Athlete of the Month, December 2012 – Elizabeth Laughery
Athlete of the Month
Can you tell us a little bit about your sports background? I have always been involved in sports. I wasn’t a “mellow” child at all. I began playing soccer, swimming and running at age 4. I dropped swimming a couple years later and focused on soccer and track. I got a full scholarship for soccer and attended Michigan State University.
Which sports did you do as a kid and as you got older? I played soccer, ran track, did a little swimming, skied at a young age and then began snowboarding at age 10. As I got older (and into middle school), my focus was on soccer and track.
What was your motivation to get started in triathlon? After college, I eventually moved to Boulder and was finding myself a little burnt on playing co-ed competitive soccer. After a leg injury that led to surgery because a guy kicked me so hard, I decided to hang up the soccer shoes. I found myself in a bike store, picked up a magazine and saw the word “triathlon”-three sports during one race-COOL! Coincidentally, I had never heard of such a sport.
When and where was your first race? Hmm.. In 2005, the Ft. Collins Indoor Triathlon.
What do you do for work? I am a Special Education teacher at a day treatment program in Longmont. I support students who have been referred to us by neighborhood schools because of emotional and behavioral problems. I love my job, and the students that I support everyday. It can be challenging at times, but I cannot imagine not working with these at-risk students.
What services have you used at D3 to help you with reaching your goals? The best coach, Mike Ricci. Funny story, when I ran across that magazine in the bike store and decided to pursue this sport, I went home, hopped on google and searched “triathlon coaches in Boulder” –who popped up-Mike Ricci. He was the first one I searched, and the one I stuck with..( Good Choice!)