****Important race information, route maps, bike and helmut waiver can be found at /printinfo.htm
Or place your cursor over 'Kids Page' on the left sidebar and you will see 5 subfolders with more additional information.
8th Annual
Kamloops Kids of Steel© Triathlon Sunday, June 27, 2010 Volunteers are ALWAYS Needed... especially for race day The Gayfer Wealth Advisory Group Kids of Steel events NEEDS YOU....... The event is looking for committee volunteers to help organize this years event. Meetings are normally once per month for about 2 hours. There are a few more meeting during the month of June. Please volunteer your time so this event will continue to be one of the greatest run events in Kamloops! Email koskamloops@telus.net. Kids of Steel Kamloops; a growing success story It was the summer of 2003. Many will remember it as the summer of the wild fires that caused so much damage in the Kelowna and Kamloops region. It was also the summer of the first Kids of Steel triathlon in Kamloops. The City of Kamloops Parks and Recreation Department initiated the first event and invited Simon Whitfield to come to Kamloops for a promotional appearance. Unfortunately, the event coordinator was unable to fulfill her commitment and the event’s future was uncertain before it had even gotten of the ground. City staff looked desperately for somebody with triathlon experience to fill in the void. What they found where 2 willing triathletes and their spouses. They were members of the newly formed Kamloops Triathlon Club (www.trytri.org ). With only 6 weeks to go and planned vacations upcoming, these 2 families worked feverishly to put together a new race venue, bike and run courses as well as decide on distances. Volunteers had to be found and trained. Many phone calls between Kamloops and Hornby Island achieved the goal of getting the triathlon ready. However, there was still the issue of air quality. For several weeks, the Thompson valley had been filled with thick smoke from the fires in Barriere and Louis Creek. But miraculously, when race day came, the air was clear and the race went off without a hitch. That year, we had about 70 kids. Following 2003, we redesigned the course to meet all TriBC sanctioning criteria. Our participation numbers grew from the original 70 to an amazing 200 kids this year. Throughout the past 6 years, the same 2 families have stayed involved in organizing this event. Along the way other triathlon oriented families joined in and we now have an organizing committee of 9 people. Over the years, we have had kids from places such as Chetwynd, Queen Charlotte Island, Kelowna, Vernon, Vancouver, 100 Mile House, Salmon Arm, Squamish, Keremeos and Golden join us. There have also been a few more exotic locations such as Germany, Ontario and the Yukon. As you can imagine, looking after 200 kids from 5-15 years old requires a lot of coordination as well as a lot of volunteers. We struggle every year to find the 80 volunteers for our race, but come race day, we have always had enough to cover every street corner on the course, every pool lane, every stop watch and every spot in the transition area. And what is the reward for all this hard work? 200 happy kids and families. 200 kids whose self esteem has increased because they finished a triathlon. 200 kids who are physically active in this day and age of I pods, computers and Nintendo. 200 kids who will tell their friends about the great sport of triathlon. 200 kids who ask their parents when and where the next kids’ triathlon is because they’ve had so much fun and want to do another one. Part of the appeal of our race might be our motto: “every participant is a winner”. You see, we do not award any prizes to the fastest kids or mention their names. Instead, we hand out medals to each and every athlete that crosses the finish line. Having pizza and ice cream afterwards probably also contributes to our race’s popularity. Despite having all these kids in our races, we still don’t have a kids’ tri club here in Kamloops. Maybe that will be an endeavor for the coming years. In the meantime, we welcome the amazing Keremeos youth triathlon club to our race. They show up with over 25 kids and provide volunteers to boot. If you want to try a fun (yet competitive) kids’ triathlon in 2009, come and join us in Kamloops, the “Tournament Capital of Canada”. But register early (info at koskamloops@telus.net) as we will fill the 200 spaces again next year. Oh, did I mention that in the 6 years of our race we have always had sunny skies and warm weather? Submitted by Klaus Mey, Kids of Steel Kamloops Alex Mey completing the race in 2008. Alex is one of our racers that has taken part in every Kamloops Kids of Steel race - 6 years in a row. Come & Try A Tri!!! Triathlons consist of 3 sports (Swimming, Cycling, and Running) completed one after another. The time it takes to switch from one sport to another is called a "transition". In Kids of Steel events, kids complete different distances in each sport depending on their age. At the Kamloops Kids of Steel event the emphasis is on FUN and participation. Every finisher is a winner and every young athlete who crosses the finish line receives an award, regardless of his or her placing or speed.
Kamloops
Kids of Steel© Triathlon
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Volunteers are ALWAYS Needed... especially for race day
The Gayfer Wealth Advisory Group Kids of Steel events NEEDS YOU.......
The event is looking for committee volunteers to help organize this years event. Meetings are normally once per month for about 2 hours. There are a few more meeting during the month of June.
Please volunteer your time so this event will continue to be one of the greatest run events in Kamloops!
Email koskamloops@telus.net.
Kids of Steel Kamloops; a growing success story
It was the summer of 2003. Many will remember it as the summer of the wild fires that caused so much damage in the Kelowna and Kamloops region. It was also the summer of the first Kids of Steel triathlon in Kamloops.
The City of Kamloops Parks and Recreation Department initiated the first event and invited Simon Whitfield to come to Kamloops for a promotional appearance. Unfortunately, the event coordinator was unable to fulfill her commitment and the event’s future was uncertain before it had even gotten of the ground. City staff looked desperately for somebody with triathlon experience to fill in the void. What they found where 2 willing triathletes and their spouses. They were members of the newly formed Kamloops Triathlon Club (www.trytri.org ). With only 6 weeks to go and planned vacations upcoming, these 2 families worked feverishly to put together a new race venue, bike and run courses as well as decide on distances. Volunteers had to be found and trained. Many phone calls between Kamloops and Hornby Island achieved the goal of getting the triathlon ready. However, there was still the issue of air quality. For several weeks, the Thompson valley had been filled with thick smoke from the fires in Barriere and Louis Creek. But miraculously, when race day came, the air was clear and the race went off without a hitch.
That year, we had about 70 kids. Following 2003, we redesigned the course to meet all TriBC sanctioning criteria. Our participation numbers grew from the original 70 to an amazing 200 kids this year. Throughout the past 6 years, the same 2 families have stayed involved in organizing this event. Along the way other triathlon oriented families joined in and we now have an organizing committee of 9 people.
Over the years, we have had kids from places such as Chetwynd, Queen Charlotte Island, Kelowna, Vernon, Vancouver, 100 Mile House, Salmon Arm, Squamish, Keremeos and Golden join us. There have also been a few more exotic locations such as Germany, Ontario and the Yukon.
As you can imagine, looking after 200 kids from 5-15 years old requires a lot of coordination as well as a lot of volunteers. We struggle every year to find the 80 volunteers for our race, but come race day, we have always had enough to cover every street corner on the course, every pool lane, every stop watch and every spot in the transition area.
And what is the reward for all this hard work? 200 happy kids and families. 200 kids whose self esteem has increased because they finished a triathlon. 200 kids who are physically active in this day and age of I pods, computers and Nintendo. 200 kids who will tell their friends about the great sport of triathlon. 200 kids who ask their parents when and where the next kids’ triathlon is because they’ve had so much fun and want to do another one.
Part of the appeal of our race might be our motto: “every participant is a winner”. You see, we do not award any prizes to the fastest kids or mention their names. Instead, we hand out medals to each and every athlete that crosses the finish line. Having pizza and ice cream afterwards probably also contributes to our race’s popularity.
Despite having all these kids in our races, we still don’t have a kids’ tri club here in Kamloops. Maybe that will be an endeavor for the coming years. In the meantime, we welcome the amazing Keremeos youth triathlon club to our race. They show up with over 25 kids and provide volunteers to boot.
If you want to try a fun (yet competitive) kids’ triathlon in 2009, come and join us in Kamloops, the “Tournament Capital of Canada”. But register early (info at koskamloops@telus.net) as we will fill the 200 spaces again next year. Oh, did I mention that in the 6 years of our race we have always had sunny skies and warm weather?
Submitted by
Klaus Mey, Kids of Steel Kamloops
Alex Mey completing the race in 2008. Alex is one of our racers that has taken part in every Kamloops Kids of Steel race - 6 years in a row.
Triathlons consist of 3 sports (Swimming, Cycling, and Running) completed one after another. The time it takes to switch from one sport to another is called a "transition". In Kids of Steel events, kids complete different distances in each sport depending on their age.
At the Kamloops Kids of Steel event the emphasis is on FUN and participation. Every finisher is a winner and every young athlete who crosses the finish line receives an award, regardless of his or her placing or speed.
