Mia Meets Bike

Meatball Mia said:
Both schools are great in terms of their program, but each have their own special attributes that makes me want to go there.
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Boston is four hours away, has great mountain biking (i think?), and has sports teams you like. I've heard Madison is really nice, and Chicago is awesome, but it's really far away. I know your family and support system are important to you, so all things being equal (sounds like they are both good programs for what you want), it sounds like an easy decision to me, but it's not my decision. I think I used the same justification to tell you that UConn was the better choice though, so maybe don't listen to me. I also obviously selfishly want you closer to home so you can more easily come back and ride bikes with us, or invite us up to MA to see some cool new stuff. For real though, in the grand scheme of your life/career, I really doubt it will make much difference academically which of these schools you choose, so choose the one you think you'll be happier at.

Meatball Mia said:
I made it through some sections that shocked me, but I still had a couple dumb moments where I swear I forgot how to ride a bike.
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Both of these things happen on pretty much every single ride I do there.

Meatball Mia said:
That might also be because I skipped practice a few days in a row with my coaches.
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Forget what I just said, it's 100% this.

Meatball Mia said:
but I also made this one hill towards the end of the ride that I was not expected to make.
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People have no idea, but this was really impressive, and seeing you clean that climb was the highlight of the ride for me. I'm glad I was able to get out of your way after I flubbed it, and I didn't mess you up.

I was really, really hoping to wake up to rain today so I wouldn't have to ride, but I'm really, really glad it didn't rain at all and we got that ride in. I'm totally dead now, but I'd still go back again tomorrow if it wasn't raining. And I'm totally not just saying that because it's monsooning out there right now.
 
Anything bio-med-tech seems to point to the Boston area.
Not only the school, but all the surrounding companies mean opportunities.

I may know people if you are targeting research science as a pharmD.

On writing about your recovery -
If it helps to write, write. It takes the situation from swirling thoughts to a written framework giving it some substance.
The Zen attitude towards food was very interesting.
We can attempt to see the world that way.
The labels come from inside us, not from the thing or event.
Recommended reading: The Tao of Pooh

Writing will def benefit others.
Similar situation, feeling alone.
Your words will resonate.

A successful female athlete said to me, just out of the blue,
Food is fuel.

I would like to read more about what you've learned, and your self-observations.
 
There’s some biking close to Boston. If you end up there I know a guy who occasionally rides up that way.

Wisconsin? It’s like Czechoslovakia but with cheese.

Chicago is a brilliant food city. Winter is 10 months long.
 
iman29 said:
And don’t worry too much about which program “is the best” compared to the others. Your grades and accomplishments will define you not which name is on your degree. Go with your guy and where you will feel the most enjoyment all around and not dread every day.
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just thought this was worth emphasizing, the ONLY job that will really care where your degree comes from is your first one, after that your experience and accomplishments in the field matter WAY WAY more than where you got your degree from (having an applicable degree is important, but once you have real world experience where that degree came from is mostly irrelevant)
 
shrpshtr325 said:
just thought this was worth emphasizing, the ONLY job that will really care where your degree comes from is your first one, after that your experience and accomplishments in the field matter WAY WAY more than where you got your degree from (having an applicable degree is important, but once you have real world experience where that degree came from is mostly irrelevant)
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This comment is exactly what I was going to say.
 
I don’t work in the medical industry so it might be different. But in IT it makes absolutely no difference where you went to school. I’ve never once looked at what school someone went to when interviewing. This applies to interns as well as people with experience.
 
It’s funny because my sister makes fun of me for being friends with some of my MTBNJ teammates
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Its ok, you can tell us.....Is it @Wrong Way Dan ?

And whats so weird??? You hang out with a bunch of old men who like to ride kids toys in the woods for fun? Whine about our old run down bodies?......Just think of what you could be doing instead...hanging at the mall, making tick tok videos while drinking bubble tea! Funny thing is....this will happen throughout your life....maybe in different ways.....As a parent now I am forced to hang out with many other parents of my sons friends...I have absolutely nothing in common with most of them....Not to worry, you always have us...(as in the mtb community).....and we LOVE weirdos.
JimN said:
Boston is four hours away, has great mountain biking (i think?), and has sports teams you like. I've heard Madison is really nice, and Chicago is awesome, but it's really far away. I know your family and support system are important to you, so all things being equal (sounds like they are both good programs for what you want), it sounds like an easy decision to me, but it's not my decision. I think I used the same justification to tell you that UConn was the better choice though, so maybe don't listen to me. I also obviously selfishly want you closer to home so you can more easily come back and ride bikes with us, or invite us up to MA to see some cool new stuff. For real though, in the grand scheme of your life/career, I really doubt it will make much difference academically which of these schools you choose, so choose the one you think you'll be happier at
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I agree with Jim.....well and @shrpshtr325 too. Whichever school you choose, I don't see it affecting your career very much.....you are probably one of the LAST teenagers I can think of in which I would be worried about finding a job.
Meatball Mia said:
Today, I rode Fugawe with Jim before the rain. Somehow Jim was able to take me on a route that was possibly better than Saturday’s. I messed up in a few spots that I knew I could’ve made, but I also made this one hill towards the end of the ride that I was not expected to make.
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that one is brutal! nice work! That whole section is one of the harder ones there I think anyway. Several tricky features.
Meatball Mia said:
Finally, a little section about some progress I’ve made in my recovery journey. Right now, my biggest concern is relapsing. This gets tough sometimes because my eating disorder tries to take over during times of progress when I’m moving further away from habitats that I’ve formed during my eating disorder. The holiday season makes this especially hard. I know a lot of people feel like they struggle during the holiday season, so I’ll just give a little bit of insight to help myself and anyone else who might be looking for another perspective. My biggest fact is not labeling food as good or bad. All food is good and serves a purpose for your body. No matter if it's a cookie or a vegetable, your body uses it in a similar way. For me personally, it is also helpful to remind myself that I’m an athlete in recovery so my energy needs are greater than most other people. What I view as “a lot” of food right now probably still isn’t as much as my body needs. In general, restriction leads to binging, so I just try not to restrict myself and I find that helps a lot. (Let me know if you like this little section because I can add a little bit about what I've learned throughout each blog post, but if you don’t, I can leave it out.)
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And this is good....as someone who has been working on eating better for 25+ years now....im always interested in hearing what other people do, trying new things, etc. So if you want to share, I'll happily read.
 
Amazing story and very brave to open up. Just to chime in as a PharmD who did 2 years of residency followed by 4 years in clinical academia who is now in the industry (if I may):
Where you get your degree mostly doesn’t matter, however if you are looking to make it into the industry then considering preference to a school that has a robust fellowship program (MCPHS, Rutgers [though didn’t see my Alma mater on your list]) may help your chances a little more as a fellowship applicant in your P4 year. However what I will say is a good applicant is a good applicant no matter where you are from. Research, student orgs, Leadership roles within those orgs are great too. Summer internships within industry always help as well. Happy to chat more as I do feel like I can speak more to your dilemma specifically. Best of luck with your decision.

Edit to add: what I will say is that there are some schools that are considered within the pharmacy world as “diploma mills” and unfortunately ACPE is not doing anything about it. However none of the schools you have listed would be considered as such.
 
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Well its 2024 now, so its time to start thinking about my upcoming race season. I was going to do a bike check blog post, but my bike is currently not doing well, so I decided I would do a post about my sponsorships for this season. I honestly debated doing this post because I try to stay humble and keep some of this stuff to myself because I don't want to seem like I'm bragging or shoving it in people's faces. But I decided to just go for it anyways.

So after winning the ESC championship, I thought sponsorships were going to be much easier to get this year. It turns out I was wrong. The sponsorship/ ambassadorship process can get very frustrating sometimes because I put in the work during the season and take the time to reach out to a bunch of companies, and most of the time I hear back from only a few and sometimes their answer is a no.

This year I reached out to more companies than usual because of the season I had, but some companies I planned on messaging had deadlines before my season actually ended. That's the issue with the ESC. My last race of the season was October 29th, and most applications are due by mid-October, October 31st, or if I decided to email a sales team they typically have their next season roster already made by the end of October or beginning of November. Now you might be thinking, "why didn't she just submit an application before the season was over?" Well I could have done that but one of the strongest attributes of my results resume this season was winning the series which I knew I was going to do towards the end of the season, so I decided to wait. This may have hurt my chances with some companies that would have thought about me, but I was willing to take that risk.

So the sponsorships I do have for this season. The first sponsor I received for this season was from Odi grips. This sponsorship is one that I've had for the past two seasons, so I am happy to be sticking with them again. My next sponsor is Ignite, and they have been with me for the past two seasons as well. This one is one that I've really enjoyed, and I'm super happy to have again for this season. Then, I have American Dream Nut Butter. This one is my only "oddball" sponsor because its not really bike related but they make high protein nut butters for athletes, and I love peanut butter, almond butter, and cashew butter, so it was going to be a good fit for me. I also had been using their products for the past three years, so I knew I liked the product already.

I am still waiting to hear back from my contact at Wolftooth, but I've been sponsored by them the last two seasons, so I'm hoping to have that one back. I also contacted PUSH Industries, and for the past two years they said no because they don't have a program, but I would be on the top of their list when they created one. The difference this year was that they asked if I was still riding the same bike as last year, and I responded right away because they didn't say no right away. Its now been about two months and I haven't heard back. This is one where I get extremely frustrated because they almost led me on and then won't answer me.

Now for my last three sponsorships, as of now. First, MAXXIS. I've been in the grassroots program for MAXXIS for the past two years, and it was great. This season is a little different though. Instead of my usual allocation of free tires and then discount afterwards, which I'm assuming is the grassroots program, I've been moved to a "Pro Purchase Sponsorship" and I have no idea what that means. I'll get my wholesale account in a few days, and I'll find out, but it was frustrating at first because I had my best season thus far and my sponsorship seems to be giving me less than the other years when I didn't do as well. My next sponsor is Chris King. This one is probably one of my favorites because I've been using Chris King for a while now and I've never liked anything else. This year, I got a headset, bottom bracket, and hubs. Now the hubs are just incredible. I got the limited black and gold hubs, and I've never seen a hub so pretty. I'm also pretty excited because I currently have i9s and I just don't like them. They have good engagement and all but they don't roll well. Chris King's are just good at everything because they roll well and their engagement is good. They also sound so good.
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I'll stop my Chris King lovefest, and move on to my last sponsor, which is Troy Lee Designs. Now this one is probably the one I'm the most excited about because this is my first year with them. I've also been using their helmets, both full face and half shell, for a few years now, so I'm excited to finally get to represent for them. I also need to refresh my racing and riding clothes this season, so it will be nice to do that with TLD. I also really want these riding overalls for like no particular reason except for the fact that their sick.

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Well that's all about my sponsorships for this upcoming season. I'm hoping to make a bike check blog post for when I get my bike back together!
 
Troy Lee makes great stuff. I have a few jerseys and shorts and they are some of my favs.


I’ve read a lot of posts / listened to a lot of podcasts with pro athletes. They talk a lot about how sponsorship is more about social media than results which sucks. The athletes trying to win races (like you) should have sponsors dying to support you. But they see more value in someone with 30,000 followers on IG which is unfortunate. Even guys like Keegan Swenson who is probably the #1 American off road cyclist right now spoke about how he has to work on his social media to keep the sponsors happy. Crazy.
Have you thought about working on your social media presence? It sucks if you’re just not into that kind of thing, but a combo of a good IG page and the race results you’ve been getting would probably have you riding a sick new bike with all top end components every year for free.
 
The Nut Butter should be a lesson. Think outside the box. The whole bike industry is having financial issues right now. Have you reached out to Big Tobacco? They have lots of cash and nowhere to advertise. Think of all the money they had for F1.

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I think Joy can work with the above for a new kit with Blue and Orange.
 
jShort said:
Have you thought about working on your social media presence?
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I've thought about this. I think my biggest thing is that when I try to make my social media presence a little more known, it usual doesn't work. It's also hard because I'm used to posting mostly about racing and that's about it. During my off season, especially when I'm at school, its hard to come up with what I view as good content to put up. I also feel like my riding isn't very stylish or the stuff I ride isn't really that impressive to people, so it feels weird to be posting something about my riding when it doesn't even look that cool. Sometimes its like if I'm not posting about big jumps or drops, which i currently can't do, or act like an influencer, which I don't really want to be right now, its not going to get any exposure. I also only have like three hundred Instagram followers so that's not really a lot. I like Instagram and I'm into the whole social media branding kind of thing but the effort I do put in usual doesn't get me anywhere.
 
Meatball Mia said:
I've thought about this. I think my biggest thing is that when I try to make my social media presence a little more known, it usual doesn't work. It's also hard because I'm used to posting mostly about racing and that's about it. During my off season, especially when I'm at school, its hard to come up with what I view as good content to put up. I also feel like my riding isn't very stylish or the stuff I ride isn't really that impressive to people, so it feels weird to be posting something about my riding when it doesn't even look that cool. Sometimes its like if I'm not posting about big jumps or drops, which i currently can't do, or act like an influencer, which I don't really want to be right now, its not going to get any exposure. I also only have like three hundred Instagram followers so that's not really a lot. I like Instagram and I'm into the whole social media branding kind of thing but the effort I do put in usual doesn't get me anywhere.
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also don't limit it to serious bike stuff only... be silly... show some personal stuff... show fails and goofs and whatnot.
 
Meatball Mia said:
I've thought about this. I think my biggest thing is that when I try to make my social media presence a little more known, it usual doesn't work. It's also hard because I'm used to posting mostly about racing and that's about it. During my off season, especially when I'm at school, its hard to come up with what I view as good content to put up. I also feel like my riding isn't very stylish or the stuff I ride isn't really that impressive to people, so it feels weird to be posting something about my riding when it doesn't even look that cool. Sometimes its like if I'm not posting about big jumps or drops, which i currently can't do, or act like an influencer, which I don't really want to be right now, its not going to get any exposure. I also only have like three hundred Instagram followers so that's not really a lot. I like Instagram and I'm into the whole social media branding kind of thing but the effort I do put in usual doesn't get me anywhere.
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There is likely someone on mtbnj that is a wiz at social media and can give you some tips. Part of my wife's job is managing social media accounts and a huge part of the "game" is consistency. Consistency equals more likes, which gets you suggested more to potential followers, which equals more likes/views and so on and so on. Take some notes from Kate Courtney and Pauline Ferrand-Prevot who most of the time they aren't posting something cool per say, but they are posting....
 
I'm not an expert and don't have too many examples but smaller, more local sponsors might be a route to try that could be easier. Local shops maybe. High Tech Landscaping also comes to mind. Random, but if they can help you out, even a little bit, why not? Racing ain't cheap! Good luck this season!
 
Meatball Mia said:
I've thought about this. I think my biggest thing is that when I try to make my social media presence a little more known, it usual doesn't work. It's also hard because I'm used to posting mostly about racing and that's about it. During my off season, especially when I'm at school, its hard to come up with what I view as good content to put up. I also feel like my riding isn't very stylish or the stuff I ride isn't really that impressive to people, so it feels weird to be posting something about my riding when it doesn't even look that cool. Sometimes its like if I'm not posting about big jumps or drops, which i currently can't do, or act like an influencer, which I don't really want to be right now, its not going to get any exposure. I also only have like three hundred Instagram followers so that's not really a lot. I like Instagram and I'm into the whole social media branding kind of thing but the effort I do put in usual doesn't get me anywhere.
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286 followers as of now! Maybe putting your IG tag out there a little bit more would help, I'm sure you would pick up a few more followers from here.
 
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