moments, every step, each interaction, all the 3-Day love you feel” all weekend.

Coach Carol echoes that sentiment, saying, “Cherish every step. Take it one day at a time. Make friends and take care of yourselves and each other.”

That’s advice that the coaches have been taking all year long, as they worked together to plan your 3-Day experience. They have worked as a team, cherishing their time together. You can hardly call it “work,” when these ladies love each other as much as they do.

Coach Gina calls Coach Carol “one of the faces of the Philly 3-Day who is truly ‘boots on the ground’ and uber passionate about this cause.”

That passion lives inside Gina as well. Coach Tisho sees that dedication in every bit of the work she does with the 3-Day Crew.

“Gina is so caring and as a survivor herself she really brings a whole new level of compassion and strength to the event and our team.”

But we can’t forget Coach Tisho herself! She “does such a great job of keeping our participants inspired all year long,” according to Melanie, and Carol loves that Tisho is “always willing to go the extra step to help walkers in any way she can!”

This is a team of dedicated, loving women who can’t wait to welcome all of you to their Pink Bubble! If you see them, be sure to stop and chat or share a hug!

Coach Carol especially wanted to make sure she included that message, saying,

“It has been my honor to be the coach for the Philadelphia 3-Day this year, and I am so appreciative for the opportunities that I have had to get to know our participants. I am so looking forward to sharing some miles with you all on Saturday. Look for me! ?