15 minutes with Corey Huber
When did you graduate from BHS? What year are you at BG? Your major?
I graduated from BHS in 2010. I'm a senior at BGSU studying Applied Health Science with a specialization in Microbiology and a minor in Psychology.
I understand you spent a good part of your summer bicycling across America. What is the name of the organization you were biking with? Can you explain a bit about the organization and its mission?
The organization is called Push America. Founded in 1977, Push America is the national philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. The mission of Push America is to build leaders of tomorrow by serving people with disabilities today. The organization hopes to change the way society views people with disabilities and fraternities.
How did you get involved in this?
I'm an initiate of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. The ride is exclusive to members of Pi Kappa Phi.
How many cyclists participated in this ride? How many were on your team? Were they all BG students?
On my team we had 19 riders and eight crew members. I had one chapter brother, Alex Dudek, on my team as a crew member. A combine total of 68 cyclists,23 crew, and 3 project members partook in the Journey of Hope 2013. All together we had three teams, TransAmerica (mine), North, and South.
Is this your first long ride? How did you prepare for it?
My first ride I did was for BGSU's Dance Marathon called Bike for Tykes in 2012. That ride was only 180 miles. To prepare for the Journey of Hope I just rode my bike and tried to keep my cardio strong. There wasn't too much I could do except keep myself in decent shape!
kind of bike did you ride? Did you wear special clothing?
The bike I used was a KHS Flight 300 I purchased from CG Pro Bikes Shop. I was given a biking jersey and two pairs of biking shorts. I later purchased a second jersey.
Any flat tires or other equipment problems? Did you manage to stay healthy all the way? Any accidents?
I had a lot of flat tires! Even though they were annoying I was glad it was the least of my worries. I stayed healthy through the trip. Sometimes I would be dehydrated and very burnt. There was a time a beetle crawled into my ear as I slept on gym floor in Colorado. I had to go to the hospital to get it drained out. Needless to say it was a long night. As for serious accidents, we didn't have any! It was an incredible that our team stayed safe along the way. Of course people fell off their bike and sometimes collided with each other. But we did not have any broken bones, just people loosing skin on their palms. No one had to go home, which is never the case.
What kind of support people accompanied the cyclists? Where did you spend your nights? What about food?
We slept in a variety of places. Most nights it was a gym or church floor. But occasionally if we were lucky a hotel or college residence hall would be available to us. Along the way the crew members would drive vans that were stocked with snacks, water, and emergency equipment. It was nice having those vans because it meant we could stop and take a break for a few minutes.
Our meals were covered by all sorts of donors. Many were clubs and organizations such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, Shriners, Cattle Women provided meals. When we had a friendship visit with a local nonprofit organization or company that serves people with disabilities we would also eat with them. We never went hungry on this trip.
Did you have to raise a certain amount of money to participate or did you raise money along the way?
Yes, I raised around $5,600. Each cyclist had to raise a minimum of $5,500. Crew members had to raise $2,500. I also had to pay for my equipment such as tires, tubes, bike, gear and my plane ticket.
Did you speak to groups or organizations along the way? How did you make people aware of why you were riding?
We spoke to many groups along the way. Many groups were the service organizations that provided meals. We would talk about our mission and what we were doing. More importantly we met with nonprofits and clubs that served others with disabilities.
We called these friendship visits and they were the best part of the trip. Everyone was different and we all had the ability to get crazy and have a great time with clients. Some visits we would play outdoor games, learn how to use adaptive equipment such as kayaks, go to the zoo, and many were dances.
The clients ranged from little kids to adults depending on the organization we would have a visit with. The different types of disabilities we learned about varied from mental/emotional, physical, and intellectual.
Taylor Thompson was in charge of social media and would set up stories and interviews with local papers and news stations. But many guys would Facebook and Tweet about the trip every day. Also, us riding through small towns and cities wearing identical uniforms made people look our way.
How many miles a day did you ride? How many days did it take? Were there any days of rest?
On average a ride would be about 85 miles a day. However, our longest days were 120 miles and our shortest was 35 miles. So, it is safe to say some days were easier than others. Every six days we would have a day off from riding. But the day of "rest" usually meant our schedule was full with friendship visits, company/organization visits, cleaning the vans, other activities. We were always on our feet.
How did your parents feel about you taking on this trip? How did you stay in touch with them?
At first my parents didn't understand what the trip was really about. They thought I was going to fly out to Seattle and just ride my bike for a summer and not work. Once I told them all we do they realized it was something I should do and they were excited for me. I just would text and Facebook them a little bit here and there. They wanted to hear more from me but I was too tired and busy to talk some days.
What were some of your high points of the trip? Where there places you passed along the way that you'd like to return to?
I wouldn't mind visiting all the places I passed through, even Wyoming where trees and people are scarce. My first memorable day was our iconic Day 2. It was 125 miles from Enumclaw to Yakima, Washington. The morning was cold as we went through two mountain passes. It was miles uphill and everyone was feeling exhausted. By the end of the day we were in a desert area. That day was a huge challenge in itself.
What was the worst weather you encountered? Best?
Worst weather was when we rode in 34 degree rainy weather. It was windy and we were on a side of a highway going from Montana to Wyoming. The best weather was actually in August during the last week of our ride. The weather was warm but not terribly hot, around 75. Surprisingly it wasn't humid.
Tell me about your activities at BG. What all are you involved in? What do you want to do after graduation?
I hope to go to graduate school for occupational therapy or for a health related profession. Currently I'm involved in Undergraduate Student Government, Bike for Tikes Core Committee, and Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity. Previously, I was a Resident Advisor and now I'm alumnus of Nation Residence Hall Honorary.
