Meet the 2008 Team


Another year, another training camp, and new faces and personalities to meet and gel with.
The cast of characters this year have 2 foreigners, me from Jamaica and Tiff from Australia, and 8 Americans. As far as staff, we have two Jacks: Big Jack and Little Jack. To differentiate the two, I suggested referring to the mechanic as JT since his name is Jack Turner, but this met with some resistance from Andrea and Shontelle as in their minds, JT refers to none other than Justin Timberlake. Alrighty, was not aware that we grown women had such keen insight into the pop culture of America much less the fond attachment, so I am still the only one who refers to Big Jack as JT.
Little Jack is Jack Seehafer, our Director. He gets to be called Jack plain and straight.


So, in alphabetical order then, I shall introduce them:

Dotsie Bausch (Dots):
used to be Cowden until she married almost 3 years ago).This is Dotsie's 4th year on the team and she is the one that is decalled on the team car and van. What
always makes me giggle this year so far is that the men's team is using the van with her picture on it and I always find it funny to see them come piling out of the van with her picture on it. Anyway. So, Dots always gets the usual rap about her being a model previously etc, and I'm sure she is very over that, but its true that people always want to see her up close! I can always count on her to have a drop of red with me, and she is good for some great giggles while on the road. Her talents are at prologues and TT's and climbing races. She has two little munchkin dogs that are so tiny that they wouldn't even be a scooby snack for my cat Smushy. Great products. A girly girl that surprises people when they find out she is also down to earth.

Tiffany Cromwell (Tiff, Tiny Dancer, and yes, she will play the Elton John song): is our little
Ozzie recruit from last year. She does half the year with us and then goes to Europe in the summer to join her AIS team from Australia for some of the European circuit. She is a noted climber and has a pretty good finishing kick, but really she brings freshness to the team as she is not even 20 and forces us to remember what that was like. Except, nowadays, the technology these young things come with is INSANE....she does all of our IT. Quite a knowledgeable, worldly young thing this one - its VERY irritating that she should be so aware at this age as we are constantly reminded that we SO weren't this clued in when we were 19. Always up for "a bit of fun" as she puts it.....it makes us do the same. Loves pink. A girly-girl with a bit of grit.

Andrea Dvorak (Dre):
her second year on the team, she is a bar-passed lawyer, but doesn't
practice law, nor does it appear that she ever intends to. In fact, she possesses a mild disdain for the profession, and amuses herself making fun of it while enjoying the satisfaction of having attained the same education level. She and her husband Peter have a peculiar penchant for body-slamming type dancing, or maybe its the result of them loving the type of dance music that requires a certain amount of blackness, which they have not the slightest amount of, to be able to carry off that kind of skill. She keeps us amused with her neurotic funniness. Strengths on the bike: climbing, and LATELY... (Whoah!) criterium racing. An in between tomboyish-girly girl....she wants to be girly sometimes, but sometimes we have to force her out of her sweats.

Shontelle Gaultier (SG):
is a new team member this year. She is our second sprinter on the team behind Tina. She is always asking questions and checking and double-checking things. First impression: Dots and I were scared! ha! but, although she comes off as tough and all
business, she has a great sense of humour and we already found out she is a softie that covers it up well. I think she has uttered Jack's name ten million times already, (Jaaaaaaack!) as she always has questions; planning, organizing, etc. Constantly missing her magnet on the wheel that goes with the SRM, yep, she has the SRM-mania....She is from Louisiana, but home is Texas, and she helps people who can't manage their own finances, lives etc for various different reasons, through a company back in Austin. She is one of those "helpers" off the bike too, in the homestays, on the raod etc. Funny, Tina has the same trait...wouldn't think it normally of sprinters..... A definate tomboy girl, yet, has the kind of clothes that are understated cool quality.

Kristin McGrath (KMAC):
another newbie this year. She comes from a soccer and swimming background and still is young in this sport. Her strength is in climbing and obviously has a big engine that will continue to develop as the years go on. She hails from Colorado, but got the
Southern experience going to college in Tennessee. She is also another one that goes with the flow smoothly on the team, and actually feels almost as if she has been with us a longer time than just this year. Also loves pink. An enviro natural girly girl.

Tina Pic (Bobina):
Ok, I really don't even know where to start. She is the one that I will fall off my bike laughing with. And over really stupid stuff. The kind of stuff you can't repeat because people won't get it, and then they look at you weirdly. She cares about racing and the team members so much and is the anti-primadonna. She is a flapper. She is always flapping about, getting nervous over nothing as she always is more than fine in the races anyway. Always
gives her time to people at races: fans, sponsors, etc. The best person to work for a result, always gives credit when due to the team members that have helped her get the win and fights for them at contract time when people may be overlooked as they have no "impressive" results to show for their teamwork. Kind of the same as Andrea, a tomboyish, wants to be girly sometimes, have to force her out of her carpenter jeans type of girl.

Alison Powers (AliP/ AliWong):
Second year on the team, but she will be doing more stuff with the National Team based in Europe probably than stateside with us. She came over from
downhill skiing and has crazy descending skills as a result. She doesn't make note of the climbs on a course, she makes note of the descents as to when she can attack them and hopefully drop some people. She dreams of living and racing in Europe and is already on the right track to making that transition. Discovered coffee last year and loves the frothy milk, loves good cappuccinos in Italy, prone to having a cow if she doesn't get food in her almost immediately after training and racing......if this is satiated, she is a pretty happy person that likes to observe life and its funnies. A cross between tomboyish/natural girl. She likes to be comfortable, mostly always looks sporty.

Nicole Wangsgard (Wangsy / Nikki):
New to the team, but not to the peloton. She has I think
guest ridden for every team possible, but finally has her own home in a team where she is fitting in well. Very easy going, she loves racing and although she looks as skinny as a beanpole, she has a surprising kick! She has a job as a full-time university professor (special ed) in Utah, so she does that in the week and then joins us on weekends. I don't know whether her students know about her tattoos etc. They probably think she is some kind of nerd, not this double life she is leading. Tomboyish girl, definately, with a bit of a noir edge to her. Except, it looks feminine on her due to her lithe body....







McKenzie Woodring (Kenzie):
Tina and I plucked this one
out of the North Michigan woods last September when we happened to guestride for the then Priority Health team at a race in her home town. We literally went for a spin with her prrior to the race and just about croaked trying to keep up. She is a talented climber who also has power for criterium style courses. Very shy at first, but when you do get to know her she is so funny and easy going., She is an engineer and works full time, so she comes to select races according to her schedule, plus, she will be riding better later in the season as it isn't exactly warm in Traverse City during the winter time as we know! Another tomboyish girl, but this one has the classic JCrew-ish type of understatement.

Iona Wynter Parks:
and finally, me. I am the other foreigner, from Jamaica, but because I live in the US and have been around a fair bit, and my husband is American, I think people forget I
am not American. Especially when Downers Grove comes around, people expect I will be going to help Tina, when of course, non Americans are not allowed to do that race. So, lets see, I used to teach French full time at a private school while doing the cycling circuit, but this year will be the first I will be doing cycling with no teaching. Looking forward to being less tired this year. I haven't done any full-time training and racing since I was a full time triathlete (aeons ago). I went to the Olympics for triathlon and then quit it cold turkey, took the teaching position and switched to cycling. This is my 3rd year with the team. I would say that each of the girls i have described has something in their personality that satisfies all my personality aspects: you know, kind of like your regular friends.....you have girly shopping type of friends, serious or professional friends, goober or goofy friends....I can be all these things with this team. Best of all, they all put up with (or laugh at) my morning grumpiness when I can't get a strong cup of coffee in my hands quickly enough.......I am a cross between tomboyish in the sense of the understated type clothes, but girly-ish with the maintenance....leaving the house without mascara is just NOT done.


Jack Seehafer:
Alright, experience as a bike racer, check. Experience as a bike racer in Europe, check. Experience managing a team before, check. Experience with the courses and races in the US, check. But probably the greatest asset Jack brings to the running of a women's team is that he is the husband of an American racer and he has felt the pain, the ups and downs, highs and lows and ins and outs of the women's peloton via his wife's experiences. He knows the players in this game, but even more importantly, he knows what is needed to
take care of us and ensure we don't fall into "cracking" mode. What he has seen work for his wife, he tries to apply to us as female racers too. He understands the equipment needed in the sport, understands the sport and can handle the quirks of many women operating in a close knit environment together. On the road. Different personalities and needs and modes of operating. He gets the job done and makes sure these aspects are taken care of. When the racing is finished and the riders are well fed, hydrated, happy and have a good place to sleep, he relaxes with his beer, before it all starts again the next day.

Jack Turner (JT):
Hails from Boulder, used to have a bike shop, sold that and the stress of it and keeps it all very low key on the road. Not a flapper. Definately is very chill and gets to it patiently and methodically. Can deal with all the personalities without ever losing his cool. Has lived in many places and always has a calm perspective to bring to any situation.

1 comment:

Mike C said...

Love the blogs,something to read on these cold winter nights down under

Cheers