It is with pleasure that I announce the fantastic race results for several SBR athletes who raced this weekend!
At the Inside Out Sports White Lake International:
Sofia Filzer, 5th Place Athena Division: Swim: 45:27, Bike: 1:35:09, Run: 1:05:55
At the Delaware Diamondman Half Ironman:
Debby Sprankly-Rohn, 1st Place Women 45-49: Swim: 40:08, Bike: 2:49:01, Run: 1:47:08
At the White Lake Dash for Divas:
Caroline Kirkland, 4th Place Women 10-15: Swim: 6:44, Bike: 23:14, Run: 21:15
We'd also like to congratulate our friends, Edie Puckett, Kaitlyn Kubiak, Chris Kubiak and Jean Forehand for great performances at the Dash for Divas and Robert Harding who turned in a fine performance at the White Lake International.
These ladies did a great job! Congratulations to all!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Carrying on the Tradition
Despite sickness, I'm starting to get really psyched for my daughter's first triathlon tomorrow. It's a super short race, but I'm optimistic that she's going to do well and really enjoy herself. Of course the pessimist in me is worried about it raining and the fact that she herself, was sick on Monday and is still not 100%, but I think adrenaline will carry her through the race.
It's interesting to be both the parent and the coach of a teenaged athlete. I wonder how parents who coach teams manage those emotions. Part of me wants to worry over her equipment, give her all kinds of mental strategies and tell her to get out there and compete. And the other part of me wants to be all warm and gushy, and tell her how proud I am of her, to be careful of the other cyclists so that she doesn't get hurt and that no matter how she finishes, she just needs to have fun.
She's quite a promising young triathlete. I was amazed when we bought her a bike and she easily clipped along at 18 and 19 mph on a flat course. She still struggles on the hills, but luckily this course is pancake flat. She's also quite the swimmer, having already garnered a 1st place finish in the female relay team category earlier this summer. So my optimism that she'll do well, is not unfounded. Before she got sick, I was quite hopeful that with 2 more brick workouts, she could secure a podium spot. I'm not as sure anymore, since it's been almost a week since she's trained, but youth is an amazing thing. There's something about the resilience of the young body and the optimistic naivete of the young mind that keeps them going strong despite obstacles.
All in all, I will be proud of her...heck, I already am. It's really cool having a kid attempting my sport. I tried not to push it on her, so it'll be that much sweeter if she really enjoys it and says, 'Hey Mom, that was fun; when can I do it again?'
It's interesting to be both the parent and the coach of a teenaged athlete. I wonder how parents who coach teams manage those emotions. Part of me wants to worry over her equipment, give her all kinds of mental strategies and tell her to get out there and compete. And the other part of me wants to be all warm and gushy, and tell her how proud I am of her, to be careful of the other cyclists so that she doesn't get hurt and that no matter how she finishes, she just needs to have fun.
She's quite a promising young triathlete. I was amazed when we bought her a bike and she easily clipped along at 18 and 19 mph on a flat course. She still struggles on the hills, but luckily this course is pancake flat. She's also quite the swimmer, having already garnered a 1st place finish in the female relay team category earlier this summer. So my optimism that she'll do well, is not unfounded. Before she got sick, I was quite hopeful that with 2 more brick workouts, she could secure a podium spot. I'm not as sure anymore, since it's been almost a week since she's trained, but youth is an amazing thing. There's something about the resilience of the young body and the optimistic naivete of the young mind that keeps them going strong despite obstacles.
All in all, I will be proud of her...heck, I already am. It's really cool having a kid attempting my sport. I tried not to push it on her, so it'll be that much sweeter if she really enjoys it and says, 'Hey Mom, that was fun; when can I do it again?'
Friday, September 10, 2010
Ugh! I'm Sick!
I guess the excitement of Tour de Moore finally caught up with me. After the high of a successful event, I came down with a crash. Tuesday went OK, but bY Wednesday noon, I knew something was up. After lunch, I got extraordinarily tired and my throat got scratchy. But Thursday was much better; I know I consumed at least a couple liters of water. But Friday dawned beautiful on the outside, while I felt like crap on the inside. I had planned a wonderful, early morning run, which of course didn't happen. I know that I will have plenty of other mornings to run, it really hurt my feelings that I couldn't capitalize on the gorgeous weather.
One of the hard things about being an athlete year-around, is that I always feel 'on'. Nothing ever seems like it can be put on hold. It unnerves me to feel like I'm missing a workout, God forbid 2 or 3 and when the weather's beautiful out, it hurts that much more. In the beginning hours of illness, I spend way too much energy worrying and stressing over missing workouts and housework that's not getting done, when I should be relaxing and using my energy to heal and get well.
The funny thing is that being a coach has softened my view of illness and it's hassles. Now, I view my own illnesses by what I would tell one of my athletes. It gives me a way to be objective about my own situation, which is often hard for us Type-A folks! I must say that I'm proud of myself this time. After the initial disappointment, I parked myself on the couch!
So what to do when you fall ill:
One of the hard things about being an athlete year-around, is that I always feel 'on'. Nothing ever seems like it can be put on hold. It unnerves me to feel like I'm missing a workout, God forbid 2 or 3 and when the weather's beautiful out, it hurts that much more. In the beginning hours of illness, I spend way too much energy worrying and stressing over missing workouts and housework that's not getting done, when I should be relaxing and using my energy to heal and get well.
The funny thing is that being a coach has softened my view of illness and it's hassles. Now, I view my own illnesses by what I would tell one of my athletes. It gives me a way to be objective about my own situation, which is often hard for us Type-A folks! I must say that I'm proud of myself this time. After the initial disappointment, I parked myself on the couch!
So what to do when you fall ill:
- Understand, accept and embrace the fact that you are ill and need rest.
- Don't ever try to work out with a fever.
- Change your attitude so that it's one of healing. Don't fight it; just let it be.
- DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Tour de Moore a Hit!
Once again, Labor Day has come and gone and I'm proud to report that we had an awesome day for Tour de Moore. The weather couldn't have been any better, our volunteers were stellar, we had no medical emergencies and as far as I know, everyone had a great time out there.
Habitat for Humanity provided all the volunteers for the SAG stops and boy did they do a great job. I got so many compliments from the cyclists about their enthusiasm. Additionally, I think we were right on the money as far as refreshments. We had enough with very little left-overs. The cool thing is that we were able to donate left-over fruit to the local soup kitchen and to MANNA! We are glad to support our community.
Let me also give a big commendation to the Sly Fox, who catered our lunch. From start to finish, the food was fresh and delicious. More than one person commented on how much they enjoyed their lunch.
All in all, it was wildly successful day for cycling in the Sandhills. I don't think we had a record crowd, but it was close.
Thanks to all the volunteers, including my close personal friends, without whose help, I would not have been able to pull of such a spectacular event. Thanks to all the local and out-of-town cyclists who came to tour our lovely county and who make doing this every year, worthwhile.
A special thanks to Amanda Jakl and Judie Wiggins from Habitat, whose tireless efforts for many months came to fruition yesterday in a first-class event!
Habitat for Humanity provided all the volunteers for the SAG stops and boy did they do a great job. I got so many compliments from the cyclists about their enthusiasm. Additionally, I think we were right on the money as far as refreshments. We had enough with very little left-overs. The cool thing is that we were able to donate left-over fruit to the local soup kitchen and to MANNA! We are glad to support our community.
Let me also give a big commendation to the Sly Fox, who catered our lunch. From start to finish, the food was fresh and delicious. More than one person commented on how much they enjoyed their lunch.
All in all, it was wildly successful day for cycling in the Sandhills. I don't think we had a record crowd, but it was close.
Thanks to all the volunteers, including my close personal friends, without whose help, I would not have been able to pull of such a spectacular event. Thanks to all the local and out-of-town cyclists who came to tour our lovely county and who make doing this every year, worthwhile.
A special thanks to Amanda Jakl and Judie Wiggins from Habitat, whose tireless efforts for many months came to fruition yesterday in a first-class event!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
End of Summer
Well, it's Labor Day weekend, which traditionally marks the end of Summer. But Mother Nature is taking Summer with a Bang, as the weather for the weekend has, and is forecasted to be through Monday, spectacular!
I hope y'all are out there doing your 'Thang'! I got to ride my bike yesterday, but not too long. I've been working fervently for the past week and half, on the Tour de Moore. Moore county and the Sandhills Cycling Club has a long-standing tradition called the Tour de Moore. It's a bicycle tour of Moore county that takes place every Labor Day Monday. There are 3 ride distances available - a 25-miler, a 50-miler and a full century! In the past 3 years, we've hosted between 400 and 500 cyclists. The routes are beautiful, starting in charming Southern Pines and winding their way through horse country and making their way to the quaint towns of Vass and Cameron. The 50 mile route heads south again from Carthage back to Southern Pines, while the century heads toward Robbins via High Falls. From Robbins, the cyclists travel the back roads to Eagle Springs and Foxfire before heading back to Southern Pines.
This year, lunch will be catered by Elliott's on Linden and there will be a beer garden compliments of Healy Wholesale.
We expect a record crowd tomorrow and I for one, am extremely excited...even though I don't get to ride. Being an event organizer is no small feat, but I feel very prepared. We partner with the wonderful folks at Habitat for Humanity, who provides all the SAG stop volunteers. We've got yummy cookies from Fresh Market and PB&J sandwiches on Panera bread. It amazes me every year at how generous people are when you just ask.
So please come join us in the Sandhills for the Tour de Moore. Registration starts at 7; the first ride goes off at 8!
I hope y'all are out there doing your 'Thang'! I got to ride my bike yesterday, but not too long. I've been working fervently for the past week and half, on the Tour de Moore. Moore county and the Sandhills Cycling Club has a long-standing tradition called the Tour de Moore. It's a bicycle tour of Moore county that takes place every Labor Day Monday. There are 3 ride distances available - a 25-miler, a 50-miler and a full century! In the past 3 years, we've hosted between 400 and 500 cyclists. The routes are beautiful, starting in charming Southern Pines and winding their way through horse country and making their way to the quaint towns of Vass and Cameron. The 50 mile route heads south again from Carthage back to Southern Pines, while the century heads toward Robbins via High Falls. From Robbins, the cyclists travel the back roads to Eagle Springs and Foxfire before heading back to Southern Pines.
This year, lunch will be catered by Elliott's on Linden and there will be a beer garden compliments of Healy Wholesale.
We expect a record crowd tomorrow and I for one, am extremely excited...even though I don't get to ride. Being an event organizer is no small feat, but I feel very prepared. We partner with the wonderful folks at Habitat for Humanity, who provides all the SAG stop volunteers. We've got yummy cookies from Fresh Market and PB&J sandwiches on Panera bread. It amazes me every year at how generous people are when you just ask.
So please come join us in the Sandhills for the Tour de Moore. Registration starts at 7; the first ride goes off at 8!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Role of Sports
It's with a little embarrassment that I admit to being witness to the brawl at John Williams stadium last Friday night. It incited quite a stir, not only in our community, but across the middle of the state. We made the regional news....and not in a good way.
I have mixed feelings about the ensuing proceedings. I have good friends with strong feelings on both sides of the issue.
The point I'd like to bring up is: just what is the role of sports in our lives...as adults and in the lives of our children? Many times, it's treated as the end-all, be-all, but is that really healthy? We claim that we engage in sports as exercise, to keep us healthy, but when an unhealthy dose of competition gets in the way, it spells trouble. We need to act civilized on and off the field of play...whether that's a soccer field, a football field or in a pool. Adults, let's show kids that you can engage in sports AND be healthy, both bodily and psychologically.
I find that too often, we adults get carried away in the heat of the moment. We put too much pressure on our kids to perform. Competition is a great thing, but pushed too far, it really corrupts everyone involved. When you look back at your life from your deathbed, are you going to even remember your Ironman finish time, or just the fact that you DID finish? Are you going to be more proud of the person your child has become, the contributions he or she made to society or how many goals they scored?
Try to keep it in perspective folks. There are kids out there who really want to go to college but are not gifted athletes and may have just above average grades. Do we deny those kids college entrance, in favor of a gifted athlete who gets tutored for every class in order to be given a D in the class to pass? I know this will cross the line for some of you. I'm not saying that those kids should be denied an education either. What I'm saying, is that everyone should get a fair shot. It's up to every person to decide what that means. I'm firm on one point. Competition isn't everything, but participation is!
I have mixed feelings about the ensuing proceedings. I have good friends with strong feelings on both sides of the issue.
The point I'd like to bring up is: just what is the role of sports in our lives...as adults and in the lives of our children? Many times, it's treated as the end-all, be-all, but is that really healthy? We claim that we engage in sports as exercise, to keep us healthy, but when an unhealthy dose of competition gets in the way, it spells trouble. We need to act civilized on and off the field of play...whether that's a soccer field, a football field or in a pool. Adults, let's show kids that you can engage in sports AND be healthy, both bodily and psychologically.
I find that too often, we adults get carried away in the heat of the moment. We put too much pressure on our kids to perform. Competition is a great thing, but pushed too far, it really corrupts everyone involved. When you look back at your life from your deathbed, are you going to even remember your Ironman finish time, or just the fact that you DID finish? Are you going to be more proud of the person your child has become, the contributions he or she made to society or how many goals they scored?
Try to keep it in perspective folks. There are kids out there who really want to go to college but are not gifted athletes and may have just above average grades. Do we deny those kids college entrance, in favor of a gifted athlete who gets tutored for every class in order to be given a D in the class to pass? I know this will cross the line for some of you. I'm not saying that those kids should be denied an education either. What I'm saying, is that everyone should get a fair shot. It's up to every person to decide what that means. I'm firm on one point. Competition isn't everything, but participation is!
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