Utah Tri Buzz: "Don't Pee in the Pool!" Interview with Trinity Schimbeck

Get to know Trinity Schimbeck, a St. George high school student who doubles as one of the fastest teenage triathletes in the country.

Thanks for the time, Trinity!

How’d you get into this crazy sport at such a young age?

I started off on a club swim team and loved it. My Dad had participated in a triathlon before I ever started into the sport and he thought I would enjoy it so he had me enter into a local race here in St. George. I ended up winning my age group and fell in love with the sport. I even had a little competition with my Dad after that to see if I could beat him in a race. That challenge really motivated me to train harder during my first couple of years in triathlon.

Living in St. George, how did you connect with BAM, and how has the BAM FAM helped with your progression?

I heard about BAM through a local bike shop and another BAM athlete (Tucker Hathaway). Living in St. George is a little more difficult when it comes to being coached, but Wes and all the other BAM coaches handle it like pros. Last summer I was able to train at the BAM facilities for 3 weeks and it was really nice to be around other athletes with similar goals and to have some teammates.

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What have been your 3 favorite moments so far in your triathlon career?

Kokopelli Triathlon 2013 - This was the first race I ever took overall female in. I was really excited and prepared before the race and after I was so happy to see my hard work had payed off.

Youth Elite Nationals 2016 - Taking 16th at Nationals and seeing my improvement from the year before!

Being Ranked #1 in my age group for non-draft legal racing this past year was another highlight of my season that I was totally not expecting!

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In terms of local races, for 2016 we see you did Icebreaker (1st overall female), Sand Hollow sprint (1st overall female), and Echo sprint (2nd to only Mighty Megan Foley). What were your thoughts on your 2016 season overall?

My 2016 season went really well if I do say so myself :) I had a ton of fun racing in the local races and I was also able to go to three draft legal races this season as well. Funny story about Echo- My dad, brother and I drove up to the reservoir the day before the race and we were planning on staying the night in a campground close by. Traffic was horrible so we didn’t even get there until midnight and we couldn’t find the campground so we had to sleep in our truck on the side of the road.

If my sources are correct you run cross country & track AND swim for Desert Hills high school. I did some research and see you ran an impressive 19:25 at the state xc meet and improved a ton from last year. How did the cross country season go overall, and how is the swim season going? What events do you swim?

The cross country season went great! We took second at state which is the best our girls team has ever done. I actually have a funny story about that xc state improvement from last year. Last year, I unfortunately broke my leg a month before state and so I was in a walking boot from then until about 4 days before the state meet. Needless to say it was definitely not my fastest race :)

High school swimming is going on right now and I swim the 200 and the 500 freestyle and hopefully a relay at state.

What are your triathlon, running, & swimming plans and goals for 2017?

I plan to continue racing on the USAT Junior Elite Series this year. I age up into the 16-19 age group this season which will be harder because I am now the youngest racing, so I would love to place in the top 15 at nationals. I’ve also been invited to the CAMTRI North American Junior Championships in Sarasota, Florida in March which will be my very first ITU race and I’m so excited! I have High School swim state in two weeks too, where I hope to place in the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle. In track, I am trying the 800 and 1600 this year so we will see how it goes.

What’s your favorite thing about the group of young BAM athletes, as well as your biggest triathlon pet peeve?

My favorite thing about the athletes at BAM is that we really are like a big family. Everyone on the team wants to see each other succeed. My biggest training pet peeve in general is when people pee in the pool. Like just walk to the bathroom… geez.

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Are your various coaches supportive of your triathlon pursuits or do they wish you’d focus on just one? Are you able to train as a triathlete during a particular season or are you pretty much focused on the season at hand?

My swim and cross country/track coaches have always been so supportive of me while I am training for my triathlons. I usually can get away with going to the separate school sport practices and use that as my swimming and running triathlon training. It makes my days pretty stacked with workouts at times but it’s totally worth it.

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I’ve always thought it takes a special kid to be a competitive swimmer… what’s the typical training schedule/volume they put you through in high school swimming? Do you swim for swimming itself or more for triathlon?

My varsity high school team (Desert Hills *Whoop Whoop*) trains every morning from 5-7am. We also have to attend one night practice a week that is combined with the junior varsity team. We do on average 4,000-5,000 yards each practice. I started swimming when I was younger and loved it. I still love to swim and compete in the high school and club meets, which is awesome because all of it helps my triathlon swim.

Anything else you want to share?

For reals though…. Don't pee in the pool!