RACE Life Time Tri Oceanside & RSVP for Andy Potts Meeting
Racing in Oceanside has always been a special way for me to kick off my season and now with the LT Tri Series event in October, it could be a great place to end your year too!
This race is a brand new race in the Life Time Tri Series, the team who produces the CapTex, Minneapolis, Chicago and now the NYC Tri. Life Time focuses on Sprint/International courses, and knows how to put on a quality race- I know as I raced in every race in the series in 2011.
Oceanside is perfect for anyone looking to wrap-up their season with a bang. It’s also perfect timing for anyone preparing for IMAZ or even Oceanside 70.3 (nearly identical course).
If you don’t care to race, come and check out some of the best pro's compete for the Elite Series Championship. The elite championship race features 60 pros competing for $250,000 in prize money, including last year's series winners Cam Dye and Sarah Haskins as well as some perennial favorites such as Ben Collins, Alicia Kaye and Hunter Kemper. There’s also a $50K bonus awarded to their new Toyota Triple Crown equalizer competition. That’s huge! **REGISTER HERE: http://www.oceansidetri.com/**
Last thing, if you do not make it down to Oceanside, come see me on Monday(Oct 21st) at 6:30pm at the Santa Monica Library. LATC has always been such a great host and I hope to spend some time answering questions, sharing war stories and getting to know each of you better. -- Open to Everyone! Members, please RSVP in our rsvp/polls. 6:30 PM >> Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401, MLK Multi-Media Room.
Newbie, Noobie - The Experts
Hi. We're Kramer and Konrad. We're the LA Tri Club "Newbie Advisors." Not only that, we're the only Newbie Advisors the club has ever had. In fact, we're the first Newbie Advisors the club has ever had. Because we invented the position so that we could be on the board. Um. Trying again: "Because we love newbies!"
Kramer has been in the club since 2006 and Konrad, since 2001. We were newbs once, too, and we remember how exhilarating but sometimes intimidating LA Tri Club can be. So we figured we would help newbies and newbies-at-heart get the most out of this great club.
So we figured we'd make a list.
People love lists. And people love triathlon. And we love newbies. So we figured what better premise for an article than a list specifically for newbie triathletes.
But first...
What is a newbie? We get asked that a lot. Does it mean...
* Someone who is new to endurance athletics? Yes
* Someone who has done athletics but is new to triathlon? Yes
* Someone who is an accomplished athlete but new to LATC? Yes
* Someone who isn't quite sure how they got to this website or what a triathlon is and is completely confused but also strangely intrigued? Most definitely.
So unless you are a veteran triathlete who has been in the Club for years, this article is for you. And if you are, you'll probably still learn something. We're just that good.
Sponsor Spotlight: Zone 3 Multisport
Zone 3 Multisport, conveniently located at Centinela and Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica, is your friendly, local multisport shop. We’re staffed by highly-experienced and competitive cyclists, runners, and triathletes and our owners have raced alongside LA Tri Club’s founders since day one. The atmosphere here is welcoming and inclusive. You may come to shop, but end up chatting away over training or racing – that’s how we roll!
We cater to everyone from beginners to pro triathletes, offering a wide range of products and services including top-quality bicycles from Orbea, Look and Kestrel; wetsuits by Orca, Blue Seventy and Aquaman and a great selection of apparel, accessories, training gear and nutritionals for all of your multisport needs. And we’re proud of the fact that many of the items we carry won’t be found in other stores around town.
A Year's Journey: Getting Dumped, My Mom's Death 3 Days Later, Losing 35 Lbs
I'm not schizophrenic but a nagging voice inside my head was telling me I would not be able to climb this mountain.
"Don't kid yourself," the voice mocked me.
I had to come clean to James about my doubts. When I asked him if he could imagine doing a trail run here he showed off by pretending to run up the mountain. Meanwhile, my face was hot and my heart was beating fast.
"I have something to tell you," I said gravely. He appeared to brace himself but he kept going.
"I'm a poser. You, my friends, everyone. You all have this false impression of me as being this fit triathlete but I feel like I'm out of shape. I'm already tired and we still have hours of hiking up this thing."
I saw him breathe a sigh of relief and then he went on to tell me how in my age group, I'm probably in the top 1 or 2 percent in terms of fitness. I listened, was secretly flattered, but I was not convinced. A little over a year ago, I was a chubby couch-dweller.
Youth & Jr National Championships - LATC & TTS Team Reaches New Heights
The first weekend in August continues to reveal the future of our sport. The USAT Junior Elite National Championships took place in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 3 & 4 of 2013 and the LA Tri Club-TTS team sent our biggest squad yet with 15 athletes representing. The Junior Elite events are draft legal - this is the format of triathlon in the Olympics and that's the goal for many present at this event.
Junior Elite Female. The day began with a steady but light rain and at 8am when 50 of the nations best 16-19 year old athletes dove off the floating dock and into the lake for the 750m swim. Hannah Rae Finchamp was out of the water 3rd, thirty seconds behind Tamara Gorman and Devon Dabney and 22 seconds up on a group of 10 athletes including great runners like Katie Gorczyca and Malia Ellington. This is a familiar situation with Hannah Rae at several Junior Elite Cups this year and with the wet roads, the mildly technical bike course and her exceptional cycling skills - Hannah Rae executed the race plan of going alone. At the end of the first 5k lap, she had built 5 seconds onto her lead over the chase pack, at the end of lap 2 she was up another 3 seconds. But as the roads dried out and the chase pack found inspiration they shrunk that gap and collected Hannah Rae at the start of the fourth and final lap. The 15k alone in the wind had taken its toll and Hannah Rae ran a 19:39 5k off the bike for 9th place. Hannah Rae was crowned the winner of the Junior Elite Cup series and took solace atop that podium at this, the final event.
Junior Elite Male. The rain stopped, the roads dried up and the maximum field of seventy-five 16-19 year old males took to the pontoon for the start. A group of 16 exited the water in roughly 9 minutes and 20 seconds to form the first pack and included in there were LA Tri Club - TTS athletes Dillon Nobbs, Ryan Reede and Alec Wilimovsky. Joey Tamusaitis and our newest member, Erik Armes were a minute back in chase packs. Joey who has been nursing an injury still kept it under 20 min for his 5k and finished proud and Erik who is just back in the states after 3 years on base in Okinawa missed serving his penalty on the run course and took a DNF on the day. Not a let down by any means, Erik was there for experience and got plenty. We'll see great things over then 3 years from both these 16 year olds. Dillon, Ryan and Alec rode hard within the lead pack in an attempt to keep at bay good runners like Tony Morales who chased at 30 seconds behind in pack two. Off the bike Ryan ran a nice 17:18 for 18th place and Alec held on for 25th. Dillon ran the first lap shoulder to shoulder with Tony Smoragiewicz, Brent Demarest and Hunter Honeycutt (who would finish one, two, three respectively). Dillon, who last year was 8th at this event, finished a satisfying 4th with a 15:51 5k.
Youth Elite Female. There were sixty eight in the 13-15 year old Youth Elite Female division. The distances are: 375m swim, 10k bike and 2.5k run and the athletes demonstrate the capability of swimming at 1:20pace in open water, riding at 21mph average and running 6 min pace. LA Tri Club - TTS athletes Andrea Arriaga, Mara Muslea and Gabrielle Niko all stepped up with personal bests on the day.
Youth Elite Male. Racing at the same age and same distance as the Youth Elite Females, the boys dove in off the pontoon in a field of 70 strong. Duncan Reid tore it up with a second pack swim, powerful bike and by running 5:34 pace off the bike for a 13th place finish. Matthew Paragas has a typically brilliant swim crashed on the bike. He re-mounted the bike with road rash in many places and raced on but a head cut and the resulting blood running down his neck and chest gave us all a scare and he wisely pulled off before the bikes conclusion to seek treatment. He received a few stitches in his head and flew home the next day stiff and sore but otherwise okay.
Mixed Relay. The ITU is pushing the IOC to take additional triathlete events into the Olympic Games. The one being pushed the hardest is the Mixed Relay: two males, two females racing a very short swim/bike/run course before tagging the next teammate to do the same. LA Tri Club - TTS Team #1 went in with strong expectations: Katie Gorczyca (on loan from Sharon Osgood's MBM team) dove off, swam strong, rode hard and ran well to put us into 6th place before the tag to Alec. He closed the gap with a blistering swim and brought us into 5th spot. Hannah Rae took the tag with a 30 second gap to 4th. Out of the water that gap was cut to 15 seconds and by the time Hannah Rae stepped off the bike we were in 3rd. Dillon took the last leg against a strong group of "closers". He was out of the water in 3rd and got help with uber biker Patrick Bieszke (fastest solo split of the race) rode up to Dillon. Dillon missed the dismount line by inches and earned a 10 second penalty. His run put a gap on Patrick, but 10 seconds in the tent let Patrick go by and even Dillon's all out 200m sprint to the finish left Patrick 2 seconds ahead and our team took 4th place. A great race!!! LATC-TTS Team #2 had Jocelyn (on load from a squad in Reno) lead off with an amazing swim and solid bike/run. She tagged Tristan (on loan from a team in Denver after Matthew's crash the day prior left him off the start list. Tristan held as best he could and tagged off to Andrea whose bike is so strong that she passed over a dozen athletes on her way through leg three. Duncan closed with the 5th fastest split out of the Youth Males - riding over 22mph and running 5:39 pace off the bike. That squad finished a deeply respectable 17th. Also in the mix was Gabby who got loaned out to a team from Denver as they need a female to complete their ranks.
Youth. In addition to the draft legal racing there are some crazy fast 7-15 year olds who race a non-draft format for their own championship. Our team took home two podium spots: both Zane Grenoble (13) and Alex Mainvielle (10) stepped up with great races. Frankie Reid also had a great race finishing 8th (11).
LA TRI Club Gives Scholarship Grant to Help 32 Needy Kids Learn to Swim with Non-Profit ‘One with the Water’ and CoachArt
Los Angeles, CA — June 25, 2013 — One with the Water®, a non-profit swim school dedicated to teaching life-changing swimming skills to kids and adults — many of them with disabilities or special needs — was honoured for its mission and achievements this June with a generous grant from the Los Angeles Triathlon Club earmarked for 32 special-needs students and at-risk youth. The grant will cover a complete program of small-group swim lessons, taking each child from no water experience to basic water safety and swimming ability — all in about four hours, or eight sessions at the Culver City Municipal Plunge.
The 2,000 member, thirteen-year-old LA Tri Club has recently expanded its focus to include philanthropy, founding the Coast2Coast Swim Challenge to help raise money for under-served and at-risk youth to learn basic water skills that can prevent tragic incidents of childhood drowning. “The LA TRI Club has made an impact on kids all over the southland,” says LA TRI Club board member Larry Turkheimer. “Now, once again, we have stepped forward to help an organization have the ability to give kids the opportunity to swim, exercise, and most importantly, feel accomplished.”
Turkheimer was inspired to donate to One with the Water after seeing the benefits made from last year’s Coast2Coast Swim Challenge proceeds. “I was approached by Coach Kenneth Rippetoe of One with the Water to see if the LA TRI Club and Coast2Coast Swim Challenge would be interested in supporting their programs. Last year we helped 20 needy kids learn to swim through One with the Water. This year, One with the Water has partnered with CoachArt, a non-profit offering free lessons in the arts and athletics to patients ages 6-18 living with chronic illnesses such as Arthritis, Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Sickle Cell Disease and severe Asthma. Siblings of patients are also included in the program.”
Grants and donations to One with the Water pay exclusively for pool space, insurance, and instruction for kids and families with limited financial means. Especially during the nation’s budget crisis, many schools lack the financial resources, personnel and facilities to provide athletic programs or physical therapy for children with special needs. One with the Water aims to fill that need, with specially-trained instructors and a nimble, low-overhead, non-profit model of operation.
One with the Water offers competitive swim training and year-round swim instruction for children and adults with a wide variety of skill levels, from total beginner to competitive athlete. In addition to their national-level competitive swimming skills, One with the Water’s instructors are trained to work with children and adults diagnosed with autism, Asperger’s, ADD, ADHD, sensory integration, anxiety, Down and CHARGE syndrome, auditory processing disorders and dyslexiaand others. Founder and Head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe, certified by the American Swimming Coach Association Disability Level 3, was featured on the Sundance Channel’s documentary program ‘Push Girls’, working with paraplegic swimmer Mia Schaikewitz.
Since its founding, One with the Water has given out over $20,000 in scholarships to needy students and changed the lives of 400 swimmers in total. One father — whose son is on the Autism Spectrum — reported that his son “really responded to [head Coach Kenneth Rippetoe], and looks forward to his class more than anything else right now. After the first class, he suddenly looked forward to and enjoyed swimming, as opposed to dreading it. He made huge strides, the biggest he has ever made, working with [One with the Water].”
Tax-deductible donations to the “Pay-It-Forward” scholarship program of One with the Water, a 501(c)(3), can be made at the organization’s website: OneWithTheWater.org/donate.aspx.
