Episode 443 Riley Tejcek Balancing Military and Olympic Dreams Through Faith Transcript

This transcript is from episode 443 with guest Riley Tejcek.

Scott DeLuzio: [00:00:00] Thanks for tuning in to the Drive On Podcast where we are focused on giving hope and strength to the entire military community. Whether you’re a veteran, active duty, guard, reserve, or a family member, this podcast will share inspirational stories and resources that are useful to you. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio, and now let’s get on with the show.

Hey everyone. Welcome back to Drive On. I’m your host, Scott DeLuzio. And today my guest is Riley Tijak. Riley is a captain in the Marine Corps, a bobsled pilot for Team USA, uh, Miss Military, and an ambassador to Shields and Stripes. And she’s also a. Soon to be author and today we’re going to discuss her incredible journey and how she balances all of these roles that she has and, and, uh, manages to do it all still with a smile on her face.

So, uh, Riley, welcome to the show. I’m really glad to have you here.

Riley Tejcek: Yeah, thanks so much for having me.

Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. So, uh, tell us a little bit [00:01:00] about yourself, your background and kind of what drew you to the Marine Corps.

Riley Tejcek: Absolutely. So I growing up was born and basically grew up in Indiana. My dad was a professional baseball player. My mom was a very successful business woman and that kind of grew some traits in me. I was an athlete since as soon as I could walk naturally was a softball player. My dad playing baseball.

Um, yeah, I didn’t really have a choice in that. Um, so I was an athlete. My whole life, and then, you know, my mom, someone that was really, like, hard on me and strong on me to be that strong woman, um, to invest in my academics and everything going forward. So that’s kind of what set the tone for me growing up, was high focus, driven on athletics academics, which got me to getting a Division I softball scholarship to George Washington University.

Which is so awesome, which is where, like, this whole story kind of began of Bob studying the Marine Corps and all the things, so. To answer your [00:02:00] question, I had no intentions ever of joining the military growing up. Um, that was not something that I thought was possible because I never saw a woman in uniform, let alone in a Marine Corps uniform.

So when I went to college, I knew being in DC would be really advantageous for me just because of the location. And within three weeks of being on college campus, I met a Marine recruiter. Who did an incredible job, by the way, pitched me exactly everything you’d want to hear as an 18 year old female, um, in the Marine Corps.

And then based off of the way my mom, mother and father raised me, it just was like the perfect fit. And I just felt like God really just aligned everything. So I was 18, I went to my very first officer candidate school and, uh, that’s all she wrote from there. They got me hooked. They did a great job with recruiting efforts.

Scott DeLuzio: Well, recruiters are very convincing that way. I think that’s, that’s where they, uh, they make their, that’s where they make their money. So, um, so you, you mentioned being a softball [00:03:00] player and I, I kind of get it. So I was, I played baseball growing up and, you know, my, all my kids play baseball and, well, my boys play baseball, my daughter plays softball, uh, she’s a catcher and, and, uh, F they absolutely love it.

Um, but that got you into college, uh, right. You said you got in, in on a, uh, uh, scholarship to play softball, um, which is, which is pretty incredible in and of itself. Not every day that.

Riley Tejcek: Thank you very

Scott DeLuzio: like that. But, um, clearly you had to be fairly athletic and then making that transition into, uh, the bobsled team.

Uh, how, how did that transition take place? Um, because those two sports are so wildly different. Um, like where did that, uh, kind of come in and how did you, you get there? Um, And, and how did that kind of play out?

Riley Tejcek: So the sports are very different, but there is some skill that kind of transfers between the both of them. Um, so [00:04:00] like I said, a lot of my story all really started in college, in high school. You know, that was such a critical space that God put me in and was ready to make a lot of moves there. But where I played softball at, at George Washington, is where Alana Myers Taylor.

Also played softball at George Washington, who has gone to Olympics five times for the sport of bobsled. She’s one of the most decorated athletes in the bobsled community. And naturally I took a liking to knowing her story because she was at the time, the only Jersey we have retired for the softball team.

So it’s like, you better know the famous alum that we have. So naturally just like excited for her when she’s in Olympics. Cause you know, you feel like you have a close tie to somebody that’s competing. 2018 comes around, she is competing in PyeongChang, wins a silver medal, which is incredible. Her, her teammate, and her husband all came to George Washington, um, basically for like a little ceremony, a little event.

And I remember her [00:05:00] speaking, I presented her an award based off of the softball team, you know, just a little something like, we appreciate you, we think you’re awesome. And that’s what happened to me. I’m sitting there, I’m like, You’re freaking awesome. And I hit a teammate next to me and I said, you know, in another life, I’d be a bobsledder, but I gave my life to the Marine Corps.

Like I’ve already made the decision of where my life was going. And I, at the time, and even now, sometimes I’m like, how is that possible to ever do both? So initially at that point in time, my interest really speak like sparked for the sport of bobsled and I watched it all the time in the Olympics again, because I knew Ilana, but action didn’t actually.

Come into play until several years later, um, after I finished all my mandatory training for the Marine Corps, and it was in the middle of COVID that I decided to put myself out there and take a chance and try out for the team.

Scott DeLuzio: Cause there wasn’t enough craziness going on in the world at that time. You needed to add, add a little more into your life. Is that kind of what the thought process was?[00:06:00]

Riley Tejcek: I’m known to do that. I’m known to do that from time to time.

Scott DeLuzio: It, it sounds, sounds to me like, you know, athleticism is, is really kind of a big Part of your life, kind of a big part of your, your background and everything. Um, how does, how does that all work with the Marine Corps? Uh, obviously you have your, your job as a Marine, um, that you, you have to do whatever those, uh, duties are.

And I’m sure we can get into, you know, what it is that you do with Marine Corps, but, um, How do you balance that with, um, the training? Because being an Olympic athlete is not like you just roll out of bed one day and decide, you know what? I think I’m going to go be an Olympian. And, you know, your Olympic level athlete, you know, um, you know, has to take some dedication, commitment.

And I know obviously physical fitness is a big part of being a Marine. Um, but it’s, you know, They’re different. Uh, you know, bobsledder and a Marine there, there’s probably two different, uh, kind of sets of standards maybe that you need [00:07:00] to be able to achieve. How do you manage it all?

Riley Tejcek: That’s one of the most difficult challenges that I struggle with, is how do I balance Marine Corps standards and bobsled standards. Now, in a way you said it, they both required me to be physically fit. Awesome. That’s great because I like to work out and I like to challenge myself physically all the time.

However, the requirements are vastly different. Even when I was a college athlete, when I was a college softball player, you know, we were short distance sprints about being powerful, which you can kind of see some similarities between softball and bobsled in that sense. But the Marine Corps especially is known to be the most physically fit.

And when they say, Hey, you got to run three miles. Hey, you gotta be able to do pull ups and planks and go rock 15 miles and this, that, and the other. Like these aren’t like tasks. They require strength, some power, sure. But it’s a lot more endurance, um, that you’re going to be seeing, especially when you get into like that, that three mile plus run and stuff like [00:08:00] that.

So, um, yeah. I struggle in the sense of mentally, physically having to change my body, depending on what month it is in, literally. And every year, it’s like a reset. And it’s, you know, I swear to you, like there’s times in like April that I go into like a little bit of like a depression state because I’m like, I just finished bobsled season and now I have to take my PFT and like completely alter my body.

I end up dropping like 10 pounds. I lose a lot of strength, but I’m able to do what the Marine Corps wants of me. And it’s just difficult. So essentially to break it down for you, bobsled wants you to be quick, powerful, and explosive. So you’ll see a lot of short sprints, sprints with weight, um, powerlifting, plyometrics, but everything is like Like a cheetah, everything you got a couple times and then be able to replicate that.

Or I’m going to argue that the Marine Corps is a little bit of like more body weight, more endurance, and it benefits me to be more lightweight, let alone the height and weight standards that the Marine Corps has. I’m five foot seven, my max [00:09:00] weight is 166 pounds. When I’m in season and I’m at my best, I’m just under 170 and when I make that transition from bobsled to Marine Corps training, I’ll get down sometimes as low as 155 and then every year it resets and I have to do that again.

So right now I’m about to start season, so I’m in my heavier stage where I’ve had to gain everything back, but then come April, once my bobsled season ends. I have to work hard to switch all my training back over to be able to do body weight and long distance running.

Scott DeLuzio: So my guess, and obviously correct me if I’m wrong, but you have to be pretty in tune with not only your, your training as far as exercise regimen that you go through, but also what you’re consuming, you know, the foods that you’re eating and, and types of things like that. And. And on the season, you’re going to have to switch that kind of stuff up too, right?

Riley Tejcek: Absolutely. And that’s also something that’s [00:10:00] tough is bobsled’s like, Hey, you’re too skinny. You’re too small. You know, we want you to put on weight and I’m eating white rice so I want to like cry. I’m like, I can’t, I don’t want any more rice, chicken and broccoli, please. Like I’m over it. Um, but you know, and then people are like, Oh, it’s fun.

You can eat whatever you want because you have to gain weight. And you’re like, Yeah, I wish I could just eat ice cream and pizza every night, but it’s not that kind of weight that I’m looking for, um, and then, you know, you get up to that weight, and then your body’s like, okay, now I have to shut it all off.

And then that goes through. Yeah. So it definitely affects my mental like mood and capacity I’ve noticed. And so I have to be really, really careful in planning with my nutritionist and be in tune with my body to prevent injury and to make sure that I’m still like combat effective mentally, spiritually, and emotionally to be able to do multiple jobs that are being asked of me at the same time.

Scott DeLuzio: And how does the Marine Corps help you balance all of this? Uh, do you get time off to go do the specific like [00:11:00] bobsled type training or how does that all work?

Riley Tejcek: So the Marine Corps has been extremely, extremely supportive. And I’m so, so thankful to every single one of my leaders, my Marines and everything like. I would not be here with any, without any of them. They are the reason why I am being able to be successful and even give myself a chance, but it’s difficult.

And essentially what I’ve, I’ve guessed the deal that I’ve made with, with my leaders or with some of the Marines and, and stuff like that, 2026 is, is it? I have one shot. Um, as I’m a junior officer, I’m a captain now. Um, I have one chance to have some wiggle room and flexibility to be able to see if I can make this happen.

However, there’s nothing that the Marine Corps is going to take lighter on me. So I’m still judged the same as all my peers, my fit rep, my jobs. Like I still rank up against everybody else. So they’re not going to just hand out any favors. We don’t [00:12:00] have a world class athlete program like some of the other branches, the Army and the Air Force have one.

And their billet is to be an athlete. Like that’s it. That’s all they have to do. For me, I have to do full time a job and then on the side train. Now where I will say I am thankful and what the Marine Corps does for me is they allow me to go and compete. So whenever I have competitions around the United States or in Europe, I’m able to be on permissive, temporary active duty.

So it’s not eating my leave time, which is amazing, but I’m still working while I’m gone. So I have my government computer, I travel with me everywhere, no matter what times I’m in or where in the world, I’m still answering emails, getting on calls, and everything to the best of my ability. So, Essentially, it’s kind of like a work remote position in season for competition only.

So definitely it, it hurts, um, my bobsled ability to not be there and not train with my team all the time. But that’s [00:13:00] one of the sacrifices that I have to make. And I’m happy to make it because the Marine Corps is my priority and that comes first. Being a Marine officer and being the best officer I can for my Marines is what they deserve.

And. I’m trying to see how much I can balance both, but after 26, um, I guess I haven’t publicly said this, but why not now? Um, I’m gonna have to make a difficult decision between sport and Marine Corps, and um, I, I’m pretty confident I know what I’m going to do, but I won’t be able to run the race where I’m doing both based off of requirements to continue to progress in the military with certain mile markers that I have to hit.

Scott DeLuzio: Right. As, as you progress in, in your career, uh, I have to imagine it gets, gets harder and harder and, uh, you know, probably why we don’t see You know, generals as, uh, you know, Olympians in the, uh, in the Olympics. So, um, I think I mentioned in the intro, you also were, uh, Miss Military, um, because [00:14:00] obviously you weren’t busy enough.

Um, tell us what, uh, about all of that and what, what that was like.

Riley Tejcek: Something I love to do, and you’ll see this the more you’re around me, is I love taking risks. I love putting myself out there. I love seeing what’s possible. It’s available for me. I’m not going to say I’m not afraid of failure, but I’m not going to let fear prevent me from doing the things that I have interest in or that I think can make a difference.

And I truly believe God has opened doors for me. And that’s where this pageant came in. I’m on social media one day and I was reached out to, um, by the director of Mr. and Ms. Military Pageant and they’re saying, you know, Hey, we think you’d be a really good candidate for this. And I was, initially I thought like, Who’s trying to scam me, right?

This is like a prank. I’m like, I’m not, I’m not a military, uh, pageant girl. Like I, nope. Like you talk about weight or that kind of stuff, right? Like, I’m like, I’m thicker, you know, all this kind of stuff. I don’t fit into that. Like what I thought, like pageant. And I had to realize some of the stereotypes that I had and how that was wrong, but I decided not to let that fear of I’ve [00:15:00] never done this before, I don’t even know how to walk, like, properly, right?

I’ve never been trained, like, it’s gonna happen as soon as I get done with season. Like, how is that going to look? The dates and everything lined up. I remember my mom was already in town anyways, and she helped me get ready and stuff. And I got my first, like, spray tan, and we’re like, let’s do this. Um, but why this pageant was so attractive to me was the fact that it wasn’t about, you You know, wear a bathing suit and dress, evening dress and see who also looks the part.

It was more so, what are you doing for the veteran community? How are you doing community service and outreach and making this world a better place? And then answering military questions of how would you attack this problem and stuff like that. There was a talent portion. Um, having my talent as bobsled, I definitely think made me stick out, which was in my favor.

Um, but yeah. But other than that, it was awesome just to be around so many active duty and veterans to see like what people are doing [00:16:00] to constantly give back to society. And it was an honor to be on that, those, that stage with the men and women. And I ended up winning, which was insane. It was awesome. Um, I was actually able to go back to back years and, um, with just one competition, cause this next one isn’t until November.

So was able to attend some events. And my absolute favorite, favorite memory, and this made it all worth it, was I was on an air show in California, and I had my crown on, and I’m in normal clothes, but I had my sash that said, you know, Miss Military, and I was able to see these little girls, you know, wanting to take pictures with me, and I could put my, my crown on them and let them know, like, hey, like, I’m a female Marine.

And to see their eyes be like, wait, what? Like, you’re a princess. And to them, it’s like, that’s what mattered. Like, that’s. A hundred percent why I did this was because not for me, not to add another title, which is super awesome, but to show those young women, Hey, you can be a princess, right? A [00:17:00] beauty queen, whatever, and still be active in our United States military and serving.

And that to me was the biggest blessing and gift that I could have, that I could have ever dreamed for.

Scott DeLuzio: It, several times in this conversation, you’ve, you’ve mentioned how, like when you were growing up, you. didn’t even envision being a marine yourself because you had no female role models, um, but now being that Female role model to those little girls who looked up to you and saw this princess right with the crown and, and everything like that to them was, was pretty impressive.

But I’ll, Oh yeah, by the way, I, I’m also

Riley Tejcek: Um,

Scott DeLuzio: those, those little girls as well as they get older. And you know, that, that’s just one more thing that now they have in their head. Like I can do this. Right. And that, that’s pretty cool that you, um, You went from not having that in your life to now [00:18:00] being that for those other people and that’s pretty cool. Going back just a little bit, several times throughout this conversation, we, we talked, uh, or you were talking about, um, you know, thanking God for being there and, and being able to, uh, let you do the things that you’re doing and, and everything like that. Um, obviously faith is, is very important to you.

Um, how has that Played a role in, in all of this, your, your faith and your, your connection with God.

Riley Tejcek: It’s everything. It’s why I have what I have. It’s why I’m sitting here talking to you today. Um, I was not a Christian my whole life. Um, I grew up and was brought up in church. I think like most people, when you leave home, when you go to college, you’re trying to just figure out who you are as an individual. Um, I definitely had a, had two years where I’m like, who am I and what are the things you want?

You know, you’re, you’re home free and you’re in, you’re in Washington, DC. I was so far away from Indy and I got to, I got to pick who I [00:19:00] wanted to be. Um, and what I quickly realized in my life was I was very accomplished. I had a lot of things, but I always felt like something was missing. And that key piece that truly was missing was, was God and the Lord.

And once I received that piece, my whole life changed. Not everything became easier. Not everything was sunshine and rainbows, but my heart was full and I understood. My purpose and I understood more just about life and how I wanted to act and and who I wanted to be because I know whose I was and My faith just has continued to go on a very windy journey.

I think that’s the best way I can explain it. I’ve, I’ve loved God. I have an amazing relationship, um, of, of the Christian faith, but that does not mean that it’s been easy. It doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been times where I’ve asked God why and been very frustrated and angry with him and all these things, but at the end of the day, we have such a good loving father.

That no matter how many times I question him or walk away [00:20:00] from, he’s provided me ample amount of gifts and opportunities and the ability to use the gifts that he has given me to truly try to make a difference on this, on this world. And my biggest goal in life is to make everyone’s lives better because they met me because they received Jesus in some form.

Now, I’m not going to go up to you and be like, I’m a Jesus lover and like, you know, like try to like make people be like, who is this woman? But maybe it’s like the act, like the kindness, the grace, the mercy that I show you, right? Maybe it’s going out of my way to do something that I don’t expect anything in return anymore or Hey, I don’t curse and I’m not really big into like drinking in that scene.

And so the way I choose to live my life. Maybe sparks a conversation of how like God came in and changed mine. So my faith, going back to that is everything. I know that I will be okay no matter what happens. I know if I make the Olympics or if I don’t, I will be okay. I know God can use it however he wants it.

And [00:21:00] it’s been able to give me this surrender and like peace of knowing that no matter the outcome, no matter what happens, like God loves me and he has a plan for me that’s, Already been said and written and I’m just trying to catch up with his plan and walk in stride with him.

Scott DeLuzio: You know, it’s awesome the way that you, you put that. And a lot of this show is focused on helping military veterans, their, you know, active duty, um, their families, folks who just are struggling. In life, in one way or another, it could be mental health, it could be physical related issues, it could be all, you name it, a wide variety of things that they could be dealing with, but, um, I think a lot of times, this is the piece that is missing.

Um, they, they have, they, they might have a different, uh, things kind of squared away in their life. They may even have a great job, money coming in. They have a family, they have all these things, but they still just feel like there’s this emptiness, like [00:22:00] just there’s something missing. Um, And, you know, again, like you said, I’m not sitting here trying to preach to everybody that this is the way that they need to be and, and that they need to do all of this.

But, um, you know, at least being open to considering the fact that, Hey, maybe, maybe this is that piece that’s missing. Um, and, you know, looking at people like you being a good role model, uh, for not only the, those little girls, uh, who came to you and, and we’re looking up to you, but, um, just Day to day people that you interact with, the other Marines that you’re working with, the folks on your, your bobsledding team, family, you know, other people in your community, um, just being that type of person, um, could be the thing that just changes somebody’s day, uh, somebody’s life.

And. You know, that, that type of thing I think is important and I, I kind of wanted to highlight that. I knew, I knew a little bit about your background. I, like we were saying before I, we started recording, I do a little research [00:23:00] on, on the folks that I have on the show and I, so I knew a little bit about that and I, I kind of felt like this was an important piece of the puzzle and I wanted to, uh, allow you the opportunity to share that with the audience because I, I think for some people, That just might be the thing that they’re missing, you know,

Riley Tejcek: I think to anyone that’s listening, my biggest thing and where I got to in life was I tried everything and I tried putting my, my worth and my confidence and the jobs I got in my athletics and my relationships, whether it be family, friendship. Um, or, you know, romantic. I tried all of these things and there was just still something missing.

So I just want to challenge anyone that’s listening. Like, why not try? Like, if it doesn’t work, you’ve already tried everything else. But if it does, maybe that is your piece that you really needed that will, that will change your life forever. Cause it’s absolutely changed mine in the best way possible.

So I just want to encourage anybody that’s listening to this. Um, if you don’t know where to start, [00:24:00] I’m a resource that would love to just help you and maybe guide you or mentor you, or if you don’t know what else to do and you don’t feel like talking to us. Maybe that’s just when you have an open conversation with God and be like, God, you know, if this whole thing’s for me, like help, help me figure out if this is something for me and it’s as simple as that.

And so if one person like leave this podcast and do that, Oh, like praise Lord, then, then everything is worth it. And the things that led us to get here, um, your life is worth saving. So, yeah.

Scott DeLuzio: absolutely. Yeah. And I think that that’s true. Uh, you know, whether, whether it’s one person who is listening to this or thousands who might hear this message, you know, whoever is hearing it and can take that away. Um, I think that’s a valuable takeaway. And if, if for nothing else, if we stop recording right now, and that’s the message, that’s the takeaway from this.

I think that that’s a mission accomplished on, on both of our ends here. Right. Um, so. Again, because you’re not busy [00:25:00] enough, um, you also, uh, became an ambassador for Shields and Stripes. Um, I had Steven, uh, Nisbet, uh, the, the president, uh, I believe he is still of Shields and Stripes on the show a little while ago.

And uh, so we talked about that great organization. Uh, tell us what kind of got you involved with, with that organization.

Riley Tejcek: Being a Christian and all this stuff, and even just being in the military, I have a big part of my heart that wants to give back, right? That’s why we do what we do, is to give back. Progress forward and then reach back and help people, you know, get, get to where you are. And at the very least, our veteran community is something that’s so important, right?

There’s only 1 percent of the population that chooses to raise their right hand and, and serve their country. So when I first met Steven and Shields and Stripes and everything that they were about, I was instantly drawn to them. One, I have trained at the Exos facility, so I knew exactly the group that they were talking about without even knowing it.

So look at God working there. Um, [00:26:00] two, after hearing his story and his passion and his faith and what he was doing for people, I couldn’t not get involved. Let’s put it that way. I was like, I, I have to be involved. And that’s something that. You know, yes, that anytime you say yes to something, you have to kind of say no to something else or something else gets taken away.

But this was one of the easiest yeses for me was to say, Hey, how can I be a part of the team? What can I do to help? Um, you guys already have it. You know, running and, and they do an incredible job, their whole team, um, everyone that I’ve been able to meet is just absolutely fantastic and making a life and making a difference in veteran and active duty members lives.

But they’re focusing on bringing back the soldier, the Marine, the airman, whoever, into being a hundred percent complete again. And that’s kind of what we talked about is that, hey, I knew when I wasn’t complete and, um, People that had post traumatic stress disorder is a real thing. I’m so glad we’re able to talk about that now.

So openly, people are able to [00:27:00] admit it, but you can’t get through that by yourself. And it’s something we learned in the military. Is there a reason why we have fire teams and we have platoons and we have squads and companies, et cetera, because you’re stronger as a unit. So what Children’s Stripes does is bring people together as a unit.

And they all come from different backgrounds, have different kinds of levels of trauma. And we’re going to take them and make them a team, make them that strong squad, get them to where they want to be for their families on all different kinds of fronts. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. And I don’t think enough organizations are focusing on that.

The whole person is what we’re trying to hit and touch so we can, you Basically leave these people better than what we found them. So I can’t wait to continue to get involved. Sometimes I’m like, I wish I did more. Um, but I know we’re limited and at the very least, you know, giving them a shout out or letting people know what they do and know that that’s an awesome nonprofit that’s making a difference in people’s [00:28:00] lives is something I just want to shed more light onto.

Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. And, and one of the things that you touched on was just like the giving back to, uh, other veterans or other military connected folks. Um, and I, I had just come back. Uh, I know by the time this episode gets released, this is going to be, uh, you know, obviously, uh, a few months, uh, or, or a few weeks, uh, down the road here, but, um, I had just come back from the military influencer, uh, conference.

You were a speaker, um, at, at that conference and there were so many people. So many people, they probably had close to 2, 000 people there, uh, if not more, um, and people from all sorts of different organizations, Shields and Stripes included, um, that just want to help people. They’re, they all have this, I mean, I think ingrained in us from day one of our military service, uh, you know, walking into basic [00:29:00] training or whatever is, you look out for those people.

To your left and to your right and, and you make sure that they’re good to go. And if they’re not, you want to help them. And every single person that I met, uh, you know, I talked to them about the show, I talked to them about, you know, some of the stuff that, that we do. And it’s like, yeah, we want to help.

We want to be able to make sure that that. You know, 22 a day, whatever the number is that they, they throw around for, you know, veteran suicides. We want to bring that down to zero. Um, and there’s, I don’t think a single person in that, that room would have disagreed with that statement. Um, and oftentimes I feel like the veterans who, or, or even active duty, you know, any service member who is struggling, they’re struggling.

Alone, and they don’t realize just how much there is. I wish, I wish anybody who’s struggling alone, who’s just like kind of locked themselves away and isolated themselves from, from everybody. I wish they could have just walked into that [00:30:00] room and just seen just how many people actually care about. That they get the help that they need, whatever, whatever it is that they need, they want them to get that.

And to your point, um, it’s wonderful that, that you, you are doing what you’re doing to be an ambassador, but also to, you know, just help the community in general. I think it’s, it’s pretty amazing.

Riley Tejcek: Yeah, that’s our job. That’s our job. What, once you raise your hand, like you’re a Marine, you’re, you know, fill in the blank for life and your job is you’re a part of that team and you may not know that individual’s name yet. But they, you automatically have this brother sisterhood that just connects you and no one is going to be too busy or think you’re not important because we’ve all dealt with some of the same struggles.

Maybe not the same degree, right? But we, we’ve all been there and we know, and that’s what makes us unique and special. And it breaks my heart hearing the 22 a day. And you know, I know there’s a lot of campaigns, um, to bring awareness to that, but it, it [00:31:00] We still need to do more. And, um, what everyone can do is just their piece.

And we’ll start seeing that domino effect happen. And hopefully that number continue to decrease and we have more people that are able to have longevity of lives following their service.

Scott DeLuzio: And when you look at the folks that you serve with, I know the folks that I served with and, and other people in the military, there’s some pretty incredible people. And. The world needs these people, and so if we can hang on to these people, um, just, just stick around. I mean, I’m, I’m like begging people right now.

If you’re listening to this message, please stick around. We need you. Um, as much as you may, may think that you’re You know, nobody does need you or that you’re not significant or important enough or, or anything like that. You absolutely are a hundred percent. And, um, you know, we, we need you guys to, to stick around and do some more incredible things.

You’re, you’re not done yet, so don’t. So don’t, uh, don’t [00:32:00] go anywhere. Your, your, your mission’s not over. You haven’t been dismissed. Um, switching gears just a bit more. I want to bring it back to bobsledding and you mentioned 2026, the winter Olympics, uh, obviously coming up, uh, in 2026, uh, what’s one of the biggest obstacles to getting you there?

Riley Tejcek: The biggest obstacle is nothing that I can control. Honestly, the biggest obstacle is the incredible talent that we have within the United States. We have some of the best athletes that this nation and this world have to offer. And there are six, including myself, there’s six total of us as women pilots for Team USA.

And every single one of those other five women are incredibly deserving, are incredible athletes and incredible people. And when you look at us, there’s six and there’s three Olympic spots max, like that’s the max our country can have at Olympic games. They normally take the top 25. Um, [00:33:00] but you could be USA5 and number 21 and it’s still not a matter.

You don’t make the games, right? The top three, no matter what, to make sure that we include all countries. The hardest And the last thing is being in the nation that has the greatest number of athletes and the greatest talent and all these people are your friends. These are my teammates. You know, these five other women are my teammates that I have gone with and experienced hardship, have cried together, have, have sung together, have won together, have experienced incredible victories.

And every single one of them has helped me. A beautiful, amazing story. And to be a part of that, to be one of the six is a blessing, but Oh my goodness, like you talk about 50, 50 percent chance, right? The woman I talked about earlier, Lana Myers Taylor, who got me involved in the sport is still competing.

She’s now a mother of two, still competing. Like it’s one of those things where the talent we have is incredible. I, I just tell myself, you know, I’m not going to let fear prevent me from giving it everything I have [00:34:00] and trying. But this is where I have to give it to God and say, Lord, I’m going to give it everything that I can, whether I go or I don’t go, you know, your will be done.

I doesn’t mean that there won’t be heartbreak and disappointment, but I know that I’ll be okay. And it doesn’t mean that I can’t still have the impact. So if I told you right now, you know, Riley, what’s one of your biggest goals in life? People are going to think I’m crazy. I’m not going to say win a gold medal.

And people look at me like I’m wild. And I say because that, if I don’t, did that mean I failed? Absolutely not. My biggest goal in life is to use the gifts that I’ve been given, to use this platform of being a Team USA athlete, to impact lives as many as possible. Now, would that help having a gold medal?

Probably. Do I have to have a gold medal to do that? I don’t think so. And that’s been something that recently as I’ve gotten older Um, and with some more maturity that I’ve been able to really realize is it’s a story of putting yourself out there It’s a story of giving it everything that you have [00:35:00] and and to leave the rest up to the Lord and say Lord Whatever you do with this like I’m okay with it.

I trust you. And I know that you’re the plan that you have for me. Um, and if I’m not deserving and this isn’t your plan, Lord send the right people and allow my heart to be happy and excited to cheer them on. Like one of my best friends in the whole entire world, her name’s Keisha. She’s on the team with me in the same position.

And she’s one of my best friends in the whole entire world. It’s like sometimes I’m like, I want her success more than mine. And people think that’s wild. So I say this to say, you know, we’re A year and some change out from February of 2026, I can guarantee you, I’m going to give it everything I have and I’m going to fight and I’m going to try, um, there’s a chance.

There’s a good chance. There’s also a not so good chance and we’ll just see what, what happens and what comes. It would be an honor to be the first female Marine in the Olympics. Um, but if it’s not me, then it’s going to be someone else. And that’s because that’s what they’re called to do. And maybe I can be a [00:36:00] part of that journey to helping them get there.

Scott DeLuzio: I think that’s an amazing attitude to have. Looking out again, like we were saying before, being that selfless type of person and looking for those other people and saying, who’s the best person for this job? If it’s me, great, I’m going, I’m in 100%. If it’s not me, then, Then send that person in and let them do it and be happy that that person got the chance to give our country the best opportunity to bring home that gold medal, right?

Whether it’s you, whether it’s somebody else, at the end of the day, the country is bringing home the gold, um, or, you know, whichever. Whichever metal we happen to bring home, but hopefully the gold, um, uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, nevermind. I’m forget about that. We’re bringing home the gold. Um, I also understand that Bobsledding is, uh, largely self funded.

Uh, is that correct?

Riley Tejcek: It is, it is, it’s one of those sports that, [00:37:00] yeah, it’s one of those sports that is not USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, and USA Track and Field. Um, we do, I don’t know how many Bob’s Letters you know other than me. Um, well, I told you a couple of my teammates what they’re like, but

Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. Other than them. Yeah.

Riley Tejcek: So because of that, we don’t get fans every year.

You know, a lot of people don’t even realize that we have full seasons outside the Olympics. The only time people watch bobsledding is during the Olympics, if it so happens to be on, and it’s something that they’re, they’re tuned into. So I think. The hardest part truly is getting sponsors and funding and stuff.

And it’s awesome that we’ve been able to have name, image, and likeness go out in NCAA. But all that meant now is that the pot just got way bigger of athletes being a professional athlete, right? Cause you get paid a little bit to do this is great. But now Sponsors are spread even thinner amongst the athletes and [00:38:00] being in, you know, women’s sports, it’s a little bit challenging as well.

So majority of our athletes aren’t able to hold full time jobs. A lot of us do and try really hard, but If you’re an Olympian, that’s supposed to be your job, right? It’s a, it is to train and and act as as such, which is why I’m a little bit different being full-time, active duty and trying to do this, which you know, is why it’s a little bit more difficult for me maybe than other people.

But financially, all of us, a hundred percent struggle. We have to put a lot of our own money, time, energy, and effort. You have to be away. Traveling the world for six months of the year, roughly, you are staying in some of the most expensive towns, like ski resorts, like Switzerland and Austria and even Park City, Utah.

Right? Like these places that people go and spend a lot of money to go ski. Well, that’s where you’re competing at. Let alone the bobsled fees, you know, bobsled costs 60, 000 to 100, 000 and you got to ship it all around the world and stuff like that. So a lot of us [00:39:00] athletes are self funded. Um, the ones that are not self funded aren’t really making money off of it.

So maybe their expenses are covered, but they’re not. They’re barely able to live above the poverty line. So all of us definitely struggle, um, more than, more than people would think that Olympic level athletes or Team USA athletes, um, do.

Scott DeLuzio: For the listeners who are so inclined, if, if there’s anything that they can do to help out financially, uh, is there some place that they can go to either make a donation or, you know, to help out in one way or another?

Riley Tejcek: Absolutely. So a lot of us have individual fundraisers. Um, one that I have is I, I sell challenge coins. Um, I, I partnered with a company in Quantico, um, named Steam. SvenSmash. com. He’s awesome and he helped design my own challenge coin. So one side of it is me as a Marine. The other side of it is me as a bobsled athlete.

Um, it’s 25, but I get a portion of every single sale and then you get [00:40:00] something to kind of hold on to and know that you were a part of my journey and trying to pursue both of these goals at the same time. Um, the biggest thing honestly I ask people to do, and again, people think I’m nuts. I just ask people to pray.

It’s, it’s free. It just takes a couple little bit of your time. I just really ask people, you know. To pray over safety for me and my teammates, to pray that the Lord, um, allows us to use our platform and bobsled and the ability to compete. Pray that he continues to grow the sport, um, and pray that financially we’re able to continue to find ways to make it work.

That’s like the greatest thing you could really do for me. The coins are really great too, like don’t get me wrong. I love that. And I think that’s really great. Something that I love when I see like little kids have it and stuff like that, just a little, um, sink fun. Or I know a lot of military people have a coin collection, so they’ll send me photos and they put it in their coin collection, which is so special and meaningful to me.

But there’s other ways than just financially that I believe maybe more than other people can make a, a bigger [00:41:00] impact. But absolutely, if anyone else is listening and they’re like, you know, Hey, we really want to help, definitely reach out to me. I can. Send you lists of a lot of other nonprofits or ways or our personal athletes fundraisers.

If you find another athlete that, um, you, you feel more inclined to supporting and stuff like that.

Scott DeLuzio: Well, I will, uh, get some information from you after we’re done recording here, but I will, I will try to put a link in the show notes to where people can go to make a donation and maybe some information about, uh, that other stuff that you were just talking about as well, because, um, I know it’s not easy and if we can help make it a little bit easier, uh, I want to try to do that.

So, um, What is one message or something that you want the listeners, especially service members, veterans or families, military community, to be able to take away from your journey, your experiences that you’ve gone through so far?

Riley Tejcek: I always love when people ask me these questions because sometimes depending on where I am in life, the answers like change. And I like to just [00:42:00] shoot this from the hip, but something that I’ve been recently really sitting with is Overcoming fear. And so what I mean by that is I hear a lot of people, you know, ask the question, but what if I fail?

And my immediate response has been, well, what if you don’t? What if you’re preventing yourself from walking into your potential? What if you’re stopping yourself from building this legacy that you’ve always wanted? And then that’s going to take and require vulnerability. If you want different results than what you’re doing right now, you cannot continue to do the same thing.

And so my biggest advice to everybody, is stop letting that fear prevent you from walking up into your potential. There’s something that’s in your heart. I don’t know what that is, but there’s something there that you have a desire to do. It can be something very small. It can be something very large.

That is placed on your heart for a reason. That does not mean that it’s going to happen. Why would you not pursue it? And I’m waiting for all the excuses to start filtering through people’s heads, right? Because I had the same thing. [00:43:00] And I’m like, why can’t I be an active duty Marine? Okay. And be on Team USA.

Why can’t I write a children’s book and be in a military pageant? Why can’t I be an ambassador for different, um, like organizations such as Shields and Stripes and speak out and put myself out there to bring more people? And, um, I think a lot of times what I’m seeing is, I don’t know if the right word is complacency.

I just see this overwhelming fear of judgment or what other people may think of you, or whether or not you think it’s even possible. And my biggest thing is, again, just to reiterate and tie this whole thing up, instead of negatively asking yourself, what if, change that and really ask yourself and swallow, are you okay with never knowing your potential and what you’re able to do in life?

And if you’re okay with that. I can’t change that. But if you’re like, you know what, like, I want to know, I guarantee you, I guarantee you, if you put yourself out there, that [00:44:00] door may not be open, that door may close. But another one will open and you will be better because of it. The only reason that I have, the only reason why I’m on your podcast and the only reason why you’re asking me all these questions is because I took the chance to put myself out there to not let fear stop me from entering and look at the things that happened because of it.

I, I just, that’s the best way I can explain it and I just am so tired of fear, um, consuming people and stopping them from, from living the life that they should be having.

Scott DeLuzio: A hundred percent. Um, like to your point, I think, You got on my radar when you became an ambassador for Shields and Stripes, which I follow, obviously, because I had Steven on the show a while back. And I saw all of this and I was like, oh, let’s look into this person, see who, what, what she’s all about and what she’s doing.

Right. When. I got tired of reading how much stuff you’re doing because there’s just so [00:45:00] much. I actually, I was like, Oh my gosh, there’s so much. This person is really super interesting and has a incredible message. Um, you know, listen to some other podcasts that you had been on. And, um, I thought, you know, what, what a great person and would be a great inspiration to other people.

Not only to, like you mentioned, those little girls who came up to you, but to other people who, um, maybe. are afraid of failing or maybe, um, just feel that emptiness inside of them or whatever it is, you know, we talked a whole bunch of things, uh, on this, uh, this episode so far. Um, we talked so many things that, that people could be, uh, struggling with and maybe they didn’t even realize it, but maybe just the way you phrase something could have just been that.

That trigger that set it off in their head. That’s like, Hey, you know what, maybe I need this change in my life. And, and so, um, I encourage other people, um, to do exactly what you just said, put yourself out there. Um, don’t be afraid to fail because [00:46:00] you’re capable of great things. Obviously, uh, for the folks who especially are, uh, either service members or veterans, um, if you’ve been through the military, you’ve already done some great things.

in your life. Um, and you’re capable of doing far more. So don’t, don’t be afraid. You know, even if you stumble, it’s not necessarily a failure. Like you said, if you don’t make the, if you don’t make the Bobsled team, you don’t make, you know, win the gold medal. It’s not a failure because you’re still able to use that platform and that story, that message to influence other people.

And that’s a great thing. Way to look at things. Um, so, so thank you for that kind of, kind of parting message, I guess. Um, definitely do want to thank you for taking the time to come on the show, sharing your, your journey. And, um, we’re definitely rooting for you in your Olympic endeavors.

Riley Tejcek: Thank you. No, I thank you for what you’re doing. Truly. I always say this Drive On Podcast has been incredible. Thank you for having me [00:47:00] on. Even if one person’s listening to this, you know, it matters. So Thank you. I just want to encourage you to continue to go on, right? I know it’s a thankless job sometimes and you might ask yourself if it’s even worth it, but you know, I, I, I thank you for creating the space for me to come on and, and for so many others to share their story.

I’m incredibly grateful.

Scott DeLuzio: I appreciate that so much. Um, you’re right. A lot of times it is, uh, exactly the way you described it, but I know to your point, if, if only one person listens to this and get something out of it. Then I’m good to go. I’ll keep going until, until there are zero people listening to it. And I don’t need to do this anymore.

And that, that would be incredible. So, um, uh, you again,

Riley Tejcek: I’ll tell you a secret. You’ll have at least two because my father and my boyfriend, no matter what, listen to everything. So there’s at least two that we have.

Scott DeLuzio: excellent. Well, um, thank you, uh, gentlemen for listening and, uh, [00:48:00] hopefully there are more than two, but if, if, even if there’s three, we’ll be good to go. So, um, thank you again so much for taking the time to come on. Appreciate it.

Thanks for listening to the Drive On Podcast. If you want to support the show, please check out Scott’s book, Surviving Son on Amazon. All of the sales from that book go directly back into this podcast and work to help veterans in need. You can also follow the Drive On Podcast on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and wherever you listen to podcasts.