You think it’s only something that happens to uber fit people who train 8 hours a day and win races left and right.  You dream about becoming a professional athlete….getting paid to exercise all day.  And even just having one sponsor, a company that believes in you and what you are doing enough to give you some swag, equipment or even the entry fee to a race seems out of reach for the average joe.

Well, I’m here to tell you today that it’s not out of reach.  And how do I know this?  It’s happened to me!  Last month, Gayle showed me a blog post from The Soap Queen.  She is the owner of Bramble Berry, Inc – a company that sells supplies to soap companies (like ours).  In this post Anne-Marie talked about how her company is committed to making charitable donations and also interested in helping others meet their fitness goals.  To that end, in 2012 they were starting the Bramble Berry Athletic Club (BBAC), a group of athletes that were interested in participating in a race that benefited a charity.  All you had to do to be considered for a spot on the team was send a e-mail describing the race you were interested in, the charity that it benefited and why that charity was important to you.  As a member of the team you would have your entry fee to the race paid for, plus an additional donation would be made to the charity.  Those chosen would also receive a BBAC shirt along with other surprises.

I’m sure you can see where this is going.  Gayle encouraged me to apply, I did and earlier this week the team members were announced and I was one of them!  So I can honestly say that I am a sponsored triathlete!  I’m super excited to have been chosen and also a little scared.  It brings the Beach2Battleship race that much closer knowing that the entry fee is taken care of.  But, I will be proud to wear my BBAC shirt and I’m sure there will be lots of pictures!

All it took was a little bit of being in the right place at the right time and a lot of just going for it.  Yes, there were moments of doubt when I was convinced that no one would pick me for an “athletic team”.  But I pushed away those doubts and reminded myself that I am no less worthy than any one else.  So, be on the lookout for those opportunities.  You never know where they will come from (a soap company?) and you just might be surprised.