WACO, TX (KWTX) – The nonprofit Greater Waco Sports Commission has reopened applications for the Team Waco program for training and competing in Ironman, and the organization is committed to reaching out to more amateurs within the community. We also hope to expand that outreach to help athletes.
“Our long-term vision is for Team Waco to be a program that truly helps enable this entire community, whatever their sporting adventure.
He said the program will reach out to all ages, from Little League baseball to rowing.If sports groups are struggling financially, Team Waco wants to provide resources.
“Whether it’s rowing, triathlon, volleyball or Little League, we want to be there and be able to support this community in athletics.
Vogelaar said their support will reach the Greater Waco community, especially the East Waco community, which may lack the resources to support local athletes.
“We want to be able to serve the entire Greater Waco community,” he said. some of those resources. “
Vogelaar said the nonprofit wants to take action quickly, but it needs community support to get started, including partnerships and donations from local businesses and participation from Waco residents.
“We really need different local businesses and businesses to help us manage the resources we have here,” he said. “We also need resident participation, so we have formed a committee to help us assess the different opportunities that are in front of us and take action to achieve them.”
In addition to expanding Team Waco’s outreach, the program continues to sponsor a handful of Waco athletes interested in competing in Ironman.
Michaela McCown joined Team Waco in October to train and finish Ironman. But she has two reasons why she applied to team her Waco.
“I wanted to see if this was a new way for me to challenge myself and grow myself in ways that I previously thought were impossible, and in doing so I wanted to hear from environmental voices and advocates. I really wanted to be a race setting,” she said.
By participating in the race, she wanted to make an impact on Waco’s environment.
“As lovers of the environment and nature, and as athletes, we use the environment and environmental resources on a daily basis, especially as athletes,” McCown said.
So she worked with the staff at Ironman, Team Waco, and Keep Waco Beautiful to make the race greener with more recycling stations, composting pizza boxes, water monster tanks, and solar charging stations. have started.
“The main message I wanted to share is that we are all dependent on the environment,” McCown said. “Whether you are an athlete or not, we are all dependent on the environment and our actions are having a negative impact on the environment. We need to properly manage these resources for
She encourages other Waco residents who might be interested in racing to apply for the program. It might change your life just like her.
“The whole Iron Man journey was like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening,'” McCown said. “This is absolutely unbelievable. This is life changing and I have never experienced growing up in a team before…so this group of people surrounds me, cheers me on, It was a really great experience to be encouraged.”
She credits Team Waco for the support, mentorship, facilities, coaching and sponsorship in achieving this goal in her life and the lives of her teammates.
She said it would be possible to fit the program into people’s schedules if they were interested but hesitant to participate, but it would be a commitment.
“It’s not overwhelming…it’s given in small, bite-sized chunks that make it manageable, and you can really focus on the day and the week,” she said. It’s a time commitment, that’s for sure, Ironman athletes have to have good time management and discipline, get up early, go to work, the gym, and work out to be ready for that race. I have to.”
Applications for Team Waco will be accepted until February 19th at 11:59 PM. You can find the application and information here.
The board selects a handful of players to apply.
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