T E A M..............look closely, you probably won't see an I in there. But I do.

The concept of a team in triathlon is strange to some people. After all, triathlon is an individual sport, one pursued against the clock or each other. Except for a few variants of the draft legal kind.........triathlon is not a team sport. Think about it though.........maybe you played tennis or golf in school. If you did you were part of a team........even though those sports are considered individual events.

You might be part of a team or club. Your club might not even be about triathlon. I'm sure in our vast land there are knitting clubs, sperlunking clubs, maybe even bug collecting clubs. Many of you probably are part of a triathlon club or team. I can only write about the team that I belong to, Tri Team SW. We're pretty new.............not quite one season old, and we have a real mix of talents and personalities. I suspect your club/team might be much the same as ours. People who share a common bond working and training together for the mutual benefit of the group. People who come together to have fun, support each other, share experiences together both good and bad. This is the essence of the team.

In our short time together, the members of Tri Team SW have created some memorable moments. Moments that might seem like nothing to the outsider but take on a bigger meaning when you're part of the team. Again I'm guessing, but if you're part of a club/team you probably have shared some of these moments too. You know the kind.........the secret phrase...........silly nickname..............the one thing you can do or say to get your teammate going........even when he or she thinks they can't go another step. A crack in your teammates armour is not an opportunity to pierce their pride........but a place for you to grab on and pull them along.

So...you ask...........where is the I in team?

I see the I in team whenever I see one of my teammates doing something courageous.

I remember seeing John LeRoy at the Las Vegas Tri............on the front half of the run battling painful leg cramps.........and watching him shake off the pain.......and finish second.

I remember Laura Bernal at Buffalo Springs..........coming up from behind me on the run while I was already walking..........I knew she wanted me to do my best.............but she wasn't slowing down for a pity party. "Let's go, let's go" is all she said..........and as she flew by I started running again.

I remember just a mile or so later as the gods of triathlon smiled upon the Team. Rusty DeBlassie was painfully cruising down the steepest hill on the course as I was walking up. It was good to see him and just as we were about to meet, Mark Mackenzie sprinted up from behind Rusty. We shared some high fives and a word of encouragment.........and went on our way. What were the chances of us all meeting at the same time?

I remember race after race while heading out on the out and back runs..........the endless parade of hand slaps by my teammates.............all faster than me........all heading back as I was heading out.........all of us wanting each other to do their best.

And finally I remember this. At the recent Roadrunner Triathlon, I, for the first time ever.......won my age group.............of course it was against no competition..........but I didn't know that until after the race. When my name was announced as the winner I sat by the stage stunned for a moment........then I heard the applause........it seemed thunderous to me.........since I had never heard it attached to my name before. I looked around at the faces of my teammates.........and of those who aren't...........and I was deeply grateful.

I guess in writing this I've realized that we're all teammates of sorts. We all want each other to be our next best selves. We all cheer............we all slap hands..............and we all feel pain out on the course. And whether we finish first or one hundred and first............we all finish.........and we're all triathletes.

It doesn't matter what name is on the front of your jersey..............you're all part of the Team.

Still don't see the I in team? Look a little closer.........

RACE HARD