Speedgolf tournament to benefit Cindy Brochman scholarship

Cindy Brochman will be honored Sunday, September 12, 2010 at the 13th annual Bob-n-Broc' Speedgolf Tournament. Brochman, a former speedgolf champion, passed away in December 2009 after a year-long battle with stomach cancer.[Photo: Cindy flies down the 18th fairway at the 2005 Minnesota speedgolf tournament. Photo courtesy: Cary Kangas.]

This year's Bob-n-Broc' will take place at Rich Valley Golf Course in Rosemount, Minn. Immediately following the speedgolf tournament, there will be a 9-hole, shotgun-start, (slow) golf tournament. The tournament proceeds with benefit the Cynthia Schroeder Brochman Memorial scholarship at Saint Olaf College.

Kevin Brochman (kjbskier@msn.com or 651-231-0779) is looking for participants for both tournaments as well as volunteers to help facilitate the event. Please contact him if you would like to participate. Bob-n-Broc' founder Cary Kangas says, "The whole event is a blast. You've got to see it to believe it!"

In December 2009, shortly after Brochman's death, her family established a scholarship in her honor at her alma mater, Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. The endowment for Brochman is now at $13,730–just over half-way to the goal of $25,000. [Photo: Cindy at the 2005 Chicago speedgolf tournament. Photo courtesy: Cary Kangas.]

Additional donations to the scholarship fund will be accepted at the tournament. Donations may also be made online at the Saint Olaf College website. Be sure to check "Other" under "Designation" and write "Cynthia Schroeder Brochman Memorial Scholarship" under "Comments and Special Instructions."

Cindy golfing in Hawaii, April 2009.
[Photo courtesy: Kevin Brochman.]

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It will surprise absolutely no one who knew Brochman to learn she was very successful at speedgolf immediately upon taking up the sport. Here are some of her results over the years, as shared by Cary Kangas.

Year	Tournament	Bracket	Place
2005	Hit & Run*	Under 44	1st
2005	Chicago#	Women	1st
2006	Hit & Run*	Under 42	2nd
2006	Chicago#	Women	1st
2007	Hit & Run*	Under 45	2nd
2008	Hit & Run*	30-45	2nd

*Bob & Broc'
#Chicago Speedgolf Classic

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History of the Bob-n-Broc'

The Bob-n-Broc' was formerly called The Hit & Run. It was renamed this year in memory of two pioneers of speedgolf in Minnesota, Bob Feldman and Cindy Brochman. According to tournament founder Cary Kangas, "The Bob-n-Broc' is the country's oldest speedgolf tournament."

Kangas explains the history of the Bob-n-Broc' as follows:

"Bob Feldman was a dear friend of mine. He died a couple years ago from a type of leukemia linked to exposure to agent orange from when he was in Vietnam.

"Bob was a golfing buddy of mine. In 1988, we both took up running and ran races together. In the early 1990's, Bob found an article in Runner's World magazine about miler Steve Scott who had just set a record for the fastest round of golf. We were immediately interested in the idea and gave it a try. I consider Bob the founder of speedgolf in this area.

"After trying speedgolfing on our own a bit, in 1998 I decided to host a tournament to get others to try it. I got about 10-12 friends and co-workers (including Bob) to participate.

"I have continued to hold the tournament every year since then. The average number of participants is in the 10-12 range each year. It is mostly locals, but we have had people from Oregon and Virginia here as well. Roscoe Shaw, our speedgolf friend–and an F.O.C.–from Virginia says, 'Speedgolf is the slowest growing sport in America.'

"A few years ago (2005), I wanted to bolster participation. I routinely run the Trail Mix in Bloomington. So I printed some business cards with information on speedgolf, plus my contact information, and left them on the picnic tables by the Trail Mix finish line that year.

"A week later I got an email from Cindy asking about speedgolf. She and Kevin first participated in 2005 and then every year through 2008." [Photo: Cindy, in a familiar position: accepting awards, at the 2005 Minnesota speedgolf tournament. Photo courtesy: Cary Kangas.]

A few years ago Brochman and Kangas were interviewed by KSTP-TV photojournalist John Gross. The result was this fun report on speedgolf. Kangas recalls of that day, "She almost got a hole in one while he was filming the story."

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About Speedgolf

The rules of speedgolf are simple. Participants play a round of golf, but they must run between strokes. Golfers do not have to run fast. At the end of 18 holes, the player's time (in minutes) is added to their golf score to determine their speedgolf score. The player with the lowest combined score wins. [Example: player shoots 93 in 61:40, your score is 154:40.]

A good golfer who runs slow will typically beat a marginal golfer who runs fast.

For more detailed information about the rules of speedgolf check out the web site for Speedgolf International.

Onward Cindy!

When people are asked to describe Cindy Brochman there are invariably a number of responses: a laugh, a quizzical ‘Hmm…. how do you describe Cindy?’ Then, inevitably, people will begin to share their memories of Brochman.

Often the stories are about the experience of knowing Brochman – laughing with her at a road race start line or seeing her cheering somewhere along the course – rather than stories of Brochman’s many athletic achievements. Although there are many such success stories, people who knew Brochman know she was as much about the experience of being an athlete as she was a competitor.

Brochman, 44, of Maplewood, Minn., died December 27, 2009 after a year-long battle with cancer. She wrote on a CaringBridge website throughout her last year, sharing her struggles and determination but almost always ending with some sort of edict for readers to get out there and enjoy the day. Because that’s what she did, even throughout most of the past year.

Brochman was a lifelong athlete, pursuing with gusto each of the many sports she participated in. To hear her brother, Tim Schroeder, tell it, she was genetically predisposed to do so.

“It’s just her tenacity, I guess. I don’t know where that came from. All of my family members have it. We all believed, ‘Why bother doing something half-assed?’ laughs Schroeder. “If you’re going to do it, do it well. Don’t just play at it, do it seriously and be the best at it. It doesn’t surprise me that Cindy was like that. It doesn’t surprise me at all that she improved her entire [athletic] career.”

As the only daughter in a family with three younger brothers, Brochman spent her younger years trying to stay one step ahead of the boys, both athletically and academically. As Schroeder recalled recently, “As siblings we would always push each other around. It’s life. But my father finally said to her one day, ‘You’d better be careful, they’re going to be bigger than you.’ And we were, eventually.”

But even then Brochman did manage to stay competitive with her brothers, leading the way by excelling at school through her 1987 graduation from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. and athletically throughout her entire life.

In retrospect, it’s hard to believe that Brochman only competed for two track seasons (1986 and 1987) and one cross country season (1986) at St. Olaf. She transferred to St. Olaf from UW-Platteville after her sophomore year. Her one and only collegiate cross country season, her senior year, was the year the St. Olaf women’s team took fifth place at the NCAA Division III championships. That one cross country season was enough to cement Cindy’s love affair with the sport and solidified a lifetime commitment to the program and to its long-time coach, Chris Daymont.

“I’ve coached way more talented kids than [Brochman]. But to this day I’ve never coached anyone as gutsy or quirky,” recalls Daymont. “She would do anything. She was so honest and so up front and so in your face. Honestly I loved it. If she had something to say, she said it. She was a difference maker.

“We did things that were amazing that year. [And Brochman] was the intangible glue that could put things together,” says Daymont. “She worked hard. What made her special was that she was always so in the moment; ready to take on any challenge.”

That team spirit led her to post-collegiate teams. She was a long-time member of the Run n Fun women’s racing team (a USATF-MN team sponsored by a locally-owned running store), a 12-year member of Baba Yaga, an all-women’s team competing (and winning or finishing second) at the grueling Hood to Coast relay race in Oregon, and a member of two USSSA (United States Snowshoe Association) national teams (2005 and 2006).

“Cindy was as much about wanting others to enjoy the team camaraderie as she was about individual accomplishments,” says Schroeder. “Not to say she wasn’t competitive – our whole family is. But she definitely wanted to make sure others were having fun. It was not just about her and her accomplishments.”

Brochman worked hard, played harder, and in her free-time she volunteered for the sports she loved. She served on the USATF-MN Board of Directors as Women’s Longest Distance Running chair for two years. She was USSSA’s Membership Chairperson for three years and had previously served for two years as its International Snowshoe Liaison.

Perhaps one of her biggest contributions was when she bid for, won and directed the 2007 U.S. National Snowshoe Championships in Minnesota. For that feat, as well as her own accomplishments as a racer, she was named the first-ever "Snowshoe Magazine Person of the Year" in 2007. Immediately following her death, the award was renamed “Snowshoe Magazine’s Cindy Brochman Memorial Person of the Year Award.”

“It would only be fitting to rename this award in Cindy’s honor because she not only meant a lot to Snowshoe Magazine but she meant a lot to the snowshoe racing community worldwide,” says Snowshoe Magazine Publisher Ryan Alford. “The snowshoe racing community owes a lot to Cindy for how much she’s given back. She’s certainly made her mark. She will be remembered well.”

And there have already been other remembrances for Brochman. This past fall Daymont unveiled the “Cindy Schroeder Brochman Alumni Cross Country Award” at the annual alumni meet. She says she began planning to name an award for Brochman five years ago, long before she was sick. Cindy was presented the first plaque at the meet. “I can guarantee you I will never forget that day,” says Daymont. “It was an amazing day in the history of St. Olaf cross country.”

Although Brochman’s time as part of the team at St. Olaf was relatively short, Daymont says her legacy has been great. Brochman has attended every alumni cross country meet since 1987. “Nobody else has done this. Nobody else came back every year,” says Daymont. “I’ve never seen her do anything halfway.” This past fall’s event was the one and only time she was unable to run the event, but she was still there to cheer the others on.

“She shows current St. Olaf students what they can be doing 22 years later – how well you can still be running – how this is a life-long sport,” says Daymont. “She also shows that once you’re part of this team, you’re part of it forever.” Daymont says Brochman is the embodiment of the depth, rich history and tradition of the St. Olaf cross country program and that is why she named an award for her.

Perhaps as a nod to how important Brochman’s two short years at St. Olaf were, Brochman’s parents, Bernie & Mary Anne Schroeder, are setting up a scholarship in Brochman’s name at the school.

The enormity of these gestures caught Brochman’s brother off-guard. “I’m kind of overwhelmed as her brother. I was unaware that she had that kind of impact,” says Schroeder. “It’s just now that I’m seeing these things. I would be surprised if she was aware of the impact she had.

“To her it was just a lifestyle. Just her lifestyle. It was not a question for her; it was a way of life,” continues Schroeder. “She never recognized the totality of what she was doing. I believe the totality of her athletic career was unique. She did a lot of stuff and was good at all of it.”

Fellow snowshoe racer and Minnesotan Brad Canham knew Brochman through racing but also because of work they did together for USSSA. Shortly after her death Canham wrote the following on a social networking website. It sums up Brochman well.

“Cindy was a tremendous competitor and a gracious and giving person. ... ‘Rest’ in peace may not be the right sentiment for an endurance athlete like Cindy, but perhaps a simple ‘Onward!’ is. So Onward Cindy, we'll miss you.”

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Photo credits:
1. Cindy at Hood to Coast. Photo courtesy: Robin Balder-Lanoue & Team Baba Yaga
2. Cindy at 1987 Conference Track Meet; 5,000 meter. Photo courtesy: Chris Daymont
3. 1987 Saint Olaf women's track senior class. Photo courtesy: Chris Daymont
4. Cindy at 2008 Earth Day Half Marathon. Photo courtesy: Craig Yotter
5. Photo courtesy: Brochman family
6. Cindy at Rocky's Run 5K, 2004. Photo courtesy: Chris Fuller, The Sporting Life
7. Photo courtesy: Robin Balder-Lanoue & Team Baba Yaga

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A small representation of Brochman’s many accomplishments and contributions:

–Member of an NCAA Division III-ranked volleyball team during her freshman year at UW-Platteville (1983).
–Consistently a top three runner for the fifth place NCAA Division III Cross Country Champion Saint Olaf women’s team in 1986
–Outdoor Track All Conference (1987) in 1500 and 5000 meter
–USSSA National Team in 2005 and 2006.
–Competed in Italy’s La Ciaspolada, the world’s largest competitive snowshoe race, in 2004 (16th), 2006 (18th), 2007 (14th) and 2008 (12th) making her the only U.S. snowshoe racer ever to compete four times. Her 2007 and 2008 races put her on the prestigious awards podium.
–Twelve-year member of Baba Yaga, an all-women’s team competing in the grueling Hood to Coast relay race in Oregon. Finished first: 1999, 2001-2007. Finished second: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2008.

Cynthia Brochman memorial details

Kevin Brochman has posted details about Cindy's memorial service on her caringbridge site.

It will be at Eagle Brook Church in White Bear Lake, on Sunday, January 10, 2010. The visitation will be from 2-3:00 p.m. with the service to follow at 3:00 p.m.

Eagle Brook Church is located at 2401 E. Buffalo Street, just off Hwy 61.

Cindy was diagnosed with stage IV stomach cancer just over one year ago. She died on Sunday, December 27, 2009, the sixth wedding anniversary of Cindy and Kevin.

Are you an F.O.C.?

Last month, I was interviewing local Minnesota running community standout Staci Bennett about her Run n Fun racing team teammate, Cindy Brochman, who is battling stomach cancer.

It was for an article called Rock for Broc, the latest installment of my 'Minnesota Running' column in Silent Sports magazine's September issue.

[FYI: 'Rock for Broc' is a phrase rumored to have been coined by Perry Bach of Run n Fun, that has taken on a life of its own for Cindy's fight.]

Bennett and I were discussing the Minnesota running community's reaction to Brochman's diagnosis. Neither of us were surprised at the vast outpouring of support people have shown Brochman since her diagnosis. We attributed it to at least two (of many possible) things: her longevity as a member of this running community and also the fact that everyone who meets Cindy quickly begins to feel they know her. (She loves to tell stories about her life!)

Bennett mentioned that some members of the running community had dubbed these people 'F.O.C.s.'

Excuse me? F.O.C.s? What, may I ask, is an F.O.C.?

Of course an F.O.C. is a ... Friend Of Cindy.

F.O.C.
Run n Fun teammates Mercy Ray (left), Brochman & Kristi Larson (right) at Challenge Cancer 5K on June 6, 2009 - Brochman's 44th birthday. [Photo courtesy Gary Westlund, Charities Challenge.]

"We'd be on runs and Cindy would always be telling stories about a friend of hers. Or if someone else was telling a story, Cindy would know the person being mentioned and would note they were a friend of hers," laughed Bennett. "She just knows everybody. We joked about all the people that are 'Friends of Cindy.' 'F.O.C.' was shorter."

I was lucky enough to get the chance to talk to a number of F.O.C.s for the Rock for Broc article in Silent Sports. Everyone has stories to tell about Cindy. Hope you enjoy reading the ones in this article!

Rock for Broc
A Run n Fun team member debuting the 2009 team uniform with the "Rock for Broc" tagline as she climbs up to the Ford Parkway bridge in Saint Paul during the Get in Gear 10K in April 2009. [Photo courtesy Chris Fuller, The Sporting Life.]

MDRA Cross Country Relays begin tonight with notable absences

When race director John Cramer's starter's gun goes off tonight signifying the start of the 36th season of the MDRA Cross Country Relays at Como Park in Saint Paul, there will be two runners notably absent.


As many of you know, Cindy Brochman is currently in Arizona at An Oasis of Healing seeking treatment for her stomach cancer, diagnosed in December 2008. Brochman has been a staple at the Relays for years and will be missed this year. But members of the running community will be thinking of her and will continue to send her their best positive thoughts for healing!


Also missing will be age-group leader Marien Bradsher who recently moved to North Carolina, where she's from orginally. Marien was at the Relays every year since moving here - running or volunteering - or usually both!

I recently interviewed Marien for A Few Words With... Marien Bradsher on the website of The Sporting Life. [Note the TSL editor's use of a winter running photo to remind Marien what she'll be missing!]

The MDRA Cross Country Relays run every Wednesday night throughout August. There is a youth run at 6:30 p.m. and the open race starts at 6:45 p.m. Two-person relays - bring a partner or find one there. Progressive increase in distances over four weeks. No pre-registration is necessary.

Rock for Broc II benefit

Cindy Brochman, a lifelong athlete and member of the Minnesota running (and cross country skiing, triathlon, snowshoe racing & volleyball) community for the past two decades, was diagnosed with stomach cancer 7 months ago. (I took the photo at left of Brochman at last month's Rock for Broc One Mile Fundraising Challenge.)

Brochman's co-workers at Best Buy and Accenture are hosting a fundraiser to help defray some of the cost for her treatment at An Oasis of Healing in Mesa, AZ. This treatment center combines alternative healing with some traditional treatments. Cindy arrived in Mesa on Wednesday, July 15 and plans to be there for six weeks.

The benefit will be Monday, July 27, 2009 from 6-10:00 p.m. at The View restaurant in the Calhoun Beach Club on the northwest side of Lake Calhoun in south Minneapolis.

There will be a $30 charge at the door. Raffle tickets will be available for sale with great prizes including:
– a guitar
– Sony Playstation
– massage gift certificate
– jewelry
– & much more!












Rock for Broc merchandise (pictured above) will be available for purchase:
–T-shirts for $15
–Wrist bands for $5
–Buttons for $3
–Key chains for $5

There will be live music by Eddy and Gnu plus drink and appetizer specials.

The event organizers are still looking for donations of prizes for the raffle drawings. If you can help, or know of someone who can, please contact Kelly Kosin at Best Buy: Kelley.Kosin@bestbuy.com.

To receive the latest updates from Cindy as she continues her fight, sign up to receive updates at her caringbridge site.

Strength in numbers

I had the privilege of taking part in an amazing event last week, the Rock for Broc One Mile Fundraising Challenge. The event was a series of one-mile races on the track at Macalester College. It was organized by Mercy Ray & Pam Weier, Run n Fun women's racing team teammates of the event's honoroee, Cindy Brochman.

Ray & Weier did an amazing job, start to finish. They recruited an astonishing number of volunteers, secured a timing crew and announcing crew, solicited countless items for raffles and drawings and were genial hosts throughout the evening.

But the most remarkable part of the event last week was not the incredible show of community support through volunteers, donations, participants and spectators (although those were all out of this world.)

The most remarkable thing was Brochman herself.

The event was a fundraiser for local standout athlete Brochman (runner, cross country skier, triathlete, volleyball player, snowshoe racer - I know I always forget something).

Since December 2008 she has been locked in a fierce battle against stomach cancer. While conventional medicine has deemed Brochman 'terminal,' no one, especially not Brochman and her family, are taking that lying down.

She has been seeking guidance in her fight from a number of sources - beyond even the loving support of untold numbers of family, friends and even some strangers! She's very eloquently sharing her journey and all the ups and downs of this awful disease through her caringbridge journal.

In some of her dealings with alternative medicine practitioners she has mentioned that they told her she had a very strong body. Many of us know of people who have overcome incredible odds in life based on three factors: positive attitude, fighting spirit and the fact that they are athletes. (Lance Armstrong anyone?)

I had a couple of different people come up to me (I was the bossy woman down on the track) to ask me to point out Brochman to them. At least two people said, are you sure? She doesn't look sick. Look at her legs!

And yes, she did look amazing. Her legs are the strong legs of a lifelong athlete. She just looked great. But it wasn't until the last participant had crossed the finish line, we had cleaned up our finish chute and many of the people had gone home, that I finally had a chance to talk to Brochman.

She had mentioned a few times in her journal over the months that she wanted and needed hugs. I was eager to comply but had to patiently wait my turn all evening as there were always groups of people around Brochman. Ray & Weier should have sold tickets for hugs. Now that would have been a huge fundraiser!

After we hugged she grabbed onto my wrist while we talked. I was struck by the strength of that simple gesture. She didn't let go and I was just thinking, 'This woman is sick? She feels stronger than I do!'

It's that strength that is going to get her through this awful fight. She'll also continue to be cheered on with the strength of her amazing family, friends and entire support network. We're all sending her positive vibes and healing thoughts.

The strengh at the track last week was palpable. And, thankfully, the biggest part of it was coming from Brochman herself.

Where you at Rock for Broc? Did you feel the strength?

Rock for Broc

I'm very excited about this coming Tuesday evening (June 30). Mercy Ray and some other members of the Minnesota running community are hosting the Rock for Broc Fundraising Challenge. It's a series of one-mile track races (plus some shorter distances for the kids).

I'd love to run a race, but I've decided I'm in better shape to volunteer. It should be great fun for all participants, spectators and volunteers!

Proceeds from the race entries, raffle tickets (with some great prizes!), bracelets and buttons will go towards supporting local runner (and snowshoe racer/cross-country skiier/triathlete/volleyball player...what else am I forgetting?) Cindy Brochman as she battles cancer.

Details about the mile events are available in a printable pdf here: Rock for Broc entry form & schedule. More details about some of the other actvities are here: A Few Words With... Mercy Ray.

Be sure to bring extra money to buy raffle tickets, bracelets and buttons. See you out there!