We will be doing a big update to this site over the next several days - a whole year's worth of partriathlon news is stuck in our inbox!!
Enjoy!!!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
2013 Paratriathlon Race List - Draft 1
Hi all,
Here is a first crack at arace list for 2013. Watch the sidebar for updates:
11 January – Australian Paratriathlon Championships, Sydney International Regatta Centre
7 April – British Elite Duathlon Championships , Prestwold Hall Airfield, Loughborough
27 May – USA National Paratriathlon Championships, Austin Texas
1-2 June – ITU World Triathlon Series, Madrid
16 June – ETU European Paratriathlon Championships, Alanya, Turkey
6 July – Irish National Paratriathlon Championships, Waterways Ireland Triathlone
7 July – ITU World Triathlon Series, Kitzbuhel (unconfirmed)
13 July – British Paratriathlon Championships, Salford (unconfirmed)
14 July – New York City Triathlon, Accenture Challenged Athletes National Championship, New York
20 July - ITU World Triathlon Series, Hamburg (unconfirmed)
12 – 15 September – ITU World Paratriathlon Grand Final, London
Here is a first crack at arace list for 2013. Watch the sidebar for updates:
11 January – Australian Paratriathlon Championships, Sydney International Regatta Centre
7 April – British Elite Duathlon Championships , Prestwold Hall Airfield, Loughborough
27 May – USA National Paratriathlon Championships, Austin Texas
1-2 June – ITU World Triathlon Series, Madrid
16 June – ETU European Paratriathlon Championships, Alanya, Turkey
6 July – Irish National Paratriathlon Championships, Waterways Ireland Triathlone
7 July – ITU World Triathlon Series, Kitzbuhel (unconfirmed)
13 July – British Paratriathlon Championships, Salford (unconfirmed)
14 July – New York City Triathlon, Accenture Challenged Athletes National Championship, New York
20 July - ITU World Triathlon Series, Hamburg (unconfirmed)
12 – 15 September – ITU World Paratriathlon Grand Final, London
British Paratriathlon Talent ID Weekend
British Triathlon will be holding a Talent Identification Weekend training Camp on 2-3 Feb 13 at Loughborough University. Check out http://www.britishtriathlon.org/paratriathlon for more details.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
ARTICLE - "From wheelchair to glory in wake of horror crash"
Published on Monday 19 November 2012 09:09 - From http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/at-a-glance/main-section/from-wheelchair-to-glory-in-wake-of-horror-crash-1-5144846
A DECADE ago, as he lay in a hospital bed following a horrendous car crash, Steve Judge looked down at his badly injured legs and made himself a promise.
A DECADE ago, as he lay in a hospital bed following a horrendous car crash, Steve Judge looked down at his badly injured legs and made himself a promise.
Doctors told him then that he would never walk again because his legs were so badly crushed, and he was forced to endure several operations after losing four inches of bone.
But during all the procedures Mr Judge, now 39, was focusing on the future, and his determination has paid dividends after he lifted an international sporting title.
The father-of two, from Eckington, near Sheffield, was rushed to the city’s Northern General Hospital after the crash in 2002, and medics told him to expect a lifetime in a wheelchair.
For 18 months he was forced to wear a metal cage around his right leg, which had bolts inserted in it. His left leg was also severely damaged after the accident severed a number of nerves.
But earlier this month, Mr Judge beat more than 100 elite athletes from 21 countries across the world to take the world paratriathlon title in Auckland, New Zealand.
He said that in the months and years following the accident he worked hard to regain his strength despite suffering from the long-term effects of his terrible injuries.
Mr Judge who lives with wife Ruth, four-year-old daughter Susie and son Robert, seven, said: “When I woke up from my accident to see my legs crushed, I was told I may never walk again.
“I immediately went into a fight or flight mode. I wanted to prove people wrong so started setting goals – just starting off with eating, drinking and getting up on my own.
“The eventual aim was getting back to my own sense of normality.”
Mr Judge, who still suffers from restricted movement in his left leg, first heard about paratriathlons at Rother Valley Country Park.
After discovering he was eligible to take part, he set himself the challenge of completing one in 2009 and stepped up his fitness regime to include swimming, cycling and a small amount of running.
He achieved that goal, before taking part in the British Paratriathlon Championships in 2009 where he won gold in his category. He then went on to win gold at the European championships in 2011.
To help him achieve the required fitness, Mr Judge began training at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre where he worked with experts to build up his strength and stamina.
He trains closely with swimming coach Richard Harland, who, through the centre’s Swimfit scheme, helped him tailor his approach to swimming and be more efficient in training by taking his disability into account.
Mr Judge, who also works full-time as a health and safety co-ordinator, said: “The whole team at Ponds Forge have played a pivotal role and they’ve been fantastic in helping to tailor my approach to exercise to help the ongoing problems I suffer from.”
He said that as well as swimming, he attends gym sessions and spinning classes, and added: “Pilates and yoga are also particularly good because they build up my core strength, which helps with balance and stability – something that is vital for efficient running.”
Mr Judge is now also a member of the 2012 British Triathlon Paratriathlon Performance Programme and part of the Sheffield Triathlon Club and local running club Killamarsh Kestrels.
His ambition now is centred on the road to Rio 2016 when he hopes to be a part of Team GB, after it was announced that the paratriathlon will form part of the Paralympics for the first time.
He added: “Before my accident I could never have imagined having this level of success. Hopefully Rio will be on the horizon for me, but I want to just take it a year at a time and build on what I’ve already achieved.
“I am a strong believer in making the most of any situation that life throws at you, which is exactly what I am doing now.”
But during all the procedures Mr Judge, now 39, was focusing on the future, and his determination has paid dividends after he lifted an international sporting title.
The father-of two, from Eckington, near Sheffield, was rushed to the city’s Northern General Hospital after the crash in 2002, and medics told him to expect a lifetime in a wheelchair.
For 18 months he was forced to wear a metal cage around his right leg, which had bolts inserted in it. His left leg was also severely damaged after the accident severed a number of nerves.
But earlier this month, Mr Judge beat more than 100 elite athletes from 21 countries across the world to take the world paratriathlon title in Auckland, New Zealand.
He said that in the months and years following the accident he worked hard to regain his strength despite suffering from the long-term effects of his terrible injuries.
Mr Judge who lives with wife Ruth, four-year-old daughter Susie and son Robert, seven, said: “When I woke up from my accident to see my legs crushed, I was told I may never walk again.
“I immediately went into a fight or flight mode. I wanted to prove people wrong so started setting goals – just starting off with eating, drinking and getting up on my own.
“The eventual aim was getting back to my own sense of normality.”
Mr Judge, who still suffers from restricted movement in his left leg, first heard about paratriathlons at Rother Valley Country Park.
After discovering he was eligible to take part, he set himself the challenge of completing one in 2009 and stepped up his fitness regime to include swimming, cycling and a small amount of running.
He achieved that goal, before taking part in the British Paratriathlon Championships in 2009 where he won gold in his category. He then went on to win gold at the European championships in 2011.
To help him achieve the required fitness, Mr Judge began training at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge International Sports Centre where he worked with experts to build up his strength and stamina.
He trains closely with swimming coach Richard Harland, who, through the centre’s Swimfit scheme, helped him tailor his approach to swimming and be more efficient in training by taking his disability into account.
Mr Judge, who also works full-time as a health and safety co-ordinator, said: “The whole team at Ponds Forge have played a pivotal role and they’ve been fantastic in helping to tailor my approach to exercise to help the ongoing problems I suffer from.”
He said that as well as swimming, he attends gym sessions and spinning classes, and added: “Pilates and yoga are also particularly good because they build up my core strength, which helps with balance and stability – something that is vital for efficient running.”
Mr Judge is now also a member of the 2012 British Triathlon Paratriathlon Performance Programme and part of the Sheffield Triathlon Club and local running club Killamarsh Kestrels.
His ambition now is centred on the road to Rio 2016 when he hopes to be a part of Team GB, after it was announced that the paratriathlon will form part of the Paralympics for the first time.
He added: “Before my accident I could never have imagined having this level of success. Hopefully Rio will be on the horizon for me, but I want to just take it a year at a time and build on what I’ve already achieved.
“I am a strong believer in making the most of any situation that life throws at you, which is exactly what I am doing now.”
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
ARTICLE - "British Triathlon Boosted By Support For Rio 2016"
From http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com/2012/12/18/british-triathlon-boosted-by-support-for-rio-2016/
UK Sport has confirmed their funding programme to British Triathlon for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games today (Tuesday 18 December 2012).
British Triathlon has already begun preparations with the recent appointments of a new Performance Director and Head Coach.
The UK Sport award of £5.5m for Olympic preparation and delivery as well as £2.16m for the new paratriathlon programme will ensure that Britain can build on the high level of performance set by the sport in London 2012 when British triathletes won two of the six medals on offer, including gold in the men’s race.
Paratriathlon looks set to become the next big success story with five athletes crowned world champions in their category in Auckland this October.
The UK Sport award for the Rio 2016 Olympic triathlon programme shows a small increase (4%) on the exceptional funding levels of the London cycle, and is based on the performance funding model that recognises the athletes that are already identified on the Rio pathway, with scope for additional investment for athletes identified over the cycle.
Dr Sarah Springman CBE, President of British Triathlon said: “British Triathlon is absolutely delighted about the award for paratriathlon that reflects our enormous potential for Rio 2016 after our paratriathletes won over 40% of the gold medals in the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland and given that the ITU is still working with the IPC on the number of categories and how they will be classified.
“We acknowledge with thanks to UK Sport, at this time of austerity and refocusing priorities after a home Olympic Games, the continued substantial Lottery support for our Olympic programme. I am personally disappointed that the Olympic Award focuses on maintaining our position; we believe we can stretch our performance given the opportunity to introduce programme innovation that we could not afford to implement before which would help to maintain our potential for repeat performances in Rio. We hope that if the triathlon mixed relay is added to the Olympic programme that there will be an opportunity for programme review based on the increase in medal potential.”
After being notified by UK Sport, Zara Hyde Peters OBE, Chief Executive of British Triathlon said: “UK Sport has been a consistent partner to triathlon in delivering on our performance aspirations, and they have demonstrated that support again. The guidelines for funding were clearly laid out and this award recognises the success delivered in a challenging sport, and backs us for success in our new Paralympic journey. When taken alongside the substantial increase in English talent funding that Sport England has just confirmed for our sport, this investment will contribute to ensuring we can maintain this success in future Olympic and Paralympic cycles.”
UK Sport has confirmed their funding programme to British Triathlon for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games today (Tuesday 18 December 2012).
British Triathlon has already begun preparations with the recent appointments of a new Performance Director and Head Coach.
The UK Sport award of £5.5m for Olympic preparation and delivery as well as £2.16m for the new paratriathlon programme will ensure that Britain can build on the high level of performance set by the sport in London 2012 when British triathletes won two of the six medals on offer, including gold in the men’s race.
Paratriathlon looks set to become the next big success story with five athletes crowned world champions in their category in Auckland this October.
The UK Sport award for the Rio 2016 Olympic triathlon programme shows a small increase (4%) on the exceptional funding levels of the London cycle, and is based on the performance funding model that recognises the athletes that are already identified on the Rio pathway, with scope for additional investment for athletes identified over the cycle.
Dr Sarah Springman CBE, President of British Triathlon said: “British Triathlon is absolutely delighted about the award for paratriathlon that reflects our enormous potential for Rio 2016 after our paratriathletes won over 40% of the gold medals in the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Auckland and given that the ITU is still working with the IPC on the number of categories and how they will be classified.
“We acknowledge with thanks to UK Sport, at this time of austerity and refocusing priorities after a home Olympic Games, the continued substantial Lottery support for our Olympic programme. I am personally disappointed that the Olympic Award focuses on maintaining our position; we believe we can stretch our performance given the opportunity to introduce programme innovation that we could not afford to implement before which would help to maintain our potential for repeat performances in Rio. We hope that if the triathlon mixed relay is added to the Olympic programme that there will be an opportunity for programme review based on the increase in medal potential.”
After being notified by UK Sport, Zara Hyde Peters OBE, Chief Executive of British Triathlon said: “UK Sport has been a consistent partner to triathlon in delivering on our performance aspirations, and they have demonstrated that support again. The guidelines for funding were clearly laid out and this award recognises the success delivered in a challenging sport, and backs us for success in our new Paralympic journey. When taken alongside the substantial increase in English talent funding that Sport England has just confirmed for our sport, this investment will contribute to ensuring we can maintain this success in future Olympic and Paralympic cycles.”
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
ARTICLE - "Wanted: World-class triathletes"
TORONTO - They are looking beyond the horizon and under their own feet.
Triathlon Canada officials refuse to wait for the next Paula Findlay and Simon Whitfield to emerge from the faceless mass of athletic talent in this country. They could end up waiting a lifetime or more to unearth another pair of gems like that.
The national umbrella body for the increasingly popular, if gruelling, triple-segment sport has embarked on a two-pronged search for potential world-class triathletes.
So they’re fertilizing around the roots ... and watering partway up the tree, too.
“Part B is the kids because the next generation of triathletes takes 12 years to cultivate, and 100 things can go wrong in that time,” says Barrie Shepley, Triathlon Canada coach and former coach at Mac.
“The other part is to find the Gwen Jorgensens.”
Jorgensen has her own, instant, corner in triathlon lore. A college swimmer in Wisconsin who wouldn’t make the U.S. Olympic team, she turned to triathlon in 2010 and the very next year was the silver medallist at the world championships.
“Think of Jesse Lumsden and bobsled,” Shepley says. “A great athlete in another sport and he made the transition. You can do that in triathlon, too. We’re looking for that athlete who has just missed the Olympic team in his or her sport.”
Preferably, that sport would be swimming, biking or distance running — the three pillars of triathlon and “Iron Man” — so the athlete instantly moves closer to the front of the triathlete pack in that segment of triathlon.
Whitfield, who won the first Olympic triathlon 12 years ago, joins Shepley and four-time paratriathlon medallist Grant Darby of Hamilton as the Johnny Appleseeds of triathlon. They want to identify and recruit, from the kids and from the already developed athletes.
“I’d like the other sports to recognize more that we are a complementary sport to theirs,” Whitfield told The Spec as he, Darby and Shepley addressed a group of students at Rene Gordon Elementary Health and Wellness Academy in North York on Tuesday.
“For instance, the dropout rate at the age of 13 in swimming is incredible. Swimming clubs should look at forming a triathlon club and it would keep a lot more of those kids swimming longer.
“I started in triathlon at the age of 11, and that’s definitely an advantage. But there are lots of athletes who can make the quick transition, too. You don’t have to swim well enough to beat Ryan Cochrane to swim in the triathlon.”
Whitfield concedes that Triathlon Canada’s “Tri This” campaign was drawn from the successful American program and ones currently employed by Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
“And we’ve given it our own spin.”
Whitfield won the debut triathlon Olympic gold in one of the most memorable finishes of the Sydney Games, took a dramatic silver eight years later and is one of the few men who’ve competed in all four Olympic triathlons. After he broke his collarbone during the transition from swim to bike — “I have a lot of speed-bump jokes now” — early in the Olympic race in London, he said his Olympic career was over and he would move into the longer, harder Iron Man and Endurance Games events.
He’ll compete at the Endurance Games in Barrie in late June (and has a hand in organizing the series) and will test the Iron Man later in the year, but he’s slightly hedging his bets on the Olympics. He told a group of his potential successors at Mac over the weekend that if “they leave the door open” for him he’ll “come through it. But I don’t expect they’ll leave that door open.”
While the quickest way for Canada to develop world-class triathletes may be to second them from other sports — and Shepley says that will only be funded if they demonstrate the physiology necessary to reach elite status — it’s just as important or more so to feed the development system at the grassroots level.
So, “Tri This” aims to make triathlon attractive to youngsters, emphasizing the fun, variety and fitness components. Whitfield, who’s been travelling with his two young daughters this week, captivated his young audience with a variety of public-speaking tricks Tuesday. He’s a natural teacher … and recruiter.
The site of Tuesday’s talk was no accident. Rene Gordon Elementary is a Fit For Life school and has a full-time physical-education teacher, with every child receiving four in-gym, and one in-class phys. ed. classes per week. Whitfield is an advocate of youth fitness and his mother, Linda, is well-known in national educational circles for her work in trying to make daily phys. ed. compulsory across the country.
He and Shepley know that, with the emergence of Britain’s Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny (winners of the Olympic gold and bronze medals), triathlon has entered a new era and Canada cannot just hope that someone of that ability and commitment happens to take up the sport here.
“Simon is committed,” Shepley says, “to finding his replacement.”
Triathlon Canada officials refuse to wait for the next Paula Findlay and Simon Whitfield to emerge from the faceless mass of athletic talent in this country. They could end up waiting a lifetime or more to unearth another pair of gems like that.
The national umbrella body for the increasingly popular, if gruelling, triple-segment sport has embarked on a two-pronged search for potential world-class triathletes.
So they’re fertilizing around the roots ... and watering partway up the tree, too.
“Part B is the kids because the next generation of triathletes takes 12 years to cultivate, and 100 things can go wrong in that time,” says Barrie Shepley, Triathlon Canada coach and former coach at Mac.
“The other part is to find the Gwen Jorgensens.”
Jorgensen has her own, instant, corner in triathlon lore. A college swimmer in Wisconsin who wouldn’t make the U.S. Olympic team, she turned to triathlon in 2010 and the very next year was the silver medallist at the world championships.
“Think of Jesse Lumsden and bobsled,” Shepley says. “A great athlete in another sport and he made the transition. You can do that in triathlon, too. We’re looking for that athlete who has just missed the Olympic team in his or her sport.”
Preferably, that sport would be swimming, biking or distance running — the three pillars of triathlon and “Iron Man” — so the athlete instantly moves closer to the front of the triathlete pack in that segment of triathlon.
Whitfield, who won the first Olympic triathlon 12 years ago, joins Shepley and four-time paratriathlon medallist Grant Darby of Hamilton as the Johnny Appleseeds of triathlon. They want to identify and recruit, from the kids and from the already developed athletes.
“I’d like the other sports to recognize more that we are a complementary sport to theirs,” Whitfield told The Spec as he, Darby and Shepley addressed a group of students at Rene Gordon Elementary Health and Wellness Academy in North York on Tuesday.
“For instance, the dropout rate at the age of 13 in swimming is incredible. Swimming clubs should look at forming a triathlon club and it would keep a lot more of those kids swimming longer.
“I started in triathlon at the age of 11, and that’s definitely an advantage. But there are lots of athletes who can make the quick transition, too. You don’t have to swim well enough to beat Ryan Cochrane to swim in the triathlon.”
Whitfield concedes that Triathlon Canada’s “Tri This” campaign was drawn from the successful American program and ones currently employed by Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
“And we’ve given it our own spin.”
Whitfield won the debut triathlon Olympic gold in one of the most memorable finishes of the Sydney Games, took a dramatic silver eight years later and is one of the few men who’ve competed in all four Olympic triathlons. After he broke his collarbone during the transition from swim to bike — “I have a lot of speed-bump jokes now” — early in the Olympic race in London, he said his Olympic career was over and he would move into the longer, harder Iron Man and Endurance Games events.
He’ll compete at the Endurance Games in Barrie in late June (and has a hand in organizing the series) and will test the Iron Man later in the year, but he’s slightly hedging his bets on the Olympics. He told a group of his potential successors at Mac over the weekend that if “they leave the door open” for him he’ll “come through it. But I don’t expect they’ll leave that door open.”
While the quickest way for Canada to develop world-class triathletes may be to second them from other sports — and Shepley says that will only be funded if they demonstrate the physiology necessary to reach elite status — it’s just as important or more so to feed the development system at the grassroots level.
So, “Tri This” aims to make triathlon attractive to youngsters, emphasizing the fun, variety and fitness components. Whitfield, who’s been travelling with his two young daughters this week, captivated his young audience with a variety of public-speaking tricks Tuesday. He’s a natural teacher … and recruiter.
The site of Tuesday’s talk was no accident. Rene Gordon Elementary is a Fit For Life school and has a full-time physical-education teacher, with every child receiving four in-gym, and one in-class phys. ed. classes per week. Whitfield is an advocate of youth fitness and his mother, Linda, is well-known in national educational circles for her work in trying to make daily phys. ed. compulsory across the country.
He and Shepley know that, with the emergence of Britain’s Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny (winners of the Olympic gold and bronze medals), triathlon has entered a new era and Canada cannot just hope that someone of that ability and commitment happens to take up the sport here.
“Simon is committed,” Shepley says, “to finding his replacement.”
ARTICLE - "Veterans to Victors Paratriathlon Camp"
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Nearly 30 wounded military veterans will participate in a three-day paratriathlon camp organized by USA Triathlon and its USA Paratriathlon Committee beginning Thursday in Fort Sam Houston, Texas. The event is funded in part by a grant won by USA Triathlon in the U.S. Olympic Committee's inaugural Team USA Grants contest.
Dubbed Veterans to Victors, the camp will introduce triathlon's disciplines of swimming, cycling and running to participants who largely have physical disabilities such as limb loss, paralysis and spinal cord injuries. The three-day camp will be under the direction of the USA Paratriathlon Committee. Assisting in the planning and implantation along with the committee are individuals from the Texas Region Paralympic Sports organization, Operation Comfort (San Antonio) and the Armed Forces Services Corporation (San Antonio), as well as support from many military installation agencies and civilians with ties to the south Texas military communities.
"We're extremely honored to bring the sport of paratriathlon to our armed services heroes," said USA Paratriathlon Committee chairman Mike Lenhart, a graduate of West Point with personal ties to this type of military effort. "The challenges associated with participation in a triathlon competition as well as the strategy leading up to preparing for a race, are great compliments to skills many of these individuals have been taught in the military."
Participants will be divided into two primary groups for the camp's curriculum - wheelchair athletes and ambulatory athletes. Groups will follow a guided curriculum of swimming-cycling-running for the ambulatory participants, and swimming-handcycling-racing wheelchair for the wheelchair participants.
Each portion of the curriculum will be led by experts in the field, as well as accomplished world-class paratriathletes who've participated in the sport for a number of years in the United States and on the international stage. Among the disabled individuals planning to participate as part of the coaching are Scott Rigsby (two-time Ironman World Championship finisher, bilateral leg amputee), Melissa Stockwell (U.S. Army veteran, leg amputee and three-time ITU world champion), Casey Tibbs (U.S. Navy veteran, leg amputee and four-time Paralympic Games medalist) and Saul Mendoza (professional wheelchair athlete and six-time Paralympic medalist).
Unique to this particular event is the joint collaboration between several of the nation's paratriathlon thought leaders. "The individuals that make up the Veterans to Victors committee have worked tirelessly to ensure that all aspects of the camp are well planned and thought through. There is a tremendous amount of experience among the committee members who each implement similar events in their own communities," said Keri Schindler, USA Paratriathlon Committee member and Executive Director for the Dare2Tri Paratriathlon Club.
"This camp is a collaboration of those ideas and experiences and will hopefully allow this program to serve as a national model. It is truly a collaboration between several organizations, which are on the forefront of growing the paratriathlon program across the country. USA Triathlon is leading the charge and has enlisted all the major players from around the country, which will make this experience a meaningful one for all involved."
Beyond this week's effort, USA Triathlon is hopeful that the Veterans to Victors program will be the blueprint for future camps in 2013 and beyond for several other major military medical installations that offer physical activity as part of a concerted rehabilitation plan for U.S. wounded veterans.
Interest in paratriathlon is at an all-time high, and the sport continues to grow following a December 2010 announcement that it will debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. A leader on the international paratriathlon scene, the United States recently won the medal count at the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships with 13 medals. Visit usatriathlon.org for more on the sport of paratriathlon.
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