Two Decades of Concept2 Holiday Challenges and Counting

Meet Nancy Stalik – avid Concept2 community member and Holiday Challenge participant for over 20 years. With millions of meters to her name, and with the paper logs to prove it, we have learned that Nancy will stop at nothing to meet her goals. As her daughter Hana said, “In my childhood the rule was not to get mom off the rower ‘unless there was a lot of blood or broken bones’”. This year, despite recent carpal tunnel surgery, Nancy is adapting and still getting her meters in to reach her 200k goal. Read more on how Nancy keeps rowing after so many years. 

How many years have you been doing the Holiday Challenge, and what year did you start?
Over 20 years now! The first year I rowed the 200k holiday challenge was 2005. This year I will earn my 20th Holiday Challenge pin! I did not grow up as a rower. My husband and I purchased our first rower when I was 28. Hence, I did not know I was capable of rowing that many meters for so many days. News flash... I could!! For my first 200k year, I counted the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve, divided by 200k, and realized I only had to row 7,777 meters per day. I had been rowing 5k per day. That's when I knew I could do it!  

My first 100k holiday challenge was in 1999 or 2000, but I’d need to check my paper logs to be sure. Yes, I still keep paper logs, and I have obsessively logged every single row... and I do mean EVERY. SINGLE. ROW. I have ever taken on my homemade log sheets. I have many thousands of meters on my sheets that are not logged online. A project for another time.  

How did you first find out about the Holiday Challenge, and can you tell us about any memories from the first years you did the challenge?
I first found out about the Holiday Challenge after we purchased our first rower in 1997. It was a Concept 2 Model C with a wooden handle and a PM3. At the time, Concept2 was still printing and mailing an all-paper newsletter back then. For the years I rowed the 100k, I had to go to the library to make a copy of my homemade paper logs and send in the last sheet to show my total of 100k! I was very proud of my iron-on decals as my prize. I still am. 
 
What has motivated you to keep doing the challenge after so many years?
What is motivation, anyway? A pinch of pride? A dollop of determination? A skosh of sneaky obsessiveness? A portion of all those, I suppose. I credit the holiday challenge for keeping at bay the yearly creep of weight gain that occurs over the festive winter season. People are purported to gain at least one pound over the holidays every year. Moreover, women gain about one to one and a half pounds per year after 40. The Holiday Challenge has always allowed me to enjoy nearly anything I wanted and not gain weight over all the festivities. While that would be enough, I also thoroughly enjoy adding another lapel pin to my collection. I made it a point not to be a collector. But my one and only collection is my Concept2 Holiday Challenge 200K lapel pins! I proudly display them in a box frame my sister made me (she is a framer by trade). I should have enough space for pins to row the challenge into my 80s! 

Do you have any happy/funny memories you’d be willing to share from over the years of participating in the challenge?
To be very clear, all memories of rowing for the Holiday Challenge are positive and empowering. There is satisfaction in consistency. One sweet memory in particular comes to mind though. I had just gotten over a nasty flu in the early 2000s. The residual fatigue and cough were lingering. I was determined to row the challenge, because well, that is what I do. My husband heard me coughing and decided to help. He made me cups of warm tea, put them in a covered cup with a bendy straw, and he would match my strokes back and forth to make sure I sipped tea while rowing to help reduce the cough!  

Have you motivated or convinced others to do the Holiday Challenge, or have you met others virtually through the challenge?
I am pretty sure I have sold approximately 12 Concept2 rowers just by yakking about them over the years. I only use public gyms when I travel or visit a military base. (Fun fact: I have never had a dining room, rather I have a dining gym. After we had our first child 32 years ago, we turned our modest dining room into a gym with crown molding. In that gym, we also housed our first rower.) With that being said, I don't see many other people rowing. However, I have extolled the virtues of rowing to as many people as will listen. I have no way of knowing if those friends (victims?) have embarked on the challenge themselves. My entire holiday card list also knows I row the Holiday Challenge each year because I put it on the family update, and it has been on that update for two decades. I even send Concept2 my family holiday card and Stalik family update each year! 
 
What is your favorite part about the Holiday Challenge, and have you had a favorite charity that you have supported over the years?
I love that the Holiday Challenge gives me a great reason to keep a distinct focus on my fitness over the holidays. I simply WILL carve out the time to row the challenge. Even if I can't find time to weight train, I WILL MOST DEFINITELY ROW THE CHALLENGE.  

I am the education director for an environmental non-profit serving the Rappahannock River Watershed in Virginia. Friends of the Rappahannock's mission is to be the voice and active force for a scenic and healthy Rappahannock River through advocacy, restoration, and my department, education. We bring our environmental programs to over 15K students every year in the Rappahannock River Watershed. I tell the field trippers and summer campers, "We care about the health of water EVERYWHERE, but we can have the most impact on where we live." While that is very true, I usually try to select the Holiday Challenge charity that looks like it supports water resources, water quality, prevents erosion, or provides clean water to people and animals. 

Do you have any tips or tricks you would like to share for those doing the Holiday Challenge for the first time?
Here’s a few tips and tricks for people rowing the challenge for the first time. First, you CAN do this. Do the 100k the first year, if you are concerned you won’t make 200k. Or build up your meters starting at the beginning of the year, knowing you will do the Holiday Challenge next year.  

Second, break up your meters. You do not have to do all the meters you need per day in one sitting. 

Third, put on headphones and watch a movie or listen to a favorite podcast while you row. 

Fourth, plan ahead. Are you visiting family and won't be home with your rower? Find a gym prior to leaving home so you know where to go. OR bank extra meters before you go. 

Fifth, be proud! Exercise is not a punishment. Have fun and know you are rowing, skiing, or biking yourself into health and wellness. 

Lastly, look forward to your certificate, Holiday Challenge lapel pin, and racking up donations to your selected charity!