Team TFO showed up in full force for the 38th annual Eppie’s Great Race! With over 70 athletes and volunteers wearing the Team TFO jersey, including 26 challenged athletes, Team TFO made history by fielding the largest number of challenged athletes since the race began in 1974. As a result, Team TFO swept the adaptive division taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. In addition, team members raised over $10,000 in support of Try For Other’s mission.
TFO thanks all participants, volunteers, and supporters for making this possible. A special thanks goes out to our 2011 jersey sponsor Von Housen Motors.
On August 28th, 2010, at a fundraiser in Indianapolis, Indiana, TFO presented Brandon and his mother with a $5,500 check on behalf of the rugby community to help Brandon in his recovery. With the White River RFC raising an additional $800 at the event, the rugby community came together to raise over $6,000 for Brandon’s cause. Big thanks to all the generous rugby players and fans who supported TFOs fundraising campaign for Brandon by sending donations and buying TFO Apparel. :: Read Brandon’s full story here
“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do” –John Wooden
On Saturday July 17th, TEAM TFO will debut at the 37th annual Eppie’s Great Race. Dubbed “The World’s Oldest Triathlon,” over 3,000 athletes have signed up for the race which consists of 5.82 miles of running, 12.5 mile of cycling and 6.35 miles of Kayaking or Canoeing along the American River.
TEAM TFO is a Try For Others program that encourages disabled persons to challenge their limitations, defy stereotypes, and re-define the meaning of being disabled. TFO founder, Dominic Cooke, first began thinking about the program in 2009 after returning from a cycling camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.
“I’d been away from organized sport as an athlete for so long that I had forgotten the importance of the team dynamic,”recalls Cooke. ”My week in Colorado reminded me how special it is to be part of a team. You have the same competitive mind-set, the same common goals, and the support of teammates to help you achieve those goals. I wanted to bring that same team dynamic to Try For Others, and encourage both able-bodied and disabled individuals to inspire each other and challenge their limitations.”
As a member of team TFO, individuals identify a challenge to overcome (marathon, triathlon, hike, race, etc.) and give reason to their pursuit by raising funds so that TFO can sponsor disabled athletes to overcome their own challenges. TEAM TFO is proud to sponsor 7 disabled athletes for Eppie’s Great Race. Meet TEAM TFO Great Race Athletes
Video of Dominic’s experience in Colorado that inspired TEAM TFO
“Brandon is a fighter. He never submits or surrenders to anyone or anything. Tough is an understatement when it comes to describing Brandon. He is an unstoppable force that will never give up. As Brandon, his family, and his brothers of rugby face this difficult time, we ask kindly for any generosity you can spare.” –White River Rugby Club
Brandon Garner began playing rugby at Hamilton Southeastern High School where his quickness and tenacity made him a solid contributor on the pitch. Active on and off the field, he was not only a member of several athletic teams but also a member of R.O.T.C. whilst working several jobs. Always wanting to push himself, Brandon began spending his off-seasons during high school training with Indiana’s White River Rugby Club, a local competitive men’s team.He quickly established himself as a starter on the team, and became a key player for the teams’ high scoring offense.
However, on April 18th, 2009, Brandon’s promising rugby career was tragically interrupted. Read more »
On February 27, 2010 Michael “Jonesy” Jones was critically injured while playing in a rugby tournament in FT. Lauderdale, Florida.
At present, Mike is paralyzed from the neck down. He remains hospitalized and reliant on a breathing machine. The challenges facing Mike and his family are tremendous. Help an injured rugby brother and support Mike Jones :: Click here to make a donation
Despite their busy schedule before the USA Sevens, members of the USA team still made time to show their support for critically injured rugby players by taking part in a photo-shoot for TFO Apparel. Award winning photographer and founder of Studio J Inc., Eric Jamison, organized the shoot that took place in downtown Las Vegas. Read more »
Back in the mid 1960s there was an Irish full back of awesome ability by the name of Dermot “Stone Wall” Hogan. Built like a cow shed, his tackling powers were legendary. He’d go in low and hard, leaving opponents wishing they’d never left the dressing room. His boast was he’d never missed a tackle.
Meanwhile, across the water in England there was a winger by the name of Roger Cadwallader-Smith. Roger, nicknamed “The Electric Eel,” could sprint like a champion racehorse, dodge like a butterfly and leave vainly pursuing opponents looking like drunken cattle. He was England’s record try scorer. Read more »
