2022 Legacy Scholarship Awardees

Hi, my name is Jessica Bialas. I am nineteen years-old, and I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. I just completed my sophomore year at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a major in art. From early on, sports have always been a big part of my life. I began taking swim lessons in my earliest years which established a love for swimming. I later bonded with my dad over baseball until I decided that baseball pants were too uncomfortable, and hot for that matter. I’ve tried gymnastics, but learned I started too late, and my height never helped me for that matter. Soccer was fun, but my freshmen year of high school, when I started running cross-country, I realized I didn’t love soccer for all the ball-handling tricks and game-tactics, I loved it because it let me run. My mom, who formerly dabbled in triathlon, got me into the world of triathlon. I got on a bike, fell in love with the three-disciplines, and I have been hooked ever since.

My name is David Enriquez, and I am a biology major at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. My academic aspiration is to pursue a career in dentistry to provide care and service to my community. However, I have recently discovered and began to train for triathlons. The acquisition of my interest in triathlons began from watching videos and talking to athletes about their experiences. I have always perceived endurance athletes as the epitome of role models and success. The characteristics that are common in nearly all triathletes has always fascinated me. Discipline, competitiveness, and devotion to the community are just a few of the characteristic traits that I have always admired about triathletes. When I first learned about the sport of triathlon, I instantly knew that this was what I wanted to devote my time to outside of academics and my career. Although I had the passion and determination to compete and train for triathlons, I had no idea where to begin. Before starting triathlons, I had little to no experience in any of the three disciplines. However, transitioning from a non-endurance background to learning how to swim, bike, and run on my own took countless hours of training.

I adamantly believe that triathlon has made a significant impact on my life. It has completely changed the way I view the world and has even made me a better person. I enjoy working towards goals and being able to share that experience with other highly driven individuals. I am optimistic about my future in triathlon and grateful for all of the help along the way.

My name is Kolby Gamble, I am 18 years old and new to the triathlon community and life. Currently, I am a full-time student (freshman) at Western Governors University studying for my B.S in business administration with a focus on management and a newbie to triathlons.

I was born and raised in Alberta Canada where my passion for biking first started (nothing like riding in the snow) and where soccer was my number one sport. After 12 years, my family moved to Hawaii, soccer was still my sport of choice and continued for the 3 years of life there. After Hawaii, we moved to Santa Rosa California where my passion for biking and interest in triathlons started. It was there that I officially picked up the sport of Mountain Biking and joined my high school team. I immediately fell in love with climbing hills and flying down crazy technical hills that were full of jumps, bumps, and bruises.

As my father is a triathlete this was his way of lighting the torch and opening up the ideas of triathlons. It took me a while to finally give in, but after moving to Las Vegas where the mountains were just not the same, I decided cycling it is. After indulging myself within the community and talking with others did the realities of triathlon really start to shape up. As someone who had a background in biking and a soccer upbringing, it was finally time to pick up swimming and put it all together.

My name is Abby Robinson; I am a student-athlete at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. My triathlon origin story begins with the Las Vegas Triathlon Club. At 10 years old, I competed in my first kid’s tri at Lake Mead with LVTC. Ever since that race, triathlon has remained my biggest passion. After my introduction to triathlon, I continually became more involved in the sport, especially once I joined the Hyperspeed Las Vegas youth tri team. From this group of amazing individuals, I was met with not only new teammates, but strong friendships and excellent mentoring that has influenced who I am today. From my incredible experience with Hyperspeed, I grew to love draft-legal racing and the thrill of short, fast-paced races. I am proud to say that the passion I found in triathlon paved the pathway to higher level competition, as I now compete in NCAA triathlon at Drury University.