Ready to feel the cool splash of water across your face, the sweat drip down your back and the fire burning in your legs? Then California Lutheran University Triathlon Club might be for you.

It began in 2013 as a community of competition and has grown into a way for members to maintain a healthy lifestyle with a supportive team cheering on one another.

“I think it’s really important for the leaders to compete in triathlons alongside members, so that they can support their fellow athletes and guide them if they have any questions,” said senior co-president Kathi Kirkeby.

Becoming a member of the CLU Triathlon Club is a way for members to work out, coach and partake in training and racing for a small fee.

A club member can be  a student, faculty member or staff  member and will need to pay a fee of $50 to participate in team workouts and coaching. There are also teams composed of only graduate and undergraduate students for a full access membership. This consists of coaching, race discounts, sponsorship deals and more.

The members embrace the challenges of competing in triathlons. By the end of the year they will have competed in two races, the Grape Stomp Triathlon in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. and the UCSB triathlon in Santa Barbara, Calif. Senior Hayley Jensen will compete in the UCSB race and senior Kevin Tanner recently competed in a triathlon.

“The triathlon was a great experience with a pretty decent turnout. I would have never thought I would have done a triathlon by myself without the help of the Triathlon Club. They encouraged me and helped me to believe in myself,” Tanner said.

The team is made up of four student leadership positions, including Kirkeby, Jensen, sophomore Alexis Schomer,  junior Jeremy Anderson and faculty advisers Kristopher Karsten and Chad Barber. Club members have different roles to help keep the club running smoothly and growing.

So far, there are six team members. Members attend one meeting each month during the regular school year, but anyone is welcome to join in on team meetings.

“Triathlon Club is really helpful in finding various races, and the transition clinic provided me with a lot of tricks and advice to make the race go more smoothly,” said Monica Alvarez.

The team raises money between multiple sources such as membership fees, sponsors, donations and more. These fees go to items like equipment, apparel, travel, hotels and other social activities to help the team progress and become closer.

The Triathlon Club has two forms of gear. One is team-owned gear, which is received from sponsors and donations. This gear is checked out and returned for official team workouts and races. The second type of gear is distributed gear. This consists of gear that is given to members in order of priority and chosen by the sponsors. For this gear, members have to participate in a certain amount of team races.

The members should also take pictures and send them to the sponsors for them to see and appreciate the uniforms that they have been given.

The Triathlon Club provides a place for athletes to become team members and support each other’s progress through training and races. Students can join year-round.

Erin Chisholm
Staff Writer
Published April 23, 2014