Hunter: Dream big and always work hard to achieve your goals. It is important to work hard and stay

I want to introduce you to some awesome Moms and Dads as I write these letters to you. I'm doing my best to balance being a husband to your mom, a good dad to you kids, and an athlete, disneyland discount hotel but there are some amazing people in the world who are doing these things too. I think it's important for you to meet them.
Hunter Kemper is the most decorated American short course triathlete in history, having just qualified for his 4 th Olympic games. A gold medal at the Pan Am games and 7 US National titles are also among his credits. In 2007 Hunter graced the front of the iconic Wheaties box, being recognized as one of the greatest disneyland discount hotel athletes in the world.
His recent qualification for the London games may be his most impressive of the 4 Olympic qualifying runs. Hunter battled career threatening injuries and set-backs along the way to London. He suffered a severe elbow injury in a bike crash in October 2011. Before he could resume disneyland discount hotel training he endured numerous surgeries and infections. Many in the triathlon world doubted that we would ever see Hunter Kemper race again.
But through his faith and perseverance Hunter came back and surprised almost everyone by qualifying yet again for the Olympics. He surprised almost everyone, because Hunter and Val Kemper never stopped believing.
All of these things are great, but the things that have fascinated me about Hunter over the years were his dedication to his growing family and his faith. I recently had an opportunity to talk with Hunter about how he manages to balance a marriage, 3 kids, and remaining one of the world's best triathletes.
Hunter: Val and I met while we were both training for the 2000 Olympics at the Olympic Training Center, me in triathlon and Val was on the National Volleyball disneyland discount hotel Team.  Mark and Peggy Henjum were a couple in town that often held FAC s (Friday Afternoon Club s).  A group of athletes from the OTC would gather disneyland discount hotel at their house and Peggy would fix a large meal for everyone disneyland discount hotel and then we d play games and socialize afterwards.  Val and I officially met for the first time at an FAC.  It was quite ironic disneyland discount hotel because the day we had our first date was actually the same day that Val was cut from the Olympic Volleyball Team.  We always say that God kept her in Colorado just long enough so that we could meet and begin a relationship.
Hunter: Val plays a huge role in my success.  She takes on more responsibility with the kids and allows me to really focus on my training during disneyland discount hotel crucial training blocks.  She helps me get my nutrition right by preparing meals that help in aiding my recovery.  She arranges disneyland discount hotel all my travel, which is a huge deal because booking travel can consume a lot of time when figuring out all the logistics.  She is my sports psychologist when I m having a tough time during my hard training days.  Let s review: she is super mom, great cook, travel agent, and sports psych.
Now that we have three kids, our date nights are a little less frequent.  However, we do try to set some time aside and get a babysitter so that we can go out for dinner and spend some time with just the two of us.
Hunter:  We have three boys.  Davis is 5 and will be going into kindergarten this fall, Hudson will be two in another couple weeks, and Case is 6 months old.  Our priorities definitely had to change a little when we had Davis.  Although with just one kid, Val and Davis managed to travel disneyland discount hotel to quite a few of my races.  Now that there are three, I tend to go solo to most of my races since traveling isn t as easy or cheap with a family of 5.  Davis is the only one that is old enough to play sports.  His favorite sport right now is baseball.  He will spend hours and hours throwing the ball onto the roof and catching it or tossing the ball to himself and hitting it.  We love to go to the Colorado Sky Sox (Triple A) games together and occasionally treat ourselves to watch the Rockies up in Denver.  Davis hasn t done a triathlon yet, but he would like to.  He has the bike and run down, maybe just a little more experience with the swim.
Hunter: In a way, I feel like my job lends to actually more family time than possibly if I did have a 9-5 kind of job.  I am around a lot during the day in between my workouts.  I can eat lunch with the kids, play a little catch, disneyland discount hotel and then go off for a bike ride.  Training is typically done before 5:00 so that we can sit down as a family and eat dinner together.  When I am on the road, we always like to skype so that I m not only talking to the kids but they can also see where daddy is and talk to him in person.
Hunter: Val and the kids will travel with me to a couple big races a year, and it usually coincides with a race that either my parents are at or Val s parents are at.  It s nice to have some help from the grandparents and it gives them another good excuse to come see me race because I know they really want to see the kids.  I m really excited because disneyland discount hotel Davis, our oldest, will be traveling over to London to watch me compete.  He loves to watch me race and I think he s old enough now to actually have some memories from this Olympic experience.
Hunter:  I actually love having my family with me at races.  When I do well at a race, it s always more special to have the people closest to you there to enjoy it with.  And if a race doesn t go very well, it is equally nice to have them there to help me keep things in perspective.
Hunter: I don t think I would have made it through some of my injuries and the challenges that I ve faced without my faith and through the strength that I ve received from God.  Knowing that God is in control gives me a sense of peace in all circumstances.
Hunter: I always trust that God has a plan for me.  Even in the midst of hardships and struggles, I know that He will get me through and something good will eventually come out of it.  I believe that all things happen for a reason.
Hunter: I may not be a typical triathlete when it comes to what I eat.  However, I do eat a very well balanced diet so my family typically eats what I eat.  I try to eat high protein, low fat, with lots of fresh fruits and veggies.
Hunter: Dream big and always work hard to achieve your goals.  It is important to work hard and stay disciplined disneyland discount hotel in life, but most importantly it s important to keep things in perspective. disneyland discount hotel  God first, family and others next, and then everything else fall somewhere below those priorities.
Hunter: I hope that that they remember that I will always be there for them.  Because of my profession, I hope they remember all the time that we are able to spend together.  I hope they always know that they are more important to me than any kind of award, medal, or achievement will ever be.
Hunter: Try to do workouts at home, indoor trainer rides, incorporate your kids into what you do.  For example, start your bike ride with them or go for a point to point run and finish at a park they are at so that you can play with them right away.  Train when your kids are in bed, before they are up in the morning or after they are in bed at night.  Or get out and do some training during your lunch break.  It is important that your kids always know that they are your priority.  Don t put your workouts in front of being dad or mom to your kids.
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