What a Sponsorship Means to Me

The last few days have been a bit of a blur. I was offered a spot on Team TriSports.com and I accepted yesterday. This allows me to cross off one of my goals I posted a few weeks ago. I am absolutely thrilled to have the support of TriSports.com and will work hard to hold up my end of the relationship. The best part of this is that TriSports.com was where I bought all of my triathlon gear before joining their team.

I am blessed to be supported by such a staple in the triathlon community. Being located in a rural area, it is imperative to have an online tri store I can trust. TriSports.com was the first store I tried for a number of different reasons. I appreciate the fact that they are so involved in the triathlon community and work hard to support and promote the sport. I love their demo program as well. I traveled to Arizona for work and was able to visit their physical location as well. I was really impressed by the facility, and even took a dip in their endless pool. Ever since I visited their store, I have been hooked. I have been extremely impressed with their customer service, their knowledge, their on-line chats, and the ease of returns if items don't fit.

This is the first year I applied for any sort of sponsorship. I didn't realize how much time, energy, and stress was involved with the process. I knew I wanted to get a sponsor to support me for the 2013 season, but going through the application process made me take a little time to reflect on why a sponsorship was so important to me. Obviously, the gear benefits and the ability to say I am a sponsored athlete is nice, but that is not the reason I applied. The biggest thing I am looking forward to from working with TriSports.com is the network of elite triathletes I will get to be associated with. I will get to work with other elite athletes who share my passion for the sport. I look forward to learning from and with such a focused group of triathletes. I  look forward reading their blogs, race reports, and meeting other team members at races. There is so much to learn and I am very thankful to TriSports.com for allowing me the opportunity to race with them this season.