By McKenzie Kraemer
“We’re going streaking!” How can you not think of that perfect one-liner from the movie Old School when you hear the words “The Streak?” And while you may think this is a group of women channeling their best Will Ferrell impressions each winter, The Streak does not, in fact, have anything to do with running naked down the streets of McCall.
Instead, this growing community tradition is all about bringing women together through fitness, camaraderie, and a shared passion for supporting local youth. The proceeds generated from this 40-day fitness challenge fund scholarships for local high school graduates.” And while The Streak is now more than 400 participants strong, it came from a humble beginning.
Sidney Bateman, co-founder of the McCall Streak says the idea came from her friend Melissa Daniels. “Melissa had done something similar with a small group of friends while living in Argentina,” says Bateman. “It was a really casual thing – just a group friends who loved to enjoy a nice meal out.” Because of the expense of dining out, they decided to challenge one another to a fitness challenge. Anyone who stayed in and completed the challenge was treated to a meal by those who didn’t. “It was all an absolutely fabulous, gluttonous affair,” laughs Bateman.
When Daniels returned to McCall, she approached Bateman about doing something similar. And, of course, the answer was a resounding “Yes!” That first year, The Streak was a modest affair, with just a dozen women participating. The goal was forty straight days of fitness including 30 minutes of purposeful movement each day and 100 crunches, 50 pushups, and five minutes of plank each week. “We did it, and the reward that year was a sushi party,” Bateman says. “It was pretty small-scale, but it was fun.”
Over the next few years, The Streak started to attract more and more local women. “It is honestly kind of amazing what word of mouth can do,” says Bateman. And as the event grew, the incentives had to adapt. In year three, the end reward evolved from a dinner out to a gathering where drink tickets were provided at an end of Streak celebration. “It was fun,” says Bateman, “but we felt like we really needed to amp up our incentive to stay in The Streak and do something more motivating, more purposeful with the money.”
“That year we had several women ask what we could do to make a difference with a bit of excess money we had,” says Bateman, “and we gave it to one of our local rock star high school graduates, Bethany Danner.” Danner was on an athletic scholarship and The Streak was able to offer an additional $700 scholarship to help with room and board. “And that was really a turning point,” says Bateman.
After the first scholarship was given, The Streak took on a different feel. “We went from a fun, informal gathering of friends wanting to find a great excuse to go out to eat together to a much more motivated, formalized fundraiser,” says Bateman. The group worked to find new ways to raise more money during “Streak Season” with potlucks and swag sales and a new option to buy back into the challenge if you missed a day of activity and “fouled out.”
The program’s reach also expanded beyond the local community, with women joining from as far away as Boston and the UK…and one random guy named Todd in Seattle who accidentally got included on a Streak email chain. “A lot of people who have second homes here or who have some connection to the McCall area want to be a part of it,” Bateman explains. “They may not be able to participate in person, but they’ll still donate to support the cause and complete The Streak on their own.”
It felt like The Streak was on a solid growth trajectory…until the pandemic hit the pause button. “We had to skip a year or two, and that really threw a wrench in our momentum,” Bateman admits. “But we’ve since gotten back on track, and we’re always looking for new ways to engage the community and grow the program.”
One of the ways that The Streak has expanded is their “Don’t Be a D!$%” initiative, which supports local boys with scholarships in addition to the original Streak scholarships for girls. “We realized that a lot of the Streak participants have sons, and we wanted to find a way to support them too,” Bateman says. “So, we created a separate application process for the boys’ scholarships, which is funded in part by The Streak and in part from the sales of the ‘Don’t Be a D!$%’ stickers and swag around town at places like May Hardware.”
In 2024, its tenth year, The Streak was able to give $13,000 out in scholarships, five to girls and one to a boy. Looking to the future, The Streak organizers have even grander plans. “I’d love to see us do a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ event, where the men in the community could compete to raise money for the scholarships,” Bateman says. “Maybe we could have them do a ‘Streak’ of their own. It would be a great way to get the whole community involved and raise even more money for our local kids.”
Because at its core, the Streak is about more than just fitness and fundraising. “It’s honestly not about the money,” Bateman says. “It’s about creating a sense of belonging, of being part of something bigger than ourselves.” And that’s what makes the Streak so special.
SIDEBAR:
How can YOU Streak?
The Streak runs annually from November 13th through December 22nd. You don’t have to live in the McCall area to participate, just commit to the challenge!
For 40 days, do 30 minutes of purposeful movement (walking, yoga, swimming, anything goes!). Then complete 50 push-ups, 100 crunches, and five minutes of plank each week. Do it all at once or break it up into daily chunks.
To buy-in, the cost is $25 (or just $20 if you register early). Once you sign up, get your streak on! Miss a day? No problem! You can buy back into the challenge for another $10.
All the money raised goes to local scholarships and finishers are invited to a celebration held annually in January.
Learn More and Sign Up at https://givebutter.com/mccallstreak
