Rebecca Anna Lee Dorsey Williams
August 18, 2009
Jeanette A Bourgeois
August 20, 2009
Most kids like to run. Some like to swim. Others prefer to ride their bicycles.
For an increasing number of local youths, it’s not enough to do just one or even two of these outdoor activities.
They have been doing all three by taking part in triathlons designed specifically for children.
About a half dozen Houma children got their first taste of the triple sport earlier this month at the Baton Rouge Rocketkidz Triathlon on the LSU campus.
For 13-year Brady Bergeron, the veteran of the group, it was his third year competing in the event and third time coming in second place in his 11-14 age bracket.
He and his parents, Todd and Sydney, discovered the triathlon for kids by accident.
“When I turned 10, I wanted a bike for my birthday present,” Brady recalled. “When we looked online and saw there was a triathlon, I wanted to try it out and see if I’d like it.”
He had enough fun that he wanted to keep competing. His father suspects another reason he enjoys triathlons is that it is a sport his sister Brianne, a recent H.L. Bourgeois graduate and letterman in volleyball, soccer, swimming and pole vault, did not do.
“He loves it because there aren’t many other kids in Houma that’s doing it,” Todd Bergeron said. “It’s like a sense of pride for him. As active as Brianne was, she never tried it. He is doing something that she has never done.”
Since then, a small network of parents and their offspring has formed to give the physically demanding sport a try.
Dr. Scott and Sarah Haydel let all four of their daughters – Caroline, 11; Anna Lynn, 10; Nancy, 8 and Mary Ellen, 6 – participate in the Rocketkidz triathlon this year.
Anna Lynn, Nancy and Mary Ellen all placed third in their respective age groups and received a plaque.
“They enjoy outdoor activities, so I thought they would like to do it,” said Sarah Haydel. “Watching a 6-year-old trying to do a triathlon, I was fascinated. I would never let her know that.”
Remy Fontenot, the 6-year-old son of Super Cooper Fun Run organizers John and Ashley Fontenot, came in third in his age group in his triathlon debut.
Ellie Ramirez, 8, daughter of Vandebilt Catholic tennis coach Kevin Ramirez and his wife Laura, was also a first-timer this year.
The parents said they never pushed their children to do a triathlon. The kids wanted to try something different and fun, which they did.
“From what I saw, I don’t think none of those kids were out there to win, per se,” Kevin Ramirez said. “All the kids got a medal or a ribbon. Their name was announced as they came across the finish line.”
“Since last summer, (Remy) has been like, ‘Momma, I want to do a tri. I want to do a tri.’ I’m like, ‘Remy, we have to get the training wheels off your bike first,'” Ashley Fontenot recalled. “He did not let us forget it. He sees us running and doing triathlons and he wants to do it himself.”
In Louisiana, there are four child-specific triathlon events – Rocketkidz, GatorKids Triathlon in Sulphur, and in Shreveport Sportspectrum Ironfish Kids Triathlon and YMCA Kids Triathlon.
The race courses are created at much shorter distances than standard triathlons and are considered age-appropriate for children 6- to 14-years old.
For example at Rocketkidz, 6-year-olds complete a 50-meter swim, 1.5-mile bike ride and 1K (.62 mile) run. Seven- to 10-year- olds do a 100-meter swim, 2-mile bike ride and 1K run. And 11- to 14-year-olds compete in a 200-meter swim, 4-mile bike ride and 2K run.
Parents said they never feared that their children could complete each event because they are very active.
“Our biggest fear was the transition from the swim to the bike and the bike to the run. That can be a little confusing for a 6-year-old,” said Ashley Fontenot. “We knew he would be able to do it and be ready for it. Twice we went out and ran and rode to make sure he could do the distances and to make sure he was prepared.”
Even for an old hand like Brady, the sport can be daunting. He did not practice much for this year’s race, but was in good shape from a weeklong soccer camp prior to the triathlon.
“You’re always demanding more energy towards the end because at first you want to use it to get ahead of everybody,” he said. “You’re just hurting yourself doing that. You should just keep at a steady pace and stay at that pace the whole way to finish strong.”
The Houma competitors at Rocketkidz Triathlon have two distinct advantages over the average child to be able to compete and place well.
First, they all are either on year- round or summer league swim teams, which would explain why Remy, Ellie and Brady had the fastest swim times in their age groups.
Second, most have at least one parent who has competed in a triathlon or other endurance race before.
Laura Ramirez and Ashley Fontenot have done several triathlons each. John Fontenot has competed in adventure races, which consist of canoeing, running and mountain biking. Todd Bergeron has done numerous duathlons – swimming and cycling.
Whether Brady, who recently moved to Prairieville with his family, or any of the other adolescents continues in the physically demanding sport is the great unknown.
Although Brady definitely see himself doing it for a few more years, soccer is also a passion of his, and he recently earned a spot on the Baton Rouge Black select travel team.
A scheduled soccer match in Tennessee will keep him from participating in the Tarpon Triathlon in Houma this Saturday. He still hopes to someday compete in a triathlon in his hometown.
“I would like to stick with it if I can. Right now, soccer is a little more important to me,” he admitted. “I want to do both, but I’ll just have to see which one comes first.”
After their first experience in the triathlon, the three oldest Haydel daughters will take part in the Tarpon Triathlon as a relay team. It is the city’s first such event.
Although some of the distances are a little longer than they are used to – 150-meter swim, 10-mile bike ride and 3.1-mile run – they look forward to the challenge.
“Nancy is swimming; Caroline is going to do the bike ride and Anna Lynn is doing the run,” Haydel said. “They’re really excited about having this triathlon close to home.”
Some of the other young athletes hope to convince their parents to participate.
“I wouldn’t rule my daughter out of that one,” Ramirez said. “I would bet if there’s a way and she knows about it, she would want to do it.”
Triathlons are catching on as a fun outdoor sport for local kids to take part in. Haydel sisters Mary Ellen, 6; Nancy, 8; Anna Lynn, 10 and Caroline, 11, jog through their Houma neighborhood. They recently competed in their first triathlon, Rocketkidz, in Baton Rouge Aug. 2. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
