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Tag: Team Goals

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Tri team kicked off this year’s club sports challenge with a challenge of their own: 

THE TRIATHLATHON

Triathlathon [noun]: A twelve-hour non-stop marathon of triathlon activities and team bonding, including but not limited to: swimming, biking, running (SBR), strength training, rock climbing, yoga, hiking, and crab soccer.  

Dartmouth's annual Club Sports Challenge is a two-week fundraising period during which club sports teams are able to earn extra funds through matches from club sports for reaching certain fundraising goals. In order to make the challenge more fun for the team, Tri team invented the "Triathlathon" as a way to secure pledges for donations based on the amount of hours of triathlon activities athletes completed.

Donations during this period are the main source of funds for the team's yearly budget, which goes towards the team's competitions, training, and gear purchases to make the team more accessible. Thanks to our donors' support, we are able to offer opportunities to athletes without cost being a barrier to their participation in the sport as well as continue to support the growing team.

THE 2023 TRIATHLATHON FUN-draiser:

The triathlathon kicked off bright and early at 7am, when triathletes met up for some early morning lifting in the gym

Next, coffee was had, breakfast was eaten, and several brave triathletes reached new heights in the Dartmouth climbing gym

After some studying in the 1902 room (the current triathlon team study spot of choice), triathletes met up for some much-needed yoga!

At 1:00 pm, tri team stopped at foco for a quick meal before heading over to hike Gile.

After enjoying the fire tower view and the great outdoors, Tri team took on the challenge of crab soccer while getting super excited for spin class.

After an amazing hour of biking, triathletes went for an evening run (high-viz was present but not pictured)

After another group meal at foco, tri team closed out the 2023 Triathlathon in the pool with a quality swim workout thanks to coaches Jeff and Jim!

Over the course of the day, over 40 team members completed a total of over 140 hours of Tri-team activities, with the athlete with the most hours winning the coveted Tri-hard trophy:

The Triathlathon may be over, but the 2023 Dartmouth Club Sports Challenge still has a few days left! A huge thanks to everyone who has donated so far – Thank you for contributing to our team and helping us to continue to SBR (Swim-Bike-Run)!

You can support us here or by clicking the image above, and remember to follow us on instagram and Facebook to keep updated on tri team's latest adventures!

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Last Friday – Homecoming Weekend! – we all gathered for our annual new member welcoming event. After some good food and bonding activities, we briefly reflected on our team-related goals and our broader goals for our individual Dartmouth experiences. Each individual on this team has a unique approach to athletics, academics, and social/personal growth. See below for the intentions of our community:

Triathlon Goals

19s and BEs

  • Swim 4x/week this winter
  • Complete a half-ironman by 19F
  • To feel athletic and accomplished
  • I want to not bonk in a long race
  • To maintain the welcoming and close-knit character of this community, even as we grow

20s

  • Continue the legacy of positivity set by the ‘18’s
  • Get more comfortable with cycling
  • Maintain focus, energy, enthusiasm regardless of how my ability compares to the abilities of others
  • To make Tri a closer community for the 22s!
  • To qualify for and race at Nationals

21s

  • Complete my first Olympic distance triathlon
  • Complete my first half-ironman this spring!
  • Get over my fear of swim practice
  • Become friends with ‘22’s
  • Go on the training trip in Florida
  • Do more than 1 race in 2019
  • Learn the names of the 22s, and complete an open water swim
  • I want to feel strong and fit so that I don't feel like I am an imposter when I say I do Tri Team
  • Get to know all the new members
  • To get to know all of the 22s

22s

  • Go to swim practice
  • Make friends
  • Complete a triathlon
  • Show up to four practices a week, no matter what
  • Meet one new person a week
  • Get *FAST!* And eventually do an ironman
  • Race a half ironman
  • Increase my stamina for all SBR
  • Learn and improve all three aspects of triathlon (especially swimming)
  • To learn how to actually swim and to do my first triathlon!
  • To help the team grow & myself grow as the year goes on. Also to finish my first outdoor triathlon in under an hour
  • Do an awesome triathlon race in spring and be in awesome shape by then
  • Finish an open water swim
  • I want to complete my first triathlon and eventually work up to an ironman
  • Go to swim practice
  • I want to move up 2 swimming lanes by the end of the year
  • To be able to say I finished a triathlon
  • Complete a triathlon and be able to actually compete and push myself in all 3 events, beyond just finishing
  • Complete my first triathlon
  • Make a few team-friends
  • Swim 500m straight
  • To push myself out of my comfort zone to get to know people on the team
  • To actually learn how to do all of the tri sports properly
  • To increase my endurance and to become a better runner
  • To form a personal relationship with every 22 on the team
  • To be able to swim more than one lap in the pool without stopping
  • To get a meal with all the 22s on the team
  • To learn how to rlly ride a road bike
  • I want to get really good at swimming by the winter and maybe bring the team to nationals?
  • Stay with the pack on runs and bikes & complete my first triathlon!
  • Train in a healthy and sustainable way
  • Complete an Olympic race, bond with the team, and get a little better at swimming

Dartmouth Goals

19s and BEs

  • Put a tri person up on the “Hall of Mains”
  • Have a valuable education
  • I want to finish out strong!
  • To practice gratitude, to invest deeply in relationships, to avoid disengagement/burnout.

20s

  • Retain the happiness I feel during my off term when I start taking classes again
  • Graduate with a job
  • To be accepted into medical school by graduation

21s

  • Declare a major & get to know some ‘22s
  • Learn at least one running route around Dartmouth that isn't laps around Occum
  • Narrow down what I want to do with my life

22s

  • Get a lot of sleep
  • Graduate knowing the last 4 years were some of the best of my life
  • I want to find a solid community here at Dartmouth
  • Do one thing a month that scares me
  • Don’t get hand foot & mouth
  • Try lots of new activities and leave my comfort zone
  • I really want to push myself to meet new people and try new things I’m scared to do
  • I want to find a community doing something that makes me happy
  • I want to be more active in the community
  • Learn the salty dog rag
  • I want to make at least 2 friends by the end of the year
  • Always be curious and trying to learn new things
  • To stay in shape
  • To keep working to get to know people throughout the year as I meet new people through new classes, etc.
  • To try a ton of new clubs and activities along with tri

SBR,

The Dartmouth Triathlon Team

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It should go without saying that this fall was a particularly interesting term, for a number of reasons. Fall is usually a pretty hectic time for our team, between welcoming a class of new members and organizing many fun activities (some tri-related, others not as much) for our members to enjoy throughout the term we tend to have more than enough on our hands. This fall presented its own share of challenges, since we still cannot meet in large enough numbers to do any of our team activities due to COVID-19, and races have been cancelled across the country. We've managed to adapt though, turning our practices into outdoor runs or rides, weekly Zoom strength sessions, and virtual events to be able to keep in touch with each other. We still haven't lost sight of team traditions, however. While we would have liked to hold our annual team flair breakfast this year, we kept with the tradition of taking some time to think about our goals for the year, both as triathletes and as students. See below for some of our members' goals:

Athletic Goals

  • Get back into shape (ride/run 3+ times/week)
  • Run a 50mi Ultra
  • Become more comfortable cycling and go on a 40 mile ride
  • Complete a triathlon!
  • Run my first half marathon and bike a century!
  • Get more confident on a bike (that is, if I can get on a bike again this year)!
  • Run a half marathon!
  • Keep myself motivated and fit even when I can't race or practice with the team as much
  • I really want to run my first marathon this year!
  • I want to gain more flexibility in my hamstrings and do more overall strength.
  • Getting strong enough to run a marathon in 2021
  • Learn how to preemptively cope with shin splints better!
  • To re-establish routine and reach pre-COVID levels of fitness.
  • Get outside for cold winter runs
  • Improving swimming leg of tri: speed, endurance, and open water sighting
  • Complete my first Ironman 70.3!

Life Goals

  • Rediscover a sense of confidence in online learning and focus on getting assignments done in a more timely manner
  • Finish characterizing a conserved epitope on Influenza B
  • Get outside my academic comfort zone
  • Take classes that I enjoy!
  • Just want to enjoy learning and getting a Dartmouth education!
  • Get as much out of Zoom classes as I can and also finish all my distributive requirements!
  • Get an A
  • Graduate! Honestly, I think that is a good enough goal for COVID times.
  • I would like to learn to like Engineering more
  • I want to finish my thesis!
  • Staying consistent with running and strength training
  • Find value in each term despite the limitations and challenges posed by a virtual education
  • To learn how to write essays in a college setting!
  • Get to know the '24s on tri team!
  • Gain a greater sense of what I want to study (ie. decide on major)
  • Get A's or A-'s in all of my classes

With fall classes coming to a close and the winter term (whatever it may look like) fast approaching, many of us are experiencing a complete change in our Dartmouth experience – whether this be a change in our surroundings, who we see everyday, or just in our routine. Still, we enjoy hearing our members' various goals and how they plan to make the most of the year, and look forward to doing as much as we can as a team!

SBR,

The 20F Triathlon Team

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Recently, four members of the exec board got together to write a new mission statement to update our vision for the team. The group consisted of myself, a sophomore captain, and two seniors to get a balance of both old values and future visions for the team. We have finalized a draft of our new mission statement, and I thought it would be helpful to share it along with some annotations about why tri team matters so much to me.

Mission Statement

The Dartmouth Triathlon Team aims to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for Dartmouth students of all abilities who are interested in training for and racing in triathlons. We strive to foster a supportive and positive team spirit that celebrates all types of success. The Dartmouth Triathlon Team empowers its members to pursue athletic achievement while also providing leadership opportunities as a student run team.

Comments

”The Dartmouth Triathlon Team aims to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for Dartmouth students of all abilities”

One of the main reasons I stuck with the team after freshman fall was because of how inclusive and kind the older members were. I still vividly remember my first day of practice- an outdoor bike ride. I was flustered and overwhelmed by my first week of college and I was a little slower than the rest of the group. However, one of the 18s stayed back and rode with me so that I wouldn’t have to make it back to campus alone. The talent of my fellow teammates could have been intimidating and caused me to quit, but instead I felt included and supported.

“…who are interested in training for and racing in triathlons.”

This part is pretty crucial and self-explanatory- we are the triathlon team and everyone on our team should be training to do a triathlon, duathlon, or aquabike race. Dartmouth has a club swim, club cycling, and club running team, so the combination of all three sports is what makes us unique.

“We strive to foster a supportive and positive team spirit that celebrates all types of success.”

This sentence sums up our team really well. You don’t have to be ready to win a triathlon to be a member, but you should be training to achieve your own successes, whether that looks like swimming a smooth lap of freestyle or completing an ironman (shout out to Emma Rodriguez ’20 who is now an ironwoman!). Because our team is positive and supportive, practices are really fun. Last week we did hill repeats as one of our running practices, which could have been terrible. Instead, it was great because everyone cheered each other on as we ran up and down the hill at our own paces.

“The Dartmouth Triathlon Team empowers its members to pursue athletic achievement”

We have some pretty amazing athletes on our team- ironmen, people going to world championships this summer, and we frequently sweep the podium at races. Our practices involve challenge by choice- everyone gets a copy of the work out and there are lots of ways to tailor it to your ability level, which allows everyone to reach their highest potential. The practice format has allowed me to feel challenged without ever feeling frustrated and I have definitely improved in all three disciplines.

“…while also providing leadership opportunities as a student run team.”

We have two fabulous volunteer coaches that help us plan and run workouts and we are so grateful to have their support. However, we are still a student run team, so we are in charge of planning logistics for every event we go to, reserving spaces for practices and events, and making sure that our practices are safe. As a new member of the exec board, I have learned that it takes a lot to run a team. The captains and the exec board work really hard to make everything run smoothly.

The triathlon team has had a very positive impact on my time at Dartmouth so far and I was really thankful to have the opportunity to help write the mission statement. The statement allows us to have a strong set of core values that we can go back to in the future.

SBR,

Hannah

About the Author

Hannah Lang ('21) is a new member of the exec board studying Arabic and Quantitative Social Science. She loves cooking, slogs (slow jogs) with teammates, and traveling.

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Between Buzzards Bay, the CHaD Hero, welcoming our new members to the team, and a wild triathlon adventure everywhere we look, the fall term has no shortage of excitement for triathletes. We do find time for members new and returning to participate in our annual Team Flair Breakfast, an opportunity to both see campus in the dark hours of the morning and gather as a team to reflect on our goals for the upcoming triathlon season and for life in general. Read some of our members' thoughts below!

Tri-Related Goals

  • Get faster on climbs!
  • Do another 70.3 and break 2 hours in the half marathon
  • Become a stronger swimmer and complete my first triathlon!
  • Go to a swim practice!
  • Beat Ian at tri pong
  • Finish a 70.3 in under 5:30
  • Make my practice requirement every term
  • Do a half-ironman
  • Do one wild athletic adventure!
  • Participate in the Max Performance Season Opener
  • Finish either a marathon or a triathlon
  • Become comfortable with long (60+ mi) rides
  • I WILL finish some sort of triathlon!
  • Compete in a half ironman
  • Finish a half ironman
  • Run the running leg of an ironman race. I don't care about time, just don't walk!
  • I want to be a better leader on the team & continue to improve as an athlete
  • Complete a half ironman
  • Ride a road bike outside
  • Improve swim stroke, feel more confident on the bike, and try lock laces
  • Finish every race I start
  • Race more! Complete a half ironman (if it is reasonable)
  • Complete a triathlon with no injury-related pain
  • Run a marathon!
  • Finish my first triathlon
  • Complete a half-marathon
  • Work on hills (running & biking)
  • Get fitter than I was last year
  • Complete my first 70.3
  • Run a marathon

Life Goals

  • Participate
  • Survive organic chemistry
  • Take a professor to lunch every term!
  • Write first thesis chapter
  • Do PT so I can run again!
  • Participate
  • Write and present my thesis, and get a job!
  • Get into grad school
  • Put 5 hours/week toward finding a job for after Dartmouth
  • Graduate 🙂
  • Finish the year academically strong
  • Find a major I'm completely excited about
  • I WILL order at least 1 other item for dinner besides the chicken queso
  • Learn from classes and have some fun.
  • Have fun and be happy!!
  • Secure an internship or research position within my preferred field.
  • I want to start my honors thesis
  • Pass my classes
  • Learn more about what I'm interested in learning about
  • Find the balance between work, exercise, and fun
  • Hold a 15 second handstand
  • Find more balance in my life - between academics, athletics, other clubs, social life, and rest.
  • Collect good flair
  • Truly make the most out of my last year at Dartmouth!
  • Take a fun class in something I've never done before
  • Pass all of my classes
  • Don't fail organic chemistry
  • Gain control over my bowels post-foco coffee
  • Learn/develop 2 new sports (i.e. rock climbing, skiing)
  • Do well on my midterms
  • HAVE FUN

Hanover winter is right around the corner, and as sunlight hours shorten and the cold weather moves in we look less forward to races on the immediate horizon and turn instead to falling into a training rhythm. We appreciate all of our new members for their dedication to our team and diverse goals!

SBR,

The 21F Dartmouth Triathlon Team

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With Buzzards Bay, the CHaD Hero, and a new crop of athletes, Fall is always a hectic time on the Triathlon Team. Lest we get too sucked in to making the most of the fall cycling season and fine-tuning swim technique, though, we like to take a step back each fall to remind ourselves of the big picture. At our annual Team Flair Breakfast, our members take some time to think about goals both for the upcoming triathlon season and academic year. Read below for some of our members' thoughts!

Athletic Goals

  • Complete a Half Ironman by the end of Sophomore Summer
  • Get stronger on my run
  • Learn how to use clips well
  • Get back into shape
  • Learn how to road bike kinda well
  • Run a half-marathon
  • Go to swim
  • Do more TT work on the bikes
  • Go to strength *(and do more crazy arms!)*
  • Improve my anaerobic sprints in the pool
  • Improve my swimming speed and technique
  • Complete a long course or Half Ironman race
  • Do my first 70.3
  • Do a longer (half ironman) tri!
  • Swim 500 m without stopping
  • Go to swim practice
  • Swim faster
  • Learn to bike
  • Improve my running speed
  • Swim an 800!
  • Improve my swimming
  • Finish another Olympic tri
  • Use clips!!
  • Go on more outdoor rides
  • Get stronger in *all* SBR
  • Learn how to flip turn
  • Injury-free training: Focus on more stretching and mobility!

Life goals

  • Embrace spending time slowing down
  • Eat healthier
  • Survive a tough winter term
  • Finish my thesis and Engineering 89/90
  • Keep in touch with my high school best friends
  • Be more organized
  • Find a job and be less stressed
  • Get more sleep!
  • Get more sleep
  • Sleep!
  • Use less DBA *(I'm at $-20 already....)*
  • Learn to enjoy my upper-level engineering classes!
  • Make new friends and build my community
  • Improve my GPA
  • Take leadership positions that matter to me
  • Keep my room cleaner
  • Manage my time better
  • Get more flair?!?!?
  • Continue making new friends
  • Write down 3+ good things that happened every day
  • Meet as many new people as possible
  • Learn as much as possible while I'm here at Dartmouth
  • Take more deep breaths
  • Stay organized, and don't get as easily distracted
  • Get to know the 23's!
  • Be more positive
  • Take better care of my mental health
  • Make the most of opportunities in Hanover
  • Be more patient with myself.

Hanover Winter is rapidly approaching and racing season may be drawing to a close. Still, we look forward to getting into a training rhythm before spring competitions, bonding as a team, and hosting Indoor Tri scrimmages until the ponds melt. We truly value our new members for their dedication to this sport and broad diversity of goals.

SBR,

The 19F Triathlon Team

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As Thanksgiving approached and finals were nearing, there was a light at the end of the tunnel: Winter Break. Six weeks of no classes, relaxing at home, and embracing my inner gym rat. Now, Winter Break for me is more of a break from winter than a break for winter. I get to leave ~toasty~ Hanover, New Hampshire and return to my home in The Woodlands, Texas (read: a delightfully warm place).

Before the end of the term, we as an executive board were wrangling with the best thing to do with our growing team and everyone’s diverse race interests. With the support of our coaches, we decided to create goal groups: three training sub-groups based on target races and experience levels. There's Sprint I for our new members who will be doing their first USAT Sprint Triathlons in the spring, Sprint II/Olympic for more seasoned racers in the Sprint and Olympic distances, and Long Course for everyone training for Half or Full Ironman’s.

With the term wrapping up, it was time to escape the cold return home for break and start training as goal groups. I’ve always stuck to Sprint Triathlons in the past, but with the introduction of goal groups, I decided to go big. But not too big. So, I picked the Olympic distance to train for. Eliot, the coach for the Sprint II/Olympic group, emailed 22 of my teammates and I to introduce our goal group. He also attached our training plan, a color coordinated spreadsheet detailing 6 weeks of swimming, biking, and running.

I was getting good vibes from break. Weeks filled with spending time with family, catching up with friends, well thought out workouts from Eliot, and group classes at the local gym I could go to when I wanted to mix it up. My inner gym rat was dancing. The kind of dance you stop mid run to do because the chorus of your pump up song came on.

Over “Winter” Break, I swam outside, tried rock climbing for the first (and second) time, regularly spun at the gym, and saw my old swim coach who's now training for her 5th (6th? 7th?) Ironman. It’s casual. I even went on a few runs around the neighborhood. Those were actually casual.

As I look back on break now, I loved having a super flexible schedule and being home with family. But, I also love being with my teammates and getting to be with them day in and day out. It’s a bittersweet ending to Winter Break, but I’m excited to see what’s in store for our team come Winter Term.

Sbr,

Sarah

About the Author

Sarah is an ’18 studying Structural Engineering and Spanish. When she’s not practicing, she likes to listen to podcasts, cook, and spend time with family and friends.

Above: A mid-run selfie in Florida

T-minus 4 days before returning to Hanover

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This February 15th-28th, Dartmouth Club Sports is running the Club Sports Challenge: a two-week window during which teams raise as much money for their organizations as possible, with some additional fundraising incentives on the line. It’s an exciting event as it helps our young team grow and raises the vast majority of our annual budget. If you've donated in the past, are considering donating this year, or just want to see how this part of our team runs, we figured we'd discuss what exactly the Club Sports Challenge entails this year and what even just a little bit of support allows us to do.

This year, the Dartmouth Triathlon Team has three main goals:

  1. Raise $7,500 to support financial assistance, gear purchases, and race subsidies!
  2. Have 15 donors increase their gift from last year.
  3. Have 8 NEW donors during the challenge

We earn an additional $2800 if we reach all of our goals as well. We have done an amazing job of this in years past and are looking to continue our streak.

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Dartmouth becoming co-ed, this year’s program is themed FORevHER. Triathlon is proud of its history as a co-ed team. Since our founding, Dartmouth Triathlon has been full of amazing women, and next year we have all-female captains. This year, we will be highlighting two of our star graduates: Katie Clayton ‘18, and Sonia Rowley ‘19. Stay tuned throughout the challenge for updates on the incredible things these two have achieved during their tenures on the team and the short time after their graduation.

Club Sports has generously offered to match the first $25,000 raised by all teams on a first come, first serve basis. Whoever is able to coordinate their donations early in the challenge will end up taking the majority of that incentive. However, any amount of support we get, even if only a couple dollars, would allow us to accomplish more and continue to grow our team. Whether a donation be made entirely up-front or set up as a smaller recurring donation throughout the year, any donation would be appreciated and qualify toward the Club Sports Challenge goals if made during the Challenge period. As one of the newest and fastest-growing teams at Dartmouth, our gear supply has been outgrown by the size of the team, and with fewer races throughout the pandemic we've been using our fundraising money to buy new equipment. This increases accessibility and inclusivity on our team, which is essential to our mission. While the milestones below are in no way indicative of how the Dartmouth Triathlon Team would utilize a particular donation, we figured we would offer some insight into the more common items we purchase, and how support at any level really goes a long way in supporting our team.

  • $2 can buy a resistance band to get good glute workouts in virtual strength practice!
  • $10 can buy a high-visibility running vest to keep us safe during evening workouts!
  • $25 can cover financial assistance for one team member’s termly dues!
  • $50 can buy a new helmet to keep team members safe on bike rides!
  • $100 can buy a bike trainer for winter bike training!
  • $150 can buy a wetsuit to keep us warm for cold open-water swims!
  • $500 can buy us a new team bike to lend out for team members to get on the road!

With all that being said, if you're as excited about the Club Sports Challenge as we are and want to help the Triathlon Team out, we really appreciate it! The Club Sports Challenge runs from February 15-28, 2022, so aim to donate in that window so your support can help us earn bonus funding! If you'd like to donate to support the Dartmouth Triathlon Team, you can do so at [this link] from now until the 28th!

SBR,

The Exec Board