Ella Wooldridge: SCTA Junior Scholarship 6-Month Review
Being selected as the female SCTA Junior Scholarship holder for 2019/2020 has given me the prestigious opportunity to be well supported by great people and sponsors. The first 6 months of the Scholarship, I have already massively benefited from the amount of support. I am extremely thankful from the opportunity to meet the team at Unique Health Products and being a part of the CLIF Australia Journey. It was great to see behind the scenes of all of the work they do to ensure us athletes have the nutrition and essentials to better ourselves. Personally, I rely on CLIF bars to get me through training and set me up for racing. In a training setting I will always take the Nut Butter Filled Chocolate Peanut Butter energy bar to have pre swim and run, as well as on the bike for the extra kick of fuel to get me through the day’s sessions. When racing I love to stick to what works for me and have my favourite flavour mentioned above, as the nut butter filling is so unique to an energy bar. I will have this 15min before my race for optimum performance as well as setting up CLIF BLOKS on my bike. What I love about the CLIF BLOKS is that they give you that vital burst of energy when racing and they taste so good!! They are the perfect size for licking and sticking on your bike frame so that they are easily accessible when you’re out on the bike course. Thank you, Cannibal Australia for the gear that allows me to perform and represent my team with absolute pride, as well as Vorgee for supplying me gear that I use to the death of every swim session. I was lucky enough to wear a range of goggles including the MK Stealth Mark II which are my favourite as the tinted lenses adapt to the glare when training during the day. These goggles also have a tear drop frame allowing them to mould and fit my face perfectly, hence why I rely on them for dive starts and pushing off tumble turns. I’ve also had a chat to the Vorgee team where and they allowed me to try out the Vorgee Missile Fuze which are again tinted and are really good for swim sessions during the day. The Vorgee Extreme competition Missile are perfect for the morning sessions as they are clear and enable me to see clearly in the pool and in the surf if the conditions are dark. The Mizuno Running Australia team allowed us to organise demo days at the track where the SCTA squad and I were able to test out a range of shoes to help find the shoe best suited to us. I instantly fell in love with the colour of Mizuno Duel Race Flats and then when I tried them on, I couldn’t believe how light and fast they felt- perfect for tris. The second pair of shoes were the Wave Shadows which are still extremely light but provides me with support I need for my usual days of training. Titan Performance Group / Zone 3 Australia have been so generous to provide me with my very own wetsuit. After a demo day at Mooloolaba, I was so surprised to find a wetsuit that wasn’t restricting and doesn’t fatigue my shoulders. If you’re looking for a wetsuit, I highly recommend Zone 3 Vanquish Ultimate Flexibility as before getting this wetsuit I would refuse to use one at all in a triathlon race. Intune Sports have been amazing in guiding my sisters and I to be stronger athletes. It is great to be working with Brodie and the team who are athletes themselves and really know their stuff. I am beyond thankful for Tara from Tara Leanne Nutrition for the advice and race day preparations when it comes to nutrition implementing the CLIF range that I use for both Pre, Post Racing / Training The Event Crew and Queensland Triathlon Series for hosting well organised events and giving me the opportunity to better myself as an athlete by racing and gaining experience out on the course. The Recovery Room in the new Sports Hub allowing me to hone my recovery skills in post training and competition. Last but not least Protector Aluminium - The Naming rights sponsor of the SCTA Junior Scholarship and SCTA Thank you to all associated sponsors within the SCTA family: Rydges Hotels and Resorts, Ironman Oceania, Allez Sport Mooloolaba, Davey and Associates Optometrist, Felt Bicycles Australia, Kawana Aquatic Centre and Rackley Swimming. I really appreciate the ongoing support! Overall, I’ve had some great races starting the season off with the classic Rainbow Beach Triathlon where it’s a chance for SCTA to bond and race together, then followed by some races where I’ve looked back and noticed where I could improve (SSRW Runaway Bay- swimming especially for me) but I know it’s all a part of the process and over time I will get stronger. The first 6 months as the female SCTA Junior Scholarship holder has opened so many opportunities for me to gauge what it’s like to be a sponsored athlete and appreciating all of the support by numerous people. It really alludes that triathlon is not just an individual sport but requires a team to make it work. Thank you to the king of it all- Toby Coote. Without your expertise, guidance and support SCTA just wouldn’t be SCTA. Looking forward to seeing what the next 6 months brings.
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AuthorElla Wooldridge - 2019-20 SCTA Junior Scholarship Holder Archives
April 2020
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