The Gregg’s days of waxing in a bathroom sink of a crash pad they rented through Craigslist for U.S. nationals are over thanks to a reality TV show, which has finally taken notice of the plight of professional nordic skiers and the challenges they face to fund their careers.
“Pimp My Van” ate up Brian and Caitlin Gregg’s pitch to bring their dream of a wax truck to life, and the married couple are excited to prepare for the season ahead with a spacious van with all the bells and whistles they could dream of — in exchange for a little air time.
Here is the press release from Team Gregg:
Team Gregg Adds Wax Truck to SuperTour
We are excited to have the Team Gregg Wax Truck on the road this season. This opportunity is incredible and has been provided by the popular television show, “Pimp My Van.” Caitlin came across this program where they were looking for unique stories and we were fortunate enough to have our application selected.
There are two workstations in the back. Brian and Caitlin each have their own side and space. Brian’s side is designated for glide waxing and Caitlin’s side is designated for kick waxing. In addition to the necessary forms, benches and storage the van has several bells and whistles: a state-of-the-art, air-filtration system, localized heater, a built-in Toko Thermo bag allows for hot boxing of 4 pairs of skis at a time. The truck also includes a mini fridge, single-burner stove, espresso maker and a small dishwasher (sanitization is important for staying healthy). A satellite dish on the roof provides satellite internet to allow streaming of videos and turns the truck into a mobile office.
One of the more unique technologies incorporated into the truck is a series of cameras on the front, side and back of the van that feed into the three flat-screen televisions on board. These screens may be rotated so that, for example, an individual rollerskiing behind the van may instantly see on the screen on the back of the van what they look like. This technology has been used on rollerski treadmills, but is the first of its kind in a moving vehicle.
What better way to thank [New Mexico coaches] Fredrick and Pierre and others who have helped us with waxing all season long. We believe in taking good care of our wax techs. We give 10% of our race winnings to our techs, but this will really help us show them how much we appreciate and need their support.
The van will be an incredible asset for us as we train for the 2015 World Championships. The van has created a small marital feud in regards to who gets the van when competing in different races as Caitlin will be starting the season on the World Cup Circuit and Brian on the Super Tour.
This feud was solved when the television show heard about it. An identical vehicle is being built and will be delivered to the first World Cup.
Two television crews plan to travel with both Brian and Caitlin during the first few weeks of the season, and plan to air the episode in time for World Championships Feb. 18-March 1, 2015.
7 comments
apresski
April 1, 2014 at 1:39 pm
Way to think outside the box for funding! Can’t wait to see the show!
JSPierre
April 1, 2014 at 2:20 pm
Oh my gosh this is awesome. Way to go Brian and Caitlin!!!
vrosetta
April 1, 2014 at 3:38 pm
You people do realize it is April 1st …… IE Aprils fools day dont you?
vrosetta
April 1, 2014 at 3:43 pm
🙂
apresski
April 1, 2014 at 4:09 pm
Well at least I didn’t fall for the biathlon hunger games one! lol Too bad though, would be awesome if it were to really happen for Team Gregg.
Jim Falconer
April 1, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Nice job on the van graphics – it totally had me believing.
Tim Kelley
April 3, 2014 at 11:10 am
Agree – excellent graphic work. This was the best FS 4/1 joke. Note – if any ski organization is actually thinking of getting a Sprinter van like the one above, it’s best to wait until 2015. Sprinter vans are 2 wheel drive. But for the 2015 models, for the first time Mercedes will be bringing all-wheel drive Sprinters to the US.