Army Rangers Visit the Race Track

As part of our tribute to honor our military and their families, we had the chance to host some of our Army Rangers at Talladega SuperSpeedway and Darlington Speedway.  These talented and courageous men were able to go behind the scenes to enhance their knowledge of everything that goes into making the ‘show’ for a live televised NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.  I am always in awe of the bravery and dedication of our military, so it was heartwarming for Chip and I to give them a memorable day at the track.

Below are some of the great pictures we captured to remember their adventure.  While Mother Nature proved to challenge us with weather at Talladega, she certainly made up for it with a beautiful day at Darlington.   As you can see, we packed a lot into the Army Rangers visit to make it extra special.  A big thank you to Jordan Jiloty who manages the NASCAR Troops to the Track Program, all of the NASCAR Officials, Goodyear, the Roush Fenway Racing teams including my super awesome husband, Chip, and our great friends Bob Osborne, Jessica Smith, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards, Tire Todd, Shock Dave, Jimmy Fenning, Nancy Padula, Greg Biffle, Jeff Burton, Krista Voda, Mark Munn, Andy Slankard and especially to the Army Rangers and all of our military.  Thank you for everything. 

The NASCAR Unites, An American Salute, is a patriotic program designed to unite the NASCAR industry in honoring and supporting U.S. military members and their families.  During Memorial Day Weekend, I invite you to join in the celebration.  To learn more, please follow this link.  http://foundation.nascar.com/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=1513

SSG Silverthorn with 2-time Daytona 500 Champion, Matt Kenseth, behind the pre-race stage for pre-race introductions at Talladega SuperSpeedway.

SSG Silverthorn with Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

SSG Silverthorn inside the #17 Matt Kenseth race hauler with Chip and Janet Bolin.

SSG Silverthorn with Jack Roush, team owner of Roush Fenway Racing.

SSG Silverthorn learned about shocks from the expert – “Shock Dave” from the #17 Team.

SSG Silverthorn and Bob Osborne exchanged intel on their hobby of rebuilding and restoring old Jeeps.

SSG Cox and SFC Richards on pit road after a couple laps in the Official NASCAR Pace Car at Darlington Speedway.

RSMG Breen and SSG Cox with Jimmy Fenning, Crew Chief of the Matt Kenseth #17 NSCS Ford.

Chip Bolin, Chief Engineer for Roush Fenway Racing, providing insight on the engineering excellence of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race cars for SFC Benjamin and SFC Richards.

SFC Richards and SFC Benjamin thoroughly enjoying themselves in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage.

Chip Bolin shows the Army Rangers the “Tactical Operating Center” for a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team.

Chillin’ in the hauler before the next adventure.

RSMG Breen, SFC Benjamin and SFC Richards behind the pre-race stage for Driver Introductions.

The Army Rangers, on pit road, during pre-race, standing in the first pit box of the current points leader, Greg Biffle, with one of our favorite NASCAR Officials, Yvonne.

RSMG Breen with Jack Roush and Greg Biffle.

Janet Bolin

She Matters Too Conference

For the second year in a row I was a guest presenter at the She Matters Too Conference.  She Matters is a conference for young girls of all ages.  Its  aim is to provide them with the skills that they need to become healthy adults and to thrive as girls.  Life is particularly challenging for young girls today.  That is why it is important for them to have a safe place to go to make friends and to discuss what is on their minds.  It was a rewarding experience for all involved and the girls seemed to have a blast.

I, along with Miss Teen District of Columbia International Margo Huffman, participated in the sisterhood rap session.  Structured as a Q&A session, the girls were encouraged to talk about self esteem, school, friends and anything else that they wanted candid answers to.  Although the girls were encouraged to ask questions about anything , the main topic became  bullying.  Bullying is and continues to be a major problem for kids.  A lot of kids feel like they aren’t taken seriously when they report bullying or they feel like they risk losing their friends.   Although it is a complicated subject there are a few things that are true across the board.  If you are being bullied, contact  an adult, and anybody who bullies you, is not your friend.

Ciji Dodds

The Citadelle

While in Cap-Hatien, I visited an amazing historic landmark called the Citadelle.  The Citadelle was built between 1805 and 1820 by Henri Christopher to keep the island safe from invasions.  It is currently the largest fortress in the Americas.  Impressiveis the only word that I can think of to adequately describe the Citadelle.  It sits atop the 3,000 ft Bonnet a L’Eveque mountain.   It is filled with over 300 cannons and stock piles of cannon balls.  It’s architectural design was beyond its time and emulated by kings and leaders of other nations.   Check it out!

The only way to get to the Citadelle is by foot or to ride a horse up the side of the mountain!

There were canons from France, Spain and England.  I’ve never seen a canon close up, they were huge!!

Stockpiles of cannonballs

Ciji Dodds

Don't Forget!

Nationals are right around the corner! Are you prepared? It took me 2 tries to win Miss Teen International. Having a background of 2 years of competition has taught me a lot about what to bring and what to leave at home! I hope these tips will help you!

What TO Bring

·         Crown, sash, autograph cards

·         Cocktail dresses for orientation, rehearsals, outings, and for going out and about

·         Evening gowns for dinner/group photo and to watch Miss prelims

·         Super soft comfy pjs for relaxing at night!

·         Pens, pencils, Sharpies, a note pad (for orientation)

·         Candy (to wake you up) and snacks (Wearing heels all day burns a lot of calories!)

·         A tote bag to carry all of your rehearsal shoes in

·         Labels (In case your fitness wear or gown gets lost or misplaced, make sure you label what’s yours!)

·         MP3 player to get you pumped and focus for interview and prelims/final night

·         Energy and a smile! This is the week you’ve been waiting for! SHINE!

 What NOT TO Bring

·         A frown. Like I said, this is your time to shine. Don’t let anything hold you back!

·         Extra baggage. No, not extra suitcases. Leave your cares and worries behind! God has this whole thing planned out, so just let go and let God! “Forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead.” –Philippians 3:13

·         5 million extra pairs of shoes, makeup, hair care products, etc. I learned to plan out what I was going to wear and what accessories and shoes need to go with it. Make sure you lay out everything you need not want. Your hotel will be your home for a week, but if you know you won’t use something, leave it in your closet.

·         Magnifying glass. It may feel as though you are under a microscope all week, but don’t make others feel that way. Focus on yourself and what you are going to do and accomplish this week. You know the most about you, so don’t let someone else’s “prettier” earrings outshine your confidence.

Jurnee Carr