Team Blaze Spokane Blog

Dear Team Blaze,

As most of you have already heard, Scott Roy passed away on Sunday evening. We are distraught by the loss of our founder, friend, mentor and coach. As a club and a community we do not have words for how much he meant to us, inspired us and touched each of our lives. Our love, thoughts and prayers are with Scott’s wife Tristin and son Reece at this time. We will continue as a club to honor his memory and further his legacy.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday May 9 at 1:00 at Lifecenter Church. Tristin has requested that we wear our Team Blaze shirts/jerseys and come in our running clothes. There will be a one mile run to follow the service. If you have friend(s) that would like to run with us and you have an extra shirt please share one with them and invite them to join us on this memorial run.

Tristin has assured us that Scott would want us all to continue to train and race. As a club we will continue to meet for coached swims on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays under the tutelage of Gretchan Wolf and John Martinek. Those who are following the Boise and CDA IM plans should receive an email in the next few days with info regarding that. Group rides and runs will continue to be posted in the team forum.

Many of you have expressed a desire to help Tristin and Reece. The Team Blaze board will be coordinating ideas and efforts in that regard. Several are underway currently. Gift cards for food and groceries are being collected by Nicole Savell . You can contact Nicole Savell’s email if you have something that you would like to donate. thesavells@hotmail.com

A trust fund has been set up at Sterling Savings Bank under the name “the Scott Roy Trust Fund.” You can donate at any Sterling Savings Bank.

A pre-Bloomsday spaghetti feed has been organized at the Side Bar & Grill on Saturday May 5 with proceeds going to the trust fund. More info about that including volunteer opportunities will be posted on Facebook and on the Forum.

On Monday May 7 at 6pm The Bike Hub is hosting a Benefit Ride in Scott’s honor; donations will go to the trust.

For those doing Bloomsday be sure to look for Tristin and Reece in the Team Blaze tent in front of Lifecenter Church. Many of us will be body marking our arms or legs with ETJ (enjoy the journey) and/or his name. The board is planning to design and order temporary tattoos for future races as well. In the meantime bring a sharpie and a friend with legible handwriting and join us in dedicating this Bloomsday to Scott.

Thank you Team Blaze members for the love and support that you have shown to each other and to Tristin and Reece. In the midst of our sadness we remember the incredible man that Scott was and his example as a person, a husband, a father and a coach will inspire us to not only press forward as a triathlon club, but to elevate all aspects of lives as we “Enjoy the Journey.”

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact John Martinek at johnmartinek@idahoveneer.com.

Coach Scott Roy

An example of body marking for Bloomsday

Enjoy the Journey
Team Blaze Board

Angie on the bike Chelan Man 2010

On Team Blaze Angie is known for her brilliant smile and generous helpful spirit.  And for being an Ironman.  She suggested that we start and agreed to coordinate the new Team Blaze mentor program and is an active member of the Mount Spokane Ski Patrol.  Besides triathlon she  mountain bikes, does cyclocross and skis and mentors people in those endeavors as well.  I had the pleasure to chat with Angie about her journey within the sport of triathlon.

Angie started her story 4 years ago 80 pounds heavier and recently divorced.  Determined to make a fresh start she began Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds.  A move from Montana to Spokane and a new desk job threw a glitch in her progress however and she found herself looking for ways to become more active.  She started by walking on her lunch breaks, then she joined the YMCA which led her to their Bloomsday training program.  At the YMCA she met John and Kelly Martinek and began cycling with them.  She went on to do the Seattle to Portland bike ride and signed up to do the cycling portion of a relay team in the Wunder Woman Triathlon.

As the day of that first triathlon got closer her team still had no swimmer.  Her runner friend suggested that Angie do the whole race as a solo competitor instead.  As a non- swimmer this was a bit intimidating but she was familiar with the buoyancy provided by wetsuits and figured that she could fake her way through the swim with the help of one.  Unfortunately that year was very hot and the race director had to make the call to prohibit wetsuits.  She started the swim but had to be pulled from the water.  Undaunted she wanted to  finish the race and was frustrated that she had been disqualified (she did do the bike and run even knowing that it wouldn’t “count”).  Monday morning she was at the pool and she has successfully completed Wunder Woman every year since.

She told herself she would do one triathlon and then quit the sport. The next season she successfully completed Valley Girl with her trademark Angie smile very much in evidence.  Two years later she did Ironman Couer D’Alene.

Angie had some memorable triathlon moments along the way, one of which happened during Chelanman 2010.  Angie had never done 1500m in open water before and arrived at the lake race morning to see that though clear, the water was very choppy.  In true Angie spirit she decided to confront it head on and got in the water to warm up.  Rather than let it overwhelm her she found herself timing her breathing in a way that let her ride the waves.  She found the fun in this challenging new experience and did a phenomenal job in the race overall.

One of the most meaningful triathlon experiences came later that season at Titanium Man.  She had trained for and completed her first half iron distance (Troika) earlier that summer and was happy to be doing a “fun” end of the season wrap up.  The
swim and the bike went really well and Angie found herself on the run “leapfrogging” with a woman in her age group.  The pace they were running at was way beyond her previous ability level and she had never hurt so much in race before.  As the two women left the park and turned up the hill toward the finish Angie acknowledged a determination to finish ahead of her fellow competitor.  Crossing the finish line in
front she realized the exhilaration of overcoming her mental limits and pushing
her physical abilities to a higher level.  This gave her a huge confidence boost.

In 2011 Angie finished Ironman Coeur D’Alene in 15:02:09
again sporting a huge smile.  Looking to the future her next big race is Boise
70.3 and she hopes to do IM Canada in 2013.  As an avid mountain biker she is also looking forward to doing some off road triathlons.

Throughout Angie’s triathlon journey she has always been open to advice and gracious about asking for and accepting help.  There is a pretty big knowledge base out there in the sport of triathlon, lots of things that make it easier, more comfortable and more achievable.  From the things that people don’t really talk about such as “don’t wear underwear with your bike shorts” to features you should look for in a swimsuit.  Angie’s idea with the mentoring program is to match up people who are fairly (or completely) new to triathlon with those who have been doing the sport for a while.  This gives the newbies a “real live person” to ask their questions of and the veterans a chance to realize how much they’ve learned and give back a bit in a sport that enriches our lives.

Team Blaze is a club that welcomes all levels of triathletes from the newbie planning their first sprint and learning to swim to the seasoned Ironman vetran.  We have a mentoring program in the works that can bring these two groups together.  So if you have been a member of Team Blaze for at least one year, are interested in being a mentor to other Team Blaze Members who are new to the club, and are willing to dedicate at least 1 hour a week to mentor activities, attend one group workout a month and support members at local races, send us an email at
coachscottroy@gmail.com.  The mentor program will kick off in February.  We already have quite a few new members that have requested mentors, so who is willing to be a mentor?

We have established that not everyone on Team Blaze has done or even wants to do an Ironman.  But Lets just take a moment to acknowledge those who have and those who are training for their first one.  Yay Team!  Last year we had a huge showing at Ironman Couer D’Alene and in 2012 it looks like we’ll have at 11 doing Ironman Arizona.  Speaking of IM Arizona, Team Blaze member Nicole Savell just posted the run installment of her IM journey on her blog http://geekturnedathlete.com/2011/12/ironman-arizona-the-run/ .  Very inspiring!

One of the things that Nicole mentioned as she contemplated what to wear on her run was how great it was to represent Team Blaze in her tri kit.  Those flames really do stand out and when you are in need of some encouragement its so nice to hear that “GO TEAM BLAZE” shout out from friends, team mates and random strangers.  So remember that we have Team Blaze clothing available to purchase for Christmas Presents.  You can also order dry-fit shirts, sweatshirts, etc. on the team store from the Team Blaze website.  Don’t wait too long to order if you want it by Christmas.  E-mail or call 435-1030 if you would like to come over and look at the clothing we have available to purchase.  The clothing will also be available at the Team Kick off Party and if we don’t have your size we will be placing an order. Tristin has posted on the forum what clothing we have available to sell and the prices.  If you have questions, just send us an e-mail at coachscottroy@gmail.com.

The 2012 Team Blaze Kick off Party will be on Saturday, Feb. 25th from 6pm – 8pm.  Please mark your calendars so you don’t miss this informational meeting about all the great things Team Blaze will be doing in 2012.  Also be sure to check the forum http://teamblaz.proboards.com/index.cgi to check out weekly group workouts, training tips and other interesting topics from your fellow Team Blaze members.

Nicole Savell and Coach Scott at the finish line of IM Arizona

Tobin and Suzanne dazzle us with their fancy footwork

What an amazing year Team blaze has had!  What better way to celebrate it than with a mardi gras party.  The Spokane Fitness Center provided a beautiful space which we enhanced with themed decorations, a live band and really yummy food but the best part was the people.  It was great to see so many Team Blaze members there!

 As hungry athletes we got the party started by loading our plates with some amazing New Orleans style food. Yum!  After a few inspiring words from Coach Scott touching on Ironman CDA 2011, our personal goals in triathlon and how to meet them and some tips for off season training we were blessed to watch a wonderful slide show by Mason McCuddin highlighting many of this year’s races and events.  We also got to preview the new Team Blaze promotional video.  It is phenomenal!

<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/GmBCmded3zU” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

The company was great, the food was excellent and the ambiance rocked.  Coach Scott wanted to say “I’d like to thank the Team Blaze Board for all hours they give to volunteer to make Team Blaze the best club possible for members and our community. I encourage members to thank these amazing people next time you see them for all their dedication. (Team Blaze Board~Tristin Olson-Roy, Donna Melville, Dean Kiefer, John & Kelly Martinek, Kim Dotson, Rhonda Kerr, Becky Tomcho, Michelle Hoerr and Nicole Lund)

It was great to see so many members at the year end party! Special thank to Michelle Hoerr, Brett Peterson, Tristin Olson-Roy, Donna Melville, Kim Dotson, Victor Vizcaino & wife, Teresa Bailey, Rhonda Kerr, Becky Tomcho and Nicole Lund for all helping with planning/set up for the party! Thanks for another awesome slide show Mason McCuddin! Thank you to Jeff, Penny, Ally and Travis Hood for helping us load up and return the table/chairs.”

Thank You Team Blaze for a wonderful year!

Thank you to Donna Melville for the photos in this post. For more great photos of this event please go to our Team Blaze Facebook Page.

Thev buffet and some of the Decor

Words from our Coach

Big grins, grimaces, and a bit of road rash.  Sounds like a typical Team Blaze triathlon, right?  It was except that the athletes were pint sized.  Two weeks ago we held our first ever Team Blaze Kids Triathlon at the spokane Fitness Center.  The races were not timed and it was all about fun!  Tristin Roy did an amazing job in her race directing debut and we look forward to more of these fun events.  Road rash was mentioned and an explanation includes a huge thank you to Scott, Donna, Kelly and Becky for helping tend to Luke after he did a “superman” over his bars.  All his wounds were superficial and are healing nicely, thank you everyone  for the well wishes.  Enough words you came here for the pictures!  Speaking of pictures there are 320 of them in two albums on my facebook profile http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150363199889540.397836.667804539 Please feel free to check them out, message me if you would like full sized copies or if you prefer not to have them public.  Thanks!

Team Blaze Spokane has the opportunity to Volunteer at Second Harvest.  There are 25 slots available on October 13th and October 20th.  Volunteer time is 5:30pm to 7:30pm.  It’s Help the Hungry Sort Night.  Please post on the forum or send an e-mail to michelle.hoerr@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer and what night.  Your family is welcome but see the guidelines for volunteers below:
 
Be at least 14 years old
Dress appropriately and wear closed-toed shoes only
Sign in and wear “Volunteer” badges
Must be ambulatory or otherwise mobile for warehouse activities
Must be able to lift 20-25 lbs. for food drives and warehouse activities
While Second Harvest is undergoing extensive remodeling in order to complete what will be our beautiful new Volunteer Center, our parking lot will soon be fenced off. (Parking is available on the street.) Also, we ask that your group enter through the west side of our building under the red canopy and through the blue door.

Thanks,
Team Blaze Spokane

Last week was a busy one for Team Blaze.  In addition to our coached swims and track workout, we held our last practice tri of the year.    As always Coach Scott had some great tips and advice, applicable to both newbies and vetrans. 

We took a team Photo  (thanks for your patience) and had some footage shot for a Team Blaze promotional video. 

After the workout yummy food and good conversation rounded out the evening.

Several Team Blaze members raced this weekend including Gretchen Wolf at the age group nationals, Ellen Schaffer at the Kelowna Apple up in Canada, and several TBers at the Dirty Dash and Wunder Woman Triathlon. 

Between Costumes and mud it was hard to recognise who was who at the dirty dash so there aren’t many posted  here but if you have some dirty pictures that you want to share link them up in the comments section . (Thank you Brendan Dowling for the Lund family picture).

Angie and Lacee did both races and sported their dirty dash Tattoos at Wunder Woman.  

The Ladies who did Wunder woman were not the only ones who had a great day at the race.  Even Coach scott got a well deserved massage by AJ of Harmony Massage.   It was inspiring to see so many of our members cross the finish line smiling and strong and to see so many friends and family out there volunteering and cheering them on.   Between Mason and I, I think that we got a shot of almost everyone who raced.  I’ll try to get those posted and tagged in FB right away. 

Coming up this week:  Track workout tonight, Cyclemetrix BBQ on Wednesday, and Priest Lake Tri this weekend.

Also this Weekend:  Good luck to Phil and a bunch of our local pros who are racing Ironman Canada!

Kids_Triathlon[1] Team Blaze is very excited to announce our first kids tri.

Welcome to the new Team Blaze Spokane Blog!