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Buzz - February 2008 |
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Northwest athlete sets triathlon record
Aaron Scheidies, 25, of Kent, Wash., recently became the first physically challenged athlete to break two hours in an Olympic distance triathlon. Competing at the Toyota U.S. Open Dallas Triathlon last fall, Scheidies finished the 1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run in 1:59:41, a time that would have placed him among the race’s top-10 in the elite age group category.
Scheidies was born with a condition known as Stargardt’s disease which is characterized by the gradual loss of the central vision. During the race he was guided by current age group world and national champion Ben Collins.
Scheidies was active in soccer until it became too difficult for him to see the ball. He overcame the odds and became a high school varsity athlete in swimming, cross country and track. He competed in his first triathlon after his junior year in high school. Scheidies is a member of C-Different, a triathlon team for blind and vision-impaired athletes.
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Seattle + coffee = No. 1
 It may come as no surprise but, according to a recent survey, the caffeinated citizens of Seattle are the hardest drinkers of coffee in the nation.
According to the first annual HealthSaver Caffeinated Cities Survey, a report conducted to determine the caffeine habits and attitudes of consumers in the 20 largest cities in the country, Seattle ranked ninth for overall caffeine consumption, and first for daily coffee intake.
The survey took into account numerous other caffeine sources including sodas, energy drinks, chocolate and pain relievers. The survey found Chicago to be the most caffeinated city in the U.S., while finding San Francisco to be the least.
The survey also reported that Seattleites were the most likely to believe that caffeine does a body good, and cited such possible health benefits to coffee as lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer. And while 71 percent of Seattleites said they were not addicted to caffeine, a whopping 58 percent said coffee would be the most difficult caffeine drink to give up. |
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Website offers free triathlon training plans
Triathletes come from a myriad of backgrounds, body types and physical abilities.
Where does a new triathlete start? Beginner Triathlete offers free pointers for choosing a triathlon training plan to fit individual lifestyle and goals. For more information, visit
www.beginnertriathlete.com.
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Wenatchee Valley offers trail map
The Wenatchee Valley Sports Council has launched a comprehensive all-season trail map, “Wenatchee Valley Trips & Trails,” detailing local routes for hiking, walking, running, mountain biking, road cycling, inline skating, canoeing, kayaking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The map features the top 14 recommended excursions, including the popular Apple Capital Loop Trail, with notes on elevation change and obstacles. Maps are available at Wenatchee Valley sporting goods stores, bicycle shops, hotels and businesses. For a free copy, call (800) 572-7753. |
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Washington is movin’ on up
Washington state ranks 12th in an annual national report, America’s Health Rankings, released by the United Health Foundation. Washington was also noted as one of five “most improved” states, having moved up three spots from its ranking of 15th in 2006. This year’s healthiest state in the nation is Vermont.
In 2003, the idea for the Washington Health Foundation’s (WHF) Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign was born after the state slipped to 17th in state health rankings. Shortly thereafter, WHF began its Campaign to call attention to areas in which Washington needed to improve.
With all this good news, however, there is one area Washington is losing ground and that’s the area of obesity where the prevalence of obesity in Washington has increased 157 percent. To learn more, log onto www.HealthiestState.org.
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Herriott Sports Performance opens in Fremont
Known for its hipster bar and restaurant scene, the Fremont neighborhood can now also boast being home to Seattle’s first full-service training facility for endurance athletes. The new Herriott Sports Performance complex, which opened last December, boasts a staff of professional athletes and will offer everything from indoor group cycling and personal training to physiology testing. Contact (206) 306-5899 for more information. |
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Bricker pedals into lead position at BTA
The Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) in Portland named Scott Bricker to the Executive Director position in October. Scott has worked for the BTA for nine years and has been part of its transformation from a three-person local advocacy organization to being one of the top 10 bicycling organizations in the nation based on membership and budget. To learn more about the organization, log onto www.bta4bikes.org. |
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Mountaineers headquarters to relocate
An artist’s rendition shows the climbing wall at the new Mountaineers building at Magnuson Park.
The Mountaineers will move this year from their longtime home at the foot of Queen Anne Hill to Magnuson Park located in northeast Seattle along the shores of Lake Washington.
The estimated cost of remodeling Building 67 to meet the club’s needs – now at $3.9 million – will be contributed toward the lease agreement with the City of Seattle which owns and manages Magnuson Park. A meeting room capable of accommodating more than 500 people, a climbing plaza, ample parking and proximity to the Burke-Gilman Trail were cited as benefits of the new site.
The Magnuson Park complex includes more than a mile of shoreline that will accommodate sea kayaking programs. The climbing plaza will be around 3,000 square feet and consist of a climbing wall of roughly 34 feet in height and 90 feet in width. An open space will be included in the climbing plaza, bordered by more climbing, scrambling and hiking terrain for practice on slabs and hillsides.
“This is an exciting milestone for The Mountaineers and a critical part of our strategy for our next 100 years,” noted Mountaineers President Bill Deters.
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Portland bicycle use increases
The Portland Office of Transportation’s (PDOT) findings during a two-month period last summer indicated that bicycle use in Portland is not only growing rapidly, but the rate of growth is increasing as well. This year, PDOT expanded its counts beyond the 60 locations done in 2006 to include a total of 98 sites.
Report highlights include:
• Bicycle use in Portland showed a double-digit increase for the third straight year;
• Bicycles represent 18 percent of all vehicles on the Hawthorne Bridge and 11 percent of vehicles on the four bicycle-friendly Willamette River bridges;
• Bicycle traffic in Portland has more than doubled since 2001;
• Helmet use has risen steadily since the 1990s, with 76 percent of recorded cyclists wearing helmets in 2007, up from 63 percent in 1997;
• Women represented 31 percent of all cyclists, up from 26 percent in 1997;
• While bicycle counts in March are approximately half those of the summer, they are still higher than the summer counts recorded in 2000.
For more information about the counts, visit http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=169951
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