Round 2

Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for me in round 2 of Evotri: Making the Team. The three finalist were announced and I have to believe I was a close fourth. There's one more slot to be awarded so I've not given up yet. Maybe three is my lucky number.

Evotri Project - Part 2

So how you become more green? Here are some simple chances I'm making to become more enviromental. Nothing really radical like making my own gels, just simple things anyone can do.

Waste

• Recycle tires and tubes
• Recycle or donate running shoes
• Use powdered drink mixesUse gel flasks
  

Climate

• Register online for events
• Car pool, take transit, ride your bike to practices and races
• Purchase carbon offsets if you event offers them
  

Materials

• Trade, sell, or give away unused equipment
• Purchase equipment made with recycled materials
• Reuse your water bottles
  

Community

• Use designated drop areas
• Pick up equipment discarded outside designated areas
• Contact event coordinators and ask about their recycling plans
• Sign the CRS petition
• Support events and companies that are being green

C'est La Vie

In the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship, round two of Making the Team has been extended a week. Apparently some people had trouble making the link work on their blogs. I can understand that since it took me a couple tries to get it working. Good luck to all who are competing for the second slot.

Evotri Project

Part of the latest Evotri team contest is to think of an event or project for Evotri. My idea is for Evotri to propose and adopt standards for becoming more environmentally friendly. As triathletes, we need a clean environment for swimming, biking and running and since we often compete in other people’s neighborhoods, we need to be aware of and minimize our impact. We have the opportunity to race in some beautiful locations and we should strive to protect those areas.

By reviewing the Council for Responsible Sport (CRS) event guidelines, I have developed a set of guidelines for individuals and teams to adopt. CRS has organized their metrics into five categories: Waste, Climate, Materials and Equipment, Community and Outreach, and Health Promotion. While my guidelines aren’t the same, they can be grouped into the same categories.

Waste – How much waste is recycled or reduced? Do you mix your own sport drink or do you buy premixed? What about gels? Do you buy the individual packets or do you use a gel flask and buy the larger gel bottles? Do you recycle your water bottles, shoes, tires, tubes and clothing?

Climate – Do you drive alone to races or do you ride your bike or car pool? If carbon offsets are available, do you purchase them?

Materials and Equipment – When you upgrade or replace old equipment, do you give away or sell your old equipment? Do you buy clothing made with recycled materials?

Community and Outreach – When racing, do you pick up all your trash and dispose of it appropriately? Do you only drop supplies in designated areas? Do you pick up trash during your training rides and runs?

I think if we all make a couple changes we can have a positive impact.

Evotri - Round 2

Round 2 voting for Evotri opened this weekend. My video application didn't make it passed the preliminaries in round 1 so I hope I do better this round. If you want to vote for me, scroll down and click on the big red evotri banner below.

Making the Team: 2008

This round of Making the Team is described as perhaps the easiest of the rounds but in some ways I think it’s harder than the video contest. Illustrating your personality and commitment to the endurance sport community is a challenge for me.

I think my dedication to endurance sports illustrates one aspect of my personality very well. I think the best way to show your passion for something is how you apply yourself to it. Someone once told me what you consider important is what you make time for. Triathlon is something I definitely make time for.

I’ve been involved in endurance sports for over fifteen years and triathlon for ten. My typical schedule involves an early morning workout (high school swimming habit), another workout at lunch and a couple evenings a week I run with a group of friends. My dedication to training also appears when I travel. Whether it’s for work or pleasure some of the first items I pack are my running shoes and clothes. Training on the road helps me handle the stress of travel and has enabled me to find some beautiful places.

My commitment to the endurance sport community shows itself in my commitment to the people I meet and know and my involvement in my community. I am constantly encouraging and motivating people I know to try triathlons. Last year I helped five people train and complete their first triathlon. This year, four have already contacted me about doing another. When training with a group, I’m always willing to run with anyone just so everyone has someone since I know it’s easier to workout with a partner. At races I offer encouragement to everyone I know and even people I don’t know.

Another example of my commitment is my company relay team. For three years, I organized the relay team at work which involved making proposals to management for funding, recruiting participants and keeping everyone motivated and training. Each year we had eighteen people participate and only ten of those were runners.

In my community, I am a volunteer member of the city’s Transportation Commission. While it may not seem related to the endurance sports community, my work on the commission could have a big impact. Two years ago I was given the task of studying the feasibility of adding on-street bike lanes to the city’s transportation plan. This winter, the commission approved my plan for on-street bike lanes and it now goes to the city council for approval. My plan will connect my city and neighboring cities creating a network of bike lanes for cyclist and triathletes.
My wife and friends wonder why I keep applying but I think it’s just another aspect of my commitment to triathlon. Being a member of Evotri will give me the opportunity to reach and encourage more people to become triathletes.

Thanks for reading! If you think I should be the next fully-sponsored member of Team Evotri, please write down the URL of this web site and have it ready for voting when you click the EVOTE button below. Thank you!