Sam Fugate  Name: Samantha (Sam) Fugate Location: East Lansing, Michigan Occupation: Medical Student, MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine Email: fugatesa@gmail.com  Team USA 2008  | My Two Cents... I'm really not a huge fan of talking about myself, probably because whenever I talk about myself I start turning bright red, which is pretty embarrassing! But I will do my best. I started triathlon in 2007 because soccer just wasn't the same for me anymore. I gave soccer just about everything I had, I played varsity in high school for four years, I played for a competitive club for my last three years of high school, I played varsity in college on scholarship for 2 years and I played one year of semi-professional. At that point, injuries were starting to pile up and I was feeling very broken down. I played one last season for the club team at Michigan State University and competed at Nationals where we finished 3rd. But I knew my body couldn't take soccer anymore. I'm not really certain why, but a bike in my parent's garage caught my eye. It was a 1983 Trek Chrome Molly road bike. I asked my dad if I could try it out and he shrugged and told me sure. It was a foreign object with strange skinny tires and levers on the down tube, which turned out to be shifters. Weird. But when I was riding that bike, something just seemed to click. It was fun, I mean, really fun. I had to have more. My dad finally took some pity on me and bought me a newer bike, a Trek 800. I rode my little road bike everywhere for an entire summer. It wasn't until that winter, when I realized my apartment complex had a pool, that an idea struck me. You see, I had run in high school and I didn't like to just run. I've lived on a lake my entire life so I was sure that I could swim. And I had this bike... so I decided to try triathlon. I chose a nice little local race in the Lansing area called the Hawk-I-Tri. Somehow I managed to win the beginner division. And somehow I managed to get completely hooked. This sport was strange, but it was challenging and I loved it. There is a mental aspect to triathlon that I respect, especially during the run. Even if you are fit, it takes a special type of person to continue pushing after two sports and have a great run. That is why I love triathlon. Now, four season later, I'm addicted to triathlon. Pretty much the type of addiction where I should walk up to a group and say "Hello, my name is Samantha Fugate and I'm addicted to triathlon." But that group won't say "Hi Samantha" in a monotone. That group, which I'm becoming more and more familiar with, welcomes me with a grin and open arms. There is something very special about the companionship in triathlon. To start the 2011 season off right, I went down to Tuscaloosa, AL with the Michigan State University Triathlon Team. I hired a coach for the months leading up to the race and threw myself into training, determined to have a great race and to help the team. My training paid off because things just "clicked" in that race. When I crossed the finish line my dad, who was watching the live blog online, called to say he was sure I had finished 10th. I didn't believe it, but it turns out I did finish 10th and I also finished 3rd in the Graduate Division. It was a fantastic race and a great day! I am very excited for the 2011 season and even more excited that I will be racing for Team Striders based in Grandville, MI. Everyday I am striving to be a better triathlete and I appreciate any help from sponsors to help me achieve my dreams. |
