The TriChicks after one of their many competitions
What have the PebbleCreek TriChicks been up to these past few months? Lots. It has been a busy but exciting fall and winter season for the Chicks with training, competitions, good deeds and socializing.
The Snowbird Chicks arrived back in the fall to find the ubiquitous big yellow chick welcoming them on their front door. We quickly got into full TriChick mode with our weekly training schedule and planned events. We decorated our bicycles and rode and marched proudly in the PebbleCreek Veterans Day Parade. We volunteered at the Ironman Arizona event in November and colored ourselves crazy in the Color Run event in December.
We expanded our horizons this year and competed in several competitions, including the Arizona Senior Games swimming and biking competitions on March 1 and 2, the Scottsdale Relay Reverse Triathlon on March 30 and the annual Kiwanis Sprint in the Park Triathlon in Litchfield Park on April 12. Our training and coaching by Coach Jim McKenna paid off in the form of numerous medals won by the TriChicks at these events.
The bond among our group of 16 ladies has grown even stronger this year. We rallied around our chick in need and showered her with love, prayers and comfort items (chocolate, you say!). We are so grateful that she is on the mend and was there cheering us on at our annual Tri on April 12. We shared vicariously in the huge success of another Chick who completed a full Ironman event in Los Cabos on March 30, winning first place for her age group. Although we couldn’t be there in person, we followed Julie’s progress online and marveled at how well she completed the 2.5 mile swim in open water, the 112 mile bike ride and the 26 mile full marathon.
We continue to benefit from our connection to the Arizona Flats and the advice and support given to us by Cliff Pappas. Three of the TriChicks completed the Century Ride (that’s 100 miles!) with the AZ Flats on March 8 (two for the first time) and many others participated in the final 26 miles of the ride. Many of the TriChicks have appeared with new bikes and are vowing to do the Century Ride next year – what motivation! Not only do we have our own PC TriChick bike jerseys but we also have You’ve Been Chicked socks and Winner Winner Chicken Dinner bathing caps. We are definitely getting to be known within PebbleCreek and beyond.
As a group of ladies we are very thankful for all the good things that we have so we decided to give back in the form of sponsoring a program called Adopt-a-Casita. Through donations from our group we were able to decorate and provide the essentials for a family trying to re-establish themselves. We will continue with this initiative in the fall.
We had many great socials this season and our athletic supporters (aka husbands) got to know one another better and saw firsthand the terrific camaraderie within our group. One of these socials was our first annual golf tournament followed by a fun patio party.
It’s that time of year when the Snowbird Chicks begin leaving for their second homes. Although we won’t all be able to be together over the summer, we will definitely be sharing our experiences and planning for our next events. The Tour de PebbleCreek was such a success for us last summer that we can’t wait to do it again this year.
The PC TriChicks is like a microcosm of PebbleCreek where like-minded people are able to share interests, be supportive of one another and be community minded. We are grateful to be able to share our good news story with you through this article.