Tag Archives: Gayla

Meet Your Seattle 3-Day Coaches

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Coaches Liz and Gayla

The Seattle 3-Day is tomorrow, and guess who’s excited? We all are! But your coaches, Gayla and Liz, plus your amazing Crew Coordinator Libby and Event Planner Ann, have all been counting down the days to this weekend for a whole year. They can’t wait to welcome walkers, crew and 3-Day supporters of all kinds to Seattle! Before we kick off the weekend though, the Seattle team is here to share their favorite tips and advice, brag about each other and get you pumped for your 60-mile journey.

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Coach Libby (left)

First, meet your coaches!

Libby explains that “This is the first time that all of us have worked together as a team, but you would never know it.  We really complement each other and make an amazing team!”

  • Coach Liz and Coach Gayla have been coaches together since 2014, and Liz has taken over all donation and website questions. Gayla praises her kindness, intelligence and restaurant picks!
  • Libby brings “lots of smiles and laughs,” according to Gayla, and “when it comes to all things crew, she knows her stuff!” Coach Gayla also loves that Libby is always ready to help with any task that needs doing.
  • Gayla herself is “fast moving, a fast talker, gets things done and loves life! The best coach to partner with!” according to Liz. Libby praises her contagious “passion and concern for every single participant.”
  • Ann and Libby have been a team for a while, and Libby says Ann is “funny, with an infectious laugh. She is calm and collected and just a joy to be around!” It helps that she is a wine expert and a true “dynamo,” according to Liz.

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Libby sums it up best when she says, “Working with this team has been a welcome addition to my roster and I can’t wait to continue our work together!”

That work will culminate with the 3-Day this weekend, and there is a lot to be excited about…

  • Ann can’t wait to hear feedback on the new route for Day One, which she thinks will be a welcome change for walkers!
  • That day includes one of Liz’s favorite spots: Lunch at Downtown Bellevue Park, which is so pretty and calming.
  • Gayla loves “The Bra Boat that always putted along beside the I-90 Trail bridge – I hope they see us on the 520 Trail bridge this year!”
  • Woodland Rose Park is a team favorite all around.
  • And of course, we can’t forget Gasworks Park!
  • Right after Gasworks is downtown Seattle, and all the “sights, sounds and people watching at Pike Place Market.” This is another one of Coach Gayla’s favorites because “there’s nothing like that where I’m from in Dallas Cowboys country ?”
  • Overall, don’t miss a minute! Libby says she can’t pick a favorite because the route is just that good ? “I like it all! Seattle is such a beautiful place and we are seeing a lot of its beauty in our 60 miles.”
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Coach Libby with participants

Aside from the route, the whole team is pumped to welcome the walkers and crew they have been speaking to and working with all year long. And don’t forget about the community support, too! Gayla can’t wait for 3-Dayers to see the private cheering stations and mobile cheer squad groups that will be supporting walkers throughout the 60-mile journey.

That’s what the 3-Day is about after all! “Camaraderie, community and healing” – per Coach Liz. All our coaching team is ready to bring together the 3-Day family on the West Coast and have a weekend of More Than Pink fun.

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Coach Libby with Coaches Kiki and Gina

Coach Liz says, “Seattle has everything: water views, city, woods, hills. It is simply amazing!”

And so are your coaches…

“The Seattle market has some of the most veteran and loyal 3-Day coaches around,” promises Coach Gayla. “We live and love the 3-Day and with so many years of 3-Day participant and coaching experience, we hope that this year you will have as much fun as we will!”

Bringing Your Bestie to the 3-Day is the Best

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A best friend is a powerful thing. They make you laugh, support you when you’re down, challenge and drive you to be better, and sometimes know you even better than you know yourself. All this, and more, makes a best friend a pretty perfect partner to have at your side on the 3-Day.

Bring your bestie, and this year could be your best 3-Day yet! If you need more convincing, we have stories from coaches and walkers about how their besties brought them into the 3-Day family and helped them take those extra steps to get through all 60 miles. We also have several promotions this month that can bring you and your besties to the 3-Day in style. Read on for inspiration, information, and smiles!

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Stephanie Jo from Facebook  – “Walking with you got me through, Jessi Wendland! We were walking for 2 amazing Julies [my aunt Julie & her mom Julie].”

Tisho Jessop, Philadelphia Participant Coach: “My BFF got me started on this whole adventure! In January of 2008 she called me and said “I keep seeing these TV ads for a 60-mile breast cancer walk. Is that something we should do?”

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Judith and I have been friends since 1988. We were roommates after college, we were each other’s Maid/Matron of Honor and we both have a connection to breast cancer. Both of her grandmothers had it (one passed from it and the other was a survivor who passed of another cause). When Judith called me I was in the midst of losing my Aunt Barbara, who died about 5 weeks later.

We went to a Get Started Meeting and ended up forming Team BFF to walk the 3-Day that October. It was such a bonding experience and we loved every minute of it. 11 events, 9 years and $27,000 later I’m still an avid 3-Dayer and I will always be grateful that my BFF knew this would be a healing and passion-finding event for me.”

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Faren Ann from Twitter: “One of my favorite walking friends shares a birthday with me (next Monday!) I am so happy she is part of my life bcuz of #the3day!”

She also later shared that her friend Laura “is bringing some great friends to Philly who I am looking forward to loving as much as I ?? her!”

Julie Bagel, also from Twitter, had a similar story! She and Faren connected when she shared: “Small world, because TWO of my favorite walking friends share a birthday! 😉 xoxo”

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Gayla Cruikshank, Dallas/Fort Worth Local Events Coach: “I hosted a Walk & Talk recently where I met up with Jeri Cliff (front left) with Angels for the Cure along with her daughter, Khristy and granddaughter, Bailie.

Jeri decided after the 2016 Michigan 3-Day that she would “retire” and hang up her 3-Day walking shoes. That was until her granddaughter, Bailie turned 16 in March and was finally eligible to participate as a walker. Bailie has been supporting and cheering for her grandmother for the past five years from the cheer stations. She let her mom and grandmother know that she wanted to walk this year. When the VIP Slumber Party promotion was launched, Jeri figured this was a perfect opportunity to “come out of retirement” and walk with her daughter and granddaughter for their first event.”

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If you haven’t heard of our Slumber Party promotion, don’t worry, there’s still time! Now through April 19th, if you recruit two new walkers to register for the 3-Day, you earn a VIP Slumber Party or two-night hotel stay. The VIP tent sleeps four people, so there is plenty of room for you and your best friends. It comes with comfy blow-up mattresses, phone chargers, specialty 3-Day pajama bottoms and more! Talk about a best friend glamping weekend!

To learn even more about bringing your besties to the 3-Day with you, we will have a special Facebook Live chat with Coach Gayla this week! On Thursday, April 13th at 10:00 a.m. Coach Gayla of Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day coaches will talk with Jeri, Sue, and Rhonda as they share their tips and tricks for growing your team, getting ready for the 3-Day, and all the fun promotions we have going on now. Don’t miss it!

What are some of your favorite memories of the 3-Day with your best friends? Share in the comments!

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Meet the Dallas/Fort Worth 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 Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day®!

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The Dallas/Fort Worth team: Liz, Val, Gayla

 

Gayla Cruikshank – Dallas/Fort Worth Local Events Coach

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Gayla sporting some 3-Day attitude

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Recruit walkers and inspire them to reach their fundraising/ training goals.”

We’re about a week from the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “After picking up a bucket of camp mail from the post office every single day (yes, a bucket a day!), I help walkers with final donation issues, such as missing donations or checking on matching gifts. Emails are firing back and forth quickly confirming Cheering Squads and route cues, confirming Private Cheering Station locations, Camp Angel assignments, Camp Show entertainers, and 3-Day Lounge treats that are being donated by local bakeries (don’t forget to stop by the Lounge Friday night before they’re all gone). I have cried a few tears recently with participants when I called to congratulate them for being chosen to carry a Survivor or Honor Flag at the Opening and Closing Ceremony. Since Dallas is the home of Susan G. Komen® Headquarters, I’ve been creating a list of VIPs who will be out on the route walking with and cheering on the walkers.”
What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I won 2nd place in a Demolition Derby in the Freemont County Fair in Riverton Wyoming; 2) I was the 1986 Senior Class President of Lewisville High School, home of the Fighting Farmers; 3) I had my first job when I was in 4th grade: a paper route on my horse.”

 

Liz Parks – Dallas/Fort Worth Participant Coach

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Liz having fun on her new toy!

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Inspire participants and answer questions on all things 3-Day related.”

We’re about a week from the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “Very busy! Lots of calls and emails with last-minute questions about fundraising, what to expect on the event, or online check-in. I really love hearing everyone’s stories and calming a first-time walker’s nerves. I have connected with so many wonderful people and I cannot wait to meet them all in person.”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “1) I am extremely clumsy and have broken all my fingers and toes at one time or another, some more than once; 2) I was in the Army and had planned to be a Drill Sargent; 3) I have lived and traveled overseas.”

 

Val Jones – Dallas/Fort Worth Crew & Volunteer Coordinatorsusan g. komen 3-day breast cancer walk blog dallas fort worth coaches val

Describe your job in 10 words or fewer. – “Distributor of information, logistics, and encouragement to crew members.”

We’re about a week from the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day. What’s a typical day like for you these days? – “Crazy busy! I spend the majority of my days and nights answering emails, loving on my kitties (who sleep on my desk), and making sure that the amazing Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day Crew Captains have all the information they need to help our walkers, crew members, staff and community members have a great event. When I’m done with all that my kitties usually demand more chin scratches before I can get some sleep!”

What are 3 things that we didn’t know about you? – “Friends know I’m amazingly quirky to begin with but things most people don’t know about me include: 1) I am addicted to shopping! I LOVE bags (wallets, purses, totes, etc.) and I even have an app on my iPad that has catalogs on it. I have to start my day looking at Zulily and Hautelook and end my day browsing through digital versions of catalogs. 2) I adore cartoons for young kids. My TV is often tuned to Disney Junior. 3) Handwritten letters are one of my favorite things. I collect pretty stationery and try to write at least one letter a week to brighten someone’s day since (in my humble opinion) there is nothing better than receiving a letter in the mail. At one time I had over 10 different international pen pals.”

 

Going to be at the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day? Come meet coaches Gayla and Liz at two special meet-and-greets, on Friday and Saturday in camp, 6-7 p.m., in the 3-Day Lounge.