Doing The Hard Things – May 2025
What’s inside: Adventure Team Registration is openMarc’s making a list and checking it twiceAT Volunteer Spotlight: Jeff BarschCrusher 2025: T & A CyclesMade U.P. PodcastsAdventure Leadership Summit RecapJumping into the OutdoorsSummer events with 906AT Adventure Team registration is open and the numbers are strong! Over 1,040 kids signed up over the weekend for the 2025 Adventure Team season! A number of communities are sold out and others are close to filling up! If you’re interested in joining this year registration will be open until Sunday, May 11 at 11:59 PM ET. Here’s the latest numbers:Adventure Team Delta County – SOLD OUTAdventure Team Dickinson County – 17 spots left Adventure Team Eau Claire County – SOLD OUTAdventure Team Gogebic County – 18 spots leftAdventure Team Grand Rapids – SOLD OUTAdventure Team Green Bay – 19 spots leftAdventure Team Iron County – 20 spots leftAdventure Team Kalamazoo Area – 23 spots leftAdventure Team La Crosse – SOLD OUTAdventure Team Lansing Burchfield – SOLD OUTAdventure Team Lansing East Gate – 10 spots leftAdventure Team Ludington – 26 spots leftAdventure Team Marquette – Monday – 1 spot leftAdventure Team Marquette – Thursday – 6 spot leftAdventure Team Midland – SOLD OUTAdventure Team Marquette – Monday Running – 19 spots leftAdventure Team Marquette – Thursday Running – 12 spots left ADVENTURE TEAM REGISTRATION INFO Marc’s making a list and checking it twice! The behind-the-scenes of preparing for 15 Adventure Teams looked a little like a storage unit after moving day. Boxes, signage, garbage cans and bikes filled just about every available inch of Basecamp on Lakeshore Boulevard in Marquette. On any given day for the past month you could find Marc Salm walking around with a clip board, checking, double checking and triple checking every community had the supplies they needed to successfully run their Adventure Team this summer. Nothing was left out. He meticulously counted every pen, zip tie and band-aid. The end result? We’re ready! Every team has what they need. The boxes have been distributed and come next month every community will unpack, set up their own Basecamp and kick off an epic Adventure Team season! “It’s a new adventure every year, there’s nothing routine about it.” Jeff Barsch has been volunteering for the 906 Adventure Team in Marquette for the past eight years. He began as a coach when his son became involved in the program, and while his son has graduated – Jeff remains as a volunteer..“I love biking, being outside. I see the value of the program,” says Barsch. His passion for 906AT was solidified in 2020 when he watched Todd Poquette, Director of Adventure, push to keep the program alive despite state mandated orders and restrictions. Jeff says watching him put so much time and energy into making the programs and events work – meant he would follow suit and do his part by volunteering. Jeff watched for years as his son developed his skills, learning the trails, challenging himself, getting to know other kids in the program – and now he’s dedicated to ensuring other kids have that same opportunity. He says there’s something special about watching the wonder of kids as they explore new trails, of getting to know a new group of riders each season and watching them develop socially and on the bike. It’s about preparing today’s youth for the challenges they’ll face in life. And it’s about giving back to kids, and to the community – plus, he admits it keeps him on the bike, active, connected and building new relationships every year. For those on the fence, wondering if they should get involved with 906AT, he says, “Just do it!” If you’re interested in being a part of the 906 Adventure Team, reach out to learn about volunteer opportunities and ways to make an impact!By Elizabeth Peterson VOLUNTEER NOW T & A: “It’s the adventure of it all!” It’s nearly impossible to say the names, Tammy Warner and Angie Palmer-Loiselle, in the cycling community without cracking a smile. The duo has been riding together for nearly 10 years – and while they’ve hit incredible cycling milestones and achievements together – they’ve also created an energy and air of positivity that might be more relished and cherished than any race finish. They are T & A – they have their own logo, represented on jackets and stickers – they show up in pink – smiling and ready for just about any challenge. They’ve created a brand – a brand representing friendship, doing hard things, and having fun doing it. T & A’s experience with 906 Adventure Team endurance races began in 2020 with the Crusher EX. At a time when everything was being canceled due to COVID – the Crusher EX gave riders a place to participate and keep moving forward. They started the course that year with a team of 6 – they spent a night in an outhouse – and learned the term self supported truly meant no one was coming to rescue them. All six riders failed, they didn’t finish. Tammy and Angie tried a second time that year – but again, didn’t finish. They were tested. They were challenged. They learned a lot about friendship. And they were hooked. The pair came back in 2021 – with unfinished business. Riding 262 miles, finishing the Crusher MS250 in 35 ½ hours. Angie recalls the race with a smile, though she laughs at how angry she remembers being – feeling delirious, battling the heat, the bugs – at one point she remembers yelling at Tammy, “Just leave me, I don’t need you.” Tammy did no such thing, yelling back, “You don’t get to be mean to me.” The heated exchange – emotions raw and real – fueled them to the finish. They both leaned into the mantra, “pedal, pedal, coast.” They both came out stronger. Tammy says they’ve learned a lot about what it means to show up for each other. “We’re just there for each other, to pull each