Lori Kinczel, this year’s 10th grade class sponsor for Nederland Middle- Senior High School (NMSHS), recently congratulated some of the sophomores for their hard work volunteering at the Ironman 70.3 in Boulder, Colorado. The event was held on August 6, 2022.

As sophomores, the students are responsible for raising money for prom. When Kinczel heard that people could volunteer for the first bike aid station during the event and possibly get a grant for prom, she jumped at the opportunity and asked if students were willing to help. Ultimately, nine students – Kendall Zotti, Lauren Schrader, Eric Thurston, Kia Siglin, Amelie Bodnar, Lukey Mahorski, Maddox Gioia, Payton Kutcher, and Cedar Shupe – volunteered to help.

In the end, the kids had an absolute blast helping out at the event, never complaining and always working hard to make sure the event ran smoothly. the event was over, one of the event coordinators asked Kinczel if they wanted items from the Ironman event, and she gladly accepted the offer. In the end, the school was given 300 backpacks, shirts, hats, and dry bags. It was enough to supply the entire school, including the staff, with one of each. The volunteers for the Ironman received first pick before helping hand out everything to the rest of the school.

Kinczel calls this a once-in-a-lifetime event, as most of the items were backlogged from previous Ironman events across the country that were canceled due to COVID. She hopes that through this event, the kids learned that working hard and giving back are important skills to have, and that other kids have the opportunity to work at the Ironman in the future.

NMSHS would like to say a big thank you to The Ironman Foundation for giving us such a great opportunity and for the amazing generosity they have showed the NMSHS community!