For youth, summer is a time filled with racing around the neighbourhood on bikes, splashing in the local pool and the freedom to run shoeless around in the grass. Programs such as Kids of Steel, run by Triathlon Canada, and similar provincial series aim to introduce youth to the sport of triathlon, with the emphasis on the fun of doing these great activites together.
For some, including Canadian Olympic gold medallist Simon Whitfield, this fun factor ignites the internal spark of competition, and their triathlon careers are launched. Others come to triathlon from competitive backgrounds in one of its three disciplines.
However they get there, more youth are giving triathlon a try. The four young athletes profiled here - Eric Danielson and Ellen Pennock from Alberta, and Cole Stewart and Christine Ridenour from British Columbia - are those whose coaches dare predict that we'll be seeing these names headlining the Olympics in the not-so-distant future.
Eric Danielson
Age: 17
Hometown: Lethbridge, Alta.
Years doing triathlon: 10 years
Why began triathlon: A friend got me started in the Kids of Steel triathlons.
What hooked you on triathlon: I enjoy all three sports together and the challenge of always improving yourself.
Achievements: 1st place Junior Elite Alberta Provincial Triathlon 2010; 1st place Kelowna Apple Triathlon 2009; 24th place Canadian National Junior Championships 2009; 1st place Avia Wildflower Triathlon 2008.
Years doing triathlon: I've been doing triathlons more seriously since I was 13 years old. So four years.
Why I began triathlon: I grew up as a competitive swimmer with Cascade Swimming, and my club encouraged kids to try a triathlon just for fun. I entered my first Kids of Steel as a complete newbie. The bike I rode was a heavy mountain bike and I ran with my shoes untied. I loved it!
What hooked me on triathlon: I have always liked to challenge myself and triathlon was a challenge I was up for. Swimming and running are two of my favourite sports and triathlon combined these sports so it was a perfect fit! I'm really starting to like the biking, too.
Achievements: 8th at Canada Summer Games 2009
Best Part about triathlon: The best part about triathlon is the incredible energy at races. I love hearing the cheers from the crowd on the run. It feels so good! My favourite discipline in triathlon is the swim. I especially love open-water swimming because it is so different from pool swimming.
Tri goals: Race hard and have fun! I would also like to gain more experience.
Sponsors: I don't have any major sponsors, but Tri It has helped me with a wetsuit.
Christine Ridenour
Age: 17
Hometown: Cowichan Bay, B.C.
Years doing triathlon: Nine years
Why began triathlon: I started swimming with the Duncan Stingrays Swim Team when I was seven, but also liked to bike and run. One of my swim coaches suggested I try a triathlon. My first race was the Victoria Youth Triathlon. I immediately loved the sport and just kept on racing.
What hooked you on triathlon: What hooked me on triathlon was the pure fun of doing three different events back to back. After my first race, the only thing I wanted to do was do it all over again!
Achievements: 2006: 1st Western National Championships (14-15 yrs old); 1st U.S. Youth Elite National Championships (13-15 yrs); winner of aquathlon, duathlon, and triathlon at B.C. Summer Games 2007: 1st Western National Championships (14-15 yrs); 1st U.S. Youth Elite National Championships (13-15 yrs) 2008: 5th Pan-American Triathlon Championships; 3rd B.C. Provincial Championships; 1st in Junior Elite National Series; 2nd Eastern National Championships; 3rd Canada Summer Games Test Race; 3rd Junior Elite National Championships 2009: 5th Australian Youth Olympic Festival; 7th Pan-American Triathlon Championships; 3rd in Junior Elite National Series; 3rd Western National Championships; 3rd Eastern National Championships; 6th Junior Elite National Championships; 4th Canada Summer Games Individual Triathlon; 1st Canada Summer Games Team Relay; alternate for Junior Elite World Championship Team 2010: 3rd Monterray, Mexico Youth Olympic Games Qualifying race; 3rd Ixtapa, Mexico Pan-American Triathlon Championships
Best part about triathlon: For me, the best part about triathlon is that it is so exciting and unpredictable. If you make a mistake, you have time to make it up, and you never knew what is going to unfold in each of the three legs. Each component is its own race, as well as all three put together. It is a game of strategy, but also a battle of who can work the hardest and loves to work hard the most.
Tri goals: A few goals for the future are to podium at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, podium at the 2010 Junior Elite Triathlon World Championships, represent Canada at the 2012 Olympics, and win Olympic gold in 2016.
Sponsors: I have been very fortunate to have such great sponsors supporting me throughout training and racing season. I would like to say a huge thank you to Asics, Frontrunners, and Berg Bikes.
Cole Stewart
Age: 19
Hometown: Langley BC
Years doing triathlon: Since I can remember - probably 13 or 14 years.
Why began triathlon: My parents had always been into age-group races and signed me up for the KOS race whenever they were doing one. It was a family thing. I was a swimmer originally (from the age of five) so it wasn't hard to cross over. I made the full switch and started training for tris after I won three gold medals at the B.C. summer games when I was 15. I thought it was something new and dynamic that I could excel at, so I went for it.
What hooked you on triathlon: The thrill of racing was something I was used to from the swimming world and got hooked on. Triathlon turned this addiction into a strategic battle with all new aspects, each athlete with their own strengths and weaknesses. I was drawn to it by the fact that each competitor has to work beyond their talents in a particular discipline, and has to put all three together on race day. It is a sport in which hard work beats talent, where talent fails to work hard. This, about other things, was what made it my sport.
Achievements: 2nd at B.C. Provincials U14 1,500 m freestyle; 4th at age group nationals U16 5,000 m freestyle; three gold medals at B.C. Summer Games (triathlon, aquathlon, duathlon); 3rd at 2008 Junior Nationals; 10th at Australian Youth Olympic Festival (3rd in relay); 1st at Provincial Championships 2009; 3rd at 2009 Canada Summer Games (1st in relay)
Best part about triathlon: Exceeding your expectations.
Tri goals: Short term - 2010 World Championships Budapest Top-10 finish. Long term - U23 Worlds, Senior Worlds, Olympics, Warpspeed . . .
Sponsors: Leonard Hill (leonardhill.ca), Anthony King (trainingfx.com), Triathlon B.C. (with their support), Triathlon Canada (with all they do), Mom and Dad (couldn't do it without them), and still taking offers if anyone would like to help support me!
"Faces of the Future" first appeared in the 2010 July/August Summer Sports Issue of IMPACT Magazine.
Eric Danielson
Ellen Pennock
Christine Ridenour
Cole Stewart