Calling all aspiring triathletes.
For the first time ever, UCLA Triathlon, an official UCLA Recreation club sport, has announced a generous scholarship program for exceptional triathlon athletes in the United States.
The scholarship offers student triathletes the opportunity and resources necessary to develop their athleticism while simultaneously providing the benefits of a premier education.
“This program has been five years in the making,” UCLA Triathlon coach Gareth Thomas said in a press release. “Over that time we have grown the team from just a handful of members to a group of 60-plus athletes who regularly train together.
“We now have a performance development program and the administrative support to rival any program out there, and the aim is to attract the funding to allow us to offer a further six more scholarships with even deeper support for 2010.”
Present UCLA students Brittany Day and Brady O’Bryan are the first recipients of these two scholarships for the 2009 season.
Both Day and O’Bryan will only be in their second season as members of the UCLA Triathlon squad this year.
Day was a member of the UCLA women’s swim team prior to making the switch to triathlon.
O’Bryan, on the other hand, joined the team as a teen triathlon phenom from Texas, who aspires to become the youngest ever to win the Hawaii Ironman World Championships.
The scholarship provides each athlete with benefits that serve to facilitate success. For one, it supplies each triathlete with a personal coaching program designed by Thomas.
This intense regimen includes a regular lactate test and video analysis. Day and O’Bryan will also be provided with regular physical therapy treatment, pro bike fits, and a full package of essential equipment, among many other benefits.
To top it off, they will both receive a liberal race expense budget.
But the rewards and benefits do not come easily. According to Thomas, training to become a triathlete like Day and O’Bryan requires a strong work ethic, determination and a high level of endurance.
“People are driven to be triathletes because of its diversity and excitement,” Thomas said. “It is a very nice way of training for general health and fitness, and even for camaraderie.”
A unique aspect of the sport is the variation of programs, which include pool swimming, ocean swims, ocean entry/exit clinics, cycling, interval workouts, and group runs.
“Triathlon is different from other sports in that it is three sports rolled into one,” Thomas said. “But, it really should be counted as one sport because it is one continuous flow. It does not stop and start.
“There are so many different workouts ““ you can’t ever get bored. It can’t ever be mastered either. You always want to get better.”
In order to meet their goals for the season, UCLA triathletes must partake in these intense workouts.
The team is currently preparing for an exhaustive schedule of events. Among their many aims for this season, members of UCLA Triathlon will be looking to succeed in the West Coast Collegiate Triathlon Conference (WCCTC), U.S. national championships, as well as an assortment of local Southern California events that include the Los Angeles Triathlon, Malibu Triathlon, and City of Angels/Playa Del Rey Triathlon.
In spite of such intimidating workout programs and the presence of experienced triathletes like Day and O’Bryan, UCLA Triathlon is by no means restricted to an elite few.
As a registered club sport, UCLA Triathlon is open to athletes of all levels, beginners or advanced.
In fact, although the club is student-run, participation in UCLA Triathlon is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, staff members, faculty, alumni and even other members of the community.
“Other than that people need to be aware of equipment costs, there is no real preparation required to participate,” Thomas said.
“For those who have never ran, cycled or swam, we’ll help them. We’re trying to improve athletes.”