Adventure Athletes Chosen for 2006 NEVADA PASSAGE Reality Television Program
Eighteen of 20 athletes from nine states are confirmed to compete in the second annual NEVADA PASSAGE made-for-TV adventure competition May 8-13. The athletes will be filmed as they compete in six athletic challenges in six days for the second episode of THE NEVADA PASSAGE adventure reality show, Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt announced
. Last year´s Nevada Passage champions, firefighters Brian Rothell of Richmond, Va., and Erin Price of Greensboro, N.C., will return to compete against nine new co-ed teams of accountants, developers, entrepreneurs, financiers, journalists, medics, personal trainers, sheriffs and teachers. Selection of the man-woman journalist team will be announced later this month.
The Nevada Commission on Tourism (NCOT), which sponsors THE NEVADA PASSAGE, expects a national television audience of 2 million people in more than 80 markets to see the hour-long show during syndication from August 2006 to February 2007. NCOT is also making THE NEVADA PASSAGE available to Internet users around the globe online at www.nevadapassage.com, where visitors can watch the show or download it to a video iPod(R) or other portable video player. The 2005 NEVADA PASSAGE video is online and the 2006 episode is expected to be available online after syndication closes in February 2007.
"THE NEVADA PASSAGE plays a key role in our efforts to build Nevada´s reputation as a premier adventure destination by taking our ruggedly beautiful landscapes and opportunities for adventure right into the homes of millions of television viewers and Internet users," Hunt, NCOT chair, said.
Four Nevadans were selected to compete in The Nevada Passage: Brian Atkinson, Lynn Henderson and Nate Simonson of Reno and Tim Sprague of Las Vegas. Athletes from Alabama, California, Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia also are confirmed to participate.
"The Nevada Passage brings people who were born for adventure to the state that´s made for adventure," NCOT Director Bruce Bommarito said. "When they´re not fighting fires, teaching, or renovating buildings these athletes tend to spend their time enjoying the outdoors, and I know that they are going to have a thrilling experience in Nevada."
Covering more than 1,000 miles across the state, the athletes will compete in a mix of traditional and off-beat sports that includes recumbent bicycling near Battle Mountain, a ranch hand rodeo in Winnemucca, railroad handcar races in the historic mining town of Virginia City, mountain biking on developed trails near Austin, autocross racing in Pahrump and Jet Skiing on the Colorado River in Laughlin. After each day of competition, the teams will travel to the site of the next day´s event.
The roster of confirmed athletes, which is subject to change, lists the competitors by name, age, profession and city of residence, with the woman´s name first:
Accountants:
Linda Lindsay, 41, bookkeeper from Petaluma, Calif.
Nate Simonson, 28, credit analyst from Reno, Nev.
Developers:
Gina DeTolve, 37, project engineer from Valencia, Calif.
Ken Robins, 43, owner of a building renovation company from Cutchogue, N.Y.
Entrepreneurs:
Janet Soule, 43, owner of an events management company from Davis, Calif.
Casey Fannin, 45, owner of an auto parts recycling company from Birmingham, Ala.
Financiers:
Rebecca Batizy, 30, financial adviser from Boulder, Colo.
Tim Sprague, 46, vice president of finance for a home building corporation from Las Vegas, Nev. (turns 47 before event begins)
Firefighters:
Erin Price, 29, firefighter from Greensboro, N.C.
Brian Rothell, 42, firefighter from Richmond, Va.
Journalists:
To be announced
Medics:
Elizabeth Kollen, 25, registered nurse from Minneapolis, Minn.
Richard Costello, 38, emergency medical technician from Warmister, Pa. (turns 39 before event begins)
Sheriffs:
Ana Maria Gill, 38, law enforcement officer from Long Beach, Calif.
Brian Atkinson, 29, law enforcement officer from Reno, Nev.
Teachers:
Laura Home, 32, sixth-grade science teacher from Santa Cruz, Calif.
Howard Greenfield, 30, sixth-grade science teacher from Albany, N.Y.
Trainers: Lynn Henderson, 46, personal fitness trainer from Reno, Nev.
Jay Hachadoorian, 33, personal fitness trainer from New York, N.Y.
Adventure-seekers interested in watching THE NEVADA PASSAGE on TV can find the syndication schedule at http://www.nevadapassage.com/ beginning in May.
