Ms. Val World-Class Triathlete
Donation protected
My dear friend and colleague, Valerie Haller, has earned the opportunity to represent the USA as a triathlete in the World Triathlon Championships in Australia this September. She is a devoted teacher and dedicated athlete and needs our help to get there. Here is her encouraging story:
Most people know Valerie Haller as Ms. Val, a kindergarten teacher who has been whispering to the spirit of children as a public school teacher for almost thirty years. Those who have had the opportunity to be in the classroom with Ms. Val experience a peaceful learning environment where there is a song for everything and a place for everyone.
But seven years ago an unsettling feeling crept into Ms. Val’s kindergarten bubble, an emptiness deep inside began to take root. The songs in her heart quieted and her passion waned. She pondered, perhaps it was just the long Michigan winter or the increased independence of her two boys who seemed to need her motherly touch less and less. She knew that something needed to change to regain her kindergarten muse.
Home alone one cold winter evening Valerie received a call from a friend who invited her to a new exercise class at the local college. She joined the class that evening as a way to support her friend not knowing where it would lead. The Pilates instructor took note of Valerie’s persistent energy and invited her to a spin class the following evening. Two nights a week either spinning or Pilates for a couple months blossomed into running on the treadmill an additional evening or two. One evening after spin class Valerie stopped by the aerobics room for a brief treadmill run. She climbed aboard a machine and started jogging.
After several minutes the man on the treadmill next to her interrupted, “Didn’t I just see you in the spin class? Are you a triathlete?”
“No, just a kindergarten teacher,” she replied.
“Well, it sure looks like you could be,” the man commented as he stepped off his machine. “Have a good workout.”
“Triathlete” struck a chord deep inside. It was never a term Valerie would use to describe herself. As she contemplated the possibility an unfamiliar feeling came over her, a desire to win. She felt her legs begin to glide effortlessly over the treadmill and the emptiness she had been feeling began to subside. A competitive spirit filled her and she felt alive again. That was the moment a kindergarten teacher turned into a triathlete.
Seven years later, Ms. Val has competed in twenty-five triathlons. Those first years she was excited to finish but that soon subsided as the competitive spirit pushed her to first place in her age group and then first or second overall. She has competed in the USA Triathlon Nationals where she qualified for the Triathlon World Championships 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia.
Ms. Val has her kindergarten muse back and much more, a competitive edge. It has been said that everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. Perhaps everything except…competition.
Of the three disciplines in a triathlon; swim, bike, and run, Ms. Val is most competitive on the bike. In several races this past season, she was the first woman to enter the transition area coming off the bike and heading out to run portion of the TRI, more than four minutes ahead of the second place woman competitor. No doubt her strength is the bike portion of a triathlon. Interestingly enough, up to this point she has been riding a medium-range tri-bike. What could Ms. Val do if she were to be on a better machine? Let’s find out.
Through this campaign we want to send Ms. Val to the World Triathlon Championships in Australia this September and offer her the opportunity to maximize her strength by competing on a top-of-the-line road bike. Your donation will help Valerie defray the cost of flight, hotel, meals, and place her on an incredible road bike.
We would also like to send her with a personal “Sherpa”, her husband, Thomas who has competed alongside Valerie in several triathlons for the past two years. Thomas is not competing in this exclusive race, he is there to assist by cooking meals, driving, carrying luggage/bike and most importantly making sure Valerie makes it to the race rested and stress free and back home to her kindergarten classroom in Bay City, Michigan safe and sound.
Most people know Valerie Haller as Ms. Val, a kindergarten teacher who has been whispering to the spirit of children as a public school teacher for almost thirty years. Those who have had the opportunity to be in the classroom with Ms. Val experience a peaceful learning environment where there is a song for everything and a place for everyone.
But seven years ago an unsettling feeling crept into Ms. Val’s kindergarten bubble, an emptiness deep inside began to take root. The songs in her heart quieted and her passion waned. She pondered, perhaps it was just the long Michigan winter or the increased independence of her two boys who seemed to need her motherly touch less and less. She knew that something needed to change to regain her kindergarten muse.
Home alone one cold winter evening Valerie received a call from a friend who invited her to a new exercise class at the local college. She joined the class that evening as a way to support her friend not knowing where it would lead. The Pilates instructor took note of Valerie’s persistent energy and invited her to a spin class the following evening. Two nights a week either spinning or Pilates for a couple months blossomed into running on the treadmill an additional evening or two. One evening after spin class Valerie stopped by the aerobics room for a brief treadmill run. She climbed aboard a machine and started jogging.
After several minutes the man on the treadmill next to her interrupted, “Didn’t I just see you in the spin class? Are you a triathlete?”
“No, just a kindergarten teacher,” she replied.
“Well, it sure looks like you could be,” the man commented as he stepped off his machine. “Have a good workout.”
“Triathlete” struck a chord deep inside. It was never a term Valerie would use to describe herself. As she contemplated the possibility an unfamiliar feeling came over her, a desire to win. She felt her legs begin to glide effortlessly over the treadmill and the emptiness she had been feeling began to subside. A competitive spirit filled her and she felt alive again. That was the moment a kindergarten teacher turned into a triathlete.
Seven years later, Ms. Val has competed in twenty-five triathlons. Those first years she was excited to finish but that soon subsided as the competitive spirit pushed her to first place in her age group and then first or second overall. She has competed in the USA Triathlon Nationals where she qualified for the Triathlon World Championships 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia.
Ms. Val has her kindergarten muse back and much more, a competitive edge. It has been said that everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. Perhaps everything except…competition.
Of the three disciplines in a triathlon; swim, bike, and run, Ms. Val is most competitive on the bike. In several races this past season, she was the first woman to enter the transition area coming off the bike and heading out to run portion of the TRI, more than four minutes ahead of the second place woman competitor. No doubt her strength is the bike portion of a triathlon. Interestingly enough, up to this point she has been riding a medium-range tri-bike. What could Ms. Val do if she were to be on a better machine? Let’s find out.
Through this campaign we want to send Ms. Val to the World Triathlon Championships in Australia this September and offer her the opportunity to maximize her strength by competing on a top-of-the-line road bike. Your donation will help Valerie defray the cost of flight, hotel, meals, and place her on an incredible road bike.
We would also like to send her with a personal “Sherpa”, her husband, Thomas who has competed alongside Valerie in several triathlons for the past two years. Thomas is not competing in this exclusive race, he is there to assist by cooking meals, driving, carrying luggage/bike and most importantly making sure Valerie makes it to the race rested and stress free and back home to her kindergarten classroom in Bay City, Michigan safe and sound.
Organizer and beneficiary
Melissa Revette Miller
Organizer
Bay City, MI
Valerie Haller
Beneficiary