Wednesday, January 23, 2008

We're Set

Thanks to those who attended the meeting. I know some could not make it and have already emailed me for further info. If you haven't gotten in touch with me please do so to indicate your desire to be part of the club.

What we covered:

1. I need confirmation emails to create the updated roster.

2. Committment is what you want it to be (depending on your own schedule, your goals, resources, etc)

3. To be part of the club- get USAT membership ($30/year) & Playtri CLUB membership ($150 for 6mths, $300 for 1 year)....www.playtri.com/club.php I WILL HAVE A SPECIAL CODE FOR SMU TRI CLUB TO ENTER FOR PLAYTRI CLUB SPECIAL DISCOUNT

4. Workouts starting second week of February- Thurs. track 6pm Hillcrest HS, various open water swim, run drills, and bike workouts on Sat's and Sun's (all on www.playtri.com/club.php)

5. Set your goals and feel free to email me or anyone on the Playtri website for guidance. We want the club to participate in at least one event at the Playtri Festival April 12/13 in Las Colinas (distances range from a 5k run or 750m swim to a Half Ironman...what do you want to do and know you can commit to?)

6. ****If you want a uniform email me before the second week of Feb!!!!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Ready to Get Started?

If you plan on coming to the meeting- Wed. Jan 23rd at 5pm at the Dedman Center- and are pretty set on your intentions to dive into triathlon, then go ahead and log onto http://www.usatriathlon.org/ and get a USAT membership for one year (or longer, whatever you prefer). SMU Tri Club members must have USAT membership for insurance purposes- this applies for our rules as well as those of our affiliate coaching program, Playtri.

Also, please e-mail me with your name and SMU classification (undergrad yr, grad, alumni, faculty) if you will be attending the meeting or want to join the club/seek more info but cannot attend the meeting.

We will be covering registration, organization details/officers, coaching, training, races, and nutrition in broad terms at the meeting.

If ya'll have any suggestions for the website, links you would like posted (including to your own blogs as pertinent to triathlon) please let me know.

On another note, I will be leaving for the Playtri Hawaii Camp with my coach and other triathletes from Jan25- Feb2 and will be posting about training as well as other fun activities with pics on my blog for those interested: http://www.tatianavertiz.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Welcome!

Being a relatively new club with little to no funding, and the fact that I'm website-creating-inept, SMU Triathlon Club will utilize blogger as its main web source until we come accross a member or outsider willing to help us create an awesome "real" page.

Anyhow, welcome to SMU Triathlon! I'm excited to start off 2008 with news that collegiate level triathlon is really starting to kick off, specifically in the Southern Region. We are part of the Southern Conference (www.scctriathlon.org) and are thus elligible to participate in its sanctioned events and earn national rankings/awards.

Triathlon is currently not a familiar term at SMU and as your President I want to change that...FAST! Last year we had a slow start, but still gathered upwards of 20 members and manage to order really cool uniforms from Canari Manufacturing. Those are still available for order but will need to be requested before mid February!! I planned to kick start the Club on a whole new level last semester but in leiu of my training for Ironman Hawaii I had no time on my plate.

Now that it's a new semester here's what I hope to achieve with SMU Traithlon:
1. Increase awareness of the Club- spread the word! Inform undergrad, grads, alumni, and faculty

2. Increase membership to a minimum of 35 people by the end of the semester....and that means actively involved members!

3. Help all members with a curiosity of the sport and willingness to learn and work get across the finish line of their first triathlon!


Long term I see SMU Triathletes participating at the yearly Collegiate Nationals event (you don't have to qualify or be super fast, etc...only be a recognized Club as we are!!!). Also, I am confident that with my own knowledge and expertise and that of my coach, Ahmed Zaher, whose program Playtri is also our affiliated SMU Triathlon Coaching Program, we can become one of the top teams in the Nation and gain great campus recognition and praise.

The core mission behind SMU Triathlon Club is to be involved in and promote a healthy/active lifestyle via fun, friends, and competition.

If you want to learn more about the club, are interested in becoming a member, or have any other questions, please feel free to email me at tvertiz@smu.edu