Being a part of an opening team is an enormous responsibility and a ridiculously fun challenge. Anything goes. Literally.

Working at Disney’s Polynesian Resort in 1997, I just knew I had to get my shot to work at the recently opened Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex (I was hired on a few months after true opening). Through volunteering at the first tennis and track & field events, I secured a position as the first registration coordinator for the International Police & Fire Games. As it happened, there was a nasty hurricane that ravaged the east coast 2 weeks prior and most of our scheduled teams had to back out due to obligations to their own local communities. I quickly pivoted and was able to stay on permanently as one of the first competition coordinators.

We worked crazy hours in the beginning, being on a small but mighty team of extraordinary sports specialists. We learned quickly and on the fly, but continuously got better and more efficient. Our reputation was built on quality events in exceeding all expectations of clients and guests. Repeat guests were our best marketing and we soared. We constantly benchmarked other events and raised the bar. Event management was a young person’s game and we had boundless energy. We made each other better and that resonated throughout the ranks.

Expansion was imminent and we took on the challenge of growing and selling out even bigger venues. The grind was addictive and so satisfying. We slept on the hard scorekeeper counters in the softball tower on late nights, got drenched regularly transporting guests during the infamous FL summer weather, helped load in vendors during grueling overnight changeovers, threw 50 lb bags of turface out onto rain drenched fields to try to salvage tournament play, ran interference in coach/referee disputes, celebrated champions in extravagant awards setups, and on and on…

After 15 years, I faced a tough crossroads. I had touched every event in our arsenal in some form, so I needed a new challenge to keep my internal fire burning. And in order to get my experience and achieve my dream of running my own operation, I needed to venture out. I knew staying at Disney was the direct path and could have easily retired at my second home. BUT I also knew I had a higher purpose even though the details weren’t exactly clear at the time. Taking that leap of faith was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make….. and has led to even more growth & an incredibly rewarding journey. BLESSED.

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Day 15 into my Hawaiian adventure on the Big Island, I wake up to hear the devastating news of an 8.2 earthquake that rocked New Zealand. Normally I wouldn’t have given it a second thought, BUT being in tsunami territory it was a little freaky.

A tsunami warning had been issued for the Hawaiian islands. Geez.

But to be honest, there were no sirens or crazy antics. No one raided the grocery stores to stock up on toilet paper or water. I had observed earlier in my stay the signs showing where the evacuations for such weather phenomenons culminated, as the rocky coast slopes pretty dramatically down from the neighboring housing. So within 3 blocks of the coast, most people are already out of harms way of a typical wave. Or so I was led to believe.

I went down to the beach to enjoy a day of solitude to write some new articles and enjoy a snorkel in the bay. I did notice the waves were a little rougher than normal, but by 1pm the threat had thankfully been cancelled.

Just another day in the aloha state. 🌺🤙🏝

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One of the low points in my life happened on an outdoor basketball court in Celebration, FL while playing in an all women’s pickup game.

All I remember is breaking free and catching a beautiful pass under the basket and going up for a reverse layup. A move I had done a thousand times. BUT this one instance, I happened to come down awkwardly and I immediately felt everything in my left knee pop. I knew it was bad.

It’s crazy to think back and knowing how accident prone and relentless I was on the athletic fields, that I had never suffered a major setback. I never missed a game in college, which was a miraculous feat that I thank my trainers for implicitly. There were numerous twisted ankles, jammed fingers, concussions and more raspberries than you could count, but none that ever took me out.

So to say that this setback rocked my world is an understatement. I knew if I ever wanted to snowboard or hike again, surgery was my only option. I don’t remember much of that first week of recovery at my parents house but I did catch up on some much needed sleep.

After moving to my home couch, I dove into the Harry Pottery book series to kill a lot of time. I also started an aggressive rehab schedule three times per week at 6am for an hour. For a night owl, the 5:15am wake up just about killed me much less having to learn to walk again. It still amazes me to this day how big time athletes recover so quickly, as I struggled so much and it reinforces that everyone’s bodies are unique. I still remember a high school football player and I started rehab the same day, had the same surgeon, and the same multi-level injury, BUT he graduated from our own “hell” in 2 months with 90% range of motion while I endured 6 months of setbacks. This was that point in life that I learned to never compare your journey to anyone else. Live your own path.

So I struggled to turn the pedal over on a bike for months and hated the excruciating pain of being stretched out on the massage table at the end of every session BUT I loved eventually being able to walk up steps without holding on, jogging down the hallway at 50% and hearing those words “your rehab is complete”.

I am very fortunate my scar is minimal. While I have never gained back full range of motion on my left side and still can’t feel the inner portion of my kneecap, BUT I have conquered Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Everest Base Camp at all odds and know that I haven’t even scratched the surface on my physical and emotional limits.

Game on!!

UPDATE: it’s funny how things come full circle… years after recovering, I was working the Warrior Games at Disney with wounded vets. They inspired us all by playing a softball game in the stadium and afterwards we hosted a party on the field. I caught up with a young man who had been in a horrific local boating accident. He just happened to be the son of my knee surgeon AND he was starting to train to summit Kili. We kept in touch, so I got the privilege of helping him achieve his dream. And for closure and my own unexpected “magical moment”, I got to publicly thank his dad for mending my broken knee and leading me to conquer my own mountains.

Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, D. C., you don’t appreciate all the history at your doorstep. Every year for field trips and summer camps, we made the 15 mile trek into the city. The Smithsonian museums were always on the agenda, as well as the monuments – Washington, Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, Korean, Thomas Jefferson and more. We were herded around like cattle and I’m sure were very obnoxious.

The Air & Space Museum was always a favorite, as we were in the height of the space age and the public’s fascination with astronaut travel. Another personal favorite was the Natural History Museum, where you were greeted with a massive prehistoric mammal at the entrance. It was like a huge wheel with spokes fanning out in every direction beckoning us impressionable kids into its labyrinths. Everything from dinosaurs to reptiles to underwater creatures…. it kept us entertained for hours.

We all brought brown bag lunches and sprawled out on the long, green walkway leading to the Nation’s Capitol. If we were lucky, we found an ice cream truck to raid too. Summers were scorching, so we never had enough water and had to find refuge in the next museum. By the end of the day, you were just over it all.

A year would pass, then we would get ready to do it all over again. I haven’t been back to D.C. in over 20 years, and now yearn to get back to the innocence of those scheduled yearly field trips.

Today is the first day in forever that I feel like I actually accomplished this seemingly easy feat.

Picture this…… I had slept with a face mask and earplugs to block out the entire world. I may have heard my alarm at 845am but I chose to ignore it. After missing breakfast, I rolled out of bed at noon and moseyed the 30’ out to the beach. The breeze was blowing and instead of baking in the Egyptian sun, I opted to camp out for a while under my thatch umbrella with drink in hand. I pounded some honey roasted peanuts from my travel snack stash and punched on my jbl speaker to jam to my favorite latest hits. Then I may or may not have fallen asleep.

I grabbed my borrowed snorkel mask and ran out into the bay like a giddy schoolgirl. The spectacular coral reef lining this peaceful cove in the Red Sea was mesmerizing. For easily 1-2 hours, I weaved in and out of the inlets enjoying all the underwater colors and creatures. Without a snorkel, I took frequent breaths but it didn’t detour my enthusiasm. I even followed a massive stingray along the shallow ocean floor en route back to my beach chair.

And I knew it must be done….. a waterside massage! For only $25, I enjoyed a lather session mere steps from the gently lapping waves and let my mind wander for an hour. Nothing spells out R. E. L. A. X. A. T. I. O. N. more than this!

I rounded out my evening with an enormous stone fire pizza, cold Coke Zero and finishing my murder mystery book. And I should mention I had my own couch/cushions in the Bedouin tent to lounge in underneath a fan to keep all the pesky mosquitoes away. Omg. Can I do this every night?

And there you have it…… the simple pleasures that give me great joy. It may be boring to some, but I can’t stop smiling from ear to ear!

As one of our team builders in my early days at Disney Sports, we snagged a ride behind one of the speed boats on the lagoon banking up to the Contemporary Resort. It was a new experience for all of us, which added to the excitement.

After being strapped into a tandem harness, my group was the first to take flight. We slowly ascended via a rope to a height of almost 100’. It was strangely calm and gentle, where all of our worries and daily stresses melted away. We soared over the now defunct Discovery Island and River Country, and cruised past the rustic Wilderness Lodge. Vacationers waved at us from the water mice (mini speed boats) and the ferry taking resort guests to the “most magical place on earth”. After 10ish minutes, we were reeled back in and got to chill in the boat while sharing in the excitement of the other groups getting their shot at magic in the sky.

While it was a tame activity for an adrenaline junkie, it was a great ride!

For 2 summers in the early 2000s, my roommate Heather and I worked tandem to head up the Powergel stop on the elusive New York Marathon route. We were recruited by the New York Road Runners and flew up to NYC in early November for a long weekend of runner relations.

We were responsible for driving a box truck through the rough and tough streets of NYC to pick up all our equipment at a warehouse in the Bronx. For these two quiet females, it was feat in itself that we didn’t sideswipe anybody or thing. To make things even more interesting, the radio was stuck on high volume so navigating an unknown city and having to scream at the top of our lungs to communicate was exhausting and downright hilarious.

And another “twist” in year one happened while walking through Central Park. Being very accident prone, I stepped on a pile of leaves that was hiding a huge pothole and face planted. My ankle ballooned and I had no choice but to suck it up the rest of race weekend with two wraps and tons of Tylenol holding me upright (barely). Only me.

I vividly remember the vibe in this city was electric. We were used to Disney races, where most of the course was backstage and inaccessible to many spectators. Quite the contrary here, as every balcony was full with cheering fans, roadways were lined 5 people deep, restaurants were hopping, music of all kinds blared at every street corner…. it was over the top exciting!!

Even though I can’t stand the goo, we had the most popular stop on the course and most runners were in good spirits halfway through the race. Our volunteers cheered on our guests and made the whole experience amazing. Empty gel packets littered the streets as far as the eye could see and our crew picked up every last one. We worked our asses off for like 60 hours straight.

I remember staying an extra day to sightsee and take in all the grandeur of city life, but was so ready to return home and crash.

NYC was larger than life.

I rarely purchase vacation packages but found a great deal at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic, which neither of us had ever been to. Wheels up!

We were whisked away in a private car upon arrival to a luxurious retreat Oceanside. The sprawling resort had a little bit of everything to keep us entertained all on site – bumping nightclub, tennis courts, multiple pools, weight room, ocean toys, football, ping pong, beachside cabanas, scuba diving lessons in the pool, hammocks hidden throughout the grounds and so on.

Two meals were included per day and we indulged in the Caribbean fare from a never ending buffet. And I remember lots of ice cream!

We went for daily runs and explored the entire campus via our own two feet. I remember even getting suckered into a timeshare presentation and laughing hysterically when they told us the buy in was 25k. But we gained admittance into the big Friday night beachside party that was over the top spectacular. A huge stage was set up with exotic dancers, live music, a fashion show and a massive buffet. This was one of the few times I actually got persuaded to dance on stage and it was a blast! (Yes, really)

The Dominican was a big party and I could definitely go back for more craziness!

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Most people think of MLB when you mention the words Spring Training. But we stayed out of the limelight hosting amateur teams during the beautiful spring in FL. This Disney owned and operated event was the most intricate I’ve ever been a part of. It was a beast that few of my colleagues had any interest in tackling. A true marathon.

Picture the biggest puzzle you’ve ever seen then throw in 100 pieces that will never fit. My personal philosophy was “where there is a will, there is a way” and we had to find a way to make all the pieces fit together. It spawned creativity and focusing on every detail.

It was organized chaos. In our heyday, we hosted over 950 HS and college teams for 75 straight days in 6 sports (softball, baseball, lacrosse, track & field, tennis and soccer). The clear advantage for northern teams was spending their spring breaks with us in sunny FL and getting a jump start on their season.

We were dubbed the “scheduling queens” and locked ourselves in a conference room for 5 weeks at 15-18 hours a day, which produced an astounding 20,0000 activities. The kicker is that teams could provide requests to help us in the scheduling process (size of school and strength of program were critical to know) PLUS every state had different rules. These included registration, practices, official games, non-official, scrimmages, pre game warmups, batting cages, weight room, community service and days off. Omg. My personal favorites were those coaches that believed in giving back, as we would schedule a food distribution or sport clinic locally for underprivileged youth.

Every team received their own personalized schedule. In order to achieve this level of detail, we even created our own online scheduling system which was a huge undertaking and highly satisfying. We even had so many schedules to spit out that we had to institute waves of distribution, as the change requests coming in on the back end where so daunting and never ending. We relished the handful of coaches that were grateful and overly pleased with their original programs.

Not to mention scheduling all the officials, referees, scorekeepers, local opponents plus all the complex staff (daily coordinators, athletic trainers, groundscrew, concessionaires, registration staff, merchandisers, golf cart drivers, ticket takers and security personnel).

Being the lightning capital of the world, any weather would wreak havoc on the daily schedule. Rescheduling was nearly impossible as teams all had different arrival and departure dates/times. But somehow, this intricate web of activities all came to life each spring. And through a huge team effort, we crafted a masterpiece that teams religiously returned to year in and year out. We formed strong bonds with coaches from all over the country and nothing was more rewarding than being sent thank you notes and pictures of those teams winning conference and state championships.

Every May 1, we would thankfully put those playbooks on the shelves and schedule much needed vacations to decompress. But before the dust settled, it was time to crank it up again in the fall and mentally prepare for the grind ahead.

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For a last minute escape, Puerto Rico checked off all the boxes. A quick, direct flight into San Juan and we were in a Caribbean tropical paradise.

We spent our days rolling out of our ocean view room into the massive, multi pool oasis and lounging all day long. No plan. No worries. Sun and sand was all we needed for a chill getaway.

Since we were on a budget, we hit up the local supermarket for essentials by running into town. We splurged a couple times in the luxurious restaurant, but it was outrageous (now we understood why the hotel was so inexpensive because they made all their money on meals since the tourists didn’t have other options).

You can’t go to PR without checking out the Yunque National Forest, and we thoroughly enjoyed climbing amongst numerous waterfalls, traipsing through the jungle boardwalks and diving into the crisp waters to rejuvenate.

More beach and pool time and our long weekend was just right.

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