Philadelphia Coaches’ Favorite 3-Day Memories

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We are just days away from the 2017 Philadelphia 3-Day, and the excitement is building in the City of Brotherly Love! That excitement is especially pouring out of our coaches; Tisho, Joanne and Emily can’t wait to host all this year’s walkers. They are sharing that enthusiasm with us by remembering 3-Days past, revealing their favorite spots along the route and in their city.

2013 Philly Pit One Pajama Party

What are your favorite memories of the Philadelphia 3-Days past?

Coach Tisho: In 2011, it was the first year I walked Philly and my husband’s first year on the Route Safety Crew Team. We didn’t know a soul there and I hadn’t joined a team yet so we went to dinner on Thursday night with a bunch of the Route Safety crew members he’d met at his crew kick-off meeting. They were the most welcoming bunch. The entire walk I would see them at intersections and they would say “Hey it’s Stu’s Wife!” Total embodiment of City of Brotherly Love. We’re still friends with almost all those crew members.

And then also, cheering the walkers in at the Participant Finish Area last year (my first year as a Philly Coach). Such fun to see people I had been working with all season complete their walk!

Coach Emily: I loved the 150^th event celebration last year, and I love seeing familiar faces out on the route!

2016 coaches (2)

What are your favorite spots on the route this year?

Tisho: I love all the cute towns we walk through – Ardmore and Chestnut Hill are the first two that come to mind. Great little villages that really welcome our walkers.

Emily: I love walking through Chestnut Hill and walking along the Schuylkill River.

Coach Joanne: You can’t help but love boathouse row and the Rocky steps. But I do love going past Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It just evokes images of days gone by.

What can 20-mile walkers look forward to especially?

Joanne: I think joining the 3-Day as a 20-mile walker is an awesome stepping stone to a full 3-Day experience. Being able to come to camp Saturday night and then walk into the Closing Ceremony should and hopefully will inspire the walkers to sign up right there and then for the whole shebang!

2012 DC with Liz

Tell us a great Crew memory!

Tisho: The first year that I crewed in Philly (2013) I was the captain for Pit Stop 1. All but one member of our crew was completely new and we had no idea what we were doing but we had such a fun time! And I’m proud to say were highly successful in putting on one heck of a Pit One Pajama Party!

In 2012 I crewed my first 3-Day in DC. My cousin Liz, who was 12 (and just 7 when we lost her mom, my Aunt Barbara, to breast cancer) was on the Youth Corps. She loved every minute of it and we had the most magical bonding experience that weekend. I was asked to carry the Aunt flag at the Opening and Closing Ceremonies and at Closing we could bring one person on stage to join us and Liz came out with me. I’ve shed a lot of tears at the 3-Day but never as many as I did on that stage. Seeing my brave girl in front of all those people, honoring the memory of her mother. It fills me with pride just thinking about it.

Joanne: I was the co-captain in 2008 of Pit Stop 3. Boy was that an eye opener! When you’re a walker, you just take for granted that the western shelters magically appear and that the water and Gatorade fill themselves up in the containers! But the best part of that day was getting some Mummers to come out and do some photo ops with us. I will never forget it.

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What are you looking forward to most for this year’s walk?

Tisho: The new route! There are so many exciting changes and new venues! And I really love that we are bringing our awareness message to a whole new set of communities. Awareness is such a critical part of this event.

Joanne: This year we have three brand new routes and I’m most curious for the feedback! I think Melanie (on our production staff) did a bang-up job creating a wonderful experience for our walkers and crew and I hope they’re as excited about it as I am!

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What are your favorite spots in Philly to eat, visit and play?

Joanne: If you get a chance, go to Villa di Roma on 9^th Street. Awesome Italian restaurant (obviously). Also, if you love chocolate, don’t miss Max Brenner’s. That’s in Center City not far from City Hall!

Tisho: I love all kinds of food so Reading Terminal Market is like heaven to me!

What are your favorite memories from Philadelphia 3-Days past? What are you looking forward to most for this year? Tell us in the comments!

Meet Your Philadelphia 3-Day Coaches

The Philadelphia 3-Day is only one week away, and our coaches can’t wait to welcome all the walkers to their hometown! That means it’s the perfect time to get to know your coaches better! We asked all of them to tell us more about themselves, and to talk about each other, and boy, did they have a lot to say! The 3-Day team love was flowing, so come on and meet your 2017 Philadelphia 3-Day coaches…

2016 San Diego Walk number 6 is in the books

Many walkers already know Tisho Jessop, who has been a much-loved fixture on the 3-Day route. But do you really know everything about her? Did you know, for example, that she doesn’t like olives, raisins, veal or lamb…but she’ll eat everything else?

Or that she’ll be celebrating her 20^th wedding anniversary this year, ideally with a trip to Africa, Australia or Italy? Well, now you do!

The other thing to know about Tisho is that she will certainly make you laugh!

Fellow coach Joanne Taylor says, “The first thing that I think of when I think of Tisho is her sense of humor. She just makes me laugh. And she is my ‘go to’ girl when I have a tough problem. She is a wealth of instant knowledge. She loves talking with participants, especially newbies. She has a calming and welcoming voice which makes her great at her job.”

2016 San Diego with family

But the love goes both ways. Tisho thinks Joanne is hilarious, too!

“She’s one of those people that you’re talking to and suddenly she slides in the funniest comment and you both just start cracking up. Last year she made me laugh on event more than anyone else.”

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This applies to the whole team, including coach Emily Clay. Tisho says Emily has fit right into the 3-Day team, and that they all work well together.

“We each have our own area of responsibility, but we work together to make sure our participants are properly supported. We all feel comfortable asking for help because we know we have each other’s backs. I know if I call one of them and ask a question they will give me the answer or will find out and get back to me.”

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If you haven’t met Emily yet, you should know that she loves chocolate cupcakes, wants to travel to Greece, and that the song “I Got a Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas puts her in the 3-Day mood! That makes sense, considering she started walking in the 3-Day when she was just 16, and has walked (and crewed) four times since then!

Joanne raves, “Emily is a young, spry 25-year-old who has taken Philadelphia by storm! She is absolutely open to any and all things and is a great listener. Because she’s young, she has such endless energy and has a wonderful sense of humor. I know she’s enjoying her new role and wish her all the best for this year’s event!”

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Things the coaches are looking forward to for this year’s event? The new route of course!

Tisho says, “There are so many exciting changes and new venues! And I really love that we are bringing our awareness message to a whole new set of communities. Awareness is such a critical part of this event overall.”

too twisted food crew and me

If you still have some training to do before you hit the new route next week, the coaches have you covered there, too. Aside from Emily’s choice of the Black Eyed Peas, Tisho recommends Paralyzer (Finger Eleven), Good Feeling (Flo Rida), California Gurls (Katy Perry), Girl on Fire (Alicia Keys), California Love (2Pac) and Giant (Melissa Etheridge) for your walking playlist.

Stay tuned for more fun memories and exciting plans from the coaches next week on the blog, and be sure to follow along with them on Facebook too!

2014 San Diego Team Girlapalooza

The 2014 Susan G. Komen Philadelphia 3-Day Wrap Up

The Susan G. Komen Philadelphia 3-Day began against a beautiful pink sunrise at the Willow Grove Park Mall. As Dr. Sheri rallied the energetic crowd, excitement buzzed around as we prepared to embark on our 60-mile journey. In the midst of a touching and inspirational moment, a V-shaped formation of geese flew directly over the Opening Ceremony, honking loudly as the crowd burst into applause. (Some said it was an omen of good luck as the Walkers and Crew prepared for a rousing Day 1.)

Walkers enjoyed a cloud-covered sky and cool breezes to Pit Stop 1 and Pit Stop 2, decked out in awesome themes like Flashback to the 80s — complete with jelly bracelets and lots of neon. After snacks, stretching, bathroom breaks and hydration at the Pit Stops, it was on to the Chestnut Hill Cheering Station, which rallied on our walkers at Mile 9.7. The remainder of the day took walkers through Philly’s picturesque neighborhoods, including lunch at New Covenant Church, a winding walk through the lush, green Wassahickon Trail and Historic Rittenhouse, and then finally, to the Philadelphia Art Museum Steps, where walkers posed victoriously, with inspiration from a famous scene from Rocky. Walkers headed home toward camp at the Philadelphia Convention Center, where we congratulated our top fundraisers, and were inspired to take on Day 2 by Dr. Richard Bleicher from the Fox Chase Cancer Center and survivor Joanne Bidwell.

Day two started with a chill in the air, and walkers strolled to Memorial Hall at Mile 3.3, posing for photos in the striking Fairmount Park. A cheering station in Bala Cynwyd helped our 3-Day family set the tone for the day, complete with clusters of pink balloons, dogs in tutus, and candy and coffee stations to put a pep in everyone’s step. Then, it was on to the Haverford College Duck Pond, where ducks and geese floated serenely across the pond, and walkers stopped to have lunch on a grassy slope, a perfect break for tired feet. The community came out again to show their support at the Penn Wynne Elementary School Cheering Station, and in the early afternoon, liquid sunshine began pouring from the sky. Walkers donned ponchos and headed onward to Pit Stop 3 at Gompers Elementary School, still managing to smile despite the pouring rain. Walkers were greeted to another beautiful sight at Boathouse Row, just in time for the rain to stop as they completed 22.3 miles and arrived home to camp. Camp was cozy and dry, the perfect setting for a rallying show, complete with games from Bank of America, an introduction to the Youth Corps, a heartfelt speech from survivor Marieke Ertel, and a moving speech from series walker Melissa Provence. While rain may have dampened the route on Day 2, the overwhelming feeling of pride, hope, and love for Philadelphia could not be shaken.

Walkers began Day 3 against some cool temperatures, which lifted mid-morning to reveal a perfect day, complete with a stunning blue sky, occasional breezes, and the shining sun. At Mile 1.3, walkers posed at the oldest residential neighborhood in America, Elfreth’s Alley, dating to 1702. The historic sights continued past Independence Hall, which houses the Liberty Bell, and then the beautiful Philadelphia City Hall, three miles in.

Walkers powered through their fatigue with the uplifting chants of the Philly community in the Thomas Paine Plaza, and then it was onward to another Philly-centric photo opp – the dueling intersection with both Pat’s and Geno’s Steaks, two famous eateries applauded for their authentic cheese steaks. Some walkers stopped for a bite to fuel their last few miles, which brought them past Lincoln Field, and then finally, into the Closing Ceremony site at the Navy Yard. As our walkers and crew marched into the courtyard, the blue sky was in beautiful contrast to a sea of pink, and Dr. Sheri, Norm, and some of our series walkers reminded us of the amazing significance of the Philly 3-Day. As our walkers raised their shoes to the sky, we all smiled with tears in our eyes, so very proud and moved by the incredible contributions of the 1,350 Philadelphia walkers and 300 crew, who together raised over $3.8 million dollars toward the fight to end breast cancer forever. Philadelphia, thanks to you, we’re 60 miles closer toward a world without breast cancer. We will never give up!

The 3-Day Blog

Tag Archives: Philadelphia Susan G. Komen 3-Day

Philadelphia Coaches’ Favorite 3-Day Memories

Meet Your Philadelphia 3-Day Coaches

The 2014 Susan G. Komen Philadelphia 3-Day Wrap Up