Day 9 – Tues Feb 5 – KROC Center Welcome

What a welcoming the KROC Center made for me today. I thought I was going to meet for just a few minutes with Gloria Waggoner, program director.  Not so. They had far grander ideas in store.  Jamie Bosanko, Jr. Graphic Designer, came out and took a photo of Gloria, Major Ben Markham, and I shaking hands as Gloria presented me with a Gold Membership for six months, a bag of goodies, including my first swim cap, a water bottle, KROC Center brochures, and a gift certificate. That was only the beginning.  I was warmly introduced to Christy Markham, the development director, then Carol who signed up my family for membership.  Carol had spent some time preparing for my arrival and presented three membership cards to me for (1) myself, (2) Julienne, and (3) Johnny, our last son, age 18. I wanted them to be able to train alongside me, so I purchased memberships for them.  I have already passed out the membership cards and we have them on our key chains. Then Gloria patiently went through the brochures so I knew how to use them and what classes were available. Gloria told the story about how she and her husband, Bill Waggoner,  swam and participated in athletic activities. She is already an example to me. She took me on the tour of the whole facility and introduced me to Nancy Lowrey, the aquatics director who told me her Ironman story with her son which was pretty amazing. Bill McClure assured me that I could swim a mile after they finished training me.  I then got to meet Jessica and Amy in the Fitness area. I didn’t know they had people to help me learn how to work the training machines.  That is great. I liked the assortment of machines available to help strengthen me. Lastly I got to meet Matt Davis the fitness manager. He already knew my son Tom Dance, the pediatric dentist, and that always makes for a warm introduction. It is quite nice to have some of your family precede you into a city. It creates an immediate connection and bond with new people that you meet.  At the end of 1.5 hours I was duly impressed with what CDA has to offer with the KROC Center.  It is a great addition and far more than I ever thought it was from the outside.  I had been there once years ago, but never knew the extent of the programs and the people.  As I found out today, the people that work there are every bit as important to the results of my Triathlon as the facility itself.  I feel blessed to be a member.