Athlete of the Month

The Team Sheeper Athlete of the Month award is handed out to a member of the team on a monthly basis, 7 or 8 times a year. The AOM is someone who made a notable contribution to the team or did something remarkable. Selection is made by nomination and voting by the membership.

You can nominate anyone and the nomination period is usually during the first week or two of the month. Look for notification that nominations are being sought.  When nomination close, the voting starts and once all the votes are tallied, the new AOM is crowned.

Besides bragging rights for a month, our AOM gets some goodies from our gracious sponsors, such as free shoes from TRH, a massage from SMI, gift certificates from GoRide.

SMI is proud to sponsor this month's athlete who embodies the spirit of Team Sheeper. SMI is a non-profit public benefit corporation dedicated to the prevention and treatment of overuse injuries, optimization of human function and enhancement of athletic performance.

Jeff Piland

August 2005 Athlete of the Month

Jeff has packed more training, time and hard work into one year than anybody in the history of the team ever has. He came to the team with a high level of fitness and talent. Through his dedication and personal drive he has improved his fitness to a point where his talent is about to shine full force. He will continue to improve beyond what even he thinks he is capable of. Jeff has already won some races in the overall category and will continue to follow suit for years to come. He has brought his quiet and intense ways to the team in such a humble and enjoyable way that he has improved and raised the level of every teammate that he has come in contact with.

Are you currently employed and/or describe your employment/career?

I've been working for Oracle for a little over 8 years -- currently working for their Applications division as an IT Analyst.

Do you have any specific career aspirations?

Still searching for the position which best suits my strengths and interests while creating a sense of accomplishment and purpose. I know that was pretty generic... How about a part-time job which pays like a full-time job with a management structure comprised of multi-sport athletes?

Do you have a spouse or children to tell us about?

I'm recently married (1.5 months!) to my wonderful wife, Joslyn. She's been the best transition area "pit crew" I could have ever asked for, while also being patient with the hours spent training/dreaming of triathlon.

What other hobbies do you have?

Other hobbies? With all this exercise and work, most hobbies have fallen to the wayside. But, there was a time when I could play a mean jazz lick on the trombone.

How did you become involved with Team Sheeper?

I'd seen the team at the Corralitos Duathlon in March of 2004 and had recognized the name. I had the unlucky misfortune of starting near the legend himself and tried my best to keep up. Have a look at my splits to find out how that story ends. Then, while working at Oracle I met two Sheeper members: Jim Donovan and Bob Carlin who convinced me to give it a go.

What is your athletic background?

I swam competitively as a kid, and then picked up water polo in high school - competing in both at college.

What is it you like most about triathlons?

I missed competition and also missed being 20 lbs lighter!

What races are you planning for the remainder of this year, or the future, that you are gearing up for?

There are 2 more races for me this year: Sentinel and Treasure Island.

What are your Triathlon, or personal goals or aspirations?

My personal goal in triathlon is to continually improve my run, until I can finish as strong as I start.

What is your favorite Team Sheeper workout or memorable moment?

Favorite Team Sheeper memory was when finishing the Ultimate Run last year (I did the shorter version) and then going to eat at the Mexican restaurant on Hwy 1. There was a line for food, and I was so relieved to be finished running that I thought I'd treat myself to a few beers. It was still technically morning, but they sure sounded refreshing! I bought two, because I didn't want to have to stand back up and wait again in line; my knees were awfully sore from coming down the mountain. It was when I sat down at the table, I had this feeling like I was being stared at... and a few people asked me who the 2nd beer was for, etc. as I guzzled them both down. Looking around, I noticed that most people were replacing their carbs with Cytomax, Gatorade, Carbo-Pro, and the like. I realized that the folks on this team were serious about their sport and their nutrition, and at this moment I knew I'd be in good hands...

Is there anything else we should know about you?

I loathe long distance swimming...