Welcome to Wattie Ink
As a short
course, draft-legal triathlete, I didn’t know what to expect when I joined Team
Wattie Ink’s New Professional program, aimed at helping new pros to
continue their progression within the sport. Comprised of a top-level group of
long course professional and amateur triathletes, Wattie Ink’s loud and
in-your-face brand image is only surpassed by the personalities of the athletes
who represent the W. Honestly, I was a bit timid at first. Many of the athletes
have ostentatious tattoos and convey themselves in an almost obnoxious manner
on social media. I’ve always been a rule follower and have tried to represent
myself in a clean-cut manner; something I thought at first may have been an
issue within the dynamic of the team. This group’s culture and reputation seem
to mirror that of my alma mater, Georgetown University, where the phrase “work
hard, play hard” is the underlying theme of life on the hilltop. It wasn’t
until the Wattie Ink California Training Camp when I was made aware of just how
special this eclectic array of people truly are. I had nothing for which to be
timid or afraid, as I learned that the reason there are so many intense
personalities is because Wattie Ink accepts. It doesn’t matter who or what you
are, they accept each athlete as a unique person; even my clean-cut Midwestern
personality. I’m certainly no angel, and my bank of four-letter words grew significantly
after spending two years coached by an Australian, but it was refreshing to
know that Wattie Ink wanted me to be me, not anyone else.
I learned about
Team Wattie Ink from Robert Flanigan, who reached out to me as I was exiting
USA Triathlon’s Olympic Development Team program (Collegiate Recruitment
Program). I was looking for my next step as I continue to pursue the 2020 Tokyo
Summer Olympic Games in the sport, and it was impossible to turn down the
impressive array of benefits that Team Wattie Ink was offering. I could write a
book about how much support I’ve received from the team’s sponsors, from a
custom BlueSeventy wet suit, to a gorgeous new Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod,
to a Pioneer Cycles power meter, to Hoka One One training and racing shoes, to
nutrition from Herbalife24, to top notch custom-made Wattie Ink products, but
it’s the people of Wattie Ink that have made the biggest impact on my young
career. Everyone on this team believes in one another and hopes to see the
others succeed, which has led to an impenetrable culture of positivity.
In early April,
I traveled to Carlsbad, California (just north of San Diego) for a week of
training with the new team. Hardly any of the athletes in attendance that week
had met one another before, but I instantly connected with all of them during
our first session of the week at the gorgeous Alga Norte pool. From that first
session through to the rest of the week, all of us bonded over our passion for
swimming, biking, running, and enjoying the process of making ourselves better
every day. We spent many hours riding along the coast of the Pacific Ocean and
scaling the inland mountains, fueling ourselves with Herbalife24 and Eternal
Water. We traversed miles of dirt trails on land in our Hoka One One training
shoes and several kilometers in the water in our BlueSeventy caps and goggles.
I entered
triathlon in late 2014 with the goal of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Coming from a relatively accomplished running background but with no prior
swimming or cycling experience, life was difficult at first. My biggest
challenge has been the swim, as that’s what I need to improve upon the most if
I want to have a chance at making the Olympic Team. The first two years of
triathlon saw me race in a wide array of ITU races around the world in an
effort to grow my experience quickly, and this year I am focusing almost
entirely on swimming. Team Wattie Ink supports my goal and knows that though it
means I may not be racing as much this season, it has a massive upside as I’m
doing my best to put myself in the best position as I move toward late summer
of 2020. The Olympic Qualification window opens in May of 2018, one year from
now, and I intend to be where I need to be with my swimming by that point in time,
so that I can start performing well on the world stage. This summer will see me
tackle a few swim meets and open water swimming races in addition to a couple
of non-drafting and draft-legal triathlon events. If there is one thing I’ve
learned with my few months as a representative of the brand that Heather
Jackson and Sean Watkins created, it’s that I am confident I’m in the best
environment to reach my goals within the sport. For that I am deeply thankful
and hopeful for the rest of this challenging journey.
Cheers!
DS (Dylan Sorensen)
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