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[RC] My Tevis Crew - tom nollGreetings: After the notes from Jennifer Adam and Frank Solano, I really need to post a response. Frank Solano is correct, I was a very lucky fella to have Jennifer Adam on my Tevis crew last summer, but that is only part of it because I had luck times four. Jennifer was part of a special crew of four individuals who came together in early August and there is a story behind that crew. We haven't seen each other since Tevis, but those people made a lasting impression on me and I don't know how I can ever thank them enough. I entered Tevis without a crew or even the idea of a crew. I figured that Tevis would be like a SW Idaho ride and I would pack up my two square four-gallon buckets, one for Robinson and one for Foresthill, send the buckets off to the vet checks, and head down the trail. Last June I posted a note on Ridecamp asking for someone to drive my rig from Robie Park to Auburn and I received a few replies. It was all up to chance since I did not know any of the people who responded, so I picked one and I asked Jane Switzer if her offer was sincere. Jane assured me that she would be happy to drive my rig but Jane said that I really should have a crew for Tevis and that she would be happy to help. I did not want to impose on her because I had heard that Tevis is a tough ride to crew, but Jane was persistent about the crew as we continued our correspondence through June and July. In late July I finally accepted Jane's offer to crew and we agreed to meet at Robie Park on Friday afternoon before the ride. Jane grew up in Auburn and she has great stories and she knows many of the people in the area. Jane said that before I leave Idaho, I really should call one of her friends who would be happy to talk with me about the trail. I called Vicki Testa early one morning with the maps in front of me. Vicki went over the trail almost mile by mile and gave me tips about where to make up time, where to back off, where to be especially careful, where to get off and run, and where there was water. Vicki talked about where to be by sundown and other reference points. We talked on the phone for well over an hour. I knew that I would not be going quite as fast as Vicki, but her thorough knowledge of the trail was very helpful, and as I rode along the trail on ride day I clicked off the landmarks that Vicki and I had talked about on the phone. Friday afternoon, Jane Switzer arrived at Robie Park with Jennifer Adam and we went over the crew details. Jane was wearing a Badwater Ultramarathon hat and I had to inquire. Jane told me that she was the crew boss for a Badwater to Whitney runner and through the conversation she mentioned that the runner finished. Jane also said to me that she checked out Frank's record and my record before she responded to my Ridecamp post. Jane said, only half joking because I could see the meaning in her eyes, "You are a good rider, but we are all here for Frank." That singular comment clarified my responsibilities. Jane also said the she and Jennifer would drive my rig to Auburn and meet me at Foresthill, Auburn, and also at Michigan Bluff if all worked out well. Jane said that Vicki Testa and Kim Nunez would meet me at Robinson Flat. My job was to use my trail savvy and get Frank through the 100 miles to Auburn, and I knew that my crew would be there to help along the trip, and that they would be watching Frank carefully at every opportunity. I had four of the best at Tevis - Jane Switzer, Jennifer Adam, Vicki Testa, and Kim Nunez, and with the help of these four horsewomen, Frank had an awesome run. I cannot speak for the crew, but I know that my Tevis experience was one that I will never forget. I was one part of the team whose entire focus was to get Frank from Robie Park to Auburn safe and sound. The crew and the Tevis experience is the true essence that defines the AERC and defines endurance riding to me - being out all day and all night across 100 miles of mountain trail with the horses, the riders, the crews, and the volunteers, all of us working together because there is no place we would rather be, and because "To finish is to win." Best Regards, Tom Noll SW Idaho =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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