Tomorrow I am going to race in my first criterium race! I'm nervous/scared/EXCITED! I got roped into it by a friend... it will be good training at least and only $15!
http://www.cloviscritseries.com
Also taking a group of students to volunteer/act as race marshalls.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
nike opportunity
http://www.nikebackyourblock.com/ApplicantProfile.aspx?ApplicantId=ce7107e4-0d89-4f0e-87bc-c5a6a652658a
Nike is offering a chance for up to $5,000 (actually, $2,500 but that's cool too!) from Nike just by clicking above! People who just read and people who post... please help? Thanks!
Tri This would use the money to be able to subsidize more kids to go to more events and also upgrade our team equipment (bicycles, uniforms, etc.)
This week my team and I will also be asking a certain local University to be our Fiscal Agent so that we can apply for a big grant from a local grant-making agency. This means that they would process the grant money for us - so that the people who give the money know that a reliable non-profit agency is handling the money with it still all going to us. The grant is due September 11th but we have built a strong case for receiving support.
Click the link and spread the word!
Nike is offering a chance for up to $5,000 (actually, $2,500 but that's cool too!) from Nike just by clicking above! People who just read and people who post... please help? Thanks!
Tri This would use the money to be able to subsidize more kids to go to more events and also upgrade our team equipment (bicycles, uniforms, etc.)
This week my team and I will also be asking a certain local University to be our Fiscal Agent so that we can apply for a big grant from a local grant-making agency. This means that they would process the grant money for us - so that the people who give the money know that a reliable non-profit agency is handling the money with it still all going to us. The grant is due September 11th but we have built a strong case for receiving support.
Click the link and spread the word!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
This is why Tri-This! was founded!
Toward the end of last year (October-ish), talk began to steer toward the position of founding Tri-This! We wanted to break from the Police Activities League mainly to be more triathlon-focused when talking to sponsors and even the general public, put on events, and have autonomity.
So far except for being shorter on cash than hoped for everything has gone very well. However I wanted to take a few minutes and share what's been going on.
1) More USA Triathlon Focus
- At least one student will race as a Junior Elite in the Pacific Grove Triathlon in September. It will be Tri-This's first entry. I'm hoping to scrounge up the money ($75 per kid now) to race three kids who would do well.
- give a name to the kids in Tri-This! who compete - the Youth or Jr. teams to align with USAT naming and race structure.
- Try to move more toward getting ALL kids to do all three sports. Plan on doing all three or at least two in a training session rather than allowing kids to do just one. USAT-wise, it's better to have just 10 kids who can do all three and really work on those than have 20 kids who aren't triathlon-ready. On the other hand Tri-This has been instrumental in getting many kids who wouldn't have otherwise been involved in anything more involved in a lot of other school things. (I counted - 30 of my 135 students last year were at some point involved in my triathlon, water polo, or swim team. The swim team alone consisted of 50% of current or former students of mine. wow!)
2) Events
Big news may be coming regarding a mountain bike duathlon event in December/January and a new event we will sponsor in April as well; in addition to the Splash and Dash.
3) Camps
We hope to get some dates and more information about offering one day triathlon camps for kids in different parts of the Valley next Spring as well. Possibly late Fall?
4) Sponsorships
The race is on to erase some Tri-This start up debt as well as build funds for next year. We will do more grant writing soon in earnest as well as actively seek out sponsorships to get real jersey's next year. I'll probably be working with Oomph! sports who donated a BUNCH of tri gear to us last year which we still haven't used all of yet!
5) Volunteers
Trading in the Suburban was a hard decision, but made easier by the fact that we have been blessed to have an abundance of volunteers this year come out of seemingly nowhere; many from the Fresno State Tri team and just other people who had 'heard' of the program, but with the new name and publicity now knew how they could help. 3 great bikes have been donated this year too.
6) Education
Coaching at the USAT Skills Camp last week was so encouraging for a lot of reasons. Mainly I was able to learn how to really run a triathlon camp from professional triathlete and awesome person Alexis (Waddell) Smith and Coach Sharon Osgood. Also, there have been a number of troubling incidents related to kids this summer that have reminded me of why Tri-This exists (to build relationships with kids which help lead to lasting positive life change) and taught myself and my volunteers valuable lessons.
So far except for being shorter on cash than hoped for everything has gone very well. However I wanted to take a few minutes and share what's been going on.
1) More USA Triathlon Focus
- At least one student will race as a Junior Elite in the Pacific Grove Triathlon in September. It will be Tri-This's first entry. I'm hoping to scrounge up the money ($75 per kid now) to race three kids who would do well.
- give a name to the kids in Tri-This! who compete - the Youth or Jr. teams to align with USAT naming and race structure.
- Try to move more toward getting ALL kids to do all three sports. Plan on doing all three or at least two in a training session rather than allowing kids to do just one. USAT-wise, it's better to have just 10 kids who can do all three and really work on those than have 20 kids who aren't triathlon-ready. On the other hand Tri-This has been instrumental in getting many kids who wouldn't have otherwise been involved in anything more involved in a lot of other school things. (I counted - 30 of my 135 students last year were at some point involved in my triathlon, water polo, or swim team. The swim team alone consisted of 50% of current or former students of mine. wow!)
2) Events
Big news may be coming regarding a mountain bike duathlon event in December/January and a new event we will sponsor in April as well; in addition to the Splash and Dash.
3) Camps
We hope to get some dates and more information about offering one day triathlon camps for kids in different parts of the Valley next Spring as well. Possibly late Fall?
4) Sponsorships
The race is on to erase some Tri-This start up debt as well as build funds for next year. We will do more grant writing soon in earnest as well as actively seek out sponsorships to get real jersey's next year. I'll probably be working with Oomph! sports who donated a BUNCH of tri gear to us last year which we still haven't used all of yet!
5) Volunteers
Trading in the Suburban was a hard decision, but made easier by the fact that we have been blessed to have an abundance of volunteers this year come out of seemingly nowhere; many from the Fresno State Tri team and just other people who had 'heard' of the program, but with the new name and publicity now knew how they could help. 3 great bikes have been donated this year too.
6) Education
Coaching at the USAT Skills Camp last week was so encouraging for a lot of reasons. Mainly I was able to learn how to really run a triathlon camp from professional triathlete and awesome person Alexis (Waddell) Smith and Coach Sharon Osgood. Also, there have been a number of troubling incidents related to kids this summer that have reminded me of why Tri-This exists (to build relationships with kids which help lead to lasting positive life change) and taught myself and my volunteers valuable lessons.
Friday, July 24, 2009
update
The triathlon at the group home was a HUGE success! Four kids participated and they really loved it. Would post pictures but... can't ... :-(
We'll definitely go back out there again. Albeit in my new RAV4!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/brandon.dorman/car02
going to the USA Triathlon camp next week...
We'll definitely go back out there again. Albeit in my new RAV4!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/brandon.dorman/car02
going to the USA Triathlon camp next week...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Hydration
For the past three days - and foreseeable days ahead - the temperature has been over 100 degrees here in Fresno. I've been doing a lot of work lately at a group home where I worked before teaching and the kids are in awe of the 'triathlon stuff' I do. So much so that I take them bike riding I overheard comments between them like, "I bet if you tried to take off on this thing Mr. Dorman would catch you in 2 seconds..." which while it maybe true, was funny nonetheless.
So as I've been taking bikes out to the Ranch as well as go swimming with them, the issue of hydration has taken center stage. Yesterday I went with a kid without drinking beforehand and we were both parched upon coming back from six miles of riding at 2pm.
This morning I went out there again and the kid had drunk quite a bit of water and eaten oatmeal too... we rode more than 12 miles total and he agreed he felt fine today.
For me, the best way to avoid dehydration is to drink about 2 hours and 1 hour before working out. What we drink while we work out won't be processed really anyway... and of course keep drinking afterwards! I like to make sure I go to the bathroom before I work out too ESPECIALLY running.
On thursday myself and a few others will hold a mock 'triathlon' for the boys out at the group home. All contained within ranch property, it will be a one mile run, then a six mile bike, finishing off with some laps in their small pool. Sure it's a reverse tri, but we figured by starting at nine and then finishing with the swim it'd feel good :-) I'll bring old bib numbers for them to wear and take their times -including transition - too. Should be a lot of fun. For legal reasons (most of the boys are there because they've committed felonies...) I can't show pictures but hopefully will make it a great experience for the boys! The plan has always been to try and include these guys in Tri-This! experiences but scheduling is very difficult and has to be considered that there are about 7 county Probation Offices to contend with too...
Drink up!
So as I've been taking bikes out to the Ranch as well as go swimming with them, the issue of hydration has taken center stage. Yesterday I went with a kid without drinking beforehand and we were both parched upon coming back from six miles of riding at 2pm.
This morning I went out there again and the kid had drunk quite a bit of water and eaten oatmeal too... we rode more than 12 miles total and he agreed he felt fine today.
For me, the best way to avoid dehydration is to drink about 2 hours and 1 hour before working out. What we drink while we work out won't be processed really anyway... and of course keep drinking afterwards! I like to make sure I go to the bathroom before I work out too ESPECIALLY running.
On thursday myself and a few others will hold a mock 'triathlon' for the boys out at the group home. All contained within ranch property, it will be a one mile run, then a six mile bike, finishing off with some laps in their small pool. Sure it's a reverse tri, but we figured by starting at nine and then finishing with the swim it'd feel good :-) I'll bring old bib numbers for them to wear and take their times -including transition - too. Should be a lot of fun. For legal reasons (most of the boys are there because they've committed felonies...) I can't show pictures but hopefully will make it a great experience for the boys! The plan has always been to try and include these guys in Tri-This! experiences but scheduling is very difficult and has to be considered that there are about 7 county Probation Offices to contend with too...
Drink up!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
new car!
Well, it's been a busy month once again! After having my main car (a 1998 Toyota Corolla) totalled June 26th, I had to resort to the backup plan - my 1993 Chevrolet Suburban with no AC and about 10 Mpg.
However the brakes they were a squeakin', and along with some other problems needed about $400 in repairs.
I knew Cash for Clunkers was going to happen soon, so have been shopping for a bit now. The time today seemed right, and I purchased the RAV4 mostly seen above today! It will arrive on Friday. I had room in my budget for $350 a month and I negotiated a price of $353 before adding the towing option. However the racks up top are included along with a slew of awesomeness!
However, many of my students and I are pretty sad about the Suburban leaving. When it was given to us at a deep discount in 2007 - specifically for the Triathlon Team - it was a godsend. I would certainly say that without it, Tri-This! would not be the organization it is today. It is with great sadness that Wednesday night we will have a little good bye party for it and people can share favorite memories, etc. (after water polo practice.)
I made a slideshow of pictures here (also showing my now deceased Toyota Corolla in some parts...)
http://picasaweb.google.com/trithisfresno/goodbyesuburban
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
update
It's been almost a month since the last update! Wow.
We've been training for an upcoming triathlon next weekend - a Sprint distance on Saturday and an Olympic Distance on Sunday with TBF Racing. The camp site is reserved and today I'm going to get the business of who is doing what relay race, etc.
I visited my friend Mark in Indiana for a week which was awesome. Last week I did some 'subbing' at the group home at night and summer water polo started which is always a good time. Also got into a car accident on the way to a family camp for kids with cancer... no one was hurt. Looking at buying a house with/for the fiancee too which is very exciting. More meetings with real estate agent today and the parents are coming down on Friday to possibly sign the deal...
Tri This Board meeting on Thursday which are always fun. I will be trying to push a scholarship for a kid through to help him pay for USAT West Skills Camp July 27-31... I visited it for one day last week when they had the first session and it was amazing! 24 something kids and great venue. It will be this kids second time at 'camp' - his first is actually this week at a church camp. He's 18. So it's good for him to experience these things before his senior year and heading out into life.
We've been training for an upcoming triathlon next weekend - a Sprint distance on Saturday and an Olympic Distance on Sunday with TBF Racing. The camp site is reserved and today I'm going to get the business of who is doing what relay race, etc.
I visited my friend Mark in Indiana for a week which was awesome. Last week I did some 'subbing' at the group home at night and summer water polo started which is always a good time. Also got into a car accident on the way to a family camp for kids with cancer... no one was hurt. Looking at buying a house with/for the fiancee too which is very exciting. More meetings with real estate agent today and the parents are coming down on Friday to possibly sign the deal...
Tri This Board meeting on Thursday which are always fun. I will be trying to push a scholarship for a kid through to help him pay for USAT West Skills Camp July 27-31... I visited it for one day last week when they had the first session and it was amazing! 24 something kids and great venue. It will be this kids second time at 'camp' - his first is actually this week at a church camp. He's 18. So it's good for him to experience these things before his senior year and heading out into life.
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