Featured Member: Charlie Nelson

The February 2014 male featured member of the month is Charlie Nelson. Find out more about him below.

Tell us about yourself:
I was born and raised in Mankato Minnesota, which is 60 miles south of Minneapolis. I attended Mankato West High School, not to be confused with our rivals Mankato East, and graduated in 1997.

In regards to athletics I participated in Hockey, Track & Field, Soccer and football until my junior year when I placed more focus on Hockey during the summer/fall months. While in college a friend introduced me to the sport of fly-fishing, which is a great hobby/addiction but cost me a fifth year of college. I took my fondness of Fly Fishing and spent a season being a fishing guide at a fly in camp in Alaska.  I take great pleasure in teaching people to fly fish and spend a decent amount of time in the winter/spring months fly-fishing Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire I moved to the Minneapolis area and worked in the world of business banking enjoying very little of that work experience.  My wife and I moved to the La Crosse area in 2008 after I accepted a position with Cargill Inc. I work as a commodity trading advisor and my wife works as both an RN at Gundersen Lutheran in labor and delivery and a hair stylist. In September of 2012 my wife and I graciously introduced our first child Claire to this wonderful world.

I have a laundry list of things I enjoy and call hobbies such as golf, fly fishing, hockey, wakeboarding, wake surfing, water skiing, ice fishing, hunting mushrooms, duck hunting and spending time with family.  Many of my listed hobbies have taken a huge backseat after finding my new hobby/addiction training for triathlons.   However, I have been able to hang on to playing hockey a couple days a week in the adult leagues.

 
How long have you been doing triathlons?

Got energy triathlon last year was first triathlon.

How long have you been a Bluff Buster?

I've been a member for just over a year

What is your triathlon background?

Track and Field participation in High School would be the only discipline I have any prior experience in.  My main events in Track were 300 intermediate hurdles and the pole vault so the longer distance running is just as new to me as the swim and bike.

What is your favorite race distance?

With only a year under my belt I would have to say the intermediate distance would be my favorite distance, however I think if I trained properly I would be more competitive in the sprint distances.

What are your triathlon goals for this season?
I really just want to be happy with my performances, stay healthy and run across the finish line in Madison.

What is an interesting fact about yourself?
I rode my unicycle to school starting in the 6th grade.

What is your favorite song or album to workout to?
Workout Artist: Shrillex
Song: bangarang

What motivates you?
Feeling good & being a good role model

What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Having a happy healthy family that has found a great work/life balance.

What is your favorite workout?

Brick workout including a 3 mile run, 30 minute swim workout and finish up with a hockey league game.

What can't you live without?
Family & Friends

If you could have any superpower, what would you choose?

Being able to breath underwater would be nice, although being sick of these extreme cold snaps the power of atmokinesis would help me warm things up.

What is one book that everyone should read?
Scarlet Ice by, Roger Dier

Biggest Pet-Peeve:

When someone calls me "guy"

Do you have any hidden talents?
I can do aerials from both sides of the wake wakeboarding