History of the WISH Team

[TXBelle]

With all the discussion of the WISH team shirts, I thought it might be time to recap the history of the WISH team. The original team formed in 2004. It was the idea of several bright women who thought that training to walk the WDW 1/2 marathon would be a great way to stay motivated and lose weight. I joined the team in June 2004. Most of us had been couch potatoes who had never even completed a 5K in our lives. For the most part, we were overweight housewives and mothers with dreams of a Donald medal. We trained together over the internet and corresponded over weekly training threads. We read John Bingham and were inspired to have the courage to start.

Here is the photo from the first-ever WISH Team meet in January 2005:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/TXBelle_photos/Team.jpg

The first official team shirt was simply an iron-on design created by Auntmeme (Maryellen). WISH team members downloaded the design and created their own cotton t-shirts. Here's the front:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/TXBelle_photos/FrontLogo.jpg
Here's the back:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/TXBelle_photos/BackLogo.jpg
We started as strangers and ended up as friends. That is what the WISH Team is all about. Since 2004, the WISH Team has grown by leaps and bounds. We have women AND men of all different ages and fitness levels. What holds us together is our dedication to fitness and our undying support for each other.

Because of WISH, I now have 2 Donald medals, a Minnie medal, a Castle medal, and my crowning acheivement, a Mickey medal. WISH gave me the courage to start and changed my life for the better. For that I will always be grateful.

[Kristi1357]

Fabulous post, Heather! :thumbsup2

[cdotla]

Wow - how inspirational!

Thank you for posting this for all the newbies like me!

PS - What is the Castle Medal???

[AmyBeth68]

:goodvibes Great post!!!!!

[Hey Mickey]

Thanks for the great post!

(and the castle medal is from the disneyland 1/2 marathon)

I really love the "we will not be swept" with the brooms-- very cute and creative.

[kareneast]

Awesome post Heather! Thank you for sharing the teams start with us. :thumbsup2

[SilverE]

Heather: Very nice post; thank you. I hope everyone will give it a read. :goodvibes

[JustSmile]

Heather:Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing. I love the "we will not be swept":goodvibes

[vscohen]

Oh my gosh I just realized I saw some of you down there! Dh and I (and our two friends that we plan on running the ToT 13K with) went down to Disney and checked in at the Allstar Movies the day of the race in January of '05 - we didn't even know what it WAS at the time, but we saw all of these people in running gear with their medals, and I saw someone with THAT SHIRT and figured it out!
How serendipitous!

[Tiger Lily 03]

Oh my gosh I just realized I saw some of you down there! Dh and I (and our two friends that we plan on running the ToT 13K with) went down to Disney and checked in at the Allstar Movies the day of the race in January of '05 - we didn't even know what it WAS at the time, but we saw all of these people in running gear with their medals, and I saw someone with THAT SHIRT and figured it out!
How serendipitous!So we may have met! That is a fun thing to hear. We have come a long way and it just keeps getting better.

I am proud of our WISH Team, our spirit, our support.

That year was also the birth of our WISH Team cheer:

Thunder, thunder, thunderation!
We're the WISH Team delegation.
When we move with determination,
We create a Great! sensation.

[windwalker]

WISH ROCKS


Proud WISHer Panda:hippie:

[chimera]

Thanks for posting this Heather! You guys were such a huge inspiration to me!

[Stitch_lover_Sith]

Thank you Heather I think people need to be reminded of our roots. I remember back when the Weekly thread you had to search for on the Main WISH forum. My how just three years changes everything.
Erin

[lenshanem]

Fantastic! :yay: :woohoo: :yay:

BTW, that is the cutest back!

[escape]

Thanks for posting this, Heather. I never knew "our" roots! :teeth:

[Honeibee]

Hi Heather - I see you and Lily. Can you tell me who else is in that picture? :teeth:

[twoWDWfools]

Thanks Heather! It's just that inspiration that brought me here.

[funwalker]

So we may have met! That is a fun thing to hear. We have come a long way and it just keeps getting better.

I am proud of our WISH Team, our spirit, our support.

That year was also the birth of our WISH Team cheer:

Thunder, thunder, thunderation!
We're the WISH Team delegation.
When we move with determination,
We create a Great! sensation.


:cheer2: What Everyone else said!!!!!

[sap1227]

Thanks for the reminder of how this all started!! I love my WISH Shirt that first year (I actually ironed it onto a Wicking Shirt and wore it for the race). I was not an official finisher for that first race, but I WAS NOT SWEPT and got a medal. It was what started me on the journey to become a "runner".

In the picture, I am all the way on the right in the back row (in the green shirt and khaki capris).

[monte]

Wow, that was neat..thanks for sharing. I love the brooms on the back, how cute.:goodvibes

I would love to know who everyone is in the photo too.:yay:

[wfloyd]

While on the history, I will add a little to it for what happened during and immediately after the 2005 half/full. At that time, both races were run on Sunday. The full started at the current Red Marathon Start and the Half started at the current Blue marathon start. Then they combined at 3.3 and then split apart after MK in the TTC parking lot where the half finished.

Disney had a miscommunication (so they say) and wound up shutting the gates to the MK without telling the race officials. Thus there were several runners who were stranded without any way to get back to the finish and who were a little ticked off. There were a few from the first WISH group who were included in this group. Once everyone got back, there was lots of discussion about what happened and why.

During the discussions and debates about the gates being closed, the first WISH writing campaign started. Disney made changes to the course and race to try and keep that from happening again. They seemed interested in listening to the runners and tried to learn from their mistakes.

Most if not all the group had a good time (from what I could tell reading) and if they didn’t finish in 2005, they were determined to complete the course the next year. This is also when the group started growing and more people were willing to accept the challenge and support each other.


Bill

[wdw4us]

While on the history, I will add a little to it for what happened during and immediately after the 2005 half/full. At that time, both races were run on Sunday. The full started at the current Red Marathon Start and the Half started at the current Blue marathon start. Then they combined at 3.3 and then split apart after MK in the TTC parking lot where the half finished.

Disney had a miscommunication (so they say) and wound up shutting the gates to the MK without telling the race officials. Thus there were several runners who were stranded without any way to get back to the finish and who were a little ticked off. There were a few from the first WISH group who were included in this group. Once everyone got back, there was lots of discussion about what happened and why.

During the discussions and debates about the gates being closed, the first WISH writing campaign started. Disney made changes to the course and race to try and keep that from happening again. They seemed interested in listening to the runners and tried to learn from their mistakes.

Most if not all the group had a good time (from what I could tell reading) and if they didn’t finish in 2005, they were determined to complete the course the next year. This is also when the group started growing and more people were willing to accept the challenge and support each other.


Bill

I remember hearing about that and how much harder I trained so it would not happen to me. I was terrified that I'd be shut out or swept. It kept me motivated.

denise

[mkymsehi]

Thanks for the WISH history.

[scoolover]

bump

[SamSam]

Awesome WISH history; thanks Heather.
This group is so close and supportive that I assumed it had been around for much longer. :goodvibes

[Kristi1357]

Thanks for bumping this, Scott! :thumbsup2

What a nice reminder about how this all began and how much these people encouraged a lowly couch potato like me back in the beginning of 2006. :grouphug:

[friendofgusgus]

Okay, reading this makes me want to dip in a toe!

I am a newbie princess penguin looking toward the Princess Half Marathon in 2008. I know that I can do it if I don't talk myself out of it on the way! :rotfl:

Reading this is very inspiring - thanks so much for posting it!

[escape]

I think this thread should be included in the "Welcome to the Wish Team" sticky. It's good for the new folks to see how the team got started and a great reminder for those of us that have been around for a while. :goodvibes

[Tiger Lily 03]

Yes, it is there actually. Lots of golden info that Bill put in that welcome thread. Thanks Bill.
:yay:

[Tiger Lily 03]

I was reminiscing about how far the WISH Team has come and came across this thread which was one of many during those first thoughts of maybe we CAN do this.

WISHcon 2005! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=367835)
We got so giddy that first year we trained together! It has been a pleasure to continue to train with our WISH Team.

[chimera]

Thanks, Lily! That's really cool to see. That thread must have been before the one I found when y'all were getting ready to go to the half. I know I stumbled across the team in Dec 2004.

This thread is just after I came in and shows how the WISH team 'class of 2006' developed. We started with monthly threads but found out how chatty we all were and quickly had to change to weeklies.

WISH team 2006 Full-Half Marathon--January Info/Training (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=714490)

Great trip down memory lane! We've all come a LONG way! :grouphug:

[PooksMom]

Thanks for the history! I am new and looking forward to experiencing disney in a healthy, fun way, the way I live at home, (most of the time:rolleyes1 )

[MomofCKJ]

Thanks for posting that! It is neat for someone like me who just found WISH in January to know how it all began!

Allyson

[wtpclc]

Great threads eeryone! OMG, it's so funny to think that I was "dreaming" of doing the 06 full in Jan. 05. We've all come so far.

To the newer WIShers, keep remebering that we all started somewhere and we all had setbacks adn worried if we could along the way.

[scoolover]

Bumping again

[Sandy321]

I think this thread should be included in the "Welcome to the Wish Team" sticky. It's good for the new folks to see how the team got started and a great reminder for those of us that have been around for a while. :goodvibes

I agree - yet I also know that not everyone reads all those stickies - but at least it should be part of an FAQ??

I was reminiscing about how far the WISH Team has come and came across this thread which was one of many during those first thoughts of maybe we CAN do this.

WISHcon 2005! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=367835)
We got so giddy that first year we trained together! It has been a pleasure to continue to train with our WISH Team.

It has been a GREAT Pleasure - I get goosebumps reading everyone's roads they travel when they have the courage to post - as well as reading the seasoned veterans who are so willing to share their knowledge...

and most of all - I cant express enough how if it werent for the WISH spirit, I wouldnt have the experience, or the audacity to try again!

WISH gave me the courage to start - - again!! :cheer2:

[mikamah]

With all the discussion of the WISH team shirts, I thought it might be time to recap the history of the WISH team. The original team formed in 2004. It was the idea of several bright women who thought that training to walk the WDW 1/2 marathon would be a great way to stay motivated and lose weight. I joined the team in June 2004. Most of us had been couch potatoes who had never even completed a 5K in our lives. For the most part, we were overweight housewives and mothers with dreams of a Donald medal. We trained together over the internet and corresponded over weekly training threads. We read John Bingham and were inspired to have the courage to start.

Here is the photo from the first-ever WISH Team meet in January 2005:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/TXBelle_photos/Team.jpg

The first official team shirt was simply an iron-on design created by Auntmeme (Maryellen). WISH team members downloaded the design and created their own cotton t-shirts. Here's the front:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/TXBelle_photos/FrontLogo.jpg
Here's the back:

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj239/TXBelle_photos/BackLogo.jpg
We started as strangers and ended up as friends. That is what the WISH Team is all about. Since 2004, the WISH Team has grown by leaps and bounds. We have women AND men of all different ages and fitness levels. What holds us together is our dedication to fitness and our undying support for each other.

Because of WISH, I now have 2 Donald medals, a Minnie medal, a Castle medal, and my crowning acheivement, a Mickey medal. WISH gave me the courage to start and changed my life for the better. For that I will always be grateful.Wow, I started to cry when I read this. The Wish board has become such a big support in my life, and I'm on week 3 of C25K, and find this thread so inspirational. I have never thought of running or walking a half marathon, but reading about all of you here is inspiring me, and maybe one day I will have one of those medals of which you speak. Thank you.

[chimera]

Wow, I started to cry when I read this. The Wish board has become such a big support in my life, and I'm on week 3 of C25K, and find this thread so inspirational. I have never thought of running or walking a half marathon, but reading about all of you here is inspiring me, and maybe one day I will have one of those medals of which you speak. Thank you.

Kathy...I know exactly how you feel. I NEVER, EVER would have imagined doing a half marathon until I stumbled across the first WISH team. I am lining up for #12 tomorrow. We'd love to have you out there with us for next January's races (or March...or October ;))

[grstink]

Thank you WISH team.
What an inspiration you have been. I never, ever dreamed I would get a medal for a 1/2 marathon. But, I did just that this March. I was so proud to walk wearing my green WISH shirt and so happy to be cheered on by all who recognized it. Boy, you have really changed my life for the better. DD and I are now working toward the Jan. 2011 race.
THANK YOU:grouphug:

[monte]

I love being a member on the W.I.S.H. team and hope to see everyone at the Goofy 2012!:cool1::hippie: