The Recruit

Submitted by Allison Fisher

Meet Team Mandell JCC Israel Ride Team Member Allison Fisher:

About six months ago, I got a voice message from my sister telling me that she had something exciting to ask me.  It was the beginning of summer and I went out on the deck of my group house in Washington, D.C., to return her call.  Without any detail besides a bare bones plan to bike Israel, I determined that I was in.

Saying “yes” to this trip was the easy part.  At the time, I did not own a bike and I am an abysmal fundraiser, but I like to challenge myself and I love my big sister, who others refer to as, Annie Keith.

I eventually found a good priced bike on Craigslist and set out to ride my bike the 5 miles from my house to work on a Monday morning.  When I got to my office I was rattled by D.C. rush hour traffic, I was sweaty, fatigued and had decidedly determined that I did not like biking.  I used a different vocabulary when I told my partner about my biking experience and his response was that I needed to tell myself a different story.

The new narrative began to take form as I started to bike through Rock Creek Park and on the C & O canal path along the Potomac River; when my spinning classes started to pay off; when I realized gears and tire pressure matter and when friends and family began actively supporting me.

The story I tell myself now is that I’m still going to struggle through both hills and descents and that’s ok, because it’s not just about the ride – it’s about the where, why and the with who.  I probably didn’t realize it fully at the time, but that’s why I said yes so quickly.

I’m looking forward to meeting the other members of the Mandell JCC team on this amazing adventure. I’ll likely be the one you pass going up the hill or the one you wait for at the bottom of it – you might notice a look of awe on my face.  I’ll be telling myself the story about how I’m riding through Israel with my sister for a cause that I am passionate about.

The recruit is Allison Fisher of Washington, D.C., she is the Outreach Director for Public Citizen’s Energy Program.

Allison getting ready along the Potomac

Annie and Allison in their first Triathlon (Sisters who take on challenges TOGETHER)!