COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - USA Triathlon recognized two of the brightest stars in its coaching ranks today, as Cindi Bannink was named 2011 National Coach of the Year, and Jenny Weber was honored as the 2011 Developmental Coach of the Year.
Bannink (Madison, Wis.) is the coach of 2012 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team member Gwen Jorgensen, who qualified for a spot in the London Games with a runner-up finish at the 2011 London ITU World Championship Series event. Under Bannink's guidance, Jorgensen also wrapped up 2011 in the No. 11 spot in the ITU WCS rankings and won the USA Triathlon Elite Race Series title. Bannink, who also earned USA Triathlon All-American honors as an athlete, has coached Jorgensen to a meteoric rise in the sport after completing her first competitive triathlon in March 2010.
"I'm humbled by this recognition and lucky to work with a number of exceptional athletes and to have great support and guidance from my coaching mentors and USA Triathlon," Bannink said. "Receiving this honor reminds me just how fortunate I am to witness my athletes achieve their goals, whether it be competing in their first triathlon or representing their country in the Olympic Games."
A mentor of endurance athletes for nearly a decade, Weber (Des Moines, Iowa) is the founder of the Z3 High Performance Triathlon Team for youth and juniors - a team focused on draft-legal racing at the highest level. Since Z3's inception four years ago, the team has produced five national championship winners and two world championship qualifiers. Z3 is currently the No. 1-ranked IronKids team in the nation, as well as USA Triathlon's No. 3-ranked development team.
Weber also was one of the founders of Zoom Performance Endurance Coaching, the Des Moines Triathlon Club, the Iowa Runablaze Elite Running Team and the Flatland Multisport Series. She was named USA Triathlon's under-23 coach for the 2011 ITU World Championships in Beijing, China, and continues to serve as the Midwest Region Athlete Development Coordinator for USA Triathlon.
"I am so very fortunate to work with a team of athletes from across the Midwest committed to achieving and being their very best. My goal has been to create an environment for my athletes and families where good health and character become the easy choices using triathlon as a conduit," Weber said. "Believing in that foundation, along with an exceptional support staff, the right training and skill development, I know the athletes will have many successes in this sport and more importantly in life."
Top Photo Credit: Cindi Bannink (right) with 2012 Olympian Gwen Jorgensen.
(Paul Phillips/Competitive Image)
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