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.

The Runner's High is proud to sponsor this month's athlete who embodies the spirit of Team Sheeper. We are about more than just improving athletic skills and performances.

John Richardson

July 2001 Athlete of the Month

It is with pleasure that Team Sheeper names John Richardson the July Athlete of the Month. A focused, diligent, intense competitor, "JR" had an outstanding month, finishing 2nd in the 45-49 age-group at the Donner Lake Triathlon and seventh at the San Jose International Triathlon.

JR's involvement with Team Sheeper goes way back to "proto-Team Sheeper," about five years ago when there was simply a Saturday ride with Tim. At the time, "JR" was learning to swim at the Burgess Pool and coach Tim began to coax him away from mountain biking, which at the time was his passion. John's most memorable moment with Team Sheeper was when he began meeting this small Saturday ride group, wearing all his mountain biking costume for road biking. There he was, bedecked with all-terrain shoes, long floppy shorts, T-shirt with wild mountain bike-related artwork, huge helmet complete with sun visor, and camel back. "I was dressed for bear, not exactly for aerodynamics," John remembers. "Tim had a lot of laughs over that one."

Says John of triathlon, "I believe out of all the individual sports I have competed in throughout my life, triathlon, with the three sport format, combines the most challenging, aerobic elements. To excel in this sport is, I think, a true estimate of a person's motivation, natural ability, and love of friendly competition. Without Team Sheeper's commitment to its athletes through a thoughtful and creative training regimen, there's no doubt in my mind I would not have accomplished my goals to this point. The team approach cements the training into a complete success capsule."

A sales representative for a large commercial roofing manufacturer and consulting company called Temco, Inc., JR works with customers including local school districts, universities, counties, municipalities, and companies who own many buildings. "Surreptitiously, I have always wanted to return to my real love of photo-journalism," John says. "Perhaps that will be reserved for a later date." When there's time, JR does spend time with hobbies including travel and nature photography, reading, and bird watching.

"Physical activity has always been a driving force in my life," says John. "Ever since my father dropped off a painfully shy eight year old boy in front of the local YMCA in Omaha, NE, I have been involved with athletics. You name it--baseball, basketball, track and cross country, bicycling, tennis, rugby, golf, mountain climbing, and scuba diving."

Currently, JR's main focus is on the National Age Group Championship race at Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID on September 1. The Triathlon at Pacific Grove and the Treasure Island Triathlon will finish out his year. In January, JR will turn 50. "I take each new year with triathlon as a gift," he says. "Being able to run a 10K is, for me, a miracle after three knee surgeries related to tennis and a herniated disk in the distant past. I never once thought I could come back from the ashes. My goals are to continue to lower my overall time each year and go toe-to-toe with age!" Known as a voracious hill climber, JR gives some of the younger athletes great hope that their athletic lives don't have to slow down after turning 40... or 50!