Tela Crane has been a cycling superstar from the moment she started bike racing as a junior. Originally from Washington, Tela discovered her versatile talent as an endurance rider who packs a powerful punch with an explosive sprint finish. Her superior ability at both ends of the spectrum has decorated her career with 33 National medals, 11 National Championship titles, 5 ongoing track records, and a former 200 meter National Record. Now with 15 years of experience, she is a shining star with an engaging personality that feeds off of the crowd’s energy, making her both a distinguished and charismatic leader.
Official website: www.TelaCrane.com
Sara is the founder of Live Boldly Coaching, LLC and became the first Professional Life and Leadership Coach, Wilderness First Responder and Multidimensional Partner Trauma Model certified coach in the world. With a vision, dream and years of experience in nature, she began guiding Transformational Coaching, Hiking and Meditation Retreats for women in the Grand Canyon. Not only does she guide clients physically through the canyon, but also emotionally, mentally, and if they choose, spiritually deep within themselves! Sara was honored to have Shawn as a client on her June, 2018 retreat. "To be Trusted is a greater compliment than being Loved." Shawn's ability to entrust herself within our group was inspiring to not only the women on our retreat, but everyone we passed on the trail. www.liveboldlycoaching.com
The work Sara does today is grounded through her courage to heal in nature after years of personal trauma. Sara has logged thousands of trail miles throughout 13 National Parks across the United States. She has climbed Mt. Whitney three times, hiked the Grand Canyon multiple times, summited Mt. Baldy, Half Dome, Mt. Wilson, Cucamonga Peak, San Jacinto, San Bernardino Peak, San Gorgonio, and has hiked the High Sierra Trail over 8 days in the wilderness. She has also stand up paddled the 22 mile channel to Catalina Island, CA, multiple times, and has run several ultra-marathons and marathons. Being in nature gave her the strength to overcome. A documentary is in production about her life, Walk Through This-A Story of Starting Over, and is set to be released Fall, 2020. www.walkthroughthis.com
Jimmy started racing tandem in 1978 on the velodrome in T-Town, PA. Gibby Hatten took him out on his first tandem and Jimmy was forever hooked. As an elite cyclist racing nationally with a ranking in the top 5 for about eight years, Jimmy held the state champion title from 1977 to 1985. Jimmy has raced as a tandem pilot and as a stoker over the many years he has raced tandem. He has even raced with his son as the first father and son team and won 4th place at Nationals. In 1990, he was asked to coach a paracycling camp in T-Town. He piloted a visually impaired cyclist and coached 8 other tandem teams at this camp. He was hooked and has been involved with paracycling tandem racing for over 20 years.
Riding with Shawn has inspired Jimmy and taught him things that he never would think of. He talks about the memories of riding together at her very first tandem cycling camp and how special she is to him. Jimmy hopes to be involved in the Warrior Games and attend more cycling camps to pilot more visually impaired stokers. This is his passion. He hopes to see Shawn wanting to race circuit one day and knows that he will be watching her at the Paralympic Games. He can brag that he was her first pilot and rode tandem with her!
Nancy is the Visual Impairment Services Team (VIST) Coordinator. The Visual Impairment Services Team Coordinator, she has the responsibility for the coordination of services for severely disabled visually impaired Veterans and active duty service members. Nancy has a Masters of Arts in Rehabilitation of the Blind, is a certified orientation and mobility specialist, and is also a certified rehabilitation counselor. She feels honored to be a part of Shawn's team.
Lydia is a Recreation Therapist & the Adaptive Sports Chairperson at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. She is also an advocate for many Veteran Community Organizations and is actively involved in health and wellness in general. Lydia has been blessed to have worked with Shawn in a variety of capacities including her first adaptive Biathlon clinic & first biathlon competition, assisted in obtaining her Tandem cycle through the VA and have even had the opportunity to run alongside of her in the "Color Me Rad" race in 2013. Shawn is an inspiration to Lydia and to all who know her
Emily worked with Shawn on a tandem bike timed trial several years ago. It was the first time Emily had ever rode a tandem bike with another person. They had a blast! Emily is a Junior at Marian University studying Exercise Science. She has been racing bikes since 2010 and loves to help and serve others.
Christina Quijano was a guide runner for Shawn in the Mountain Goat Race in 2012. She met Shawn during one of the weekly group runs of Team Red, White & Blue (RWB). When she isn’t running, Christina works at Westhill High School as a Spanish Teacher. She is a graduate of Binghamton University and has received graduate degrees from both Alfred University and La Universidad de Salamanca.
Rich and Lisa first met Shawn at the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA). From the very beginning, it was very apparent that Shawn is a shining example of perseverance and courage. She is dedicated, determined, focused and courageous. Through Shawn's vivacious personality and superb speaking skills, she began to reach out to visually impaired Americans and enrich their lives in a positive way. She strives to connect with and inspire all people that she comes in contact with; influencing not only the visually impaired, but every American that will lend her an ear. Shawn wants to share her story with audiences around the country, be an advocate for visually impaired Americans, raise awareness for adaptive sports, and help provide opportunities that can enrich the lives of those individuals who are blind and visually impaired.
Over the years, Lisa and Rich consider Shawn as an integral part of their own family. We constantly look forward to the next opportunity to meet and watch Shawn compete as she continues to be the very best athlete the United States has to offer in the sports of cycling and biathlon. She definitely has what it takes to go the distance and Rich and Lisa will be there every step of the way...if not in person at least in spirit. Rich and Lisa moved from Colorado Springs, CO to beautiful Sun Valley, ID in July of 2013. Rich is currently working as the Director of Operations for both the military and recreation components to Higher Ground Sun Valley. Rich and Lisa are both extremely grateful for this opportunity to serve Service Members and Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress (PTS), Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and other polytrauma.
Owner / Director of Sports Performance Pro, Paralympic Development Programs. Ron has been involved in training Elite athletes in Adaptive sports since 1998. He has trained Adaptive Athletes in swimming, tennis, quad rugby, archery, table tennis, rowing, basketball, skiing, bi-athalons and track and field. His athletes have won 2 silver 2 bronze medals in 2000 Sydney Paralympics, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals in the World Championships, 2 Paralympic Records and 1 American Record . Ron currently works with the US Paralympic Track Team and specializes in Wheelchair and Ambulatory speed and conditioning development.
Ron met Shawn not to long after her injury from a camp introducing Adaptive Sports. "I have had the privilege of working with many talented athletes and Shawn ranks right in there with them" stated Ron. Shawn told Ron she wanted to be a World Champion and make it to the next Paralympics in Rio, 2016. We didn't know what sport yet, but she said she wanted to do everything. Once Shawn got started, there is no stopping her. "I have no doubt, Shawn will definitely be a World Champion and it will be as a multi-sport Paralympian", Shawn is just getting started and will inspire so many athletes and prove that there will be No Limitations.
Maryam met Shawn while working sports events at the carrier dome as medical staff. At the time, Shawn was a paramedic and Maryam was (and still is) an EMT. Besides working as an EMT, Maryam is a physical education and health teacher, and also coaches soccer, volleyball, basketball and track and field. She loves to run and exercise! After Shawn & Maryam became running partners, they ran with TEAM RWB (red, white and blue) along trails and in races together, and even ran untethered on the track together!
While running, they would pass the time by talking about God, kids, court, life, love, hopes and dreams. She love running with Shawn! Maryam told Shawn the first day they met that she felt like her long lost sister. Maryam’s love for her grows stronger every day and her hugs get tighter and longer through the years. She misses Shawn when she is gone and thinks of her every day!
Brittany Perkins has nordic skied with Shawn Cheshire as a guide. Brittany has been nordic skiing since the age of 6 and currently resides in Crested Butte, Colorado. In addition to skiing, she enjoys hiking and mountain biking.
A member of the Disabled Sports USA Hall of Fame, Kathy Chandler has been teaching skiing since 1978. She began to specialize in Adaptive skiing in 1991 when she started the Adaptive Skiing Program in Waterville Valley, NH. In 1997, Kathy started a non-profit organization known as AbilityPLUS. AbilityPLUS has helped 9 adaptive programs get their start in New England. Kathy is also a PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) Level III Alpine and Level III Adaptive instructor and an Examiner for Adaptive. She serves as the Eastern Coordinator for Adaptive on the Board of Directors for PSIA. Working with Shawn was has been one of those dreams come true, as she is so athletic, so committed and determined to conquer and excel at whatever she is handed. For anyone working with her, Shawn does whatever is asked of her and always strives to be at the top of her game. It is always FUN working with Shawn. She is there to have a good time and do well.
A former world champion and world record holder, Mackenzie has been a tandem pilot for the national team since 2008. She has won gold, silver and bronze in the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. Shawn and Mackenzie are the current national champions in the Blind & Visually Impaired (B&VI) road race and time trial. Individually, she professionally races cyclocross and mountain bikes for Foundry Cycles.
Within the Method 360 group, Shawn trains with Trish, one of the owners, on Shawn's mind/body balance and flexibility through yoga and both Jen & Leslie, other owners, focus on the administrative aspects of the business. They truly love having Shawn as part of their community and are inspired by Shawn's tenacity, strength and vulnerability equally. Shawn also serves as an inspiration to their other clients!
Davina Nhek introduced Shawn to Method 360 in March of 2014. She is lucky enough to not only have a close personal relationship with Shawn, but be one of her personal trainers as well. Davina trains Shawn mainly on the TRX Suspension Trainer. They focus on strength, stability, and flexibility. Davina had the privilege of accompanying Shawn to the London Invictus Games in September of 2014. They came home with a gold, silver and 2 bronze medals.
Shawn is one of Kristen's favorites to train. With all her clients, she asks them how they're feeling when they walk in the door because it will determine what they do that day. With Shawn, however, she still asks but ultimately they have a definitive goal and so she gets to beat Shawn up! :) Like a piece of clay, Kristen can mold Shawn into what she wants. When Shawn first came to Kristen, she had only ridden the bike. She pulled Shawn off the bike and showed her how to strength train and ultimately made her leaner and faster ON the bike.
Samantha works as an independent massage therapist contractor at Armory Massage Therapy PPLC. She has worked with Shawn mostly as a part of her recovery/healing from her intense weekly trainings. Samantha has been working mostly with athletes; from triathletes to hockey players to the physically active individual. She believes in incorporating relaxation as well as deep tissue/sports massage into every session.
Shawn and Kathy met at Ski Spectacular in December 2012, where they became fast friends. Since this time, they have worked together to involve Shawn in biathlon and cycling. Shawn is a very dedicated athlete who is relentless and totally committed to her training programs. Kathy is amazed at Shawn’s abilities as a visually impaired woman and athlete. Look out cycling and biathlon athletes, Shawn is on track! Being a part of her quest for competition has been a great experience! Kathy really cherishes her friendship!
Jesse Crandall has been skiing with Shawn as her coach and guide for 3 seasons and has been an integral part of her journey. Jesse coached cross country skiing at the collegiate level in Colorado from 2005 through 2009. He recently completed his PhD in Environmental Chemistry and teaches college chemistry in the Syracuse area. Jesse trains with Shawn in a number of her athletic endeavors including as a pilot and bicycle guide as she pursues her goals to make the 2016 Paralympic Team. He trains with her at the gym and does running races with her for cross training. Jesse also coaches high school ski racers in the Syracuse area and has served as a coach for the Mid Atlantic Junior National Ski Team.
Annie Desalernos began working with people with physical disabilities in 1986. In that period of time she has had the extreme pleasure of working one on one with children, teens and adults and injured, ill or wounded veterans with disabilities in sports, residential camping, social and fitness programs. She is the Program Supervisor for the City of Sacramento, Department of Parks and Recreation, Access Leisure and Paralympic Sport Sacramento programs. For the past five years, she has also served as the Supervisor for the Northern California Regional Paralympic Sport program under a grant from the United States Olympic Committee, Paralympic Division, with funds originating from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
There was an instant bond between Annie and Shawn when they met in 2012 in San Jose at a track and field clinic that was hosted in partnership with several Paralympic Sport Clubs from Northern California. Shawn approached Annie and emphatically proclaimed that she WOULD be a Paralympian in the future, and now all that was to be done is to choose the best sport for her to accomplish that goal. They share a love of positive attitudes and, as a result, decided to that they would each call the other “Oozie” as they pride themselves in oozing positive vibes. Annie was thrilled to track all of Shawn’s ups and downs along her journey and serve as a sounding board and resource for support. She will continue to track Shawn’s success and serve as one of her most staunch cheerleaders.
“I hope she can hear my shouts of joy and encouragement from NorCal on her road to continued success!”