When I committed to my summer graduate school internship as the coach of Washington, DC youth triathlon camp ACHIEVE, I never imagined that the athletes—aged 9-14—would not know how to swim or bike. During the first week of camp, I was approached by a mother who asked if we had any remaining spots for her son, Brown. Even though we were virtually full, I said he could join us. I just couldn’t turn down a child looking for an opportunity to be active and learn triathlon.
Little did I know that 9 year old Brown had never been on a bike or in a pool. With a lot of one-on-one coaching, Brown quickly learned to bike within the first 2 weeks. It was thrilling to watch a once timid young boy pedal fearlessly around a single lane bike path full of other novice cyclists.
Swimming was a different story. Without a coach by his side, Brown was terrified of the water. He would surely drown in any depth of water due to complete panic while unsupervised. The coaching staff had 6 weeks to work with Brown to get him swimming in time for the final camper triathlon. Each day, Brown improved and his comfort level in the water increased. It wasn’t until the last week of camp where Brown would let go of a coach and swim on his own.
It was amazing and inspiring to witness a boy who had just learned to swim complete 2 full lengths in the pool, bike 3 miles and run 1 mile. He completed the kids triathlon all by himself. Learning a new skill or sport can be challenging and at the same time frightening. Practice along with determination can lead you to your destination…the finish line!
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