Here at H+P we are super excited to start doing a better job of honouring the people who help to make our club possible.
One way we wanted to do that was to start giving out a H+P athlete of the month award. And this athlete is not just chosen at random! Our 2017 MVPs and 4 runners up as voted by our members along with coach Sean and Gill anonymously vote on the athlete they feel best exemplifies:
-An amazing level of performance (which can mean from a pure performance standpoint OR personal improvement)
-Contribution to the club in a way that makes it better for all
-Actions that help to make our members feel good, stay motivated and continue to strive toward our goal of bringing athletes of all abilities together
On that note, the winner for December 2018 is…
ROBERT GUDZAK
It was a strange month with not a lot of racing action, so the voting came down to looking at athletes who have had overall positive impacts on the team that have probably gone under appreciated throughout the year.
Robert definitely falls into that category! He’s had a year of PBs with his top performance probably being his 3:05 marathon in Berlin. Nobody will deny that this guy is a supportive force of nature- if you don’t have at least one workout or Strava activity where Robert has complimented you in at least one week, that is an anomaly! Finally, it’s hard ignore the unspoken positive impact his work ethic has on those around him. Robert, whether he knows it or not, NEVER stops trying to improve and be better, and never complains or feels sorry for himself, and this rubs off big time on the rest of the team. Congrats on a great month and great year man!
Runners up this month were Dem and Kristin. Both of these athletes fall in the category of having a massive positive impact while flying under the radar.
On Strava and team races, Kristin continues to be super supportive and a fun teammate to have around while also inspiring with her work ethic and continual drive to improve. This has been a year of PBs while doing most of her training on her own, amazing! Time to move back to Waterloo!
Dem, who is completely absent from the world of social media and is pretty quiet at practices probably doesn’t get enough kudos for what he brings to the table. He’s notorious for always completing every workout he starts, never complaining, always pushing the pace, and always supporting his teammates along the way. Plus, it’s hard to ignore the fact that he has the second fastest maters 5K in H+P history, and is only the 2nd masters athlete ever to break 17 (16:50).
Thanks Robert, Kristin and Dem for making the team better. Onwards to 2019!
#cantwontstop
