Rick Rosenkranz was born and raised in the heart of America, in the town of Salina, Kansas. This region is literally considered the geographic center of America.
He is the son of a blue-collar worker (his mother worked as a hairdresser and telephone operator, and his stepfather worked as a security guard and janitor). And after his parents lost their jobs, his family endured a difficult time in his 1980s recession.
In between free school lunches, Rosenkranz and his family spent weeks subsisting on pizza marked “defective” at Tony’s Pizza Factory, where his stepfather worked as a security guard.
“We didn’t really know we were poor, because that’s just the way it was,” he recalls. “I don’t think about it too much, but it makes me think about the food insecurity that disadvantaged communities face on a daily basis. They are often influenced.”
Rosencrantz says that this difficult struggle has shaped her into the person she is today. He credits his mother and other relatives with caring for him, a safe school with caring teachers, and an adequate social safety net.
As he got older, he wanted more from life, and his affinity for bicycles was the perfect marriage. He still remembers how happy he was when his great-aunt bought him his first tricycle when he was four years old.
“I’ve always wanted to ride one,” he recalls fondly. “I was told I couldn’t ride when it was dark outside, but I said I would ride in front of the car lights so I could see.”
Bicycling provided him with an outlet to explore the world outside of his small-town life in central America.
Driven by his own personal experiences of food insecurity and a desire for adventure, he worked hard to improve himself both personally and professionally.
As chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Nutritional Sciences in the College of Integrative Health Sciences at UNLV, these early experiences drive his commitment to faculty and students. Along with them, he remains a passionate advocate of public education and is dedicated to educating others about the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
How does your bike best represent you as a person?
I think it’s just part of who I am. There is a sense of freedom, adventure, self-determination, and independence. You can put your own energy into it, and depending on how much energy you put into it, it will take you.
That was one of the great things about growing up in Kansas in the 1970s and ’80s. We had the freedom to walk around and explore. I remember riding my bike on the shoulder of the highway to visit my stepfather at work. It was four miles away. And this was in 4th grade!
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was in high school, I wanted to be a physical education teacher or coach. When I was younger than that, I was either going to join the Air Force or become a truck driver. My parents, who lived in poverty, said both jobs paid well.
When I was in 10th grade, I had a biology teacher who was a cyclist, and he was a huge inspiration to me. He introduced me to the environmental stewardship component of cycling, but it wasn’t until college that I really got into the sport part of it. But he planted some real seeds in my heart. He taught me to ask why things are the way they are, for my life and for society. It sparked greater scientific curiosity and triggered environmental concerns I already had.
What path did you take before coming to UNLV?
I had to get a teaching assistant position to get into graduate school, and I’ve always tried to pass on my knowledge to others. I also became quite good at track and field, and was particularly passionate about running. It was only a matter of time before I tried a triathlon. This was in the 1980s, when triathlon was really booming. I saw an Ironman competition on TV and decided to give it a try. At first, I focused on track and field, but I wanted to combine psychology and sports, so I decided to attend a sports psychology school.
Were you still chasing your Ironman dream while attending school?
Actually, my wife Sarah and I met at the University of Kansas Triathlon Club. I applied to graduate school and ended up majoring in clinical psychology at the University of North Dakota. After two years at the terminal, I completed my Ph.D. After completing my degree program at North Dakota State, I decided I no longer wanted to be a clinical psychologist. And I still loved the sport of triathlon.
I’m a new professional triathlete who held my pro card for 10 years, but within 3-4 years I realized I needed a plan B.
Sarah and I spent a year in Southern California, training 20 hours a week in addition to part-time jobs in the nutrition industry. I would run or cycle in the morning, go to work, sneak a swim or run, go back to work, and do more training in the evening. We swam four days a week, cycled six days a week, and ran four days a week. I also did long rides on the weekends, usually 70-80 miles each time. All other distances that week were between 15 and 30 miles each day.
After a year in California, we moved back to Kansas and I was still training and racing seriously. I went back to graduate school to study kinesiology and at the same time learned the health-focused aspects and applied it all to performance and coaching.
You’ve talked about how your own experiences with poverty shaped your thinking about the importance of proper nutrition, but was there anything else that motivated you?
Honestly, at that time super size me Watching that movie was a shocking experience for me. I was also a new father at the time, so thinking about childhood obesity made me especially sad. All children deserve the opportunity to access healthy food, be physically active, and realize how great it is to be healthy.
What drew you to UNLV?
I was at a point in my career where I needed to step out of my comfort zone and wanted a leadership opportunity. There is also the geographical appeal of the west coast. We have lived most of our lives in Kansas and had never had the best experiences in Las Vegas in the past, so we had to convince ourselves that this was the right place for us. But so far it’s been a great experience.
Compared to Kansas, you can buy delicious food and eat at a variety of restaurants. The outdoor opportunities are also great and I have since joined several hiking clubs. Although I considered positions in other fields, the position in UNLV’s College of Comprehensive Health Sciences was the most appealing to me.
Are there any misconceptions about Las Vegas that you’ve noticed as a new resident?
There’s a great quality of life here, especially off the Strip. Of the 40 million people who visit Las Vegas each year, what percentage of them go to the nearby national parks and do all the outdoor activities? I found it very easy to get there. I really like that.
What is the longest distance you have ever ridden your bike?
I ran a 135 mile loop around Kansas. It took about 7 hours with some breaks in between.
What is your favorite place you have ever visited?
Australia, New South Wales. It has some of the most beautiful coastline you’ll ever see. I cycled from Sydney to Wollongong (about 80 miles). It’s an old industrial city, much cleaner than it used to be. It’s heaven.