Semester Wrap Up

With the race series ending and the semester coming to a close, the UBCTC held their year end party in a big way!

Andrew Wight, VP External for the UBC Triathlon Club has been working really hard on getting sponsorship and managed to get Ryders Eyewear to donate 8 PAIRS of sunglasses to the club to be given away to race series participants in a draw.

Thanks Ryders!

Matt, Celeste and Scott sporting their new swag!

In order to close off the semester fully, there was a little matter of the awards to be handed out.

The race for the Vincent Lavallee Cup was close and after a brief speech was handed out to Race Series Overall Winner Matt Reeve and Female Winner Lauren Sagadore.

What a nice Trophy

Having their names engraved for the first time on the Vincent Lavallee Cup, Lauren and Matt were very excited. Winston was as well, he just wanted to be near the trophy as can be seen in this next photo as well. Could this mean Winston has his eyes on it for next semester?

Nathaniel Showing up Late Posing with the Cup and his Trophy

With this event finished with, the Fall semester was finally finished and only exams stood in the way of our athletes and their home for the holidays.

What will next semester bring? Will Matt be able to defend? Will Nathaniel make up the necessary ground? Will one of the girls take over the title of series champion? Will Lauren be able to defend her title? Or will Claire and Victoria have something to say along with Melanie who boldly stated repeatedly for anyone who would listen that she "Was going to own the competition next semester"

Should be exciting!

Happy Holidays! And see you all in the new year for a full new series!

Event # 12 Underwater Distance Swim

Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of this event so I stole some appropriate ones off the internet.

With the weather forecast showing that it was going to be cold on the weekend, Nathaniel Janzen decided not to risk it and performed the underwater swim early the Thursday before the event. Uncharacteristically, Spazzz was also not going to make it to Sunday swim and therefore also competed early.

Nathaniel could frequently be heard toting that he planned on winning the underwater distance swim competition and in doing so, make his pool domination 4 for 4 (Aquathon, Team Relay, Swim Set, Distance Swim). A bold statement but could he back it up?

As Nathaniel and Lauren prepared for their attempt, the rest of the team continued swimming the set where Vincent Lavallee proved that he is more than just general good looks, but that he also has a sense of humor as he splashed Nathaniel on every flip turn he had the chance.

With that Lauren went first. Having never made it past the red line (halfway) in the pool she wanted to go further. With sheer determination she made it to the black line! 36 meters down the pool. Definitely a decent attempt to maintain her overall lead.

Next up was Nathaniel. Many swimmers stopped their set to spectate. Nathaniel had been practicing breathing techniques in class all week, and as a Human Kinetics major, knows a thing or two about the body (one would hope). He pushed off and was very slow going, looking very relaxed. As he reached the middle red line then the black line he passed Lauren and looked calm and relaxed, no signs of pain. Although he had been underwater nearly 40 seconds now, he showed no signs of weakness. Rumors had it he had planned on reaching the wall and giving one solid push and popping up. Well as he reached the wall he just kept on going. Eventually (and after Vincent took 4-5 breath to watch underwater), he surfaced at the red line near the lifeguard chair for an astounding 72 meters!

Upon completion Nathaniel was heard yelling:

"Now I am the ruler of all the ocean! The waves obey my every whim!"

Sure it was strange that he was quoting Ursula from The Little Mermaid, but he had just spent 90-100 seconds underwater, so we'll cut him some slack.

Sorry Lauren, no one was impressed with you anymore. Surely this will be the distance to beat on Sunday.

Sure enough as Sunday came around, people already had their doubts. All eyes were on Derek Westra-Luney and Matt Reeve. Derek because of his superior swimming skills, and Matt because his pride usually carries him to exceptional performances. Would his pride carry him through to the Victory?

Vincent Lavallee went first, with the goal only to beat Lauren he reached the black line, gave one strong pull and surfaced around 38-40 meters. Not bad he shrugged.

Rachel Schoeler had gone alongside Vincent finishing right around 41 meters. Now the current leader in the women's field.

Matt Reeve and Derek both went side by side, and impressively made it to the wall, however, neither decided to push off again for the added distance bonus. Surely Nathaniel's record would stand.

Now the interesting competition started. In the women's overall, Victoria Gilbert was 4 points back from Lauren. By beating her by 1 spot she would regain 3 points, but not the overall. She needed to beat Lauren by 2 positions, gaining 6 points in the process and the overall title. Unfortunately the gap between Lauren and Rachel (who was currently in first) wasn't just kids play.

Victoria pushed off, appearing to struggle a little bit, but with sheer determination managed to pull her way along. When she finally surfaced, the overall title was still unknown. Measurements were needed. In conclusion, it was decided that Victoria beat Lauren by merely a foot. In doing so was only able to capture second place on the day, but more importantly only 3 points from Lauren, allowing Lauren, our Spastic friend to retain the overall lead in the final competition for the Vincent Lavallee Cup!

Full Results (not exactly reliable for most):

Nathaniel	72
Matt	50
Derek	50
Rachel	45
Andrew	41
Vince	40
Victoria	37
Lauren	36
Scott	31
Winston	30
Claire	30
Kelsey	28
Derrick	25
Celeste	25

Event #11 Tire Change

As appears to be the trend these days, many UBCTC members awoke to a lovely rain for the Saturday bike ride. This in addition to midterms surely resulted in significantly fewer members coming out for the ride. A special note should be taken, that Jared Penner was NOT detered from riding, as he decided it was advisable to do a quick jaunt with another cycling club before meeting up with the UBCTC. Escape Velocity never knew what hit them. Really, they had no idea who he was.

The main draw on such a lovely morning was the promise of competition in the tire change event! Changing a fast flat can mean the difference between winning a race and even being in contention. As a result, we felt this was an important event for the Fall Classic Race Series.

In total 12 people showed up for the tire change. This is of course including Nathaniel who decided against riding because it was too cold.

In a surprising turn of events, the bravado before the event was quite high. Matt Reeve stating that Friday night while practicing he was capable of changing a tire in 1:18. This is impressive, the competition waited anxiously to see whether this was in fact true.

Due to space limitations and to increase the suspense, the competition was run 2-3 people at a time. With such bold declarations, Matt Reeve went first and Vincent Lavallee joined him. May it be noted that Vincent was phenomenally hung over muttering something about fireball, and the general consensus was that on this morning, he was in fact NOT a generally good looking guy. OUCH!

The start was counted down and Matt Reeve quickly got to work on his tire as Vincent fumbled to stand. 30 Seconds gone by and Matt already had the tire off and tube out. 1 Minute and he was already putting the new tube in. As the clock ticked by 1:15 he already was working on rolling his tire over the rim and by 1:27 the wheel was back on his bike!

Nathaniel Bowing down to Matt's superiority

Matt putting the finishing touches on his tire change

IMPRESSIVE!

At this point Vincent was still trying to find the stem of his tube, finishing far behind in 3:16.

Vincent fumbling with his bike

Next up was Winston Guo and Nathaniel Janzen. Both starting off strong, Nathaniel has shown that he came prepared for today as well. Finishing in 2:11 seconds with Winston not far behind in 2:44. Following this, Nathaniel could do no more than to bow down to Matt's supremacy.

Winston showing how it will be done

3rd to race was the girls. The most anticipated race of the day. With only a few points separating first and third. The overall female title was on the line. All three, Claire, Lauren Sagadore and Victoria Gilbert psyched themselves up and prepared for the change. Victoria showed the most skill getting the tire off, as Lauren proved to the rest why she got her nickname of Spazzzzzzzz as she broke a tire lever trying to pull the tire up. After a quick replacement of the lever (thats why you always carry 3) she was back in the game. Victoria held a strong lead while Claire and Spazzz were head to head.

Claire looking calm and relaxed. Lauren looking Spastic

Victoria struggled with the valve and decided that instead of dealing with it to simply take the 15 second penalty and finish the tire change. Finishing in 2:30 and being awarded a time of 2:45. Close behind Lauren and Claire fought it out for second place. As they placed their tire on the bikes it literally came down to who could flip the bike over fastest as Lauren Spazadore finished in 3:38 and Claire in 3:43

Claire and Victoria racing

With this move, Victoria edged ever closer to the women's title in the race series. Needing only a few more points to overtake Lauren. This could be accomplished if the last female, Celeste Pakstas finished the tire change between Lauren and Victoria. As Celeste started her tire change, things looked dire for Lauren. The clocked ticked by 2:30 and she was already getting the sidewall placed on her wheel. At 3:15 he tire was almost on, and snapping it over the last lip was all that remained. Lauren realizing the situation she was in became moderately vocal to say the least. As Celeste wrestled her bike to get the wheel back in place at 3:30 Lauren could be heard screaming profanities at the top of her lungs, further enforcing the nickname Spazzzzzz.

Video to follow

Perhaps it was just luck, or maybe Spazadores yelling was a distraction, but Celeste could no finish the tire change in time and ended up completing her change in 3:46. A close call for Lauren.

Scott rocking out without leg warmers

With all the big movers of the day done. It was time for a lovely wet ride out to Iona where Andrew Wight did his 10k time trial. In significantly less than ideal conditions, he toughed it out for a few critical points allowing him to edge out Derrick Lee in the overall to make the top 10.

Results:

Matt	1:27
Scott	1:55
Derrick	2:00
Flipper	2:11
Winston	2:44
Victoria	2:45
Vince	3:16
Lauren	3:38
Claire	3:43
Celeste	3:46
Andrew	4:05
Jared	4:06

Photos

Event #10 Run Relay

With such a tight battle for the overall, making the teams was a VERY stressful task. We wouldn't want someone getting an unfair advantage in the relay resulting in some type of physical harm being done towards Vincent Lavallee for making the teams, potentially damaging his generally good looks.

As a result, high school level math was required to compute the most balanced teams possible. With that done, everything was ready to go!

But wait... As the teams were being organized a surprise guest made an appearance as latecomer Kory Seder required a spot on a team. Fortunately for Kory, the teams had a minor inbalance prior to his arrival, and the acceptance of his entry into the race made the numbers work out significantly better.

This move did not come without consequence though. Kory's arrival made him the 19th participant. Damn prime number. Vincent took the bullet for this one and challenged the teams to a race. He would run the entire relay solo (3X900m followed by 3X500m).

On a dark and rainy night, the 6 teams of 3 lined up and prepared for competition.

As the gun went off Andrew Wight was quick to take the lead, running the first 900 meters in sub 2:50. YIKES! Followed closely by Kory and Liam Harrap. With the handoff the second round of runners took off.

Our unaccompanied hero Vincent pulled through in 4th, hoping to hold on. With the second wave of runners starting, Vincent regained his stride and managed to claw his way back to the top. Reaching the completion of the second lap close behind 1st place in second. As he started heckling Derrick Lee, he realized his legs were no longer nearly as fresh as someone's who has yet to run as Derrick started to slowly pull away. This crushing blow was only magnified as Vincent heard the quick pace of footsteps behind as some of the big guns, Matt Reeve, Winston Guo and Nathaniel Janzen blow by.

Intense handoff

Matt Reeve was seen running through the entire field from 7th into 1st over 1 lap running it in under 2:45. Vincent Lavallee Running in 3:20 laps was definitely feeling the pain in his legs.

As the set of 500m laps began, Vincent thought his chances may improve as his competition may have blown up on their first laps. But as it turns out, they were refreshed after a few minutes rest and ready to sprint. Vincent found himself in a world of trouble as he raced Kim Seder through the middle lap of the 500m. Despite Vince's best efforts, Kim managed to hold him off through the lap for her handoff to Victoria who took it home.

The 500m proved to be the downfall of our underdog hero. 500 meters is simply too fast for the waning Lavallee. Claire made short work of Vincent as she blew by him on her run of 500m.

Vincent being criticized for heels striking

In the end, our President Vincent Lavallee was not able to bring home the victory. His competition was simply too strong for him. This however, he will take as an accomplishment. Being run coach this must simply be a reflection of his coaching skills.

Andrew Wight, showing the effort

In the end the winning team of Rachel Schoeler, Lara Russel and Matt Reeve completed the 4.2km Course in a record setting 14:46, averaging 3:30.9 minutes/km. Pretty fast! Second place team, finished just 10 seconds back, meaning they ran each lap less than 2 seconds slower. Pretty fast group!

Team 1: 14:46

Rachel Schoeler

Lara Russel

Matt Reeve

Team 2: 14:56

Annie Mauer

Andrew Wight

Derrick Lee

Team 3: 15:01

Kelsey Foote

Greta Raymant

Nathaniel Janzen

Team 4 15:06

Celeste Pakstas

Winston Guo

Jesse Chao

Team 5: 15:18

Lauren Sagadore

Claire

Kory Seder

Solo: 15:31

Vincent Lavallee

Team 6: 15:38

Victoria Gilbert

Kim Seder

Liam Harrap

Special acknowledgment must be given to Scott Chris who although did not race, took times and photos for the group.

Tri BC Gala

This past week a group of the UBCTC and I went to the Annual Tri BC Fundraising Gala at the Stanley Park Rowing Club.

I wasn't too sure what to expect, but it was a lot of fun. All together we had 10 of us from the club, who get along really well and had a good time.

The atmosphere of the Gala wasn't as much "Party" as it was "Socialize and Mingle", nevertheless it was a good time and it was nice seeing some people I raced against in the summer and haven't seen since.

Paul Regensburg and Meyrick Jones

Meyrick encouraged us to come out and I'm glad he did. There was a great talk by Triathlon Coach and Commentator Paul Regensburg. He told a great story about the 2000 olympics and how he announced for CBC Simon Whitfields win.

Winston and I dressed somewhat similarly

Following the Gala, the group of us went over to Matt's place for a few more drinks and games.

All round it was a pretty fantastic Thursday night if I may say so myself and hopefully we can have a lot more team outings like this in the future.

All in all, I would say it was good for the club to have such a big showing. We were by far the largest and ONLY club represented there. Considering the growth we hope to make over the next few years, I think its exposure like this that could really help.

How to Hold your Breath

1. Now that Nathaniel has gone, I can give up the secrets, here are a few helpful tips for how to hold your breath as long as possible.
2. Before holding your breath, inhale and exhale slowly from deep within your diaphragm. By doing this, you're ridding your lungs of low-quality air.^[2] Spend 5 seconds breathing in and 5 seconds breathing out; do this for two minutes, and be sure that when you exhale, you push out every last "drop" of air.^[3]
3. Take a massive gulp of air and hold it. Don't breathe in so much that you're about to pop; fill your lung capacity to 80-85% so that you still have room to relax.^[4]
   • Always do this with a partner watching, since you can lose consciousness without warning.
   • Don't hold air in your cheeks. This method is meant for an air reserve, but you have to "let go" of the air in your lungs if you want to use the air in your cheeks, and exhaling air in your lungs usually gets rid of the reserve in your cheeks. In other words, it's not easy to switch out the air in your lungs and the air in your cheeks without letting both escape. But it can be done -
4. Splash cold water on your face. It has been observed that putting a person's face in contact with cold water triggers bradycardia, or the slowing of the heart rate, which is the first phase of the mammalian diving reflex.^[5] You don't need to actually put your entire head underwater, though. You can splash some cold water on your face right before you hold your breath, or try using a cold, wet washcloth (don't use an ice pack, though; the same study suggests that the shock of something too cold triggers other reflexes). Just make sure it's cold enough (21 °C or 70 °F) and the rest of your body is in a relaxed position.
5. Relax every muscle in your body. Meditate so that you can lower your heart rate. Your body will consume less oxygen that way.^[6] By closing your eyes, feeling, and focusing on slowing your heart beat, it is possible to lower your heart rate significantly and increase the time you are able to hold your breath for. Concentrate on something that's relaxing to you. When you can't concentrate anymore, distract yourself by doing something with your hands, like counting to 99 with your fingers.^[7]

Event #9 Swim Test Set

On a lazy Sunday morning, the University of British Columbia Aquatic center saw 17 triathletes dip their toes in the pool in preparation for event number 9; the 500m swim set.

To everyones surprise dominant swimmer Nathaniel Janzen was nowhere to be found. Has he given up the chase against Matt Reeve. This could equate to a critical 15 point swing if Nathaniel decides to make up the event.

Ironically, in our first swim with the new tent in place, the sun decided to come out from hiding. There are many mixed emotions towards if the tent is a good of bad thing. Time will tell. The main impact it had for the swim test set was that the pace clock was no longer visible, would this affect the racers? Probably not, but you never know.

Looking over the group, Winston Guo surely must have been seen excited by the turnout. Having voiced his concerns over lost ground in the swim set, seeing that many of the middle range swimmers were not present, this bode well for him.

With the table set, Ivan called the start and the race was on. Leaving on 15 second intervals to prevent drafting, the fastest swimmers of each lane went first, followed by the rest.

There were many strategies, Vincent Lavallee*, followed Rachel Schoeler by 15 seconds where he decided to try and bridge the gap by sprinting the first 100m with the hope of getting into her slipstream, however, he had no luck in such matters as she quickly pulled away leaving him tired and without shelter. This technique may have been more successful in other lanes, but this narrator is unaware if that is so.

By the end of the grueling swim, Alex Lush was a clear winner in a time of 7:00 flat with Rachel finishing in second in a time of 7:20 and Vincent in 3rd in 7:25.

This is the first time in the University of British Columbia Triathlon Club history that the women take the win, and not only that but take second place on the podium as well!

With that done, the race came down to the further lanes to see where the division of rank would come. Matt Reeve who was worried of his hold on first overall maintained a solid showing finishing in 3rd male just behind Scott Chris distancing himself from Winston, but where was Nathaniel?

In the women's race Spazzzzzzzzz or infrequently known as Lauren was capable of holding off her main rivals in the overall to regain her place atop the women's field.

Following the event, speculation of where Nathaniel was started to leak out. The predominant vote was that on his bike ride in to campus he got cold and decided to bus home. But confirmation was still needed for this.

In a follow up, Nathaniel Janzen, Andrew Wight and Kendra Swain did the swim on the following Tuesday, setting two new course records! Kendra set the women's record in a time of 6:31 and Nathaniel, in a time that would have lapped Vincent set a time of 6:11. Those will be two times that may stand the test of time on the record board.

Congrats to all who showed up. And shame on Nathaniel for sleeping in.

Results:

Alex Lush	7:00
Rachel Schoeler	7:20
Vincent Lavallee	7:25
Scott Chris	7:39
Heather Enns	7:45
Matt Reeve	7:47
Spazadore	7:49
Celeste Paskstas	7:53
Kelsey Foote	9:00
Claire	9:30
Winston Guo	9:41
Victoria Gilbert	9:41
Derrick Lee	10:00
Eddie Wu	10:20
Debbie Poon	10:55
Jesse Chao	11:20
Yan Liu	12:20

Nathaniel Janzen	6:11
Kendra Swain	6:31
Andrew Wight	8:30

*Generally good looking guy