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Competitive Bio
What is that keeps bringing you back?
Enjoyment and the love of triathlon RACING. I know, it sounds like the standard reply, but let's be honest, if that wasn't the true reason, then none of us would be competing for very long. A better question would be, "What is it that keeps my enjoyment level in the stratosphere?" That is easy...winning. Winning is fun, losing isn't. Going fast...faster than I have ever gone before...that is the real ecstasy producer and that is what keeps me coming back for more...the gold medals and faster times.
Sports? Tell me about your relationship with them.
I began swimming competitively when I was 6-years-old and have been doing so on and off ever since then. In middle school, I took a break from endurance sports. At this time that was swimming for me, to do football. I was a lineman in particular. I left this at the beginning of high school to take up cross-country and track.
I have been running ever since then. I have done a marathon, multiple 10k runs, and countless track and CC races. I kept swimming during high school as well and made it to state multiple times in multiple events during my high school career.
Once out of high school and into college I began biking and quickly latched onto triathlon. I did my fist triathlon in April of 2006, and have never looked back. I went a sub-2hour international distance my first time in a triathlon and qualified for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships during my third ever triathlon. I won my my age group numerous times during that first season and got named an All-American by USAT as well as the top 20-year-old age grouper by USAT in the 2006 season.
It was this year (2007) that I turned PRO and left the age-group racing behind me as of June 10th, and am now scheduled to compete at numerous ITU Pan American Cup races in the very near future.
Where do plan to take your triathlon career?
I plan to make the US National team in the fall (the U23 team to be exact) and compete in international events throughout 2008 to include all American Pan Am Cup races and other high-profile non-drafting races.
My goal is to be on the World Cup circuit in 2009 and making the Olympic team in 2012.
A Note to My SponsorsAs a result of my racing, I gained the advantage of being able to educate fellow students and co-workers on how to live a healthy and productive lifestyle. Through my role as a team officer and coach for the UW Tri-Club Team I have been able to use my racing experiences and knowledge to point other student-athletes in the right directions for academic and athletic success. Recently I joined a nationally organized team comprised mainly of younger junior athletes in the age range of 14-18 who I regularly mentor and guide along their careers in school and Triathlon. As my race resume increases in stature and prestige, I am given more chances to connect with these youth, and even adults, in the world of Triathlon. Still my primary goals in the sport are not just education, but representing the United States on the greatest stage that sport has to offer—the Olympic Games. My ambitious goals are a result of having grown up around two parents who were highly motivated. My mother is a family physician and Vice Chair of Clinical Care for the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and on the board of Meriter Hospital My dad is a retired Special Agent for the United States government. Because of my parents, I grew up always striving to be the best in everything I do—Dream Big. As a result, I graduated number one in my high school class and continue to excel in school at UW-Madison with three majors - economics, history, and European studies. I intend to graduate within four years. I have been just as dedicated and driven to a high degree of excellence in the sporting world as well. I have competed at the state swim meet numerous times and a runner on my high school cross-country team. I was part of the State Championship team in 2002 and the Runner-Up Team in 2003. I was the team captain my senior year of high school and earned a letter all four years. When I started my college career, I took up the sport of Triathlon. I earned my Professional Card after only 1.5 years in the sport—a feat that rarely happens, especially to an athlete under the age of 24 in Triathlon. Since then I have raced in a number of Pan American Cups and have begun to obtain the experience necessary to obtain my ultimate goal. My most recent race was at the Pan American Championships in Mexico this spring, where I was one of only three US U23 Athletes, finishing second among those US U23 competitors. Still, in order to be a truly well-rounded person, I feel one must excel in both academics and sport while taking an active role in the community. With this in mind, I have taken to leading and organizing a number of groups on campus, in the region, and across the nation. Here at the UW-Madison I served as the treasurer for the UW-Triathlon Team (www.uwtriathlon.com) my sophomore year and have been the head swim coach for the team since my freshman year. I continue to play a key role in organizing events and making decisions for the team as one of the senior members. In addition to my involvement with the UW team, I have founded and now serve as the Director for the Midwest Collegiate Triathlon Conference, which is the officially recognized governing body of collegiate triathlon for the Midwest by USAT (www.mwctc.org). From that position I was voted into the office of Collegiate Commissioner for USAT (http://usatriathlon.org/AthleteFocus/Collegiate/CollegiateCommission.aspx) which leaves me in charge of over 42 different schools around the region. In these positions I have worked to educate the participants in the value of triathlon. It also has given me the opportunity to participate in the selection of which companies and products the collegiate community will use each year for racing and sponsorships. I have gone on to apply this knowledge to determining who will supply the swimming and running teams I coach. I am a former assistant coach for the McFarland High cross-country and track teams. I also worked as the age group coach for the Monona Swim and Dive Club (http://www.mononaswimanddive.org/leaders.htm), a team of over 400 athletes ranging from 5 to 19 years of age. I am now swimming for the UW Badgers Masters Swim Team and working as the team treasurer. Outside of the athletic realm of leadership, I also served on College Republican’s Executive Board and on the UW Sports Business Association and work with the Dane County Board in organizing youth activities. I recently organized and ran the Wisconsin Science Olympiad State Tournament which was hosted here at UW-Madison in early April, bringing in thousands of individuals. In the near future I hope to be bringing in thousands of people to see myself and fellow American athletes racing in the sport of Triathlon on the greatest stage in the world. So, you want to know more about me?
Some Personal Information About Me:
I'm a 21-year-old Junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I study Economics, History, and European Studies.
I grew up in a small "bedroom community" in southern Wisconsin called McFarland.
I love to read...anything really. I'll read magazines, newspapers, and books. I have an affinity to historical based books (think Gates of Fire) and thoughtful science fiction books (think Robert Heinlein's Lazarus Long series).
When I watch television (which isn't often unless it's the winter and I am on the trainer) I like to watch news related shows (CNBC programing) and informational channels (Discovery, History Channel, etc).
I LOVE coffee...good, black, Italian coffee. I fell in love with it while in Italy. I am now learning that language in my down time.
Do you like to travel? What's your best (clean) road trip story?
Of course I love to travel! Definitely the best past-time :)
My best experience while traveling happened last year while I was in the UK to race the UK Ironman 70.3 event. I took a break from training while over there to see the sites. For me, this meant I hoped on my bike, grabbed a backpack, and rode the entire perimeter of Scotland in 10 days time and well over 1400 miles.
The story though lies within my third day of riding. I got stuck in a huge down pour near a small town called Speyside Bay. It was a golfing community, and having a golfing tournament that weekend meant not hotels had room for me. So, I had to ride on another 30+mi to Elgin where the first two hotels turned me away due to having no vacancies. By now it was getting dark and I was really cold and wet. There was one last hotel to try in Elgin...a 4-star luxury hotel call the Mansfield Manor. When I came into the lobby all soaked and muddy with my Madone 5.9 SL, I was given the look of death by the old lady at the front desk and told they had no vacancies before I even opened my mouth.
At this point I was ready to turn around and head out the door and find a ditch to sleep in, when a younger lady came around the corner (she worked for the hotel) and told me she could find a room there for me. The older woman stomped off. She told me that they only had a king-suite available, but she'd only charge me for a standard-single. She then showed me to my room and told me to leave my dirty riding gear on the end of the bed. I changed, did as I was told and found her waiting to take me to the front of the line at the next door restaurant where my bill was later covered by the hotel. I came back to the room to find my riding clothes cleaned and folded at the foot of my bed. And to top it off, when I left in the morning, I was told that the staff from last night had covered my room for me.
Scotland rules :)
Music?
I'll listen to pretty much anything at least once. I say that, but, I tend to shy away from rap and country music. I am in big part a fan of classic rock, alternative, hard rock/metal, and pop music. For example: AC/DC, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden, White Stripes, Nelly Furtado, Led Zeppelin, Velvet Revolver, Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie etc...
What has been your most embarrassing moment?
I don't tend to get embarrassed to be honest. That's not to say I haven't done some dumb things in the past, but I learn from them and move on. I take it all in stride and act as if I meant to do it instead of getting embarrassed, and then I never mess it up a second time.
How's Life Treating You?
Wonderfully! I couldn't ask for a better family, group of friends, or life-style!
Highlight of Achievements Officer Positions Held: - Treasurer, UW-Madison Triathlon Team 2006-2007
- Conference Director, Midwest Collegiate Triathlon Conference 2006-Present
- Executive Board Member, College Republicans 2006-2007
- Treasurer, UW-Badgers Masters Swim Team 2007-Present
- Collegiate Commissioner, USAT Collegiate Commission 2007-Present
Triathlon Related Awards and Notable Accomplishments: - Elite/Professional Triathlete
- 2006 & 2007 All-American Triathlete
- 2006 Wisconsin Honor Roll – Marathon
- 2006 Top Ranked 20-year-old Triathlete in Nation (USAT)
- 2007 Top Ranked 21-year-old Triathlete in Nation (USAT)
- 2006 & 2007 Top Ranked 20-24-year-old Triathlete in Midwest (USAT)
- 2006 World Championship Qualifier for Ironman 70.3
- 2007 World Championship Qualifier for Ironman 70.3
- USAT Certified Level 1 Coach
- USAC Certified Level 3 Coach
Employment and CoachingCoaching Experience · Assistant Swim Coach, McFarland Spartan Sharks 2003-2005 · Head Swim Coach, UW-Madison Triathlon Team 2005-Present · Assistant Coach, McFarland High School Cross-Country 2005-2007 · Assistant Distance Coach, McFarland High School Track 2006-Present · Coach/Consultant, Kamnetz MultiSport Coaching and Fitness 2006-Present · Head Coach, UW-Madison Triathlon Team 2006-Present · Coach, Monona Swim and Dive Club 2007-Present Employment History · Bar-tender, UW-Madison Food and Beverage Service 2006-Present · Coach, McFarland High School 2006-2008 · Coach, Monona Swim and Dive Club 2007-Present · Bar-tender, Old Fashioned Bar and Eatery 2007-2008 · Contributing Writer, Triathlete Magazine 2007-Present · Marketing Intern, Zoot Sports 2008-Present
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