Update on Teams

[windwalker]

Since there is some discussion about whether the teams are good for the WISH site I have asked the moderators to make a ruling on whether or not to continue the teams for this year. I don't want to do anything that would not be positive and beneficial for the WISH.

In addition I'm going to have to bow out of being the team coordinator. It needs to be someone with computer skills who can control the tally sheets and make the needed changes. Scott and a few others were a huge help but it would flow smoother if the coordinator already had the skills.

Anyone interested in taking this over if the decission is made to do so please contact Lily and let her know. I will of course help in anyway I can.

I want to thank all the team captains who did a wonderful job last year keeping their teams motivated and all the members who helped each other over the rough spots.

I will continue to be a member of WISH and continue to help in anyway I can, I just think a more skilled IT person could do a lot better job as team coordinator then me.

Dave

 

[Villains_Rock]

Dave...just so you know you did a wonderful job and on behalf of Hakuna Matata and WISH I want to say THANK YOU!!!!!

 

[princessrunner]

Dave, I agree whole-heartedly with Eva. I feel that the teams were a great idea and all who participated seemed to enjoy the smaller forum for support and encouragement. It was also a good place for newbies to get to know some of us and get more comfortable on the larger threads.

I, for one, have a very difficult time with the large threads. I have limited time to post and/or read and it takes too long to catch up and then I have no time to post. I like the smaller forums but I seem to be more in the minority.

Thank you for all your very dedicated and hard work last year. You made the team concept work for all of us and, most importantly, you made it fun!!!

 

[Steffwalks]

I agree with Lisa and Eva! LOL The longer threads can be really fun, but I don't have the kinda time it takes to keep up with them. I can choose to look at other topics this way!

 

[chimera]

Dave,

I think the Miles and Minutes game was a fine idea and very successful, as is evidenced by the number of people who joined and now hope to continue hanging out with their respective team members. There are a couple hundred WISH team members now. You're just not going to please everyone and that's okay. Everyone has different likes and what works for one, may not work for the next.

I think the team game was a great way to make WISH more manageable. A lot of folks found the Pop meet a bit overwhelming (myself included...I'm not good with crowds) when seeing the team en masse. It was nice to have a smaller group of people that you knew well from the team game to talk to and get more comfy in such a large group.

We talked a lot last year about dealing with our explosive growth and keeping WISH as a place where anyone and everyone can come in and be an athlete, regardless of innate ability. I don't know that we've found a good answer yet. The one thing I find extremely sad and upsetting is the animosity that seems to have sprung up with some folks active on this site and others. I believe we're all working toward the same goal of helping people to be more active and achieve those bucket list goals. I'm hoping all teams, on this site and throughout the 'net can work together instead of turning into a Bloods v Crips thing.

 

[SamSam]

I agree with all of the above. I really enjoy our small teams, as I find myself overwhelmed by the long weekly main thread.
Dave, I thought you did a great job of keepiing the weekly teams going.

Whatever the decision is, the WISH team is a great place for support and encouragement.

 

[ironz]

I like the smaller teams within the large overall WISH group, too, as I have a lot of trouble keeping up with the large weekly thread.

Is there *really* animosity between teams? I know I joke around about beating the Rabbits, but that is all in fun, and friendly competition. Just "trash talk," if you will. In all fairness, it's an acknowledgement that they did better than us, and we (some of the DDD's) hope to emulate their hard work!

Windwalker...thanks for everything! It was really fun and I feel like I made some good friends! I'm not tech-savvy, so really couldn't help out on that end of it. I hope someone will want to, though.

 

[chimera]

Is there *really* animosity between teams? I know I joke around about beating the Rabbits, but that is all in fun, and friendly competition. Just "trash talk," if you will. In all fairness, it's an acknowledgement that they did better than us, and we (some of the DDD's) hope to emulate their hard work!

Sorry, poor choice of words on my part. Not within the small teams here, but rather the large, global teams here and on other sites. There's an undercurrent of us vs them now that makes me sad. I don't want to rehash old stuff, but I hope we can put these feelings behind us for the new year and have all the teams in all the colors working together toward 2010.

 

[Cruella de mom]

Dave - thank you. I loved being part of a team. It motivated me when training got hard. I think it was a great idea and I think it serves a great purpose. I hope that we continue it. You are such an inspiration to the entire board. thank you.

Cecilia

 

[hockeygirl]

Wow, I never even thought there was any animosity amongst the teams, so I must have totally missed that. Honestly, I never even knew how many miles the other teams had unless someone on our board mentioned where we were in the standings, and honestly I could care less about that! For me, it was just about having a smaller group to bond with.

I hope the teams stick around, even if we don't count miles, but just to have a smaller group to chat with.

At any rate...Dave..THANK YOU for putting this all together, I can only imagine what it took. YOU ROCK!!

 

[windwalker]

Sorry, poor choice of words on my part. Not within the small teams here, but rather the large, global teams here and on other sites. There's an undercurrent of us vs them now that makes me sad. I don't want to rehash old stuff, but I hope we can put these feelings behind us for the new year and have all the teams in all the colors working together toward 2010.

((((((((((((((((Mel))))))))))))))

We saw the real spirt of what we are about at the marathon weekend. I saw WISHers supporting DisneyRunning members and DisneyRunning members supporting WISHers. I stayed in the back and made sure some of both had the encouragement they needed to continue.

I saw that angel Anne and her fellow angels passing out goodies and cold cloths to both. We have had some rough spots in the past but that doesn't mean that we aren't brothers and sisters of the same cause and with a mutual love of the Mouse and the goodness it stands for.

I personally intend to remain an active member of WISH and support my fellow WISHers and also to be an active member of DisneyRunning. I have no fear of the groups growing larger and larger because that means our message is getting out there. We are all beacons in the darkness that will draw people who decide it's time to live healthy.

Group hug to all who love the mouse and believe in better living through a strong healthy mind in a strong healthy body.

Dave

 

[goofyinohio]

Personally I like having a smaller team to talk to as well as the Overall WISH team. I just feel it gives us a place to ask questions within our smaller group or take your questions elsewhere if needed. We had some new Wishers on Buzz's Brigade and it really gave them a chance to see what WISH was all about and not have them feel overwhelmed by how huge WISH has become. Some people just don't like numbers and I get that, but I don't think the smaller teams need to be about numbers it's just a small component of it all.

I was at the Pop meet and being around for a couple years now I felt overwhelmed by it all. It's great though because there are so many of us out there no matter your weight, age, etc we are all one.

I couldn't wear my Wish visor because of the sun (I cut my hair really short) during the goofy challenge, but got nothing but support from both the DR team and the WISH team. I didn't know there was a problem between the two if there is one, but everyone was so supportive in both races even though they had no idea I was a member of both and have been a Wisher for years.

 

[WDWFAN9]

Ok, just jumping in to encourage everyone to feel welcomed and part of the team at our WISH meets. I too am pretty darn shy and not good with crowds in real life, however this year I decided to make more of an effort to talk to people I didn't know - and guess what?? It didn't kill me! A little scary maybe, but I got to meet some really neat people - like Bubba73, just to mention one. By just being part of the WISH team we have something in common and something to share. Thanks to each and everyone one of you for your stories, your support, and your encouragement

 

[windwalker]

Personally I like having a smaller team to talk to as well as the Overall WISH team. I just feel it gives us a place to ask questions within our smaller group or take your questions elsewhere if needed. We had some new Wishers on Buzz's Brigade and it really gave them a chance to see what WISH was all about and not have them feel overwhelmed by how huge WISH has become. Some people just don't like numbers and I get that, but I don't think the smaller teams need to be about numbers it's just a small component of it all.

I was at the Pop meet and being around for a couple years now I felt overwhelmed by it all. It's great though because there are so many of us out there no matter your weight, age, etc we are all one.

I couldn't wear my Wish visor because of the sun (I cut my hair really short) during the goofy challenge, but got nothing but support from both the DR team and the WISH team. I didn't know there was a problem between the two if there is one, but everyone was so supportive in both races even though they had no idea I was a member of both and have been a Wisher for years.

DR, WISH and the Deads we pretty well took over the Pop food court.

Dave

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

It looks like we are all feeling the love and in need of someone to coordinate our smaller teams. If there is someone who would like to take on he assignment that would be fantastic.

If we don't use the Google site to accumulate our mileage, perhaps we can do it individually and just use the smaller teams to have someone (team captain in the first post) list those totals by team? We could list monthly reports, or however we want to decide.

We would need an overall coordinator to assign new people who might be interested in joining in on all the fun.

Any other operational thoughts. We want to get started soon I'm sure.

 

[MomofCKJ]

My team was never very chatty or active. There were a handful of us that posted our totals regularly and I liked doing that. It helped keep me accountable I think. I liked having a place to record what I was doing.

I would like to remain on a team but honestly I don't know if my team is going to keep going. It felt like it was kind of petering out at the end. I'd love to be on any team once a decision is made.

Thanks!

Allyson

 

[bubba73]

Dave First and foremost, YOU ROCK!!! I don't know if the idea of the teams were just your baby or what but it has been one of the greatest things ever for me! I have been able to reach new physical heights than I ever thought was possible. I completed my first half and I am the guy who used to take 2 hours to go less than 5 miles. And even more importantly, I have made some new and wonderful friends, not only on my teams but on several teams. Before hand, I never even came onto the Events thread because it wasn't something that I was interested in doing. Now, I think some of you wish I would shut-up. (Not bad for a guy who really is pretty shy in person, huh?) I will always say you did a wonderful job in execution of all of this. Lord knows it couldn't have always been easy.

As far as the teams go, I love the idea. I sometimes wonder if I really have anything to say that will contribute to some of the other threads but this outlet has been able to give me a voice. And yes, I am too one of the ones that joke around about wanting to be #1 but I was also one of the ones that went onto the Rabbit's thread and congratulated them on their incredible accomplishment. I am competitive but when you are beat, you're beat. I thought all of the teams did wonderful. It may have been more than some wanted to put into but it is a great concept.

Thank you all very much for what this has meant to me!!

Bryan

 

[SAHDad]

I am still new to the boards, but I think the smaller teams have a purpose, and would like to see them continue. I'd also like to join a team, if any will have me.

 

[dsnyfan21]

Dave: BUddy, I think you did a wonderful job with the teams. Like someone said before you can't make everyone happy! Some like the smaller teams and some don't. They won't know until they try it.
I THINK YOU SHOULD STILL be the organizers of the teams - just making sure the teams are equal with members and that kind of thing. Other than that maybe someone else could do the mileage and stuff.
I think having a thread where the monthly totals are posted is a good idea - someone else mentioned this and I can't think of who it is. About half of our team is still posting and we decided to help out Captain Carrie from time to time with keeping track of peoples totals. Taking turns I think also helps with keeping it from being overwhelming.
I also think that the teams posting results for each month on a certain thread would be good. I like the idea of posting MONTHLY totals. I am currently doing the totals for the Warriors and would like to do just a monthly thing and not keeping track of the weekly thing.

Just my thoughts...

GO Warriors...

Tracy

 

[hoosmi]

I really had no motivation after doing the Goofy last year. I was slightly injured and found out I was pregnant. Everyone at home assumed I'd stop running- I have to admit I was really tempted! I did slow down, but I loved having a team so that I could make myself go out and get a few miles logged. So, for me, the teams were fabulous.

Having said that, I found I stopped reading the main weekly board as much and rarely posted. Then when it came time for marathon weekend, I felt weird at the start of the half and didn't really want to approach the group. (I also had my mom to tend to who was in that crazy nervous and excited first time half mode...) I felt silly, but I'd kind of lost track of the group as a whole.

Anyway, my personal solution is that I've decided I'm going to make an effort to post on the weekly board at least every couple of days and just try to keep up with things, while also checking on my team and any other threads relevant to me...

I do think Dave and the leaders did a great job!

Jen in GA