Community service and volunteering are very important roles that we expect each of our athletes to fulfill. Listed below is what our athletes have been up to this year.

Kye Gilder directed traffic on the bike course for The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) San Diego Triathlon Challenge. The race features world-class challenged athletes, professional triathletes, celebrities and other able-bodied participants on one of the most breathtaking courses in the country.

Britta English back in February my sisters and I (with the help of the Battle Creek YMCA) hosted the 7^th annual Eric Hansen Indoor Triathlon.   The race is in honor of my late father and raises money for the Strong Kids Campaign.  I helped organize prior to the event and participated and volunteered on race day.

Stephen Harvey volunteered at a youth triathlon sponsored by a local water park. I was in charge of directing the athletes on the run course as well as distributing cups of water. Overall, the event made a tremendous impact to one hundred kids spanning from ages 15 and under.

Leslie Reap had the opportunity to volunteer at the 18^th Annual Granite Kids Triathlon on July 18^th, 2009 in Wolfeboro, NH, hometown to my parents and summer vacation spot for our family...to see the 6 thru 9 year olds tackle something like this for the first time in their lives, filled with determination and spirit was pretty amazing. It is an event that will become an annual tradition for our extended family and I am sure that we will volunteer our time year after year, long after our children have “moved on.”

Jesse Vondracek helped with the local half marathon, called the Steamworks half. I helped the director set up in the morning, then guarded a busy intersection to keep the athletes safe. I was pretty far away from the start, so there were very few spectators out there. It was awesome to be able to encourage them mid race, where there was a 'dead spot' in the cheering! Always fun to lend a helping hand.
 

Jerry Biang A couple of weeks ago my son and I went out to a local triathlon being put on by a new local multisport and fitness company. This was their first attempt at putting on a full triathlon and we volunteered to help out in anyway. This event, not only the inagural event for Bricks Multisport and Fitness, but a sanctioned event for the Senior Olympics and of course USAT. We had a great time!

Erika Sheckler volunteered at the Indian Valley YMCA Youth triathlon. Craig and I headed down there and worked the transition area which was a blast! I volunteered at a youth tri last year up in Hazleton, PA and had so much fun encouraging the kids on as well as helping them out, so I was just as excited to help out at Indian Valley. Some kids were already really competitive, and some were just there to have a great time--it was a great morning!

Jane and George Esahak-Gage, together with the TriScottsdale Foundation, put on four free "women's swim clinics" this past year. The clinics, aimed at beginning swimmers and those new to triathlons, were held in four different Valley locations. They were open to any women who wanted to attend, and were designed to get them prepared to complete the 400 meter pool swim for the Tri for the Cure in April.

George volunteered in in the transition area for the Tri for the Cure, mostly "troubleshooting" last minute pre-race problems for the many "first-timers" at that race.

Next up, Jane and George plan to volunteer for one of the Ironman Arizona aid stations (hopefully, the TriSports.com station!).

Mark Brace On July 5^th, I had the privilege of volunteering for the Islandkids Triathlon in Avalon, NJ. Race director Midge Kerr puts on a great triathlon for young triathletes ages 7 to 15, with over 200 participating this year! My responsibilities included leading the first wave of kids out of the water, off the beach, and into the transition area. Once in the transition, I made sure each kid was properly geared up, and was able to navigate in and out of the transition area. This was a great experience for both the kids and me. It was awesome to see these young triathletes competing for the joy or racing.

My friend Matt McCulley is the race director for the Tri for Our Veterans in Sea Isle City, NJ.  This is the second year he has done this race, and he sold out with over 500 slots this year!   Matt asked me to conduct the First Timers Meeting and also lead athletes on a loop of the bike course. I really enjoyed the opportunity to give some advice to first time triathletes and loved the variety of questions! I really was pleased to see many of the athletes after the event and hear how their first race went. I am looking forward to helping Matt again next year. 

AJ Curtis  Worked with Fleet Feet Bozeman to organize the Treasure State Triathlon in Bozeman, MT on June 21. He also traveled the 1.5 hours to Helena, MT to volunteer for the Queen City Triathlon…a TriSports.com sponsored race.  This is a newly added sprint race to the Montana calendar, and is geared to the newbie triathletes with approximately 80 participants. However, this year (it’s second in existence), race directors Russ Gates and Carolyn Keller were able to get the QCT sanctioning through USA Triathlon and designation as a qualifier for USAT Age-Group Nationals.  He had a great time helping with timing for the swim and bike portion of the race, along with lending assistance during the Kid’s Triathlon immediately following the main event. Helena, Montana is a budding triathlon community, and it’s great to welcome so many motivated and eager triathletes to the scene. AJ definitely looks forward to volunteering next year as well.

Stephen Harvey On February 28th I volunteered at the Georgia Southern University CRI Triathlon. This was a great race that attracted 110 beginner triathletes. Before the event I gave tips and race information to many of the participants. During the race I was stationed to direct bikers out of the transition area onto the bike course, as well as direct runners around the run course. The event was a complete success and every athlete had a pleasant experience. I enjoyed this opportunity to give back to my community.

Seeley Gutierrez Leading up to the local Tallahassee triathlon, Red Hills, I assisted the race director with putting together race packets, publicity for the race in local media outlets, and setting up the venue the day before the race. I also contributed items for post-race door prizes.

Jennifer Rischard Ongoing since September, I have been volunteering at my daughter’s local elementary school, Ironwood Elementary.  Once a week I spent the lunch hour helping facilitate the schoolwide ‘Mileage Club’ in an effort to get kids moving! We track their laps, running or walking, and rewards are giving individually and by class for the most participation. From October-April, I have volunteered as a running coach for a private, tuition-free middle school for lower socio-economic children, Imago Dei.  All of their extra-curricular activities are volunteer dependent.  I, among other coaches, would meet with the kids 3x/week and run, stretch, and play games in a local park.  We even took interested kids to a local Fun-Run to see their efforts realized!

Cindy Duby volunteered at the first annual Traverse City Triathlon http://www.enduranceevolution.com/tctri I thoroughly enjoyed being on the other end for a change and found it very rewarding. I did Body Marking and helped at the run finish with directing athletes coming into the finish.  She also volunteered at the first annual M-22 Challenge in Glen Arbor, Michigan.  She helped organize volunteer placement on the bike course and worked one of the intersections of the course. The race was a huge success with athletes getting a taste of the beautiful surroundings of northern Michigan. Cindy is also helping out with a local triathlon club http://tctriathlon.com/ that is just getting off the ground.  She’s holding swim sessions for newbies to the triathlon scene, and anyone wanting help with stroke technique.  She was also contacted for advice & help by a local group putting on a first annual event in Northern Michigan- http://m22challenge.com/ (take a look at the pictures on their home page to see our beautiful area).  She will be helping with course logistics, and getting together a group of volunteers for this event that takes place in June.

Norm Smith is scheduled to volunteer at the Carlsbad Triathlon in Carlsbad, CA

Matt Grabau volunteered at the University of Arizona TriCats spring aquathlon at the U of A campus on March 8. We had a great turnout, and it was awesome to see so many people completing their first multi-sport race along with some FAST veterans. What a great low-key race for early in the season!

Todd Losee volunteered as the Bike Coordinator at the Grand Haven Triathlon on July 13, 2008 where he was in charge of course for the Sprint and Olympic Distance Bike Routes. Along with that, he was also responsible for all volunteers along the course and making sure that the local authorities knew what was going on. He had dot set up and take down the course for the triathlon.

Just 8 days after doing Ironman Lake Placid Todd was back volunteering at the Block 58 Triathlon as the Transition Coordinator ensuring that athletes were going the right way in and out of transition. This is no easy task!

Furthermore, on September 20, 2008 Todd and his wife Diane will be in charge fo the Oktoberfest 1/2 Marathon and 5K in Spring Lake, MI. This TriSports.com sponsored event is being held memory of their daughter.

Karen Keefer has endured many hardships this year with astounding grace and has still found time to help others. On July 12th she volunteered at the Pan American Cup as the Bike Course Marshall and Doping Escort. Thanks for helping to keep our sport clean Karen!

Jennifer Rischard has gotten her entire family involved in volunteering and fitness. She volunteered at the TriSports.com Aid Station at IMAZ along with her husband and three kids. Her kids were able to see for themselves the impact a little thing like handing out sponges can make ...Especially in Arizona!

In addition to the race volunteering, Jennifer has also been 1.5 hours a week during the school year to at her daughter’s elementary school to help facilitate their mileage club. This is a weekly running program designed to get kids moving, learn goal setting, and build self-esteem through athletics. As the program progressed, it wasn't just the kids getting involved...more and more staff and teachers began giving up their lunch break to participate in running laps together!

Gail Leveque had a blast working the women’s changing tent for both T1 and T2 at IM Coeur d’Alene. She got to help all the pro women again and that is always cool! Then it was off to the finish line to work for a few more hours and hopefully catch some of my Gorilla athletes. She says it was really fun and will admit to tearing up more than once.Kevin also got into the act, working the swim and taking a finish line shift.

Gail has been sidelined by an injury for much of the season, yet manages to stay involved and busy between her hectic coaching and volunteer schedule. At California 70.3 she and her husband Kevin simultaneously cheered on her fellow TriSports.com Athletes and worked the swim in/out. Then they were off to class to become certified as a USAT official. They are awaiting their race assignments and anticipate being full-fledged CAT 3 officials by the end of the summer. They sure will look tough in their stripped shirts. At IM Lake Placid the duo volunteered at registration on Thursday and Friday and Gail helped out in the women’s changing tent, while Kevin got the better end of the deal working as a lifeguard. Both have also been actively involved in local races as well.

Mike Arena In May, he had a big race weekend at the UVAS South Bay Triathlon, volunteering in registration all day Saturday, then racing on Sunday. In June, Mike pulled a couple of duties with their Silicon Valley Kids Triathlon (www.svkidstri.org). This is his club's premier event with over 850 kids age 5 - 15! All proceeds go to the Silicon Valley Children's Fund (http://www.svcf.org) which is a fantastic charity organization in the Bay Area. Besides helping in the planning throughout the year, he spent a few hours helping stuff goodie bags a few days before the race, then spent race day out on the bike course helping the young athletes. Great times! The next week was another race weekend with San Jose International Triathlon volunteering at the registration tent all day Saturday then racing the event on Sunday. Then Mike wrapped up June by helping out with timing at the UBS Splash and Dash. He is also taking on a third term as President of Silicon Valley Triathlon Club (www.svtriclub.org) at the July meeting, so he’s been pretty busy! He also ponied up to work registration for the local Jungle Run half marathon put on by one of the local tri organizers here in July, and volunteered in the morning of Catfish Open Water Swim before racing the 2.4 mile course later in the day.

Ryan Stevens recently volunteered at the Mountain Man Triathlon and also plans to volunteer at IMAZ in November.

Jim Fuller and his Tri Club put on the Greeley Triathlon on June 8th. His "volunteering and giving back" is mainly connected with this race. Jim was one of the race directors and was the swim coordinator and designed the run course (and measured it and coned and marked it for the race). The race committee puts in a lot of time during the year, and a full day before the race and really full day on race day. It is a lot of time and effort, and a lot of fun, but all of the members of the race committee are triathletes (and members of the Greeley Tri Club) and really enjoy it. All of the proceeds from the race are donated to local youth groups and agencies. This year, thanks to their great sponsors (including TriSports.com) and the participants in the race, they will be able to give out more than $15,000 to youth groups in the Greeley community. This is what makes it all worth while.

Amy Regan has been doing lots of volunteer work with her local Triatomics Multisport Club. They host the Atomic Man Duathlon and Amy is on the organizing committee. They also just finished the free 4-event Splash-N-Dash training series, held every other Wednesday beginning 8 weeks out from the Los Alamos Triathlon. This is their big reach out to the community, as they attract 80+ athletes each night for the two different length courses, and many of them are kids, or others who do not enter races on a regular basis.   Amy is the swim starter for these events, with waves going off every 20 seconds

Nicole Ramsbey has been volunteering at lots of triathlons this summer. She helped out at the Run to Overcome, the Paris Mountain Trail Run, and at the Greenville Tri in her home state of South Carolina

Kara Middendorf volunteered the morning of Tinfoilman Triathlon in Tucson to ride with the youth racers. It was a blast! It was great seeing all of the kids out there having fun and enjoying exercise!

Brian Stover volunteered at the Sahuarita triathlon helping the TriSports.com crew clean up and tear down the transition area. It’s amazing how much fun you can have in 100F+ temps carrying aluminum transition racks around that have been warmed by the sun to 150F.  It’s just now that the scars from the burns are fading away. In the name of science I figured out that one can carry three transition racks safely, four wobbly and five not at all.

The following weekend at Deuceman, the weekend where 50% of the race crew ended up with food poisoning, Brian helped mark the run course so people couldn’t get lost (at least not in the areas he marked anyway) cleaned up and tore down one of the transition areas and worked an aid station. Those people running in the half were able to get a refreshing Gu or two from Brian on the run. Then after not sleeping more then 3 hours in the previous 48, he bundled the very sick TriSports.com marketing director into the car and drove back to Tucson to nurse her back to health.