Diva of the Month

1 Who are you?

Cora Mann
29 this month (June 17th to be exact!)
High School Art Teacher

2 Favorite Athlete:

Strangely enough I have never had a favorite athlete! If I go by who I have watched on TV the most and actually know the name of it would have to be Brett Favre and Lance Armstrong.

3 Favorite Quote:

These seem to change daily, but for now, I really like a simple quote I read on a mug at Coffee Bean…"Life is not about finding yourself, but creating yourself!"

4 Favorite Sport:

I love watching football. But I love cycling…it’s what got my into this sport in the first place.

5 Favorite Food:

Thai Food...hopefully one day I will get to go to Thailand and try the real thing!

6 First Triathlon? If not, which ones have you done?

My first Triathlon was the All Women's Super Sprint in Santa Barbara in 2005, I also competed in the Long Beach Sprint Triathlon.

This year I plan on competing is the Danskin Sprint, Camp Pendleton Olympic, Vineman's AquaBike, Santa Barbara's Super Sprint, Long Beach Sprint, and the Subaru Women's Race.

OK, so you caught me…I am turning into a Tri Junkie!

7 What inspires you to do triathlons?

Throughout my "grown-up" life, I was always trying to do something to matter. Well I finally found it. Triathlon was all I needed to fill that void. I feel like I matter. I love that it's a sport where you compete with yourself, you challenge yourself to go further, faster and harder.

8 WHO inspires you?

There are so many people that inspire me…My boyfriend, my best friend and her husband. I talk there ears off about this sport and they always listen to me and encourage me. My fellow TriDivas, Jane's "bring it on" attitude and Charla for letting me talk her into becoming a TriDiva. My dad, it allows him to still watch one of his daughters "play sports" (he went to every one of my games in high school/college). And my students, I love being able to set an example to my students on how to live an active life.

9 What is your biggest challenge/fear?

I don't want to jinks myself, but I don't have one right now. I like to self-talk my way out of being afraid…that mental stuff really does work.

10 Any advice for future TriDivas?

Anyone can be a TriDiva. You can be a triathlon junkie like me, or you could have the desire to have reason to workout and be healthy. Most of us have that little voice inside that just tells us to go for it or why not me? The TriDivas reassures you that the voices in your head are right and why not you!

11 What do you enjoy most about training with the TriDivas?

The laughs, the accountability, the encouragement, and the consistency.

12 What are your future goals?

Right now I am taking things one race at a time. My goals are to better than whatever I have previously done in the past. Since I haven't done much in this sport yet, hopefully this will be doable.