NEWS & OPINION
Women Snowmobilers on WOW Relay Raise Over $375,000 for Breast Cancer Research, Education
Posted: 6/9/2004
MEDINA, MN (May 11, 2004) - The 80 women who teamed up to ride Polaris snowmobiles across the United States and Canada on the 2004 International Way Out Women (WOW) Relay raised more than $375,000 for the fight against breast cancer.
The women rode more than 46,000 total miles between mid-January and February 19 as two teams in each country rode from the coasts to the centers of their respective nations to meet in Roseau, Minnesota, hometown of Polaris.
The WOW Relay riders in Canada rode 25,864 miles and raised $196,175 for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation while the U.S. riders covered 20,880 miles and raised $179,932 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The $376,108 is more than double what the first WOW Relay raised a year ago.
"The way out women of the Polaris WOW Relay who raised over $196,000 for the cause demonstrated tenacity, courage and perseverance. They are qualities that are essential if we want to create a future without breast cancer," said Carol Seidman, CEO of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. "The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation thanks each participant for her contribution."
Susan Braun, president and CEO of the Komen Foundation added: "The Komen Foundation has always believed in the power of the individual and the dynamic force of many to change the world. The WOW Relay riders embody this belief, and their contribution to the Komen Foundation will have a direct impact on our quest to put an end to breast cancer."
The WOW Relay was started in 2003 by a group of Polaris employees in the company's Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. To raise funds and show support for a co-worker undergoing treatment for breast cancer, they organized a snowmobile relay ride. Canadian women rode a fleet of Polaris snowmobiles across the country and raised $175,514.33 for the Canadian foundation. The WOW Relay was expanded this year to run across the United States as well.
More than 80 women of greatly varied backgrounds took part in the 2004 relay. Each day, groups of women rode the 16 Polaris snowmobiles across their home state or province, collecting donations and encouraging support of breast cancer research and patient support programs at every stop. Most of the participants were avid snowmobilers, but there were also newcomers to the sport, especially V.I.P. participants such as breast cancer survivors or riders whose lives and families have been touched by the disease.
An estimated 233,000 women in the United States and Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and 45,200 will die from it. An estimated 1,640 men will also be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.
Profiles and photos of the riders are posted on the WOW Relay web site hosted by Polaris at www.polarisindustries.com/WowRelay. The four teams' daily reports and selected photos are also posted on the site.
Visitors to the site are also able to make contributions to the WOW Relay's fundraising efforts. For breast health or breast cancer information, visit www.komen.org.
Supporters Win Polaris Snowmobiles
Relay participants and supporters who collected at least $250 in pledges or contributions were eligible to win a 2004 Polaris 500 Classic snowmobile like the ones ridden on the WOW Relay.
The U.S. winner of the Polaris snowmobile is Felicia D. O'Clair of Presque Isle, Maine. She is an avid snowmobiler and ATV rider who said she rode on the 2004 WOW Relay "in memory of my sister, Anne O'Clair Ellis, who died in 1998 after a 13-year battle with breast cancer. She was only 48."
Upon receiving word she had won the snowmobile, Felicia was ecstatic.
"I can't believe it! I am so excited to have won this sled and to have it associated with the WOW Relay is extra special. Thank you so very much for the opportunity to participate."
The Canadian winner of the snowmobile is 2004 WOW Relay rider Linda Wyllie of Londonderry, Nova Scotia. Linda is President of the Snowmobilers Association of Nova Scotia (SANS).
"I am just so very proud that everyone worked together to do this," she said. "The whole experience was both humbling and energizing and now to top it off, I am a winner of a snowmobile. It is the ultimate prize for me and just so fitting as I live and breathe this sport and the name Polaris all year long."
About Polaris
Information about the complete line of Polaris products is available from authorized Polaris dealers or from the Polaris homepage at polarisindustries.com.
2004 marks the 50th Anniversary of Polaris Industries. Celebrations will be held in Roseau, Minnesota, birthplace of Polaris, on June 18-19, 2004 and a worldwide celebration will take place in St. Paul at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on July 24, 2004. Visit polarisindustries.com or call 1-800-POLARIS for more information.
Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, personal watercraft, Victory motorcycles and the Polaris RANGER for recreational and utility use. The Polaris Professional Series, a line of heavy duty WorkmobilesÔ targeted at lawn and landscape companies, equipment rental companies and construction operations, marks Polaris' expansion into the commercial equipment marketplace.
With annual 2003 sales of over $1.6 billion, Polaris is a recognized leader in the snowmobile industry; one of the largest manufacturers of all terrain vehicles (ATVs) in the world; and a leading manufacturer of personal watercraft. Victory motorcycles was established in 1998, and represents the first all-new American-made motorcycle in nearly 60 years, is rapidly making impressive in-roads into the motorcycle cruiser marketplace. Polaris also enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Pure Polaris apparel, accessories and parts, available at Polaris dealerships. Consumers can also purchase apparel and vehicle accessories anytime at polarisindustries.com.
Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange and Pacific Stock Exchange under the symbol "PII," and the company is included in the S&P Small-Cap 600 stock price index.
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Contact: Pat Bourgeois
2100 Highway 55
Medina, MN 55340
Phone: 763/542-0593
Fax: 763/542-2317
pat.bourgeois@polarisind.com
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