You Never Know Who You Might Meet At The YMCA

One afternoon about 2 months ago now, I was swimming at "my" YMCA, just like I do about every single day.  Pretty standard swim.  I remember I was tired.  And the swim had a lot of pulling and snorkel work.  I finished up, was packing up my swim bag, when a man a few lanes over stopped me and said "I have 2 questions for you."  I was almost certain he was going to ask me about the snorkel.  That thing absolutely mystifies people (myself included!).  But instead he said, "is that you up on the board?" (referring to the little poster my beloved lifeguards made about me finishing IMAZ this past fall).  "Yep, that'd be me!" To which he asked his second question "are you looking for additional sponsorship?"

Um...come again?!?!  

Turns out this man Casey is the owner of CID Associates, a local company that makes liftable steel buildings.  The company is small, family owned (Casey and his brother run it and it was started by their parents) and just down the road from my house.  In fact I've ridden my bike past the business a gazillion times because it's on the road that takes me north into rural Butler County.  And I have to say, not once while riding past CID, did I consider them a possible sponsorship opportunity.

Over the ensuing weeks, a relationship was born.  Casey is a cyclist, has done triathlon and was interested in supporting a local athlete.  Oh, and he's a Penn State alum.  It's a match made in heaven!  As I obviously don't have any use for a liftable steel building in my triathlon training and racing, CID will instead support my efforts as a corporate sponsor taking care of my travel expenses, which happens to be encompass THE biggest part of my triathlon budget. 

As you can imagine, this is an absolute game-changer for me!  I feel so blessed and so thankful.  In so many ways.  It certainly lifts a major financial burden.  

I told Casey today that it's not just the financial support that makes a big difference to me though.  It simply means the world to me that a local company would invest both time and effort into "one of their own" in helping me get to that next step as a professional triathlete.  I am truly, truly motivated by the support I receive, from my family and friends, from my other sponsors, and now from a small company that makes steel buildings in Sarver, PA.  When I'm tired and the training is hard I simply have to remind myself that I have a lot of people rooting for me and sacrificing for me.  I need little more than that to keep moving forward.

The history and culture of the city I call home (PITTSBURGH!) is not lost on me.  Nor is the culture of CID.  This area and this business is built on hard work.  Pittsburgh was built through the steel industry.  It's blue collar.  It's tough nosed.  It's FAMILY.  It's do your own proud.  And that is exactly what I plan to do for CID and all the others that have helped me inch forward towards my dreams - put  my head down and do the work that is required and then race with all my heart.  

Thank you CID, for making me a part of your family.  Tough like steel.

You know you are part of the team when you have your own mug!