About Me

Profile

About:

Well, hey there. My name is James Zimmerman, though to spite me my parents have raised me by my middle name, Ross. You can call me whatever you please, as I have been called many things throughout this short yet full life of mine: son, brother, friend, and even muchacho. I was born and raised in Cypress, Texas, which is the less popular neighbor of Houston (despite its grandiose offerings of Office Depots and liquor stores).
I did it all growing up: I played guitar, was a member of a nationally recognized marching band, ran cross-country, was Senior Class President, operated and formed various senior high clubs, and eventually made it into a Public Ivy League University, the prestigious University of Texas. I am studying Advertising and concurrently trying to be as active on and off campus as possible. Completing the 2012 Austin LiveStrong marathon was a realization of one of my many dreams, and it certainly won't be my last! HOOK EM!

I owe much of my relative success to my upbringing, primarily my immediate family, and aim to use my talents and efforts to benefit the people who poured their hopes and dreams into me, as well as the world at large. “One step at a time” is the expression, though I am sprinting.

Why I Ride

I ride for Geneva Aschenbrenner, my lovely and dear departed grandmother. While cancer was not solely responsible for her death, its hand in the matter revealed to me the dark demise of life that no grade-schooler should be forced to witness. Children should not know what a mastectomy is, nor see their best friend wither away in a sterile hospital bed.
But I am not riding for my deceased grandmother, or the memory I have of her waning days. No, I ride for the grandmother who played in sheet-tents with me, the grandmother who played Scrabble with me for hours on end, the grandmother who made the best pancakes on earth. Simply put, I ride for my grandmother who had to go away.