With the new school year in full swing and tryouts just around the corner, TSC Triathlon is reflecting on a successful end to summer and looking forward to an exciting year ahead!
Longest Week of the Year
As a result of summer racing having been cancelled, TSC Triathlon had the opportunity to channel our training towards a new fundraising initiative, The Longest Week of the Year! From August 3-9, our athletes tackled long distances in the saddle to raise money for the BC Cancer Foundation. Athletes committed to either a single ride or a week-long total.
Here are the distances some of our athletes were able to complete:
Sam Kaufman: 239km single ride, completing the infamous Vancouver Triple Crown, twice!
Abby Edison: 231km single ride in Calgary, AB
Alvin Qiu: 202km single ride in Vancouver, BC
Shaun Donnelly: 152km single ride in Niagara Falls, ON
Katie-Anne Reimer: 66km single ride in Vancouver, BC
April St. Pierre: 551km week-long total in Langley, BC
April St. Pierre standing proudly at the 500km mark of her week-long ride!
Though we were scattered throughout Canada, thanks to social media, we were able to cheer each other on throughout our long rides! With an original goal of $2000, we were blown away by the support we received, raising a total of $5127 by the end of the week! The money raised will support breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. Thank you all for your generous support!
Meet the Execs!
As a Thunderbirds Sport Club, UBC TSC Triathlon is run by an executive made exclusively of student-athletes. With the start of a new school year, we welcome a new executive committee, all excited to welcome new teammates and make this very unique year great!
Abby Edison – Club Lead
“Hi everyone! My name is Abby, and this will be my third year competing in triathlon. I’m also starting my third year at UBC majoring in Cellular, Anatomical, and Physiological Sciences. My favourite thing about the team is being able to crush hard workouts with an incredible group of friends. We’re always pushing ourselves to be better, and watching each other reach a big goal is the best feeling ever. When I’m not training or studying, you can find me looking for Vancouver’s best cappuccino or petting one of the many cute dogs on campus! I’m so excited to welcome new teammates and make the most of this unconventional year!”
Alvin Qiu – Communications Officer
“Hi! My name is Alvin and this is my 2nd year competing in triathlon with the team. I’m starting my 5th year in the UBC MD/PhD program (dual medical school + PhD program). My favourite thing about the team is the ultra supportive and motivating environment; I always have a ton of fun during practices and I’ve really seen myself improve as an athlete. Apart from triathlon and school-related work, I love spending time snowboarding, playing piano and watching reality TV!”
Amy Topshee – Fundraising Officer
“Hey! My name is Amy and I am going into second-year at UBC, in the faculty of arts. I only started triathlon last year, but I’ve always loved being active; prior to joining the team I swam, ran cross country, and played field hockey, rugby, and water polo! On top of making a ton of friends and staying in shape, a benefit of joining the tri team is getting to know Vancouver while on team bike rides. Vancouver is truly an amazing city, which I can say confidently having lived in 7 cities in 3 provinces and 2 states. Finally, when I’m not at school or training, you’ll probably find me lifeguarding at the UBC Aquatic Centre (between training and my job I basically live at the pool!). I’m super excited for another year with the team!”
April St. Pierre – Travel and Safety Officer
“Hey I’m April! I’m excited to be starting my third year with the team, as well as my third year at UBC in Biochemistry. I actually completed my first tri when I was six years old, but I’ve only been training seriously for triathlon since joining the team. Seeing the huge improvements I’ve been able to make alongside my amazing teammates has been one of my favourite parts of these last two years. When I’m not training or studying, you can find me trying out new baking recipes or watching entirely too much Netflix! Looking forward to getting back to training with the team, however it happens this year!”
Katie-Anne Reimer – Finance Officer
“Hi I’m Katie-Anne Reimer, a third year Poli Sci student and in my second year with the team. A fun fact about me is that I started swimming only a month prior to joining the tri team, and this resulted in me wearing my swim cap sideways for the first three months. When not making questionable fashion statements at team practices, I love watching sports, and I’m really going to miss watching the other talented UBC TSC and Varsity athletes competing at their respective sports. I’m really looking forward to meeting our new athletes (however that looks this year!!).”
Shaun Donnelly – Marketing Officer
“Hi, I’m Shaun! I’m going into my fourth year at UBC, majoring in Computer Science and Biology. I joined the triathlon team last year and it has greatly enhanced my university experience! My favourite part of being on the team is exploring BC by bike with awesome friends. When I’m not training or studying, you can find me listening to true crime podcasts, watching medical documentaries, or researching new places to travel! I can’t wait to welcome new teammates and have an awesome, albeit very unique, year!”
Pre-Season Socials
Our team has celebrated our return to school and organized training with numerous team socials, allowing returning members to reconnect and get to know prospective athletes before tryouts begin on October 5th.
Some of our athletes who are living in Vancouver enjoyed a physically-distanced Beach Day at Locarno Beach on Labour Day weekend!
For those not living in Vancouver this fall, we held numerous virtual Zoom socials, where we engaged in icebreakers and played fun games, such as Jeopardy!
Training and social events will be quite different this year, with a combination of in-person (adhering to government health guidelines) and virtual; athletes are not required to be living in Vancouver this fall to be a part of our team! If you are interested in joining our team, we will be holding an information meeting, over Zoom, at 6pm PDT on October 1st. Please email triathlon.sc@ubc.ca for the Zoom link.