Athletes Serving Athletes' Baltimore County Community is looking for a Volunteer to join us this season.  The Baltimore County ASA Community Coordinator is responsible for facilitating training and racing in Baltimore County for the 9-Month Season of March through November, 2018. Note: This is a “facilitator position” and the Coordinator is not required to be onsite at training sessions and races.

• Manage Training/Group Runs
  • 21 Total for Season - 2 Tuesdays and 1 Saturday a Month, from March through November
  • Set Up Signup Genius prior to March 1 for the Season
  • Create Athlete/Captain/WingMan/Equipment Assignments for each Training Session
  • Communicate Assignments to Onsite Captain Training Manager

 

• Racing (9 Total for Season)
  • Creates Master Race Schedule for the season for his/her area (Already Completed)
  • Facilitate Baltimore County Races (9 Total for Season)
  • Communicate with Race Director regarding Race Day Logistics
  • Manage compliance of all Athletes, WingMen and Captains interested in Race
  • Manage Registration of Athletes and Captains
  • Creates Athlete/Captain/WingMan/Equipment Assignments for Race Day
  • Prepare the Onsite Captain Race Manager for Race Day Duties
  • Create and distribute Race Day Document to all ASA Race Participants
  • Log all race completions

 

• Community Communication
  • Communicates with all Athletes, Families, Wingmen, Captains in a timely manner
    • About training events
    • To provide race information and logistics
    • To impart office information
  • Communicates with race directors
    • About race registration
    • For logistics for race participation
    • Post race thank you
  • Communicates with the office about needs for the Community

 
Prefer the applicant who is familiar with Baltimore County ASA Athletes, Captains, and WingMen.  Hoping to fill this position before March 1. Please contact Lisa Cooper with interest or any questions  at lisa@asa.run. 

In Courtney Mann’s bedroom there’s a collection of gaudy trophies, ribbons and medals- the byproduct of a decorated running career. A senior at Howard High School this spring, Mann has established herself as one of the state’s top distance runners over the last four years.
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And yet, for her lengthy list of accomplishments, which includes a pair of outdoor track county titles this spring, Mann said she found just as much gratification while taking time to run outside the spotlight.

It is through her participation in Athletes Serving Athletes, a charity-funded, nonprofit organization that empowers individuals with disabilities to train and compete in mainstream running and triathlon events, that Mann finds a state of serenity.
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“I wanted to do something with [running] other than compete, which is still something I love to do,” said Mann, who will run cross country and track at the University of Maryland starting in the fall. “[Athletes Serving Athletes] helps me recognize the values of these athletes I’m helping. They’re similar, if not identical, to my own. That’s something I’ve gained a lot from this program. … Every race, there’s always a new moment. A new thing that reminds me this is why I do this.”

(Read the entire article HERE)

BOULDER — As a steady stream of exhausted athletes crossed the finish line of the Ironman Boulder, the volume of cheers rose Sunday at 10:30 p.m. to welcome James Banks and David Slomkowski to the end of their long ordeal.

The duo from Baltimore had begun 15 hours and 45 minutes earlier.  Banks, whom Slomkowski pulled and pushed for more than 140 miles, smiled broadly after a finish-area volunteer hung the Ironman medal from his neck. Banks, 18, has cerebral palsy and scoliosis.

“Booyah!” a group of friends shouted, knowing that is Banks’ favorite word for expressing happiness.

“Booyah!” he replied to whoops and hollers.

“You are an Ironman!” someone shouted.

Slomkowski founded Athletes Serving Athletes in Baltimore a decade ago after being inspired by the story of Team Hoyt. Dick Hoyt has pushed and pulled son Rick, who has cerebral palsy, through 72 marathons and seven Ironmans. Banks was one of ASA’s first athletes, and it was a “dream come true” for Slomkowski to give him the Ironman experience.

(Read the entire article HERE)

At a recent triathlon, just ahead of him, there was an older woman in James Banks' path struggling to keep it together.

When her trembling legs forced her to the ground moments later, Banks did exactly what he always does in those situations. Banks stopped alongside her, far less concerned about the meaningless few seconds he'd lose from his final time than making sure a fellow athlete received a much-needed confidence boost at a critical personal juncture.

Of course, this act in and of itself shouldn't come as a complete shock. Endurance athletes hail from a proud community in which communal encouragement often is just part of the deal. In Banks' case, however, the depth of his compassion is exceeded only by his boundless determination.

Banks, a 19-year old from Baltimore, has been competing in triathlons for eight years despite significant physical handicaps stemming from cerebral palsy and scoliosis. Banks is making the trip to Colorado to compete in the Ironman Boulder on Sunday. Even if he doesn't make a mark with his grit, chances are his encouraging voice will be heard.

(Read the entire article HERE)

Dave Kittredge had barely crossed the finish line at the half-marathon during the Frederick Running Festival before he was asked to run it again.

Kittredge, as part of a team of five, pushed a cart in which a young man named Matthew sat across the finish line, helping Matthew finish the 13.1-mile race.

“As soon as we crossed the finish line, Matthew looked up at me and said, ‘That was so much fun, can we go do it again?’” Kittredge said. “Those moments make it all worth it.”

Kittredge was a member of one of six teams representing Athletes Serving Athletes to push a child through the half-marathon Sunday morning.

Athletes Serving Athletes is a nonprofit charity founded in Baltimore in 2008, which provides volunteers to help people with disabilities complete races of various lengths. It added a Frederick County chapter last year.

A team is made up of anywhere between two and four “wingmen,” a captain and the athlete the wingmen are assisting. Teams compete in running events from as far as Philadelphia.

“Our motto is ‘Together we finish,’” said Kerry Blackmer, coordinator of the Frederick County chapter. “We do it to make sure all athletes get a chance to run the race.”

(Read the entire article HERE)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2017

BALTIMORE, MD — James Banks, a 19 year old from Baltimore, MD who is living with cerebral palsy and scoliosis, will participate in the 2017 IRONMAN Boulder 140.3 triathlon on Sunday, June 11th. James has competed in the sport of triathlon for over 8 years with the help of Athletes Serving Athletes (ASA), a non-profit organization that empowers athletes living with disabilities to train and compete in mainstream running and triathlon events.

The race will take place at the foot of the Flatiron Mountains in Boulder, CO and will include a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run. Despite his confinement to a wheelchair since birth, with extremely limited mobility, James will compete with the assistance of an ASA volunteer known as a “WingMan.” This WingMan will help James cross the finish line by towing him across the water in a custom-designed harness and raft, riding with him in a specially equipped bicycle and pushing him in a custom-built ASA racing chair. James’s WingMan for this event will be ASA’s founder and executive director,  David Slomkowski.

“James Banks was ASA’s first athlete and his race record would be impressive for anyone, let alone someone with James’s unique abilities,” said Slomkowski. “To our knowledge no athlete with cerebral palsy and scoliosis from Maryland has ever attempted or completed such physically demanding distances. I consider racing with James one of the greatest privileges in my life.”