Triathlete of the Year

Every year, Team Sheeper presents a Triathlete of the Year award to two exceptional individuals on the team. They are chosen for their personal, behavioral characteristics as well as for their athletic achievements and team contributions.

Our triathlon community is comprised of numerous individuals who are worthy of this award every year, but these athletes are singled out because of the way they elevated themselves in achieving ordinary to outstanding results during that year. And more importantly, they have improved our already thriving team culture by their actions and demeanor.

In the end, our team would just not be as successful without the involvements of these individuals. Congratulations to our winners!

2009

Keith Terada

Keith Terada

2009 was the year that Keith decided to commit to change from a recreational athlete to a competitive athlete. He not only changed his mind about his desires, he changed his training schedule, he changed his racing schedule, he changed his thought patterns, he changed his eating habits, he changed his personal expectations, and through all this he changed how people viewed his athletics. The one thing Keith did not change was his passion for keeping it "fun" and keeping it "real." 2009 was only the first year in what I am sure will be a long line of years of personal discovery and improvement.


Kelly Couch

Kelly Couch

2009 was the year Kelly decided she had enough of being a good triathlete. She decided she wanted to be an excellent world class competitive triathlete. She wanted to put her whole being into reaching her physical and mental potential. Her great strides in 2009 as an athlete had nothing to do with more or harder physical training, it came from belief. Step by step through the season she was able to believe more in herself and her abilities which enabled her to tap into her extreme athletic potential. Each time she stepped to a starting line in 2009 she had more confidence and belief than her previous event. This confidence unlocked her door to high performance and self-satisfaction.

<top>

2008

Mike Osmond

Mike Osmond

Mike is an athlete that performs at his peak when he is surrounded by positive and enthusiastic people. He has been doing triathlons for almost 20 years over all distances and has plenty of experience to share with newer team members. Mike uses his natural ease with people to offer his positive energy in return for theirs. He has employed this formula to continually improve each of the three disciplines over the many years he has been a part of the team, and is a great example of how consistent training can overcome the aging process.


Cindy Welton

Cindy Welton

Cindy is a unique triathlete who has progressed tremendously since her introduction to the sport a few short years ago. Her drive to uncover the mysteries of our sport have led her on a quest to improve as an athlete by the most efficient means possible. Her tenacity at consistency and her continual positive outlook on life and sport has enabled her to come into the good graces with the wide spectrum of athletes across our team. She is a gamer and ready to give anything a go.

<top>

2007

Martin Michael

Martin Michael

The noblest of all gentleman athletes that the team has ever known.  His consistency, camaradarie, empathy, and determination set him in an echelon that all athletes can learn from. His performances are carefully planned and executed with most results going the way of the dream.


Michele Santilhano

Michele Santilhano

The world is not quite ready for a woman of this caliber. Her endurance feats in one season are nothing short of remarkable. Her endurance, recovery ability, desire to excel, desire to find human limits are what set her apart not from just the average athlete but from even the best world class competitors.

<top>

2006

Pierre Pujol

Pierre Pujol

Dogged determination with an understanding of the global and minutae of triathlon have kept him on a constant trajectory upward in his triathlon career.  His unparalleled preparation for Ironman Cour de Alene where he ran with a torn tendon in his foot, but it still netted a Hawaii Ironman qualification where he managed a most respectable finish in his first World Championship appearance.


Kirsten Kempe

Kirsten Kempe

The strongest, sturdiest, and swiftest triathlon runner to ever grace the team.  Her sheer joy of running has propelled her to many top finishes at the sprint to Ironman distance, along with an fantastic appearance and finish at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships.  There is no one else that can match her spirit to run for the pleasure of it regardless of time or place, which she never even calculates or records.

<top>

2005

Jeff Piland

Jeff Piland

The quietest most humble elite athlete that you may ever meet. His ascent through the age group ranks at numerous races along with overall race wins have made him a contender on the national stage for his professional career.


Sally Phillips

Sally Phillips

Her strengths are her determination and her mental outlook, along with her phenomenal endurance capabilities.  She has made tremendous improvements on her cycling enough to challenge our teams top riders as well as her racing peers.  She epitomizes a team player and has been a fabulous training partner and confidante to many athletes on the team.

<top>

2004

Lennard Hachmann

Lennard Hachmann

He parlayed his epic leg speed with his strong determination and his unmatched preparation skills to launch himself to the forefront of the team and the regional and national scene as a top competitor.  His swimming improved to a point where he could still be a threat for the win on the run.


Mimi Winsberg

Mimi Winsberg

She came from out of nowhere to have one of the most diverse seasons of racing in the history of the team. Events from long distance cross country skiing to short sprints at swim meets to sprint and Ironman triathlons.  Her recovery and preparation ability and determination married with tenacity thrust her to be a endurance force.

<top>

2003

Ed Owen

Ed Owen

In only a few short years of being a triathlete he has leveraged his world class swim speed into a strong cycling and a national class long distance runner in the Ironman. Ed logged one of the top five fastest Ironman run splits ever on the team with a 3 hours 25 minute marathon to go along with a team record 49 minute 2.4 mile swim.


Tina Lount

Tina Lount

She was totally relentless in her racing endeavors again this year. Coming back after a year off to give birth to her first child, Tina raced herself into shape and back to the highest point of the podium in races ranging from sprint to the Ironman. An inspiration to aspiring parents everywhere.

<top>

2002

John Richardson

John Richardson

One of the strongest riders on our team even though he give up a couple of decades in age to most of his teammates.  This ageless wonder has carved out a name for himself on the regional scene with numerous top age group placings.


Edie Heideman

Edie Heideman

One would never know by looking at her that this is the fiercest competitor that the team has ever known.  She will let nothing stand in the way of her and a finish line.  Sweet and motherly on the outside, while rugged and rough on inside.  She mowed down most of the woman in her age group with top placings at Nationals and World Championships.

<top>

2001

Chris Berry

Chris Berry

A remarkably strong athlete in each discipline.  Started with a water polo background and used hard work to raise him to the top of the team and the top of his age group nationally with a phenomenal 9 hours 30 minute Ironman California which qualified him for Hawaii Ironman where he went about the same time.


Tina Lount

Tina Lount

A fearless and prolific competitor who raced more than anyone on the team with countles wins and top age group placings.  She uses her wicked-fast foot speed to close out races faster than any of her competitors.

<top>