Welcome to Vulcan Tri mentoring program. The goal of this program is to provide a way for team members to assist each other in our training and in our racing. By assisting each other, we can all grow as triathletes.
Triathlon  training can become overwhelming and intimidating. With the mentoring program, we intend to limit these factors and make the transition into the sport, as well as the transition to longer distance races, much easier.

So, what exactly is a mentor?
A mentor is someone that listens to questions and helps guide the mentee as a positive and effective way to obtain their goals. A mentor is not a coach. A mentor may not have the answers, but may have the knowledge to help the mentee discover the answers.

A mentor needs to:

- Listen
- Question
- Offer friendship
- Help build self confidence
- Share critical knowledge
- Encourage successful behavior
- Challenge

The extent of involvement between mentor and mentee is flexible and is at the discretion of each mentor and mentee.

To become a successful mentor, you must maintain regular contact with your mentee.  When you are assigned a mentee establish contact as soon as possible and agree on communication channels, email, phone, ect.   Introduce yourself and give some background. Be honest. You will not have all answers.  Avoid being judgmental, and encourage your mentee. By encouraging them to take a chance, you are showing them that you believe in their goals.  And remember, be patient. Everyone learns at different paces.

Topics of discussion and guidance (a mentee may seek help in only one, a few or all of these areas):

- Selecting events
- Selecting equipment
- Selecting a supplier
- Introduction to other team members
- Nutrition
- Injury prevention
- Injury recovery
- Training programs
- 1 on 1 workouts
- Weekly training balancing
- General encouragement
- Finding training partners
- Equipment repair
- Planning/preparing/practicing for transitions
- What to expect during a race

Mismatches
If a mentor/Mentee mismatch occurs, try to work out the difference, if this option is not possible, contact the person in charge of the mentoring program and work with them to develop a solution. Remember, sometimes mismatches occur, this is a part of the system, and is not the fault of the mentor or mentee. The best solution is to recognize a mismatch as soon as possible so that it can be resolved and the mentee can receive the best-fit possible.