About Us |
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Brisbane Triathlon Squad or BTS was formed in mid-2007 and since then has grown to over 250 members. In the past three years we have introduced many athletes to the sport of triathlon through numerous successful beginner courses. This is a reflection of how triathlon is one of the fastest growing sports in the world coupled with the great lifestyle offered living in South East Queensland. At BTS we offer a program that caters for all abilities. This ranges from athletes competing at World Championships and Ironman events to those that enjoy improving their times, completing an event and socialising with friends. We offer two group training options at BTS. The main squad caters for all abilities and has over 10 sessions available each week. The second option for group training is the beginner squad. This group is for people who prefer a more relaxed social group for training or those new to the sport. Fees for the main squad are currently $120 and $90 for the beginner squad. Read what our athletes have to say - Testimonials To find out more about what BTS has to offer please contact us. |
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About Our Coaches |
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Our team of friendly coaches are available to assist all of our athletes with their personal goals. They all have years of experience in triathlon as well as balancing the demands of training with family, work and other commitments.
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Head Coach | Mark Turner |
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| Level 2 Triathlon |
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As an athlete Mark comes from a background of over 20 years competing in endurance sports. He did his first triathlon in the late 1980’s before turning his attention to running where he went on to represent Queensland in cross country running. After many years running he later became a boundary umpire in the national AFL competition, umpiring matches around Australia at the elite level for 7 years. Throughout this time Mark continued to compete in triathlons and after retiring from umpiring in 2004, he has further developed his triathlon experience competing in events from sprint through to Ironman. During his time as an athlete Mark has overcome many challenges and now draws on this experience to assist the athletes he coaches. In 2008 he completed 3 Ironman Triathlons in 3 days to raise money for charity in the event known as the Tour de Tri. In 2009 he was also one of the athletes selected to represent Australia at the World Triathlon Championships on the Gold Coast. As a coach Mark first started coaching athletes in his role as a Physical Education Instructor at the Queensland Police Academy from 1996-2001. During that time he has had the following coaching experiences:
Mark is level 2 triathlon coach and level 1 distance run coach with a Certificate IV in Fitness. |
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Coach | Suzanne McCarthy |
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| Level 1 Triathlon |
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Suzanne comes from a varied sporting background and turned her attention to triathlon over four years ago. Since then she has been dual World age group representative for her native New Zealand and a double IM finisher. Suzanne has worked with many of the BTS beginner squads and enjoys coaching those new to triathlon. Like many in the BTS squad, Suzanne balances training with work, family and other commitments. All coaches at BTS understand the difficulties for Age Group athletes to maintain a work/life/training balance and are all available to assist or provide advice where possible. |
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| Coach | Matt Hopper | |||
Matt has been involved in triathlon for over 14 years. He started triathlon as an age group athlete and after being a National champion in 2000 for age group turned to racing elite level. In 2005 Matt gave up a full time plumbing trade and turned professional. He raced the ITU World Cup series and was a scholarship holder with the Australian Institue of sport for 4 years. Matt represented Australia at the World Championships as an elite male team member 3 times and in 2008 was part of the Olympic campaign for Australia but narrowly missed out on selection in the team. Matt retired from elite competition after the World Champs in Vancouver 2008. Matt now own’s and operates Avanti Plus, the Valley. He specialises in working with the faster athletes in our squad to help take them to the next level. |
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Coach | Tim Osborne |
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| Level 1 Triathlon |
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Tim is a qualified teacher at St Paul’s School on Brisbane’s north side. Along with his triathlon and track & field coaching, he also has extensive coaching experience in the areas of soccer and cricket. Tim has a passion for longer distance triathlons (HIM and IM) and enjoys using his experience and expertise to assist other athletes with their training and reaching their goals. Tim is currently planning another assault on long distance events throughout Australia, including the 24hr solo Tour de Tri, half Ironman and Ironman events. |
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Coach | John Agyik |
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| Level 1 Triathlon (pending) |
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John has been competing in triathlon and multi-sport races for over 10 years and is one of Queensland's top age group athletes. He coaches a range of sessions and enjoys working with BTS athletes to help them achieve their goals. John is very experienced at balancing full-time work, coaching, training and family commitments and is always available to provide advice on how to juggle the demands of being an age-group triathlete. |
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Coach | Bronwyn Platz |
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Level 1 Triathlon Coach |
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Bronwyn came from a swim coaching background but got the triathlon bug in 1994. She is a qualified teacher at Gregory Terrace Boys School in Brisbane and specialises in working with beginner triathletes. She plays a leading role in the BTS beginner triathlon courses. |
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Coach | Robson Bond |
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| Level 1 Track and Field Coach | |||
Robson has been competing in triathlons and running events for over 25 years and coaching for a large proportion of this time. He is the owner of specialist running shop, Active Stride at Southbank and is always keen for a chat or to provide advice and guidance. |
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Assistant Coach | Scott Budd |
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| A long distance specialist, Scott has completed six Ironman events including two at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. After achieving his goal in 2009 of finishing the Australian Ironman in under 10 hours (9 hours 47 mins) he has now turned his attention to competing in shorter distance events and helping other people achieve their goals. This year he worked with the 16 BTS Ironman athletes in their training towards the New Zealand and Australian Ironman. |  |
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Assistant Coach | Ray Pogi |
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| Ray has been with BTS since it's inception in 2007. Since then he has represented his home country of Samoa twice in triathlon at the Pan Pacific Games and ITU World Championships. A strong runner with an exceptional kick in the pool, Ray particularly enjoys working with those new to triathlon and the squad. |  |
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| Assistant Coach | Brad Jones | |||
Brad completed his first Ironman in March and him and his wife Sarah can be expected to be lining up on the start line at another long distance event in the near future. Brad comes from a strong swimming background and has a wealth of knowledge to pass on to those new to swimming and triathlons.
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| What our athletes have to say - Testimonials | |||
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