To promote excellence in triathlon and to give something back to the triathlon community that is consistent with the mission and founding principles of Team Psycho (TP)
 
Background

	Founded in the metro-Boston area in 1992
	Currently 90+ triathletes on the roster
	Target members are local, elite level triathletes that desire a support structure to attain their triathlon goals
	Focus on being a “racing” club, with members committed to the racing spirit of the group
	Team Psycho members are positive ambassadors for the sport, not just the fastest athletes
	Members possess “Psycho Karma”, a set of intangible qualities that extend beyond pure athletic talent. These qualities include a competitive spirit and a commitment to balancing triathlon goals with the demands of school, work, family and other pursuits

 
EDP History

	EDP was founded in 2003 with the goal of creating a development program to assist athletes in attaining the highest level of success in short-course (ITU) triathlon
	Program seeks to provide both monetary and advisory support for selected athletes
	First triathletes were TP’s own Christoph O’Donnell in addition to Amory Rowe and Gia White
	After six seasons, EDP has helped one athlete obtain a spot on the Olympic Team (Jarrod Shoemaker, 2008) and two athletes race at Olympic Trials (Christoph O’Donnell and 2004, Jarrod Shoemaker, 2008)
	For 2008, EDP may be expanded to include development support for Ironman athletes

 
Goals

Short Term:	Support sponsored athletes in achieving success on a professional level
Medium Term:	Place an athlete on the starting line of the US Olympic Trials in 2012
Ultimate Goal:	Place an athlete on the starting line for the 2012 Olympic Games

 
Program Description

	Sponsored athletes will receive a grant between $2,500-$5,000 for the year:
	Grant program shall take the form of an annual stipend for travel, meal and living expenses during course of race season   - Objective: to facilitate athlete’s attendance at 3-5 races during the triathlon season
	Grants shall be awarded on annual basis, renewable at the discretion of the TPEDP board of directors based on a defined set of criteria:   - Ideally, an athlete shall be supported by the EDP for more than one year
	Sponsored athletes may also receive triathlon product depending on need and ability level   - Product may include wetsuit, bicycle, and other training gear

 
Candidate Profile

	Athletes from the New England area
	May have a complimentary background in sports, not simply a background in triathlon
	Athletes should be focused on attaining success in ITU races or at Ironman distance
	At present, no age limitation exists, although younger athletes may be more suited to the demands of ITU/draft legal type races while older athletes may be more suited to Ironman
	Athletes must commit to attending two designated Team Psycho EDP local races to be considered for the grant program

 
Selection Process

	TP will solicit applications from a wide variety of triathletes and other athletes interested in triathlon
	Athletes will submit applications in the Winter-Spring timeframe
	TPEDP Board of Directors will evaluate applications and determine pool of final candidates
	TPEDP Board of Directors will vote on candidates and select which athletes to sponsor
	Grant will be awarded to athlete by April 15 of each year     - In return, athlete makes certain commitments to TP
	At the end of the season, performance will be evaluated, and continued sponsorship will be determined

 
Athlete Deliverables

TP asks the EDP sponsored athletes to commit to:

	Race at designated local TP EDP races during course of sponsorship term (two or three races annually)
	Wear TP uniform at local races and “ITU approved” TP version for international races
	Communicate with TP “athlete liaison” on semi-monthly basis, at minimum
	Submit travel/race expenses to TP BOD for approval
	Serve as TP ambassador for triathlon during program duration
	Attend several TP sponsored events during the course of his or her involvement with EDP (TP weekend, social functions, etc.)
	Submit a race report to TP membership after each race
	Summarize performance at end of season, including goals met, races completed, times, evaluation of performance and progress, feedback on program

The application deadline for the 2008 season is March 31, 2008.
Download the application here.

If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about becoming an EDP sponsored athlete, call Carmen Monks at 617-330-8969.