I entered the English graduate program in 1986. My mind’s desire was to study feminist critical theory. The buzz word du jour was “praxis.” One’s theory must be grounded in practice; one must walk the talk. I expected to create praxis through a professorship, and I did spend a decade in that role, but I have had a far greater impact in another arena. Twenty-five years later, I remain a deconstructionist at heart, but my path to praxis is one I never imagined. In 2003, I convinced friends to do a sprint triathlon. These days, I create empowering praxis by completing Ironman triathlons and training 250+ pound “Kitsap Tri Babes” to complete their own Sprint Triathlons.
It amazes me how integral the
critical theory of my graduate school
days is to my ability to effectively
train beginning triathletes. I am training
women who never conceived of
themselves as athletes. Many of them
come to the group grossly alienated
from their bodies. It is usually an
unhealthy experience (such as abuse
or a traumatic event) that has caused
this alienation from their bodies.
The unhealthy experience solidifies
into a negative self-narrative. This
narrative then manifests as lack of
physical fitness. Step 1 to success is
to deconstruct the word athlete and
reconstruct a definition that includes
them. Step 2 is to create a new narrative.
Our motto is “comPLETE not
comPETE.”
The group promises a new narrative: “if you can go from the couch to the Häagen-Dazs, you can comPLETE our first training; if you can comPLETE the first training, you can comPLETE the second, and so forth until, 12 weeks later, you WILL successfully cross that triathlon finish line.” We re-define success in terms that equate “finishing upright” with “good enough.” Through re-definition, we reconstruct an empowering narrative that allows women to transform their bodies and then their lives. Over the years, the group has supported 350+ pound women, a deaf woman, a blind woman, an amputee, and abused women in re-defining their relationships with their bodies and in doing so, creating a more empowering life narrative.
