Ann Bancroft, explorer/educator OK, we admit it: Not only have we never skied more than three miles, but the thought of going on an expedition has never crossed our minds—unless you count road trips. So when the opportunity came up to interview explorer and educator Ann Bancroft, a woman who never ceases to awe and amaze, we nearly fell out of our cubicle chairs. Read how Bancroft went from using sports and physical activity as a way to make friends to making it her lifelong expression, launching her into the national spotlight.
Q: When did you first get involved in being active?
A: According to my mother, I was active from the get-go. Being active has truly has been really my lifelong expression; it is the best way I learn. As a young child who was pretty shy and not tremendously confident, being active was the way to make friends and make my way in the world.
Q: How did you get involved in world-famous expeditions?
A: While I was doing structured sports and activities in school, I also did outdoor activities, such as winter camp in our orchard. I also went to Y camp and learned how to camp and canoe. When I went off to college, I led trips, through various programs, into the wilderness, and it started shaping my love of leading expeditions—and in a new way, in an educational and leadership sense. My trips got longer and longer and further and further away from home. When Will Steger gave me that opportunity twenty-odd years ago to go to the North Pole, it launched me into the bigger world of public expeditions.
Q: What has been your favorite expedition so far?
A: A good teacher never has a favorite, and I truly don’t have a favorite. Each expedition is so distinct; each is a bountiful basket of experiences that leads to the next one.
Q: How does it feel to know you have accomplished so many of these?
A: If I fly over Greenland coming back from Scandinavia, I almost cry. How did I ever get across that? It challenged me as a leader. When I went across Antarctica, I was going across that massive continent of ice and doing it so well with someone who is like a sister. It is like a dream in so many ways. Each expedition offers so much.
But I think the cherry on the sundae for all of them has been integrating them into student involvement. Now we have more than 8 million kids with the partnerships we have forged, and the curriculum keeps evolving.
Q. Will you ever go on another expedition?
A: We are going back to Antarctica with an international team of women in 2011. The curriculum is Pathways to Peace. How do you talk toward solutions? We are going to launch that call to action in Antarctica, the continent of peace because it is not owned by anyone.
Q: How do you train?
A: I try and train all the time, and I do lots of different things because I like variety. I incorporate work on the farm, bike, and trail run. But I always give myself permission to walk if I don’t feel like doing something more strenuous that day. I love cross-country skiing, too, either by the St. Croix or at William O’Brien State Park.
If I am getting ready for an expedition, I start to kick it up in time each day and creativity. In the summertime, we pull tires. We strap three tires together, use rope to tie them to our waists, get out the ski poles, and drag them around. This simulates that sled we pull. It gets you mentally prepared for doing laborious work on the ice, and it works absolutely every muscle in your body—even your cheeks are straining.
Q: What do you wish you had known when you first started getting in shape?
A: I think when I was young, everything had to be full on, full-court press. Had to run the marathon, had to do the triathlons, was paying attention to my times. I think that is all wonderful, especially in the beginning, but I would say that I am much more gentle, particularly on the days when my body might feel tired. I might be more apt to listen. I think your body changes every day, and you have to listen to what it is telling you.
Q: In terms of local notables who are also healthy, whom do you admire?
A: In recent years, I’ve gotten to know Julie Gilbert, a former exec at Best Buy. Though she had these tight schedules, she always finds time and energy to work out. I also admire my brother, who teaches yoga.
Q: What advice do you have for people looking to get in shape?
A: The same advice I give myself. Put one step in front of the other. Eventually, they accumulate into bigger steps, but be patient.
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