Frederick Triathlon Club
News & Information
Welcome! Glad you stopped by to give us a “TRI”!
Please check the “Announcements” and/or “Meetings” post categories for updated information.
NOTE – For folks wishing to contact someone about the club,
the correct email address is:
fredericktriclub@yahoo.com
or via regular mail at:
PO Box 4284
Frederick, Maryland
21705
5/31/09 – NEW TRI-TOP/JERSEY DESIGN
Club member Tim Thompson has been real busy working with the designer for our club tri-tops/jerseys. Please see the post for the design we’re going with.
In order to have both men and women tops, we have to have a minimum order to each with Sugoi. However, at present, we don’t have enough folks interested and will have to dip into club funds in order to meet the minimums.
Please look over the club’s jersey design and if you haven’t told Tim Thomspon that you’d like one, please let him know as soon as possible. You may want to confirm with him even if you did so he has an accurate count.
5/31/09 – NEXT CLUB MEETING/SOCIAL WED 6/10 7 PM AT BENTZ ST SPORTS BAR: EAGLEMAN PEP RALLY!
With many of us tapering for Eagleman the week of June 7-13, I thought perhaps to combine a meeting with a club social/pep rally of sorts, wishing folks who are participating good luck. For some this may be their first Half Ironman. For others it will be old hat but their first Eagleman. Whatever the experience, each event has it’s own interesting parts and challenges.
So, your training/social chair, Lisa Houck, has again coordinated with the Bentz St Sports bar to allow us to hold our meeting/social there Wednesday evening June 10, starting around 7PM. Please let Lisa know if you’re coming so she can get a head count back to the Bentz St Sports Bar. Her email is lisaphouck@comcast.net.
So come on out and wish your fellow triathletes well before they tackle the Half Ironman distance at this year’s Eagleman 70.3 event on June 14! Invite others you may know who are interested. The meeting/social is open to all.
BTW – It’s also 1/2 OFF WINGS NIGHT there too if that’ll provide some additional incentive. 
Hope to see you there!
5/31/09 – CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR MEMBERS AT CASCADE LAKE!
Two of our members participated and completed today’s Cascade Lake Sprint Tri near Hampstead MD (North Central part of the state). Please extend congrats to members Anne Regules and David Warner! Looks like the weather cooperated for them too. Maybe they can give us the lowdown with a race report? 
5/18/09 – A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
This coming Saturday 5/23 is the Frederick Kids Triathlon and the race director still needs volunteers for the event. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Martha Herman at martha8908@aol.com or Ken Racine at kcracine@myactv.net.
In addition, Martha has suggested on a club water stop. So, if you do volunteer, mention that you’re with the Frederick Triathlon Club and we’ll see about being at a water stop together.
5/18/09 – CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL CLUB MEMBERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN SUNDAY’S COLUMBIA TRIATHLON!
Despite rainy, wet, and breezy conditions, the following club folks were found in the results section as finishing this popular early opening Olympic distance triathlon:
Jason Senuta, Dan Pfeil, Lisa Houck, Kevin Kendro, Tim Thompson, Geoff Irwin, Vicki Bate, Patty Clements, Charlie Smith, and Kip Jawish
Full results are at: http://www.championchiptiming.com/Home/tabid/65/Default.aspx?EventID=356
Hope I noted everyone. Again, congratulations to all!
Next big club event is Eagleman on June 14.
5/12/09 – **UPDATED** CLUB MEETING TONIGHT AT IN-FIT STUDIO, 7PM
Tonight’s meeting was supposed to have guest speaker Rebecca Mohning, a registered dietitian and a certified personal trainer. However, due to a family emergency, she won’t be able to make tonight’s meeting. Therefore, this will be an open and more social meeting than we originally had planned. I thought perhaps that we could have folks who have done Columbia give some tips/hints/pointers to those who are doing it for the first time, but we can discuss other topics or catchup on events since we haven’t had a social in a while.
So, please still plan to attend and gather with your fellow triathletes/club members.
The meeting will still take place at In-Fit Studio, 605 N Bentz St, Suite 104, Frederick.
Dave
5/9/09 – CONGRATS; NEXT MEETING 5/12
First, congratulations to all who competed in the Frederick Half and Full Marathon this past Sunday 5/3! There were a large contingent of us there amongst the even larger crowds that came out. The rain did put a damper on things, unfortunately, especially the after race events. At least it wasn’t too hot
Now, our next meeting will be this coming Tuesday May 12 at 7PM. The meeting will be at In-Fit Studio on Bentz St in Frederick. Thanks go to club member Kip Jawish for providing the club a place to meet. Wendy Chillemi, club VP, has arranged for a highly regarded nutrionist to give a presentation to the club and discuss sports nutrition needs. As many of us know, planning nutrition incorrectly for our events can lead to not finishing. So this is perhaps a meeting you don’t want to miss! Hope to see you there!
4/30/09 – GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE FREDERICK MARATHON AND HALF MARATHON!
Sounds like a good number of us are participating in the Frederick Marathon and Half Marathon this Sunday, May 3rd. Lisa Houck has sent this as far as meeting before and after the event:
For anyone one who would like to meet up before the race, we are going to meet at the sunrise service which starts at 6:00 am. For those of you wanting to meet after the race, we will be meeting at the Frederick Rescue Mission tent (inside the village)… club member Tracy Vagrin volunteers with this organization and has suggested this meeting place. I look forward to seeing you guys on Sunday.
Lisa sends well wishes as do I! Good luck to all!
Prez Dave
4/30/09 – CONGRATS TO ALL THIS PAST WEEKEND! GOOD LUCK TO ALL THIS WEEKEND!
Despite the hot weather, several folks (including myself) participated and finished the Duathlon National Championships at Richmond VA on April 26. Congrats go to Vicki Bate, Kevin Kendo, and Lisa Houck! In addition, other Frederick area triathletes included Kevin Clark and Lucas McCollum. Lucas finished 5th overall and 3rd in his AG. Congrats to all! My race report of this event is posted as well.
In addition, I understand club member Brett Jenner competed in the Hagerstown Duathlon and he and Michele Trdina competed in a Time Trial near Carlisle PA. Brett took 5th overall and 1st in his AG (M30-34) in the Duathlon! In addition, he took 6th in the Men’s CAt 5 group in the TT, while Michele took 2nd in the Women’s category.
Congratulations again to all for competing and finishing in their respective events!
4/22/09 – GROUP BIKE RIDES
Weather permitting, Vicki Bate is leading group rides Tuesdays and Thursdays out of Utica Park, which is just northwest of Walkersville along Old Frederick Road. Start times are about 4:30 and loop back for folks about 5:45/6:00 p.m. Utica has the porta johns and plenty of space to park. Vicki is also going to coordinate Saturday long rides. Most of these are “B” rides. Just to note that there are the hard core folks that still go from Glade on Tuesday evenings (i.e. bicycle racers). They are averaging over 20 mph.
If you want to receive notifications of the rides, ask Vicki to add her to your email list: vickibate@hotmail.com.
4/21/09 – MEETING, RACING RECAP, DU NATIONALS/ HAGERSTOWN DU #1
We had a good turnout for a great talk at If The Shoe Fits last Thursday! John Kippen and the staff were terrific hosts and John gave us all the lowdown on foot mechanics as well as getting a few folks on the treadmill to analyze their running stride. A few members even did some business with John afterwards. In addition, John asked us what we’d like to see as far as triathlon gear was concerned. The most talked about were wetsuits and triathlon specific racing/training clothing. If anyone has any other ideas, feel free to stop in and talk to John or send the shop an email.
The triathlon/multisports racing season is underway and several members competed in this weekend’s “Rumpass in Bumpass” Olympic/Sprint distance triathlon distances (Olympic 4/18, Sprint 4/19). I’d like to extend my congratulations to the following members for competing and finishing these events:
OLYMPIC
Jason Senuta, Dan Pfeil, Kevin Kendro, Kip Jawish
SPRINT
Kip Jawish
(I also competed in the Sprint distance, your Prez and “Race Report” Dave)
BTW, with Kip competing both days, he was going to try and win the Big A$$ award. Don’t know who won that though. And Kip and I walked away with awards on the Sprint! We took second in our age groups, Kip in Master Clydesdale and me in M 50-54, my new age group this year. Hmm, maybe 50 is the new 40? Kip also took second in this same division in the Olympic distance – way to go Kip!
I would also like to mention that a few other folks from Frederick competed, including Lucas McCollum in the Olympic event and took 2nd overall!
Full results are posted on Setup Events’ page for Rumpass in Bumpass events.
My race report will be posted on the club website for those interested in hearing of my experience with this race and my personal results.
Again, congratulations to all FTC members who competed at “Rumpass in Bumpass”!
Next major event for several of us is the Duathlon Nationals, Richmond VA, April 26 (On road competition). In addition, there is still on-site registration available at the Hagerstown Duathlon #1 on Saturday April 25. Email Ken Racine at kcracine@myactv.net if you’re interested in sign up or volunteering.
4/16/09 – MEETING TONIGHT; RACE WEEKEND
Just a quick reminder about the club meeting tonight. Details are below in the 4/7/09 paragraph. Members and nonmembers are welcome to attend.
A full race weekend is in store for members as Setup Events’ “Rumpass in Bumpass” Olympic and Sprint Triathlons are scheduled on 4/18 and 4/19, respectively, at Lake Anna in Virginia (just to the north of Richmond). These are a couple of the earliest that include an open water swim which will prove quite chilly to the racers as the reported water temp is currently 60 degrees! Definitely wetsuit conditions. At least the weather this year is looking to cooperate with bright sunshine on Saturday and increasing clouds on Sunday. No really hot or rainy conditions like last year (cross your fingers!).
Club members Dan Pfeil, Jason Senuta, Kevin Kendro, and Kip Jawish are listed in the Olympic/International and in the Sprint is again Kip Jawish as well as yours truly (Dave Miller).
Good luck to all!
4/7/09 – CONFIRMED: APRIL MEETING AND NIGHT CHANGE
This month’s meeting is scheduled for Thursday April 16 at 7 PM at If The Shoe Fits instead of our normal 2nd Wednesday of the month. Decided on this for a few reasons, but the main one was to perhaps allow members who are unable to make Wednesdays the chance to come another night. Also, a couple of speakers had schedule conflicts and I was unable to schedule anyone else until just recently.
John Kippen, owner of If The Shoe Fits and FTC sponsor, will be talking to the club about proper shoe fit and demonstrating how they determine that for you. Other shoe and running related topics may be discussed.
In addition, John is looking to branch out into the Triathlon area and will probably ask the club for thoughts on what folks would look for as far as equipment/apparel goes (e.g. wetsuits, tri suits, etc).
More on If The Shoe Fits can be found on their website: www.iftheshoefits.biz.
Hope to see you there!
Dave
4/3/09 – CLUB MEMBER SCORES AT TUNE UP TRI, MANASSAS VA
Tri It Now hosted the Tune up Tri in Manassas, VA last Sunday, March 29. And club member George Corbi was participating in what would be his first tri event. Now this is a short sprint tri (1.4 mile run, 4 mile bike, 250 yard swim) and a reverse tri as well – run, bike, swim. So, a bit different than what most of us are used to. Nevertheless, George put it all together and ended up taking 2nd in his AG (M45-59) with a time of 28:09! Considering this strong performance, perhaps we’ll be seeing more of George on the podium. Congratulations!
3/25/09 – CLUB JERSEYS
In order to have jerseys done for any events this year, we first really need to know how many club members want one. Your club Treasurer, Tim Thompson, has taken up the banner to get us moving on this and all members should’ve received an email about this important club decision. Please check your inbox for Tim’s email and please let him know either way so we know folks’ interest. Please let Tim know even if you might’ve emailed me during the last couple of months. We are considering now going with Sugoi, but they do need a minimum of 24 jerseys for an order. Their website: http://www.sugoi.com/usa/eng/
Note that I had asked Champion System for a sample but I found I would have to mail it back in 7 days or else I get charged. If you want to check out a sample, I would suggest talking to the Sugoi folks and having one mailed to you directly. It’s easier than getting one and trying to bring everyone together to check it out.
Please give an answer to Tim as soon as you can. Having a club jersey shows your support for the club, is good PR for the club, and also lets the competition know just how talented the folks in our club are. In addition, we’ll probably throw in a bit of money from club funds for each member.
3/25/09 – MEETING RECAP FROM CLUB MEETING on 3/11
Many thanks go out to club member Geoff Irwin for giving a great talk and demonstration of swimming techniques and drills! Several of us got in the Hodson Pool to try these out and have Geoff critique us a bit (looks like I’ve still got a ways to go). Geoff had us concentrate on kicking (indicating the kick is underemphasized for triathletes), high elbows, catch away from the underneath of your body, and no crossing the center line. In addition, Geoff covered pool etiquette and triathlon wetsuits. Pictures from this meeting will be posted at another time.
In addition to Geoff’s excellent talk, we discussed:
- Welcomed new members and potential members
- Uniforms/jerseys: I was asking members for word whether they wanted one but hadn’t gotten back too many responses. Was looking into getting a sample for folks. Indicated the Champ System website was on the club page.
- New club logo: progressing along. Hopefully we’ll have a new one within the next few weeks.
- Listed several upcoming events (which are also posted on the club site)
- Indicated the web site calendar is having some problems and will look into that.
- The club spin sessions are weather and event dependent. We’ll be moving towards more outside group riding now that Daylight Saving Time has arrived and more events are coming up.
The next meeting is TBD and look for updates here.
3/11/09 – CLUB MEETING TONIGHT 7 PM
As indicated below, our club meeting tonight will take place tonight at 7PM at Hodson Indoor Pool at Hood College. This pool building should be located next to the Bubble pool and someone will be looking for folks who may be having difficulty locating the place. Note that parking may restricted/limited and there’s usually plenty of parking on Magnolia Avenue which runs right beside the college. Call me on my cell 301-639-3992 if you need some assistance. Geoff Irwin will be giving the talk tonight on swim drills with possible demonstrations and we may be allowed to follow along in the pool, so bring your swimsuit just in case. We may also be allowed to practice taking off wetsuits so that’s another possibility.
Hope to see you there!
Dave
3/5/09 – NEXT SOCIAL AND MARCH MEETING
Our next club social will be this Saturday Mar 7 4-6 at the Bentz Steet Sports Bar in Frederick. If you’re coming and you already have let Lisa Houck know, please email her at lisaphouck@comcast.net. The folks who have come out to previous socials have enjoyed themselves with good food and triathlon talk. Hope to see you there!
Our next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wed Mar 11 at 7PM at the Hood College Hodson Indoor pool. Note that this is not the Bubble indoor pool many of us swim at but the building next to it according to the map. Club member Geoff Irwin will be giving us drills and tips to help our swim. Also, we may be able to practice these in the pool as well as practicing with wetsuits.
2/23/09 – FEB MEETING RECAP; NEXT SOCIAL; POSSIBLE NEXT MEETING
We had a good meeting at Bike Doctor as Brian (shop owner) gave us all some race day maintenance tips concerning changing tires (tubulars and clinchers), CO2 cartidges, and dealing with broken spokes and chains. Hopefully, we won’t have to use any of these tips but good to know just in case. Thanks Brian!
Recapping the meeting:
- Welcomed new folks and potential new members
- Discussed upcoming events, namely the Reston 1 and 2 mile lake swim, the Richmond Duathlon Nationals, CGI events, Piranha Sports, and Frederick Kids Tri.
- Discussed uniforms and folks wanted some info about Champion System which does the custom uniforms. Here’s the website:
http://champ-sys.com/?SPID=42832&Title=home&pagetype=HOME&OrgID=1521
Still need to know how many folks are interested in uniforms as I haven’t gotten a lot of feedback. But I’ll see if they’ll send us a sample.
- Discussed the website a bit and let folks know about the new Member’s List area. If folks update their profile, they can add some information about themselves and it will show up here.
- Discussed membership and the member’s list has been trimmed to folks who have paid for the season.
- There was some after meeting discussion about possibly having a hospitality tent at Iron Girl and maybe at the Columbia Tri itself. Will try to get more info from the Columbia Tri Assoc.
- Discussed the Spin Classes at In-Fit on Sundays 8 AM and Wed at 6:30. Lisa Houck leads them and would really enjoy some more company. If you’d like Lisa to consider another day/time, please let her know.
- Discussed possibly moving the club meetings to a different night, but there was no definitive feedback on this yet. Please let me know if you think another day of the week and week of the month would work.
- Discussed the new logo and comments have been very favorable. Therefore, if I don’t hear anything overly negative by month’s end, I’ll press forward on this.
Lisa is trying to schedule our next club social for Mar 7. It’s the eve before Daylight Saving Time, so what better way to welcome its return than with a club social. More details to come.
We are trying to have Don Fienberg, swim coach at Hood, talk at our next club meeting on Mar 11. Look for details/confirmation of the next meeting about a week prior. I’ll also send out email then as well.
Dave
2/6/09 – NEXT CLUB MEETING ON 2/11/09
Our next club meeting will be at our sponsor Bike Doctor of Frederick on Wed Feb 11 at 7PM. I’ve asked Brian Wisowaty, the shop owner, if he or one of his folks will talk to the club about bike repairs you might need to do while racing. This would include flats (clincher and tubular), small tire slice, chain problems, spoke breaks, CO2 catridges, etc. Members may also share their experiences with what worked for them as well afterwards.
Bike Doctor website with store location: http://www.bikedoctor.com/
Folks interested in the club are welcome as well!
See you there!
2/3/09 – NEW PIRANHA SPORTS RACES!
Piranha Sports (www.piranha-sports.com) has added two new events for 2009. Look like a couple of great venues and the pics from Cannonman are incentive enough to sign up. Check them out!
DiamondGirl Series
The inaugural DiamondGirl Series will be held in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York. The women’s only triathlon will feature mostly sprint distances and count towards the Greater Atlantic Club Challenge. This is a great opportunity for women of all ages to compete among their “peers” as well as for beginners to become familiar with the sport of triathlon.
Introducing the Cannonman Triathlon (Half and Sprint)
Check out Piranha Sports new Cannonman Triathlon in Pennsylvania featuring Half Iron and Sprint distances on August 23, 2009! Race at the end of summer when your fitness has peaked!! Race Director Eric Conrad is excited about a course that is in such a picturesque and historic area.
1/25/09 – 1st 2009 CLUB SOCIAL; EVENTS; HAPPENINGS
Our first club social of 2009 turned out very well for folks who were able to attend. We even had a potential new member participate as well! We encourage anyone who has an interest in multisport/triathlon to come out to our socials, meet members, and discuss all aspects of the triathlon lifestyle. And of course, have some fun with food and drink as well!
Just found out that registration for the Hagerstown Sprint is open! This is a popular, close event that will be held July 26th this year. It’s a fairly flat and fast course with a pool swim, so a nearly perfect first sprint for a beginner. The event has a limit on the number of people and it closes out pretty early due to its popluarlity. Register as soon as you can!
Possible new club logo – See the post on this. After discussing the matter with several members/officers, I’m proposing we change our logo to the draft one in the post. The new logo is geared towards our Frederick identity. We will drop “The Tribe” and just be known as the Frederick Triathlon Club or FTC. Please email me if you have significant heartburn with this. If I don’t hear anything by the time we’re ready to have the logos on uniforms, we’ll press with the new logo.
Speaking of uniforms, please email me if you would like one and your size. I’m going to start the process of ordering them during the next couple of weeks. Members only please. Part of your dues will go towards paying for the uniforms.
Our next meeting is tenatively Wed 7 PM Feb 11 at Bike Doctor in Frederick. I’ve asked Brian to discuss quick on-the-road bike maintenance that you can use during a race, e.g. flats (clincher/tuburlar), chain, tire slice, etc.). I’ll send email out when we get closer to finalize details.
If you haven’t renewed, please do so at your earliest opportunity. I plan to trim the email list and the website lists to only paid members during the next couple of weeks.
If you have questions, please email me at dsemiller@comcast.net.
Your Prez, Dave
1/22/09 – MEETING RECAP; CLUB SOCIAL
Lisa Houck gave a very informative discussion about ailments which are pertinent to multisport/triathletes and we went away with a great deal of material. Thanks to Lisa for her talk and to Mark, the owner of the Frederick Sport and Spine Clinic of Frederick!
Those of us who were there talked about a number of issues, upcoming events, and plans for the future. Look for some details on changes coming soon.
Our first club social for 2009 has been rescheduled for this Saturday 4-6 PM again at the Bentz St Sports Bar in Frederick. If you haven’t told Lisa Houck you’re coming, please do so tomorrow 1/23 so we can let Gene at the bar know how many to expect. Hope to see you there!
1/14/09 – CLUB MEETING TONIGHT 7PM
Just a reminder that our monthly meeting will be held tonight at 7PM at the Frederick Sport and Spine Clinic, www.fredericksportandspine.com. Address/phone:
84 Thomas Johnson Court, Suite B
Frederick, MD 21702
301.662.8541
Lisa Houck will be giving a presentation there about the therapies offered which in our sport you may have need of from time to time.
Hope to you see you there!
Dave
1/11/09 – 1st 2009 CLUB SOCIAL POSTPONED; NEXT MEETING
Due to a sudden illness that hit your Prez and that we only had a few people commit to coming to the next social, decided to postpone this for a few weeks. I’ll talk to Lisa H about rescheduling, but we may try for Jan 24. Look for email soon.
Again, our next meeting is this Wed Jan 14, 7PM at the Frederick Sport and Spine Clinic. Directions and info (the one on Thomas Johnson): http://www.fredericksportandspine.com/
SEE YOU THERE!
Dave
1/4/09 – 1st 2009 CLUB SOCIAL; NEXT MEETING; IMPORTANT MEMBERSHIP NOTE
I announced this last month via email and it’s been on the club website as well. In a few days, your club prez officially switches to the next age group for triathlons (M 50-54). So, I thought what better way to celebrate (or commiserate) than having a club social? Since the Bentz St Sports Bar worked well last time, I contacted Gene, the owner, and he said it would be okay once again. Therefore, please come out to the Bentz Street Sports Bar in Frederick on Saturday Jan 10 from 4-6 PM to spend some social time with your fellow club members and help me celebrate my upcoming Age Group Change! Bentz St Sport Bar web site: http://www.bentzstreetsportsbar.com/
Please let Lisa Houck know if you’re coming by Friday Jan 9 so we can give an approximate head count to Gene.
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Our next meeting will be Jan 14 7PM at the Frederick Sport and Spine clinic. Our very own Lisa Houck who works there will be giving a presentation covering treatment/therapies offered at the clinic and other information you should find useful. Directions and info: http://www.fredericksportandspine.com/
IMPORTANT CLUB NOTE:
If you haven’t renewed you membership this season, please do so by Jan 14. After that time, I will be trimming the club’s email list to paid members and also removing those users who have not renewed from the list of folks who have access to the club’s website members area. The password for that area will be changed after this date as well. This will be necessary as membership benefits include discounts from our sponsors as well as the future uniform purchase. In addition, only paid members will be able to vote on club business. You can bring your dues to the next meeting on Jan 14 or send them to the club’s addresss (listed above). Dues for the season are $20. If you have questions, please contact me.
Club Prez, Dave