Loon State Cyclists TSH Donation Match Challenge

TSH & LSC Members: John, Melinda, Amy, Jay

Loon State Cyclists graciously offers Donation Match Challenge to Team Strong Heart -- TSH is in the final stages of planning and fundraising as we count down the days to our June 6th departure for Oceanside, CA and the RAAM starting line.

Loon State Cyclists Management Team have generously offered to match dollar-for-dollar (up to $500) any cash donation to support TSH's mission in 2008 RAAM competition. Each $500 of donation will support one kid who has suffered heart disease to be able to participate in Camp Odayin.

With great appreciation, TSH has happily accepted the challenge and has already started reaching out to the public for this final charity fundraising effort.

As members of Loon States Cyclists ourselves, the TSH riders are more than proud that our own team extended this matching funds challenge. We want to thank those LSC members who have participated in our team's earlier fundraising indoor rides and individual donations.

We would like to encourage anyone who is considering donating to Team Strong Heart to take this opportunity to really make your donation count!

For tax records, donations to Team Strong Heart are to be made to SILENT SPORTS FOUNDATION, a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and cash donations to Silent Sports Foundation are 100% tax deductible. The checks should be mailed to:

Silent Sports Foundation
P.O. Box 2827
Minneapolis, MN 55402

Online donations are also available. Online donations can be made with a credit or debit card by clicking the "Donate" button located on the Team Strong Heart web site.

Thanks for your support!

Team Strong Heart Forever
2008 RAAM Four-person Team
Amy, Melinda, John, & Jay

We need you!

That's right! just like Uncle Sam... Team Strong Heart needs you!

We need to fill at least two (2) support crew positions for our four-person team. These positions are volunteer spots. What we are offering is transportation with the team, hotel lodging before and after the race, daily meal per diem, and an adventure of a life time! Help us complete our mission for Camp Odayin!

We will leave on Friday June 6 and return the weekend of June 21st. Essentially two full weeks of your time is required. If you have the time and this event sounds like something you would like to support, we need to hear from you!

Please contact us at: teamstrongheart@gmail.com

Tim Case Feature Article

Check it out! Tim Case is featured in Yellow Scene Magazine, an arts and entertainment mag in the Denver area.

Tim, of course, is the Team Strong Heart RAAM soloist. You can read more about Tim by clicking here.

You can check out the Yellow Scene Magazine feature on Tim by clicking here.

Crew Members Still Needed!

Team Strong Heart is seeking crew members for the 2008 Race Across America (RAAM). We need your help! If you are even just thinking about crewing, contact us, we would be happy to answer any questions. Contact us at teamstrongheart@gmail.com

TSH is looking for people who are interested in taking part as crew members in the 2008 RAAM race this coming June. We are hoping to find ten responsible team-oriented individuals who are willing to crew the four person TSH team as we race the 3000 miles from Oceanside California to Annapolis Maryland (Washing DC).

Crew members will help man an RV and two other vehicles that will act as living quarters and support vehicles as the team races across the country (around the clock).

A crew member is a volunteer position, but crew members will receive a daily meal per diem, team apparel (tee-shirts, socks) and a heck of a story to tell when it's over!

The dates for this adventure are Friday, June 6th through the weekend of June 21.

The journey will take you from Minneapolis to California, across the entire country to Maryland, and then back to Minnesota.

If being a RAAM crew member for Team Strong Heart sounds like something you are interested in, we want to hear from you! OR, if you know someone who might be interested, please let them know about this opportunity ASAP.

Contact us at teamstrongheart@gmail.com with any questions or to express your interest in being a TSH crew member.

Thank you! We hope to hear from you.

Team Strong Heart Forever
Amy, Melinda, John, & Jay

Strategery!

Big pow-wow today among the core Team Strong Heart members. April snow prohibited any real road work simulation, but a very thorough planning session did take place. This proved to be very important. Crew members Sandy and Bill inspire so much confidence. Team Strong Heart is very blessed to have these individuals!

2008 Team Strong Heart Apperal!

For 2008 Team Strong Heart will offer the following items.

2008 TSH RAAM Bike Jerseys - $65

2008 TSH RAAM Bike Shorts - $65 (bib shorts +$5)

Both men's & women's sizing is available from Mt. Borah!

Team Strong Heart Socks by Sock Guy - $10

Team Strong Heart Tee-shirts - $14

Contact TeamStrongHeart@gmail.com to place your order. Please specify your size and quantity.

Thank you!

Race Across America - RAAM & the TSH Mission

If ever there was the quintessential definition of the word epic, the Race Across America would come dang close. Simply put, RAAM is a beast. The statistics and logistics for this race almost escape comprehension. The object is to literally race across the United States of America, coast-to-coast, non-stop, over 3000 miles!

This June, Team Strong Heart in its quest to fulfill its pledge to Camp Odayin is going to take on this beast and do it in honor of the kids at Camp Odayin. It is the Team Strong Heart mission and pledge to raise awareness for Camp Odayin and donate funding to support services for the campers.

The kids that use the Camp Odayin services are extraordinary, each of them has experienced heart disease in some form. Camp Odayin is extraordinary as well. Outside of a $25 registration fee, camp services are provided at no cost to the families of these children. At Camp Odayin the motto is: Kids play, worries rest, fun happens. Team Strong Heart wholeheartedly supports Camp Odayin.

For the 2008 RAAM race Team Strong Heart will be represented by two squads. Tim Case, returning member of the 2007 four-man team will compete as a soloist. As if RAAM were not beastly enough, Tim is going to take on this Goliath on his own! Tim will rely on his racing background and his previous RAAM experience when he takes on this massive task. You can support Tim and follow his preparations by clicking here.

The second squad is a four-person mixed team made up of RAAM newcomers Amy Xu, Melinda Silbernick, John Rotach, and Jay Thompson. Each of these cyclists have years of riding and racing experience and hope to combine these experiences to work as a team to take on RAAM.

Each team will be challenged by a week or more of non-stop riding. Together with their crews they will traverse 13 states and make their way from the start at Oceanside, California to the finish in Annapolis, Maryland. Along the way each squad will have to acclimate to non-stop travel as they try to work, eat, rest, recover, and RACE!

We hope that you will find Team Strong Heart interesting and inspiring enough to continue following our preparations and progress as the 2008 RAAM race approaches.

It is out goal to gain your support as we work toward accomplishing our mission for Camp Odayin. Please check back often to read updates and hear news about Team Strong Heart.

Thank you for visiting!


Team Strong Heart
Tim Case - Team Strong Heart Soloist
Amy, Melinda, John, & Jay - TSH Four-person mixed Team

Fundraiser Raffle Now Underway!

Team Strong Heart is having a raffle. Please support us by buying a ticket (or more). Tickets can be purchased for $5 each from Team Strong Heart members.

See all the details here.

Minnesota prohibits raffle tickets being sold online. For ticket purchase availability contact velogeek@gmail.com

I will be happy to see that you have an opportunity to purchase a TSH raffle ticket. Thank You!!

Click here for the entire prize list

TSH Reality Check

top: Neil, Melinda Bottom: Amy, John

Team Strong Heart 12-hr Training Session
Saturday, March 1^st – Sunday, March 2^nd
9:00pm – 9:00am
Amy’s basement
Amy, Melinda, John (representing the 2008 TSH)
Neil, Bill (representing the 2007 TSH)

This was a fun and interesting exercise. Good team building as we all were thrown into the basement together for 12 hours.

The plan going in was to be “on” the first 4 hours, try to sleep the next 4 and then finish “on” for the last 4. On would mean ride for 30 minutes at a decent effort, then rest 30 minutes. Repeat this for the 4 hour shift. After the 1^st two 30 minute efforts we realized this was much too long. Especially riding inside. After 15 minutes of riding we were counting every minute until we hit 30. When we were off, after about 15-20 minutes we were restless and ready to ride again. And getting back on after 30 minutes off had us completely warming up all over again.

After the 1^st two 30 minute on/off efforts we decided to go to a 15/15 format. This seemed to work much better as we were able to go hard for 15 without burning up and 15 off the bike seemed to balance well the rest time with the concern of staying warm. After talking with Bernie and Neil we realized that this is what they ended up doing (for the most part) during their race last year. They traded 5 mile efforts which ended up right around 15 minutes.

Neil and Bill showed up for the first 4-hour session and were very supportive. Neil is always a joy to ride with and Bill is a wealth of knowledge, offered great conversation and was the only one to think of taking pictures. Thank you to both of you.

Sleeping and eating on this journey will be exercises in adaptation and even this small circus allowed us to test a little bit. Rotisserie chicken and summer sausage will probably not be on the menu during the race. Keeping fluids going was a concern riding inside and gave us an idea of what we’ll have to be drinking out on the road.

All-in-all this training session was a good thing. It’ll be great to get outside and do some riding in this format to really test it out. The team held together well in their first “stress test”.

On / Off ?	Time	What were we doing?
On – shift 1	9:00pm – 11:00pm	30 minutes riding / 30 minutes rest
	11:00pm – 1:00am	15 minutes riding / 15 minutes rest
Off – shift 1	1:00am – 5:00am	sleeping (trying)
On – shift 2	5:00am – 9:00am	15 minutes riding / 15 minutes rest

Tim Case Interview in the Clear Creek Courant!

Click Here for the full story!

Nice job Tim! Keep 'em spining!

Sweat Together Get Together

On short notice an invitation was sent out to come join Team Strong Heart for an indoor ride from 7 to 11PM this past Friday night (2/8) at Trailhead Cycling in Champlin. It turned out to be a fun night and a great turnout with many people coming out to ride, socialize, and enjoy a little happy hour to boot!

Thanks to each of you that came out in support of Team Strong Heart! It was great to see all of you.

Medtronic is back for 2008!

Medtronic is back sponsoring the Team Strong Heart mission for the second year in a row! Medtronic's mission statement is not only one of the truly great missions but it is embraced and put into action by the company and all it's employees.

The Medtronic Mission

• To contribute to human welfare by application of biomedical engineering in the research, design, manufacture, and sale of instruments or appliances that alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.


• To direct our growth in the areas of biomedical engineering where we display maximum strength and ability; to gather people and facilities that tend to augment these areas; to continuously build on these areas through education and knowledge assimilation; to avoid participation in areas where we cannot make unique and worthy contributions.


• To strive without reserve for the greatest possible reliability and quality in our products; to be the unsurpassed standard of comparison and to be recognized as a company of dedication, honesty, integrity, and service.


• To make a fair profit on current operations to meet our obligations, sustain our growth, and reach our goals.


• To recognize the personal worth of employees by providing an employment framework that allows personal satisfaction in work accomplished, security, advancement opportunity, and means to share in the company's success.


• To maintain good citizenship as a company.

IATP joins the TSH mission!

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, IATP, has agreed to come on board with Team Strong Heart for the 2008 Race Across America.

The IATP is the parent organizer of Peace Coffee and is extremely excited to support the team and solo efforts this year by including Team Strong Heart in their organization newsletter that goes out to approximately 5000 people across the globe.

Founded in 1986 by Mark Ritchie, a trade policy analyst working for the state of Minnesota, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy. For a complete history of the IATP and more information regarding their mission, please visit, http://www.iatp.org/iatp/history.cfm.

Team Strong Heart is pleased to welcome the IATP, Peace Coffee and all other new and returning sponsors for the 2008 Race Across America.

Dorsey & Whitney Foundation provides Donation support!

Dorsey & Whitney Foundation as agreed to match all donations from its partners and employees to the TSH mission. This will greatly help the TSH Forever crew meet it's $25,000 pledge to their mission for Camp Odayin. We thank you from the bottom of our "Strong Hearts!"

Peace Coffee joins TSH!

Peace Coffee has officially signed on to be the coffee sponsor for Team Strong Heart Forever, Team and Solo Edition. Plenty of caffeine to go around!

Here's some info. about Peace Coffee's roots:
Peace Making In late November 1995, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) invited a small group of Mexican farm leaders to Minneapolis to discuss the U.S. Farm Bill. At the end of the meeting, Luis Hernandez from La Selva, a Mexican coffee cooperative, complained that during all the talk, he hadn't sold a single coffee bean. He looked at IATP and said, "You guys should be selling organic fair trade coffee."

Shortly thereafter IATP created Headwaters International and later our brand name, Peace Coffee. In December 1996, Headwaters' first container, 38,000 pounds of conventional and organic coffee from Chiapas, arrived. After the first container, we bought a partial container of Guatemalan Peace Coffee. A portion of the "profit" went to support Guatemalan peace efforts in collaboration with Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Rigoberta Menchu.

In 1997, IATP incorporated TransFair USA and signed the first contracts with U.S. companies roasting fair trade certified green beans. It was the beginning of a new market for fair trade products in the U.S. that continues to grow and expand to new products. In 1999, a second full-time employee squeezed into a tiny office. The Peace Coffee brand was consolidated and the nervously optimistic buzz kept growing. Also in '99, to further our commitment to the environment, both social and ecological, the policy of bicycle-powered delivery whenever possible was adopted.

Peace Coffee continues to grow out of experiences in the coffee regions, time spent working in local cooperatives and a desire to push fair trade to the highest level. Since the first batch of Guatemalan coffee, we have made connections with coffee cooperatives in Mexico, Sumatra, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Peru, Nicaragua and Colombia. We have also changed the supply chain by co-founding Cooperative Coffees (http://www.cooperativecoffees.com/), a coop of roasters formed to import 100 percent fair trade coffee direct from the farmer coops that grow it.

Peace Coffee today includes a staff of twelve and coffee varieties of fifteen and growing. We roast, pack and distribute our coffee beans all under one eco-friendly roof in Minneapolis. In the Twin Cities metro, Peace Coffee still delivers by bike year-round and our suburban accounts get their coffee from a big, bright biodiesel van. What remains unchanged is our complete devotion to the idea of a fairly traded, farmer-friendly product and the wonders of a great cup of coffee.

New Sponsor! 2008 TSH's Tim Case Solo Effort

Welcome Michelle Pearl from Releaf Therapy! Michelle has signed on to Tim Case's Solo effort in the 2008 RAAM. She is taking time off from her solo practice to provide physical and massage therapy AND crew. That's a lot of work and we are so thankful to have someone of here expertise helping Tim reach a monumental goal.

Michelle is a licensed Physical Therapist and Massage Therapist at her solo practice, Releaf Therapy, located in Louisville, Colorado.

Her background as a licensed physical therapist and massage therapist has allowed her to develop a unique art in approaching the science of rehabilitation. Patient centered manual therapy is the philosophy of care. Michelle is a strong patient advocate, always there for them when needed. She performs very specific evaluations and treatment, with hands on manual therapy being the foundation. Very proactive in her field, she is continuously educating herself on the newest techniques to add to her toolbox. Michelle's goal is to empower her patients with the knowledge they need to heal and stay healthy.

Melinda Silbernick Joins TSH Forever completing 4 Person Team Roster!

TSH 2008: John Rotach, Amy Xu, Melinda Silbernick, Jay Thompson

Team Strong Heart Forever's 4 person mixed team is now locked and loaded with a formitable group of athletes!

Having Melinda Silbernick round out the team was really a dream come true. Melinda brings the attitude, experience and mission essential to the team effort in 2008 RAAM.

Here's Melinda's Bio (just seeing her photo kind of says it all!):

Occupation: Educator in Health and Phy. Ed. for 29 years (currently at ISD 279). Marathon Coach for Lifetime Fitness, Cross Country Ski coach, and Triathlon coach.

Home: Maple Grove, MN

Athletic background: 5 time Ironman (Hawaii) Triathlon World Championships. Elite cross country skiing in the American Birkiebeiner.

What attracts me to RAAM: I had heard about the RAAM 10 years ago and thought” how brutal, why would anyone want to do something like that!” Then I was asked to consider being a RAAM team member. I listened to a presentation given by Bernie and Neil. I learned that this is an event to bring about awareness of young people with heart disease. For the first time in my life, I would be riding for a purpose other then myself. It brings a whole new meaning of perseverance, dedication and gratitude, that in itself is the most powerful reward one could receive. Just to know that even one life has breathed easier because Team Strong Heart can make a difference.
I am also very thankful for the outstanding team selected.They are all dedicated people and have their hearts in the right place.

Goals for RAAM: to meet the goals of the fundraising expectations, to carry through the team strong heart mission, to stay healthy and safe throughout this journey, to accomplish the task of the RAAM and finally to keep the Team Strong Heart a live in years to come.

Why Camp Odayin? This past summer, I had a real awaking, my husband suffered a stroke. Fortunately the clot moved through and their were no irreversible side effects; however the doctors link the stroke to a hole and aneurism in his heart from birth. He had since then, corrective surgery on his heart. I soon learned how fragile life is and that little things like Camp Odayin can be larger than life in the eyes of a child.

Jay Thompson signs on to Team Strong Heart Forever 4 person team!

Welcome Jay! You are a tremendous asset to the team! Many of you already know Jay as the friendly force behind the cycling group at Trailhead and as a monster in the pack...but never lets anyone drop off the back and ride alone. He is a "Strong Heart"!

Here's Jay's Bio...

Name: Jay Thompson, age: 44 (45 by the RAAM start date)

My wife Mary and I live in Maple Grove, MN with our three children: Katie 14, Jenna 12, and Luke 10.

Occupation: Sr. Engineering Technician - Three Rivers Park District

What got you started in athletic endurance events and what attracts you to RAAM?

In the mid 80's the phenomenon of the mountain bike first got me into cycling, at the same time Greg LeMonde's success in Europe and his victories at the Tour de France peaked my interest in the sport, I have been hooked ever since. In 1992 I joined a local racing team, the Loon State Cyclists. My involvement as a racer has been limited, and I more accurately describe myself as a club rider. I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of riding and training with such a dedicated group. After years of riding with the Loon State Cyclists I feel I have developed the skills required to be a valuable member of Team Strong Heart Forever.

Why are you interested in raising funds and awareness for Camp Odayin?

The dedication and commitment of the founding Team Strong Heart members was very inspirational. For Bernie Kaeferlein to spawn the idea and make it a reality was truly awesome. To have the opportunity to carry Bernie's vision forward and to accept this challenge with such great friends & teammates as Amy, Melinda, and John is a privilege. Go Team Strong Heart Forever!

Favorite quote or words to live by:

Faith, Forgiveness, Loving kindness, Compassion. It is that simple.

John Rotach signs on to TSH Forever 4 person team!

John Rotach just signed on to the Team Strong Heart Forever mission and compete in the 2008 Race Across America! Welcome aboard John! John and Holly were HUGE supporters of Team Strong Heart's 2007 4 person RAAM team as well.

Here's a bit more about John:

John Rotach
31 yrs old
Holly – wife of 8 years
Lilly – daughter 3yrs
Boo – golden retriever

Anoka, MN for 4 years

Firmware Engineer with Medtronic Inc, Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management
B.S. Computer Engineering – Iowa State University
M.S. Software Engineering – University of St. Thomas

I enjoy:
- bike commuting 8 months of the year (30 miles/day – rain, wind, whatever)
- biking with my wife and daughter (trailer and now trail-a-bike)
- group rides
- racing (road/cyclocross/mountain/triathlon/running)
- playing on the river (boating, wakeboarding, skiing, tubing, fishing)
- cross-country and downhill skiing
- anything outdoors (camping, hiking, dog park)

Why RAAM?
My wife told me to. Seriously. A friend told me, “If your wife says, ‘Do it,’ well, then you do it!” I wanted to find a challenging event for next summer. 24 hr mountain bike solo, Leadville 100, Ironman Triathlon, etc… And then this opportunity came along. It’ll be a great adventure with some great people.

Goals for RAAM?
First to finish - healthy and safe. This is such an unknown you HAVE to say your first attempt is to just finish. I’ve ridden at night enough to know weird stuff just happens. After that, I’d like to finish strong. If I’m riding well and am happy in the final days it’ll be a success. I think a team goal is to have the team happy with their performances, feeling like they gave what they had.

Why Camp Odayin?
I first heard about this camp a couple years ago during a presentation at work. Medtronic has a strong tie to this camp as a lot of the kids have our devices. It really struck me as a magical place. During the presentation I had one of those moments where you really step back and remember how lucky and fortunate you are. To never have gone to a summer camp because you or your parents were afraid you’d have a problem and be miles from a hospital. This camp allows these kids to forget they’re different and just be kids. Doing RAAM…spending that kind of money, that much time, crew, volunteers, organization, resources…just to ride a bike. It can seem a little silly. If what we’re doing can help Camp Odayin with their mission, help just a couple kids, it’ll be worthwhile.

Check out John's training journal by clicking on: http://www.johnrotachtsh.blogspot.com/ or from the sidebar.

How You Can Support TSH

There are several ways that you can help make the Team Strong Heart mission for Camp Odayin a success. TSH is asking for your support through fund raising and sponsorship.

Individual donations made by family, friends, and colleges of TSH members make up the majority of our fund raising goal. Corporate sponsorship in the form of funding and in-kind services play a large role toward reaching our goal and proceeds from sales of TSH team clothing (jerseys, shorts, socks, & tee-shirts) along with raffle tickets also help make the TSH mission possible.

We are very grateful for the support we have received so far. If you are still considering supporting the Team Strong Heart mission, see below for a quick list of ways to do so.

Individual Cash Donations - (Online or Mail-in) Cash donations are tax deductible and collected by the Silent Sports Foundation. SSF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization EIN#. Donations to Silent Sports Foundation can be made online (credit cards accepted) by clicking the donate button below.

Donations are also being collected personally by TSH members OR donations can be mailed to: Silent Sports Foundation - Team Strong Heart - P.O. Box 2827, Minneapolis, MN 55402.

Corporate Sponsorship - if the Team Strong Heart mission fits the criteria for your company's charitable giving program we would like to here from you. TSH would be happy to answer any questions you have regarding our mission. Click here to contact us.

Team clothing is available in the Team Strong Store (coming soon!). TSH jerseys, shorts, socks, and tee-shirts are available for purchase. All items can be purchased online!

Thank you for helping us make the Team Strong Heart mission for Camp Odayin a reality!