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 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! ?

Meet Your Seattle 3-Day Coaches

It’s a busy week in the 3-Day world, and our Seattle coaches are hard at work getting an amazing weekend ready for you! They’re excited to bring the 3-Day to the West Coast. If you don’t know them yet, the Seattle 3-Day team is a group of women you’re going to love meeting this weekend! They’re dedicated, enthusiastic, and will be in your corner every step of the way.

That includes Coach Liz, who her fellow coaches call “the goddess of the 3-Day.” She has walked many times as well as a long-time coach and knows the 3-Day experience front to back.

Coach Amy says, “I have never met anyone so dedicated to taking care of our participants and sprinkling her love to make sure every interaction is filled with care. Liz always has a personal story that she can connect to a participant and always makes that walker or crew member feel supported.”

That love exists for Coach Amy, too! She is the crew’s biggest advocate and Liz goes as far to say that “she does magical work with our awesome crew. She is always so sweet and has a kind word for everyone.”

Coach Amy works alongside Coach Kiki, both working to help our crew have the best weekend possible. Kiki is hilarious and oh so productive, remaining calm no matter what problems come her way. Kiki can’t wait to be back in Seattle again after a few years and knows that both walkers and crew will have a “whole lot of smiles and hard-core belly laughs” to look forward to over the next few days. If you ever need a smile (or a sing along to your favorite Lizzo song!), Kiki is your gal!

Coach Aubrey will also bring plenty of smiles on event…and she’ll sing along with you to Lizzo, too! She’s a singer in her free time, and will even be performing at camp!

“Aubrey’s infectious enthusiasm for the Seattle 3-Day is contagious,” Coach Amy says with a smile. “Her passion for cultivating relationships in order to form partnerships and strengthen the 3-Day community inspires me daily. When you talk to Aubrey, you can’t help but smile.”

Last, but certainly not least, is our amazing Event Production Manager, Ann. Aubrey says she glues their group together, and “is super laid back and flexible. She’s always willing to hear suggestions from myself and the walkers!”

Ann has planned a beautiful route for all of you, and the coaches can’t wait for you to experience every step of this amazing weekend! Spots to keep an eye out for. Here are the coaches’ favorites…

  • Day One’s walk across the 520 Bridge and into Medina
  • Day One also has a scenic lunch stop at Bellevue Downtown Park
  • Day Two’s trek along the waterfront in Kirkland
  • Our new Honor Ceremony at camp on Saturday evening
  • Of course, Day Three’s stop in Gasworks Park and Lake Union Park
  • The Rose Garden is also a fan favorite
  • The new Finish Line Festival will also be tons of fun for spectators and participants alike

From our Opening Ceremony at the Space Needle, to the many nature trails and picturesque parks you’ll experience throughout the weekend, our Seattle coaches know it will be a weekend to remember!

Coach Amy summed that feeling up nicely.

“The Seattle 3-Day Crew community is truly a beautiful example of what happens when you allow love to rule over everything you do. On the 3-Day, you will experience something that defies explanation. You will be challenged, inspired, pushed harder and appreciated more than you ever have before. It is a magical thing and I wish I could bottle up this magic and sprinkle it all year long!”

We can’t wait to see that magic throughout Seattle this weekend ?