Sunday, December 22, 2013

Heart and Courage

This year, for the first time ever, I applied for athlete sponsorship. I poked at other companies in the past, an email here, a tweet there, but most of them seemed to be focused on fast, super fit and rather skinny athletes, which I am not. Some answered with an email inviting me to apply, others didn't even care to acknowledge I existed. Some applications were way too complicated and made the process seem like a well kept secret to which you needed to have super powers to unlock the access, others had a gazillion questions on number of website visitors, number of social profiles, finish times, which was rather intimidating.

Enter Coeur Sports. I first learned about them via one of my friends on Twitter, and the fact that they launched on my birthday tickled my fancy. I looked at their designs and I got intrigued. Definitely stylish and the reviews were very positive. I started following them more closely as I thought they may be the answer to my prayer for a well fitting, cute and comfy kit for my first Ironman next year in August. I had no idea that they would sponsor athletes eventually. Then I watched the Super Sprint Triathlon Grand Prix in Las Vegas and saw their name above the finish line, and I could no longer ignore the signs. Not only they were legit and sponsored one of the coolest races ever, but they kept catching my eye when I was least expecting it. I established contact and to my surprise, I felt welcome to ask questions, to communicate, to share stories. It was so refreshing, I could not believe how different this experience felt, how friendly and caring the staff was. I kept telling myself "these people know how to treat their customers", and I wasn't even one yet.

So when their call for ambassadors was published on Facebook, I jumped on the opportunity. They were looking for people with a slightly twisted sense of humor (ha!) and that, at least, I thought I could pull off naturally (according to my kids). The application was rather straight forward - all questions were already on their website. Well organized, transparent, what else could you ask for? It took me a few hours to complete it - but I put my heart and soul in it. I really wanted this, but as with everything else in my life, including job interviews, I decided just to be myself and not try to fit the mold that I came across with the other companies. It may have went something like this. I don't have a recollection of everything I said, but it felt a bit like a braidump, more like this blog. My rule is to write and not over think - so I must have re-read myself once or twice to look for grammar mistakes, then hit send (is this getting long?).

And then it happened.
I was beyond myself. I was so happy, it's really hard to describe how amazing this felt. All of a sudden, my Facebook and Twitter lit up like a Christmas tree  - I felt included, that is. Being part of a team, it's always been my dream. Being connected with such a kick-ass group of athletes, it's beyond humbling. No matter how many times they went to Kona, whether they are fast or slow, or whether they did a triathlon or 20 of them, we connected. We're all in this together, with heart and courage, the values of Coeur Sports. I could not be more grateful.

Some of my online friends who have been such an inspiration for me over the years, ended being part of their Elite Team, and I'm absolutely stoked to be able to share the colors of the kit with them. It was the cherry on the cake to see them representing Coeur as well, and it definitely validated my gut feeling about the company and their ability to create a network of supportive and like minded women.

A few days have passed now and I gained quite a few new friends. We're getting to know each other, to discover our hobbies, blogs, pets and roads we travel. It's pretty cool. I feel a bit of a newbie at this sponsorship thing, I've never been looked after by a brand, so to speak - and I am excited beyond my ears. I am looking forward to getting to know the people behind Coeur a little better too.

You'll probably see me plug Coeur Sports over the next year, but it's for a good reason. I believe in their vision, I believe in their products and the way Coeur is going to help me grow as an athlete. This season is going to be awesome!!

7 comments:

  1. So excited to be teammates! Cheers to a fantastic 2014 and #heartandcourage!

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    1. Ditto Erin!! Happy that you stopped to leave me a comment and allowed me to discover your blog as well! Hope your heel feels better soon! To a smashing 2014!

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  2. That is really awesome!! Congrats!

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  3. I'm also super excited to be teammates! Can't wait to get to know you better and get started with 2014! It's going to be a great year!

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    1. Same here, Penelope!! I understand very well where you're coming from for having read your blog post on the Coeur ambassadors. Yay for new friends!

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  4. So well said...what a great post! Pumped to be a member of the Coeur team with you, and cheers to an amazing 2014 together!

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