Reality TV Athletes Gear Up for New ’Nevada Passage’

CARSON CITY, NV - Twenty athletes from 13 states and Washington, D.C., have been chosen to compete in the third episode of “The Nevada Passage” made-for-television adventure reality show May 7-12.

One of last year’s champions, accountant team member Linda Lindsay of Petaluma, Calif., will return with a new partner to compete against nine co-ed teams of pilots, Realtors, programmers, physical therapists, attorneys, engineers, physicians and journalists. A new twist for this year’s competition is the selection of one “Wild Card” team composed of two fans selected from the general public.

NCOT, which sponsors “The Nevada Passage,” expects a national television audience of 2 million in more than 100 markets to see the hour-long show during syndication from August 2007 through February 2008. NCOT also will make “The Nevada Passage” available to Internet users around the globe online at www.nevadapassage.com, where visitors can watch or download. “The Nevada Passage” 2005 and 2006 is online, and the 2007 episode will be online by early 2008.

“’The Nevada Passage’ is a lively, engaging way for our state to highlight unusual rural destinations and outdoor adventure opportunities,” Krolicki said. “Viewers can see that Nevada’s distinct terrain of mountains and desert offers recreational activities that complement the state’s urban excitement.”

Team Unlimited, a Hawaii-based company, produces “The Nevada Passage” and the XTERRA America Tour off-road triathlon series, which includes the XTERRA USA Championship at Lake Tahoe. The company selects the athletes based on physical condition and outdoor experience.

This year for “The Nevada Passage,” one team, called “Wild Card,” was selected from the general public as a response to demand. Phillip Glenn, a part-time emergency medical technician in Reno, Nev., and Lisa Bommer, an athletic trainer in Chicago, were chosen as the “Wild Card” team.

“Contestants in this adventure reality program tell us that our state’s dramatically diverse landscape took them by surprise,” NCOT Director Tim Maland said. “These women and men travel all over the world to compete in outdoor athletic events, and they find that Nevada offers adventure in spectacular settings comparable to or better than other top destinations.”

“The Nevada Passage” covers more than 1,000 miles throughout the state as athletes engage in a series of adventure sports and excursions in six outdoor destinations. Events include a 10K desert run in Valley of Fire State Park May 8, an ATV competition at Amargosa Dunes 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas and a visit to the famed ghost town Rhyolite May 9, back-roads cycling just outside the historic mining town of Tonopah May 10, back-country skiing at Mt. Rose near Reno May 11 and a visit to Carson City to explore the state’s capital May 12.

The roster of teams lists the athletes by name, age, profession and city of residence, with the woman’s name first:

Accountants:
Linda Lindsay, 42, owner/accountant of a computer hardware and software
store from Petaluma, Calif.
Tim Menoher, 36, U.S. Banks e-commerce sales manager from Erlanger, Ky.

Pilots:
Ildiko Lengyel, 29, captain for Jet Blue Airways from Park City, Utah
Steve Cole, 51, DC-9 pilot and captain from Olive Branch, Miss.

Realtors:
Christina Burgos, 38, Realtor specializing in independent sales
from Houston, Texas
GL Brown, 63, residential real estate consultant from Grand Rapids, Mich.

Programmers:
Jackie Ryan, 48, software engineer from Birmingham, Ala.
Frank Febbraro, 32, partner and director of technology for Phase2
Technology from Fairfax, Va.

Physical Therapists:
Heather McNamara, 45, physical therapist from Brighton, Mich.
Dave Ruby, 47, post-rehab therapist from La Verne, Calif.

Journalists:
Lisa Jhung, 34, outdoor sports journalist from Boulder, Colo.
Brian Metzler, 38, travel and adventure sports journalist
from Boulder, Colo.

Attorneys:
Deborah Crandall, 46, business, family and criminal litigation
attorney from Washington, D.C.
Adam Chase, 41, tax attorney from Boulder, Colo.

Engineers:
Lauren Kemp, 43, civil engineer from San Diego, Calif.
John Madden, 30, senior engineer of research and development at
Evalve, Inc. from Redwood City, Calif.

Physicians:
Caroline Colonna, 43, doctor of Oriental medicine and owner of the Willow
Clinic of Traditional Oriental Medicine from Taos, N.M.
Peter Hanson, 41, sports medicine physician from Minneapolis, Minn.

“Wild Card”:
Lisa Bommer, 25, athletic trainer from Chicago.
Phillip Glenn, 30, part time emergency medical technician and real estate
professional from Reno, Nev.