The Importance of Mentors

Mentors are probably the most important thing when becoming a high performance athlete. Sometimes all it takes to be a mentor is to say a simple "good job." I have so many mentors in my life that make the difference in shaping me.

My parents are my biggest mentors. They have helped me realize how much of a well rounded person it takes to make it to the next level. They have supported me and encouraged me from the start. My brother has also been one of my biggest mentors. He didn't like to show it as much as my parents or anyone else but he encouraged me in a different way. He was always pushing me to the limit; trying to see how much faster or how much stronger he was than me. He made me work harder than ever.

My family and friends have also mentored me throughout my life. Sometimes it was as simple as the "good job" and other times it was helping me get over a bad race or competition. There is nothing that makes you feel better than encouragement when you are feeling down.

This summer I met so many people that became my mentors. Andrew Yorke, David Hopton, Taylor Reid and John Rasmussen and many other athletes on C3 helped me throughout the summer. They helped me with the strategy through my first race of the season and shared everything with me that I needed to know about draft legal racing. They beat me up a little in the pool, they beat me up a lot in the open water but it had an effect. I started feeling better in open water and they made me feel like I belonged with them. It was nice to feel like they actually wanted me to train with them.

The simple "good job Reid" got me one day at swim practice when I was training this summer. I was swimming as hard as I could and was swimming besides Simon Whitfield, an Olympic gold and silver medalist. This good job made my summer. It was all the encouragement I needed.

Paula Findlay, me, Simon Whitfield

Yorke and I

When I was in Arizona Yorke gave me his official WTS cap from San Diego and made my day! Living with the guys meant I was constantly given advice about triathlon and life. It was an amazing experience and taught me how important mentoring was.  

I hope that I am being and can continue to be a mentor to all of the Triathlon New Brunswick Juniors. Thanks for supporting me and helping me achieve my best!