Discussing “La Crosse” or the “La Crosse Ride” with organizers and participants -I’m helping work the event- is not intended to surprise or confuse me every time I utter the phrase or overhear someone else make the reference. But, I’m sorry – it does. I keep thinking why are we talking about La Crosse (the area where I grew up) as though we’re referring to destinations like Hawaii or Europe? They say you can’t go home, but this is something different.
Second in a series of five fundraising rides offered by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Ride to Cure Diabetes, August 13, 2011 marks the second consecutive year JDRF has chosen La Crosse, Wisconsin as a ride destination. Yes, as in destination travel. Plus it’s not just any destination; it’s become THE destination for JDRF this year. According to JDRF organizers, 400 impassioned fundraising cyclists – the largest ride group of the year – chose La Crosse. The other ride options including: Burlington, VT; Lake Tahoe, CA; Death Valley, CA; andTucson, AZ.
Don’t get me wrong; although I no longer live in the state, I’m all about being a Badger. I grew up in America’s Dairyland in River Falls, and graduated from River Falls Senior High and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I like beer and bratwursts, BMFA (Better Men For Agriculture), the smell of just-cut hay, driving on country roads, and unassuming rural personalities.
But, after years of traveling as an event producer to more typical travel destinations – Sydney, Australia; New York, NY, San Diego, CA – it’s been an unusual experience for me to learn that my own western Wisconsin is a highly desired option for the JDRF organization. It’s not that I am a closet Wisconsin lover (I would tell the world), but let’s face it-Wisconsin isn’t exactly a universally accepted vacation paradise.
So, why La Crosse?
“JDRF has large Chapters in the Midwest, and last year the organization wanted to offer a ride option with easy access for Midwestern residents. A number of locations were thrown around, but when we looked at the elements that draw riders, La Crosse was an exceptional fit,” commented Mike Crowley, Board Member of the SE Wisconsin JDRF Chapter and past president of the Chapter and father to Andy Crowley who was diagnosed with diabetes at two years of age.
To understand why it’s a great fit, it’s also important to understand the JDRF ride program.
After working at a number of rides, I’ve come to understand that, like Mike, the majority of ride participants and JDRF organizers have a family member with Type 1 diabetes.
First and foremost, it’s easy to recognize the ride program as a fundraiser, and the group activity symbolizes everyone’s commitment to finding a cure for diabetes. That being said, it’s also obvious to the observer (me) that the weekend ride program is a lot more than just the ride, it’s truly a support group where people similarly impacted by the disease share their coping strategies. I’ve overheard many people express the sentiment that JDRF ride weekends are like going to something like a Diabetes University; individuals share how they manage the disease everyday.
Aly Levine with the JDRF National office in New York explains, “We strive to keep the group intimate to foster the sharing of ideas by capping the number of riders per destination while maintaining enough fundraising opportunity.”
Creating a compelling ride weekend is vital to the success of this important program: a program that, according Levine, has raised over $20 million since its inception in 2000 (and over $1 million from this year’s La Crosse ride alone). She explains, “JDRF partners with fundraisers whereby riders commit to raising a minimum dollar amount and in exchange, JDRF provides each cyclist with support and coaching in the months leading up to and throughout the JDRF Ride weekend. ”
Considering JDRF only offers five fundraising rides per year, choosing just five destinations from all the options available is inherently difficult.
Trish Paterson also with JDRF national confirms the importance of selecting the right destination, “we seek ride options that are physically challenging -but not too challenging – have ease of access by car or plane, lodging options, shopping and other local attractions, seasonally nice weather, but are also not too costly to produce.”
These factors for destination selection can rule out some locations – but they still leave hundreds of options to choose between. Which gets us back to the question of why La Crosse?
The JDRF website sells the La Crosse weekend by highlighting the fact that the ride crosses into three states, two bridges, and one mighty river.
“We kept the route exactly the same as last year’s. Our 100-mile ride showcases the diversity of terrain in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa: the industrious Mississippi River bordered by magnificent views from the bluffs, ride-friendly coulees, and wide-open farm country with corn fields as far as the eye can see. Riders also appreciate the clean and safe roads,” offered Crowley
(You may ask, what is a coulee? To make sure I got it right, I looked it up on Wikepedia and it’s a French term for rolling hills with narrow valleys. Hence, the La Crosse area is frequently referred to as the “Coulee Region.”)
Crowley adds, “The 2010 introductory La Crosse ride option drew 250 riders. At the conclusion of the ride, 90% of the participants said they would come back in 2011. We knew we had a winner.”
Was it just the coulees that brought people back to La Crosse? Or is there more to it?
Barry Falcon, JDRF fundraiser from Atlanta, GA, is returning to La Crosse this year, marking his 22nd overall JDRF ride – more completed rides than any other JDRF participant. I know this because at dinner banquets, everyone is asked to stand if they have done at least one ride. Then they start counting up – stay standing if you’ve done two rides, stay standing if you’ve done three rides, four rides — etc. Barry is always the last man standing. Considering all the rides he has done, he is the ultimate JDRF ride aficionado.
His first ride was in Monterey in 2003, shortly after his son was diagnosed with diabetes.
“My first ride was in Monterey in 2003, and my son and I rode it together. Since then, I have done at least one ride – sometimes all rides offered- every year.”
“Last year, I decided to ride La Crosse because it was a new venue. Plus, the course is good for me: the climbs are tough, but not long, steep ones. I also appreciate the proximity (walking distance) of our hotel to nice shopping and dining, especially the ice cream shop. It’s also a ride that doesn’t piggyback off of an existing ride – its only JDRF riders.”
Okay, we can add ice cream, and JDRF-only riders to our list starting with coulees as important attractions.
Sharon Nerison, Director of Convention Sales at the La Crosse Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, included friendliness as part of this area’s selling points, “Don’t be surprised if when strolling along our brick-lined sidewalks that someone you don’t know greets you – we still do that here.”
Add they do and they did. Friendly people can be added to the list.
Jamie Weissburg, Executive Director- JDRF Western Wisconsin Chapter, offered her understanding of the lure of La Crosse, “Of course, if you asked people to list their top ten destinations, it’s not likely that La Crosse would make most people’s top ten. But, we are so proud to have a ride in our own back yard that we have worked hard to make sure our ride experience stands out against all the rest. We have something special here: friendly, fun, Midwestern people in a small, charming, historic, college-town atmosphere. It’s really a little bit of everything.”
When pushed to give just one reason why La Crosse works, Weissburg answered, “It makes people feel as though they are coming home.”
La Crosse may not be a universally accepted top ten destination -but coming home is absolutely unbeatable.
Besides the point
La Crosse is my seventh JDRF ride, working on site ride support. It’s given me an opportunity to contribute to this organization – and I get to come home. My parents still live in River Falls, and both are retired teachers. My dad, Dr. Jim Kerfoot, taught at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and mom, Anne Kerfoot, retired from Westside elementary school in River Falls.
