November 12, 2023 • 47 mins
Welcome to Navy Sports Central - The Official Podcast of the Navy Sports Nation!
Get ready to step into the shoes of the Navy Women's Triathlon Team as they gear up for the NCAA championships in Tempe, Arizona. We promise an exciting journey that not only explores the physical and mental preparation these athletes undertake but also showcases the unique dynamics of this all-girls team.
Listen as Coach Billy Edwards shares tactics for the competition, and nationally ranked triathlete, Coach Alli LaRochelle provides an inside look at what motivated her to take on the challenge of being a coach at the collegiate level on top of running two businesses of her own.
From cycling strategies to race-day nerves, this episode is packed with personal experiences and practical takeaways. The team members share how they navigate their way through each phase of the race, from swimming to cycling and running.
The episode culminates with a retrospective look at the team's journey, as seniors Sarah Jarman and team captain Reagan Quilty reflect on the legacy of the Navy Women's Triathlon Team. From humble beginnings to attaining varsity status, the pride they take in the team's growth and accomplishments is evident. Join us for this special edition of Navy Sports Central, and prepare to both entertained and inspired.
Related Links:
Get ready to step into the shoes of the Navy Women's Triathlon Team as they gear up for the NCAA championships in Tempe, Arizona. We promise an exciting journey that not only explores the physical and mental preparation these athletes undertake but also showcases the unique dynamics of this all-girls team.
Listen as Coach Billy Edwards shares tactics for the competition, and nationally ranked triathlete, Coach Alli LaRochelle provides an inside look at what motivated her to take on the challenge of being a coach at the collegiate level on top of running two businesses of her own.
From cycling strategies to race-day nerves, this episode is packed with personal experiences and practical takeaways. The team members share how they navigate their way through each phase of the race, from swimming to cycling and running.
The episode culminates with a retrospective look at the team's journey, as seniors Sarah Jarman and team captain Reagan Quilty reflect on the legacy of the Navy Women's Triathlon Team. From humble beginnings to attaining varsity status, the pride they take in the team's growth and accomplishments is evident. Join us for this special edition of Navy Sports Central, and prepare to both entertained and inspired.
Related Links:
Follow Navy Sports Central wherever you get your podcasts:
Check out the Navy Sports Nation group page on Facebook!
Music is provided courtesy of Audio Jungle. Artists featured in order:
- Seven In Music (Intro)
- Alexiaction (Deep Dive)
- Loka Music (Deep Dive Pt. 2 Lead In)
- Artlss (Question of the Day Lead In)
- Cinematic Alex (Closeout Music)
You can click on the hyperlink above to make a $1 donation through Cash App if you like what you hear. You can also support the Mids and the show at the same time. Navy Sports Central is a proud affiliate partner of Fanatics.com, the Ultimate Fan Gear Store! Click on the link to start shopping now!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Karl (00:14):
Hi everybody, my name is Karl Darden and I'd like to
welcome and thank all of you forjoining us today on Navy Sports
Central.
I'm your host and this is theofficial podcast of the Navy
Sports Nation where we take adeeper dive into Navy Sports.
We are headed into the VeteransDay weekend and I've got
something really special instore for you today.
In fact, it is so special thatwe'll just be focusing on the
deep dive segment and pickingback up with our question of the
(00:35):
day and mid-watch segments inour next episode and in a very
briefated sports update.
I'm extremely happy to reportthat the men's rugby team earned
a hard-fought star over Army bybeating the Black Knights up at
West Point by a score of 23 to21.
So please stick around for thisspecial episode.
I've got a feeling you'rereally going to enjoy it.
(01:01):
Hi everyone, thanks for beingwith us today on this special
edition of Navy Sports Central.
Today we are in Tempe, Arizona,which is the site of the NCAA
women's triathlon championships,and those take place tomorrow.
And not only do we have achance to connect with Coach
Billy Edwards again, but he wasalso nice enough to arrange a
visit with the entire team.
So it's time to get settled inand meet these terrific athletes
(01:21):
.
First, I do want to note thatthis episode is being recorded
on Friday, November the 10th,and that means it's the United
States Marine Corps' 248thbirthday.
So, Coach Edwards, happybirthday to you and all the
other Marines out there, andwelcome back to the desert, by
the way.
Coach Edwards (01:35):
I can't think of any other place.
I'd rather be Urryut Kill.
Karl (01:43):
Okay, we're going to have the team introduce themselves in
a minute, but before doing that, I wanted to get your take on a
couple of things.
First of all, you've had alittle over three weeks of
practice since the regionalqualifier last month, so how
would you assess the team'sphysical readiness at this point
?
Coach Edwards (01:57):
Well, it's just been a continuous build.
Throughout the entire year, Ithink we were really focused on
becoming race ready, race readyeach week, and now we've
actually had a little bit of achance to sort of focus a bit
more on being more fit and thenfind any sort of flaws in our
race tactics, and we've workedwith those as well.
(02:17):
So it's been a good three weeksto get specifically ready for
this race.
Okay, all right, cool.
Karl (02:24):
Now let's talk about the course a little bit, and just
for the benefit of folks who arenot familiar with how
collegiate triathlons work, Iwant to first, if you could just
review the distances for me forthe different legs, and then
secondly speak to the courselayout.
What do you like about it?
What do you wish they wouldtweak a little bit?
You know that sort of thing.
Coach Edwards (02:42):
So our distances are generally a 750 meter swim,
20 kilometer bike or 12 and ahalf mile bike and a 5k run.
That's for about 95% of ourraces.
Every once in a while we'llhave a smaller race that may be
a little bit different, butthey're all generally about that
and it takes about an hour.
It's an open water swim, soeverybody will go off at the
(03:02):
same time.
It's a mass start.
We have almost 100 athletes onthe line this weekend for the
fast heat, the top seated heatthat we're in, and then
everybody rides together on thebike.
It's not like Triathlon whereyou need to have space and
there's fancy arrow equipment.
We are on bikes, looking likewe're in a bike race or
(03:24):
something you would see like onTV for the Tour de France, and
so the athletes have to swim avery fast swim in order to get
out with a group and ride withother people, in order to
conserve their energy, in orderto come off the bike and have a
very fast 5k run.
So our athletes are almost ascapable of running at a division
(03:46):
one cross-country level in verycapable swimming, at a D1 level
as well.
So the capabilities are veryhigh speed and due to the nature
of going from one to the other.
Also, we have the transitionsthere and everybody has to be
able to quickly come out of thewater and get their helmets on
and, when they come off the bike, get their run shoes on so
(04:08):
they're able to maintain themomentum throughout the entire
race.
Karl (04:11):
Okay, very good.
Now your assistant coach iswith you on this trip, so let's
get a chance to know her.
Coach Allie LaRochelle is a2001 graduate of the University
of Maryland and is a nationallyranked triathlete.
She is an 11-time USA triathlonAll-American and has been an
all-world gold recipient on fourdifferent occasions.
So, coach Lauchel, welcome andthanks for joining us today.
Coach LaRochelle (04:33):
Thank you, it's nice to meet you.
Karl (04:35):
All right.
So the first question I had foryou is first of all, you run
two businesses right now.
One's a marketing business andthe other one you actually coach
endurance athletes as well.
I do so to me that seems like apretty full plate, right.
I mean, what made you say, okay, maybe I'll just apply for this
assistant coaching position atNavy?
(04:57):
What prompted you to do that,and how did that even come about
?
Coach LaRochelle (05:01):
Yep.
So, as you mentioned, I do havea pretty full plate.
I run a marketing company, Icoach individuals towards their
athletic goals and then, yeah, Ihave two busy sons in high
school.
So my husband is actually onthe board of trustees for
athletic scholarships at theNaval Academy and he's known Mr
Gladchuk for many years.
So Mr Gladchuk had asked if Iwould consider helping out with
(05:23):
the team and at first I waspretty hesitant because, as I,
as you said, I didn't know if Iwanted to add one more thing to
my plate.
But I came in and I met withBilly and we have a mutual
connection through my coach,who's been a great mentor of
mine for many years.
So after meeting Billy and thencoming in and meeting some of
the girls too at the time it wasthe club team last spring I
(05:44):
just felt like it would be areally great fit.
So we're no strangers to theNaval Academy.
My nephew graduated in 2001.
So we were sponsors to him andto all his friends and I just
thought, if I can give back inany way and help inspire these
girls in any small way, it wouldbe really rewarding for me.
Karl (06:01):
Okay, very good.
So the other question I had iswhen you, when you look at
coaching philosophy, right, Imean, obviously a staff has got
to be on the same page when itcomes to that, otherwise you
know, nothing gets done.
But that doesn't mean thosecoaching styles need to mirror
each other necessarily.
So I was wondering if you couldspeak to some of the
differences in your coachingstyle compared to Coach Edwards,
(06:22):
but yet they still arecomplementary in terms of just
pushing the team forward.
Coach LaRochelle (06:26):
Yep.
So I think the goal is the same.
Right there, we're bothcommitted to helping maximize
the performance of the girls andhelping them grow as student
athletes.
I think Billy likes to dothings a certain way and he
brings a fun, but also like moreof a drill sergeant type
mentality approach right Likewhere he's not afraid to let
(06:50):
them know when they might befalling short of his
expectations.
Whereas I've kind of found myrole more as or I see my role
more this season as like beingsomeone that they can come to
for support and as a soundingboard, and my hope is to help
build their confidence and helpthem believe in themselves
through positive reinforcementand through their hard work and
dedication to the program Right.
(07:11):
It's an amazing group of womenand I think that their humble
and quiet confidence is just sovaluable and I think it'll
really go far for them in lifeand in sport.
Karl (07:23):
All right, that's awesome.
Okay, thanks very much, coach.
Now it is time to meet our teammembers, so let's go around the
horn with first and last namein hometown Fire away.
(07:33):
Hi, my name is Haley Harris and I'm from St John's Florida.
Okay, Hi, I'm Emily Vela.
I'm from Ken Island, Maryland,all right.
Hello, I'm Maddie Klippenstein.
I'm from Platte City, Missouri.
Hi, I'm Sarah Jarman.
I'm from Frederick, Maryland,okay.
Hi, I'm Zoe Adama from FortWorth Texas.
(07:54):
Hi, I'm Anna Wekluk.
I'm from Hairman, Utah.
Hi, I'm Reagan Quilty and I'mfrom St Petersburg, Florida.
Karl (08:01):
Okay, Welcome to all of you.
Reagan, you get the firstquestion.
All right, You're the teamcaptain and captains.
I think one of their assets isbeing able to just assess the
collective mindset of the teamgoing into any major competition
.
So how would you characterizethat when it comes to your
teammates?
In other words, where are theymentally right now?
(08:23):
What would you?
(08:24):
I'd say I think we're definitely at a really great
place as a team.
We've come a long way this yearand we're definitely a super
tight group of girls.
Like every day, we come topractice and are so excited to
be with each other and we haveso much fun.
We're super dedicated to oursport and hard workers.
So we're competitive, we liketo push each other, but we
(08:44):
definitely have a great abilityto lean on each other.
So as we've built through thisseason, we've definitely worked
on gaining our confidence in oursport, becoming more physically
prepared for our championships.
And then this last three weeks,as Billy mentioned, was just
kind of a fine tune, gettingthat final fitness in those
technique and skills.
We definitely have preparedourselves very targetively for
(09:06):
this race.
The last three weeks we've donetons of training mirroring
exactly what the course is goingto look like.
There are certain technicalaspects that we expect to hit
different people we'll be racingagainst.
So kind of every practice hasbeen fine tuning, preparing,
imagining what it's going tofeel like while we're here.
So everyone's really been ableto build up their confidence in
(09:27):
that.
We definitely are super excited.
I think everyone is havingreally fun being here, like
being very official.
We had the banquet last nightwith all the other teams and we
had fun with it, like we'redefinitely one of the more
giggly teams out there.
There was kind of like a deadperiod where people are just
sitting there and we pulled outour phone and started playing
(09:47):
heads up in charades in ouruniforms, because we just want
to have fun together and makethe most of it.
So I definitely think we'retotally ready and today, getting
that last kind of look at thecourse, fine tuning, getting in
the right mental place, we'redefinitely ready for this
weekend.
Karl (10:02):
Okay, all right, that sounds good.
Now, one of the things I wouldkind of think about when I look
at captains between those thatare captains of individual
sports versus team sports right,the one thing that the coaches
of team sports I mean thecaptains of team sports don't
have to really deal with isgetting disconnected from their
team while they're competingright, I mean volleyball, you're
(10:23):
all there together, okay, theybasically after every point they
can, they have the opportunityto encourage each other.
Basketball, same sort of thing,but with a sport like triathlon
, you may see some of yourteammates out there, but you may
not see all of them.
What are some things and I'mgoing to ask you to kind of drop
on your prior triathlonexperience as well that you have
(10:45):
been able to use as a captainto help keep your team motivated
, even when you're not rightthere next to them?
(10:52):
Yeah, that's definitely been something I've never been
concerned about on this team isbecause I have complete
confidence in my team and thateveryone knows how to execute
their race.
It's definitely been a buildthis year.
We've learned a lot.
There's been a huge growinglearning curve coming into this
new style of racing becauseeveryone was great.
Athletes definitely had theability to perform, but some of
(11:13):
the technical, some of themental, some of the skill craft
in the sport was where we had towork.
So Sarah Jarman and I the othersenior on the team we both come
from a racing background, raceall through high school in this
format and so just this year,being able to share strategy,
thinking about different things,even our practices, changing
(11:34):
the way that we think atpractice and are a little more
aggressive with each other, alittle more competitive, talking
strategy after pieces, maybetake it a moment and breaking
down how a pace line went orwhen someone attacked, how you
should respond.
So we've just continuallythroughout the season shared our
(11:54):
knowledge.
Everyone's worked together andwe've figured out like the fine
tuning of our race.
So everyone is totally preparedto run their own race and we're
now at the point when we see acourse people will look at a
different turn or differentstart and be like hey, I'm
thinking this, what doeseveryone think?
And pull out different ideas.
So when it comes to race day,if we are in a pack together, we
(12:15):
love, we will communicate likecrazy you know we'll talk to
each other, we'll talk to otherteams.
We are okay boxing people arounda little, but when you're out
there you're just hoping for thebest for your team, hoping that
you don't see them becausethey're already ahead of you.
So when you do get out there onthe run, especially with the
two lap course like this, you'llbe running by everyone and as
(12:37):
you go you're just looking foryour teammates, like hoping for
the best for them, hoping yousee them ahead of that next girl
.
You know a little thumbs up,smile, a nickname, you know
anything, as you're all sweatyand panting and like just trying
to finish out the run to givethem that little acknowledgement
that like you see them and yousee their work.
That's all you need because wehave complete confidence that
(12:58):
like you can run your own raceand you know how to get yourself
to that finish line.
Karl (13:02):
All right, fair enough.
Okay, anna, you're up next Now.
One thing I noted was that youcome from a pretty strong
swimming background andobviously that's really a good
thing to have, because that'sthe lead off leg in the
triathlon.
And the comment I made withcoach when we spoke last time
was I was watching the Mastersgolf tournament.
One time Somebody made thecomment that you can't win the
(13:23):
Masters on the first day, butyou can't lose it right.
So if you take that analogy toa triathlon and swimming, you
can't necessarily win thetriathlon on the swimming leg,
but it is possible to lose itright.
So this is why I think swimmersare such an attractive athlete
to try and pull into this event.
My question to you is when itcomes to the bike and the run,
(13:46):
which of the two were a littlebit more of a challenge to you?
I think I remember reading thatyou had a little bit of a track
background.
Is that right?
(13:56):
Um, okay, so I in fact did do track, but I was a thrower so I
did not run in track.
I actually have more of abiking background.
I have mountain bike for a longtime.
My whole family my dad and mymom are mountain bike coaches,
and both of my little brothersare mountain bikers, and so I
have a really strong backgroundin that.
(14:17):
Whereas running, I actuallycame into the Naval Academy
being able to run maybe a milein 10 minutes, so I had little
to no background in running.
Actually.
Karl (14:29):
Right Now.
The very first triathlon I eversaw was I don't think it was
four years out of the Academy.
One of my friends was running asprint triathlon in Delaware
and I didn't really pay too muchattention to what was going on
in the transition areas and youwould think for a race that's an
hour long it wouldn't reallymake that much of a difference.
But, as you guys know, everylittle second counts in those
(14:51):
transitions.
So what are some of the thingsthat you've picked up on that
has helped you really kind ofget more efficient when you go
from swim to bike and then biketo run?
(15:01):
For me, I would say it's less about like tips and tricks in
those transition areas and moreabout what you do leading up to
like the race for those so likeon our team especially, Reagan
was talking about how we've beenpracticing for this course
specifically and that's true wehave been in a parking garage
for the last three weekspracticing our transition from
(15:24):
the bike of a parking garageturn.
Is that right?
Karl (15:27):
Yes, that's pretty thorough.
(15:32):
And that is a fantastic way, because when we saw the course
yesterday we were like thatlooks exactly like what we've
been practicing, and so thatmirrors exactly what we wanted
to perform.
And then another thing is justpracticing and racing a lot,
(15:53):
because if you notice, like thebest people who have the
transitions on the team areReagan and Sarah and they're
very clean, beautifultransitions, and it's because
they've raced so many times thatit's just like in their head
for them, like they don't eventhink about it, it's just boom,
boom, boom.
So I would say that it's nottips and tricks, it's practice
and the seeing it in your head.
Karl (16:13):
So did the fact that you guys did uniform races.
Please do that help at all.
(16:19):
It helps with the mundaneness of doing a transition over and
over and over again and Billybeing like hey, did you even get
your shoes at time?
Maybe not?
Karl (16:32):
All right, okay, zoey, you're up next.
All right, zoey, you're anotherdecorated swimmer.
What was it that got youthinking about switching over to
triathlon?
And I guess one of the thingsI'm kind of trying to get is
what do you feel the triathlongives you, that swimming maybe
did not.
(16:52):
Yeah, it was definitely a long story.
I would say senior year of highschool.
I graduated in 2020 and that'swhen COVID started, so I stopped
swimming when all the poolswere closed to pandemic.
I didn't get into the NavalAcademy my first time, so I ran
cross country and track atTrinity University beforehand,
so I kind of had a little bit ofa background with swimming and
(17:12):
running.
But when I came to the Academymy previous year I was rowing on
the crew team and I loved thatteam.
It was amazing.
I knew I wanted to be a part ofthe team at the Academy.
But the triathlon team after myprevious year I was drawn to it.
It seems like an adventure.
You have three sports.
There's not a focus on onething.
You can be a master of alltrades and so I had a couple of
(17:35):
friends on the team Maddie andJoe Bell.
I knew them on the team andthey raved about how close the
team was, how much fun they hadtogether.
So from my tryout to ourblocker this year, it's been an
adventure.
Swimming for me was staring ata black line and sure, I loved
my teammates, but it wasregimented.
And triathlon for me has beenan adventure.
It's working hard.
(17:56):
Every course is different.
Every bike, every run, everyswim is in a different place,
often in beautiful places too,like here in Arizona.
So that's what drove me.
Karl (18:06):
So this next question has to do with how you and all
competitors, I guess, deal withnerves.
I mean, everybody gets them andthey all manage them in their
own way.
So what are some of the thingsthat you do to kind of keep
those in check as race dayapproaches?
(18:23):
Yeah, for sure, this is one thing I've definitely struggled
with Nerves on race days.
Honestly, what can make orbreak your race?
I think it's important to be alittle bit nervous.
If you're not nervous, I'm notsure there's something wrong.
But for me coach Billy tells methis a lot too and it helped me
a lot.
But focusing on what I cancontrol during a race, I can't
control what the other girls aredoing.
All I can control is my mindsetand focusing on what I've done
(18:45):
to prepare, and for me that'shonestly, personal time that
brings my mind to peace.
For example, like reading myBible is something where I'm
reminded where my strength isfound, and that's in my savior,
it's not in myself.
So bringing myself to stillbefore race is memorizing Bible
versus things that bring me tomy mind of like.
This is what I can control.
(19:06):
I can't control if I have a badswim or if something happens on
a bike, but also focusing onphysical things I can control,
like making sure I'm feeling mybody well.
That's something that's come bytrial and error.
There's certain things thatwork on race day and certain
things I don't.
But also the week before, likemaking sure we are eating,
sleeping, focusing on you duringthat time.
(19:27):
But it's also not just for me,it's for my teammates.
If I don't get these thingsright, my actions affect the
team as well.
Karl (19:36):
Understood.
All right, Okay, Sarah, you areup next.
And, by the way, I was tellingI was mentioning this earlier to
Coach LaRochelle.
She asked me if I'd ever playedany sports at the academy.
I said I was kind of anintramural guy because I had to
make a business decision as towhether or not I was going to
graduate or keep competing.
So I made the right choice,obviously by stepping down.
(19:59):
But the other comment I made wasthe mids who are there now are
way, way smarter than I ever was.
Right, and I'm amazed at howhigh a level of excellence I see
academically in addition toperforming so well on the field
of competition.
That finished me.
I'm wondering sometimes if thatever kind of gets to you in
(20:22):
terms of just all right, do Istill want to keep doing this?
It takes a lot of commitmentand everything right.
When you're out there onanother course and it's lousy
weather or maybe you're fightingoff a nagging injury, what are
some of the things that you door what are some of the things
that you kind of think about tokeep that commitment level high,
that motivation level high, soyou can continue to perform?
(20:44):
Yeah, I think this is something that we all struggle
with, especially me.
I feel like the academy pullsus in so many different
directions that it's hard totruly hone in sometimes.
But when we talk about try-offon being an individual sport, I
think sometimes that's false andeven though we're out there
alone, we're still out therewith our teams.
So my team deserves the bestout of me and I deserve the best
out of my team.
So that always keeps memotivated to keep working hard
(21:06):
for them in practice and in arace.
So I'm not doing this formyself.
I'm representing the Navy, theNaval Academy and also my
teammates.
Karl (21:14):
Right, yeah, that makes sense.
Now we've talked about thecourse layout just a little bit
Obviously out here.
You know, fairly flat, maybe afew elevation changes where a
road kind of dips downunderneath an overpass or
something like that, but not atremendous amount of variation
From your perspective, do youlike flatter type courses?
(21:35):
I know that some athletesprefer some undulations and
hills and so forth, just fornothing else, just a change of
pace.
But what's your preference?
(21:43):
Personally for draft Eagle Races.
I think it's more fun when it'sflat, because I think you get
to use the drafting more to youradvantage.
But I'm trying to change mymindset a little bit, where it's
like the course doesn't matterso much, only the way you react
to it.
So I'm always someone who's alittle like scared of hills, but
I need to work on like notdoing that and it's just like
the way that you perform up ahill.
(22:04):
It depends on your mindset andhow you attack it.
Karl (22:06):
Okay, all right, good, all right.
Maddie, you are up.
Okay, swimmer and cross countryrunner in high school, right,
so clearly you had those twolegs kind of handled, at least
in terms of experience.
Was there anything about thecycling?
That was a little bit of achallenge that you did not
anticipate.
(22:27):
Okay.
So, yes, I did come from arunning and swimming background
and I would say my backgroundwith biking was really just, I
knew how to ride a bike and thatwas the extent of it and my
plebure.
I took a pretty good fall, Ibroke my wrist and that was a
pretty big wake up call as tohow intense biking can be.
(22:47):
And I knew when I joined theteam that I had the leg strength
that I could build on to be agood cyclist.
I just had to learn thetechnique and I was really lucky
that I had veterans on the teamlike Reagan and Sarah that
could teach the bike techniqueand our team can continue to
embody that and pass that on toindividuals that need it as well
.
But I really had to take that instride and learn from pleb
(23:08):
young, certain al-sikin classyear, how to ride my bike
technique, like clipping in,drinking my water, frequently
being when we're on the clubteam, being in aero bars, and
those are things I've justlearned over time.
And it really does takepractice and being intentional
when you're biking.
So we go out and bike, it's notjust like, oh, we're going for
a bike ride, it's hey, let'smake sure that we are practicing
(23:31):
how we're going to race, somaking sure I'm putting my hands
in the right places, attentionto detail when we're doing that,
and I think that is how I'vebuilt the cycling from my pleb
year to now.
But it's definitely something Ihad to learn quickly,
especially from the crash of mypleb year.
But we haven't had one since.
Karl (23:47):
So yeah, mattie one more coming your way With your wrists
.
Coach LaRochelle (23:53):
Oh yeah, Should be the cover photo.
(23:56):
I'm going to tell you really quick, just because it's funny.
But my pleb year, when I brokemy wrist, I had a cast.
So this is my scarve.
I had a cast on my left arm.
And.
I fractured my right arm so Ijust had a brace, but it wasn't
thrown.
It was like three weeks and Iwould still come to practice and
at that time we'd swim at lunch.
And as a pleb.
So, like Sarah said, we'repulling many different
(24:17):
directions, especially pleb year, and I sat on the side of the
pool deck and I'd watched themswim and there was oftentimes
like I'd be watching them swimand then all of a sudden I'm
asleep and so there's thisreally comical picture of me
like sitting like this with acast and a brace mouth wide open
on the side of the pool deck,but we've come far.
Hopefully that's pretty good,all right.
Karl (24:41):
So the next question has to do with food and nutrition.
All right, now you guys know aswell as I do that that King
Hall menu is not the best whenit comes to triathletes,
especially when you're trainingin season.
So how do you work around that?
I mean, are there allowancesthat can be made?
I mean, can you make requestsfor the team tables and stuff
like that?
(25:00):
Yes, so it is difficult.
It is difficult, I won't sayit's not, but we adapt for sure.
And we are provided some extrafood as varsity athletes.
We have refueling stations,which we're really blessed to
have, where we can go get thoseextra snacks before, after
practice to replenish ourselves.
(25:20):
And then, in addition to that,we're really blessed that our
O-REP Commander Shrek and Gausswe have her this year and she
was able to tell us in thebeginning of this year the
importance of how you make yourplate.
So we know, first off, food isfuel and the most important
thing is hating the amount ofcalories that we're burning.
We need to fuel ourselves Right.
So that's what comes first.
And so we go into King Hall.
(25:40):
The biggest thing is we'relooking for our carbs, our fat,
our protein, and so we add toour plate with that intention.
And while it's hard and, yes,the food isn't excellent,
sometimes we can make do youjust have to put in the effort.
And it's also about beingintentional with OK, I know that
I'm going to miss lunch forthis reason, or I know that we
have a really hard workout onSaturday.
(26:01):
I need to get more food then.
So it's putting in thepreparation and planning.
So, like Zoe said earlier, youcan perform because you prepared
yourself well for that practiceor race.
Karl (26:12):
OK, all right, very good.
Ok, we're going to go ahead andtake a short break now, but
before we do that, I did want togive you all a couple of ways
to stay up to date on NavySports.
The first is to join the NavySports Nation Group Facebook
page.
I've got a link to that in theshow notes.
Just click on it, answer acouple of questions and you'll
be good to go.
The second way takes even lesstime.
Just hit the follow button onwhichever platform you're
(26:34):
listening to this podcast rightnow.
It can be Apple Podcasts,spotify, art, heart Radio, it
doesn't matter.
Once you do that, every episodewill be downloaded to your
directory when it's released andyou can listen to it whenever
you're ready.
So please consider becoming amember of our group and you can
actually tap that follow buttonright now to show your support
for the podcast.
I'm looking forward to havingyou join us.
We'll be right back.
(26:54):
Music OK, welcome back to NavySports Central.
Karl Darden here with you and Iam joined today by the Navy
(27:14):
Women's Triathlon team.
We are in Tempe, arizona, fortheir NCAA championships, which
take place tomorrow on VeteransDay, and, by the way, this has
been an absolute blast so fargetting to know the team.
So I tell you what.
Let's go ahead and get back toour conversation.
So, emily, we're going to goahead and pick back up with you.
Music, you were named the USATriathlon All-American last year
(27:36):
, is that correct?
Yes, and you all wound upfinishing fourth nationally, so
that was pretty cool.
Okay, now the team makes a jumpto varsity status over the
summer, and I know that you guyswere very, very competitive as
a club team, but did you noticeany differences in terms of,
from a competition standpoint,going from club to varsity?
(27:54):
I think the biggest one that I've noticed, especially from
never having biked, is thatlearning how to bike 25 miles by
yourself on a completelydifferent bike as the TT arrow
bars situation goes on.
So then riding draft legal onroad bikes, learning how to ride
a new bike again.
I think the biggest thing waslearning how you're competing
(28:15):
with people.
You have to use other peoplefor your advantage.
It's not just okay, I'm goingto go out bike, crush the bike
and help for the best on the run.
It's now like I have to go onthe bike, hope I get in a pack,
hope my teammates are there tohave someone's motivate you and
everyone else to keep going,keep going faster and then get
off on the run and run fast.
Okay, all right good.
Karl (28:37):
Now let's look at the same question from a slightly
different perspective.
The seven of you went from aco-ed club team straight to a
women's varsity team.
So what differences did you seethere in terms of the overall
dynamic and how you interactedwith each other?
(28:52):
I think the biggest difference is who you're with.
On the club team we had theguys on board, so a lot of the
times, especially the swim andthe bike sometimes I'd bike with
the guys and you see a wholedifferent competition level.
They'd be like, okay, we'regoing to just sprint the whole
warmup and then we're going todo the pieces and we're going to
(29:12):
sprint back and it's awesome,but I can't bike at 25 miles per
hour.
And the warmup with you guysit's like turning back down, so
something I can bike with youguys.
And the swim we would be likean integrated swim.
So every lane was based offspeed, not gender, which was
awesome Because it was like,again, the guys have a whole
different mentality of how we'regoing to pace things and it was
(29:33):
like, okay, if I can stay withthem on the tempo hundreds, the
15 tempo hundreds, it's awesome,I'm going to catch them and
we're going to run them over.
That was kind of the idea.
But I think that's the biggestthing was going to all girls'
team versus guys' girls.
Growing up, I'd always been onthe guys' girls' team, from
soccer to swimming to crosscountry.
It was always guys' girls.
(29:53):
We always practiced together.
So going to all girls.
It's like, okay, I don't havethat kind of a buffer where it's
like I can't just make fun ofsomeone and be like, oh, it's
fine, Like half the time they'lllaugh.
Or Reagan will just come andpick at me.
And it's like, well, I don'twant to say something mean
enough where it's like he's madat me.
So I have to like tell myselfback.
I'm like, okay, I'll just takethis one, I'll think of a good
comeback next time.
(30:13):
She's still waiting for thatcomeback, but all right.
Karl (30:22):
so the next question has to do again, just jumping back
to the courses and so forth.
I'm kind of curious, becauseyou know you had a fair amount
of experience before what's themost challenging course you've
ever come across and why was itso challenging?
(30:35):
I think every course is hard the first time.
You see it just because youdon't know what to expect, like
if it's going to be a hill, it'sgoing to be a big decline,
that's like curvy or not.
And especially about the bike, Ithink like once we get through
it, like the first time, if yourun through it, we see the
course, we know like okay, likethis is where I'm making a sharp
left, sharp right or somethinglike that, something like
different, like especially the180s those are the big things,
(30:57):
for me at least.
And it's like okay, like ifI've done it once, if I've done
it like three times, and it'slike okay, I know on race day
like I can do it, Even if I'mlike in the mentality of like I
just got to finish, like I knowlike I could finish the course
I'm going to do good.
And I think that's like mybiggest thing that I do is just
like adjusting to like everycourse, like as we go through
I'm like none of the courses arethe same and just taking each
(31:17):
one like that morning Be likeokay, like I know I can finish
this course.
Karl (31:21):
Okay, all right, so Maybe we can use this course here as
an example.
So, from a course managementstandpoint, what are some things
that you're thinking about ineach phase?
(31:33):
So for the swim is just we just kind of be like get out
there and help to get in a goodpack.
Um, for like regionals, I gotout with a big pack of like
almost 20 girls.
So that was really nice becauseit was like all the girls in
the front wanted to get likewanted to pool, and I was like
Awesome, and I'll sit behind youguys.
You guys pull me through theend, which was awesome Because
I'd never had that before, withmy first time ever being in like
(31:54):
a pack bigger than five people.
And then so that's like theswim.
Hopefully getting out of thewater in good position and then
onto the bike out of transitionsis straight uphill, pretty much
Up until like you go straightup, take a right and then you're
on along straight away and thebig thing for that would just be
like get up on, like get up,like get out the hill Um, hope
(32:15):
that people are up there on thehill To like get with them and
like kind of like use them tolike get faster straight ahead.
On the straight away to getahead of the other people behind
me, so that we're not like bymyself or like Waiting for other
people to just pass me and justcome by and like fly by Right,
um, looks like a big thingespecially.
And then afterwards it's astraight, like um, we got
(32:36):
straight, and then it's a big180 and then it's A couple more
like turns, another at 180s, andit's like all I've got to be
like positioning myself in theright spots, like not get
dropped from the 180s and thenhopefully Be in a good spot
where I'm not like having toslow down and like potentially
falling off my bike from slowingdown too much, which has
happened.
That's like my biggest thing.
(32:56):
It's like more the technicalside of Positioning myself where
I want to be like in the frontof a turn so they don't just
like lose me on the next uphill.
Karl (33:04):
Okay, very good, all right , we are heading down the home
stretch now.
So, uh Haley, these last coupleof questions are for you.
You're coming off a 13th placefinish at the nca qualifier.
Right and then two weeks beforethat or maybe three weeks
before that, you finish first inthat waterman sprint triathlon,
correct?
(33:20):
Yes okay.
Karl (33:21):
So first of all, congratulations.
Secondly, uh, definitely afunction of all the hard work
you put in and so forth, butalso from your team as well.
So what I want to know and Ithink reagan kind of alluded to
it earlier Uh, can you speak tohow you guys do in fact push
each other during practice?
I mean, what, what happens andhow competitive do things get?
(33:42):
um, I would say we are a highly competitive team and it's
important to note that there'sa difference between being
competitive in a good way, in abad way, and we are definitely
competitive in a good way as inlike we're doing it to push each
other and not out of ill intent.
Right.
Um, but I mean during the swims,like everyone wants to go first
(34:03):
in their lane and you want tobeat the person in the lane next
to you and, um, viking, whenAnna and I get playing the front
together, or Anna and anyone,anna likes to be an inch ahead
of the person she's with, soit's erased the whole time and
then suddenly we're going like27 miles an hour on a neurovik
ride and, yes, anna and I aresometimes called Hannah.
(34:26):
And then during runs, I usuallyhave to keep myself in the back
because I get excited and westart Going to tempo pace during
runs when it's supposed to bean easy run to the track.
Karl (34:44):
That's pretty good.
Okay, one more question for you.
We've already talked a littlebit about the biking portion of
the of the event and, becausethis is a draft legal race, I
was kind of curious to find outsome of the things that you guys
use to take full advantage ofthis.
So let's just say,hypothetically, right, you guys
(35:06):
come out of the water and atleast within the first mile
You're all together on the bike.
I know I don't know how oftenthat happens, but let's just for
this situation, let's saythat's the case, right?
So walk me through what thatstrategy would be, what you
would be doing in order to chasedown the leaders and put the
whole team In a better position.
(35:25):
Well, let me start off by saying that, hypothetically, if
that happens, our bike packwould kick every other bike pack
.
But I think that we all workreally well together and we
practice like every sort ofdrafting scenario of practice.
So there's rotating pace linesand 30-second pulls and
15-second pulls and two-minutepulls, and I think we all know
(35:47):
each other's strengths andweaknesses pretty well.
So Anna is definitely ourstrongest bike puller, so she
will probably pull a lot more,but make sure that she's not
pulling faster, she's justpulling longer.
And then the rest of us wouldpull as much as we could and
help our team go as fast aspossible.
Karl (36:06):
Okay, all right.
So so, Hearing that I guess youare, you can use certain
devices to kind of check yourtimes and so forth.
I wasn't really sure what therules were at the collegiate
level for something like that.
But yeah, it's so, that's clear.
You guys have garments andsomething like that to use.
(36:22):
Yes, we're allowed to use garments, and Coach Billy does
not like them during races, asmost coaches do not, but people
wear them anyways, and he's toldus multiple times to turn off
all the screens at practicesbecause you don't want to be
focusing on that, you just wantto be focusing on feel.
But there are sometimes likepractice.
Last week he wanted me to knowmy pace and I had all the
(36:44):
screens off because that's whathe told me to do, so I was like
I don't know my pace, I'm justgoing to be some feel.
Karl (36:52):
That does it for all the heavy-duty questions.
What I want to do now is justkind of throw out a couple of
fun ones for you guys, and thenwe'll finish up with a couple of
thoughts from from Sarah andReagan.
So the the first question I hadand yeah, let's go with Maddie
on this one and then you guyscan just kind of rotate around.
First question favorite foodthat has no business being on
(37:12):
our triathletes menu.
(37:14):
Okay, so I want to preface by saying I'm really proud of this
team in our mindset towards foodand I believe that there that
every food has business.
Being in a triathletes diet,like I said earlier, we're
really lucky and blessed to havecommunity of Shrek and gas is
our OREP being a registereddietitian and showing us that
(37:35):
what matters most is calories,because we're not just feeding
our bodies, we're feeding ourmind and souls.
So if something's gonna make ushappy, then we should have it.
So, Every food is busy being atriathlete diet, but I will say
there are definitely foods thatI Probably should not have right
before practice, and so I canstart by saying I really love
(37:56):
ice cream and King Hall has icecream, and having ice cream at
lunch right before a run workoutis probably not the best idea.
So that is that's my answer.
Karl (38:07):
Okay, all right.
Second, have that question,though, though unrelated
Favorite song that you like touse to kind of get yourself
ready.
(38:15):
Okay, so I don't have a specific song, but we do have a
playlist.
Okay, that we three playlistsactually blood, sweat and tears
and it was made by one of ouralumni, jeremy Stevens, and it
is a combination of songs frompast Alumni all the way back to
(38:36):
Adam Estroff, sophie Tasker, andit is a combination of all
these really fun songs that Anyother team heard.
They'd probably like what theheck is this, but when we play
it really gets us ready.
So Any song from one of thosethree playlists is probably my
go-to song.
Okay.
Karl (38:51):
All right, let's jump back over to Haley.
(38:53):
Okay, so favorite food is definitely cookie monster, ice
cream from always ice cream oranapolis ice cream.
We're frequenters there as ateam and then I Constantly get
made fun of for my taste inmusic, especially during hard
workouts.
So my favorite, oh my go-tosong to help me get motivated
(39:13):
for a race is down the river bycamp.
Same as like, if probablyeveryone else ice cream to my
favorite food.
Yes and then I just kind oflisten to what Anna are.
We call her.
Our oxo has to play in themornings.
(39:35):
That kind of gets me motivated.
Karl (39:36):
So okay, so.
(39:40):
Okay, I'm gonna break the trend a little bit.
I have fourth periods offbefore swim sometimes and I have
no self-restraint and we'll eatchips in case of sometimes
Never works out very well.
My favorite song this is a hardone, but I'm gonna go with.
Meet me halfway by the block.
I had peace.
Karl (39:58):
Okay, All right.
All right, Zoe okay, myfavorite.
(40:03):
For sure, sometimes we'll stop on bike rides at this place
called Great Harvest, so I lovegetting any type of bread snack
on a ride.
That's my favorite.
Okay and recently, my favoritesong to hype me up Is any Eminem
song.
Karl (40:17):
Okay okay.
(40:18):
So the food I don't think should be in the triathlons diet
is the King Hall burgers, andthat's because they're served
every day.
We have a really hard trackworkout and I can tell you
anyone on the team we feel it.
And then, oh, my favorite songis house of the rising Sun by
the animals, and that is my hypesong.
All right okay, reagan.
(40:40):
I'm gonna go with the theme andprobably say ice cream or fro yo
.
Even yesterday, right after thebanquet, it was like an
immediate trip to fro yo.
That was obviously everyoneknew that was gonna happen.
And then favorites hype song,probably Anna's playlist or like
yeah, I'll put in my headphoneson race day, but I normally
don't play music and it's justso people don't talk to me right
(41:03):
away and I just listen toeveryone else's music that they
play out loud.
Karl (41:06):
All right, okay.
So last questions for the twoseniors.
Okay, and Sarah, we're gonnastart with you.
When I heard that they're gonnabe elevating women's triathlon
to a varsity sport, first of allI was pretty happy about that.
Secondly, it did what's kind ofsurprising, because rugby had
just gotten that status monthsbefore, right, or at least the
(41:28):
year before.
So it's kind of cool to see twosports jump up just like that.
And I think that that doesn'thappen unless, a the program is
shown a tremendous amount ofconsistency over the years and,
b You've had a lot of support,whether it's through alumni or
parents or whatever.
So the question I have is,knowing that, what are some of
(41:49):
the things that stand out to youabout this experience,
especially this last year, sinceit's the first year competing
as a varsity team?
And also, when you think aboutmoving on, what would you like
your legacy to be?
(42:03):
I think it's been cool to see how, on the club team, we all
like took a lot of pride andlike humble beginnings and how,
like we were one of the onlyteams, like when it's raining
out and snowing, like we'd be onthe track and the weather be
miserable and we'd be the onlyones out there.
And like how we always just worktogether, like we would Wake up
really early and do like threehour long bike rides and have 20
(42:25):
people stuffed in a roomtogether and so like humble
beginnings and remembering wherewe came from is really
important to me.
And remembering like where weStarted, especially seeing just
like our transition throughoutthis year, like how much we've
grown.
I think that's something thatwe should keep with us, even as,
like all club alumni graduate.
Just like those ideas that theyhad and bring it I think are
super important Just run thesupport that we have to, like
(42:49):
all the people who havegraduated, who have supported us
and got us where we are.
We had a text from one of ouralumni yesterday Just like
wishing us good luck and it wasreally cool to see.
And then just running likewe're here because we love this
sport and because it's fun, andjust keep that mindset of like
this is something that we loveto do and no matter how
competitive it gets, like we'redoing this because it's fun.
Karl (43:09):
Okay, keep that up, all right.
Thanks, captain, you get thelast word.
(43:14):
Yeah, a lot of based off what Sarah said.
I think a really key part ofthis team is how humble we are
coming from.
Those Roots of you're a goodathlete will make you a good
triathlete.
I also think something that'ssuper special with this team as
we've gone varsity is the factthat About half the girls in the
team competed at a varsitylevel at the naval academy
(43:36):
before coming to triathlon.
But none of us had theintention of coming in the naval
academy to compete on a varsitytriathlon team.
We came here to be machineman.
We came here to develop asofficers and leaders.
So that is like the forefrontof our mind as we as we do this
is we love the sport, we lovethe team, we love each other, we
(43:56):
love this opportunity, but weare using this to develop
ourselves both physically,mentally and like as people in
whole.
So I think that's a reallyunique perspective that we have
that some other teams may nothave.
On the yard we value being amachineman so much and it's it's
hard.
It definitely pulls you in somany directions that you have a
(44:17):
two hour practice but you haveto get back because you have
come around.
So you have meetings or youhave Responsibilities.
The girls all have really largeresponsibilities within their
company and differentorganizations, and so they're
pulled in so many directions,but they're able to do it all.
So I think that's somethingthat is very special about this
team.
I think we did a great job.
(44:40):
Coming into the season, this isthe first year we had a blocker,
so we had a month off ofmilitary training coming in to
the school year, where we got tofocus on team training and we
took a team trip and it was justus girls, no coaches.
We're in the BlearidgeMountains.
So much fun putting such greatground work, physically building
(45:00):
up.
Coming out of the summer, it'salways hard because you're in
military fitness but notnecessarily Traff on fitness.
So building that up but alsocreating that time for us to
bond as an already super tightteam and Lay out what our
expectations are for Not onlythis season but this team as it
(45:21):
develops, what we want to beRemembered for, what we want our
legacy to be and the standardswe will uphold.
Everyone created goals.
We have a team document withwhat our expectations are.
We have a document withIndividual personal goals along
with team goals, and it's reallyjust staying true to that of
like we are here to develop andwe want to see this team grow
(45:44):
and I have complete confidencethat in the coming years this
could be a national championshipteam.
The Naval Academy and the typeof people it attracts Are so
hardworking, such great athletes, and if you're a triathlete at
the school, you're alreadybalancing.
Like you're a special type ofperson.
You're balancing so much.
So I truly believe in thecoming years, this team has a
(46:04):
great potential and opportunityto develop, especially with the
current girls, you know,eventually coming into
leadership in the next coupleyears.
I'm super excited to see howthey'll perform.
All right, all right, and thatis a perfect place to wrap
things up.
Karl (46:17):
So, ladies, I want to thank all of you for taking the
time to join me this morning.
I really appreciate it, andcoach Edwards and coach lower
shell, Thank you for helping meset this up and I'm looking
forward to getting out there andwatching you guys.
Tomorrow I'll be out theresnapping some pictures so I can
do the follow blog article aswell.
So thanks again.
Thanks so much.
(46:37):
That's going to do it for this edition of Navy Sports Central.
Karl (46:38):
Thank you all so much for joining us Now.
If you'd like what you've heard, please be sure to hit that
follow button wherever you getyour podcast and remember to get
the word to all the other Navyfans out there.
Again, I want to thank the Navywomen's triathlon team for
taking the time to join me today.
How great was that getting toknow these terrific athletes and
future leaders.
I really enjoyed ourconversation.
Our question of the daycontinues to be a show favorite.
(46:59):
We didn't have one today, butyou can still answer the one
from our last episode.
It is pinned to the top so youwon't miss it.
And just a quick reminder theviews expressed on Navy Sports
Central are my own and do notreflect those of the US Naval
Academy or Navy Athletics.
By the way, the music used inNavy Sports Central comes to you
courtesy of Audio Jungle.
This is a great site forpurchasing the rights to use the
(47:20):
music from thousands of artistsaround the world, and those
featured in the podcast will becredited in our show notes.
Talk to you soon, everybody.
Until next time.
This is Karl Darden.
Go Navy, beat Army.
Hi everybody, my name is Karl Darden and I'd like to
welcome and thank all of you forjoining us today on Navy Sports
Central.
I'm your host and this is theofficial podcast of the Navy
Sports Nation where we take adeeper dive into Navy Sports.
We are headed into the VeteransDay weekend and I've got
something really special instore for you today.
In fact, it is so special thatwe'll just be focusing on the
deep dive segment and pickingback up with our question of the
(00:35):
day and mid-watch segments inour next episode and in a very
briefated sports update.
I'm extremely happy to reportthat the men's rugby team earned
a hard-fought star over Army bybeating the Black Knights up at
West Point by a score of 23 to21.
So please stick around for thisspecial episode.
I've got a feeling you'rereally going to enjoy it.
(01:01):
Hi everyone, thanks for beingwith us today on this special
edition of Navy Sports Central.
Today we are in Tempe, Arizona,which is the site of the NCAA
women's triathlon championships,and those take place tomorrow.
And not only do we have achance to connect with Coach
Billy Edwards again, but he wasalso nice enough to arrange a
visit with the entire team.
So it's time to get settled inand meet these terrific athletes
(01:21):
.
First, I do want to note thatthis episode is being recorded
on Friday, November the 10th,and that means it's the United
States Marine Corps' 248thbirthday.
So, Coach Edwards, happybirthday to you and all the
other Marines out there, andwelcome back to the desert, by
the way.
Coach Edwards (01:35):
I can't think of any other place.
I'd rather be Urryut Kill.
Karl (01:43):
Okay, we're going to have the team introduce themselves in
a minute, but before doing that, I wanted to get your take on a
couple of things.
First of all, you've had alittle over three weeks of
practice since the regionalqualifier last month, so how
would you assess the team'sphysical readiness at this point
?
Coach Edwards (01:57):
Well, it's just been a continuous build.
Throughout the entire year, Ithink we were really focused on
becoming race ready, race readyeach week, and now we've
actually had a little bit of achance to sort of focus a bit
more on being more fit and thenfind any sort of flaws in our
race tactics, and we've workedwith those as well.
(02:17):
So it's been a good three weeksto get specifically ready for
this race.
Okay, all right, cool.
Karl (02:24):
Now let's talk about the course a little bit, and just
for the benefit of folks who arenot familiar with how
collegiate triathlons work, Iwant to first, if you could just
review the distances for me forthe different legs, and then
secondly speak to the courselayout.
What do you like about it?
What do you wish they wouldtweak a little bit?
You know that sort of thing.
Coach Edwards (02:42):
So our distances are generally a 750 meter swim,
20 kilometer bike or 12 and ahalf mile bike and a 5k run.
That's for about 95% of ourraces.
Every once in a while we'llhave a smaller race that may be
a little bit different, butthey're all generally about that
and it takes about an hour.
It's an open water swim, soeverybody will go off at the
(03:02):
same time.
It's a mass start.
We have almost 100 athletes onthe line this weekend for the
fast heat, the top seated heatthat we're in, and then
everybody rides together on thebike.
It's not like Triathlon whereyou need to have space and
there's fancy arrow equipment.
We are on bikes, looking likewe're in a bike race or
(03:24):
something you would see like onTV for the Tour de France, and
so the athletes have to swim avery fast swim in order to get
out with a group and ride withother people, in order to
conserve their energy, in orderto come off the bike and have a
very fast 5k run.
So our athletes are almost ascapable of running at a division
(03:46):
one cross-country level in verycapable swimming, at a D1 level
as well.
So the capabilities are veryhigh speed and due to the nature
of going from one to the other.
Also, we have the transitionsthere and everybody has to be
able to quickly come out of thewater and get their helmets on
and, when they come off the bike, get their run shoes on so
(04:08):
they're able to maintain themomentum throughout the entire
race.
Karl (04:11):
Okay, very good.
Now your assistant coach iswith you on this trip, so let's
get a chance to know her.
Coach Allie LaRochelle is a2001 graduate of the University
of Maryland and is a nationallyranked triathlete.
She is an 11-time USA triathlonAll-American and has been an
all-world gold recipient on fourdifferent occasions.
So, coach Lauchel, welcome andthanks for joining us today.
Coach LaRochelle (04:33):
Thank you, it's nice to meet you.
Karl (04:35):
All right.
So the first question I had foryou is first of all, you run
two businesses right now.
One's a marketing business andthe other one you actually coach
endurance athletes as well.
I do so to me that seems like apretty full plate, right.
I mean, what made you say, okay, maybe I'll just apply for this
assistant coaching position atNavy?
(04:57):
What prompted you to do that,and how did that even come about
?
Coach LaRochelle (05:01):
Yep.
So, as you mentioned, I do havea pretty full plate.
I run a marketing company, Icoach individuals towards their
athletic goals and then, yeah, Ihave two busy sons in high
school.
So my husband is actually onthe board of trustees for
athletic scholarships at theNaval Academy and he's known Mr
Gladchuk for many years.
So Mr Gladchuk had asked if Iwould consider helping out with
(05:23):
the team and at first I waspretty hesitant because, as I,
as you said, I didn't know if Iwanted to add one more thing to
my plate.
But I came in and I met withBilly and we have a mutual
connection through my coach,who's been a great mentor of
mine for many years.
So after meeting Billy and thencoming in and meeting some of
the girls too at the time it wasthe club team last spring I
(05:44):
just felt like it would be areally great fit.
So we're no strangers to theNaval Academy.
My nephew graduated in 2001.
So we were sponsors to him andto all his friends and I just
thought, if I can give back inany way and help inspire these
girls in any small way, it wouldbe really rewarding for me.
Karl (06:01):
Okay, very good.
So the other question I had iswhen you, when you look at
coaching philosophy, right, Imean, obviously a staff has got
to be on the same page when itcomes to that, otherwise you
know, nothing gets done.
But that doesn't mean thosecoaching styles need to mirror
each other necessarily.
So I was wondering if you couldspeak to some of the
differences in your coachingstyle compared to Coach Edwards,
(06:22):
but yet they still arecomplementary in terms of just
pushing the team forward.
Coach LaRochelle (06:26):
Yep.
So I think the goal is the same.
Right there, we're bothcommitted to helping maximize
the performance of the girls andhelping them grow as student
athletes.
I think Billy likes to dothings a certain way and he
brings a fun, but also like moreof a drill sergeant type
mentality approach right Likewhere he's not afraid to let
(06:50):
them know when they might befalling short of his
expectations.
Whereas I've kind of found myrole more as or I see my role
more this season as like beingsomeone that they can come to
for support and as a soundingboard, and my hope is to help
build their confidence and helpthem believe in themselves
through positive reinforcementand through their hard work and
dedication to the program Right.
(07:11):
It's an amazing group of womenand I think that their humble
and quiet confidence is just sovaluable and I think it'll
really go far for them in lifeand in sport.
Karl (07:23):
All right, that's awesome.
Okay, thanks very much, coach.
Now it is time to meet our teammembers, so let's go around the
horn with first and last namein hometown Fire away.
(07:33):
Hi, my name is Haley Harris and I'm from St John's Florida.
Okay, Hi, I'm Emily Vela.
I'm from Ken Island, Maryland,all right.
Hello, I'm Maddie Klippenstein.
I'm from Platte City, Missouri.
Hi, I'm Sarah Jarman.
I'm from Frederick, Maryland,okay.
Hi, I'm Zoe Adama from FortWorth Texas.
(07:54):
Hi, I'm Anna Wekluk.
I'm from Hairman, Utah.
Hi, I'm Reagan Quilty and I'mfrom St Petersburg, Florida.
Karl (08:01):
Okay, Welcome to all of you.
Reagan, you get the firstquestion.
All right, You're the teamcaptain and captains.
I think one of their assets isbeing able to just assess the
collective mindset of the teamgoing into any major competition
.
So how would you characterizethat when it comes to your
teammates?
In other words, where are theymentally right now?
(08:23):
What would you?
(08:24):
I'd say I think we're definitely at a really great
place as a team.
We've come a long way this yearand we're definitely a super
tight group of girls.
Like every day, we come topractice and are so excited to
be with each other and we haveso much fun.
We're super dedicated to oursport and hard workers.
So we're competitive, we liketo push each other, but we
(08:44):
definitely have a great abilityto lean on each other.
So as we've built through thisseason, we've definitely worked
on gaining our confidence in oursport, becoming more physically
prepared for our championships.
And then this last three weeks,as Billy mentioned, was just
kind of a fine tune, gettingthat final fitness in those
technique and skills.
We definitely have preparedourselves very targetively for
(09:06):
this race.
The last three weeks we've donetons of training mirroring
exactly what the course is goingto look like.
There are certain technicalaspects that we expect to hit
different people we'll be racingagainst.
So kind of every practice hasbeen fine tuning, preparing,
imagining what it's going tofeel like while we're here.
So everyone's really been ableto build up their confidence in
(09:27):
that.
We definitely are super excited.
I think everyone is havingreally fun being here, like
being very official.
We had the banquet last nightwith all the other teams and we
had fun with it, like we'redefinitely one of the more
giggly teams out there.
There was kind of like a deadperiod where people are just
sitting there and we pulled outour phone and started playing
(09:47):
heads up in charades in ouruniforms, because we just want
to have fun together and makethe most of it.
So I definitely think we'retotally ready and today, getting
that last kind of look at thecourse, fine tuning, getting in
the right mental place, we'redefinitely ready for this
weekend.
Karl (10:02):
Okay, all right, that sounds good.
Now, one of the things I wouldkind of think about when I look
at captains between those thatare captains of individual
sports versus team sports right,the one thing that the coaches
of team sports I mean thecaptains of team sports don't
have to really deal with isgetting disconnected from their
team while they're competingright, I mean volleyball, you're
(10:23):
all there together, okay, theybasically after every point they
can, they have the opportunityto encourage each other.
Basketball, same sort of thing,but with a sport like triathlon
, you may see some of yourteammates out there, but you may
not see all of them.
What are some things and I'mgoing to ask you to kind of drop
on your prior triathlonexperience as well that you have
(10:45):
been able to use as a captainto help keep your team motivated
, even when you're not rightthere next to them?
(10:52):
Yeah, that's definitely been something I've never been
concerned about on this team isbecause I have complete
confidence in my team and thateveryone knows how to execute
their race.
It's definitely been a buildthis year.
We've learned a lot.
There's been a huge growinglearning curve coming into this
new style of racing becauseeveryone was great.
Athletes definitely had theability to perform, but some of
(11:13):
the technical, some of themental, some of the skill craft
in the sport was where we had towork.
So Sarah Jarman and I the othersenior on the team we both come
from a racing background, raceall through high school in this
format and so just this year,being able to share strategy,
thinking about different things,even our practices, changing
(11:34):
the way that we think atpractice and are a little more
aggressive with each other, alittle more competitive, talking
strategy after pieces, maybetake it a moment and breaking
down how a pace line went orwhen someone attacked, how you
should respond.
So we've just continuallythroughout the season shared our
(11:54):
knowledge.
Everyone's worked together andwe've figured out like the fine
tuning of our race.
So everyone is totally preparedto run their own race and we're
now at the point when we see acourse people will look at a
different turn or differentstart and be like hey, I'm
thinking this, what doeseveryone think?
And pull out different ideas.
So when it comes to race day,if we are in a pack together, we
(12:15):
love, we will communicate likecrazy you know we'll talk to
each other, we'll talk to otherteams.
We are okay boxing people arounda little, but when you're out
there you're just hoping for thebest for your team, hoping that
you don't see them becausethey're already ahead of you.
So when you do get out there onthe run, especially with the
two lap course like this, you'llbe running by everyone and as
(12:37):
you go you're just looking foryour teammates, like hoping for
the best for them, hoping yousee them ahead of that next girl
.
You know a little thumbs up,smile, a nickname, you know
anything, as you're all sweatyand panting and like just trying
to finish out the run to givethem that little acknowledgement
that like you see them and yousee their work.
That's all you need because wehave complete confidence that
(12:58):
like you can run your own raceand you know how to get yourself
to that finish line.
Karl (13:02):
All right, fair enough.
Okay, anna, you're up next Now.
One thing I noted was that youcome from a pretty strong
swimming background andobviously that's really a good
thing to have, because that'sthe lead off leg in the
triathlon.
And the comment I made withcoach when we spoke last time
was I was watching the Mastersgolf tournament.
One time Somebody made thecomment that you can't win the
(13:23):
Masters on the first day, butyou can't lose it right.
So if you take that analogy toa triathlon and swimming, you
can't necessarily win thetriathlon on the swimming leg,
but it is possible to lose itright.
So this is why I think swimmersare such an attractive athlete
to try and pull into this event.
My question to you is when itcomes to the bike and the run,
(13:46):
which of the two were a littlebit more of a challenge to you?
I think I remember reading thatyou had a little bit of a track
background.
Is that right?
(13:56):
Um, okay, so I in fact did do track, but I was a thrower so I
did not run in track.
I actually have more of abiking background.
I have mountain bike for a longtime.
My whole family my dad and mymom are mountain bike coaches,
and both of my little brothersare mountain bikers, and so I
have a really strong backgroundin that.
(14:17):
Whereas running, I actuallycame into the Naval Academy
being able to run maybe a milein 10 minutes, so I had little
to no background in running.
Actually.
Karl (14:29):
Right Now.
The very first triathlon I eversaw was I don't think it was
four years out of the Academy.
One of my friends was running asprint triathlon in Delaware
and I didn't really pay too muchattention to what was going on
in the transition areas and youwould think for a race that's an
hour long it wouldn't reallymake that much of a difference.
But, as you guys know, everylittle second counts in those
(14:51):
transitions.
So what are some of the thingsthat you've picked up on that
has helped you really kind ofget more efficient when you go
from swim to bike and then biketo run?
(15:01):
For me, I would say it's less about like tips and tricks in
those transition areas and moreabout what you do leading up to
like the race for those so likeon our team especially, Reagan
was talking about how we've beenpracticing for this course
specifically and that's true wehave been in a parking garage
for the last three weekspracticing our transition from
(15:24):
the bike of a parking garageturn.
Is that right?
Karl (15:27):
Yes, that's pretty thorough.
(15:32):
And that is a fantastic way, because when we saw the course
yesterday we were like thatlooks exactly like what we've
been practicing, and so thatmirrors exactly what we wanted
to perform.
And then another thing is justpracticing and racing a lot,
(15:53):
because if you notice, like thebest people who have the
transitions on the team areReagan and Sarah and they're
very clean, beautifultransitions, and it's because
they've raced so many times thatit's just like in their head
for them, like they don't eventhink about it, it's just boom,
boom, boom.
So I would say that it's nottips and tricks, it's practice
and the seeing it in your head.
Karl (16:13):
So did the fact that you guys did uniform races.
Please do that help at all.
(16:19):
It helps with the mundaneness of doing a transition over and
over and over again and Billybeing like hey, did you even get
your shoes at time?
Maybe not?
Karl (16:32):
All right, okay, zoey, you're up next.
All right, zoey, you're anotherdecorated swimmer.
What was it that got youthinking about switching over to
triathlon?
And I guess one of the thingsI'm kind of trying to get is
what do you feel the triathlongives you, that swimming maybe
did not.
(16:52):
Yeah, it was definitely a long story.
I would say senior year of highschool.
I graduated in 2020 and that'swhen COVID started, so I stopped
swimming when all the poolswere closed to pandemic.
I didn't get into the NavalAcademy my first time, so I ran
cross country and track atTrinity University beforehand,
so I kind of had a little bit ofa background with swimming and
(17:12):
running.
But when I came to the Academymy previous year I was rowing on
the crew team and I loved thatteam.
It was amazing.
I knew I wanted to be a part ofthe team at the Academy.
But the triathlon team after myprevious year I was drawn to it.
It seems like an adventure.
You have three sports.
There's not a focus on onething.
You can be a master of alltrades and so I had a couple of
(17:35):
friends on the team Maddie andJoe Bell.
I knew them on the team andthey raved about how close the
team was, how much fun they hadtogether.
So from my tryout to ourblocker this year, it's been an
adventure.
Swimming for me was staring ata black line and sure, I loved
my teammates, but it wasregimented.
And triathlon for me has beenan adventure.
It's working hard.
(17:56):
Every course is different.
Every bike, every run, everyswim is in a different place,
often in beautiful places too,like here in Arizona.
So that's what drove me.
Karl (18:06):
So this next question has to do with how you and all
competitors, I guess, deal withnerves.
I mean, everybody gets them andthey all manage them in their
own way.
So what are some of the thingsthat you do to kind of keep
those in check as race dayapproaches?
(18:23):
Yeah, for sure, this is one thing I've definitely struggled
with Nerves on race days.
Honestly, what can make orbreak your race?
I think it's important to be alittle bit nervous.
If you're not nervous, I'm notsure there's something wrong.
But for me coach Billy tells methis a lot too and it helped me
a lot.
But focusing on what I cancontrol during a race, I can't
control what the other girls aredoing.
All I can control is my mindsetand focusing on what I've done
(18:45):
to prepare, and for me that'shonestly, personal time that
brings my mind to peace.
For example, like reading myBible is something where I'm
reminded where my strength isfound, and that's in my savior,
it's not in myself.
So bringing myself to stillbefore race is memorizing Bible
versus things that bring me tomy mind of like.
This is what I can control.
(19:06):
I can't control if I have a badswim or if something happens on
a bike, but also focusing onphysical things I can control,
like making sure I'm feeling mybody well.
That's something that's come bytrial and error.
There's certain things thatwork on race day and certain
things I don't.
But also the week before, likemaking sure we are eating,
sleeping, focusing on you duringthat time.
(19:27):
But it's also not just for me,it's for my teammates.
If I don't get these thingsright, my actions affect the
team as well.
Karl (19:36):
Understood.
All right, Okay, Sarah, you areup next.
And, by the way, I was tellingI was mentioning this earlier to
Coach LaRochelle.
She asked me if I'd ever playedany sports at the academy.
I said I was kind of anintramural guy because I had to
make a business decision as towhether or not I was going to
graduate or keep competing.
So I made the right choice,obviously by stepping down.
(19:59):
But the other comment I made wasthe mids who are there now are
way, way smarter than I ever was.
Right, and I'm amazed at howhigh a level of excellence I see
academically in addition toperforming so well on the field
of competition.
That finished me.
I'm wondering sometimes if thatever kind of gets to you in
(20:22):
terms of just all right, do Istill want to keep doing this?
It takes a lot of commitmentand everything right.
When you're out there onanother course and it's lousy
weather or maybe you're fightingoff a nagging injury, what are
some of the things that you door what are some of the things
that you kind of think about tokeep that commitment level high,
that motivation level high, soyou can continue to perform?
(20:44):
Yeah, I think this is something that we all struggle
with, especially me.
I feel like the academy pullsus in so many different
directions that it's hard totruly hone in sometimes.
But when we talk about try-offon being an individual sport, I
think sometimes that's false andeven though we're out there
alone, we're still out therewith our teams.
So my team deserves the bestout of me and I deserve the best
out of my team.
So that always keeps memotivated to keep working hard
(21:06):
for them in practice and in arace.
So I'm not doing this formyself.
I'm representing the Navy, theNaval Academy and also my
teammates.
Karl (21:14):
Right, yeah, that makes sense.
Now we've talked about thecourse layout just a little bit
Obviously out here.
You know, fairly flat, maybe afew elevation changes where a
road kind of dips downunderneath an overpass or
something like that, but not atremendous amount of variation
From your perspective, do youlike flatter type courses?
(21:35):
I know that some athletesprefer some undulations and
hills and so forth, just fornothing else, just a change of
pace.
But what's your preference?
(21:43):
Personally for draft Eagle Races.
I think it's more fun when it'sflat, because I think you get
to use the drafting more to youradvantage.
But I'm trying to change mymindset a little bit, where it's
like the course doesn't matterso much, only the way you react
to it.
So I'm always someone who's alittle like scared of hills, but
I need to work on like notdoing that and it's just like
the way that you perform up ahill.
(22:04):
It depends on your mindset andhow you attack it.
Karl (22:06):
Okay, all right, good, all right.
Maddie, you are up.
Okay, swimmer and cross countryrunner in high school, right,
so clearly you had those twolegs kind of handled, at least
in terms of experience.
Was there anything about thecycling?
That was a little bit of achallenge that you did not
anticipate.
(22:27):
Okay.
So, yes, I did come from arunning and swimming background
and I would say my backgroundwith biking was really just, I
knew how to ride a bike and thatwas the extent of it and my
plebure.
I took a pretty good fall, Ibroke my wrist and that was a
pretty big wake up call as tohow intense biking can be.
(22:47):
And I knew when I joined theteam that I had the leg strength
that I could build on to be agood cyclist.
I just had to learn thetechnique and I was really lucky
that I had veterans on the teamlike Reagan and Sarah that
could teach the bike techniqueand our team can continue to
embody that and pass that on toindividuals that need it as well
.
But I really had to take that instride and learn from pleb
(23:08):
young, certain al-sikin classyear, how to ride my bike
technique, like clipping in,drinking my water, frequently
being when we're on the clubteam, being in aero bars, and
those are things I've justlearned over time.
And it really does takepractice and being intentional
when you're biking.
So we go out and bike, it's notjust like, oh, we're going for
a bike ride, it's hey, let'smake sure that we are practicing
(23:31):
how we're going to race, somaking sure I'm putting my hands
in the right places, attentionto detail when we're doing that,
and I think that is how I'vebuilt the cycling from my pleb
year to now.
But it's definitely something Ihad to learn quickly,
especially from the crash of mypleb year.
But we haven't had one since.
Karl (23:47):
So yeah, mattie one more coming your way With your wrists
.
Coach LaRochelle (23:53):
Oh yeah, Should be the cover photo.
(23:56):
I'm going to tell you really quick, just because it's funny.
But my pleb year, when I brokemy wrist, I had a cast.
So this is my scarve.
I had a cast on my left arm.
And.
I fractured my right arm so Ijust had a brace, but it wasn't
thrown.
It was like three weeks and Iwould still come to practice and
at that time we'd swim at lunch.
And as a pleb.
So, like Sarah said, we'repulling many different
(24:17):
directions, especially pleb year, and I sat on the side of the
pool deck and I'd watched themswim and there was oftentimes
like I'd be watching them swimand then all of a sudden I'm
asleep and so there's thisreally comical picture of me
like sitting like this with acast and a brace mouth wide open
on the side of the pool deck,but we've come far.
Hopefully that's pretty good,all right.
Karl (24:41):
So the next question has to do with food and nutrition.
All right, now you guys know aswell as I do that that King
Hall menu is not the best whenit comes to triathletes,
especially when you're trainingin season.
So how do you work around that?
I mean, are there allowancesthat can be made?
I mean, can you make requestsfor the team tables and stuff
like that?
(25:00):
Yes, so it is difficult.
It is difficult, I won't sayit's not, but we adapt for sure.
And we are provided some extrafood as varsity athletes.
We have refueling stations,which we're really blessed to
have, where we can go get thoseextra snacks before, after
practice to replenish ourselves.
(25:20):
And then, in addition to that,we're really blessed that our
O-REP Commander Shrek and Gausswe have her this year and she
was able to tell us in thebeginning of this year the
importance of how you make yourplate.
So we know, first off, food isfuel and the most important
thing is hating the amount ofcalories that we're burning.
We need to fuel ourselves Right.
So that's what comes first.
And so we go into King Hall.
(25:40):
The biggest thing is we'relooking for our carbs, our fat,
our protein, and so we add toour plate with that intention.
And while it's hard and, yes,the food isn't excellent,
sometimes we can make do youjust have to put in the effort.
And it's also about beingintentional with OK, I know that
I'm going to miss lunch forthis reason, or I know that we
have a really hard workout onSaturday.
(26:01):
I need to get more food then.
So it's putting in thepreparation and planning.
So, like Zoe said earlier, youcan perform because you prepared
yourself well for that practiceor race.
Karl (26:12):
OK, all right, very good.
Ok, we're going to go ahead andtake a short break now, but
before we do that, I did want togive you all a couple of ways
to stay up to date on NavySports.
The first is to join the NavySports Nation Group Facebook
page.
I've got a link to that in theshow notes.
Just click on it, answer acouple of questions and you'll
be good to go.
The second way takes even lesstime.
Just hit the follow button onwhichever platform you're
(26:34):
listening to this podcast rightnow.
It can be Apple Podcasts,spotify, art, heart Radio, it
doesn't matter.
Once you do that, every episodewill be downloaded to your
directory when it's released andyou can listen to it whenever
you're ready.
So please consider becoming amember of our group and you can
actually tap that follow buttonright now to show your support
for the podcast.
I'm looking forward to havingyou join us.
We'll be right back.
(26:54):
Music OK, welcome back to NavySports Central.
Karl Darden here with you and Iam joined today by the Navy
(27:14):
Women's Triathlon team.
We are in Tempe, arizona, fortheir NCAA championships, which
take place tomorrow on VeteransDay, and, by the way, this has
been an absolute blast so fargetting to know the team.
So I tell you what.
Let's go ahead and get back toour conversation.
So, emily, we're going to goahead and pick back up with you.
Music, you were named the USATriathlon All-American last year
(27:36):
, is that correct?
Yes, and you all wound upfinishing fourth nationally, so
that was pretty cool.
Okay, now the team makes a jumpto varsity status over the
summer, and I know that you guyswere very, very competitive as
a club team, but did you noticeany differences in terms of,
from a competition standpoint,going from club to varsity?
(27:54):
I think the biggest one that I've noticed, especially from
never having biked, is thatlearning how to bike 25 miles by
yourself on a completelydifferent bike as the TT arrow
bars situation goes on.
So then riding draft legal onroad bikes, learning how to ride
a new bike again.
I think the biggest thing waslearning how you're competing
(28:15):
with people.
You have to use other peoplefor your advantage.
It's not just okay, I'm goingto go out bike, crush the bike
and help for the best on the run.
It's now like I have to go onthe bike, hope I get in a pack,
hope my teammates are there tohave someone's motivate you and
everyone else to keep going,keep going faster and then get
off on the run and run fast.
Okay, all right good.
Karl (28:37):
Now let's look at the same question from a slightly
different perspective.
The seven of you went from aco-ed club team straight to a
women's varsity team.
So what differences did you seethere in terms of the overall
dynamic and how you interactedwith each other?
(28:52):
I think the biggest difference is who you're with.
On the club team we had theguys on board, so a lot of the
times, especially the swim andthe bike sometimes I'd bike with
the guys and you see a wholedifferent competition level.
They'd be like, okay, we'regoing to just sprint the whole
warmup and then we're going todo the pieces and we're going to
(29:12):
sprint back and it's awesome,but I can't bike at 25 miles per
hour.
And the warmup with you guysit's like turning back down, so
something I can bike with youguys.
And the swim we would be likean integrated swim.
So every lane was based offspeed, not gender, which was
awesome Because it was like,again, the guys have a whole
different mentality of how we'regoing to pace things and it was
(29:33):
like, okay, if I can stay withthem on the tempo hundreds, the
15 tempo hundreds, it's awesome,I'm going to catch them and
we're going to run them over.
That was kind of the idea.
But I think that's the biggestthing was going to all girls'
team versus guys' girls.
Growing up, I'd always been onthe guys' girls' team, from
soccer to swimming to crosscountry.
It was always guys' girls.
(29:53):
We always practiced together.
So going to all girls.
It's like, okay, I don't havethat kind of a buffer where it's
like I can't just make fun ofsomeone and be like, oh, it's
fine, Like half the time they'lllaugh.
Or Reagan will just come andpick at me.
And it's like, well, I don'twant to say something mean
enough where it's like he's madat me.
So I have to like tell myselfback.
I'm like, okay, I'll just takethis one, I'll think of a good
comeback next time.
(30:13):
She's still waiting for thatcomeback, but all right.
Karl (30:22):
so the next question has to do again, just jumping back
to the courses and so forth.
I'm kind of curious, becauseyou know you had a fair amount
of experience before what's themost challenging course you've
ever come across and why was itso challenging?
(30:35):
I think every course is hard the first time.
You see it just because youdon't know what to expect, like
if it's going to be a hill, it'sgoing to be a big decline,
that's like curvy or not.
And especially about the bike, Ithink like once we get through
it, like the first time, if yourun through it, we see the
course, we know like okay, likethis is where I'm making a sharp
left, sharp right or somethinglike that, something like
different, like especially the180s those are the big things,
(30:57):
for me at least.
And it's like okay, like ifI've done it once, if I've done
it like three times, and it'slike okay, I know on race day
like I can do it, Even if I'mlike in the mentality of like I
just got to finish, like I knowlike I could finish the course
I'm going to do good.
And I think that's like mybiggest thing that I do is just
like adjusting to like everycourse, like as we go through
I'm like none of the courses arethe same and just taking each
(31:17):
one like that morning Be likeokay, like I know I can finish
this course.
Karl (31:21):
Okay, all right, so Maybe we can use this course here as
an example.
So, from a course managementstandpoint, what are some things
that you're thinking about ineach phase?
(31:33):
So for the swim is just we just kind of be like get out
there and help to get in a goodpack.
Um, for like regionals, I gotout with a big pack of like
almost 20 girls.
So that was really nice becauseit was like all the girls in
the front wanted to get likewanted to pool, and I was like
Awesome, and I'll sit behind youguys.
You guys pull me through theend, which was awesome Because
I'd never had that before, withmy first time ever being in like
(31:54):
a pack bigger than five people.
And then so that's like theswim.
Hopefully getting out of thewater in good position and then
onto the bike out of transitionsis straight uphill, pretty much
Up until like you go straightup, take a right and then you're
on along straight away and thebig thing for that would just be
like get up on, like get up,like get out the hill Um, hope
(32:15):
that people are up there on thehill To like get with them and
like kind of like use them tolike get faster straight ahead.
On the straight away to getahead of the other people behind
me, so that we're not like bymyself or like Waiting for other
people to just pass me and justcome by and like fly by Right,
um, looks like a big thingespecially.
And then afterwards it's astraight, like um, we got
(32:36):
straight, and then it's a big180 and then it's A couple more
like turns, another at 180s, andit's like all I've got to be
like positioning myself in theright spots, like not get
dropped from the 180s and thenhopefully Be in a good spot
where I'm not like having toslow down and like potentially
falling off my bike from slowingdown too much, which has
happened.
That's like my biggest thing.
(32:56):
It's like more the technicalside of Positioning myself where
I want to be like in the frontof a turn so they don't just
like lose me on the next uphill.
Karl (33:04):
Okay, very good, all right , we are heading down the home
stretch now.
So, uh Haley, these last coupleof questions are for you.
You're coming off a 13th placefinish at the nca qualifier.
Right and then two weeks beforethat or maybe three weeks
before that, you finish first inthat waterman sprint triathlon,
correct?
(33:20):
Yes okay.
Karl (33:21):
So first of all, congratulations.
Secondly, uh, definitely afunction of all the hard work
you put in and so forth, butalso from your team as well.
So what I want to know and Ithink reagan kind of alluded to
it earlier Uh, can you speak tohow you guys do in fact push
each other during practice?
I mean, what, what happens andhow competitive do things get?
(33:42):
um, I would say we are a highly competitive team and it's
important to note that there'sa difference between being
competitive in a good way, in abad way, and we are definitely
competitive in a good way as inlike we're doing it to push each
other and not out of ill intent.
Right.
Um, but I mean during the swims,like everyone wants to go first
(34:03):
in their lane and you want tobeat the person in the lane next
to you and, um, viking, whenAnna and I get playing the front
together, or Anna and anyone,anna likes to be an inch ahead
of the person she's with, soit's erased the whole time and
then suddenly we're going like27 miles an hour on a neurovik
ride and, yes, anna and I aresometimes called Hannah.
(34:26):
And then during runs, I usuallyhave to keep myself in the back
because I get excited and westart Going to tempo pace during
runs when it's supposed to bean easy run to the track.
Karl (34:44):
That's pretty good.
Okay, one more question for you.
We've already talked a littlebit about the biking portion of
the of the event and, becausethis is a draft legal race, I
was kind of curious to find outsome of the things that you guys
use to take full advantage ofthis.
So let's just say,hypothetically, right, you guys
(35:06):
come out of the water and atleast within the first mile
You're all together on the bike.
I know I don't know how oftenthat happens, but let's just for
this situation, let's saythat's the case, right?
So walk me through what thatstrategy would be, what you
would be doing in order to chasedown the leaders and put the
whole team In a better position.
(35:25):
Well, let me start off by saying that, hypothetically, if
that happens, our bike packwould kick every other bike pack
.
But I think that we all workreally well together and we
practice like every sort ofdrafting scenario of practice.
So there's rotating pace linesand 30-second pulls and
15-second pulls and two-minutepulls, and I think we all know
(35:47):
each other's strengths andweaknesses pretty well.
So Anna is definitely ourstrongest bike puller, so she
will probably pull a lot more,but make sure that she's not
pulling faster, she's justpulling longer.
And then the rest of us wouldpull as much as we could and
help our team go as fast aspossible.
Karl (36:06):
Okay, all right.
So so, Hearing that I guess youare, you can use certain
devices to kind of check yourtimes and so forth.
I wasn't really sure what therules were at the collegiate
level for something like that.
But yeah, it's so, that's clear.
You guys have garments andsomething like that to use.
(36:22):
Yes, we're allowed to use garments, and Coach Billy does
not like them during races, asmost coaches do not, but people
wear them anyways, and he's toldus multiple times to turn off
all the screens at practicesbecause you don't want to be
focusing on that, you just wantto be focusing on feel.
But there are sometimes likepractice.
Last week he wanted me to knowmy pace and I had all the
(36:44):
screens off because that's whathe told me to do, so I was like
I don't know my pace, I'm justgoing to be some feel.
Karl (36:52):
That does it for all the heavy-duty questions.
What I want to do now is justkind of throw out a couple of
fun ones for you guys, and thenwe'll finish up with a couple of
thoughts from from Sarah andReagan.
So the the first question I hadand yeah, let's go with Maddie
on this one and then you guyscan just kind of rotate around.
First question favorite foodthat has no business being on
(37:12):
our triathletes menu.
(37:14):
Okay, so I want to preface by saying I'm really proud of this
team in our mindset towards foodand I believe that there that
every food has business.
Being in a triathletes diet,like I said earlier, we're
really lucky and blessed to havecommunity of Shrek and gas is
our OREP being a registereddietitian and showing us that
(37:35):
what matters most is calories,because we're not just feeding
our bodies, we're feeding ourmind and souls.
So if something's gonna make ushappy, then we should have it.
So, Every food is busy being atriathlete diet, but I will say
there are definitely foods thatI Probably should not have right
before practice, and so I canstart by saying I really love
(37:56):
ice cream and King Hall has icecream, and having ice cream at
lunch right before a run workoutis probably not the best idea.
So that is that's my answer.
Karl (38:07):
Okay, all right.
Second, have that question,though, though unrelated
Favorite song that you like touse to kind of get yourself
ready.
(38:15):
Okay, so I don't have a specific song, but we do have a
playlist.
Okay, that we three playlistsactually blood, sweat and tears
and it was made by one of ouralumni, jeremy Stevens, and it
is a combination of songs frompast Alumni all the way back to
(38:36):
Adam Estroff, sophie Tasker, andit is a combination of all
these really fun songs that Anyother team heard.
They'd probably like what theheck is this, but when we play
it really gets us ready.
So Any song from one of thosethree playlists is probably my
go-to song.
Okay.
Karl (38:51):
All right, let's jump back over to Haley.
(38:53):
Okay, so favorite food is definitely cookie monster, ice
cream from always ice cream oranapolis ice cream.
We're frequenters there as ateam and then I Constantly get
made fun of for my taste inmusic, especially during hard
workouts.
So my favorite, oh my go-tosong to help me get motivated
(39:13):
for a race is down the river bycamp.
Same as like, if probablyeveryone else ice cream to my
favorite food.
Yes and then I just kind oflisten to what Anna are.
We call her.
Our oxo has to play in themornings.
(39:35):
That kind of gets me motivated.
Karl (39:36):
So okay, so.
(39:40):
Okay, I'm gonna break the trend a little bit.
I have fourth periods offbefore swim sometimes and I have
no self-restraint and we'll eatchips in case of sometimes
Never works out very well.
My favorite song this is a hardone, but I'm gonna go with.
Meet me halfway by the block.
I had peace.
Karl (39:58):
Okay, All right.
All right, Zoe okay, myfavorite.
(40:03):
For sure, sometimes we'll stop on bike rides at this place
called Great Harvest, so I lovegetting any type of bread snack
on a ride.
That's my favorite.
Okay and recently, my favoritesong to hype me up Is any Eminem
song.
Karl (40:17):
Okay okay.
(40:18):
So the food I don't think should be in the triathlons diet
is the King Hall burgers, andthat's because they're served
every day.
We have a really hard trackworkout and I can tell you
anyone on the team we feel it.
And then, oh, my favorite songis house of the rising Sun by
the animals, and that is my hypesong.
All right okay, reagan.
(40:40):
I'm gonna go with the theme andprobably say ice cream or fro yo
.
Even yesterday, right after thebanquet, it was like an
immediate trip to fro yo.
That was obviously everyoneknew that was gonna happen.
And then favorites hype song,probably Anna's playlist or like
yeah, I'll put in my headphoneson race day, but I normally
don't play music and it's justso people don't talk to me right
(41:03):
away and I just listen toeveryone else's music that they
play out loud.
Karl (41:06):
All right, okay.
So last questions for the twoseniors.
Okay, and Sarah, we're gonnastart with you.
When I heard that they're gonnabe elevating women's triathlon
to a varsity sport, first of allI was pretty happy about that.
Secondly, it did what's kind ofsurprising, because rugby had
just gotten that status monthsbefore, right, or at least the
(41:28):
year before.
So it's kind of cool to see twosports jump up just like that.
And I think that that doesn'thappen unless, a the program is
shown a tremendous amount ofconsistency over the years and,
b You've had a lot of support,whether it's through alumni or
parents or whatever.
So the question I have is,knowing that, what are some of
(41:49):
the things that stand out to youabout this experience,
especially this last year, sinceit's the first year competing
as a varsity team?
And also, when you think aboutmoving on, what would you like
your legacy to be?
(42:03):
I think it's been cool to see how, on the club team, we all
like took a lot of pride andlike humble beginnings and how,
like we were one of the onlyteams, like when it's raining
out and snowing, like we'd be onthe track and the weather be
miserable and we'd be the onlyones out there.
And like how we always just worktogether, like we would Wake up
really early and do like threehour long bike rides and have 20
(42:25):
people stuffed in a roomtogether and so like humble
beginnings and remembering wherewe came from is really
important to me.
And remembering like where weStarted, especially seeing just
like our transition throughoutthis year, like how much we've
grown.
I think that's something thatwe should keep with us, even as,
like all club alumni graduate.
Just like those ideas that theyhad and bring it I think are
super important Just run thesupport that we have to, like
(42:49):
all the people who havegraduated, who have supported us
and got us where we are.
We had a text from one of ouralumni yesterday Just like
wishing us good luck and it wasreally cool to see.
And then just running likewe're here because we love this
sport and because it's fun, andjust keep that mindset of like
this is something that we loveto do and no matter how
competitive it gets, like we'redoing this because it's fun.
Karl (43:09):
Okay, keep that up, all right.
Thanks, captain, you get thelast word.
(43:14):
Yeah, a lot of based off what Sarah said.
I think a really key part ofthis team is how humble we are
coming from.
Those Roots of you're a goodathlete will make you a good
triathlete.
I also think something that'ssuper special with this team as
we've gone varsity is the factthat About half the girls in the
team competed at a varsitylevel at the naval academy
(43:36):
before coming to triathlon.
But none of us had theintention of coming in the naval
academy to compete on a varsitytriathlon team.
We came here to be machineman.
We came here to develop asofficers and leaders.
So that is like the forefrontof our mind as we as we do this
is we love the sport, we lovethe team, we love each other, we
(43:56):
love this opportunity, but weare using this to develop
ourselves both physically,mentally and like as people in
whole.
So I think that's a reallyunique perspective that we have
that some other teams may nothave.
On the yard we value being amachineman so much and it's it's
hard.
It definitely pulls you in somany directions that you have a
(44:17):
two hour practice but you haveto get back because you have
come around.
So you have meetings or youhave Responsibilities.
The girls all have really largeresponsibilities within their
company and differentorganizations, and so they're
pulled in so many directions,but they're able to do it all.
So I think that's somethingthat is very special about this
team.
I think we did a great job.
(44:40):
Coming into the season, this isthe first year we had a blocker,
so we had a month off ofmilitary training coming in to
the school year, where we got tofocus on team training and we
took a team trip and it was justus girls, no coaches.
We're in the BlearidgeMountains.
So much fun putting such greatground work, physically building
(45:00):
up.
Coming out of the summer, it'salways hard because you're in
military fitness but notnecessarily Traff on fitness.
So building that up but alsocreating that time for us to
bond as an already super tightteam and Lay out what our
expectations are for Not onlythis season but this team as it
(45:21):
develops, what we want to beRemembered for, what we want our
legacy to be and the standardswe will uphold.
Everyone created goals.
We have a team document withwhat our expectations are.
We have a document withIndividual personal goals along
with team goals, and it's reallyjust staying true to that of
like we are here to develop andwe want to see this team grow
(45:44):
and I have complete confidencethat in the coming years this
could be a national championshipteam.
The Naval Academy and the typeof people it attracts Are so
hardworking, such great athletes, and if you're a triathlete at
the school, you're alreadybalancing.
Like you're a special type ofperson.
You're balancing so much.
So I truly believe in thecoming years, this team has a
(46:04):
great potential and opportunityto develop, especially with the
current girls, you know,eventually coming into
leadership in the next coupleyears.
I'm super excited to see howthey'll perform.
All right, all right, and thatis a perfect place to wrap
things up.
Karl (46:17):
So, ladies, I want to thank all of you for taking the
time to join me this morning.
I really appreciate it, andcoach Edwards and coach lower
shell, Thank you for helping meset this up and I'm looking
forward to getting out there andwatching you guys.
Tomorrow I'll be out theresnapping some pictures so I can
do the follow blog article aswell.
So thanks again.
Thanks so much.
(46:37):
That's going to do it for this edition of Navy Sports Central.
Karl (46:38):
Thank you all so much for joining us Now.
If you'd like what you've heard, please be sure to hit that
follow button wherever you getyour podcast and remember to get
the word to all the other Navyfans out there.
Again, I want to thank the Navywomen's triathlon team for
taking the time to join me today.
How great was that getting toknow these terrific athletes and
future leaders.
I really enjoyed ourconversation.
Our question of the daycontinues to be a show favorite.
(46:59):
We didn't have one today, butyou can still answer the one
from our last episode.
It is pinned to the top so youwon't miss it.
And just a quick reminder theviews expressed on Navy Sports
Central are my own and do notreflect those of the US Naval
Academy or Navy Athletics.
By the way, the music used inNavy Sports Central comes to you
courtesy of Audio Jungle.
This is a great site forpurchasing the rights to use the
(47:20):
music from thousands of artistsaround the world, and those
featured in the podcast will becredited in our show notes.
Talk to you soon, everybody.
Until next time.
This is Karl Darden.
Go Navy, beat Army.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Nikki Glaser Podcast
Every week comedian and infamous roaster Nikki Glaser provides a fun, fast-paced, and brutally honest look into current pop-culture and her own personal life.