News & Notes 2013 JUNIOR ELITE SERIES ANNOUNCED U
SA Triathlon has set the dates for the 2013 USAT Junior Elite Series.
The four-race series prepares athletes between the ages of 13-19 for draft- legal racing at the super-sprint and sprint distances. The series kicks off in Richmond, Va., the weekend of May 4-5. Next, athletes will head west to Monroe, Wash., on
USAT AWARDED PARATRI GRANT
SA Triathlon has been awarded a $50,000 grant from U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), through Veterans Affairs and the United States Paralympics Integrated Adaptive Sports Program to help fuel paratriathlon growth among U.S. veterans. USA Triathlon’s primary goal for the program
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is to develop and host five geographically dispersed, three-day skills camps in the spring and summer of 2013 designed to bring together newly identified veteran paratriathlon recruits, experienced athletes and mentors like three- time world champion Melissa Stockwell, pictured at right.
June 22. On July 14, the series lands in West Des Moines, Iowa, home of many international elite races and tremendous community support. The series concludes at the USAT Youth Elite & Junior Elite National Championships in West Chester, Ohio, the weekend of Aug. 3-4. Each series event features four back-to-back races for young men and women. Athletes between the ages of 13-15 compete in the Youth Elite Cup super-sprint event, while 16-19-year- olds compete in the Junior Elite Cup sprint event. Courses are designed to mimic Olympic-style racing with athletes completing multiple laps in front of family and friends. Each field is limited
to 75 athletes. Registration is first-come, first-serve.
The three Youth Elite/Junior Elite Cup events serve as the qualifiers for nationals. All athletes must pass through the qualifiers to get to nationals. Along the way they earn points toward both a series and national draft-legal ranking. Athletes affiliated with junior development teams also score points for their respective teams. The top individual and team scorers are recognized at nationals. To learn more about the USAT Junior Elite Series, including how to register and
STOCKWELL EARNS USOC ATHLETE OF THE MONTH HONOR he U.S. Olympic
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Committee
honored paratriathlete Melissa Stockwell as its female Athlete of the Month for October following a gold- medal performance at the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships. A 2008 Paralympian in swimming and an Iraq War veteran, Stockwell (Chicago, Ill.) won her third consecutive ITU Paratriathlon World Championships title in the TRI-2 category Oct. 22 in Auckland, New Zealand.
USA TRIATHLON HOSTS TOP JUNIOR WOMEN AT OTC U
SA Triathlon made an investment in the future of its high performance
program in early November with the first- ever Junior Elite Women’s Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Thirteen of the nation’s top rising triathlon stars — women ages 15-17 — spent two days learning from and training alongside some of USA Triathlon’s top coaches and a pair of 2012 U.S. Olympians — Sarah Groff and Gwen Jorgensen.
56 USA TRIATHLON WINTER 2013
“The purpose of the camp is to engage the next generation of fast-rising junior women and give them an extra boost of encouragement to commit to the sport long term,” USA Triathlon Athlete Development Coordinator Steve Kelley said.
The camp was funded in large part by generous contributions from Team USA members Mark Hofer and Heather Leach to USA Triathlon’s Junior Development Scholarship Fund.