Triathlon caps year of fitness for Sammamish Girl Scouts
June 2, 2009
By Lauren McLaughlin
The weather was nice and the children were excited. Volunteers in red were arranging the children wearing orange and green swim caps into age groups in preparation for the start of the Issaquah Kids Triathlon. Among those children were nine girls from Girl Scout troop 2649.
After crossing the finish line troop member Natalie Shade said “I was thinking whew! I’m done.”
Anna Lawther (from left), Natalie Shade, Brigid Stakelum, Isabel Cappo, Megan Lawther, Aidan McFarland, Peyton Wright, and Katie Crowder show their medals after completing the Issaquah Kids Triathlon. Photo by Lauren McLaughlin
“There were a bunch of mats on the ground and I didn’t know which ones were ours so I just ran across all of them,” troop member Katie Crowder said.
In a unanimous and enthusiastic one word response the girls declared the triathlon was “Awesome!” They all agreed that next year they would definitely participate again.
The girls agreed that the training they did beforehand helped them to prepare for the triathlon.
The troop has been together for three years and is a mix of third-grade and fourth-grade girls who attend Blackwell Elementary School
Troop leaders Kimberly Bolton and Jeannie Cappo decided on the theme physical fitness and healthy living with the triathlon being the final event of the unit.
The girls started the physical fitness and healthy living unit in October. As part of the unit they learned about the importance of stretching, eating right, and staying active.
“There’s so much focus on obesity lately we really wanted to give the girls the tools to try and make that not part of their life,” Cappo said. “We just think it’s really important for them to learn healthy patterns early so it can become part of their daily life” Cappo said.
“I feel like it’s an important area to focus on,” said Bolton. “Triathlons are a good way to build self-reliance and self-esteem.”
The triathlon allowed the girls to set a goal, strive for it and finally achieve it, Bolton said.
Aidan McFarland, a member of the troop, participated in the triathlon last year. Her goal this year was to finish, McFarland said.
“The triathlon is a lot of fun,” McFarland said. She also enjoys going to cheer on her mother in triathlons.
Isabel Cappo, another troop member, said before the triathlon she was excited and a little nervous.
The kids triathlon consisted of a 75 meter swim, 3.3 kilometer bike section and a 1 kilometer run.
“The smiles on their faces as they cross the finish line are just overwhelming,” Bolton said.
The girls all had stories of their experience, people nearly crashing on bikes, runners suddenly stopping in the middle of the road and spectators running across the road in the way.
“People would run four steps and then start walking right in front of you,” Isabel Cappo said.
“It was hard to hear the instructions,” McFarland said. “I just had to follow the other kids sometimes.”
“The running was hard because you used all your energy on the swimming and biking,” Shade said.
“It wouldn’t have been fun if it were a competition,” troop member Brigid Stakelum said. “It would have been like fighting with against your friends.”
Before the triathlon Bolton said they ran a transition clinic to help the girls prepare for the race.
“Even though it was hard to transition it was easier because we practiced,” Stakelum said.
“It was really cold coming in from the water,” troop member Anna Lawther said of the transition station. “and you had to wipe all the sand off your feet before you could get your shoes on for the bike part.”
“The transition areas were really hectic,” Isabel Cappo said.
Bolton said the girls’ parents helped with training for the triathlon. She sent home handouts that advised what training techniques the girls could do on their own, what foods would be good for the triathlon, and what supplies were needed to compete.
“The girls really got into it,” Bolton said. Some of the girls are in the running club at school and would practice for the triathlon there, Bolton said. They would get together and go on bike rides and the girls with access to pools practiced the swimming portion too, Bolton said.
“We want to try to incorporate giving back and physical fitness next year,” Jeannie Cappo said. She wants to try to do a run for charity with the girls for next year’s triathlon.
Intern Lauren McLaughlin can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 244 or samrev@isspress.com.
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