USA TRIATHLON 2015 GENERAL ELECTION Welcome to USA Triathlon s 2015 election coverage. Please use the following information to learn about the candidates nominated in your region for the al Council. We hope this will assist you with your voting decision. CANDIDATES FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGIONAL COUNCIL Please vote for up to eleven (11) of the following candidates: REGION Rocky Mountain (includes, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas (only El Paso County), Utah, and Wyoming) CANDIDATE Scott Bennefield Traci C. Ciepiela Dan Frost (incumbent) Joseph Gregg Suzanne Martin (incumbent) Jonathan Mason (incumbent) Byron Piatt (incumbent) Marvin L. Shockey (incumbent) Warner S. Smith III (incumbent) Andie Talmadge (incumbent) Jeremy R. Trembly (incumbent)
SCOTT BENNEFIELD Rio Rancho, NM I am asking for your vote to allow me to serve our triathlon community on the Rocky Mountain Regional Council. I am owner and founder of Bennefield Multisports Coaching, LLC. and known as Ironmanpastor. My experience as a certified USAT Level 1, USAC Level 3 coach with over 20 years competing, including 9 Ironman finishes, exhibits my passionate pursuit of this life-changing sport. I can offer strategic leadership through cooperative engagement with RMR council members, USAT coaches and triathletes of our region. My desire is to identify, develop, implement and support the promotion of the essential elements that foster the thriving health and longevity of our sport and the life changing benefits to those who participate. Some of these elements include networking & enrichment opportunities for coaches and race directors, advancement of youth & challenged athlete involvement, and the intentional for USAT members to utilize creative avenues to give back to the sport through volunteering their time and talents.
TRACI C. CIEPIELA Rock Springs, WY 82901 I have lived in Wyoming for nine years. I have a Master s Degree with additional graduate work. I have been part of the triathlon community for the last three years. I started with my first three years ago after I underwent surgery for a stage one melanoma, the death of my father, and the loss of my 18 year old pet as well. Training for a race kept me focused on moving forward. After I finished my first sprint race I continued training with my sights set higher. I finished an Olympic race the next year even though I had cut my toe open on the warm up to the swim. While training for that year discussions circulated among some friends here in Rock Springs and whether it would be possible to create a race locally. We just finished our second race and I serve as Race Director. As for a platform of issues, the application process for races can be rather difficult and the time delay that can happen in approving an event can sometimes cause extreme stress. I would like to see an improvement in the approval process since it is not a guarantee.
DAN FROST Fort Collins CO I am honored to have been selected by my peers to serve you as the regional council s chairman since April 2015. I have been a member of USAT since 1999, including three years as an elite/pro athlete member. During my years of membership, I have had the opportunity to participate in virtually every facet of the sport and the triathlon industry. This includes current certifications as a USAT coach and race official, and ITU World Triathlon Series race official. I am also an officer of a local, second-year triathlon club. I am the unique person who understands and connects with each of you athlete members, clubs, coaches, race directors, officials, volunteers, vendors and USAT national office staff and board members. I travel most weekends to races, events and conferences to meet your needs and be your voice as you fund this sport with money and hard training, and wish to have your triathlon experience to be as fantastic as your dreams. My focus is on YOU and helping each constituent increase opportunities and remove barriers for both entry and success in triathlon.
JOSEPH GREGG Greeley, CO I have participated in nearly 100 triathlons, aquathlons, and other endurance events; competing in local events, regional USAT races, Club Nationals, USAT Nationals, and ITU World Championships. That journey has been personally fulfilling. It is time for me to give back to the community which has been so very generous to me. The community of athletes is crucial to nurturing novices. The local tri club was an essential support and learning opportunity for me and many others. I am committed to the proliferation and growth of local clubs. Expansion of two-sport endurance races is one way to grow membership in USAT. Two of the key strategies articulated by USAT to grow membership include 1) understanding and leveraging passion drivers, and 2) amplifying USAT value proposition to members. I would work with local race directors to utilize the USAT s outcomes from these two strategies to guide growth of two-event endurance races. These are just two specific examples of initiatives of interest to me. More importantly, I will be an active representative to assist the Council in attaining their goals while ensuring that rank and file members have a voice in the regional and national visions, missions, and goals.
SUZANNE MARTIN Farmington, UT Please consider this my self-nomination for the USA Triathlon Rocky Mountain region council. I have been serving this past year as a representative for women's issues and would like to continue to contribute to the growth of women in triathlon in our region and beyond. My philosophy in doing this is to promote the sport of triathlon in everything I do; showing women that no matter the age or ability, triathlon can be done. I've held several clinics for newbies this past year and plan to continue doing so. Thank you for your consideration.
JONATHAN MASON Ft. Collins, CO ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION COLLEGIATE CHAIR July 2014 Present Purpose of working closely with each Collegiate Club in Region & Conference Commissioner bringing together certain aspects of training and competition and acting as liaison to National Office Collegiate Chair to further Collegiate agenda progressing towards future growth, highlevel competition. June 2015- developed/led first ever Collegiate, Age-Group week-long Training Camp in region. 20 athletes in attendance representing four universities as well as diverse age-group distribution. Sept 2015 First ever Draft-legal Collegiate race in region hosted by Without Limits at Oktoberfest Triathlon in Longmont HEAD COACH Colorado State University 2011-Present Lead a team of 80+ athletes, three assistant coaches to six Mountain Collegiate Conference races, and 2 annual training camps. Coach over 300+ annual hours of instruction and clinics on nutrition, periodization, swim technique, bike handling, and run mechanics. Notable: Four Elite Qualifiers 2012-2015, Five Top-10 Individual Finishers USAT Collegiate National Championships, 7 th Place Overall Combined Team Collegiate National Championships 2015, Men s 6 th Place Overall - 2015 EDUCATION AND TRAINING USAT Level II USAC Level III Masters, Coaching University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO - May 2015
BYRON PIATT Albuquerque, NM I have been a USAT Official for the last two years, and was appointed to the Regional Council in April 2015 as Club Liaison. I ve worked with Race Directors, team leadership and individual triathletes. I worked with a USAT Race Director to help me put on my first triathlon. I will attend a Race Director sanctioning clinic this fall to further develop my skills. I have been a triathlete for 5 years, and have been an USAT annual member the whole time. I saw the benefit of membership and realized that initial investment would provide additional incentive to continue to train and compete. I have progressed through the sprint, Olympic and 70.3 distances, and completed my first full Ironman last fall (IMAZ 2014). I believe that serving on the Council will give me chance to give back to our sport. I am very committed to its growth, particularly in our Region. My personal goal has been to work with all of our local clubs and race directors to assure that we were all working for our mutual benefit (supporting each other s races, encouraging local activities, etc.), and I will continue to encourage the development of opportunities for our youth athletes.
MARVIN L. SHOCKEY Rock Springs, WY Marvin has been an avid triathlete since his first event in 1988. Watching the sport grow and evolve, he has competed and enjoyed the sport. Some of his accomplishments are 3-time member of the US Air Force triathlon team competing at two USAT National events, World Ironman Championship in Kona. After serving in the US Air Force, he certified as a USAT Triathlon coach and US swim coach in California. He and is wife moved to Wyoming to slow down some. Coaching young people was still in his blood; he became assistant High School Swim coach and teaches advance swim technique at the local college. The last two years Marvin was a member of the Rock Mountain Regions USAT board. This year he has been promoting youth triathlon throughout the region along with developing a presence for USAT in Wyoming. It is his hope to be elected to a term in order to continue work improving the conduit in our region and Wyoming for emerging young athletes to become contributors to the sport of triathlon.
WARNER S. SMITH III Denver, Colorado My interest in serving on the council is to help with increasing annual membership enrollment of youth and adult triathletes in our region by promoting the benefits of annual membership over the one-day membership. I also want to help the council increase our annually retention rate among our current members in the to exceed the USA Triathlon National s goals for our region. I started my triathlete lifestyle back in 2014 when I did my first triathlon. It was The Boulder Sprint Triathlon and after crossing that finish line I was hooked. My current goal for 2016 is Ironman Boulder 2016 and the pursuit of the title of IRONMAN. This year I was the volunteer captain for the finish line area. It was a honor to give back to the sport I love and to experience the excitement of Ironman. My pledge to this council is to be active as the Annual Membership Coordinator. I will work with the Chairman and other council members to organize and plan recruiting events such as meeting with tri-clubs and being visible at our regional qualifying and championship triathlons.
ANDIE TALMADGE Rio Rancho, NM Andie Talmadge, M.S., currently serves as a member of the Council, elected by the council in November 2014. She has been involved in triathlon for over 20 years as an athlete, certified coach, certified race director and race promoter. She owns FIT FUNdamentals, a coaching, personal training and race production company. FIT FUNdamentals produces the City of Lakes Triathlon and Patriot Triathlon in New Mexico. Andie desires to continue to serve on the council for three reasons: 1) Help membership and involvement in USAT grow, focusing on beginner athletes, helping them get the support they need to succeed by working with clubs and coaches throughout the region; 2) Continue her work of unifying her state of New Mexico, and El Paso County, Texas, to cross promote races throughout the state with all the race directors working together to achieve a spirit of cooperation and success; 3) Provide support to local race directors so they can produce professional, quality events that will have longevity and financial success.
JEREMY R. TREMBLY Denver, CO As a current USA Triathlon Council member, I feel we now have the right council members in place to help support our memberʼs needs and to grow our presence in the region. I have a true passion for triathlon and I will continue to share that passion for the sport we love with the council and our USAT members. I would like to continue to be a member of this council so I can help continue the momentum we have built over the past 2 years.