ShanaMartin.com Blog!

2012-01-05T13:46:00.006-06:00

Make 2012 a Success!

On New Year’s Day I overheard somebody say, “I don’t set New Year’s Resolutions because I hate failing every year.” This does NOT have to be the case. I like to use the New Year as a time for all of usto do some goal setting and PLANNING. It is one thing to have and idea, but to write out that goal, share it with others, AND come up with a game plan is the secret to success. Even if your resolution is not fitness based, there are a lot of great tips below on how to stick with your plan and NOT fail in 2012!

1. Set a Specific Goal. Simply saying “I want to lose weight” is setting yourself up for failure. How much weight do you want to lose? 5lbs? 10lbs? Do you want to change clothing sizes or reach a certain % of body fat?

2. Come up with a “WHY”. Envision how your life will be different once your goal is achieved. Create a desire to get there. How important is this to you? If you find that the goal isn’t something very important, you may need to reevaluate it.

3. Be Realistic. Even though you have seen people lose 20lbs in one or two weeks on TV does not mean this is realistic, nor healthy. Base your goal on success you have had in the past and on how hard you are willing to work.

4. Come up with an action plan. If your goal is fitness/weight loss related get into the gym, meet with a trainer, and figure out the best way to achieve it!

5. Write it down. Don’t just write down your goal; write down every little goal and part of your action plan you want to achieve IN YOUR CALENDAR. 6. Involve others. The more people aware of your goals and resolution, the more people there are to hold you accountable. Post it as your facebook status, share it with your trainer, challenge friends and family to achieve similar goals with you. The more of a support system you have, the better!

7. Have fun. At times, working toward your goals can be daunting. Find ways to make it fun! If you hate running for weight loss… then don’t! Try shaking your hips in a zumba class or a fun outdoor activity such as cross country skiing. Plan a mini reward system for yourself (ie a new workout outfit) for each step obtained toward your goal.

8. Start now. If you put this off it will not happen. It just won’t. Start today while the resolution is fresh in your mind.

Best of luck in achieving all of your New Years Resolutions!

2011-12-09T15:02:00.005-06:00

TRX Rip Training Comes to Wisconsin!

2011-12-06T20:21:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays from me and TRX!

Use this for 20% off of the Rip Trainer too!

2011-06-09T22:37:00.003-05:00

June 11th 2011 Wingra Canoe and Sailing Center
Madison, Wisconsin

Amateur
10 am warm-ups
11 am start time

Pro
1:30pm warm-ups
2:30pm estimated start time

Celebrity Log Rolling
2pm start time

Competitors:
Download your registration form HERE!
Set up your online donation page at: http://www.firstgiving.com/hdsa-greatlakes and start collecting donations TODAY! Please make this page YOUR OWN – add a photo of you log rolling and some personal words about how you want to WIN THAT LOG!

Spectators:
Join us at Beautiful Wingra Park (824 Knickerbocker Street) starting with the amateur rollers at 11am.
See your favorite newscaster and radio personality get soaked during the celebrity log rolling competition at 2pm.
Finally, watch the stars of the ESPN Great Outdoor Games and the STIHL Timbersport Series during the professional log rolling and boom running from 2:30 to 5pm!
Bring a lawn chair or rent a canoe from Wingra Boats to see all of the action up close!
There is no admission fee for the event, but as we are raising money for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America donations are always accepted.
Can’t make the event but still want to help out? Donations are gladly being accepted here.

2011-02-26T12:04:00.003-06:00

South Africa Days 4-5: Ostriches, Bungee, and Cheetahs!

Exhausted, I am now finally getting a chance to relax at the famous Tube ‘n Axe Backpackers in Stormsriver, enjoying a glass of South African wine. I thought the first few days here would be impossible to top, but boy was I wrong.

Yesterday began early as Nate had to pry me out of bed with another adorable kitty sleeping in it with me. We headed to Oudtschorn quite early, and enjoyed a beautiful hour long drive through the mountains. Once in town, we visited the Highgate Ostrich Farm for a personal tour. We learned all about the rich history of Ostrich farming in this area of South Africa, and just about anything you would ever want to know about Ostriches. We met some younger ones and let them bite at our hands (they don’t have any teeth) and then we fed the adults. Of course the highlight of the visit was our chance to sit on and ride them around. It’s amazing how strong and fast they are! I promise there will be some hilarious video once I return to the states. After enjoying some Ostrich Biltong (Jerky) we hoped back in the car to make our way to the Tsitsikamma National Forest to check into our hostel and bungee jump.

The three hour drive to Stormsriver was nothing short of amazing. Beautiful coastline and mountains the entire way - think New Zealand on crack. Of course on our drive we happened to drive directly over the Bloukrans Bridge…the one we would be leaping off of in a few short hours. That drive over did NOT do much for my confidence. We checked into the Tube ‘n Axe hostel (which there has been hype about the entire way) to not be as impressed as we hoped we would be. Luckily, there was an adorable kitty that made me not care at all about the downfalls of the hostel. While getting changed to go to the bungee, my nerves kicked in big time. I must have used the bathroom 10 times during that hour. Back in the car for our short 10 minute drive to the bridge. I keep urging Nate to drive slower, and I think at this point he was getting frustrated with my butterflies. We arrived and had the first part of our harnesses put on, only to be told that we had to wait an hour before the next group left to jump. That gave me one hour to sit at the café overlooking the gorge, watch the other jumpers, and freak out. I must have made quite a scene because within that hour I had an entire café of people giving me encouraging thoughts and comments.

The time finally arrived and we made our walk out on the catwalk under the bridge. Through the grate below we could see how high we were. I kept telling myself not to look down (literally, I was staying it out loud) but I couldn’t help myself. Wow, we were WAY up there. The second we arrived at the jump site, the music was blasting and I was able to refocus. I remembered exactly WHY I was doing this jump. Not only for my own personal accomplishment, but as a leap of faith that we will one day find a cure for Huntington’s Disease. My fear flushed away (okay, MOST of it) and I was pumped to find out I would be the second jumper. Unlike the last jump I did back in 2003, they give you a VERY little time on that ledge to think. I was happy with that. When my turn came up, I had a moment to tell the camera why I was jumping, and of course, I let them know I was doing it for my mom. And then, with eyes closed tight and face clenched with fear- 5..4..3..2…1… BUNGEE! I jumped, freefell for about 5 seconds, and then felt a state of euphoria upon feeling the cord. I was then able to open my eyes and scream, laugh and cry with excitement. The fear was gone and I could enjoy what I had just accomplished. After hanging there and enjoying the upside-down view for about 30 seconds, my “rescuer” was sent down to pull me upright and raise me up back to the bridge. Once they lifted me up and over, I was told my recording didn’t work and I would have to jump again. As much as I enjoyed what I had just accomplished, my face turned pale. Of course they were kidding me, but it took me a bit to realize that. Jackasses. Nate was one of the last jumpers in our group to go and he jumped like a rockstar. He stuck out one arm like superman during his freefall, and then tucked his knees on the cord recoil to get as much out of the bounce as he could. He then started flailing his arms around like a crazy man which made us all on top of the bridge crack up. They brought Nate back up and we all walked the catwalk back to the main center. During the walk back I was able to look down and appreciate the beauty of the area. After snapping some photos we went back to the hostel, grabbed a wonderful dinner in town, and then fell asleep by about 8:30pm. We were drained… physically and emotionally.

This morning we woke up at 6am and I could not contain my excitement, for today, I would finally get to walk with a Cheetah. If you know me personally, you are probably well aware I have an obsession with cats of any size. Nate did not want to pay for this adventure, so he dropped me off at Tenikwa Big Cat Sanctuary for my morning with the Cheetahs. After a brief safety introduction (these ARE still wild animals who can eat you alive) I was introduced to Shaka and Tandi, brother and sister 2 year old Cheetahs. I was able to lead both of them on their morning walk; okay actually they led ME on their morning walk. Today they were feeling quite lazy so we spent a lot of time lying down and chilaxing. During that down time I was able to pet them just like any house cat! Once I started petting, the purring that came out of them was unreal. We were not supposed to stand face-on but Shaka wanted to play and would roll over and grab my leg. It was such an amazing experience and I learned so much about Cheetahs during the walk.

Nate arrived to pick me up two hours later and of course I was talking ninety miles per hour about my experience and was unable to remove the shit-eating grin from my face. I talked him into doing the Big Cat Experience and we got a tour around the sanctuary meeting many different types of big cats. We were able to hang out with Shaka once again and Nate got a chance to pet my new friend!

After the Cheetah fun we drove into Plettenberg Bay, had a wonderful lunch, and then hung out at one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen for several hours. We bounced in the waves, climbed over the rocks, and napped in the sand. I even had a chance to film the TRX Spring Break Challenge! The locals were quite enamored with the TRX and what we were filming. We took a drive to the Tsitsikamma National Forest hoping to do a 2 hour hike before sunset. The lady at the gate practically laughed and told us to take a drive through without paying and tell her if we just wanted to come back tomorrow. Sure enough, this is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. We immediately agreed to head back over there in the morning for a hike through the mountains along the coastline. I cannot wait!

So there you have it. The jump is complete, but our adventures are not over yet! Don’t forget, we are still raising money for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America and would gladly accept your donations in honor of our jump and my mom: http://www.firstgiving.com/shanamartin

2011-02-24T13:06:00.004-06:00

South Africa Days 1-3

South Africa: This place is paradise. Right now I’m on the beach is Mossel Bay nursing my ego after trying to show Nate how great of a surer I am. While he flounders through the waves on our rented board I have a moment to reflect on the past three spectacular days.

With the blizzard pummeling Madison and Detroit, I was forced to leave 8 hours early- which was very lucky because all flights after mine were canceled. I believe I am now considered a resident at the KLM lounge in Amsterdam- which I didn’t mind because it was so nice! After two smooth flights I made it to Cape Town and was greeted by a very tan Nate! While driving to the hostel, I was shocked by how similar this place is to any US city- quite a change from Tanzania. We checked into the Long Street Backpackers and I surprisingly (okay, not THAT surprising) fell right asleep.

The next day I felt no jet lag so we hiked up Lion’s Head Mountain and enjoyed beautiful views of nearby Table Mountain, the beaches, and the city of Cape Town. It got quite hot out so we then spent the afternoon at the beach, practicing our tumbling skills on the shoreline. After a beautiful afternoon there we got our hiking gear back on and proceeded with our mission to watch the sunset on the top of Table Mountain.

We wanted to make sure we got to the top in time for sunset, so we killed the 2.5 hour hike to the top in about an hour, which exhausted us both! It was well worth it. Words and photos cannot describe how amazing the views were up there. To top it off we popped open a bottle of wine and enjoyed that along with some handstanding at sunset. After the sun went down we had a spectacular view of the lights of Cape Town. We took the cable car down and got to enjoy that view all the way down the mountain. We then decided that even if the rest of the trip sucked, day 1 was worth the visit.

After a bit of exploring the nearby markets on Day 2, we then set off to swim with the African (Jackass) Penguins at Boulder’s Beach in Simon’s Town. When we first arrived at the beach, we saw maybe one or two penguins and spent quite a bit of time watching and photographing them. After some hiking around on the rocks, we soon found other areas with hundreds of penguins. The entire experience was unreal. The water was as blue as the Caribbean, the temperature in the 80s, views of beautiful mountains, and hundreds of penguins were hanging around us like we weren’t even there. I got to swim along side them, listen to their donkey-like noises, and of course, watch them mate. Naughty! Quote of the day was from a little British boy watching the penguins mate saying “Today I learned about Penguin Sex!”

After tearing me away from the Penguins, Nate finally talked me into getting in the car for our 5 hour drive to Mossel Bay. When we arrived it was past 10pm, and little did we know, most of the city shuts down at 6pm. The hostel we had planned on staying at was closed, so we visited another one from our guidebook. The lady working there was just leaving and we were able to snag a room. Not only that, but there were three adorable kitties living there and the most beautiful one, Hyena, spent the night with me in bed. That also meant Nate had to sleep in a different bed… hehe. The beauty of this hostel cannot be put into words. It is a beautiful sandstone manor with a Victorian design. There is a beautiful garden with Koi swimming in all of the ponds. And did I mention the super cute cats? Everything happens for a reason!

Today we got up and explored town for a bit. I’ve been dying to surf for the last few days, so we rented a board at the local surf shop and hit the beginner’s beach. Our other option “The Point” gets some of the best waves in the world and is only ideal for professionals. It was a very windy day and the waves were closing out, so needless to say surfing didn’t go as well as planned. We did have some fun riding the whitewash for awhile. And again, the views made everything worthwhile! We spent a bit too much time at the beach to make it to Oudtschoorn to ride the Ostriches, so we just poked around town again in the afternoon. I’m now finally getting a chance to sit down and upload some photos and blog! We found this great little pub next to our hostel and I’m quickly making many friends. I’ve been trying to explain log rolling to them for the last hour and they didn’t believe me until I was able to pull up a YouTube video. Nate is now making dinner back at the Hostel so, time to eat!
Tomorrow: riding Ostriches and the Bungee to Beat HD.

2010-11-24T21:10:00.004-06:00

Hello Friends and Family!

'Tis the season for giving the beautiful amaryllis flower in support of the Huntington's Disease Society of America! The Wisconsin Chapter receives about $5 per flower sold which then aids in local family care, education, and research. Personally, I use these flowers as holiday gifts for friends, family, and clients. Everybody loves a beautiful flower that blooms again and again! Please consider either ordering one or a few flowers through hdsa.org or even better, ordering a case directly through me to sell at work, school, church, etc.!

We encourage everyone to participate in this Campaign. Individual kits are $10 each and contain an amaryllis bulb, decorative pot, professional growing mix, and planting care and instructions. You can order individual kits at www.hdsa.org/amaryllis (shipping charges will be added). This is a great way to send an amaryllis to friends or family members who are out of town. A gift note will included.

Case orders (16 kits per case) are shipped directly to your home or business for $160 (free shipping). For orders of 5 or more cases, the case price is $145. It is now possible to customize the colors in your case if you find that the assorted case doesn't quite suit your needs. Or, you can split an order with a neighbor or friend. Amaryllises are ideal gifts for Christmas, Chanukah, Housewarmings, Get Well or Birthdays. They are also great gifts for friends, teachers, clients, colleagues or customers. Fill out the order form below and mail with your check to the Chapter Secretary or scan and email the form to shana@shanamartin.com

Don't want flowers but still want to help us out for the Holidys? Click HERE to donate online!

Sincerely,

Shana Martin HDSA Wisconsin Chapter http://www.hdsawi.org/

2010-09-10T10:24:00.002-05:00

Cover Story of Brava Magazine

I was beyond honored to be featured in this fantastic publication.

To read the story click here!

Also, don't forget about the HDSA Team Hope Madison 5K Run/Walk on September 26th at Elver Park!

Click here for info and registration.

2010-06-27T16:06:00.002-05:00

Media Mania

This is the time of year where my life goes into overdrive. I know, I’m always in overdrive, but now it’s REALLY crazy. Lumberjack season has begun, and last weekend we hosted the 6th annual Midwest Log Rolling Championships for Huntington’s Disease. Along with my competition season and fundraising comes a LOT of media attention. Our events wouldn’t be where they are today without the media! Below are a few links from our various articles. Enjoy!

ESPN STIHL Timbersports Bio: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/news/story?id=5252429

An amazing story about me and my Dad from the Wisconsin State Journal that was featured by the Wisconsin State Journal: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/doug_moe/article_447d1724-7af2-11df-b9a4-001cc4c03286.html

Another feature about the competition in the State Journal: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_ec04db30-3a44-5398-b812-02f41b80ed69.html

David Douglas from Channel 3 shows his experiences with log rolling at the Midwest Log Rolling Championships: http://www.channel3000.com/localvideo/index.html?v=29415

Fox 47 Covers the Midwest Log Rolling Championships: http://www.fox47.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/vid_940.shtml

Channel 27 Covers the Midwest Log Rolling Championships: http://www.wkowtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=12680168

Dustin Maher shares his experience of the Midwest Log Rolling Championships (and some cool video!) on his blog: http://dustinmaherfitness.com/2010/06/24/my-logrolling-experience/

My radio stint on “Bob and the Showgram” in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was supossed to talk about Huntington’s Disease and Lumberjack sports, but ended up talking about the Go-Girl and naked boom running. Hmmmmm. http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/26472/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/26472/Showgram/Friday/FRI09.mp3

2010-05-12T22:18:00.003-05:00

The Optimist Creed

I've spent a lot of time speaking to various organizations about Huntington's Disease- what it is, and where it has led me in my life. The Optimist Clubs usually end their meetings with this creed, which 100% sums up my talk. This is truly something to live by.

Promise yourself . . .

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

2010-05-03T08:14:00.002-05:00

You Know You Want to Try It...

2010-03-24T14:25:00.002-05:00

Thanks For Everything Duluth

2010-02-28T19:15:00.002-06:00

Rollin’ For a Cure in Northern California

This whole thing started over 6 months ago when I was contacted by the Swimstitute (http://www.swimstitute.com/) in Sacramento, California about flying out to help start up a log rolling program with Jamie Fischer. One thing led to another and Scott and Todd were planning a huge Huntington’s Disease fundraiser to promote the launch of log rolling in Northern California AND to raise money and awareness for Huntington’s research.

I was shocked and thrilled about how much time these guys (especially Scott!) were putting into this event. Here’s a breakdown of the weekend:

Our first morning here we did an entire morning of news shots with Bethany Crouch and Fox 40 news. You can see the footage here: http://www.fox40.com/news/onthemove/ (scroll to February 26th)

Molesting "Jack" in front of Lumberjacks Restaurant

This fun morning was followed by brunch and my new favorite restaurant in the entire world (sorry Laredos)- Lumberjacks! Not only is the food amazing and the décor like home for me, they show continuous footage of the STIHL Timbersport Series on 10 large flat screen TVs! It was so fun watching myself compete while eating. After dinner we went outside with Scott the owner and he let me climb to the top of “Jack” the lumberjack. On top of all of this, they donated a percentage of their sales to HDSA! I’m still giddy about how wonderful this restaurant was! Check out their website at: http://www.lumberjacksrestaurant.com/ After another news appearance on the local NBC station and yet another wonderful meal at Lumberjacks, I crashed hard and slept like a baby.

Me and Jamie getting ready for our big event

Saturday was the day of the big event. My two life passions are lumberjack sports and raising funds and awareness for HD- and I now have TWO events that combine those! Many vendors showed up and Jamie and I educated the crowd about log rolling and Huntington’s Disease before hosting a celebrity filled beginners log rolling tournament. These celebs included Olympic gold medalist Jeff Float and Olympic triathlete Victor Plata. So cool! At the end of the event an older couple came in to check things out. They heard about the fundraiser on the news and having Huntington’s in their family, wanted to stop by. They were unaware of the large support network for HD families in the Northern California area, and were immediately connected with Penny the regional director. Now this family will not feel alone. I’m not sure how much money was raised, but personally, I’m not too concerned. This one connection made the entire event worthwhile.

Me convincing everybody in the audience they REALLY need to buy raffle tickets for the STIHL Chainsaw

Saturday night ended with a comedy show at Tommy T’s comedy club. They donated 100% of ticket proceeds to HDSA! They also let us sell raffle tickets for the chainsaw donated by STIHL and other wonderful prizes. People went CRAZY over these tickets! Jamie and I couldn’t sell them fast enough! A HUGE thank you to STIHL and other donors for this event.

Today I couldn’t stop smiling from all of the excitement. I taught three one hour lessons (of which the money was donated to HDSA- it never stops!) to some really fun locals. They are all very excited about the program starting out here.

I cannot thank Scott, Todd, and Penny enough for making this event happen. I’m also so grateful for Jamie to come and help out. Such a great weekend… I can’t wait to do it next year!!!

2010-02-24T21:38:00.002-06:00

Jayson William Patten Born February 12, 2010

@ 9:07pm. 7lbs 14oz, 20in long. This event is quite blog worthy. As I continue to goof around in life, my best friend Erin recently took another huge step forward. She gave birth to a beautiful son Jayson William Patten on February 12th. Her and husband Bob are doing great, and are already wonderful parents! Congrats to Grandparents Jim and Rene Hallen, Uncle Jamie Hallen, and all of the Patten family. Welcome to the world little Jayson!

2010-02-21T21:35:00.003-06:00

2/21/2010 Thank You

And now my list of people I want to thank for supporting this climb and making it possible.

First of all, this climb would not have happened without a slightly inebriated Liz Weber telling me I should do the climb while in my hotel room at the HDSA National Convention last June. After getting the “okay” from Nate, next thing I knew we were planning the second annual Kilimanjaro Klimb for the Kure! So a huge thank you to Liz Weber, Protus, Billy Aaron Brown, Heather Alimossy, and all of the 2009 climbers.

Next, I need to thank my teammates Nate Greenberg, Gretchen Greenberg, Ryan Desch, Peter Verstegen and Katie Verstegen. Without you guys I wouldn’t have made it. Your smiles, laughter, and constant encouragement got me to the top. Also, thank you for wiping our toilet seat, unlike those smelly Dutch folks.

And now, the corporate sponsors. I’d like to start by saying I did not approach one corporate donor for this event (hopefully HDSA doesn’t get mad about this). We relied 100% on donations from friends and family. Without even asking I was contacted by Duluth Trading Company (my lumberjack sponsor) to provide us with gear. They donated thousands of dollars of clothing and gear for our climb. You will see something donated by Duluth in every single photo. My personal favorites: the coyote sunglasses, the silk sleep sack, the new action hiking pants, the Smartwool socks, and the awesome Duluth underwear. I cannot thank everybody there enough. The next unexpected surprise was a $500 donation from STIHL Inc. What a wonderful company… not only do they sponsor one of our largest lumberjack competitions of the year, they also help me with my philanthropic endeavors.

And, just as I always do, I need to thank my dad. Once again he stepped up to help by driving us to and from the Chicago Airport. He also helped cover a few of my travel expenses. Thank you Daddy.

I cannot put into words how amazed and thrilled I was to see all of the donations that came in. You all are absolutely wonderful.

Mike & Lynn Lindau DeLargie Family Beth and Brian Donley Erin Patten Anne Flaten Lorna Kleidman Jesse D Gilbert Randy Hauer Tom and Glenda Gillihan Allison MacKenzie Jane Schmieding Kate Fischer Anonymous Jimmy Pollard Megan and Mike Kling Kathy sharp CustomInk.com Nick, Kay, Fiona, sisters, and doggies Christine, Matt, Breanne & Kara Delisle Jeanne Engle Annette McDaniel Hallett Family Fiona Cahill Nick Berard Nora O'Brien Evie, Jen and Scott Lynch Jon Maseng Jack and Jodi Sherman Lara Olivia Judd Betty & John Moore (KY) Katie Cragg Jenny Atkinson Karen & Bill Brown Cathy Savage Debby StirlingHart Viau Family traci Pete Eng Ketchikan Cohos Log Rolling Team Steve and Pat Wolf Tamara Berg Mary Elizabeth Grimm Anna Greenberg Rachel Yates Caitlin Bradfield Andrea Spiel Margaret Whiting Randy Farley Jimmy SAS Nicole Desch Rhett Neuman SAS, Inc Tim, Stacie, Mars, and Pluto Eric St. Martin Brent Hanson Jon Seckinger Koho VanBerkel Family Ed Desch The Locks Paul Fisher Dan Kenney Deanna Hiew David Cates Candy Mears Megan Trumper Evan Groth Jessie Dewolf Sonya Heather Wheeler Schayna Peterson Adam Lenss Jackie Hehn Adam Lutz Karen and John Greenberg Anna Greenberg The Bjornson's Christina Rebekah Criswell

Finally, my largest thank you goes out to my mom and all of the HD families. You are all my motivation for EVERYTHING I do.

2010-02-21T17:15:00.002-06:00

2/13/2010 Africa Days 11-12 Somewhere Over the Atlantic Ocean 29,527 feet (and I thought Kili was tough!) Our guides singing to us on the last day. I got a bit excited about this.

It’s all over. I’m on the final flight back to Chicago. I knew the trip would go by fast, but didn’t think it would be this fast.

Day 8 of our “climb” (steep downhill) we hiked for 3 hours down a well maintained path to the exit gate. We were all in good spirits and looking forward to a shower. After signing the registery at the main office we all piled into a fairly small van. To make “plus one” (yes he had to ride with us) uncomfortable, Gretchen and our assistant guides Peter and Freddy crammed in the back with him. After a surprisingly short ride back to Springlands, we all had fantastic showers (okay, I can’t speak for the others, but mine was great), lunch, followed by lounging by the pool with Fanta. I also had tome time to go to the internet and post my “Kili Training Program”. It’s a sure success.

As a favor to fellow personal trainers, I thought I should do my part and share the PERFECT program for training for this climb I just completed.

Days 1-5: Have client walk on a treadmill with a low elevation, while enjoying video of the most amazing views he or she has ever seen. (Diet: Same soup and porriage for all meals is ESSENTIAL)

Day 6:
1.Wake client up at 11pm, ensuring he/she has had less than 3 hours of sleep.
2. Set up stepmill outside in sub zero temperatures with gayle force winds.
3. Spin client around 30 times to ensure dizziness and nausea.
4. Smash client in the head with a mallet to achieve headache at migraine levels.
5. Put plastic bag over client's head to limit oxygen levels severely.
6. Have client climb stepmill for a minimum of 8 hours under these conditions.
7. After the climb, use mallet from step 4 to bash knees, simulating the steep downhill.
Wish them an enjoyable trip!

While online I also discovered I had well exceeded my goal of raising $2,000 – especially thanks to a large donation from STIHL Inc. I think I may start bleeding orange.

After another shower we went out to dinner with Bruce, his cousin, and our assistant guides Peter, Adam, and Freddy. We were served plates of grilled, greasy pork. I think the others were more thrilled than myself.

Bruch got a bit emotional (probably the beer) and handed out our climb certificates indicating we made it to the top. We had been joking about the “Golden Ticket” to the Chocolate Factory the entire trip and we finally had them! Bruce also had braclets made for us- complete with our names, the Tanzanian flag, and the US flag. I foowed this ceremony up with a handstand contest with Freddy. He beat me at elevation on Shira Plateau but with all of my oxygen I was able to smoke him.

Bruce then took us to some bar where Katie managed to cheat at pool and crack us all up. By the point we were all practically sleeping on the table, we finally went back to the hotel.

Our last day in Africa we caught the shuttle to Moshi with our amazing guide Nate Greenberg. He took us to the least freaky souvenir shop and Ryan and I got a few things for family. We then went to the market which was quite the experience. I understand I am a dumb American who just pretends my meat magically appears- and I hoped to keep it that way. Dead fish, chickens being butchered, liver, intestines, blood everywhere- wow- it was NOT pretty. I thought of Fiona the vegetarian and started to think it wasn’t such a bad idea… until my fantastic hamburger for dinner. :)

We then caught a van to this hidden spring called Chemka that Nate discovered a few weeks back. Despite the fact our doctors warned us not to swim in open water in Africa, these springs were too refreshing to pass up. Please let me know if you see a worm crawling out of my nose. The sun was shining, the water was sparkling blue, there were little fish everywhere, and branches to swing around in like monkeys.

On the drive back to Springlands (1.5 hours on dirt roads) Michael Jackson’s “Heal the World” came on the radio while poor children were yelling, waving, and running alongside our vehicle. Most of these kids have nothing yet NOT ONE of them looked unhappy. Money does not buy happiness. What a surreal way to end this trip.

Now we are 5 as Ryan caught a different flight in Amsterdam. In a few hours we will land in Chicago to return to our normal (okay, who am I kidding?!) lives. We did it. We really did it.

2010-02-21T16:46:00.002-06:00

2/10/2010 Kilimanjaro Climb Day 7, Africa Day 10
Mweka Camp 10,000 feet

We did this for the thousands of families suffering with HD.

We made it. “That which does not kill you will make you stronger.” This mountain came darn near killing us last night/this morning, so we better be a LOT stronger.

We were woken up at 11pm with a small breakfast of Tea- thank goodness I brought oatmeal and hot chocolate. We hit the trail around midnight under the beautiful stars. For the first hour we were all pretty stoked- singing and chanting- up the VERY steep grade. During hour 2 it started to become quite cold and we quieted down significantly. By hour 3 I thought I was going to die. I was so cold I couldn’t feel my fingers and toes, there was no oxygen to breathe, I was so tired I wanted to lay down and fall asleep, my legs were exhausted, my stomach was turning, and we still had 5 – 6 more hours to climb. We took several breaks where Nate had to force feed me (literally, my hands didn’t work) and give me water. If it wasn’t for him taking care of me, I wouldn’t have made it.

After I got some water in me I felt a bit better. At that point I kept looking down at my feet focusing on one foot in front of the other. Every time I wanted to turn back I remembered why we were climbing. My mom will never get the chance to do something like this. And 11 hours of suffering is nothing compared to what all of the HD families have to go through.

At hour 4 many of the others started to fade as well. At one point Bruce announced we were only 45 minutes to Stella Point followed by only an hour to the peak. This gave me a new found energy. After a freezing cold bathroom stop (seriously, it was terrible) at Stella Point – we slowly hiked to Uhuru Peak. We were fooled several times thinking the peak was right ahead. I walked fast only to be disappointed. FINALLY we made it. At this point all I could think of was food and how cold I was. It took all we had to unroll the HDSA banner and pose for a photo. Nate and I didn’t even do our “random handstand” photo or even just a photo of the two of us. The whole thing is honestly a big fog. All we wanted to do was get back down to camp. Not only were we exhausted, we also had to walk STRAIGHT DOWN that the damn mountain.

I was shocked my new(ish) knee held up fantastically – despite how tired my muscles were. THANK YOU UW SPORTS MEDICINE PHYSICAL THERAPY! After 3-4 hours of sliding down the mountain, we had a short nap and lunch before another 4 hour hike down the mountain to our next camp.

Now, half asleep and proud of ourselves we are enjoying our dinner with wine and Kilimanjaro brand beer in our food tent. We are all feeling better but VERY sleepy.

As proud as I am of what we accomplished today, I will NEVER climb this mountain again.

2010-02-21T15:47:00.002-06:00

2/9/2010 Kilimanjaro Climb Day 6, Africa Day 9 Barafu Camp 15,000 feet

There is no f*%$#@g oxygen up here. It takes all of the energy I have just to get dressed. Walking to the bathroom requires a 5 minute rest. Other than that, the short day today has been a blast. Gretchen mastered saying, “I want it doggy-style” and I chime in with “right now *expletive expletive*”. We literally went through this with every porter and guide. This paired with other random Swahili expletives every few minutes had all of the Africans on our trail cracking up and all of the Muzungu very confused. We also mastered “I want you”, “I want your body” and “I loooooooooove you”. Laughing makes this whole oxygen issue a bit harder to deal with, but it’s totally worth it.

A helicopter rescue at 15,000 feet. This made us somewhat nervous.

We had a tough, short, but obviously amusing hike to camp today. After lunch I went off by myself on a acclimatization hike up about 1,000 feet. My head hurt a bit at this point, but nothing horrible. Then sleep.

Tonight we get up at 11pm to begin our hike to the summit. We have to climb 4,000 feet in 8 hours. This will quite possibly be one of the biggest challenges of my life. Katie just declared she will not eat much tonight so that she won’t be too heavy for Nate to carry.

Katie also found it funny to lock me in the “tourist toilet” (hole) because is locks from the outside. Rather than helping me Nate filmed the scene on his camera. Funny guys, really funny.

Okay, off to bed for a few hours of sleep.

2010-02-18T12:40:00.002-06:00

2/8/2010 Kilimanjaro Climb Day 5, Africa Day 8 Karanga Campsite 3,200 feet

“Toto was full of shit. I don’t miss the rains in Africa at all.” - Peter Verstegen

What a difference a day makes. Today we all felt amazing. The sun stayed out during our entire hike over the Barranco Wall and we saw the most amazing views. We are above the clouds and it really looks like heaven. Then Katie pointed out that it couldn’t be heaven because I talked too much and drove her crazy.

Peter trying to throw me off of the top of the Barranco Wall

Every turn we had a more amazing view - waterfalls, cliffs, caves, flowers, clouds, and Mt. Meru in the background.

In our higher spirits we officially gave everybody their nicknames:
Gretchen= Cankles
Nate= Alpa 1
Ryan= Hippo
Shana= Rhino (Thanks Nate)
Peter= Mr. Katie
Katie= Mrs. Peter
Dickhead= Plus One = Asshole= Grumpy old man

Gretchen our fantastic guide. Kuma mayo.

After this Gretchen traded backpacks with Bruce and became the guide. She did a hysterical impression of Bruce and he played a good tourist. The two of them bantered the last hour of our hike. It all began when he tried to put rocks in her day pack and she hit him with her trekking poles.

After lunch in camp Nate and I took a beautiful hike straight up. From up there it really looked like we were on the moon.

Spoons turns violent

When we came back down everybody was playing a mean game of spoons- which I quickly jumped in and won. :)

I had a fantastic nap while Bruce taught Gretchen to tell the porters “I want it doggy style.” They loved it.

I dropped down to a half pill of diamox. For some reason I feel like I lost by having to take it but it’s the difference between climbing in main and misery and enjoying my days here. And I have not been peeing as much as I thought I would!

Tomorrow we only have a 3 hour hike but it’s straight up. The next night we have to get up at 11:30pm to begin our hike to the summit. Yikes! Now… time to rest up.

2010-02-18T09:37:00.002-06:00

Kilimanjaro Climb Day 4, Africa Day 7
Barranco Campsite 13,500 feet

This morning I was looking forward to wirting a journal entry about how good I’ve been feeling and how easy this trip has been so far. Everybody but Nate felt like hell while I was singing, dancing, and doing handstands.

The day started out with handstands

Hiking down from Lava Tower in the Rain

The hike began and things went downhill from there. My head began pounding at about 14,000 feet. We had lunch near the Lava Tower (I didn’t feel too bad at this point) and the rain started coming down. We hiked to Lava Tower- but couldn’t see it until we were up close because the clouds were so dark and rainy. The rain continued to come down as we hiked from Lava Tower (15,200) to our next camp (13,500feet). I was hoping my headache would go away as we descended into camp. We got in (soaking wet) and I tried to lay down. At that moment I thought I was going to die. Tears flowed as I did everything I could to keep my brains from coming out of my eyeballs. Our guide told me to suck it up and take the diamox (altitude meds). I had made a personal goal for myself not to use it on this trip- but the awful pain took precedent. About 15 minutes after the drugs I was finally able to sleep. That stuff is amazing. The big side effect is frequent urination. With my tiny bladder this should be an interesting night.

Jornaling on the Toilet

Speaking of urination we just busted folks from another group (today we merged with the Machame Trail so this campsite is really full) using our private toilet. Out guide was so upset he had some of our porters move the toilet tent. They moved the tent before the toilet so to make a point I went over there and wrote part of this jornal entry sitting on the wide open toilet.

I do have a feeling I will come home heavier than ever. They keep reminding us to eat as much as possible to prevent altitude sickness. Bad combo for Shana- my favorite thing of all time is eating and my phobia is vomiting. So needless to say I’ve been stuffing my face non stop. Food is great though!

Now we are going to eat dinner and get some sleep. After today’s headache I’m getting very nervous about the rest of the climb. But I WILL make it.

2010-02-17T20:31:00.003-06:00

Kilimanjaro Climb Day 3, Africa Day 6
2/6/2010 Moir Campsite 13,500 Feet

Always. Wear. Sunscreen. Hopefully I can learn that before I turn 30. I have 3 weeks. Yesterday through the haze, I managed to burn the heck out of my neck and arms. I am now a true redneck- but don’t count on me voting for Palin. Other than the sunburn and slight headache, this hike has been nothing short of amazing. Today we hiked over the Shira Plateau. We are now in Moorland climate. No more trees just shrubs, large rocks, and beautiful flowers. My new favorite flower is a white one called the everlasting. We also saw lobelia- which is a beautiful plant that opens up during the day for sun and shuts at night for protection from the cold.

Our amazing view of the mountain kept us going despite our headaches. In the middle of the night I woke up to use our toilet (it’s actually pretty neat- it even sort of flushes!) and saw the most amazing site- the mountain peak lit under moonlight with billions of stars above. Apparently I was so excited about this view I didn’t realize my Duluth silk sleep sack (my favorite thing EVER) was stuck in my pants. Upon return to my tent I tore the whole thing apart looking for my sleep sack. This morning I found it laying in front of our toilet. I hope nobody peed on it!

During today’s hike I really mastered the Go-Girl, which is going to come in handy as we get into colder weather. Apparently the “shake” is key.

Back at camp today we all felt our heads and the rain really came down- perfect opportunity for napping. After my fantastic nap Nate helped me wash my hair in the freezing cold stream. BRRRRRRRR! But I feel so clean! Right now we are all in the dining tent. Gretchen is playing cards with our guide Bruce and he keeps cheating! Nate has been searching for dirty words on my travel Boggle for the last 30 minutes.

In all seriousness, the view of the peak and glaciers right now is phenomenal. We seem so close!

The next few days will be challenging yet rewarding. I’m sure I will be able to keep going- I’m doing this for my mom.

2010-02-17T20:04:00.002-06:00

2/5/2010 Kilimanjaro Climb Days 1 – 2, Africa Days 4 – 5
Shira 1 Camp 11,500 feet

Two days of climbing and we are doing well! Katie had a terrible reaction to her Malaria meds and was very ill the night before out climb. The morning of climb day her and Peter decided to not join us. We were all crushed.

We left an hour late (we wanted to make sure Katie would be okay) only to see our grumpy “plus one” was pissed in the van. After a three hour drive, we made it to Londorosi Gate. On the way there Gretchen and I tried to ride on the truck the porters were on. It was wide open and they were crammed in the back- I tried hanging off of the support bar- it broke and I fell off of the truck! So much for losing weight on this trip…

At the gate we hopped into our Land Rover and had the ride of our lifetime to the Lemosho gate. I haven’t laughed and screamed so much in a long time.

We had a beautiful 4 hour hike through the jungle- monkeys and all! At camp we had to wait a bit because the truck carrying the porters broke down. But finally tents and bags! Our “plus one” freaked out on our guide for making him wait. And because he did not properly waterproof his bag- all of hi things were wet- once again he yelled. For dinner he gave us all dirty looks and took his food into his own tent. Our guide was so upset he called for another guide to take grumpy “plus one” off by himself. Now we were 4.

I had some amazing sleep (other than “plus one” snoring in the tent next to us) and discovered the value of earplugs. After a fantastic breakfast we had a beautiful 7 hour hike up the Shira Plateau. We left the jungle after about an hour of hiking and switched into the “Heather” climate above the tree line.

Our guide’s phone rang (he gets service up here!) and we got word that Peter and Katie were meeting us at the Shira campground! I was so happy I yelled. There was an emergency road they drove them up and they only had a 2 hour hike to our camp. Katie is much better and we are all together again!

Now we are sitting at camp enjoying popcorn and hot chocolate as a goofy group. Other than a slight sunburn and headache I’m doing well so far.

Tomorrow- Shira Plateau to 12,500 feet!

2010-02-03T23:36:00.002-06:00

Africa Day 1: Good Things Happen! 2/1/2010

We finally made it! After months of planning, thousands of dollars raised and an amazing corporate sponsor- I am in Africa with 5 of my closest friends. We couldn't have had a smoother trip so far.

While joking about where to pick up the box I will be shipped back in- very funny daddy- my dad drove me and Gretchen to O’Hare to catch our flights. We survived over 24 hours of travel, flying through Amsterdam, Nairobi, then finally to Kilimanjaro. The two of us were like little kids excited to go to Disney. Sleep was impossible- and I am normally a VERY good flight sleeper! In Amsterdam we managed to make a scene with Ronald McDonald (photos not appropriate for web viewing), laugh at people for snoring in the lounge chair section, spend WAY too many euros on Africa books, and running around like fools. We made it in around 11pm with our faces pressed against the plane windows looking at Kili under a full moon. When I previously said our trip was smooth, I left out the fact our luggage was lost and we had a one hour dirt road (bumpy!) ride to our hotel while having to pee like nothing before! Life was wonderful again when we were reunited with Nate and the others.

The next morning everything fell into place. We were informed our baggage made it in, we had an AMAZING breakfast, we found internet to update friends and family, and best of all we were upgraded from a camping safari to a lodge safari.

Our Safari began with a 4.5 hour drive to Lake Manyara National Park. Because I had only slept about 2-3 hours, I took this opportunity to nap. Before getting to the park, we saw our first beautiful animal- a Giraffe crossing the street right behind us. In the park we were immediately greeted with baboons and blue monkeys. I tried desperately to steal one of the blue monkeys, but they wouldn't let me touch them! Maybe tomorrow...

After the monkeys came the elephants. Followed by more monkeys, wildebeests, hippos, zebras, dik diks (hehe), and many more. I couldn't believe how close to the vehicle they came!

By around 4pm we were all getting quite hot and the jet lag was really setting in. When we were brought back to the lodge our jaws hit the floor. This place is AMAZING! For Africa we have two nights of total luxury. The swimming pool and beautiful view brought renewed energy.

After an amazing dinner we are all going to go and play games. Life is good, this trip is better. Tomorrow... the Ngorongoro Crater.

Day 2: Ngorongoro Crater 2/2/2010

Kitties!!! Today was the day. I finally saw lions and a cheetah in the wild. I obeyed orders and did not try to pet them- but they rubbed right up against out vehicle!

After a fantastic night of sleep (finally!) and a wonderful breakfast at the Highview Hotel- we set our for the Nogorngoro Crater. We were told the crater used to be a mountain larger than Kili. Now thousands of animals migrate in the crater. After a beautiful drive in we immediately saw Zebras, Wildebeest, African buffalo, warthogs (Pumba!), and Thompson Gazelle. We literally saw animals non-stop - no shortage at all of Zebras, buffalo, and wildebeests. Our first big treat was getting up close and personal with several lionesses- these ladies laid down right next to our truck! Then came the Ostriches, hyenas, hippos, hartebeests, Elephants, Jackals, flamingos, and many beautiful birds. On our way to lunch we finally found our cheetah he (or she) was only out for a few minutes.

Lunch was hysterical. We ate by a body of water full of hippos- and were told to stay in the vehicle with our food due to the birds. We took a walk down by the water to have our warning proven by watching a group of Mzungu having their food stolen and bodies attacked by large birds. Nate got some pretty hilarious video.

After lunch we got to see a very rare site- 2 Black Rhinos with their young. Due to the value of their horn (Nate said it's more valuable than inkjet ink) there are only 25 left in the crater.

I then did what I do best in moving vehicles... fell asleep. Luckily I didn't miss much but was quite impressed that I could sleep on those bumpy roads! I managed to sleep all the way back to the hotel.

Now we are enjoying life sitting by the pool and recapping the day filled with animal babies, spraying hippos, and large amounts of rhino urine. As much as we prepared for roughing it - this lodge upgrade is unbelievable. The pool is refreshing, food is amazing, the cooler temps at this elevation allow for wonderful sleep, and the local Maasi are so friendly. Speaking of the locals, Gretchen and I are about to hike into the nearby village and play with the children. Tonight I will sit down and devise a plan to catch my monkey at Tarangire Park.

Day 3: Dirty Mongooses 2/3/2010

No monkey. But at Tarangire we came close! Let me back up to the stroll through the Maasi village last night. Gretchen and I never felt more popular in our lives! Our stroll started with a dog following us, then a dog and a child, then 2 dogs and 3 children. Pretty soon we were leading a parade through the village! The children were so nice and spoke very good English. There was still quite the language barrier- and at one point Gretchen and I were quite sure they had us swearing in Swahili.

As Nate always said, smiles and laughter know no language. The next hour was full of just that. They loved getting their pictures taken and looking at them on the camera. I decided to show off by doing cart wheels and was amazed at the gymnastic ability of these kids! Near the end of our walk we gave them gifts which they got VERY excited about. What an amazing experience and what wonderful people.

This morning we set off on our final safari to Tarangire Park. There weren't as many animals here as in the Crater but the ones we did see were unreal. Elephants were everywhere! All sizes and ages bathing, throwing dirt, scratching on rocks or "charging our vehicle" (at least we thought they were). But the highlight of the day had to have been the mating banded mongooses with bright blue balled Vervet monkeys watching from above. Sick I tell you- but worth a good 30 minutes of laughter. The Vervet monkeys also had some VERY tiny babies who were just adorable. It was at this point Nate agreed to taking one home- but I'm not quite sure if it was the cuteness or their enjoyment of porn that sold him.

After the mongoose show we saw more elephants, Impalas, warthogs (more pumba!), birds, waterbucks, and giraffe. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch while watching elephants bathe- then our long drive back to Moshi.

We sat through the Kili orientation meeting only to find out they stuck some random old annoying guy who is traveling by himself with us. We decided to make the best of it and will hopefully find many good qualities about him soon. Hopefully.

Our guide is Bruce and Gretchen and I already did a good job of freaking him out by explaining how our Go-Girls work. Speaking of the Go-Girl, I had my first experience using it in Africa today and failed miserably. We stopped at a gas station that just had a hole in the ground to go in (I will never complain about Kwik Trip restrooms again). I proudly walked in with my Go-Girl and out with urine all over my pants. Guess I need more practice.

But- off to bed for me. Tomorrow begin our 8-day Kilimanjaro climb up the Lemosho route! Here we go!
-Morning update- Katie is very sick. Her and Peter may not be able to join us. Please send good thoughts her way.

2010-01-17T21:48:00.002-06:00

Kilimanjaro... Here We Come.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Shana Martin
Shana@shanamartin.com

Kili Klimb for a Kure

This February six adventurers will travel to Tanzania to climb mount Kilimanjaro in order to raise money and awareness for Huntington’s Disease Society of America. Shana Martin, Nate Greenberg, Ryan Desch, Peter Verstegen, Katie Jones and Gretchen Greenberg will take an 8 day Trek on the Lemosho route to the 19,340 foot summit of Africa's highest mountain.

The climbers are responsible for paying their own expenses and raising money for HDSA through Firstgiving websites. The money raised by this climb will go toward research for a cure for Huntington’s Disease and to provide services for HD patients and their families.

Martin, who's mother is afflicted with the disease, has a fifty percent chance of inheriting the gene that causes Huntington’s.

Duluth Trading Company has donated some of the necessary clothing and gear to the climbers.

Research funded by HDSA is of benefit everyone, not just those affected by this disease. The knowledge gained, and the techniques developed by our scientists is being utilized by their colleagues working on solutions for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and every other disease that has a genetic component – and current thinking is that almost every major disease has one.

Huntington’s Disease: a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder for which there is, at present, no effective treatment or cure. HD slowly diminishes the affected individual’s ability to walk, think, talk and reason. Eventually, the person with HD becomes totally dependent upon others for his or her care. Huntington’s Disease profoundly affects the lives of entire families – emotionally, socially and economically. HD typically begins in mid-life, between the ages of 30 and 50, though onset may occur as early as the age of two. HD affects as many people as Hemophilia, Cystic Fibrosis or Muscular Dystrophy.

HDSA is the largest voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting Huntington’s Disease. HDSA provides vital support and a service to improve the lives of those affected by HD, offers resources for HD families and supports research to find a cure for HD.

Anyone interested in donating can visit www.firstgiving.com/shanamartin

2009-11-15T12:04:00.000-06:00

Bizarre World with Andrew Zimmern!

2009-10-22T10:58:00.002-05:00

Arlo Guthrie

I have many, many posts about Huntington’s Disease and all of the fundraisers I am involved with. I rarely post about my mom, who is the reason I am involved in all of this.
On Tuesday night my dad and I went to the “Guthrie Family Rides Again” concert featuring Arlo Guthrie and his family. Sitting at the Barrymore Theatre with my dad, I was flooded with wonderful memories.

I was raised on folk music. Arlo and Woody, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul and Mary, the Weavers, Lead Belly… the list goes on and on. My mom, dad, and I would regularly go to these concerts in Madison. As my parents would sing their hearts out, I would eventually fall asleep on my dad’s shoulder. During car trips, my mom would make sure my dad played Arlo and Pete Seeger and would sing sing sing on the entire drive. We had regular family sing-alongs to Woody Guthrie songs around the computer my dad programmed to play his music. The three of us are all terrible singers, but it wasn’t the quality of the tune, but the meaning of the words and time spent with the family. Even when my mom could barely speak, she would still try her hardest to sing along to her folk music.

We didn’t just go to the concerts. When my mom was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease, her and my dad decided they would do all they could to live life to the fullest. In 1991 the three of us went on Arlo’s Blunderite adventure to Israel and Egypt. Despite her illness, my mom climbed mountains, rode camels, and hiked into tombs.
Two years later we joined the Blunderites and Arlo on the Delta Queen all the way down the Mississippi River. At this point eating was such a chore for my mom she spent most of her day in the dining hall eating. Her special moment on that trip was getting to sit in the front row for Arlo’s concert. We even had the wonderful experience of riding the “City of New Orleans” after the steamboat trip.

My favorite Arlo memory? After one of his concerts at the Barrymore (my mom was quite sick at this point) we went back to his trailer after the concert for an autograph. She was very unsteady and my dad and I had to hold her up. When it was our turn she said “Hi Arlo. I have the disease your dad died of.” She walked up to him and he grabbed her and hugged her. I don’t think she stopped smiling for a week!

The concert on Tuesday night was bitter sweet. This was the first time we’ve seen Arlo in performance without my mom. Tears flowed as I listened to our family’s favorite songs without my mom being able to sit with us and sing along. Then Arlo sang this song by his father Woody and I really lost it:

I Hear You Sing Again - Woody Guthrie

If I could only hear my mother sing again
If I could close my eyes and hear your voice as then
All the friends and family
would sing along with me,
and set your spirit free
In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
and when I sing those songs
for family and friends,
in my heart I hear you sing again

I know the troubled times that turned your hair to grey
And all the tears and sorrows followed to your grave
But deep within the heart of hunger,
there were always melodies
passed from you and me

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
and when I sing those songs
for family and friends,
in my heart I hear you sing again

And it's a long, long road I've come
since my mother's songs were heard
But the child I can't outrun
still hangs on every word

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
and when I sing those songs
for family and friends,
in my heart I hear you sing again
In my heart I hear your voice again

Thank you for all of the great memories Arlo. I wish I could hear my mom sing again.

2009-09-28T14:18:00.002-05:00

TRX Boot Camp in Madison!

2009-09-16T11:03:00.002-05:00

Bizarre World

It has been just over a month since the lumberjack world championships, and life has been nothing short of Bizarre and Fantastic.

With Andrew Zimmern at our most recent filming.

I recently filmed another episode with Andrew Zimmern for his new show “Bizarre World”. Apparently lumberjack sports are considered Bizarre, but I’m finally able to come to terms with this. Our lumberjack episode will air on the Travel Channel in late October… STAY TUNED! My experiences with Mr. Zimmern and his exploits have given me a few minutes of fame to stand on my soapbox and tell the world about Lumberjack Sports and, more importantly, Huntington’s Disease. So again, I cannot thank you enough Andrew and crew for all of the great publicity and fun experiences.

Based on the above, this blog will be what it is usually about… Lumberjack Sports and Huntington’s Disease.

I am currently blessed to have met my dream man: a lumberjack who can put up with all of my life craziness. It’s a fantastic change to have somebody in my life so understanding. I mean really, how many people are out there who would enjoy a day of log rolling, running, fart jokes, and community service? Honestly… I think there is only one at my level, especially who shares my love of log rolling and lack of maturity.

And for a wonderful change, I was able to join Nate at one of his lumberjack shows and sit back, relax (okay not really), and be a lumberjack fan in the crowd for a change. The Steele County fair was my first real experience with a county fair. 4H, pig races, and tractor pull are all foreign to me. After experiencing much of the above, along with many fun lumberjack shows starring this hot guy named Nate, I got restless and entered the Army push-up contest. They made us do push-ups with a 40lb pack on our backs and I was able to crank out 68! Thus winning an iPod and admiration of rednecks all over Minnesota. Apparently I had issues with Nate getting all of the attention over the weekend. :) For more information about the Lumberjack Shows Nate works for, visit: http://www.lumberjackenterprises.com/

My next lumberjack show experience occurred up at the Minnesota State Fair, rooting on my dear friend Taylor as she preformed with the scary burly men of Rob Scheer’s Lumberjack Show. Along with Nate, Taylor, and Gino we had yet another fair experience full of eating fried snickers on a stick, a bucket full of chocolate chip cookies, world famous cheese curds, and plenty of taffy. Burp.

Show falls at the Walworth County Fair

My third lumberjack show adventure happened over Labor Day weekend in Elkhorn, Wisconsin at the Walworth County Fair with Carson Bosworth and JR Salzman. We preformed 13 goofy lumberjack shows complete with commentary on the pink “Lady Shaver” chainsaw with a co-driver, and ordering “Snow Storms” from Dairy Queen. It’s always a comic adventure when a group of lumberjacks from around the world are brought together. It was also nice to have Nate around for the entire week… he was such a big help!

We also ended the Madison Log Rolling season with the “End of Summer Moustache Mania Log Rolling Potluck”. Not much of a description is needed here… the pictures tell the whole story. Only at Madison log rolling…

At the HDSA Celebration of Hope Gala in Chicago

As previously mentioned, I’ve been able to get a lot of awareness out about Huntington’s Disease. HDSA has been the main focus of my past month. I’ve been vigriously preparing for our HDSA Team Hope 5K run/walk for a Cure here in Madison on September 26th. I also participated in planning for the HDSA Great Lakes Region Gala in Milwaukee, and was reelected president of the Wisconsin Chapter. Nate and I were guests at the wonderful HDSA Chicago Celebration of Hope Gala a few weeks ago, and we both volunteered and danced the night away at the hugely successful Wisconsin Gala on Friday night.

I recently won a scholarship to the World Congress on Huntington’s Disease in Vancouver, where I am sitting right now. I’m sure you can guess that I’m not in the most interesting of sessions at the moment, but I am overwhelmed by all of the brilliance at this conference. So far it has been fun to watch my dear HD friend BJ Viau give a great talk about fundraising and living at risk to the entire conference, and I have had the honor of meeting young people affected by HD from all over the world. And, following the theme of HD and Lumberjack life, I also had a chance to hang out on Grouse Mountain with my dear friends Darren, Stirling, Jodi, and new friend Eric Holmquist- the logrolling Elvis. Needless to say I’ve had quite the random and exciting experience so far in Vancouver?

So how long and random was this post?! It’s a Bizarre World…. stay tuned!

2009-08-05T15:00:00.002-05:00

I LOVE My Sponsor!

Thank YOU Duluth Trading Company for another exciting Lumberjack Season!

2009-07-28T21:25:00.002-05:00

Time to Deflate My Head

WOW! All I can say is wow. The past few days have been a whirlwind of excitement. If you have a chance, please check out the links at the end of this blog… they are crazy exciting!

Lumberjack World Championships

Displaying my fantastic sponsor "Duluth Trading Company" on my rear end before my boom final.

Showing a bit of intensity during my boom run final.

Let’s start with the good news: I am the 2009 Boom Run WORLD CHAMPION! I had two of my best runs ever at the finals show on Sunday and could not be more excited about my win. In other exciting boom run news, Nate had two fantastic runs as well and missed making finals by just a few hundredths of a second. Even more ironic? He jumped over the laser beam after one of his runs. Now who on earth would ever do a dumb thing like that?! Luckily they were nice enough to use the hand time.

Log rolling was less of a success story. I made it to the semi-finals with no falls. Katie Hoeschler and I had one of my most exciting matches I’ve ever rolled. ALL of our falls happened on the tiny #4 log, and it went like so: fall for Katie, fall for Shana, fall for Katie, fall for Shana, and finally… fall for Katie. I would like to say I wasn’t “on my game” that day, but honestly, Katie just really had her stuff together and rolled AMAZINGLY well. She is well deserving of her world championship title.

The rest of the amazing LWC weekend was filled with good times and great friends as always. Our hotel room at the Comfort Suites was cram-packed with Lumberjacks and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Okay, I may have been able to do without Tyler’s weird hockey friends, but other than that, I was happy to be with everybody. Here is some bullet point blogging to cover the weekend’s highlights:

Just a few of the many lumberjacks in our room.

• Knocking Katie off of the go cart track on Thursday night.
• Having Garrick and Gretchen represent Madison for the amateurs all weekend long. • The beautiful “50 Years of Lumberjack World Championships” book that I got to have a nice quote in. Unfortunately, the photos were slightly less flattering. :)
• Nate’s parents making it out to the competition.
• Deciding to be healthy and not ordering anything at Coops, then taking a “few bites” of Katie’s dinner.
• Nate and Thomas galloping around the restaurant piggy back.
• Getting DQed in the axe throw because I learned how to throw upside down in New Zealand. Then owing Jamie 130 push-ups for losing our bet.
• Jamie’s extra long shower and phone call with Jill.
• Olivia’s contribution to the “dinner for two” at Famous Dave’s.
• Spit Wad fights at Famous Dave’s.
• The same spit wad fights leading to Thomas wetting his pants and taking them off in the middle of the restaurant.
• Thomas giving a dollar bill to the drunk 50 year old lady trying to dance on the pole.
• Sitting on the dock looking over Lake Hayward.
• Reenacting our previous world championship matches with Jenny while actually rolling for 5th and 6th. Then asking the judges to pull our wheelchairs up to the dock.
• Watching Katie Hoeschler win her first (and well deserved) world championship title.
• Watching JR Salzman win his first world championship title since his injury in Iraq.
• Watching Tyler blow it in the boom run finals because he got drunk on Friday night.
• Darren exclaiming, “Opps, I fell.” And “I’m the belly flop champion of the WORLD!!!” after his failed boom run final.
• Getting the entire gang together for dinner at Old Hayward Saturday night.
• Darren’s one arm push-ups holding Ritchie, and then saying, “I’m really glad I didn’t land on him.”
• Trampolining, handstand, and back handspring contests at Brian’s.
• Darren wearing the wig as “Helga, the Olympic Gymnast.”
• The Duffy family dance to “Rollin’” and “Baby Got Back”.
• Flip cup with 16 drunken lumberjacks.
• And last but not least… seeing way too many white lumberjack butts on the boom run. …oh yes we did.

Today’s Media Frenzy:

Today I awoke to the news that my name made it to number one at “Google Trends”. I was also pointed in the direction of this article.
with one of the most flattering quotes I’ve heard, "From her bio at her site, and news from her escapades, Shana just may be living proof that beauty, toughness and fitness can go hand in hand." - Phil Butler
Thank you so much Phil.

And the coolest thing of all? I was on the FRONT PAGE of msn.com promoting my feature with Andrew Zimmern with the caption “Angel of Lumberjacks.” How freaking cool is that?!
From all of this I’ve gotten hundreds of touching e-mails and facebook messages. If you were one of the many who wrote, give me a few days, but I will respond.

Now I need to get to bed and focus on my long day of work ahead of me tomorrow. I think it will take a few days to digest all of this excitement. And then… last competition of the season in Grand Marais, Minnesota!!! Dave and Shana are going to kill everybody in the Jack and Jill saw… look out!

More news articles:
http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/health/2009/07/28/2009-07-28_shana_martin_lumberjack_world_championships_competitor_is_also_a_tireless_crusad.html

http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/content/view/4898/2/

2009-07-21T22:20:00.001-05:00

Famous Dave’s? Yes Please!

But before you read on, check out the “Appetite For Life” episode I filmed with the Travel Channel’s Andrew Zimmern. Pretty fun eh?

Yet ANOTHER fun lumberjack weekend has come and gone.
This past weekend I flew up (literally, I took a one way flight because I’m sick of that drive) to the twin cities for some redneck Minnesota fun. Friday evening we had a lovely bonfire complete with cheap beer, and discussion of how to cut up a deer. Yum. Luckily the company was fantastic, and now I have more fuel added to my “make fun of Minnesota” fire.

Saturday I was able to hook up with the amazing trainer Leigh Crews and sit in on her Group Suspension Training Course in Burnsville, MN. She is a fantastic teacher, and my excitement about Fitness Anywhere and teaching others about Suspension Training keeps growing! If you are a personal trainer, physical therapist, or coach looking to become a certified TRX trainer, sign up for my full day Suspension Training Course in Madison on August 8th!

Sunday I rode over to Hayward, Wisconsin (whew, finally back to civilization) with the Berards. They must have gotten the memo from my dad that all I do during car trips is sleep because they had a nice bed already made up for me in the back seat! Thanks guys!

The first (and hopefully annual) Namekagon River Roll Off was a huge success! Many rollers from all over showed up to practice their rolling and booming skills one last time before the world championships. Despite being a bit sore from my TRX training the previous day, I still managed to get a second place finish on the boom run (with another classic dive for the dock that resulted in a bloody elbow and hyper extended knee) and first place in log rolling! The best part of all of it? I won dinner for two at Famous Dave’s! That prize totally trumps any prize money we could have received. :)

A few busy days of work, then I am headed back up to Hayward for the Lumberjack World Championships. Wish me luck!

2009-07-15T22:23:00.003-05:00

She’s Baaaaaaack…

I’d like to begin with a quote from my blog exactly one year ago today,

“It’s 2am in Las Vegas. No, I wasn’t out partying all night; I just got back from the ER. I’m out here competing at the Women’s Tri Fitness competition, which was supposed to be a “fun event” between log rolling tournaments. On the obstacle course I had a bad landing and finished off my ACL. Reminiscent of my Fitness America Competition a few years back, I went to the ER. Let me tell you… the ER in Vegas on a Friday night is a scary place. After a short four hour wait, I got my familiar leg brace and crutches.
Now I’m sitting in my hotel room drowning my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I had the GREATEST fitness routine that I was so excited to compete with this Summer and Fall season. I’ve been log rolling and boom running better than ever before this summer. Now it’s all over. This is the most important time of year for me, and now I get to sit on my ass. I don’t think even Ben and Jerry can help this awful feeling…”

One year later I felt the need to return to this same Fitness Competition. Not necessarily to win, but to prove to myself that I am NOT too old for this and that I will NEVER give up.
I don’t think I could have had a more different weekend this time around. First of all, I was far from alone. My dear friends Lisa, Kjersti, Melissa, Josi, and Shayna all accompianed me on this adventure. Also, two new dear friends whom I have been training with Colleen and Nora, met me in Vegas. On top of that, this year I finally felt part of the “Tri Fitness Family” seeing many inspirational familiar faces.

With minimal dieting and training, I was able to survive the bikini round and finish the obstacle course with an okay (but not superb) time. I slowed down at the hurdles (where I tore my ACL last year) but would much rather have a slower time than end up back in the ER!
After hardly practicing due to the fact my knee is not yet fond of tumbling, I practically nailed my fitness routine. I was stoked. I followed that with a new PR on box jumps AND bench press.

The icing on the cake? Making the podium many times:
Age Group Winner for bikini and routines
2nd place overall for routine (2nd to Katie Uter… what an honor!)
7th overall bikini
7th overall Tri-Fitness

These finishes were out of 150 of the most beautiful and fit women in the world. To say I am thrilled is an understatement.

Now that I know my body can handle fitness competitions again, here is the rest of my schedule for the season:
August 21st: Fitness America Kumite Classic, Pittsburgh, PA
October 3rd: Fitness America California, Hermosa Beach, CA
October 10th: Fitness America Midwest, Chicago, IL

Nora, Shana, and Colleen finally get to enjoy some dessert after competition!

Other highlights from my amazing weekend (back to bullet point blogging… gotta love it!):
• The party habits of my crazy roomies. Always good for a laugh!
• The same roomies coming to ALL of my events to cheer me on despite their hangovers. Especially Kjersti for sitting in the Vegas heat for four hours to watch the Obstacle course!
• Finally seeing the love of my life, Criss Angel, in person. Yes, the show was terrible, BUT, I still got to see Criss.
• Working out at my TRX friend Arthur’s BEAUTIFUL gym in Vegas.
• Me forgetting EVERYTHING and having my ass saved by Linda and Colleen more than once.
• Chatting it up with Lance Burton’s manager- and getting second row seats for the show!
• Lance Burton’s Magic…. simply amazing.
• Rio Seafood Buffet after competition with the crew.
• Crab legs at the Rio Seafood Buffet.
• Gelato at the Rio Seafood Buffet.
• Carrot Cake at the Rio Seafood Buffet
• People watching on the Strip with Nate.
• The Mote Carlo Buffet after awards.
• Crab legs at the Monte Carlo Buffet.
• Chocolate Mousse at the Monte Carlo Buffet.
• Cheesecake at the Monte Carlo Buffet.
• Chocolate Ice Cream at the Monte Carlo Buffet.

Brandy and Shana trying to get sympathy for our newly repaired knees

Just like log rolling, the number one highlight of each and every fitness event I go to are the friends I share my experience with. This year I was surrounded by the love of the Tri-Fitness girls, especially my new dear friends Colleen, Nora, and Linda. Remember when you were a kid and you would get so excited about making a new friend? I made three incredibly close ones, and I have that same giddy excited feeling! It was also so special to share this event with Brandy Goddard. We both tore our ACLs within 5 minutes of each other during last year’s obstacle course. After supporting each other through surgeries and rehab this past year, it was unbelievable to stand next to her (okay, okay, below her) on the podium for the overall Tri-Fitness. I cannot wait to share the rest of this fitness season with all of these amazing women.

2009-06-23T09:22:00.002-05:00

Summer So Far...

Sunday was the first official day of Summer, but in the lumberjack world it started WEEKS ago!

Midwest Log Rolling Championships

Words cannot express how grateful I am for all of the competitiors and volunteers. I fought back tears the entire day as I saw everybody not only raising money and showing support for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, but also creating memories with dear friends through lumberjack sports.
Together we raised just under $5,000 and drew in much media exposure not only for Huntington’s Disease, but also our unique sports of log rolling and boom running.
I especially want to thank our fantastic volunteers who made this event possible: George (Super Daddy) Martin, Olivia Judd, Jamie Fischer, Nate Greenberg, Laura Johnson, Alex Waite, Judy Hoeschler, Jay Hoeschler, Scott Lynch, Lynne Judd, Pat Burns, Todd Rawson, Connor Murphy, Karl Buschhaus, Jon Berard, Phil Olsen, Sherry Betthauser, Fiona Cahill, Jackie Steinhauer, Terry Rick, Katie Hoeschler, and Mrs. Sievert.
I also want to thank our amazing sponsors: Duluth Trading Company, Lundbeck, Trader Joe’s, Home Concept, Micheal’s Frozen Custard, SCION, and the Green Bay Packers.
The day of the event there were photographers EVERYWHERE! Below are links to various albums from the day’s events. All are free for download and saving!

Photos by Blaze (http://www.fotoaparat.org/): http://picasaweb.google.com/shanaUW/MidwestLogRollingChampionshipsByBlaze

Photos by George Martin: http://picasaweb.google.com/madisonlogrollers/MidwestLogRollingChampionships2009

Photos by Wingra Canoe and Sailing Center: http://picasaweb.google.com/wingraboats/MidwestLogRollingChampionships

Photos by The Hoeschler Family: http://logrollers.com/Logrollers/Competition_Photos/Pages/2009_Madison.html

And on a personal note… I won both log rolling and boom running! The log rolling matches for the day were all unbelievably exciting, and I am really looking forward to this summer of competition!

STIHL Timbersport Series Finals

Georgia is hot. We’re talking hotter than hot. I’m going to vote that the heat increased do to the influx of lady boom runners into the state. :)
Most of the weekend was spent by our hotel pool or in the air conditioning, but we did spend a bit of time competing!

I had a great semi final race against my girl Katie Rick, and advanced into the finals against Alyse Schreoder. After repeatedly being referred to as “old” one way or another over the weekend Alyse drove home the age issue by beating me in the closest final in STIHL boom run history. But I’m going to give that young girl credit… she can RUN! And I’m very excited the STIHL Boom trophy has gone to a different runner every year since the beginning in 2005. I WOULD like to have it back next year though…
As usual the highlight of the weekend was hanging out with my favorite girls. The laughter and “quotable quote” didn’t end all weekend. We had a fantastic pool party on Sunday evening, complete with Olivia getting thrown into the pool in her dress and Brian spraying an entire beer on me. God I love my lumberjack friends!

Below are some links to media from the exciting competition:

An ESPN.com article calling me old: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/news/story?id=4273434

ESPN.com article about finals: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/news/story?id=4275942

Photos from the weekend events: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/gallery?page=index_2009_Stihl_Columbus_Georgia

2009-06-11T08:13:00.002-05:00

Aging

Yep, I said it. Aging. Here are the series of events that led to the title of this blog:

Just over a week ago I was diagnosed with degenerative joint disease (arthritis) in my knee and ankle. They are going to need to do surgery on my box of rocks of an ankle this fall.

My most recent media interviews have been focused around the fact that I am one of the oldest competitors, and a common question is, “how much longer will your body hold up to these younger athletes?”

I just received my first copy of “Aging Today” from my health insurance company.

My body is taking twice as long to recover from my hard workouts.

The sound of my joints crunching while walking up or down stairs is likely to wake up the entire neighborhood.

But here is the good news (I’m really starting to enjoy bullet point blogging):

Despite my age, I won the first round of the STIHL Timbersport Series in Lehi, Utah last weekend.

Even with the sad questions about aging, I’ve had some GREAT media coverage over the past few weeks. This media coverage is also wonderful for Huntington’s Disease awareness. Thank you to EVERBODY who wrote articles and put my face on the news.

I was beginning to miss my friends at UW Health Physical Therapy… now I can come back and visit! (Okay, that is stretching to find a silver lining, but I’ll keep it.

I started modeling again and HOPE these photos do not make me look old!

So bring on the age… I’m going to keep training, having fun, and if needed, I know a GREAT plastic surgeon. :)

Here are links to some of my most recent media:

A GREAT story done by STIHL and ESPN about my life with Huntington’s Disease:
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/news/story?id=4209294

A write-up after my win at the STIHL Timbersport Series Prelims in Utah:
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/news/story?id=4236878&new

NBC 15 shows my opening pitch at the Madison Mallards Game:
http://www.nbc15.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3854343

My spot on Channel 3 news this morning:
(will post link ASAP)

2009-06-01T08:28:00.003-05:00

Racing for the Cure
Lumberjack sports champ and Huntington's advocate Shana Martin attacks both with gusto
By Sam Eifling
ESPNOutdoors.com

Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/timbersports/news/story?id=4209294

Shana Martin defeats Lizzy Hoeschller for her first logrolling world title in 2006.

The emotion's all there in the photo of Shana Martin winning her first logrolling world title, in 2006 — you just can't see it. Her finals opponent, Lizzie Hoeschler, already is waist-deep in water, turning away, her left hand on the top of the cleat-frayed log. Martin is stepping off the log in the direction of the camera. Her right foot is just beginning to break the water's surface. Her head is tilted back slightly in the direction of the sun. Her hands cover her face, chin to eyes. Her victory had just hit her. She hadn't expected to win, hadn't prepared herself for the weight of it. This was the woman who scoffed when she saw champions tear up in the past: It's only logrolling. But in that instant she felt her life fold back onto her like a breaker: logrolling at the YMCA as a girl, family vacations to watch the pros compete in Hayward, Wis., all her training, all her friends …
In that moment, when her whole life seemed to converge on one split second, she thought, too, of her mother, Debby Martin, who, with Shana's father, George Martin, had for years attended her practices and competitions. It became harder and harder, though, through the progression of the Huntington's Disease that had afflicted Debby from the time Shana was an infant. The last time Debby left her nursing home was 2004, to watch Shana compete at the Great Outdoor Games in their hometown Madison, Wis. She never thought she would be the one to cry, but yeah, Martin bawled her eyes out. In the stands that day was Martin's first logrolling coach from the Y, John Hallett, who had helped guide Martin to become one of the best logrollers and boomrunners of her generation. He, too, was overcome with the moment. What sticks with him was her post-match interview.
"She basically got up there and said, 'I did this for my mom,'" he recalls now. "'She couldn't be here today. But I don't want anyone to forget about my mom.'"

Shana Martin looks after her mother, Debby Martin, who has been afflicted with Huntington's Disease from the time Shana was an infant.

Today Shana Martin is 29 and leads the sort of life that makes you wonder just what exactly you've been doing with your time. The three-time defending International Log Rolling Association logrolling champion, one-time ILRA boomrunning champ, a fitness competitor, a personal trainer, the manager of a gym in Madison, Wis., is today the president of the Wisconsin chapter of the Huntington's Disease Society of America and national spokesperson for the HDSA. As such, it is her job to tell people about Huntington's, and to help raise money to put toward finding a cure.
Here's how Martin found out about the disease. She was very young, probably just old enough to understand some of what was happening. Her mother was diagnosed. Her father sat her down with binders full of information from the HDSA. He told her to take heart in the voluminous research. He said they will find a cure some day. Then, Martin recalls, he flipped a coin on the bed and said, "These are your chances of getting this disease as well."
Ever since then, Martin has lived under that coin's edge. On one side, there is the athlete, the swimsuit model, the leader, a person so dedicated to health that she indulges in nothing more self-destructive than the rare glass of wine, on her way to a long and joyous life. On the other side, there is the afflicted shadow of the disease: a dark path of tremors and contortions — the loss of body control — and anger, silence, isolation and mental degradation — the loss of self.

Twenty-four years after her diagnosis, and 29 years after she first started showing Huntington's symptoms, Martin's mom is now in the advanced stages of the disease. She cannot speak, nor offer so much as eye contact. But Martin reaches to her all the same. On visits to the nursing home, she tells her mother everything, on down to her dating life, and they watch movies. After a string of picking movies for herself, and watching her mom fall asleep to them, Martin last week played one of her mother's old favorites: "Carousel," the musical. Debby stayed awake the whole time — a sign, to Martin, that her mother can still engage with the world. "Huntington's is a horrible, long, drawn-out process that doesn't just affect the person that has it," Martin says. "It tears apart the entire family, the entire community. They're slowly dying, and slowly losing their job, and slowly becoming a different person.
"In my mind, from my personal experiences, this disease is the most horrendous thing that can happen to a family."
In a roundabout way, it was Huntington's that brought Martin to lumberjack sports. Her parents sought to make her life as normal and social as possible, and from the time Martin was 5 years old, she was enrolled in YMCA ballet, gymnastics and logrolling classes. "Those were purely for my sanity," she says. She sprinted in high school and became the first female pole vaulter at the University of Wisconsin, earning a scholarship competing in Big Ten meets.
When Martin is asked whether her fierce drive to hone her physical form is her form of a pre-emptive strike against a debilitating disease, she says kindly, but with a twinge of exasperation: "A lot of people have drawn that conclusion." Sport happened to be her outlet, she says, but she might have become obsessed with just about anything put in front of her.

Martin is one of the best logrollers and boomrunners of her generation.

The first time Martin won the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS boomrunning title, she rolled in the finals against Mandy Erdmann, whom Martin considered unbeatable. It was Virginia Beach, Va., in 2005. "The only time she had been beaten was the year before, in the Great Outdoor Games," Martin says. "I said, 'OK, I'll get second place.'"
So instead of stressing out on the day before the finals, Martin spent the day surfing. She entered the match a bit tired, but also relaxed and loose. Then she owned the boom against the champ.
Both she and Hallett attribute her improvements as an athlete to an emotional maturation. Nerves, once her weakness, tend no longer to hamper her. "She's definitely developed that aspect of her personality," Hallett says. "Just get out there and be intensely competitive but also have a good time."
That attitude, in the view of Melissa Worthington, the Great Lakes Regional Director for the HDSA, is what allowed Martin to assume the presidency of the Wisconsin chapter at the age of 27. Since then, Worthington said, fundraising has improved (owing, in part, to a logrolling event Martin organizes) and the board is, Worthington says, "moving."
"She has this ability to just have such a positive energy that people want to jump on board," Worthington says. "It's an infectious energy and it's always positive. You never see Shana have a bad day. It's always done with a smile and done with extra gusto." Martin has dedicated herself to the HDSA since she attended a national conference at 16. At the time, she recalls, the networking for children of Huntington's patients was so slim that she and the handful of other kids at the conference ditched the scheduled sessions to sneak off and just talk to each other. "That's when the whole world opened up for me," Martin says.
All were coping with having a parent with Huntington's, and all knew they stood a 50/50 chance of eventually developing the disease themselves. Year after year, the youth attendance grew, and out of those gatherings came a Huntington's support group called the National Youth Alliance. (Crediting Martin with helping to start the Alliance, Worthington says: "That's frankly a really big deal.")
The young members of the network, help one another and hold fundraisers to bring as many of them as possible to conferences. And they watch out for each other. Only they know the omnipresent dread that symptoms might appear.
There is a test now, that will predict the disease, to tell a person whether that coin is heads or tails. Martin, though, steadfastly has declined it. "It's a very personal decision," Martin says. "Having lived with the disease my whole life, I was lucky enough to know my risk for it. If I took the test and got a positive result, I don't think I would deal with that well. I'm not going to be too happy about it."

Ask Martin what her most memorable athletic moments are, and you'll get a litany of fine times, from that title over Erdmann (a "big highlight") to her trip to New Zealand this spring to logroll in a lumberjack show. Her title last summer — that definitely makes the list. That was only a few weeks after she blew out her ACL in a fitness competition (an injury she managed to duplicate late last year, during a routine, and yet finish the event).
She had to immobilize her leg for a week; just before the competition, she found it unstable but also in surprisingly little pain. Her doctor told her she could logroll, but not boom run. Knowing she'd need surgery anyway, she said to hell with it and ran the boom, too. She won both events — including her third world title in logrolling.
That first world championship, that photo-frozen title that Hallett so vividly remembered — that was another milestone. Of course it was. That her mom would miss her meets was an inevitability, but that didn't make it any easier to win without her in the stands.
"For me, it was unreal," Martin says. "I never, ever thought I would be world champion. When I won, all these emotions came out. And just about everything I do is for my mom."

STIHL and STIHL® TIMBERSPORTS® are registered trademarks of STIHL.

2009-05-11T15:20:00.002-05:00

TRX Suspension Training CRAZY!

Click on the above photo for a larger version of our class flyer. Many of you know I am very serious about TRX Suspension Training, and this class is a GREAT way for you all to get started! Not living in the Madison area but still want to train on the TRX... click below to order one!

2009-04-23T11:03:00.003-05:00

Media in New Zealand

Not only did I have the time of my life, but Olivia and I got a chance to be somewhat famous in Kiwi Land! I was even recognized at airport security! I DID forget to mention the amazing Kiwi Lumberjack Show in these news clips, so I'm doing it now. Visit their website: http://www.kiwilumberjack.co.nz/

Auckland 3 News Clip

New Zealand Breakfast Show - Here I am kicking Stirling's butt- love it!

Kiwibloke News (who comes up with these names) - Olivia kicks my butt in this one!

New Zealand Herald

Eventfinder "She battles it out with the blokes"

And of course, my own photos from the trip.

2009-04-19T18:14:00.002-05:00

New Zealand

What is happiness? Everybody has a different definition, and that is what makes us all unique and interesting. My happiness is defined by (but not limited to) true love, dear friends, travel, laughing to the point of tears, lumberjacking, and savoring the sea on a surfboard. I lived all of this during my stay in New Zealand. This entry is going to be quite long winded, and I will not be insulted if you don’t take the time to read the entire thing. I’m writing this for myself, as much as I am writing to share my experiences.

Rotorua

After a spectacular flight on Air New Zealand, Olivia and I were thrilled by the friendliness of the folks in customs at the airport. Because New Zealand is so isolated, they take special care to avoid any type of biological contamination. Our spiked log rolling shoes had to be cleaned because of this, and the folks kept apologizing and explaining why they had to clean our shoes. We were like, “Clean shoes… heck yeah!” Ben, Michelle, and Chris greeted us and we started our eventful three hour drive down to Rotorua. After only knowing these guys for a few minutes, the immature humor took off. I KNEW I had found my kind of people. Olivia and I almost wet ourselves hearing, “I want a box of beer, can I have a box of beer, box of beer, box of beer, box of beer…” from Chris the entire drive. He finally got his box of beer to shut him up.
Once in Rotorua, the crew took us water skiing on the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen. I truly felt I was living in a dream. I was jet-lagged and hazy, yet up on water skis in paradise. The boys dropped us off at a natural hot springs beach where we proceeded to shiver, burn our butts in the sand, shiver again, burn our feet in the sand, then sprint away from bees while the guys enjoyed multiple boxes of beer.
The next day Olivia, Michelle, Mary, and I went for a beautiful run around blue lake, and then I kicked their butts with a TRX workout. We went back to the house and laid out in the sun, log rolled, and I worked out some more. That evening, Stirling, Kate, and Scott arrived and we threw axes until our arms hurt. It was fun being with the gang again.

The Polynesian spa didn’t know what it was in for with the arrival of Shana and Olivia. We brought in Olivia’s waterproof camera and did a “photo shoot” in all of the amazing hot pools. People there thought we were CRAZY! We both got less than amazing massages, but the scenery was well worth the price.

Waihiki

The boys had to go set up at the show grounds so us ladies went to spend a few days at Ben’s house on Waihiki Island. There are no words or photos to describe the beauty of this place. Michelle led us on some breathtaking runs and hikes, and we drank some of the best wine I have ever tasted.

The Royal Easter Show

Work? Did we really come to New Zealand to work? Honestly, the Easter Show was much more fun than work. After getting the boom runs set up literally seconds before the media arrived, Olivia, Stirling, and I did an endless string of media interviews. Over the next 5 days, we preformed 19 hysterical Lumberjack Shows fueled by V, the greatest drink ever invented. Highlights of the shows included:
• Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy
• Beans, beans, beans, beans FARTS!
• Ben and Scott’s lack of ability to hit the target with the axe.
• Sun, rain, hail, sun, rain, sun all in one show.
• “That’s funny… right?”
• Ben’s hot pink tank top.
• Jo Jo the clown playing with heavy equipment with his togs, togs, togs, UNDIES.

Between shows, other than sitting under the hairdryers in the bathrooms to stay warm, Olivia and I made plenty of new friends. We learned how to sheer a sheep, I got to learn the trapeze with a Russian circus performer, and got suckered into purchasing the Miracle Shammy. In fact, we spent quite a bit of time with “ShamWow”. More on this later…
Our Kiwi Lumberjack crew frequented the Royal Beer Garden, and I did more lumberjack laundry than I’ve ever seen before. The 5 days flew by and before we knew it, it was time to say our farewells and split off in separate directions.

Bay of Islands

I had the opportunity to go up to the Northland with Chris and am so thankful that I did. I’ve never seen so much beautiful scenery, or ate such amazing food in my life. We explored the Bay of Islands, a beautiful Karui forest, and hiked up mounds and beaches all over the area. Words and photos cannot and will not describe it.

It’s not Good Bye
We headed back into Auckland and I spent a magnificent day surfing with New Zealand Surf-N-Snow Tours. I was quite rusty, and the waves we a bit rough, but even the location itself made it all worth while. If you are in NZ anytime soon, be sure to check these guys out.
Stirling and I were going to go surfing down in Raglan the next day, but my shuttle arrangements fell through. Instead I hung out at the North Shore Home Show (long story) then Stirling, Chris, and I went downtown to the Minus 5 ice bar. Unfortunately I don’t have any photos, but just imagine an entire bar made out of ice and ice sculputures. Even our glasses were ice! After doing a few shots down ice sculptures we continued to tool around downtown, eating even more wonderful food and getting into even more trouble. That night I parted ways with Stirling and Chris, and headed back to the motel to pack.
On my final day I did some more Auckland exploring on my own. I got a private tour of the War Memorial Museum, checked out lots of different shops, mastered the Auckland bus system, and made many new friends. But inevitably, the time for me to head to the airport arrived. After tearful “See you soons” I hopped on my flight back to the states. I have a feeling the folks sitting next to me were not too thrilled with my blubbering half of the flight back. Now I’m flying from San Francisco to Chicago, wishing I could just turn this plane around and go back.
No matter what happens over the next few months, I WILL be back to New Zealand. My heart is still there.

2009-03-15T01:28:00.001-05:00

Winter Hibernation

Oh where oh where has this log roller been?
Hibernating and moping around during the winter of course!
Rather than writing out a long boring blog that nobody will read, here are the highlights of my past few months:
• Rehabbing the crap out of my knee.
• Working insanely long hours at the health club to make up for the time I will be missing this spring and summer. Have I ever mentioned how lucky I am to have this job?
• Working with the Huntington’s Disease Society organizing speaking engagements, run/walks, heart and flower sales, and board meetings.
• Stepping on as the vice president of the US Log Rolling association and driving the entire log rolling community insane with my hounding.
• Trying to log roll (my 13 year old log rollers are having fun kicking my butt) • Bonding with all of my girlfriends- they really are wonderful
• Getting the girls of Team Supreme (including myself) started up for the spring, summer, and fall fitness/figure seasons
• Spending WAY too much time on a specific social networking site to make up for the lack of social stimulation in my normal life
• Finding reasons to feel sorry for myself, then realizing the next morning how amazing my life really is.

This bullet point blogging is actually quite fun! Let’s do some more.

Exciting news and events:
• I will be featured in the Brava Magazine Encore edition this April
• I am going to be the July “XX Factor” Girl in Outside Magazine
• This weekend I am attending a workshop, and will hopefully get accepted as a TRX “Master Trainer”. (More about this later)
• I will be spending two weeks in New Zealand doing a lumberjack show and surfing…ahhhhhhhh surfing. Can’t wait.
• The “Fit Girls” book that features a photo of me on the cover is now going to be sold at Barnes & Noble

I am currently on a flight to spend one day (Yes, only one. Bummer right?) in San Francisco at the TRX training center. Since I saw this functional fitness device two years ago at the Club Industry Fitness Conference, I’ve been fascinated with it. If they like me enough this weekend, I’ll have the opportunity to teach other trainers, coaches, or really anybody who will listen about how to use the TRX. I’m also looking forward to teaching a TRX Group Training class at Supreme! Looks like we’re landing, so I’m going to wrap this up; I have to look out my window for the Golden Gate!

2009-02-07T19:26:00.002-06:00

25 Stupid Things About Me

Apparently writing the "25 things about me" is the big thing on facebook now. After actually having fun reading everybody's, I finally decided to write my own. Enjoy!

I’ll admit I’ve had so much fun reading everybody else’s that I may as well do my own.

1. My mother is living in a nursing home with Huntington’s Disease, and I have a 50% chance of also having the disease. Spreading awareness and doing everything I possibly can to help find a cure is my life mission.

2. Although quite nerdy with his 1970’s glasses and dress socks pulled up to his knees, my dad is my hero and I love him more than anything.

3. I’ve been a lumberjill since the age of 7 and can’t imagine anything more enjoyable than log rolling and boom running. I was quite horrible for my first 20 years but stuck with it for the fun and friends, and now I’m a three time world champion log roller and world champion boom runner!

4. In my free time I also enjoy losing a bunch of weight, doing cheesy (but oh so fun) gymnastics routines on stage, and strutting around in a tiny bikini at fitness contests. Sometimes I’ll even throw in an obstacle course in the Las Vegas summer heat.

5. I’ve had two ACL surgeries because of #4, but NO I am not planning on quitting.

6. I had a sick obsession with the Backstreet Boys since 1993. I think Nick Carter has a restraining order on me.

7. I am STRONGLY pro choice and have done a lot of work with Planned Parenthood. Not everybody agrees with me, but I am truly proud of it.

8. I am a card carrying (or pin wearing?) member of Kiwanis of Downtown Madison. And no, it’s not just for old men.

9. I adore cats more than any other animal. My first big heartbreak was losing my childhood “brother” Cleo in 2003. Probably the hardest was losing my dear Frankenstein much too early to cancer earlier this year. I still cry all the time over that little boy.

10. I want to plant my roots in Madison, Wisconsin. I was born and raised here, lived in Connecticut, then Los Angeles, and now I am quite happy back at home. This city truly cannot be beat.

11. I work at the greatest health club in the world. Honest to god, I’ve never seen a better one. We might not have top-of-the-line equipment, but the staff and members are some of the greatest people you will ever meet. I have more fun at work than I should be allowed. Dream job? Heck yeah.

12. My best friend is Erin Patten. We grew up flipping together in gymnastics. We both have the maturity level of a 3 year old. She is the sister I never had.

13. Seriously? I’m only on number 13? Woof! Now these are going to start to become random.
I have a strange fondness for Canada.

14. My two front teeth are fake. I knocked them out pole vaulting in college.

15. Trader Joe’s is the greatest grocery store in the world. I do 99% of my shopping there.

16. I was the first female pole vaulter at the University of Wisconsin. Thus I was a record holder. I totally cheat.

17. I sleep with my stuffed cow “Moo Cow” every night. Moo Cow was a gift to me from my friend Nikki at my 8th birthday.

18. I went to Israel and Egypt during the Gulf War with my parents when I was 11. It was amazing to be the ONLY tourists at the pyramids, yet scary to see all of the gas mask commercials and men walking around with machine guns.

19. I always have and always will drive a white car. My current car is the Scion xD. I highly recommend it.

20. My favorite smell is the world is freshly cut wood.

21. I know nothing about fashion and don’t care to learn. Workout clothing is my wardrobe.

22. I teach one mean spinning class.

23. I have zero free time, yet I am the president of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America Wisconsin and vice president of the International Log Rolling Association.

24. I was blond as a child, but at the age of 13 I started coloring it this way.

25. I honestly do like to stick things up my nose to make myself sneeze. If you know me well, you’ve seen this happen.

2008-12-26T10:19:00.003-06:00

Month of Philanthropy

During the Holidays, it's extremely easy to find ways to give. I recently joined the Kiwanis Club of Downtown Madison (believe it or not, it's NOT just for old men) and have been presented with many opportunities to give in the Madison area. As always, I've been very busy with the Huntington's Disease Society of America. Just like every other charity, we've fallen on harder times with this economic downfall. But that won't stop us from having fun events to raise money and help the families of Wisconsin. Why am I talking about all of these giving opportunities? Because I didn't have to put a PENNY into any of them. Even though many of us may be hurting for money, does not mean we can't donate our time and smiles. I don't need a pat on the back for all of this... just a consideration from you to help out as well!

Holiday Amaryllis Sales for HDSA:
I've been up to my ears in flowers the entire month of December! The Huntington's Disease Society sells Amaryllis Bulbs (complete with the pot and soil... grows really fast!) to raise money in the holiday season. With the help of some friends and Supreme Health and Fitness, we were able to sell about 150 of these flowers. Bad news is, I still have about 30 remaining. So if anybody wants to make a purchase, they are still beautiful, even AFTER the holidays!

Reindeer Run for Huntington's Disease:
This is probably one of my favorite events we host in the Wisconsin Area. This year we moved the event to Madison at the beautiful Vilas Park. Liz and Kevin were able to find some great sponsors (THANK YOU FLEET FEET and TRADER JOE'S!), we had a sweet timing system, and a WARM shelter. Unfortunately, because of the snow the night before, many of the runners and volunteers were not able to make the event. It was stressful, but we still pulled it off. Thank you to Liz, Kevin, Melissa, Melissa's wonderful Mother, and Ben (who went on to win the race!) for making the event possible. And those of you who missed out... you could have gotten a sweet blinky reindeer nose! :)

Bell Ringing for Salvation Army:
Immediately after the Reindeer Run was cleaned up, me and my blinky reindeer nose joined a fellow Kiwanian to ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Now if you EVER have to do bell ringing, wearing the blinking reindeer nose is KEY. Over 70% of the people walking by our Kettle dropped some money in. At one point, people were lined up into the store waiting to donate! Among all of the wonderful things Salvation Army does for single mothers in the Madison area, they hold a special place in my heart for giving my mom and other nursing home residents special Christmas Gifts every year. And no, there are NO pictures of me with the reindeer nose on.

Playing Santa for the Empty Stocking Club:
No, I didn't ACTUALLY dress up as Santa. But I felt like Santa at this event. The Allient Energy Center was FILLED with Toys donated by Target, and THOUSANDS of needy families from the Madison area came to pick out toys for their children. My job was to bag and deliver the final order to the families. Every person was so grateful, and the toys were REALLY COOL! If I could only be a kid in this century...

My next adventure... donating blood. I have never done this because of some fear that it will affect my training. Now that I am injured and not really training, I no longer have an excuse. I'm ready to face the long needle!

If any of you ever want to join me in some of these adventures, I'd love to have company!

2008-12-02T09:51:00.002-06:00

Recent Updates

With Jim Lovell of Apollo 13

Why no blog posts in so long? Other than my cool trip to Kennedy Space Center which I will chat about today… there really hasn’t been anything eventful going on. I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with friends and Ben, rehabbing my knee, planning HDSA events, and working at the gym.

My knee is recovering well, and I am now allowed to do some Stairmaster and elliptical. I finally feel like myself again! I’m still having a few issues with scar tissue and swelling, but overall things are going very well. I can’t wait to log roll again!

Thanksgiving was very special this year, as my dad and I were invited to join the Greene family for their feast. We had a BLAST playing Apples to Apples and charades. I cannot thank them enough for the fun evening. Friday morning I woke up around 3:30am (oh yes I did!) and braved the early morning crowds to get some sweet deals. Yes, waking up that early is very rough, but honestly… it’s great to get all of your shopping done in 3 hours then go back to sleep! I wake up thinking it was a crazy dream, but then see all of the cool stuff I got! And as usual, 90% of it was for me. This year’s neato gift to myself? An iRobot Roomba vaccum! Totally not needed, but it is in the running along with my GPS and Pantech Matrix phone as one of the coolest gadgets I’ve ever owned.

About a month ago my dad and I went on an adventure to Kennedy Space Center to hang with about 30 astronauts! My dad spent several months preparing me for the event by having me watch Tom Hanks’ series, “From Earth to the Moon” on a weekly basis. That really did come in handy when I finally got to meet the Apollo astronauts. I’ll keep this short… but here are some highlights from the trip: - Realizing there are people out there more dorky than my dad.
-Asking Dee O’Hara (nurse to all of the astronauts) who the best looking astronaut was.
- Seeing the Blue Angels fly about 200 feet above us, thus setting off hundreds of car alarms in the Kennedy Space Center parking lot.
- Watching Buzz Aldrin have a few too many at the dinner.
- Seeing my wonderful Grandma in Sarasota.
- Riding the world’s tallest skycoaster (300 feet high!)
- Realizing I can’t say no to, “Common Shana, do this for your daddy.” *see above.

2008-10-17T11:17:00.002-05:00

Frankenstein “Frankie” Goldrick 2004 – 2008

Tuesday I had probably one of the worst days of my life. Ken called around noon to let me know Frankie didn’t have much longer, so I left work and bolted up to Appleton. When I got there the little boy was barely breathing. We brought him to the clinic and he was put down with me and Ken petting him. It was very peaceful, but completely devastating.

Ken found a tumor on Frankie about one year ago, and helped in the surgery to remove it over the holidays. About a month later, the tumor reappeared, along with many more. The lymphoma took over his little body, and only gave him four solid years with us. But they were most likely the four greatest years any kitty could ask for!

He spent his days chasing laser pointers, popcorn seeds, and tin foil balls. He drank from the water faucet and would never let anybody shower alone. Although very macho with his 9 foot leaps on the wall, he had quite the sissy squeek… never really learned to meow. My favorite moments with him were when he would crawl under the blanket with me at night, and I would wrap my arms around him, and he put his paws around me.

Many may read this and think, “my god Shana, it’s just a cat,” after a few choice words, I would need to explain that to some, cats are like children. Animals are amazing because they ALWAYS love you. No matter how bad your day was, that pet will be waiting for you to make you smile. I will NEVER forget the smiles Frankenstein brought. He was the best kitty anybody could ask for. I miss my little boy.

2008-10-08T22:44:00.002-05:00

Three Weeks Out...

A shot from healthier days... Muscle and Fitness Photo Shoot in Malibu, July 2007

…and my crutches and brace are GONE! The past few days I’ve seen huge improvements and am actually starting to feel like myself again. My PT exercises have progressed from basic straightening and bending to walking lunges and step ups. Yes folks, I now get excited by the little things.

A bit of excitement from last week… I actually found photos from my Muscle and Fitness Photo shoot. The shoot was over a year ago and the article was never published. I was quite upset, but do feel better to know at least the photos were put to some use. It’s quite ironic that I found these while lying on the couch, pale, with a knee the size of a pumpkin. :)

Other than that, my life has been quite uneventful. It is quite strange to spend this much time lying around. I can’t think of any other time in my life I’ve been like this. And let me tell you… I cannot WAIT to just go for a damn jog.

Another huge thank you to my amazing father, who got stuck carting me to work and all of my appointments until I could drive again. Thank you to Ben who filled up my ice pump an infinite number of times and kept me company through hours of TV watching… which honestly, really isn’t either of our bag. And thanks to Erin, Peter, and all of my awesome friends for stopping by or calling to keep me company.

Recovery is RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER!

2008-09-18T14:54:00.000-05:00

On my Butt

Tuesday I went in for my ACL replacement surgery. I survived the slicing and dicing and slept most of the day high on drugs. :) I cannot thank my dad, Erin, and Ben enough for helping out in that first 24 hours. No surprise, Dr. Graf did a spectacular job and luckily nothing else in there needed to be repaired.

I had quite a bit of pain immediately after surgery and on the drive home, but once I got settled onto my new huge comfy couch and hooked up to my ice machine, I was good to go. On top of that I just bought a new flat screen HDTV; something I thought I would NEVER own. But my dad talked me into it, and I’m actually quite happy I got it, especially since Melissa has Charter HD Cable. Now I can see Jay Leno’s pores. Yum.

Most of the last few days I’ve spent sleeping, but I have been getting a bit of reading and writing done as well. I’m also keeping busy with my physical therapy exercises. I was SO PROUD that I could bend my knee past 90 degrees and straighten it all the way out the day after surgery! This is a good sign for a fast recovery.

The highlight of my day so far was finally taking a shower. It felt great! It is a bit of a process saran wrapping and duck taping a big old bag over my leg. But the extra work was worth it! Then Erin stopped over to bring me a fabulous lunch. Thanks Erin!

So the week carries on with me sitting on my butt sleeping/reading/typing/and watching TV. I CANNOT WAIT to get back on a log! If you are in the area, please feel free to stop by, I love company! Thanks for all of the well wishes, and I’ll be up and around as soon as possible!

2008-09-12T18:12:00.002-05:00

End of the Summer

Team Supreme Figure and Fitness at Amber's Wedding:

With Garrick at the Log Rolling Luau:

Putting it quite bluntly, this time of year sucks. My summers are always the highlight of my year, and this summer was by far the best yet. I made new friendships, and rekindled many of the old ones. I had some amazing experiences that words cannot describe, and experienced ups and downs like never before. I still have a hard time looking at all of the photos because I’m not quite ready to believe that all of those experiences went by so fast.

As usual, there were quite a few great events to cap off the end of my summer:

Wisconsin State Huntington’s Convention:
A HUGE success! We had many new families attend, some amazing speakers, and a wonderful venue. Jake met me at the conference and after the slightly emotional day, we explored downtown Milwaukee for a gym to get in a good workout. That night we drove to Chicago to Tara’s bash at her amazing new condo.

Playing in Chicago:
My dear friend Tara is just amazing. She can never do anything half ass. She just moved into a beautiful condo with the most incredible view of the Chicago Skyline. Her and her roommate hosted another party that couldn’t be beat and I had a blast catching up with old friends.

Visit to Indianapolis:
I took a drive down to Indianapolis to visit my lifelong friend Kate and her ADORABLE son Sean. We spent the weekend lounging around her house, and I got in some very quality play time with little Sean. I’m sorry, but kids don’t get much cuter than that. Amber and Chris’ Wedding:
These two are so great. Most of the Team Supreme Figure and Fitness girls were in attendance and we had a great time. Amber was even more stunning than I could ever imagine, and I cannot get over how great her and Chris were with talking to EVERYBODY. They didn’t sit down ONCE!

Labor Day Log Rolling Luau:
The end of a log rolling season cannot happen without some sort of crazy party, right??? Olivia came up with the idea, Amber and Fiona purchased the hawiian goodies, and Ben and I attempted to grill some pork and pineapple. We had a GREAT time! The kids were adorable in their grass skirts, and Nick, that coconut bra was to die for. Wow you are hot.

Mandy’s Wedding:
I kept saying, if this wedding was important enough for her to take an entire summer off of log rolling, it better be good! Well it was. Wow, every detail was just incredible. And of course, Mandy looked like a princess. Unfortunately, another very good looking young man is now off the market, BUT he makes my friend Mandy so happy, so I guess I’m okay with that. :) Several of the boom boom girls were in attendance, and my Canadian Buddy Stirling surprised us (okay…me) by showing up! And he didn’t even try anything inappropriate! At least I don’t think…

Ironman:
Ken and Peter… you guys are amazing. Yes the day was extremely busy as usual running the aid station at the Kohl Center, but the highlight of the day, by far, was watching Ken and Peter cross the finish line. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t know if Ken was going to do it. He joked that he was on team “winging it”. Not only did he finish the race, but he did it with an incredibly fast time, and looked wonderful at the finish. Peter had some knee issues which made the bike difficult, but still managed to crack a few dirty jokes in the last mile and finish with a smile on his face. The aid station ran smoother than EVER before, and I cannot thank all of the great volunteers, especially my dad, enough. What a great year.

New House:
I moved! I’m now living with my awesome friend Melissa out in Verona. I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of the cookie cutter neighborhood (I miss being on Lake Wingra) but the house is beautiful and I honestly don’t think I could have found a more wonderful roommate. Now if Steinhafles would hurry the hell up with my furniture…

Next Tuesday is my dreaded knee surgery. This will leave me on my back for a week and in a brace for a month. It will be 6 months before I’m back at all of my activities again. I think I might lose my mind. But I’m ready to tackle rehab 100% and come back stronger than ever next summer.

The summer is completely over, with many huge changes happening in the past few weeks. Some were quite hard to deal with, while others, I cannot describe. Once again I’m entering a new phase of my life. I’ve never done well with change, but as I become older and stronger, I’m learning to embrace it and keep smiling.

2008-08-13T22:11:00.002-05:00

Credit Where Credit is Deserved

I had an amazing weekend at the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward. And yes, it was extremely cool that I was able to pull off both wins with my torn ACL. I got a lot of great attention (see photo from Duluth Trading Company below) and heard my name and knee story announced multiple times at the competition. But after all of this hoopla and excitement, I needed some time to level my head and realize it was ONLY a knee; no superhuman feat. There are two competitors from this year’s Lumberjack World Championships who are walking miracles, one of whom hardly got any credit at all for his amazing comeback.

In February of 2007 Dave Jewett suffered renal failure. After 6 months of dialysis Dave underwent a kidney transplant thanks to his father Bill. Now, less than a year later, he is back on top as one of the World’s best lumberjacks. After a bit of a struggle early in this season, Dave finished as the top American at the Lumberjack World Championships. Dave serves as an inspiration to all of those who have undergone transplant surgeries. There is a reason why his nickname is “Super Dave”.

Iraq, December 19th 2006: JR Salzman’s convoy was hit by and IED and he lost his right hand. Multiple surgeries later, JR ended up with only four fingers on his left hand, and a prosthetic lower right arm. Not to mention traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder which is so common in wounded soldiers. After a year of treatments at Walter Reed Hospital, JR finally moved back to Wisconsin with his wife Josie, and tried to return to a somewhat “normal” life. Not long after moving back, JR was back on the log. We took a GREAT trip up to Canada in early July and JR wowed everybody with his incredible log rolling skills, despite the new balance issues with the prosthetic.
He had a bit of rough weekend at the Lumberjack World Championships, most likely do to all of the crazy attention he was getting, but he still was back at it and did his best.

In the beginning of the weekend I tried to whine and complain about me knee to both of these amazing men, and was put back in my place immediately. These guys are your real champions from the Lumberjack World Championships. Congrats boys.

Click here for a video about Dave's Journey.

Click here for a video about JR's Journey.

2008-08-05T00:25:00.002-05:00

End of the Season

Log Rolling? We're here to kick some butt sawing!

This exciting lumberjack season ended with a contest in beautiful Grand Marais, Minnesota. Hosted by Jenny and Neil Atkinson we competed along the beautiful north shore of Lake Superior in not only log rolling and boom running, but also double and single cross cut sawing, and axe throwing! Now keep in mind, although many of us log rollers call ourselves lumberjacks, most of us have no clue how to handle a saw or axe. Thus, the jill and jill team of Shana Martin and Taylor Duffy and the jack and jill team of Dave Sievert and Shana Martin were quite pathetic. The funny part was that we all took this quite seriously, and were extremely mad when we did not win. Now not only am I going to have to buy a choker (see “Canadaland”) but I am also going to have to learn to saw! I’ll put this stuff off until after surgery…

The log rolling was fun as always, especially with the colorful commentating of Taylor and myself. My head was completely somewhere else and I ended up taking second place to Jenny Atkinson. The pattern continues with Jenny and me taking turns at winning contests. Next one is mine! :)

Sunday we all drove up the Gunflint trail to Jenny and Neil’s beautiful cabin on the lake. We ate probably the BEST pancake breakfast I’ve ever had (this was part of Jenny’s plan, to stuff us all before we had to compete) then warmed up on her enormous boom runs. We had a great morning and afternoon of boom run competition, and with the status of my knee, I was pretty darn pleased with how well I ran. Taylor had an amazing day and took first, but she deserved it. After a fun (and cold!) swim in beautiful Clearwater lake, we said our good byes for the summer and left on our 9 (yep, 9) hour drive home. The sadness of the end of summer was dampened by the enormous bag of Kettle Corn Fiona got for me. If you ever want to make me smile, get me some fresh Kettle Corn, and NOT the microwave stuff.

Once again it wasn’t the competition that made my weekend, but the time I got to spend with my amazing friends. This tournament I was also accompanied by Amber, Fiona, and Amy who made the trip even more enjoyable. These girls make me so proud. Not only are all three of them involved (and excel) in so many other activities, they also log roll because they love it. Doing the boom run on Sunday all three of them fell multiple times. Despite the crowd yelling for them to give up and swim to the dock, ALL THREE of them remounted those darn logs over and over until they finished. And not only did none of them give up, but they smiled and laughed through the entire thing. That, my friends, is what this sport is all about. Not the prize money or sponsorships (although those are wonderful!), or medals and tv time; but the friends we make and the fun memories we create every summer. Sure I had a blast winning this summer, but I also had just as much fun five summers ago when we got kicked off of the go cart track, or 4 summers ago when we all played laser tag and rode the sky coaster. I have so much fun watching the next generation of rollers create the same memories and it means the world to me to see them smile and laugh, whether or not they win or lose.

2008-07-30T23:55:00.007-05:00

A moment to thank my sponsor...

2008-07-27T23:36:00.002-05:00

World Champion x 3!

Rolling against Taylor in semi finals at LWC

Yep, I’m even having trouble believing it. Just over a week ago I was on crutches crying into my Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. And today I just won the 2008 Log Rolling AND Boom Running World Titles in Hayward. How did it happen? I have no freaking clue. Well, yes I do. I had the greatest support system anybody could ask for, and I never lost my positive attitude. This past weekend was of course memorable because of the wins, but even more memorable because of the friends. Damn I’m lucky.

I’m exhausted, so I will keep this really short (I know… THANK GOD, right?).

Thursday night: Coops Pizza with the gang. We were all too sleepy to even carry on a normal conversation.

Friday: Day 1 of competition. I had a fun match with Jenny Cobb and fell in on my first boom run time trial. I blamed my knee, but honestly, it was my head. That night we saw BATMAN! Great movie!

Saturday: Day 2 of competition. Didn’t have to do anything until the night show, so I did laundry at Taylor’s house and played with her wiener dogs. Yay wiener dogs! Tay and I then watched the choppers do their thing. In the evening show I had two great matches against Abby Hoeschler and Taylor Duffy. I won them both to make finals in log rolling. I had a much better boom run time trial which squeaked me into finals for the boom. That night we had a GREAT dinner at Famous Dave’s then went to the competitor party at Old Hayward. Olivia looked hot, Stirling caused trouble (you are SO DEAD next time I see you), and Taylor chased boys.

Sunday: Thanks to nerves there was not much sleep the night before. My legs were sore as hell. Thank god for Nathan’s foam roller. I ran my butt off in the boom run finals and miraculously won my first boom run world title. Yes, I know, my amazing doctor told me I wasn’t allowed to boom run. Wow am I ever glad I didn’t listen to him. Recovered my legs for a great log rolling match with Jenny Atkinson. We got down to the #4 log and I won 3-1. I ended up taking third in the overall lumber jill competition, which log rollers rarely place in! I am still in complete shock. We said our good-byes (this is the toughest part of the summer) and Olivia and I reflected on the amazing weekend during our long drive home.

Thank yous to: -All of my dear lumberjack friends. I cannot imagine life without you guys. Next summer cannot come soon enough.
-Duluth Trading Company. I am proud to represent such a wonderful company. And without your help, many of the contests I did this summer wouldn’t have been financially possible!
-Olivia, for being my 24/7 support system and putting up with my insanity. -All of the volunteers and staff at LWC.
-Erin, for being forced to listen to all of my dumb stories over the phone after the weekend was over. Thanks for acting interested!

Sorry this was so choppy, I am truly exhausted. I am also suffering from what Jason calls P.E.D (post epic depression). Once again, back to reality.

2008-07-21T23:19:00.004-05:00

Another Setback

This entry will be the reverse of the last… good news first.

Here is a summary because I know these things can get long to read:
Good times at Camp Savage. Cathy Savage is amazing. Hire her.
ACL is torn. Surgery will happen this fall. No fitness contests in 2008, but I will be allowed to log roll at the Lumberjack World Championships this weekend.

Little Kathy, Me, Lisa, and Amber in our heels and ready to walk!

Last weekend Amber, Lisa, and I attended Camp Savage Chicago. I was technically a coach, but I think I played more than I coached. I’ve said this before, but I will say it again. Cathy, Paula, and their crew are the most positive, uplifting people you will ever meet. I don’t care if they said the world was going to end tomorrow… you would still leave the room excited and feeling good about yourself. Luckily, they really know their stuff on top of being so energetic and uplifting… perfect combination. I’ve always had a philosophy about sports and fitness contests, which matches perfectly with Cathy’s: have fun, be healthy, no supplements, and ABSOLUTLY no steroids. I see too many fitness and figure athletes who put themselves through hell and don’t have any fun with the process. What on earth is the point? During my last round of competitions, somebody asked me the question, “Why do you do these?” And for the longest time, I didn’t have an answer. I don’t get paid any money, I don’t get much magazine coverage, I pay an arm and a leg for travel, costumes, suits, etc., and the dieting and training can be excruciating. Last weekend I solidified my answer. Fitness contests are about the girlfriends we meet and train with and the feeling of accomplishment and health after all of that hard work. I am also a HUGE ham, and love to perform for a crowd. I am a firm believer in surrounding yourself with the type of people you strive to be, and Cathy and her staff are exactly that. I am honored to be a Savage Ambassador and coach.

Last weekend all of us girls got really pumped about the upcoming fall season. I had the perfect plan: Fitness America Midwest October 11th, Fitness America New York October 25th, Women’s Tri Fitness Fall Classic in Tampa November 15th, and ending with Fitness America Nationals in Las Vegas on November 22nd. Everything was all set. I feel great; have an amazing routine, a beautiful new suit, and the motivation to train my ass off.
This morning I went to see my fantastic surgeon Dr. Graf to get fitted for a brace to wear at the Lumberjack World Championships this weekend. Then he dropped the bombshell… my ACL actually IS torn. Long story short, 4 years ago I MOSTLY tore my ACL, thus no matter what happened, my MRI would show no ACL. As far as I understand, because there wasn’t much left of the ACL, the final tear did not show up as acute damage on the MRI, making the other docs and radiologist assume there was no new damage. When Dr. Graf felt how lose my knee was, he knew it was gone. Time for surgery. Luckily because of the lack of swelling and pain (and because he probably knew I would do it anyway) I got permission to roll at the Lumberjack World Championships. This makes everything not-so-horrible. I plan to get surgery early fall so that I can get ready for 2009 as soon as possible!

Again, thank you everybody for your kind words. I have the most amazing friends and family.

2008-07-16T23:43:00.001-05:00

It was only a Nightmare

The rest of my weekend in Vegas was quite awful. I couldn’t stop crying for the life of me. I mean, my god, it was just a knee, but when you work so hard for something (or in this case, many things) it is such a blow to lose it all so quickly. On top of that I was completely alone out there. A combination of the above was the perfect recipe for self pity alone in the hotel room.

When I got to the routine round on Saturday morning, I was told that fellow competitor Brandy Goddard also tore her knee on the obstacle course. At first I was happy to have a “buddy” but once I came to my senses, was devastated by the fact that at least three of us suffered season ending injuries in one stupid evening. Brandy was great to sit with. We felt each other’s pain watching the other girls do their routines. We both knew we would have rocked that stage.

My flight out on Sunday was nothing short of a disaster. I’ll keep this short, but basically the person who was supposed to push my wheelchair left me stranded at the airport parking lot and I missed my flight by less than a minute. When I was told I would have to spend the day in the airport and wouldn’t get back to Milwaukee until 1am, I completely lost it. The faucets turned on and wouldn’t slow down. The poor lady behind the counter didn’t know whether to cry with me or call security! They were finally able to get me on a flight to Chicago after only three hours of waiting. Whew. I made it into Chicago, got a ride back to my car in Milwaukee (more about that later) and got home by 11pm. I once again cried myself to sleep thinking about what I would do with the rest of this year and a bit upset that the majority of the things I strive for are physical. And now, we end the sad part of my story.

I got in to see the doc right away, and after the obligatory pulling and tugging, she said my knee felt fairly solid. I was also encouraged by the fact that I had virtually no pain or swelling, just some unsteadiness and stiffness. They got me in for an MRI quite fast and today I got the amazing news that although still mostly torn from 4 years ago, I have no new damage to my ACL. NO SURGERY! There was a bit of damage to my MCL, and I have a sexy cyst on the back of my knee from the trauma. But despite all of this, my doc thinks I can still log roll this summer! I see the best orthopedic doctor in the world, Dr. Graf, on Monday to get fitted for a brace and for the final word on this summer’s log rolling. I tossed away my crutches (literally) and started rehab. I even stepped on a log for a bit! I know, I know, take it easy. But I only have one week to learn how to log roll again before the world championships!

Now for all of the silver linings: my friends. The moment I went to the ER my phone started ringing. I was alone, but my dear friends made sure I didn’t feel that way. My phone literally rang all night long, which was wonderful. After the last blog I posted, the e-mails, texts, and calls kept coming. I had no idea so many people cared so much. The girls in the Tri Fitness competition were also amazing. It was so similar to Fitness America a few years back… everybody shared their injury and recovery stories. Absolutely inspiring. During routines they sat with me, laughed with me, and cried with me. Thank you girls… especially Brandy and Allison. You guys are remarkable. I did get a chance for a fun experience out in Vegas during all of the hoopla. My new friends Erik and Tracey invited me to watch Erik perform as a king in the Excalibur show “Tournament of Kings”. It was like Medieval Times on steroids! Totally marvelous! I have so much respect for those actors. After the show, Tracey and I went to my all time favorite place to eat: the Rio Seafood Buffet. My two favorite words: seafood and buffet. It was worth every penny. Thanks for a wonderful evening guys.

After my flight insanity my dear friend Kurt volunteered to pick me up at O’Hare and drive me to Milwaukee. Wow did I really need that. We acted like complete idiots (as we usually do) the entire drive while stopping for a yummy dinner and ice cream. We even managed to meet up with my best friend Erin in Milwaukee on our way back to my car! I was only reminded of my injury a few times during that afternoon. The rest of the time was spent laughing with good friends.

I’m not in the clear yet, but I sure do feel much better. I will do whatever I can to get on a log in Hayward next week, no matter how pathetic it may be. Tonight I am going to sleep with a smile on my face knowing how incredible my support system is. Thanks everybody.

2008-07-12T04:13:00.000-05:00

Is This a Nightmare?

It’s 2am in Las Vegas. No, I wasn’t out partying all night; I just got back from the ER. I’m out here competing at the Women’s Tri Fitness competition, which was supposed to be a “fun event” between log rolling tournaments. On the obstacle course I had a bad landing and finished off my ACL. Reminiscent of my Fitness America Competition a few years back, I went to the ER. Let me tell you… the ER in Vegas on a Friday night is a scary place. After a short four hour wait, I got my familiar leg brace and crutches.

Now I’m sitting in my hotel room drowning my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I had the GREATEST fitness routine that I was so excited to compete with this Summer and Fall season. I’ve been log rolling and boom running better than ever before this summer. Now it’s all over. This is the most important time of year for me, and now I get to sit on my ass. I don’t think even Ben and Jerry can help this awful feeling…

2008-07-08T15:55:00.002-05:00

Driving, Driving, and More Driving Through Canada

JR kicking my butt in Longview

The contest in Longview, WA was quite wonderful. It was my first experience at a “You are ONLY a log roller? You don’t chop ANYTHING?” type of contest. I held my own against many of the guys (this was a coed contest) and placed highest out of the ladies. Of course JR and Brian once again had the pleasure of knocking me on my ass. Thanks boys. The highlight of the day was seeing my dear friend Kristy again. Poor thing is marrying a lumberjack, Wade Stewart, in just a few weeks. Good thing Wade is cute. :)
With my girl Kristy in Longview

After competition (not even a shower!) we hopped in the car for our 12 hour drive to Slocan, British Columbia. I was crammed in the back seat along side everybody’s crap. Thank god JR and Darren are fun; although there were many times I was ready to wring JR’s neck. The boys only let me drive for about two hours… apparently I am a bit scary to ride with in the mountains. :)
In the middle of the night we finally found a small Wild West town (no joke, it was a themed town) with some motels. No Vacancy. Awesome. We pulled into a parking lot and tried to sleep in the car. After getting “comfortable” the town police officer found us and asked if we heard any gun shots. Apparently one of the local crazies was shooting right in the area we were sleeping. That made our evening just that much more restful.

The next morning we awoke bright and early to drive to the boarder, only to be told the boarder didn’t open until 8am. Damn Canadians. Thus we arrived in Slocan an hour late. We put our stinky selves in the glacial ice water pond and caused quite the scene.

Bathing Travelers

After the 15 hours in the car, they drew brackets and I was seated to roll JR right away. I wasn’t too worried because usually brackets are double elimination. Not in Canada. Damn Canadians. This was yet another “you seriously ONLY log roll??!!” contest, so when I asked to have double elimination brackets because I was only doing one event, I was simply told, “You should learn to chop.” Keep in mind this came only a few weeks after a well known chopper (who will remain nameless) told me, “Women shouldn’t chop.” Make up your minds you fools!!! Due to our short time on the log at this contest, Maggie and I entered the choker race. I might be fast, but when it comes to figuring out the damn choker (which really shouldn’t be that complicated) I suck. I achieved my first (and hopefully only) last place finish of the summer. Best part of Slocan? The amazing lake. There was a real log jam and boom by the mill… I felt like a true lumberjack! Nobody there could believe we actually have kids in swimsuits log rolling at local YMCAs. These folks just cut our logs off the mountain the day before!

Maggie and I making fools of ourselves in the choker race

JR and I had a long drive down to Spokane that evening and I put up the money for a nice hotel due to the fact that I was tired, sore, smelly, and crabby. A nice flight home the next day and back to reality.

I now have two days to get ready for the Women’s Tri Fitness competition in Las Vegas this weekend. Whew… it never ends!

To see all of the pictures from the Canada adventure click here.

2008-07-06T11:30:00.003-05:00

Canadaland

Rolling Stirling Hart on beautiful Grouse Mountain

Ever have one of those weeks you never want to end? I am in absolute heaven. The day on Grouse Mountain was one of the best I’ve had in a long time. A day of log rolling, good friends, sunshine, and a beautiful mountain… great memories were made. Of course all of the guys kicked my butt log rolling (it was a coed competition) but thanks to a great win by JR, team America took the title on Canada Day. :) After the contest Brian and I had a great run to the peak (talk about burning lungs!) then we slid down the snowy mountainside in our running shoes. I was sun burnt (opps) and playing in the snow… too much fun!

That night Jody, the producer of the Grouse Mountain show, hosted a killer party for the lumberjacks at his beautiful house. The evening was filled with great conversation, singing around the campfire, a mean steak on the grill, and some hot tubbing. I crashed early, but from what I hear those guys got pretty crazy later on. Drunk lumberjacks getting crazy? Unheard of.

Once we got the hung-over birthday boy (JR) up and ready (by around noon) I dropped him off at Grouse and headed over to watch Jason cross the finish line on stage 5 of the BC Bike Race. I had to hop a ferry over to their finish line and while on the ferry got a call that he had already finished. Good news for him, but I was bummed I missed it! I basically turned around on the same ferry with the cyclists and got to hear exciting stories of crashes, cramping, and downhill giggling. We then had a beautiful drive on the Sea to Sky highway to Squamish. I got to observe first hand the craziness of a bike race as large as this one. Hunting for the right bag out of hundreds of identical ones, the sprint for a perfect tent, sorting through piles of sweaty jerseys, and selecting the perfect amount of gels and bars were all part of the insanity. Luckily I had a car and was able to wisk (steal) Jason away from his friends. My fitness diet took a back seat for an evening and we had an incredible dinner with an even better view. We then went to visit world champion 24 hour cyclist Chris Eatough and joined him and the Trek gang for some crazy waterslide action. Yes folks, I got to play on a waterslide with some of the hottest and best mountain bikers in the world. Life is good. Early to bed so the boys could continue their insanity early the next morning.

Jason getting ready to kick some ass in Squamish

Cycling folks are all absolutely amazing. Everybody at the bike race was so kind and welcoming to me, and even though I had no clue what was going on, they took me in and made me feel like part of the gang. After the race started, I went with a group of them up into the mountain to watch the guys pass at several different points. This also involved a lot of hiking with the most incredible views. In fact, the last time I saw anything this beautiful was when I hiked in Canada 12 years ago. It was great finally getting to see Jason do his thing, and really hold his own among the world’s top mountain bikers. BUT once again I was lollygagging and missed his cross at the finish line. This once again is a good thing because it means he had a killer time, but I was still extreamly disappointed to miss it. Guess I’ll have to go to another race…

After good byes, I drove back to Vancouver to meet up with my lumberjack folk. God I love these guys. We’ve only been on the road to Washington for a few hours, and I’ve already laughed to the point of needing the restroom about five times. Tomorrow we compete in Longview. Against the guys again, so I probably won’t bring home the gold medal, but with how much fun I’m having… who cares?

2008-07-02T23:56:00.001-05:00

Third Place

With Taylor Duffy After Finals
…ain’t so bad. The sick feeling in my stomach left shortly after the last blog. All it took was more time with my wonderful girlfriends. I ended the weekend in third place, with another run I felt really good about. Even with my third place finish, I still had the fastest times of the weekend, which once again, made me feel much better. On top of that, I got to see Taylor Duffy, who has been training her ass off, bring home a gold medal. Taylor really deserves some payoff for all of her hard work and life changes she has made.

Once again, I cannot thank the folks at STIHL enough for putting on these amazing events for us. They work so hard to make sure we have the best time possible, and make us feel so important! I cannot WAIT for next year’s STIHL Timbersport Series.

Probably the greatest thing that came out of last weekend was this newspaper article. My life ambition is to raise awareness about Huntington’s Disease, and Troy Johnson of the Ledger-Tribune did a wonderful job supporting that. Please take a moment to read his article. Thanks Troy.

Monday started off at 3am heading to the Atlanta Airport. Unlike Utah, I did NOT stay up partying all night with my favorite ladies. I hit the sack early and am glad I did. I met up with JR Salzman in Minneapolis, and then we flew out to Seattle. We picked up our rental, exchanged our money for Canadian monopoly money, and drove up to Grouse Mountain in Vancouver.

I’m currently sitting at the Lumberjack Show site on Grouse Mountin during the Can-Am log rolling championships. Yes folks, Darren put together quite the competition. On Canada Day 4 of the top Americans and 4 of the top Canadians are competing against each other for the Grouse Mountain title. Darren has been absolutely wonderful for us, and we’re having a blast!

Tonight we have a big BBQ in Vancouver and I’m guessing with these Canadians it will get pretty crazy! Time to kick some Canadian butt… more updates to come!

2008-06-28T13:36:00.002-05:00

False Start

Once again I’m emotional… so why not write a blog? I’m currently in Georgia for the STIHL Timbersport Series Finals. As I have this entire season, I came in feeling really good. Yesterday I had a great run to make it into semis against Jenny Atkinson today. Once again, I had an awesome run and won by a significant amount. I threw my arms up in the air, thrilled and relieved that I had made it to finals, when yellow “flags” (actually beanbags) started flying in my direction. I’ve never had such a quick change in emotion. I went from pure joy to extreme sickness in .0001 seconds… about the same amount of time I was ahead of the gun. With the one minute penalty added on, I didn’t make it to finals.

It’s really interesting to see how people act around you after something like that happens. Nobody knows what to say. People shrink away from you like you are going to hurt them. All I could think about was how much time I spent training, how fast I know I am, and the fact that I’m missing my 10 year high school reunion for this event that I just royally screwed up. It’s very unlike me, but that emotion must have showed on my face.

I’ve never felt like this after a loss before. Normally it sucks for a few minutes, but then I’m back to my cheery, goofy, self. This time it was much different. I won the damn race. I’m fast. I feel good. But I made a stupid mistake. I’ve always prided myself on my super fast starts, but today that is what got me into trouble. I can’t get that sick feeling out of my stomach.

On a lighter note, I’ve been having an absolute blast with the boom girls here in Georgia. It’s always so wonderful to spend time with my amazing friends. Yesterday they drug me out shopping (I hate shopping, but it was surprisingly fun with these girls) and we all got pierced. No worries, I didn’t do anything crazy, just repierced a spot in my ear that closed up a few years ago. I’ll let the other girls reveal their piercings on their own. :) Props to Vincent Sanchez, the greatest “Tissue Technician” we’ve ever met. If you’re ever in Columbus, Georgia, look him up, he’s amazing.

Tomorrow I run for third and fourth place against another amazing boomer, Katie Rick. I’m sure I’ll get out of this funk after a good meal (oh yeah, I’m dieting… can’t have that) and some time to relax and realize that my life is still absolutely wonderful, win or no win. Wish me luck.

2008-06-18T22:21:00.002-05:00

Good Things Come in Threes

1. I HAVE A SPONSOR! Yes ladies and gentleman, I am now a true professional athlete! I met the wonderful folks at Duluth Trading Company through my friend Erika Johnson, a coworker at Supreme. Duluth was originally formed to sell products assisting with tool carriage and storage. They now sell thousands of products for hard working men, women, and even pets! With the recent launch of their Women’s catalogue, I was hired as one of their “Real Women of Duluth” models, aka. somebody who actually does stuff outside! Through the photo shoots, I got a chance to meet many of the wonderful people who work for Duluth. I’ve never seen anybody happier! Seeing as my lumberjacking fits well with the basis of the company (they even have a shirt called the log roller!) sponsorship of my 2008 season seemed like a pretty natural step!
So please, check out their website. They sell amazing stuff!

2. I’M IN OXYGEN MAGAZINE! If you’re bored at the grocery store, grab a copy of the August issue of Oxygen mag. Check out page 152. Obviously not the cover, but another good step toward that dream!

3. FIT GIRLS IS ON SALE NOW! Yes, the book I’ve been blabbing about forever (which I still cannot tell you how beautiful it is until you see it) is on sale! And yours truly is honored to be the cover model. John is donating a percentage of ALL sales to the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. Amazing, absolutely amazing.

NOW AVAILABLE! Click here to buy your copy now!

So there you have it. Life is good. Hopefully the title of my next blog will be, “Good Things Come in Tens” We can only hope!

2008-06-17T01:07:00.002-05:00

Late Night Blogging...

As the most brilliant man I’ve ever known (my father) tells me on a regular basis, “Nothing good happens late at night.” This just may be true, but I’m exhausted, stressed, and emotional… so why not write a blog!?

My time in Utah ended with an amazing win. I was absolutely thrilled with my performance out there, and even more happy to spend the weekend with some of my closest friends. I love those girls to death, and am so lucky to have such amazing friends.

Since my return from Utah, I’ve done nothing but eat, sleep, work, and train. Oh yeah, and worry about my future and where on earth I am really going in life, but that is another blog all together. As seen in the schedule in my last entry I have quite a bit of log rolling, boom running, and fitness competing to do. Thus I’ve been working out and dieting like a mad woman. It’s a wonderful way to get through hard times, but those occasional mental breakdowns are never very much fun either. BUT I am well aware I overflow my plate by choice, and I am willing to deal with the repercussions. And as much as I may be moving in the opposite direction right now, at some point I will be a wife and mother, and at that time, those responsibilities will be my priority. For now, it’s running on logs and trotting around in a bikini.

Part of my stress, and extreme excitement, is the Midwest Log Rolling Championships coming up THIS SATURDAY! This will be my third year hosting this contest as a fundraiser for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. It is amazing how supportive the log rolling community is. The professionals coming to compete are used to EARNING money at contests, not collecting money in order to compete. And the KIDS! I cannot get over how amazing they are. Here is a perfect example. Evie created this fundraising page and not only has raised an amazing amount of money, but also tugged at all of my heartstrings with her words! So if you are in the Madison area and have some free time this Saturday between noon and 5pm, please stop by Wingra Canoe and Sailing Center to check out our contest! And yes… there will be a log ready for you to try your skill at this exciting sport. Can’t make it out to watch the lumberjacks, but still want to donate to the cause I talk so much about? You can help out here. Also, I cannot thank our tournament sponsors enough: Trader Joe’s for the generous food donations for our BBQ. The UPS Store for creating our printed items. Duluth Trading Company for sponsoring me, thus assisting the entire Madison Log Rolling program! Flad Architects for their monetary donation. Smart Scion for their prize donations. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream (DAMN THIS DIET!) for their prize donations. Budget Bicycle Center for their prize donations.

Although that last paragraph looked quite a bit like an infomercial, I would really love for everybody to attend.

After Midwest I’ll head down to Georgia, then up to Canada, down to Washington, back to Canada, back to Madison for a few days then off to Vegas for the Women’s Tri Fitness competition, back to Madison for a few more days, up to Hayward for the Lumberjack World Championships, and so on. I have a feeling July will be quite the blur; so I guess I’ll have to take a lot of pictures!

I’ve touched on the emotional stuff a bit, but honestly, I’m really going to be okay. I have too much good happening in my life to even have time to focus on the bad. And who’s to say the bad is really bad? All of these new obstacles should be seen as an adventure, and I’m ready to tackle it.

2008-06-07T14:11:00.002-05:00

It’s Boom Boom Season

Booming with a beautiful background in Lehi, Utah Photo Credit: ESPN.com

Now let me just get one point across very quickly. Us girls can refer to our event as the “boom boom” but when some eccentric old man asks “what time is the boom boom?” that is just strange. So please call it the boom run.

I’m hanging in my hotel room here in beautiful Lehi, Utah. Beautiful is an understatement. As I learned over 10 years ago during my whitewater rafting trip on the Green River, there is no prettier state. Not too often you can run the boom with snow capped mountains behind you.

The event has treated me quite well so far. I’ve had the fastest times of the weekend, and will compete in finals later this afternoon. It’s quite simple… training pays off. No doubt about it. Ask me how I feel about all of this training in a month, and I may have a different answer for ya. :)

The next 10 weeks are booked solid. You ready for this?

June 14th – 15th: HDSA Wisconsin board meeting and log rolling open houses at Lake Wingra

June 21st – 22nd: Midwest Log Rolling Championships for Huntington’s Disease in Madison

June 27th – 29th: STIHL Timbersport Finals in Georgia (Missing my 10 year high school reunion for this one…)

June 30th – July 6th: Week in Canada to compete at Gross Mountain, BC; Longview, WA; and Slocan, BC with the boys.

July 10th – 13th: Women’s Tri Fitness World Challenge in Las Vegas

July 18th – 20th: Cathy Savage’s Chicago Fitness Camp

July 25th – 27th: Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, WI

August 2nd – 3rd: Ms. Fitness North America in Chicago, IL

August 8th – 10th: Huntington’s Disease Fundraiser with the Red Sox at Fenway Park

These events will most definitely help keep a smile on my face and my stress levels high. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m going to take a quick nap before finals tonight… updates shortly!

2008-05-07T09:04:00.002-05:00

Buy the Book!

I was thrilled to be a part of this project, and even more thrilled to be featured on the cover! This will be the most amazing photography you have ever laid eyes on. Beautiful girls, beautiful background, and high quality photographs. Did I mention the photographer is also amazing? At least take a look...

NOW AVAILABLE!

Click here to buy your copy now!

2008-04-29T21:46:00.004-05:00

One Happy Coach

Last weekend was one to remember, and not because of any of my accomplishments. Saturday was spent at the Wisconsin Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Championships. My dream came true last year when a few other girls expressed interest in doing some of the fitness and figure contests alongside me. In 2008 we have about 15 girls training as Team Supreme Figure and Fitness. We are a branch of Cathy Savage Fitness, and follow her coaching very closely. I just want to take a moment to highlight each of the amazing girls who competed last weekend:

Amber Krasemann is one of those girls we all aspire to be. When she sets her mind on something, she not only gets it done, but she gets it done perfectlly. I mean look at her (far left)… her hair is perfect (she did it herself), her make up is perfect (also done alone), and did you notice the body? On top of all that, she is an amazing listener. I’ve bombarded her so many times with my life issues, and she is so good about talking through them. But best of all… SHE WENT TO HANSON WITH ME! Now that folks, is a true friend.

Next is Julia Wold. I just met Julia this year, but attended high school with her younger sister Vicki. I knew that if Julia was anything like her sister, she would be a blast! Julia trained very hard for this contest, and went at it like a pro. She most definitely deserved higher than third place.

Michelle Marten, another one of my partners in crime. I first met Michelle when she joined Supreme and I gave her a free personal training session. I immediately knew she was going to be a fitness icon. She started teaching a few group exercise classes, and now she is all over our schedule! She is an amazing mother, and is just as beautiful inside as out.

I’ve known Becky Jalbert for several years through our work at Supreme. Although not a mother yet, she completely reminds me of Michelle. She is another strong, motivating, and hard working person. She ALWAYS has a smile on her face, and looks at everything in life with a positive attitude. And that hot body of hers gave her two first place trophies! Heck yeah Becky!

Jenny Quinn should be an entire blog entry herself. She is yet another amazing group exercise instructor with a huge following at Supreme. Just two weeks ago, she lost her sister in a car crash. We all assumed she would disappear for awhile and give up on the show. But less than a week after the accident, she showed up at the gym determined to compete in honor of her sister. She was quite hesitant before the show, but when she walked on stage, we were all brought to tears. She strutted her stuff like a true, confident champion. We all know your sister is VERY proud of you Jenny, not just for doing this show, but for the amazing person you are.

I really got to know Mandy Roberts this year, but she reminded me that we took a life guard certification class together about 7 years ago. Crazy! As you can probably tell by this photo, she is yet another person who always has a smile on her face. Her positivity is VERY contagious! On top of the amazing personality, she is a talented model, actress, and teacher. And DAMN hot! Well deserving of her silver medal.

I believe April Caves is our biggest success story in this show. Unlike the other girls, April is very quiet and shy at times. Every week at practice she was disappearing before our eyes! She lost an amazing amount of weight for this show, and locked it in better than anybody else on stage! When the day of the show came, she was this transformed person: super outgoing and confident. It really showed on stage. I can’t even describe it, she was just rock solid. April, you’re amazing.

Kelly Lamb was another like April. She came to us very quiet and shy, but with a ton of drive. Her boyfriend is an amazing bodybuilder, so she had a great support system and was very knowledgeable of the sport. I was worried about her timidness before the show, but just like April, she went out on stage and shined!!!

Lastly there is Lisa Mueller. Lisa is one of my closest friends, and one of the first to join me in my fitness adventures. A few days after our competition at Fitness America Nationals, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, with a 15cm tumor in her chest. She has been undergoing chemo like a rock star and has the most amazing attitude of anybody I know. She is all about succeeding in everything she does, and supporting everybody she knows along the way. She did an amazing job of helping the girls with their make-up and posing on show day, and I cannot WAIT to compete with her this fall! She won’t even have to do her damn hair because she’ll get to wear a wig!

Needless to say it was a great show, and I am so excited for Team Supreme. We are in the process of publishing a Healthy Eating Cookbook with many of our diet secrets. Stay tuned!

After all of that mush, I now need to brag about the Madison Log Rollers. On Sunday, my dad and I took a group of our awesome kids to a tournament in La Crosse, WI, hosted by Katie Rick. As usual they all did amazing, but once again, I was most proud of how they all supported one another. After the contest we took them to Chuck E. Cheeses which was WAY more fun than I had expected. And their salad bar wasn’t half bad! The kids took in more pizza and candy than they should have, and created memories that will last a lifetime.

Looking back on last weekend, I realize how lucky I am to spend my days with such amazing people. And the neatest thing is, I really don’t have to do much as a coach. In both events, our positive energy and support drove each other.

2008-04-23T16:19:00.001-05:00

United Way Honor

In 2008, my dear friend from HDSA nominated me for a United Way Community Volunteer Award. I got a notification in the mail that free lunch would be provided, so I attended the event today. I was shocked when I was selected out of over 80 nominees as an honoree! I had the honor of standing on stage with some of the most amazing people in Dane County.
This would not have been possible without my dear friends Melissa Worthington, Liz Molitor, the rest of the Huntington’s Disease Wisconsin Board, and all of the amazing HD families. Thanks for making me feel special today guys. On another note, after today’s lunch, I am really considering getting a job working for the Madison Concourse hotel. There were about 70 uneaten chocolate mousses left over after the event. Who gets to eat those??? I’ll be turning in my application this evening.

Latino volunteer gets United Way honor Pat Schneider — 4/23/2008 9:55 am

Longtime community volunteer Pedro Albiter was honored today with the second annual Mike McKinney Award at the United Way Community Volunteer Awards. First lady Jessica Doyle presented the award at a luncheon at the Concourse Hotel. Albiter founded Comite Festival Mexicano-Wisconsin, which organized two Mexican Independence Festivals, attracting more than 10,000 people in community celebration. His leadership in COFEMEX led to the establishment of several $1,000 scholarships for high school students sponsored by local businesses. Albiter's work also has brought many small businesses into the Latino Chamber of Commerce. He has worked with Latino and other minority youths and is active in the Latino Support Network and Latinos United for Change and Advancement.
Other volunteers who were recognized today include Shana Martin, a champion log roller and tireless volunteer and president of the board for the Huntington's Disease Society of America. The group raises awareness about the hereditary degenerative brain disease and the social stigma that can prevent families from finding employment and/or seeking support. At age 18, Martin helped form the National Youth Alliance, a support group for young adults living with Huntington's, now active in 22 states.
A group effort was recognized for the St. Dennis RespiteCare Team, which provides family caregivers with time off to renew their physical, emotional and mental health. The team, working with Catholic Charities Aging Services, has ministered care for more than seven years.
The luncheon kicked off a series of events celebrating volunteer efforts, including Global Youth Service Day, Friday through Sunday, and National Volunteer Week, beginning Sunday.
Last year, the United Way Volunteer Center referred more than 6,484 volunteers to 326 nonprofit agencies, while VolunteerYourTime.org received more than 45,000 visitors.

2008-04-12T13:03:00.002-05:00

Ups and Downs

Laser Tag in Chicago. Yeah, don't mess with me.
Life is full of them, eh? The past few weeks have been quite eventful, but it seems as that is how my life goes. The first bit of excitement was being hired by MTV to be a fitness coach for the show “MADE”. It was a huge honor, and I was really excited about the project. After a few times filming, the main character in our episode decided to drop out of production. Thus Shana no longer is a fitness coach on MTV. I swear I am not a liar, but in recent times it really looks like that: my spot on the Tonight Show and my spread in Muscle and Fitness never turned out either. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut about things until they actually happen? Oh well, I’ve had plenty of marvelous opportunities in life to spend time complaining.

Ken is still a vet in Appleton, and it’s still killing me. I’m thrilled he’s happy, and that he has an amazing job, but its tough being apart; really tough. On top of that our poor Frankenstein (our adorable kitten) has more tumors. His cancer is back. He’s only three, totally healthy, and it just isn’t fair. But this is all part of life. I understand you can’t expect your pet to live forever, I just with Frankie would.

Another “down” was not being cast onto the show “Gladiators”. But a gigantic “up” came from that… I made a wonderful new friend while in line for the 10+ hours that day. I went back down to Chicago last weekend for a Health and Fitness Convention, and Kurt and I hung out both nights. It’s hard to find somebody who is willing to do completely immature things and act like a total goof without much help of alcohol, but Kurt was just the guy! We ate insane amounts of Mexican food, spent way too much money bowling, smoked a bunch of high school kids at laser tag, then heckled the knights at Medieval Times. A weekend I totally needed. So ladies, if you are looking for a winner in Chicago… Kurt is your man.

Now things to look forward to…

HANSON TONIGHT! If you know me you know I have a scary obsession with the Backstreet Boys and Hanson. Tonight I was able to talk my dear friend Amber into attending their concert with me. Poor thing doesn’t know what she is getting into. I had the amazing opportunity of meeting the guys back in 2005 when I worked on the Wayne Brady Show, and they were insanely friendly and laid back. Unfortunately my beloved Isaac is now married with one child and another on the way, so I suppose I should respect his marriage and not throw myself at him tonight. We’ll see. :) Poor, poor, dear Amber.

Next weekend I’m headed out to Boston to get my choreography from two of the most amazing fitness choreographers in the world: Cathy Savage and Paula Harvey. I am so excited about my music this year I could just pee my pants… but I will try not to on stage. I train with Cathy and Paula on Thursday and Friday, then for the weekend I’m going to hang out with the amazing Dave Jewett and Jason Berry at the Stihl Timbersports Series Collegiate Championship in New Hampshire. No log rolling or boom running for me, just watching the choppers do their thing! This will be yet another needed weekend away.

More to come later. I’ll give everybody the dirty details about the Hanson Concert. Maybe this is why nobody reads my blog??!!
Have a great weekend everybody… spring is coming!

2008-02-24T21:47:00.003-06:00

Scion xD

Tough times always have a silver lining. Mine is that I got this awesome new car! Of course I would rather have NOT crashed in order to get this car, but hey, now I have my sweet ass xD. Thanks to Clint and everybody at Smart Scion for being so wonderful once again. Buy a Scion, I’m serious… my xA saved my life, and my xD is the coolest thing I’ve ever driven!

Now I’m going to get a little deep, so I apologize in advance. The new car is a coincidence in that I am now beginning a new stage of my life. I don’t exactly know what that stage is, but I do know that I am in a strange new place now. I don’t really know what the new place is, but I feel that even without any major events happening, I am stepping into a new chapter. And boy do I hate change, especially when I don’t even know what that change is. Within the last few months seven of my friends have gotten engaged, and one of my best friends just had a beautiful baby girl. In college, I was SURE I would be married and have children before 30, but that obviously wasn’t the case. I’m actually okay with that. It’s taken some time and a lot of thinking, but I do believe that almost everything happens for a reason. I need to grow much more as an individual before I take that next huge step. In the past few months, I’ve rediscovered how important all of my girlfriends are to me. In the past few weeks I’ve made many new friends, and really reconnected with the old ones. I am so lucky to have all of these wonderful people in my life. Where will the next few years take me? I have no stinking clue. But I will make darn sure to stick to my direction: live life to the fullest with experiences I love, and do everything I can to make a difference.

Last weekend we had a retreat for Huntington’s Disease Society of America chapter leaders in the great lakes region. Not only was it a wonderful weekend with some amazing friends, it was also a weekend that filled me with a renewed dedication to my life mission: seeing a cure for Huntington’s Disease. The state of Wisconsin has one of the strongest boards in the country, and I am proud to be the president. I am VERY excited to bring all of these new ideas to the board, raise insane amounts (please note the professionalism…) of money for research, and create programs to help all of the afflicted families in Wisconsin. Okay life, keep throwing punches, I’m going to keep doing what I do best.

2008-02-12T21:15:00.000-06:00

Angel on My Shoulder

After watching the story about how the body shops of Wisconsin are having a record year, I left Appleton to head back to work in Madison. After only driving a few miles on highway 41, I went around a slight bend, hit an ice patch and spun out of control. I slammed into a van, then bounced off the median, and finally hit the side rail and stopped. I’ve heard stories of car accidents, seen them on the news, and even seen them happen right in front of me. But I have NEVER been driving during something like that. And the stories are true, everything happens in slow motion. I remember looking at the van I slid into and thinking about the people inside. I then remember facing the wrong way, and watching all of the cars coming at me. I remembered my dad and Ken telling me how I was supposed to steer into the direction I was spinning while out of control. I thought about a photo shoot I was supposed to go to, each client I was supposed to train, what I would tell Ken and my dad, and my ability to afford a new car. Pretty amazing eh?
With some amazing luck, despite the fact my car was smashed to crap, I didn’t have a scratch on me, and the other van hardly had a dent. When I finally stopped shaking, I saw that another accident had happened in the exact same spot just before mine; and a few minutes after mine, another. We were able to get my car off the road and to the nearest body shop. I could tell the police officer was quite flustered with all of the accidents of the day, and I think he unintentionally took it out on me. In fact, despite the fact I did nothing wrong, he treated me like a criminal. He also said I should expect a ticket in the mail for my reckless driving. WHAT??!! I hit ice! I was driving the speed limit! If any of you are familiar with law, please give me some advice on this one. I’m also worried his anger will show up on the police report, which will then reflect on my insurance rates. Super. After all of this I actually thanked him anyway and his response was, “You really shouldn’t be thanking me.”
I was so relieved when the folks at Bergstrom Body Shop in Neenah were amazingly friendly. Despite being busier than they ever have been, they immediately helped me out, calmed me down, and explained the damage. They gave me a shuttle back to my apartment, and even offered me warm chocolate chip cookies while I waited! I knew I must have been shaken up, because I actually refused cookies!
Ken took me out to a nice lunch, then I rented a car and drove (like a grandma) back to Madison.
I’m not a super religious person, but today I was truly blessed. I could have been seriously hurt, or seriously hurt somebody else. If I do have to buy another car, it will most definitely be a Scion. I have no doubt that car saved my life. The various things I hit, I hit HARD, and I didn’t even come out with a bruise. I was blessed to have the wonderful people at Bergstrom to make me feel better and taken care of. And I was VERY blessed to have Ken spend the rest of the afternoon with me.
I’ve met several people over the past few years who NEVER wear a seatbelt. Accidents happen to almost everybody, and many aren’t as lucky as I was. Don’t be an idiot.

2008-02-07T13:25:00.000-06:00

You Tube Crazy!

With the help of Ken LaBarre (www.rolittakeit.com) I've gotten quite a few of my old video clips up on YouTube! These clips cover my life from 1991 to just a few months ago at the Fitness America Pageant!

And even more videos can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/shanaUW

2008-01-09T10:45:00.000-06:00

Crappy Holidays

Normally my posts are upbeat, but this one is going to be more of a vent. I apologize in advance.
This holiday season started off a few days before Christmas, when I got a call from Ken that Frankenstein had a golf ball sized tumor on his neck. After running some slides, they were able to determine that it was some type of lymphoma. It is VERY rare for a three year old healthy cat to get lymphoma, and Ken and I were torn apart. I canceled all of my holiday plans and drove up to Appleton for the holidays. Ken was able to help with the very dangerous surgery to remove Frankie's tumor, and the surgery was a huge success. The next few days were rough though because he was in a lot of pain and we had to watch him 24-7. Some might call us crazy, but Frankenstein is our little boy, and to see him go through all of that, and to know his prognosis may not be good, was a horrible thing to go though.

My dad decided to cancel his holiday plans so that he could spend some time with us. The snow also made the roads virtually impossible to travel on. Christmas Day Ken and I came down to Madison and we ate at a China Buffet for lunch, then went to my mom's nursing home and played Monopoly for hours. This day was by far the best of the past few weeks. PS. I dominated at Monopoly!
The next painful events I won't go into much detail about, but everybody has squabbles with extended family, right?
My next venting session is about the New Year's Eve from hell. Ken has never had luck with New Year's Eve, and swore to never celebrate it. I was able to whine and beg enough to get him to come down to Madison for a GREAT New Year's eve. And parts of it were great, I got to spend some time with my dear friends Kari and Lisa. Other than that it was crap. Rather than going to somebody's house and relaxing, we went to a bar (which I have always hated doing) and drank cheap champaign. After midnight the champaign got to my stomach and I wanted to get going. At this time, I was house sitting for a place with 4 dogs, 2 cats, and 2 mice. There were a lot of animals, but they are the most ADORABLE ever. Anyway, we get back to the house only to find the key (which I brilliantly attached with a thin metal loop) had fallen off somewhere. We then spent the next three hours in single digit temps trying to find the damn key. At 4am we decided to give up and sleep at my dad's house. We had to wake up a poor neighbor early in the morning to get the key!

Then a day later the worst blow... my wonderful grandpa passed away. He was 98 years old, and fell asleep holding my grandma's hand. You can't ask for a better end than that, but it still tore me apart. We hopped on a flight to Florida and spent the weekend with my grandma and family. It was nice to see everybody but very hard to see the sadness in my grandpa. They were married for 65 years!

On the flight home we got stuck in Detroit due to the fog in Madison. When we finally got back I had one of my most stressful days of work ever, only to get the flu last night. Today I am missing yet another one of the busiest days of work which is stressing the heck out of me.

Whew! That's about it for now. I am hoping things will go uphill from here! And yes, I do know things could be MUCH worse than this, and I am so lucky to have my family, Ken, my great friends, and a wonderful job.

2007-12-14T23:18:00.000-06:00

Fitness America World Championships 2007

Yeah yeah yeah, I'm a little behind on my update. I could say I have been waiting for more pictures, but the truth is I've been too lazy!
After my great success in Tampa for the Women's Tri Fitness, I figured I had used up all of my luck for one competition season. For once, I was thrilled to be wrong.
I got to LA exhausted (Tri fitness usually wipes me out for a few weeks) but managed to keep my stress levels low and really enjoy my trip. I shared a room with Team Supreme Fitness Superstars Dustin Maher and Lisa Mueller at the Wilshire Grand Hotel. I figured for such a fancy hotel we would have a slightly larger room, this time, I wasn't so thrilled to be wrong. The hotel did let us use the Gold's Gym across the street for no charge, which was wonderful! Nothing gives you more of a Los Angeles experience than steroids and bad plastic surgery at a Gold's Gym.
Anyway, the fitness girls did their competition all in one evening, which was WONDERFUL. Our opening dance number was a bit off, but has it ever gone well? I was once again THRILLED with my routine. I was so nervous I thought for sure I would blow it, but once again I was able to feed off of the energy in the audience! The bikini round is never my best, but I pulled off my model turns without a wobble. In the end, I was called up for top ten, then, top 5. I couldn't believe it. Me? Top 5 at Fitness America Worlds? I answered a completely different question than I was asked for the interview round, which led one judge to give met he highest possible score, and another the lowest. I always find it a bit funny how they can judge these things. To my credit, even if I had dominated in the interview, the other four girls were still far enough ahead of me to finish ahead. So fifth place... not too shabby. Especially with the caliber of competition this year.
Special thanks to: my amazing choreographers Cathy Savage and Paula Harvey, my wonderful boyfriend Ken who helped keep me motivated and eating healthy, my dear friend Lisa for getting up and working out with me at 6am every morning and kicking ass at the competition herself, Maggie B. for the great costume, Kay Cahill for making some adjustments on the costume last minute, my uncle Howard for mailing my dirty laundry home from Florida, the members at Supreme Health and Fitness for watching my routine over, and over, and over again, Trader Joes for opening in Madison, and my kitties Frankenstein and Roscoe for making me smile even when I was ready to pull all of my hair out. How is that for an Oscar speech?
I will post more photos from the competition and my photo shoots when I get them. Thanks for reading!

2007-11-13T11:59:00.000-06:00

Women's Tri Fitness: Day 2

Whew! What a day! I woke up sore as heck from the routine and box jumps the night before, but the worst was yet to come!
The obstacle course was quite a challenge, but I managed to drop 11 seconds off from my time in Vegas! I was thrilled! And my hands didn't even tear apart!
The shuttle run kicked my butt, but I do believe I cut some time from my run in Vegas.
The bench press was quite a disappointment. In Vegas, the number was calculated wrong so I only had to do 65# (as many reps as possible). If I had done the math on my own (60% of my body weight) I would have realized that 65 was much too light. Anyway, I trained with this weight for the past several months. When I was called up to bench press, they announced my weight as 75#! Needless to say I didn't do as well on the bench press as I would have hoped.
The overall results were amazing. I WON the routine round, which personally, is a HUGE achievement, and I am thrilled. I actually placed 7th in the obstacle course and I believe 6th in physique overall. Here is the best part... I took SECOND PLACE overall! That routine really saved me!
I'm currently in Sarasota visiting my grandparents and uncle. I'm actually typing this at my grandparents' retirement home, so I have to be fast! Tomorrow I fly out to Hollywood, CA for the Fitness America Nationals. Wish me luck!!!

2007-11-10T22:09:00.000-06:00

Women's Tri Fitness: Day 1

I'm currently chillin' at the Holiday Inn Express computer trying to slow down this adrenaline rush so that I can sleep!
I arrived in Tampa yesterday for the Women's Tri Fitness Fall Classic. Yesterday was spent relaxing in the hotel room, and exploring the area.
Today the competition didn't start until 4pm, so I visited a few cool places to pass the day. This morning I went for a beautiful jog at Upper Tampa Bay Park. What a view! I saw dozens of egrets and got a chance to relax and read about the wildlife in Tampa Bay.
After the annoying application process of Pro Tan, I went out to tour the Big Cat Sanctuary. I'm sure everybody there thought I was some sort of freak with my dark orange tan, but I still enjoyed myself! Please take a moment to visit their website. I learned so much about how cruel humans can be, and do not care to support a zoo, circus, or silly "pictures with tiger cubs" ever again. These animals were so beautiful.
At 4pm I actually got around to competing! I never feel great later in the day (I've always been a morning person) but things still went fairly well. Tonight we competed in bikini, fitness routines, and box jumps. I felt really great about my routine, and was thrilled the audience responded. It's fun to feed off of their energy!
Now my legs are exhausted, and I need a good night sleep!

Before I sign off... one more quick update. KEN GOT A JOB!!!! We are moving to Appleton, but I will still work full time in Madison. Yep, I'm in my late 20's and moving back home with my daddy. Thank god I have a great one! I will be doing quite a bit of driving, but Ken finally having a job (and a GREAT ONE!) will be well worth it. The Vet clinic is wonderful, and the staff was very friendly! I can't wait to get to know them better. And the best part... there is a popcorn machine in the break room!!!
So needless to say, the past week has been stressful with getting ready for these two fitness contests and moving into two new places. But, happy times are ahead!

2007-10-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

Support Huntington's Disease through the HDSA Amaryllis Sale!

It's time for our annual Huntington's Disease Society of America Amaryllis Sale. Amaryllis is a stunning and hearty flower which can bloom all year round, indoors or out. Amaryllis make wonderful additions to your home or office, are excellent presents for co-workers, neighbors, and family members, and even make a nice donation to local churches or family aid organizations. Planting and care is easy, as each Amaryllis comes in a complete kit with all items necessary for indoor or outdoor planting.
In 2007, profits and donations from the Amaryllis sales will be donated to the Huntington's Disease Society of America Wisconsin Chapter. Huntington's Disease is a hereditary, degenerative brain disorder that slowly diminishes an individual's ability to walk, think, feel, talk, and reason. The disease usually strikes young adults between the ages of 30 and 40, but children as young as two have developed the disease. Right now 1 in 10,000 Americans are at risk for this disease, which there is currently no effective treatment or cure. There are many families right here in the Madison area dealing with this horrible disease.
If you have any interest in ordering any of these flowers, please send an e-mail with the type of flower and # you would like to: shana@shanamartin.com

Flowers are $10 each and come with all items necessary for outdoor and indoor planting.
Here are your flower choices:

Mont Blanc

Pink Diamond

Ferrari

Clown

Apple Blossom

2007-09-26T15:02:00.000-05:00

End of Summer 2007: Part 2

Lumberjacks in the Sky

With my dad before our jump

My feet above Baldwin, Wisconsin

Yep. I finally did it. After years of my dad telling me how dangerous it is (he used to be in a skydiving show back in the 60’s) Kevin finally talked me into going for a jump. Jamie, Jill, Kevin, Nate, and some lumberjack groupies all decided to take the plunge on September 4th at Twin Cities Skydive. My dad drove me up there because he wanted to see how skydiving had changed in the last 40 years. When we got there, one spot remained on the plane… so I got to jump with daddy!
The jump was an absolute blast, and I really think EVERYBODY should try it. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I was falling… just floating over the beautiful state of Wisconsin. It really is an experience worth doing before you die. For some shots from the day, visit: http://wisc.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2279529&l=915f1&id=8635709

Ironman

Evie and her mom Jen handing out food to the athletes. Talk about one cool kid.

Don’t worry, I didn’t actually compete this year. But I did run the Kohl Center Aid Station for the 6th year in a row! And I could not have gotten through the crazy day without Ken and my wonderful dad. Ken decided to sign up in 2008 so I got drug out of bed at 6am on race day to watch the swim start. Of course the crowd was so big we didn’t’ see a damn thing, but at least Ken got to feel the excitement of an Ironman start. I was happy to see it too because in all 6 years of Ironman in Madison, I have not yet seen anything else other than the Kohl Center. One day I may even see the finish line!
It was a long day of work at the aid station, but the weather really held out. 16 hours of running around covered in Gatorade, Power Gels, Coke, and sweat. Yummy. But as always, watching those athletes makes it worth while.
The next morning Ken was at the Monona Terrace at 5:30 in the morning to sign up for Ironman 2008. There were already plenty of crazy bastards there before him. But Ken got a spot and has already started his training. I guess I can kiss any quality time with him goodbye for the next year! I know Ken will do an amazing job, and who knows… maybe become a professional!

Zoo Run Run

Fastest pig ever.

One tired pig.

Actually, this activity happened last weekend, which really does not count as summer, but I will bundle it in here anyway!
Sunday I raced in the Zoo Run Run for Henry Vilas Zoo dressed as a pig. Yes, a pig. Runners were supposed to dress up as their favorite zoo animal. No, the pig is not my favorite (I am a huge fan of the ring-tailed lemur) but the pig snout was the only one at the costume shop with holes in the nose. Breathing during a race is always useful. So I show up at the race in my piggiest, only to find about 2 or 3 other costumes out of the 600 or so runners! Needless to say I felt like a big dork, but I wasn’t about to take off my cool costume. I ran the race as a pig and won my age group! Wahoo! I also got a nice gift card for being brave enough to wear a costume. By the way, if anybody wants a sweaty pig snout, I don’t plan on wearing mine ever again.

2007-09-19T07:47:00.000-05:00

End of Summer 2007: Part 1

The last month or so of Summer 2007 was quite eventful. Here are the highlights:

Lumberjack World Championships

On the #4 log with Jenny

As always LWC was a very good time. Olivia and I shared a room which smelled of lavender (as did my car, all of my clothing, and my suitcase) but Olivia needs her flowers! And hey, flowers do make a hotel room homier.
I had some great matches over the weekend and made it to Sunday finals with the fastest boom run time and a finalist in log rolling against… Jenny! This was the first year I had ever been in the log rolling finals at LWC. I’m not quite sure what happened to me on Sunday, but in the boom finals I fell in (sometimes it feels good to get wet!) and Jenny beat me three straight in our log rolling match. To be completely fair to Jenny, I feel we both rolled at 100%, but she just rolled a lot better. The match was quite exciting, with no falls happening until the #4 log. She is an awesome roller.

Chippewa Valley Outdoor Games

Eating my mic after announcing for 8 hours in the hot hot sun.

The smaller tournaments are always by far the most fun. Sure there wasn’t much of a crowd on the first two days, but we rollers can be loud enough! I got to MC the youth log rolling on Friday, and WOW were there some exciting matches. It was hotter than spit out and these amazing kids make it to the #4 log numerous times. Some of the girls were on the #4 for over three minutes! Talk about insanity! Announcing was fun for those matches, “And they are still on the log….”. I had never been more proud of the log rolling youth.
Saturday was the women’s professional competition. My first match was with Leah Stanton, who in my opinion is one of the strongest rollers out there. She got me in two in a row (thank god the matches were three out of five) but with some sort of dumb luck, I was able to win that match. If you have to roll Leah in 2008 be afraid, be very afraid. I made it to finals once again against… you guessed it, Jenny. At the log rolling world championships I beat her three falls straight, and at the Lumberjack world championships (confusing, I know) she beat me three falls straight. With luck on my side I won the match 2 falls to 1. Saturday night Tanya, Kevin, Kelly, Travis, Lori, John and I all went out to party it up in the exciting town of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After watching some very exciting rugby at the first bar, Travis, Lori, and John all went back to the hotel. Tanya, Kevin, Kelly, and I decided to go dancing. Us ladies (oh yeah, and Kevin) were a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor. Tanya protected everybody (including Kevin) from the scary rednecks, and we danced until we sweat all possible fluids out of our bodies. Too much fun.
Sunday the men rolled. It always amuses me how not serious the men are for competition. Water was splashed, immature words were exchanged, etc. I had the joy of MCing for the day. A HUGE thank you to Chippewa Valley Convention and Visitor's Bureau for hosting this fun event!

Too be continued (did you really bother to read THIS far???)…

2007-08-03T09:39:00.000-05:00

World Champion X 2

Another log rolling season is under way (and almost over!) and it was quite a success.

The log rolling and boom running world championships were once again held in Stillwater, Minnesota. Fiona, one of our awesome log rolling instructors from Madison, came with me for the weekend. Olivia was nice enough to let us stay in her room, on terms of us not yelling at her about her mess. :)

Thursday in Stillwater the amateurs competed. Kevin and I started off announcing with a world of enthusiasm for our "Kevin and Shana Show" but after a day of standing in the hot sun on stage it tuned into the "Kevin and Shana laying down Drinking Frozen Smoothies Show". But hey, we still managed to keep the audience entertained. Fiona rolled for her first year in the semi-pro division. Although she didn't win any matches, she got some falls on some pretty amazing rollers! She also had her first boom run experience. For most of the kids and semi-pros, there was a lot more "boom" than "run", in fact, on this particular boom run, that was the case for the professionals too! The Stillwater tournament most definitely wins the award for the closest to impossible boom run. That night all of our exhausted selves almost got Tanya fired from Famous Dave's by bringing in a group of 25 right before close. Hehehe. It was some good eatin' though!

Friday was the first day of competition. I had a very hard match against Maggie Bulk, who by the way, is the most AMAZING log roller to compete without training. She gets to relax and live the good live in Cali all year, then comes back to Wisconsin in the summer to beat the crap out of all of us on the log. Pretty amazing lady. :) Olivia had some pretty outstanding matches as well. Also with little training, she was able to stay up on the log for quite a while with Jenny Atkinson, and won a match against Crystal Salzman! Yeah Olivia! After a horrible meal at Applebee's that night, we all went over to Kevin's for a hardcore game of Apples to Apples. Did I mention my client John Kovalic is one of the creators of that game? Well he is, and I will continue to be extremely proud of him for that and all of his other accomplishments.

Saturday I didn't have much to do other than cheer on the other competitors, which is always fun! When I arrived at the venue I was greated by Josie, Bonnie, and Daryl Salzman. I was happy they were able to make it, but it didn't quite occur to me that JR might be there too. Sure enough, I finally got to see him. If you are unaware of JR's story, scroll down a few posts, or visit: http://www.jrsalzman.com

It was so wonderful to finally get a chance to see him log roll again. And he did it like a champ! We are all very excited for him to be back in competition again next summer. Saturday night Fiona and I laid low and went over to Jamie and Jill's house. We played a game called hammerschlager (everybody gets a turn to pound their nail into the wooden table) which was surprisingly really really fun. Fiona and I played with our favorite pups Jack and Dino, then we were off to bed early.

Sunday, with support from Olivia, Fiona, and JR I was able to beat Jenny three falls straight to win the world championship. It was an amazing feeling, and I'm still riding high from the experience.

The next weekend... Lumberjack Championships in Hayward, WI. I will write about that later, but I will tell you this... Jenny got me back.

2007-07-12T10:14:00.000-05:00

The Good Life

. This week I’m back in my old stomping grounds of Los Angeles. Muscle and Fitness magazine flew me out here to do a shoot for their “hot bod” section. The layout will look something like this. We aren’t sure if it will be in the October or December issue, but I will keep everybody posted!

The shoot on El Matador Beach was a blast, and I got to work with two other amazing athletic girls. Our photographer was John Russo, who has shot almost every celeb imaginable. It really was an honor.

Yesterday I got to scratch the surfing itch I’ve had for so long. Unfortunately, the waves were crap, but I was still able to ride for a few seconds, see some of my old dolphin friends, and smell the ocean breeze early in the morning. Wow do I miss it out here!

Last night I met up with my log rolling buddy Maggie, and we poked around Manhattan and Hermosa Beach where she lives. PERFECT weather and a perfect sunset; she really has the good life.

Today I’m going to be driving out to Vegas for the Women’s Tri Fitness Competition, and I will be competing there for the rest of the weekend. Lisa is flying out to be my support system too! I’m so thrilled!

I’ll be back to the Mad City on Sunday, then it’s off to the log rolling world championships the following weekend! Busy busy July!

Oh, and I will soon have some photos up from Erin’s beautiful wedding!

2007-06-24T09:26:00.000-05:00

More Log Rolling and Huntington's Disease in the News!

The following articles are about the Midwest Log Rolling Championships which were a HUGE success here in Madison yesterday.
Link: htt p://www.madison.com/tct/sports/198401
Log rolling's evolution: From flannel to Spandex
Adam Mertz — 6/22/2007 8:33 am

When Olivia Judd was in eighth grade, all of her friends got the trendy graduation gifts you might expect at an upscale Madison prep school.
She got ... a log. An $800 rolling log, to be exact. This was before anyone south of Hayward knew much about the sport, an adaptation of the skills that lumberjacks employed for more than a century in plying their trade.
Judd couldn't have been happier. She also couldn't make her classmates comprehend why this was a good present.
Fast forward four years, and the recent Madison West graduate is still hooked on the sport, which has taught her lessons about self-improvement that carried over to other aspects of her life. So, on her college application forms, she'd say in no uncertain terms: "If you're not letting me bring a log, don't bother letting me in."
These days, Judd, 17, can at least see a glint of recognition in people's eyes when she mentions her favorite hobby, thanks in part to the exposure gained through the ESPN Great Outdoor Games, featured articles in People magazine, and even a cameo on MTV's The Real World.
It's also due to word-of-mouth from the next generation of log rollers, such as Judd and fellow Madisonians Fiona Cahill and Amber Scarborough, who don't fit the classic mold. To adapt a line from the classic Monty Python sketch, Judd's not a lumberjack, but she's OK with that.
"Obviously, we've kind of moved away from flannel and suspenders, and toward Spandex and sports bras," said Judd, who will attend Trinity University in San Antonio this fall. "It's a great sport for city kids, and anywhere you have some water. It's fun and athletic and it doesn't need to be stodgy."
Log rolling still has its base in the north woods, but it is now catching on in urban centers like St. Paul, Minn. In Madison, where there long has been a small and dedicated community of rollers, things have evolved to the point where girls now constitute a majority of the students who show up for twice-weekly lessons under world-class roller Shana Martin at Wingra Canoe and Sailing, on the shore of Lake Wingra.
"Lumberjacks did this. They'd get drunk, they'd build their camp, and they'd roll against each other. But it's slowly transitioned. "Lumberjacks still cut down trees and everything, but now athletes do the sport," said Martin, a Madison native who picked up the sport in elementary school and stuck with it even as she went on to star in track at Madison Memorial and the University of Wisconsin. "So, you're not going to see your big hairy, burly men -- we've got a couple of them -- but most of them are younger, under 30 athletes. It's definitely becoming urbanized."
As Martin indicates, these aren't necessarily the tomboy types. Cahill, 16, also sings for the Madison Youth Choir, at First United Methodist church and at Madison West, where she will be a junior in the fall. Scarborough, 14, plays the clarinet, enjoys drawing and acting, and participates in forensics at Madison Memorial, where she is heading into her sophomore year.
But they thrive on the solo competition offered in log rolling, and will be putting their skills on display Saturday at the Midwest Log Rolling Championships in Madison. The event doubles as a fund-raiser for the fight against Huntington's Disease, a rare, inherited neurological disorder that has afflicted Martin's mother, Deborah, for 21 years.
For both Cahill and Scarborough, log rolling was love at first sight.
"I had a friend doing it when I was in seventh grade, and I just had to do it," said Cahill, who also pole vaults for West. "I begged my mom for a week straight to get into classes, and she let me."
Part of the allure of the sport is the chance to compete alongside the best in the world, a thrill that Judd has experienced at an early age.
"When I was 13, I was still star-struck by all the pros. And I'd get to practice with them, and they'd give me advice," she said. "And I know that if I played a more conventional sport I'm never going to meet the stars, and I'm never going to make it to the big league. But here, I could be on ESPN when I was 15. I can be at the top. And I can see my hard work pay off, which is really gratifying."
Locally, the influence of the outgoing and multi-talented Martin on the growth of the sport can't be understated.
"I think she's really a role model for me -- not just because she's done log rolling, but she's just done so much good stuff in general," Scarborough said. "She's really amazing, and an inspiration."
Martin recently was elected president of the Wisconsin chapter of the Huntington's Disease Society and attended the group's national convention, where she received good news. Researchers have developed the first treatment to delay the onset of the disease, and a full-scale test is under way.
"It's amazing to see how much hope there is," Martin said.
LOG ROLLING
What: Midwest Log Rolling Championship
When: Saturday. Kids compete at noon, followed by the pros in log rolling at 2 p.m. and the boom run at 3 p.m.
Where: Wingra Canoe and Sailing Center, 812 Knickerbocker Place, on the shore of Lake Wingra off Monroe Street
Admission: Free
For a good cause: The event benefits the Wisconsin chapter of the Huntington's Disease Society of America, of which Madison native and world-class log roller Shana Martin is president. For more information, visit http://www.hdsawi.org/

Wisconsin State Journal Local Section

link: http://www.merlin-net.com/commerce/edit_item.asp?SKU=254370

Kestra Peterson, 11, Sun Prairie, left, and Gretchen Greene, 11, Madison, roll against each other. On Sunday June 17, 2007 Shana Martin, a world-class log roller, held demonstrations and open house as a lead-up to the Midwest Log Rolling Championship to be held June 23 in Madison. The event was held in Lake Wingra near Wingra Canoe and Sailing. Steve Apps-State Journal. PUBLISHED 6-18-07 Kestra Peterson, 11, of Sun Prairie, left, and Gretchen Greene, 11, of Madison, below, rolled against each other Sunday in Lake Wingra at a demonstration hosted by Shana Martin, Madison's own world-class log roller. Martin, right, has regularly participated in the ESPN Great Outdoor Games and other international competitions. The Midwest Log Rolling Championships will be held Saturday in Madison. The event is a fundraiser for the Huntington's Disease Society of America, Great Lakes Chapter. Visit www.uslogrolling.org for information.

2007-03-05T19:19:00.000-06:00

Danny Devito's Intro for 50/50 a Huntington's Disease Documentary

2007-03-01T14:09:00.000-06:00

Life of Craziness... Part 3: 50/50 Huntington's Disease Documentary

About 3 years ago, I was approached by Ted Bogosian and Andrea Anders (from the TV shows “Joey” and “The Class”) about taking part in a documentary. The focus is on Huntington’s disease, it’s affects on the family, and the genetic test.

Andrea Anders and Will Cotes are actually actors portraying a couple receiving the test. Myself and several others in the movie are obviously not actors, and are the documentary part of this “hybrid”.

During the filming of this documentary, I had no idea what was going on. I’m sure they filled me in a bit, but at each of the venues I was filmed at, I had so many other things on my mind! I didn’t know what Andrea’s role in the movie was, and I didn’t even know she was an actress! So every time I was approached with the camera, it was actually unexpected. Thus the bikini interviews, hands and mouth full of food, etc.

This is a VERY touching documentary, and possibly a bit hard to watch. But I was honored to be such a large part of it.

Danny Devito just recently picked it up, and does the introduction for our movie on Clickstar. To view that and the entire movie, just visit: http://www.cstar.com then click on “Jersey Docs”

For more information about Huntington’s disease, please visit http://www.hdsa.org

2007-03-01T13:51:00.000-06:00

Another Lumberjack in Need

This is not a good year to be a world champion lumberjack. “Super” Dave Jewett’s kidneys were attacked by a virus, and now he is in desperate need of new ones. He is currently undergoing emergency dialysis to combat the rapid weight loss (20 lbs in two weeks).

Just like the Dave we know and love, he is keeping his sense of humor and smile. Please keep Dave in your thoughts and prayers, and if you know him, I’m sure he would love to hear from you: djewett@rochester.rr.com

2007-02-07T14:40:00.000-06:00

Life of Craziness... Part 2: JR's Story

Most of you already know my dear friend JR Salzman was injured in Iraq. The explosion from an IED caused him to lose most of his right arm, and his left ring finger. After many painful surgeries, he is finally out of the hospital.

Although he has gotten the chance to meet many celebrities, and become a bit of a celebrity himself, I’m sure he would take back his arm any day. Luckily he has the support of his amazing wife (she really is just incredible) and family; not to mention that of the entire log rolling community.

If you are interested in helping out, but aren’t sure where to give, here is the address to send some money:
JR Salzman Fund
Associated Bank
PO Box 636
10526 Main
Hayward, WI 54843

JR also said he would welcome donations in his name to the following organizations: The Red Cross, Soldier’s Angels, and the Wounded Warrior Project.

He has been documenting his experiences before and after the injury on his weblog:
http://www.jrsalzman.com/weblog/default.asp

I would also like to make one point very clear. It is true that I am a “bleeding heart” liberal. The war disgusts me, and I was upset from day one about it. It makes me sick to my stomach how many lives (not just those of Americans) are affected by this. With the insanely high number of soldier injuries and deaths, almost everybody knows somebody who got the crappy end of the deal in this war. BUT I by no means do not support our troops. Just because I am against this war, does NOT mean I don’t think of those poor brave souls who risk their lives on a daily basis. And through JR, I got to learn how awful of a life it really is (and I’m sure he didn’t even tell me everything). So despite my strong beliefs, I still support JR and all of the other brave soldiers with all of my heart. Let’s stop this insanity.

2007-02-05T19:03:00.000-06:00

Life of Craziness… Part 1: Ken is a DOCTOR!

To say life has been busy recently would be a major understatement. Days are filled with long hours at work ('tis the busy season at the health club!), tons of working out (keeps me sane), and endless other activities. But as usual, I'm loving life! Being busy is GREAT, although I really wouldn't mind a vacation.

The first bit of super awesome news… Ken passed his boards! He is now just a few short months away from being Doctor Goldrick DVM! No, we have no idea where we will end up. But if anybody has a wonderful mixed animal practice in the Madison area we are most definitely interested!

To be quite honest, I am scared to death. I've already hopped all over the country, and I am very happy with Madison. My entire life is here; my family, my perfect job, log rolling, and all of my dear friends. But I also can't be selfish and tell Ken he cannot take the job that would be ideal for him.

Anyway, I am very happy for him. 4 years of vet school is quite the stressful trip, not just for him, but me too! This is a wonderful feeling, and graduation will be even better!

2006-12-16T09:06:00.000-06:00

Shana and the Boom Run Girls on ESPN 2!

Hello everybody! ESPN 2 will be airing last Summer's STIHL Timbersport Series this weekend! I won't tell you how it goes, but I do win a few medals. :) The boom runners competed at the Decatur, Alabama and Stillwater, Minnesota venues. Here are the segments:

Sunday December 17th
ESPN 2
3:00pm – 5:30pm EASTERN
The same segments will be aired again:
Tuesday December 19th
ESPN 2
5:00 – 5:30am
2:00 – 3:00pm EASTERN
Friday December 22nd
ESPN 2
2:00pm – 4:00pm EASTERN

Keep in mind they will go back and fourth between the women's boom running and all of the men's events. So you will have to stay tuned the entire time to see the ladies. But it's exciting stuff to watch!
Enjoy!

2006-12-14T16:10:00.000-06:00

If You Live in or Near Wisconsin, Please Read!

If you have any interest, please e-mail or message me with your e-mail address. Thanks so much! (shana@shanamartin.com)
A way to help the HD community without having to continuously give money!
What is it?
Your name will be put on an e-mail list with other helpful Wisconsin residents. When we need volunteers for any fundraising function or promotion, we will e-mail the list and ask for volunteers. You by NO MEANS have to do anything, but if an event falls on a day you are free, and is close by, we would love your help! Examples of e-mails you may receive:
· Volunteers for Hoop-a-thons
· Volunteers to collect Ink Cartridges from friends
· Volunteers to hang fliers about upcoming events
· Volunteers to help find sponsorships or donations for events

Your e-mail address will not be put on any other e-mail list, nor will it be shared with anybody unless you give further permission.
So if you have any interest in helping out, please share your e-mail address!
If you have any questions or concerns, please send an e-mail to Shana Martin: shana@shanamartin.com

For more information about Huntington's Disease and my involvement, please visit: http://www.shanamartin.com/dev/hd.htm

2006-12-06T16:58:00.000-06:00

Shana in Newsweek Magazine This Week!

I am featured (I believe it is just a brief blurb) in this week’s Newsweek Magazine! It is the one with “Will Bush Listen?” on the cover (how ironic). If you flip to the story about genetic testing “Peering into the Future: Genetic Testing” I should have a few quotes there. I did quite a long interview with them. Although, if it is anything like my spot on the Tonight Show… I’m not expecting much. :) Part of the article can be found online: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16006193/site/newsweek/

If you read the article and have any questions or comments for me about Huntington ’s disease, please let me know.

2006-11-13T23:26:00.000-06:00

Good Times, Great Friends

I am truly blessed with wonderful friends. I just looked back on my weekend, and realized how much fun I am having right now. First, on Thursday night, Ken and I were invited to a wedding in Costa Rica with the whole vet school crew... who despite the fact I am nowhere near as bright as any of them, have adopted me as a friend. I know that week in paradise will be amazing, especially since I will be spending it with such cool people!

Friday I got to work with my new friend Kari. Yeah for new friends! She is just a sweetheart and ALWAYS makes me smile. One of the first times we spent time together, she bought me a caramel apple out of the blue because I had mentioned I love them. I know it was a small gesture, but it really made my day.

Friday night Ken had to go to bed early, so my friends Peter, Nate, and Chris took me in for the evening. Even though we did absolutely nothing the entire evening, it was more fun than I've had in a long time. Sometimes just being with people that are great is all you need.

Saturday my dad drove a bunch of log rollers and myself up to Hudson, WI for a tournament. And yes, even though they are small, I consider each one of those rollers a great friend. They all had a wonderful time and competed really well. One of the highlights of my weekend was getting a chance to see some of my dearest log rolling buddies, Jamie, Kevin, and Jill. We played Trivial Pursuit and went bowling. Kevin's balls smell like grapes. Gotta love it. I don't think I stopped smiling all night. I look forward to seeing my log rolling friends all winter long... so seeing them in the off season is such a treat! (Yes, I said treat... sounding more and more like grandma every day!)

Sunday I spent the day with the love of my life and my closest friend. All Ken and I did was go shopping, eat lunch, and read magazines, but it was such quality time. I'm so lucky to have somebody who makes me feel so special.

Lastly was the big decision that I had to make last week. Which has a LOT to do with friendship. My best friend Erin is getting married on June 30th, and I was lucky enough to get to be the maid of honor. Erin and I have been best friends for over 10 years, and have always talked about being a part of each other's weddings. I just found out the STIHL Timbersport Series qualifiers are being held in Alabama on the exact same day. By missing this I'm missing out on competing in the sport I love for TWO separate competitions, (you can't compete at finals in Stillwater if you don't place at the qualifiers in Alabama) probably a chance at sponsorship, and a few bucks. I love lumberjack sports. And I love the people I compete with. This made it a tough decision at first... until I laid it all out in my mind. Erin is my best friend in the entire world. You only get one best friend, and she only gets one wedding day. What kind of friend would miss that? A horrible one. I can boom run any year. I can make money in many different ways (keep those wise cracks to yourself). And why should I let a quest for sponsorship take over why I do these sports in the first place? I will still have many other contests next summer, and best of all, I will have the joy of seeing my best friend walk down the aisle with the most amazing man ever. So log rollers... I love you all and will see you a few times next summer, but Erin takes priority.

This whole long blog just barely scratches the surface of how my friends have made a difference in my life. I sure am lucky, eh?

2006-11-13T23:02:00.000-06:00

2006-10-30T11:24:00.000-06:00

Rush Makes me Sick

2006-10-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

I'm So Embarrassed

I'm sorry if you stayed up tonight to watch the Tonight Show. I guess they didn't like me enough to keep me in the segment...
Sorry.

2006-10-03T17:15:00.000-05:00

Shana on the Tonight Show THIS WEDNESDAY!

My dream of being on the Tonight Show is finally coming true! So it may only be for a few seconds, and it's not live in the studio... but it's better than nothing! Here is the note from my excited daddy:

Hey Everyone,
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is finally going to air the segment with Shana filmed at the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wisconsin. Mark your calendars and watch, or set your VCRs to record.
The segment with Shana will air on the Tonight Show this Wednesday, October 4. The segment was filmed with Ross the Intern and will air during the first half hour of the show, usually right after Jay's monologue. The part with Shana shows her trying to teach Ross how to log roll.
Don't miss it!

2006-09-20T10:35:00.000-05:00

Weddings are FUN!

Last weekend Jamie and Jill were married! And what a BLAST of a wedding it was! The wedding was held in Stillwater, MN and most of the lumberjack crew attended. It was so strange to see all of us dressed up… but kind of neat too!
The ceremony was beautiful. Because I had to work in the morning, I packed my bags quickly, rushed up to Stillwater, had about 10 minutes to shower and get ready at the hotel, and then booked it to the church. I made it just in time for Jill to walk down the aisle (sorry about that Jill!) and I was glad I did… she was absolutely beautiful! I then realized I was wearing two completely different shoes. Way to go Shana! So between the ceremony and reception I was the best dressed person at Target buying new shoes, earrings, and a purse. I also had some time to throw on some make-up. The reception was probably the most fun I’ve had all summer; and I’ve never danced so much in my life! Every once in awhile I would stop and look at all of my awesome friends… and felt so damn lucky! I honestly have some of the greatest friends in the world. They are the reason log rolling is the best sport ever. The only thing that would have made the night better would have been if Ken was able to make it! Slow dances were a bit depressing… haha. So thank you Jamie and Jill, for such a great time.

Saturday I drove home and took at stop at the new outlet mall in the Wisconsin Dells. I hate shopping. I really do. BUT (Ken will agree to this) Nike Outlet Store + Shana = Bad news. Luckily I did not break my bank account with this particular visit. :)

Sunday Ken and I mapped out the course for the “Canines For A Cure” Dog Run/Walk this coming Saturday. The people at the park thought we were totally insane for driving all over the place over and over again. One ranger even stopped us to see if we needed directions! But we successfully mapped out the two mile course. And just an FYI… you need a permit to play Frisbee Golf. If you don’t have one, you WILL get caught. Promise. Anyway, if you are free this Saturday, PLEASE COME TO THE CANINES FOR A CURE DOG RUN/WALK AT TOKEN CREEK PARK! Even if you don’t have a dog, the humane society is bringing some homeless doggies who would LOVE to go for a stroll. For more information, or to register, please visit: http://www.hdsa.org/wisconsindogwalk

Alrightly… time for work!

2006-09-07T08:01:00.000-05:00

Bike, Juice, Canines, and Steve Irwin

Today Ken surprised me with a NEW BIKE! How cool is that? His hobby is making old junky bikes new and ridable. He built me a mountain bike! I've never had one before, so today I had fun biking through large potholes and on and off the curb. :)

Speaking of new things, I finally fell victim to an infomercial. I purchased the Jack LaLane Juice Express Juicer. But, in my own defense, I have wanted a juicer for awhile, and I got this one on e-bay at a really great price. Hopefully it works! Let me know if you have any cool juicing recipes.

On the topic of juice (I have some great segways today!) I need to start eating WAY healthier. After log rolling season ended, it's been a downhill cascade. Thank got I work out a lot, otherwise I would be a BLIMP! So tomorrow out comes the food diary. If you are ever looking for the best way in the world to get your eating in check, record EVERYTHING you eat for one week. It can be a royal pain, but it really makes you think about what you put in your mouth.

The past few weekends have flown by in a huge blur. I've gotten much more involved with the Huntington's Disease Society of America, so I have had the opportunity to travel to all of the local events. So far the Dowell Family and Melissa Worthington have made a HUGE difference in our local HD community. Our next big adventure: “CANINES FOR A CURE” coming up on Saturday, September 23rd. If you have ANY interest in taking your dog for a 2 mile walk or run, this event will be a BLAST. If you don't have a dog, the Dane and Columbia County Humane Societys will be on hand with homeless pups who would love to go for a stroll. For more information, or to sign up, please visit: http://www.hdsa.org/wisconsindogwalk

This has been such a lazy labor day weekend... and I LOVE it! I got quite a bit of house cleaning and other odd jobs out of the way. Yesterday we finally went to see Pirates 2 and were totally disappointed. Thank god I at least got to look at Orlando Bloom for a few hours, otherwise it would have been a COMPLETE waste! Last night we went over to Peter's and played a mean game of Kinetics. If you haven't seen this play station game... go try it! It could possibly put all personal trainers out of business (highly unlikely) but it is so worth the money. We played most of the combat games, and almost threw up we were so tired! That was followed by hours of jumping on trampolines in the rain. Probably not a bright idea, but Ken and Peter have knack for danger. Today we slept in insanely late, did some cleaning, then went for bike ride. Other than the fact I have to go to work at 6am tomorrow... life is good!

On a sad note, I've been pretty down about the loss of Steve Irwin. This world is already too short on happy, positive, caring people. Now we have lost another. Luckily he was doing what he loved.

2006-08-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

Climbing Mt. Rainier for HD

Eric Licht is climbing a MOUNTAIN to raise money and awareness for Huntington's Disease.
Wow, swimming lakes, rolling logs, doing triathlons what an amazing group of people out to help find a cure for Huntington's disease. Even if you dont have any money to donate, check out this firstgiving website and forward it to your friends. He has some wonderful things to say.
http://www.firstgiving.com/ericlicht

Sincerely, Shana Martin http://www.shanamartin.com

2006-08-11T18:11:00.000-05:00

Team Hoyt... an Inspiration

http://www.teamhoyt.com/
I’m sitting here in tears watching the videos and reading the bio.
This man reminds me so much of my dad, I think that is why I’m crying while I read. My dad did (and does) everything he could to keep my mom’s life normal. Of course, he doesn’t do triathlons (that’s my bag of chips, not his) but he never gave a crap about what others said my mom could and could not do. He took us to Egypt when she was already getting close to advanced stages!

So if you need a bit of inspiration in ANYTHING you do, take a break from your day and check out Team Hoyt.

2006-08-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

Volunteers Needed for Ironman Wisconsin!

Volunteers are needed to cheer on Ironmen (and Ironwomen!) on the Run Course for Ironman Wisconsin! As in previous years, I am hosting an aid station at or near the Kohl Center. We need volunteers to help hand out food and drink, and cheer like mad! This is a great way to get involved in the action, plus you will get a nifty Ironman T-Shirt and an invitation to the volunteer party!

All volunteers at the aid station will get food (usually sandwiches, chips, etc.) and are guaranteed to have a blast. If you sign up for the last shift, you may even be able to take home as much fruit, Gatorade, and water and your heart desires!

To volunteer for my station, simply visit: https://www.wsdcregistration.com/volIMWaiver.jsp agree to the waiver, and continue on! If you have not helped out in the past you will need to register as a new volunteer. Once you get registered, enter the following info:

Event: Ironman
Category: Run
Area: Aid Station
Sub Area: Kohl Center
Duty: General Aid Station Support
Day: Sunday
Time: Select the time that works best for you!

I will be in touch with all volunteers via e-mail before the event.

Every aid station receives a certain amount of money to donate to a fund of choice. This year's donation will go to the Madison Log Rolling Program...to help purchase new logs, and hopefully host a major tournament at some point. We also have an opportunity to earn even more money by being the most enthusiastic aid station. I’ll be in touch with everybody regarding a theme.

Overall it should be a SUPER fun day. Everybody from last year had a blast. I look forward to seeing you all in September!

Sincerely,
Shana Martin
http://www.shanamartin.com

2006-07-26T08:14:00.000-05:00

World Champion... at last.

Last weekend was nothing short of exhausting, both mentally and physically. Right off the bat I had to roll Taylor Duffy, and Abby Hoeshler. I hadn't rolled against Taylor in five years, and Abby has a habit of beating me on a regular basis. Needless to say I was super nervous. Luckily both matches had a great outcome. In semi finals, I had to roll Jenny Atkinson, last year's world champion. She smoked me the weekend before in La Crosse, so I wasn't expecting much. I ended up taking the match three falls straight! Then, I had to wait two days before finals. Next up: boom running. This particular boom run was not one of my favorites. If you even looked at these lathe-turned logs funny, they would spin you off into the water. Thus I fell in for both time trials and didn't make it to the finals for the ILRA boom. I was a bit sad at first, but it was nothing a pint of Ben and Jerry's couldn't make feel better. Plus, I still had the log rolling finals, and the STIHL Timbersports boom run to compete in.
Saturday the only event I had to compete in was one boom run against Tanya Fischer for the Quarter Finals of the STIHL Timbersports boom run. It was a VERY close race, but I pulled it off without falling in. That night us “party animals” (aka. people too young to drink, and people to old to want to drink) went over to Jamie's and played with the the puppies. They also tried unsuccessfully (again!) to teach me poker. It was a really fun night with great friends.
Sunday morning Jamie and I warmed up at his house. It was a little less stressful than being at the arena. After several other exciting finals matches, I was finally up against Lizzie. She exhausted me to the point where I thought I wouldn't finish the match, but luckily I was able to win three falls straight. After this emotional roller coaster, I kind of started to cry. I got flashbacks of going to Hayward with my mom and dad, watching the professional rollers hoping to one day become a world champion. Up until this year, I seriously doubted it was possible. Then I cried because I knew my mom wanted this for me so much, but couldn't be there to see it. I will show her the video when I get it, but it still won't be the same. Quite the moment, let me tell you.
Later that day we ran the semi finals and finals for the STIHL Timbersports boom run. Needless to say Mandy smoked me in semis (I fell in AGAIN). I ran against Jenny for third and fourth, and luckily for me SHE fell in. So I took my time, had a clean run, and went home with third place. I was pretty pumped, because I had NO expectations for this boom run.
All in all it was a GREAT weekend, just very exhausting. I'm still trying to recover! But before I get the chance to recover, it's off to Hayward tomorrow afternoon. Woof!
I need to thank some incredible people: Olivia (for being the greatest training partner and fellow Madison log roller ever), Ken (for being such a supportive boyfriend and coach), John Hallett and Kent Kallsen (for getting me started in this stuff), and of course, my parents, for taking me to all of the tournaments, and emphasizing that FUN should be the key in this sport, not winning. My amazing parents are my inspiration for everything.

2006-07-06T18:49:00.000-05:00

A Great Weekend... and Another Win!

Last weekend was another great one with the boom boom girls. I swear, I couldn’t be luckier to have a great group of friends like them. We are all so unique, yet get along so well.
I flew into Nashville, TN on Thursday night, and then drove down to Decatur, Alabama fairly late. STIHL gave us all suites at the Country Inn hotel! Thank god, because it was too hot to do anything other than sit in our rooms!
I did a media appearance with Jenny on Friday morning, and managed to fall in on the boom and make an idiot of myself. But hey, I’m good at that. During the day Friday I picked a few folks up at the airport, and hung by the pool with Katie. Normally, I would love a day hanging by the pool, but when it’s over 100 degrees and humid, even the pool isn’t refreshing. I got some great reading in though. One of my clients John Kovalic writes comic books. I finally got the time to read some of them, and I just LOVE them! He’s a very talented man.
Saturday and Sunday were hot days of competition. We were all so close it was amazing. Luckily I pulled it off on Sunday and was the winner. But man were we all close! The difference between first and seventh place was under one second! I was most impressed with Lizzie, Olivia, and Maggie’s boom running. Lizzie stepped it up to hold the fastest time of the weekend, but I lucked out with the brackets. Olivia has finally turned herself into a rock solid boom runner. No more trips for her! And Maggie had one of the most amazing runs of her life, despite the fact she doesn’t have anything like a boom run out in Hermosa Beach, California. I still don’t feel sorry for her though, she gets to live in Southern Cali!
Sunday night we drove into Madison, Alabama (Decatur doesn’t sell liquor on Sundays… bad for them, we could have done quite a favor for their local economy!) and I was DD as usual. We took over a little bar, and had a blast! I got to meet some pretty cool new folks, and laughed my ass off watching the others play flip cup. This little Alabama town didn’t know what hit it!
So now I’m back in Madison, and training hard for the next three contests this year. Only three more! Summer totally flies by.

Upcoming contest dates:
Saturday July 15th: Waterford Valley Contest - La Crosse, Wisconsin
Friday July 21st – Sunday July 23rd: STIHL Timbersport Finals, and ILRA World Championships – Stillwater, Minnesota
Friday July 28th – Sunday July 30th: Lumberjack World Championships – Hayward, WI
And log rolling classes all summer long here in Madison!

Here is a short write-up about the event:
http://www.stihltimbersports.com/current/2006/dailyrep_decatur2.html

2006-07-06T18:42:00.000-05:00

Pictures from the Midwest Log Rolling Championships 6/26/06:
Photo Credit: Jim Berkvam

2006-06-28T11:49:00.000-05:00

Great Start to the Lumberjacking Season!

The Midwest Log Rolling Championships finished with yet another successful year! This year’s tournament was a fundraiser for the Huntington’s Disease Society of America – Great Lakes Region. Through competitor entries, donations, and sponsor donations, we raised well over $1000, and money is still coming in!

On top of the fund raising success, the competitors had a blast as well! We grilled out, played games in the park, rented canoes, and gave away prizes! Hopefully many new friendships were made.

The professionals also had an exciting day of competition. Many great matches and huge upsets made this quite a spectator event!

So congrats and thank you to everybody who made it out to Madison last Saturday. I hope everybody had a blast, while raising money for a great cause. Look out for an even bigger event next year!

The tournament was a HUGE success thanks to the many volunteers: George Martin, Ken Goldrick, Olivia Judd, Kevin Trauscht, Alex Waite, Larry Waite, Doug Goodmanson, Chris Fischer, Travis Wells, John Worthington, Melissa Worthington, Phil Olsen, and the Swansons!

Also a huge thank you goes out to our sponsors: Wingra Canoe and Sailing Center, Flad and Associates, Pasqual’s Salsaria, Noah’s Ark Water Park, Mt. Olympus Water and Theme Park, and Trek Bicycle Store.

USLRA Log Rolling Final Results

Midwest Log Rolling Championships Madison, WI

July 24th, 2006

U7 Coed

1^st Allie Peterson

2^nd Rachel Ellis

3^rd Tanner Hallett

4^th Bria Peterson

5^th Sam Rawson

6^th Andrew Serpico

U10 Girls

1^st Kestra Peterson

2^nd Gretchen Greene

3^rd Monica Delgado

4^th Lilah Swanson

5^th Amy James

U13 Girls

1^st Amber Scarborough

2^nd Nikki Niewold

3^rd Sage Swanson

4^th Abigail Cahill

5^th Maya Webne- Behrman

6^th KoraJane Merchak

7^th Kate Wellenstein

U17 Girls

1^st Karli Heintz

2^nd Fiona Cahill

3^rd Rita Anderson

4^th Andrea Serpico

Adult Novice

1^st Ken Goldrick

2^nd Erin Withwski

3^rd Ken Merchak

4^th Jeff Steinhauer

5^th Marcus Gordon

6^th Bob Swanson

7^th Jackie Wendegatz

8^th Daniel Phillips

9^th Chris Serpico

U10 Boys

1^st Garrick Olsen

2^nd Torrin Hallett

3^rd Konnor Merchak

4^th Kollon Merchak

5^th Nash Hadle (Tie)

6^th Dominik Serpico (Tie)

U17 Boys

1^st Aaron Yeshe

2^nd Will Hoeshler

3^rd Cody Ring

4^th Kenny Merchak

Women’s Pro

1^st Shana Martin

2^nd Jenny Atkinson

3^rd Mandy Erdmann

4^th Katie Rick

5^th Taylor Duffy

6^th Lizzy Hoeshler

7^th Crystal Salzman

8^th Leah Stanton

9^th Olivia Judd

Men’s Pro

1^st Travis Wells

2^nd Tyler Fischer

3^rd Jacob Rick

4^th Doug Goodmundson

5^th John Hallett

6^th Alex Waite

7^th Kevin Trascht

Women’s Boom Run

1^st Shana Martin (14.47)

2^nd Katie Rick (16.92)

3^rd Jenny Atkinson (20.42)

4^th Lizzie Hoeshler (21.24)

5^th Mandy Erdmann (21.33)

6^th Crystal Salzman (22.20)

7^th Taylor Duffy (26.48)

Men’s Boom Run

1^st Tyler Fischer (13.09)

2^nd Doug Goodmundson (13.68)

3^rd Jacob Rick (13.77)

4^th Alex Waite (13.83)

5^th Kevin Trauscht (14.46)

6^th Ken Goldrick (21.22)

7^th Travis Wells (25.55)

2006-06-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

LUMBERJACKS AND JILLS “RUN AND ROLL” FOR CHARITY

Logrollers and boom runners from all over the US compete for rankings while raising money to battle Huntington’s Disease

WHAT:
Nationally ranked and recognized lumbersport athletes will compete in the Midwest Logrolling Championship in Madison, WI while raising money for the Great Lakes region of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.

WHEN:
Saturday, June 24th,2006
Amateurs begin at 12 noon. Professionals begin at 2:30 p.m.

WHERE:
Wingra Canoe and Sailing Center
824 Knickerbocker Street
Madison, WI 53711

WHO:
Some of the lumbersport athletes that will be participating in the competition include:
Lizzie Hoeschler – 2004 Log Rolling World Champion
Mandy Erdmann - Six time ESPN Great Outdoor Games gold medalist in the Boom Run.
Jenny Atkinson – 2005 Log Rolling World Champion and 1995 and 1996 Boom Run World Champion.
Shana Martin – 2004 ESPN Great Outdoor Games Mix Double Boom Run Gold Medalist and 2005 STIHL Timbersport Series Boom Run Champion.

Sponsors – Event sponsors include Flad and Associates, Mount Olympus Water and Theme Park, Pasqual's Southwestern Restaurant and Noah's Ark Waterpark.

NOTE:
Pre-event interviews are available with Shana Martin, lumbersport athlete, event organizer and at-risk for Huntington's Disease and/or Melissa Worthington, Regional Director for the Huntington's Disease Society of America, Great Lakes.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the research and treatment of individuals living with Huntington’s Disease, a degenerative brain disorder for which there is no treatment or cure. One of the competitors in the tournament, Shana Martin, is at risk for developing this deadly disease. Her website is located at: http://www.shanamartin.com

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America is a national non-profit health agency dedicated to finding a cure for Huntington’s Disease (HD) while providing vital support, information and educational services to improve the lives of those affected with HD. Through a national network of volunteer-based chapters and affiliates, the organization provides resources and guidance for families of those suffering from the disease. For additional information, please visit www.hdsa.org.