Happy fall everyone!
I hope that the start of another academic year has gone smoothly for all. One of the elements of my return to USCGA that made it remarkably enjoyable was joining the Triathlon team. Never having done a triathlon before, I was nervous coming in. I soon realized, though, that the team is a unique mix of cadets of varying classes, genders, majors, and talents. What we all had in common was a desire to have fun while doing triathlons! The team owns several bikes, so not owning a bike did not get in the way of me participating this season. The team meets for practice five days a week during sports period to bike or run, and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings to swim. Then, on weekends, we pack our bikes into the team’s trailer and travel to races throughout the Northeast.
For me, races are absolutely the best part. It is usually an early morning, because races often start at 8 am. By 10:00, though, you are done, and it feels great to have already accomplished something with your day. There is often a barbeque after the race for all athletes, so that’s a great way to finish. Given the water component of races and dropping temperature, the season is very short and by October we are done. While I am disappointed to not be competing anymore, I can still bike, run, and swim daily on my own and with teammates to continue to improve for next year.
While the Academy has a remarkably high-performing slate of NCAA teams, there are also many club teams that travel and represent USCGA. I did not know, coming in, that I would join the triathlon team, but I am so glad that I did. I hope this helped give a little bit of a feel for club sports at the Academy. Have a great fall!
