Please Help Me Go to World Triathlon Championship

Hi, my name is Shantelle Canceran Tupaz, and I have qualified to represent the United States in Abu Dhabi this year in the Age Group World Triathlon Championship Grand Finale. All throughout my childhood, I have worked hard to train my skills and my strength in this intense sport. I’ve had a lot of support over the years from my friends and family, and I’ve worked hard for an opportunity to compete at this level.

Traveling to Abu Dhabi, a country that is much farther than races in the states, is very expensive. Earlier this year, I incurred a lot of costs from representing Team USA in Montreal for the Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon in the Age Group World Triathlon. Luckily, my success there has given me this great opportunity to compete in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, with a population of 1.5 million people.

I am super excited about this amazing opportunity to represent the United States in Abu Dhabi next month, November 2022, and I am hoping to raise funds to cover some of my expenses to travel and compete overseas.

Please read below to learn more about me as an athlete, student and person. Thank you so much for supporting me.

Sincerely,

Shantelle

Age, Grade, School, Town

I’m a 16-year-old 11th grader at Amador Valley High School. I live in Pleasanton, California.

My Family

I have a little brother Yuri, who is 10, a dog getting fatter by the day, and my parents have supported me since day one.

When and How I Started Cycling

When I Started Racing

My dad got me into cycling when I was around seven since that was when I learned how to ride a bike, and my dad had me doing local kids races soon after just for fun.

My Most Favorite Part of Racing

My favorite part of racing is all of my friends and the community that is a part of competitive sports.

My Least Favorite Part of Racing

My least favorite part of racing is probably how sore I feel afterwards, and also that I don’t really have a lot of time to do or try anything else.

My First Time Up Mt. Diablo

I first rode up Mt. Diablo maybe when I was 9, and that was only to the junction. The second time I rode on Mt. Diablo, I went to the summit, and the ice cream at top was worth it. It took me a while to be confident enough to ride down, though, since I have an insane fear of heights and not dying!

When I Became a Triathlete

I was a swimmer since I was four, and because my dad had gotten me into biking, he wanted me to try triathlon, since I already did swimming and biking. For almost 7 years I’ve done a sort of local triathlon series at Rancho Seco, and I’ve grown up at that race.

How Old I Was During My First Diablo Challenge

9 Years Old

My Favorite Triathlon Sport

My favorite is biking, since it’s the one that I also have a lot of experience and skills in. I also like swimming as well, but there’s something about being able to communicate and see your competitors right

My Least Favorite Triathlon Sport

My least favorite is running, because running has always been my weakest sport. I might be good at it when compared to non competitive runners, but in the sport I’m one of the slower ones.

What I Do in My Spare Time

Honestly, I love to draw, sing, and write poetry sometimes. I’ve been drawing since I was really little, and nowadays I draw because I like being able to create whatever is in my head. I’ve also been singing when I was young, and it’s so satisfying to complete a belt or a string of notes that sound so beautiful. For about the same reason as the other two, I love writing poetry because it’s beautiful and I can express myself.

Non-Local Places You’ve Traveled For Cycling Events

For cycling events, I’ve gone to places like Arizona, Reno, deep into Socal, Virginia, Washington State and Montreal Canada

A List of Your Athletic Accomplishments

Some of Notable Accomplishments:

Multiple District Champion in Road, Criterium, Time Trial and Cyclocross

2022 NICA MTB Varsity Norcal League South Conference Champion

Mt Diablo Challenge Best Time 1:00:41 (2021)

2021 Napa Triathlon Overall Champion Sprint Distance

2021 Bronze Medal USA Triathlon Sprint Draft Legal Nationals 15-19 Age Group

2022 Valley Of The Sun Overall Winner Stage Race Juniors Women 15-18

2022 NAPA Hits Triathlon Sprint Overall Female Champion

2022 LA24 Herbalife Female Overall Champion Sprint Triathlon

2022 California State Champion Sprint Triathlon Women Overall

2022 California State Champion High School Triathlon

2022 USA Triathlon National Champion Super Sprint

2022 Silver Medalist USA Triathlon Draft Legal Sprint

2022 Gold World Triathlon Championship Montreal Champion Mixed Relay 15-19

2022 6th Place Junior Elite Nationals Championship 16-17

2021 4th Place All American USA Triathlon Nationals Ranking 15 Under

2022 4th Place All American USA Triathlon Nationals Ranking 16-17

Team USA Team Member 2022 for Montreal, Abu Dhabi,

Team USA Team Member 2023 for Hamburg, Germany and Pontevedra, Spain

My Favorite Local Places to Ride

My favorite local places to ride are Mt. Diablo, the trails in Shadow Cliffs, and the Pleasanton Ridge for mountain biking.

The Date of the Abu Dhabi Triathlon

November 23-26, 2022

How I Qualified to Represent the US at Abu Dhabi

I qualified to represent the US at Abu Dhabi because I had raced at Milwaukee last year and got into the top 12, leading to the world spot being up for grabs.

The Difference between the competition in Montreal vs Abu Dhabi

While Montreal was featuring the Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon, Abu Dhabi is focusing on the Time Trial Super Sprint Triathlon, which is much shorter.

Your Cycling Goals For the Next 5 Years

Slowly building up my skills and Endurance (GO PRO (jk!)!!)

Your Career/Education Goals After Completing High School

I want to go to college and study kinesiology so I can become a coach in the future. I want to be a coach for junior athletes, and I want to begin right during college.