Dear Charlie....

Hi Charlie,

I must say, I am very impressed with all of the services offered to those of us competing in the 2010 Vineman Aquabike. It would be a pleasure and honor to be a part of your focus group.

A little bit about me: I am a surfer/mountain biker/solar guy who's always been passionate about the extreme and recently have focused my attention on bi/triathlons. If you were a psychologist you might say I'm doing it to avoid thinking about my impending nuptials, but that's neither here nor there. Actually, it's there because the wedding will be in Bodega Bay. Last year I excelled/survived the Might Hapmton Tri but I wasn't engaged it was just something to do after staying up all night.

Anyway, I have developed a unique training program that is specifically designed for me to beat Derek once again. Derek McConnell. Is he in your focus group? He should be, he's a contestant in this race as well and probably my toughest direct competition. Aside from myself, right? We must overcome ourselves before we can overcome Derek.

Oh, I like that. That may be my new motto. Up until now it has been "Beat Derek. Or Die Trying". I'm not sure if I'm willing to die trying, but I'm not ruling it out either. For now I'm awaiting confirmation from Amy if there will be paramedics on race day. That would give me some peace of mind because between you and me I'm not at all conditioned to bike 112 miles, particularly after swimming for 90 minutes.

Will there be prizes or gifts for those of us in the focus group? If I may, in exchange for my time and knowledge I'd love a membership to your Triathlon organization. Is that fair? At a minimum please bring some Gatorade and Clif Bars.

Thanks very much for asking me to be a part of your focus group.

Ted

Focus Group? Hell yeah.

Invite from Amy to be a part of USA Triathlon's Vineman focus group:

Hello All,

Charlie Paddock, the Research Coordinator with USA Triathlon would like to put together a focus group for the AquaBike at Vineman. Below is a message from him. Please take a look and if you are interested get in touch with Charlie directly. (PLEASE do not email me!).

Thanks all and we look forward to seeing you all in a few weeks time.

Best regards,

Amy

Dear AquaBike Athlete,

You have been identified as a participant of the Vineman AquaBike in Windsor, CA on July 31st, 2010. In an attempt to learn more about our AquaBike members, USA Triathlon will be conducting a focus group with AquaBike athletes on the afternoon of Friday, July 30th, 2010, at Windsor High School. The exact time for the focus group will be forwarded once confirmation is received. The focus group will be roughly an hour long, and will be an opportunity to discuss your experiences as an AquaBike athlete. Your thoughts and opinions will help us develop a better understanding of our AquaBike athletes and how USAT can better support your multisport lifestyle. If you are interested in participating in this focus group, please send your contact information, including: name, phone number, and email address to Charlie.paddock@usatriathlon.org by July 14th, 2010.