Tag Archives: Michigan 3-Day

The Michigan 3-Day Coaches Talk About…The Michigan 3-Day Coaches!

They’re the helpful cheerleaders on the other end of the phone call or email when you have questions or concerns. They’re the smiling faces welcoming you and your teams at meet-ups and workshops and building up community excitement for the 3-Day. They’re the guiding hands leading the crew captains and teams to greatness. That’s right, they’re your Susan G. Komen 3-Day® coaches!

As we get ready to return to each of the seven splendid 3-Day locations, we wanted to take a minute to catch up with the coaches from each event. You’ve gotten to know them pretty well over the past couple of years on the 3-Day blog and this year, instead of letting them talk about themselves, I asked their fellow coaches to do it for them!

The Michigan coaches—Ann, Jennifer and Gina—are up first! Click here to see what we knew about them already. And keep reading to see what they had to say about each other.

(L-R) Gina, Jennifer, Ann

(L-R) Gina, Jennifer, Ann

Ann (Michigan Local Events Coach)

“I’d describe Ann as nerdy, smart, and so much fun to be around! She’s great at her job because she was involved with the Michigan 3-Day for years as a participant before becoming a coach so she knows this event inside and out. Last year I was staffing the Seattle 3-Day and Ann was walking. I offered to share my hotel room with her so she didn’t have to tent it. When I checked into the hotel I requested two beds but all that was available was a room with one king bed. But we just rolled with it! It was pretty funny and I think it was Saturday night when we shared chips and salsa in bed and managed to NOT spill any salsa.  Honestly, any time I am with Ann we have fun and laugh, a lot!” – Jennifer

“Ann is fun-loving, loyal, and compassionate. She has walked the walk and talked the talk. She has been a Michigan participant so she knows the community and is genuinely invested in this event.” – Gina

Jennifer (Michigan Participant Support Coach)

“I would describe Jennifer as spunky, thoughtful, and honest. Jennifer forms amazing relationships with the participants. She takes the time to get to know them, help them, and in turn, and they love Coach Jennifer!” – Gina

“Jennifer is absolutely dedicated to the participants. She will do everything she can to make sure they are having the time of their lives. We spend a whole bunch of time together leading up to the Michigan 3-Day and on-event (usually in a rented minivan) so there is a tendency for us to get a little slap-happy.  There is no shortage of shenanigans when we are set loose on the route!” – Ann

Gina (Michigan Crew & Volunteer Coordinator)

“Gina is always positive, her smile is infectious and her love for the crew is tremendous! I don’t get to see Gina on event as much as Jennifer, so I love those moments when we get to team up. Usually, it’s when we’re setting up or tearing down camp, so hilarity is always an option! Sometimes we steal her and take her out on the route with us so that she can join in the craziness.” – Ann

“How would I describe Gina? She is kind, caring and has a huge heart. Gina has a calmness under pressure that is perfect for this event and for working with the crew.  So many things can change on this event at the last minute and Gina just handles it, calmly and without showing any signs of being worried or stressed. Gina has moved around a bit and for a few years was a coach for a different city where we both live, so we have spent more than our fair share of time together on the route and most especially with Street Team Day.  We made a great team, she can handle a roll of tape like a pro!” – Jennifer

Do you know the Michigan coaches? How would you describe these fabulous ladies?

 

Michigan 3-Day—2016 Route Update!

Last year on the 3-Day® blog, we shared some detailed “Insider’s Peek at the Route” posts with you. We pulled the curtain back on the overall process of planning and executing a 60-mile route, and then got even more in-depth with each individual 3-Day walk’s route.

This year, we don’t need to dive quite so deep, since most of what we shared last year still applies. But we definitely wanted to keep you looped-in with the updates and changes that have been made to the 3-Day routes for 2016. We’re also bringing in members of the 3-Day Advisory Council to share their thoughts about the 2016 changes. These participants stand as the “voice” of the 3-Day community and their input has been instrumental in strengthening the communication and camaraderie between Komen and the 3-Day family, so we’re thrilled to have their insight here on our route updates.

So that’s what we have in store for you, starting with MICHIGAN.

Need a refresher about what the Michigan 3-Day route was like last year? Read our 2015 “Insider’s Peek” post here.

New for 2016 – Missy, the Event Planning Manager for the Michigan 3-Day told me about some exciting updates. She shared that the Day 1 route will be “completely new” and will include a portion of the day spent along the east side of Walled Lake (some of you may remember that the route went along the west side of the lake in 2013). There will be all new route sites (pit stops, lunch) on Day 1, including a grab & go at the newly renovated Pavilion Shore Park, which Missy says, “has the most amazing view of the lake and will be an incredible photo op.”

In addition to the Day 1 changes, the out-and-back route from/to camp on Day 2 will be reversed from the last few years. Missy shared, “Reversing the route on Day 2 allows for cooler temperatures and additional shade during the Hines Park stretch, which has been challenging in the late afternoon.” She also said that many participants have given feedback about lunch being too early in the day on Day 2, so “reversing this day’s route opened up the opportunity to have lunch at a later mile marker.” Route highlights that walkers can look forward to include Walled Lake, Novi, Hines Park, Historic Northville and Plymouth (especially the pink fountain at Kellogg Park in Plymouth), Dearborn Historical Museum, and Ford World Headquarters.

In Their Words – Here’s what Gary and Beth, two of our 3-Day Advisory Council members, had to say about the 2016 Michigan updates:

Gary (8x Michigan participant—2016 Michigan lunch crew)11794640_10155853624685392_8180345660254597293_o“I really like the changes you have made to the route. I know the area for Day 1 and that walk route should be very well received. I also agree, as an early walker on the route, the lunch stop on Day 2 was too early, and I like that you have reversed the route and moved lunch further out. One of the favorite parts of the Michigan walk is definitely the town of Plymouth. The entire town seems to come out to root on the walkers!”

Beth (3-Day participant since 2002—2016 Michigan will be her 25th walk!)beth northman“I walk in the Michigan event every year since I’m a team captain in Michigan (the BC Babes) and also a training walk leader. Plus, I love, Love, LOVE the Michigan walk and the amazing support along the route. I’m excited about the changes. Each year they’ve ‘tweaked’ the route a little, and it seems like they’re making bigger changes this year which will be exciting to see. We do have patches each day where there’s not a lot of shade and walking through those parts earlier in the day and also having some lake views on Day 1 will be a welcome change. I’m glad Opening, Camp and Closing will be the same. Suburban Collection and Ford Headquarters are great places to hold these aspects of the Michigan walk.

“You can’t beat the Michigan 3 Day event. In addition to the best crew around we’ve got awesome community support for the entire 60 miles. Walking through the city of Plymouth on Saturday afternoon is always a highlight on the route. Hard to top the pink fountain and the hundreds of people cheering in Kellogg Park.

“I’m looking forward to celebrating the 150th 3-Day event this year in Michigan. In addition, the BC Babes are excited to celebrate for another reason—we’ll hit the $1,000,000.00 fundraising milestone with the 2016 walk!”

 

Keep an eye on the 3-Day blog in the coming weeks when we’ll continue sharing updates about all of the 2016 3-Day routes.

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Moving and Shaking with Michigan’s Dancing Lady

As we wrap up National Volunteer Week, we’re delighted to turn the spotlight on one truly groovy 3-Day volunteer.

Every year, the Susan G. Komen 3-Day events welcome back thousands of returning walkers. Whether they’re back for the second time or have been part of the 3-Day since it began, veteran walkers know to expect to see certain things when they take their 60-mile stroll, and this is especially true for folks who return to the same 3-Day location year after year.

For example, Michigan walkers know that their 3-Day experience just won’t be complete until they’ve seen Cathy Schwandt. Cathy has walked the 3-Day 5 times herself and crewed once, but that’s not why people know her. On the Michigan 3-Day, Cathy is unmistakable for her alter-ego: the Michigan Dancing Lady.11845028_10102028722610485_1178448464454582419_o

Although she is a breast cancer survivor, Cathy wasn’t necessarily compelled to get involved with the 3-Day because of her own connection with the disease. “I was diagnosed in 1980, and I really didn’t get involved in anything breast cancer-related until I was almost 20 years out. It never entered my mind before that.” After taking part in the Race for the Cure with a friend, Cathy decided to up her game. “I was looking for an event to walk because I had just gotten in shape, and I saw the 3-Day in a magazine. It just kind of caught me, so I got my niece to walk with me. It wasn’t really because of breast cancer, but that was the bonus on top of it.” Right from the start, for Cathy, the 3-Day was about doing something fulfilling. “It was a challenge, but I could do it. I never advertised that I was a survivor, but once I got involved and saw what it did for the people going through breast cancer, I started seeing the meaning and understanding the impact.”

That was the San Francisco Bay Area 3-Day in 2001. Cathy has countless happy memories from her first 3-Day, and she vividly remembers one particular supporter on that event, a guy who drove along the route in his truck for all 3 days, blasting “Pretty Woman” on repeat for all the walkers to hear. Cathy, a Motown native (she’s fond of saying, “You can take the girl out of Detroit, but you can’t take Detroit out of the girl”), loves to dance. “Every time the ‘Pretty Woman’ truck would come by, I’d pick up my step and start dancing, and it loosened me up and made me feel better when the walking was getting tough.” She didn’t know it at the time, but that was when Dancing Lady was born.

The following year, Cathy went to walk in Washington, D.C., and experienced quite a different vibe along the route. This was 2002, and the nation’s capital was still reeling from the events of September 11, 2001. Cathy recalls that so many places around the D.C. area were locked down and quiet, and that silence was noticeable on the 3-Day. “In D.C., there was nobody. I realized what a difference it made having that support on the route.”270712_142046559203558_4022232_n

Cathy knew that the Michigan 3-Day was coming up just a few weeks later, and she had a friend walking there. “That was the first year the 3-Day was in Michigan, and I knew they wouldn’t have the support up there yet. It was a brand new event and people didn’t know to go out and do that yet. So that’s why I went up there and said, the least I can do is play music.” Cathy positioned herself right outside of the Opening Ceremony to give the walkers an enthusiastic send-off, then continued stopping along the route all day. “I was there with my little boom box out the back of my car just playing music and dancing. I did it on Friday and Saturday, but had to work on Sunday. My friend told me later that everyone was asking, ‘Where did that dancing lady go?’”

That was it. Cathy knew what her role would be from that point on and she has been at the Michigan 3-Day ever since. It wasn’t long before she had her own logo. She made Dancing Lady pins she could sell. She has her own Facebook page. Indeed, the Dancing Lady is a fixture on the Michigan 3-Day.292020_10150750917995392_1969934_n

The only time Cathy has missed the Michigan event was in 2013 when the 3-Day was just a few weeks after she had had surgery for pancreatic cancer. “When I had my surgery in 2013, I posted that I wouldn’t be able to come.” She tears up a bit remembering it. “And those people in Michigan got a 20-foot piece of poster paper, and every walker signed it. Everybody signed it that walked. People wrote out postcards and I got 2 big envelopes full of them. Friends made a life-size cut-out of me for people to take pictures with and put a picture of my face on a stick and took ‘Flat Cathy’ around with them.”1146337_10201797693367256_1205811397_o

In 2013, Cathy updated her Dancing Lady logo to include the purple pancreatic cancer ribbon too.

In 2013, Cathy updated her Dancing Lady logo to include the purple pancreatic cancer ribbon too.

Some people may not immediately think of cheering and dancing when they think of volunteering, but in Cathy’s case, it sure is. “It’s definitely volunteering! I put 4 days of my life to it. I’ve missed my husband’s birthday for the 3-Day. What I do in 4 days, I get back a thousand times. The love, the appreciation. But that’s not why I do it though.”

We certainly can’t imagine the Michigan 3-Day without our Dancing Lady, and it’s exciting to know that she’ll be there this August to celebrate the 3-Day’s 150th event with us. After that? “My husband and I are retired and we’re going to travel, so I’m not sure,” Cathy says. Then she immediately reconsiders with a chuckle. “Every year I say I’m not going back, but it comes around and I just can’t stay away.

Cathy, Michigan's Dancing Lady, is a 3-Day celebrity.

Cathy, Michigan’s Dancing Lady, is a 3-Day celebrity.

“You just don’t know the impact you can have until you’ve seen it first-hand. I’ve gotten emails from walkers saying, ‘Just when I thought I couldn’t walk another step, there you were.’ Every year, I get similar messages. How could I not keep doing it?”

Would you like to get into the volunteer spirit and organize your very own 3-Day mobile cheering squad (1-4 people) or private cheering station (groups of five or more)? If so, please contact a coach 2-6 weeks prior to the 3-Day.