Formerly known as Steelhead Select, we are better known as The BATWomen – Bad Ass Triathlon Women – a nickname given to us by our training partners that embraces our tenacity and enthusiasm about triathlon and life.
Mission
To create, build and support a cohesive, competitive team of high performance female triathletes in Portland, Oregon.
Values
We believe:
We are Stronger Together
As women, we have a unique opportunity to support each other, in training, racing and life
Training and racing triathlon is wickedly fun and a lifestyle choice
In hard work, pushing ourselves, and pushing each other
In levity, laughter, good food, risk-taking, and quietly leveling our competitors
Objectives
To develop a women’s training group that offers the practical and emotional support amongst its members commonly experienced in high functioning collegiate and national teams.
To place BATWomen on Age Group, Elite and Pro podiums at local, regional, national and international events.
To attract women to our training group from across the region, making the BATW and Portland a destination for high performance female triathletes.
To establish a sponsorship base that defrays the cost of training, kit, race fees and equipment.
Leadership
Captain: Juliet Thompson Hochman
Founding BATWomen: Cymon Kersch, Amy Henderson, Hannah Allen and Rachael Lenz. Joined in 2018 by Elise Lagerstrom, Allison Lehnen, Laura MacCarley and Danielle Audino. Shannon Coates, Fiona Moriarty, Gwen Hryciw, Aly Wilson and Ashley Zagst joined in 2019.
Coach: The BATWomen are coached by their own coaches. For more information, please see the Coaching page.
Qualification
The goal of the BATW is to support each other as training partners in the three triathlon disciplines of swim, bike and run. Duathletes are also welcome. To maintain the integrity of this objective, we expect the BATW to be striving towards the goal of winning local races, competing in the top ranks of their age group at national races and the World Championships or pursuing their pro card. These standards are flexible but ensure that the group can effectively train together.
Different athletes have different strengths. The BATWomen do not expect every woman to be rock star in every discipline. We have found, however, that the power of the team raises the game of all the individuals engaged. All of the BATWomen have shown performance gains during their first year of training with the team by virtue of the fact they are surrounded by supportive women striving for excellence. Four women have taken their pro card in the two years since the BATWomen were founded. New members might consider the following standards when thinking about joining the team:
In the last annual USAT Athlete Results, achieving a score of 90 in several races over the last 24 months.
Be working towards the following goals:
a. Swim 10 X 100yds on 1:30
b. An FTP demonstrating a minimum of 3.8 watts/kg or completing a 40K time trial in under 1:10.
c. Run a 20 min 5K or equivalent
Commitment
The strength of The BATWomen is that we train together, supporting each other through difficult workouts and weathering the ups and downs inevitable in a year-round training calendar. It takes time and effort to coordinate work, life and training schedules, particularly as we have different coaches and diverse racing goals. But training together several times a week is key to our success as a cohesive team.
We are Stronger Together.
To this end, we expect The BATWomen:
To make a good faith effort to make two group training sessions a week. This could be group strength or bike, larger workouts offered by Portland Triathlon Club, or weekend rides and runs self-organized via the BATW WhatsApp feed.
To make a good faith effort to screen the BATWomen logo on your race kit so that we are represented at races and on podiums across the country and the world.
To further expand the community of women in triathlon, volunteer when practical in multi-sport activities. This could involve marshalling at local races, coaching at clubs or clinics, or leading rides in the Portland area.