Riptide Junior Team Well Represented at National Championships

By: Riptide Multisports

Riptide sent a strong contingent of racers to compete in the Youth and Junior National Championships held at Prospect Lake in Colorado Springs on August 8th.  Young athletes from around the country converged on the city, home of the US Olympic Training Center and many of the sport’s elite.

Thomas Hill (17) lead the way for the Junior Elite Boys, finishing in 30th place.  Thomas has shown tremendous improvement over the past year and has been very consistent in races during the 2009 season.  Thomas was followed by Matthew Rameson (16) in 38th.  Matthew showed incredible dedication during the summer months, leaving his family in Utah to spend the summer training with the Riptide team.  Fabien Vivier (19) was next across the line in 42nd place.  Linley Wendt (17), battling the flu, finished in 54th.

Lindsey Schmidt (17) was the sole Riptide athlete in the Junior Elite Girls race finishing in 22nd.  Lindsey, who prefers longer events, rode hard on the bike leg and finished with a strong 5k run.

In the Youth Elite Boys’ race, James Hill (15), ran to a solid 19th place in a competitive field.  He was followed by Ryder Pittz (13) in 45th place.

James Hill closing in on the finish.

Ryder Pittz finishing strong.

Taylor Fogg (14) was the first Riptide athlete across the line in the Youth Elite Girls’ race in 14th, with Taylor Harp (14) coming in close behind in 18th.  Harp used her trademark sprint finish on top of an already very swift run to edge out several girls in the last few hundred meters.  Morgan McCormack (13), a relative newcomer to triathlon, finished in 32nd place and had one of the fastest swims.

Taylor Fogg en route to the finish.

Taylor Harp in full stride.

In the age group races, Fiona Dretzka (13) placed 3rd in the 13-15 year old bracket.  Ashley VanSickle (10) finished 2nd in the 9-10 bracket.  Brock Arends (10) raced to a 23rd place finish in the 9-10 bracket followed by his teammate Blaise Snowberg (10) in 35th place.

Congratulations to all participants!

Full results can be found here.