CLUBS
CLUB PROFILE:
TEAM SPORT BEANS® /NTTC
By Mark Wendley
There are an increasing number of professional teams in the sport of triathlon and hundreds of age-group teams. But, not very many USAT clubs offer both a pro/elite team and a club team. Team Sport Beans/NTTC does just that. NTTC stands for national Triathlon Training Camp, which, as one of the f rst organizations in the sport, held the world’s first triathlon camp back in May 1983.
In 1986, nTTC introduced the sport’s first bi-level racing team, with pros like Mike Pigg and Jan Ripple leading the pro/elite team, and hundreds of age-groupers from all across the country comprising the club team. Today, pros like 2010 Ironman Lake Placid champion Ben Hoff man and 2009 USAT national duathlon champion Jessica Jacobs lead the Team Sport Beans/nTTC Pro/Elite Team, while the club team is made up of over 200 triathletes of all skill levels – first-timers to Ironman finishers – from all over the USA.
The challenge is to make a national-level team feel like a local club in terms of support and camaraderie. We work hard to make our team feel like a local club, even while members realize the benefits of being part of a nationally recognized team. The team’s web-site has a section devoted to the club team with pages that list the club’s roster with hometowns as well as member results and pictures. There are regular team newsletters, which highlight both pro/elite and club team member accomplishments. NTTC also has a group page on Facebook and sends out Twitter updates to keep members informed and feeling like part of a community. now we have local groups of team members who see each other regularly at races and train together.
While a local club is a great choice for many, a national-level team off ers a sense of community for those living in outlying areas, without access to a local team, or those whose work, family or travel schedules are not conducive to att ending regular club meetings or workouts. Fred and Ann Mehrer, who work as international flight att endants, have been part of the team for two years.
“I travel and do a lot of my training internationally,” Fred Mehrer said. “Although it can be exotic, my schedule can also be exhausting and certainly doesn’t fit with organized club workouts. A national team affords me the freedom to train and race as I choose, without the traditional club commitments. Team Sports Beans/NTTC has been a perfect fit.”
Another really nice thing about our club is that you get to race on the same team as, wear the same uniform as, some of the top athletes in the sport. The team’s pros also work on staff at nTTC’s camps and clinics and write regular columns in the team newsletter, offering training and racing tips to club team members. nTTC also off ers online coaching to its members, with personalized programs designed by the team director or one of the team’s pros.
While the team’s pros have been racking up overall victories and Ironman and Ironman 70.3 podium finishes, the club team has contributed more than its share of age-group wins and even a number of top overall finishes. At press time, the team had reported 53 age-group podium finishes. Those with age-group wins this season include Fred and Ann Mehrer, Dawn Sandoval, Shayna Cooke, Ryan Oliver, Nikki Mitchell, Tristram Wood, Janet Thiel (a former pro with the team in the late 1980s and early 1990s), Rick Harris, Timothy Winslow, Thomas Pittman, Anna Mittermann, Kendra Roloff , Renee Wilder, Mike Murray and Katie Byrd. one of the team’s elder statesmen, Vinny Aguiar of Foxboro, Mass., not only has an age group win, but also eight other top-five finishes (through mid-August) in 2010 in the men’s 60-64 age group!
So, if you find that a traditional, local club approach doesn’t quite fit the bill, you just might find a club home on a national team like Team Sport Beans/nTTC.
Mark Wendley is the team director for Team Sport Beans/NTTC. Visit
www.NTTCracing.com for more information.
64 USA TRIATHLON FALL 10
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