The Stone Clinic Weekend

Having worked with elite and professional athletes over the past twelve years, I can say that in my experience there is something refreshing and different about working with women. Having grown up with an active single mom and two very athletic sisters, I’ve had no choice but to take female athletes very seriously since my youth. Unfortunately, aside from the world of triathlon and precious few other sports, women rarely get the attention men do, or the credit they deserve.


That’s why I’m here, happy to help the PROMAN Women’s Professional Cycling Team get their message out. I’ve had the chance to work with them as a sponsor, cheer them on at races, and my girlfriend recently upgraded and now has the opportunity to race against them from time to time. It’s a great program in which hard-working athletes selflessly ride for one another for the best squad result by executing sound team strategy. They are easy to respect and appreciate when you watch them joyfully celebrate successes, and graciously field questions and compliments after podium finishes.

One of the reasons PROMAN has come so far in such a short time is their level of professionalism and cohesion as a squad; both are due to mutual respect and emphasis on the team serving as an unconditional support structure. Naturally, it revolves around a love of the sport and fondness for one another, which explains how they can work so hard, sacrifice so much, yet enjoy what they’re doing and strive for success with such determination.

Shelley and Nicola recently attended a two-day conference focusing on how to be successful as a woman given the inherent challenges in the world of sport and beyond. Shelley sent me some of her notes afterward, and subsequently we decided together that it would be nice to share them with you. As always, it’s nice to have the other gender validating your words or actions, and even serving to keep you in check. In fact, the "StoneFit" Pro Women Athlete's Career Conference that Shelley and Nicola attended was organized by Kevin R. Stone, MD.
In my experience with successful women in all fields, including athletics, they ring true. We hope they are a source of encouragement or inspiration for all readers and friends of PROMAN.


Notes from the weekend:

Women are often more inclusive, welcoming, non-hating, supportive, and determined to have fun when they enter the world of sports.
I learned so much in this two-day conference, my head has been spinning with ideas and I could hardly sleep last night. What an incredible opportunity this was for Niki and me to absorb such a wealth of information. This will only help us grow and reach our goals for this team to be the best that it can be and have a profound impact on the lives of so many female athletes.
Here are a couple of concluding thoughts, things that really hit home for me after attending this conference.

1. Live your life as a body of work.
2. Be inspired everyday to be creative and cultivate opportunities in your life.
3. No one thing or moment can define you as an athlete, what makes you who you are is your ability to live your life passionately.
4. Work hard at your own marketability. Have charisma, passion, and determination and don't be afraid to let it show.
5. Understand the value of impressions. Present yourself in the most compelling way possible. Separate yourself from the pack.
6. Tell your story: what else do you do besides ride/race/podium? People want to relate to you. Engage them.
7. Do your research, dig for it and figure out what you are worth.
8. Put your heart and soul into everything you do and understand how fortunate you are to be doing what you love for a living.
9. Don't take "No" for an answer. Put yourself out there constantly, because you never know...
10. Own your own brand: Be authentic and sustainable, competitive, confident, and be consistent with your brand.
11. What do sponsors look for? Personality, Reliability, Values, Reputation, Flexibility, Passion and Enthusiasm.
12. Be Humble and Confident. Share random acts of kindness. Be professional, courteous, fun, and easy to be around.
13. Exceed the expectations of others: lend a hand, offer to help, engage clients and customers.
and finally...
14. Wake up every day knowing that you have NOT yet arrived. There is always more for you to give, more for you to achieve, more for you to create.


We were so fortunate to spend these two days in the presence of real heroes and champions of their respective sports, all of whom were women. Each person who spoke shared a little piece of their lives with us, and I have no doubt that their generosity will lead us to achieve great things in our lives. I look forward to taking the tools from this conference with me and passing them on to the many people in my life who inspire me everyday to be the best that I can possibly be.
- Thanks for reading, Shelley & Nicola

Mark Deterline - 2thefront