Four first-year students are carrying on the UConn School of Medicine tradition of spending their last free summer on a cross-country fundraising bicycle tour.
This is the 14th year of the ride that’s become known as Coast to Coast for a Cause. This year’s cause is The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut.
Liz Rodier, Keanna Chang, Yoga Kammili and Justin Hoffman plan to start pedaling back home from Anacortes, Washington, June 10. In the eight weeks that will follow, they’ll cover nearly 4,000 miles.
They’ve set a fundraising goal of $20,000 – enough to send eight children to the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which was founded by Paul Newman and relies on philanthropy to offer a free summer camp experience to seriously ill children. Learn more about the riders, their cause, and how to support it. Throughout the summer, follow them on their blog, coast2coastforacause2019.home.blog, and on Instagram @coast_2_coast_2019.
The students shared some pre-trip thoughts with UConn Today.
How did you get involved in this year’s Coast to Coast ride?
Rodier: During our orientation, the second-years who did the ride last summer gave a presentation, and I said, “I have to do that. That looks awesome.” I couldn’t imagine sitting around all summer doing research or anything else while my classmates were riding across the country. So I found Yoga, who also expressed interest.
Kammili: I thought this trip sounded awesome. Someone asked if I knew Liz, since she may be interested. She came up to me and we were like, “Let’s do this.”
Chang: I’ve always been very outdoorsy. In undergrad I got involved with a tree-climbing program, and there was a possibility that I’d be teaching a tree-climbing program in Madagascar this summer. But I’ve already climbed in rain forests before, so I figured, new experience, bike across the country, make some friends here as opposed to in Madagascar, why not?
Hoffman: I heard about the trip during orientation and was definitely interested right away. So I reached out to as many of the former riders as possible to hear about their experiences and thoughts on the trip. Then after researching what this trip would entail online and reading all the blogs from the last few years I was pretty sure that this was something I would want to do. Ultimately though it was my girlfriend, Jen, who gave me the courage to fully commit to this crazy awesome experience.
Kammili: Justin bought a bike before all of us. He was the last one to join but then the first to commit!
Follow the students’ journey throughout the summer on their blog and on Instagram.
What kind of experience/training do you have to prepare you for biking across the country?
Hoffman: Coming into this I have a lot of outdoor experience. I have done a fair amount of backpacking trips, hiking, camping, etc. so I’m prepared for that component of the trip. I have very limited cycling experience however, so I have tried to get as many miles under my belt as possible.
Rodier: I really like to run, and I’ve run a couple of marathons. I like doing endurance activities that require mental toughness. And I spin a lot inside. I teach spinning actually, here at the Wellness Center, and I taught during undergrad. I liked biking inside and I liked running outside, so I thought I could combine them both. But as far as outdoor cycling, training for this is the biggest cycling experience I’ve had.
Kammili: In high school I ran cross-country and track, but then I really started to dislike running. I also used to bike for fun, but this is the first time I’m really doing cross-country biking.
Chang: I’m also a runner – I’ve run almost every day since sixth grade. I guess I’ve become a cyclist in training for this; I tried to fit in a long ride at least once a week. I also bike to school every day and try to bike everywhere I can. If it’s feasible for me in the time span that I have to get somewhere, I’ll bike there.
Kammili: It’s been really hard to get into a training routine while balancing school. We tried to fit in long rides whenever we could.
Why did you choose The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp?
Kammili: We each came up with a handful of the charities we’d like to donate to, and we just talked it through. All of us just really ended up loving what they were doing at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.
Hoffman: As someone pursuing a career in pediatrics, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is the perfect charity. They go above and beyond in support of the children and families who need it most. They have also been very receptive to our efforts and we are very happy to be working with them for the sake of the children!
Chang: There is a kid I know who went to Hole in the Wall. He had leukemia. And now he’s grown, but I know how important it was for that family to have the camp as a resource. He and his brothers have been counselors there, even after he was no longer attending as a camper. These medical conditions can be so isolating, and when children are dealing with illnesses they might not understand, finding a community of other kids like them can make a huge difference.
Rodier: It’s a really great cause, and we’re hoping that we can bike to Ashford and stop by the camp once we reach Connecticut, because camp will be in session at that time. I think that would be really cool to do!
What do you think will keep you motivated during those long summer days on the hills?
Kammili: Part of it is our group, the four of us, we’re all very optimistic, happy people, and because we’re going to be spending so much time, together, I think that is extremely important. The other thing is, we’ll be staying in people’s houses through Warm Showers, which is pretty much a community where cyclists open up their homes to touring cyclists. A large part of the success of this trip is going to be through the generosity of strangers, and it’ll be really cool to be able to meet all of them and hear their stories.
Rodier: I just think, when else am I going to get to do something like this? And I think if I were going to have a really hard day or really hard week, leaving would be worse than just gritting through it, mentally. But also, it’s really cool because I might never go to these parts of the country, but here we’ll all be, riding our bikes through them.
Hoffman: I feel that my struggle to finally get into medical school after three application cycles has taught me a great deal about resiliency and fighting for what you want no matter what setbacks you face. That in conjunction with all of the support from my girlfriend, family, friends, and the UConn community will hopefully carry me over those tough passes all the way back home.
Chang: I think it will help us think about to what these kids at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp are going through. They may have challenges to overcome just in their day-to-day lives. We are all fortunate enough to be able-bodied so we can partake in this experience – but it kind of puts it in perspective for us to be able to think of how difficult it could be for someone who has disabilities to navigate their day. So I think there’ll be a lot of self-reflection for me to be grateful for all the things that I can do.
Rodier: It’s so awesome that people can benefit from us just biking across the country too. And I think this summer it will be very rewarding, because we have done so much planning and so much fundraising and it’s been stressful at times, but this summer is ultimately what we’re planning for and it’s all for a reason.
Kammili: And the last bit, I feel like if we can do this, the rest of med school should be a piece of cake. Hopefully!
What are you most worried about?
Chang: I’m most worried about injury – overuse injury to my muscles and tendons. Really, that’s the only thing that would physically limit me from doing the ride. I know it will be mentally challenging, but I think we can motivate each other to push through!
Hoffman: I don’t want injury to stop me or any of us from making it across the country. We have all put in so much time and effort to make this trip possible, it would be a shame for a tweaked knee or ankle to stop us short of our goal.
Rodier: Mentally I feel like I can get through any tough times. We can work through it and help each other stay motivated.
Kammili: And if we need to, we can take an extra rest day.
What are you most looking forward to?
Chang: I don’t want to get into a car from June 10 until whenever we get back here. I’m in my element when I’m outside. I’m just excited to not be cooped up inside and to see the country from a new perspective.
Kammili: I’m kind of looking forward to the worst hills, just to be able to see, “Can I do this?” And then the descents that follow.
Rodier: And the ice cream – we’re going to eat so much ice cream! In all honesty, I’m most looking forward to just being outside all day every day this summer. As a kid I would go to summer camp and be outside all day, I’m excited to get to do that again.
Hoffman: I’m most looking forward to getting to explore the country and meet some new and interesting people. Not to mention, I’m excited to get to know my fellow riders even better. This is going to be one crazy experience that we will all share with one another.
