The kids who train in the Sanford Triathlon Program know the meaning of hard work.
The program is offered through the Sanford Wellness Center, and is partners with Z3, an organization dedicated to triathlon training for kids of all ages.
Kathy Grady, an aquatic supervisor at the Sanford Wellness Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, spearheads the program.
Growing year by year
She brought the program to Sioux Falls in 2011. But before then, she trained athletes for Z3.
“We seriously maybe started with like six kids that first year and it has just progressively gotten bigger and bigger and bigger,” she said, while extending her arms as far as they could reach.
This year, she’s overseeing 45 kids.
“Six is my youngest, up to my 18-year-olds.”
It’s composed of kids of all ages, from all across the Sioux Falls area. Grady said four school systems are represented this summer alone.
“We’ve got Tea and Brandon and O’Gorman and Harrisburg. I mean, we have (people) from all over. And so, these kids are really coming together, and they get to know each other, and they just really support each other.”
Watch one practice, and you’ll see what Grady means.
“They’re always high fiving each other,” she said with a smile. “They’re always encouraging each other.”
Pillars of character
Of course, Grady wants to train these kids to be the best athletes they can possibly be. However, that’s not the end-all-be-all for Grady.
Z3, the aforementioned partner in the program, instills pillars of character in their athletes:
- Humility
- Integrity
- Accountability
- Respect
- Sportsmanship
- Safety
- Goal setting
“It’s something we want to make sure that hopefully these kids are learning at a young age.”
Finding the balance
Someone who learned those things is former competitor and coach Hannah Droge.
Droge trained and competed hard for four years in the program, from sixth to ninth grades.
And she was good.
“From an athlete perspective it was really cool to get out there racing with arguably, in my opinion, the best team in the nation,” said Droge.
But then, like many do at some point in their lives, Droge experienced burnout.
“There was a summer where almost every single weekend we raced,” she recalled.
Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. She fell out of love with racing, but she found a new love.
This time through coaching.
“Seeing people fall in love with it, seeing how much they improved throughout the season. Seeing their successes and their failures,” said Droge. “But there’s not really failures, right? Because most kids their age were not out all summer training. Getting to be there throughout that with them and just seeing them grow was really cool.”
A hard goodbye
“Growth” is a common highlight for everyone involved in the program.
“To watch these kids grow up over the years and just watch them develop as people. You know how they were when they were younger, and just to see how they’ve matured over the years,” said Grady.
Droge said when it was time to fully leave the program, it was hard.
“I was in tears. It was so hard leaving something that’s meant so much to me and like putting this bow on this huge chapter – it’s done. I’m not here anymore. I’m moving away. It’s shaped me into who I am today.”
Droge recently graduated from college and moved to Baltimore.
And to this day, can’t thank Grady enough. For everything.
“Kathy Grady is phenomenal. She is an expert. There is a reason she has had so many athletes that have trained under her that have gone on and on national championships and stuff like that.”
Learn more
- Triathlon training at Sanford leads to national titles
- Bicycling safely is great for enjoying warm weather fitness
- Olympics on hold but training goes on for Sanford triathlete
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Posted In Sanford Sports, Sioux Falls, Sports Medicine
