GREAT Launch Meeting

Throw 25 hopeful women into a nice cozy family room and ask them to quickly introduce themselves and their athletic goals for this year and what do you get? Tears, of course.

The information meeting of Raise the Hope's 3rd season is in the history books and will be a great memory for all the girls and boys (what?? boys??) who attended.

Boys first...George Anderson, accompanying his participating wife, Patti, charmingly gave encouragement and great praise to the gals of Raise the Hope. The Andersons' business, "Kent Easthill Physical Therapy" is sponsoring RTH and we are VERY grateful to George and Patti for helping this program stay AFFORDABLE and giving it that family feeling they are so good at.

Then one gal after another told about themselves and their hopes for 2009, and their stories as triathletes and runners from their histories of varying length. Some let on in the telling of their stories, that they think because they aren't typically at the front of races, that their race experiences are different or less valuable than the "faster" athletes on the team. More than one impressive woman tells her story of what it was like to be last at a race. She tells of her feelings of discouragement, embarrassment, determination and then the great accomplishment that met her at the finish line! These are the gals that truly appreciate - maybe more than any other group of athletes on the larger Raise the Bar team - the reward of the finish line.

It doesn't take more than one or two races for any of us to want the second best reward - a personal best. And that's what we'll see from the Raise the Hope gals (and the RTB team!) this year as they take on the 2009 season.

Check back for race reports and furthur reports from the inspirational group of gals. And if you're a woman wanting to train with some down-to-earth girls who know how to work hard, play hard, and enjoy victory, then join us!! You're welcome to step into the program any time.

Patty Swedberg

The stories that were told around the room were nothing less than inspirational - women