Message from our Chair
Welcome to the first ever Isle of Wight Triathlon Club newsletter. We hope that you find it an interesting way to catch up on what our athletes have been achieving over the last few months, find out a few tips for the future and stay up to date with our training schedule. As more people discover what a great sport triathlon is, and how our coaches are delivering engaging and fun sessions, the club is getting increasingly popular. We have an extensive waiting list for people to join which is wonderful! However, we are limited by the number of coaches we have and the capacity of the pool on Sundays. It would be great to see that everyone attending swimming on Sundays are keen to do so as part of triathlon training – not necessarily to compete straight away but to build skills across all three disciplines. It is after all a triathlon club. If our athletes are only attending the swimming sessions then we are keen to understand why. With this in mind, a survey will be forwarded to all members asking them how the club can develop the running and cycling sessions to encourage greater participation and whether it is triathlon the member is interested in or just swimming. If we could encourage parents to ensure this is completed that would be great. We can use the feedback to develop our sessions further.
There is one event left this season (Bowood Duathlon 13th October) and of course training sessions will continue throughout winter. Finally, I would like to thank the coaches for their continued commitment and our brilliant young triathletes or their enthusiasm, dedication and hard work. Your smiles and friendships are what makes this club so special.
James Gradwell, Chair
EVENTS 2019
WOW! 2019 has been such a busy year for our athletes and the list opposite is all the events our members have between them competed at. The majority of these events take place on the mainland which require significant commitment and dedication from the juniors, youths and their
families. We love watching yourenthusiasm, talent and camaraderie when you are are out
representing the club and hearing about your successes. Well done to all of you. We encourage all of our athletes to put their hard work to good use in a competitive environment and we are happy to support anyone who might find this process daunting. Please feel free chat to one of our coaches.
• Ashridge Duathlon
• Portsmouth Duathlon Series
• Spring Duathlon at Goodwood
• Woking Aquathlon
• Wight Tri Spring Triathlon
• Hart Aquathlon
• Llanelli Sprint Triathlon
• Crystal Palace Triathlon
• Newchurch Nine Run
• Fareham Triathlon
• Trent Park Aquathlon
• Chapel Aquathlon
• Henley Open Water Triathlon
• Leeds Triathlon
• Horsham Triathlon
• Twyford Triathlon
• Bowood House Triathlon
• Club Aquathlon
• Chichester Triathlon
• Castle Howard Triathlon
• Dash and Splash 5k
• Billingshurst Triathlon
• Henley Kids Fun Triathlon
• Splash and Dash Kids Aquathlon
• British Elite Championships
• English Aquathlon Championships
• Hever Castle Triathlon
• Bowood House Duathlon
We have celebrated many success stories from these events. There have been podium places at lots of events, some juniors have competed for the very first time, others have taken part in the British Triathlon South Central Regional Series events, parents and younger siblings have competed. Notably, one of our older members has competed at some of the highest level events representing the club at the Sprint Distance Duathlon World Championships Qualifier, the British Elite Championships and the English Aquathlon Championships. What great representation for our island club and a great role model for our younger members.
MEET THE COACHES
Julie
Our level 2 coach Julie is a founding member of the club. An accomplished swimmer and swim coach,
Julie is passionate about helping our athletes fulfil their goals in all three disciplines of triathlons and encourage their love for sport.
Simon
Simon is a level 1 coach and comes to the club with a wealth of competitive experience, having competed at European level in duathlon.
Mark
Mark is also a level 1 coach and has been taking part in triathlons for nearly 20 years. He is committed to provided fun sessions and encouraging participation in events for all of our members.
COACHES WANTED!
We are on the look out for new coaches. This is a rewarding community volunteer role helping our junior athletes achieve their personal triathlon challenges. If you think this is something you can help with then do please get in touch.
COACHES TOP TIPS!
Transitions
You can never practice too much at transitions. Every second counts in a large field of athletes.
Running
It is good practice to go for a short jog after a cycle session. It doesn’t have to be far but gets your legs used to working after the bike.
Assemble
Get all your kit together the night before a race. Preparation makes a huge difference instead of running round trying to find things.
Instruction
Always listen to the pre-race briefing. Get yourself as close as possible to the race officer so you can hear. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Necessary
Please don’t forget necessary items for training sessions. Goggles, fins and pull buoys for swimming. Helmets for cycle sessions. Water bottles for all sessions. Ensure any inhalers required are with you at all times.
FUNDRAISING
We hosted a fabulous Race Night earlier on this year which raised vital funds for the club. We have bought the swim secure tow floats which have been brilliant for our open water swim sessions. Money raised also enabled us to offer a skills day. We are grateful to our two sponsors, Beardsalls Print-Design-Sign (www.beardsalls.co/printing-services) and Tignes Apartment (www.tignesapartment.com) who contributed to the purchase of a fantastic club gazebo. We have been able to pitch this at events to provide invaluable shade/shelter and create a base and a presence for the club.
SKILLS DAY
The club welcomed Di Murray from Synergie Coaching to the island for a full day of triathlon coaching in the summer holiday. Our members on the day ranged from ages 7-16 and were kept busy with an open water sea swim session in the morning and then an afternoon spent working on cycle technique and running activities focused on teamwork. The day was finished off with a fun relay. Our athletes learnt a lot but most importantly had enormous fun together.
