Q&A with Pan Am Canadian Triathlete Kyle Jones: Training, Parenting and Laundry!

The 2015 Toronto Pan Am games are just one month away.  Celebrations are already underway including the torch relay race and community festivals

but really, preparations for these games began long ago.  Mainly, the athletes have spent years and years training, competing and patiently waiting for these games to arrive.  I can only begin to imagine how much time and effort an athlete puts in to make it this far but what if on top of it all, you were a new parent? Family responsibilities alone can take a mental and physical toll on anyone (trust me… I know), let alone the grueling schedule of an athlete.

I recently spoke with Kyle Jones, triathlete representing Canada in the upcoming Pan Am games and new dad to ten-month old Zack.  We spoke about making the time to train, family, being a new dad and how he handles loads and loads of laundry. Here are some of the highlights from our discussion:

Q: How has your professional life changed since having a newborn?

Kyle noted that it has definitely been a transition but he and his wife try to carry on as normal as possible with a few adjustments. Since his wife Kelly is on mat leave, she and the baby have been able to accompany Kyle along on his competitions and training. He’s grateful that he’s able to see his son daily (for the most part) and not miss him growing up. Both his wife and himself have demanding jobs so they’ve intertwined and aligned their personal and family goals.

Q: Your dad was a big influence in helping shape your route to competing on an international scale. What advice would you give your child when he grows up and starts getting interested in sports?

Kyle stated that his dad, an Olympic coach, did have a lot of influence on him as a young kid. Similar to how his parents encouraged him and his sister, Kyle and Kelly plan on encouraging Zack be active and live a healthy lifestyle which can come through sports. They will expose him to a variety of sports at a young age and help him focus on those sports that he shows an interest in.

Q: How has becoming a dad changed the way you view competing professionally?

Mostly, it has provided him with additional motivation. Kyle is representing Canada but he also has son who will be watching him.

Q: I’m sure you know how much laundry gets done with a newborn. Do you and Kelly have a system to tackle that?

Kyle said that between Zack’s three or four changes a day, his training gear and their daily wear, they most definitely have a system in place.  Mostly, they focus on creating separate piles before washing.  (He’s been told) that training gear gets washed on their own. (As a wife of a hockey player, I GET IT!) Kyle noted that having Maytag as his sponsor has helped him to focus more time and energy on training and spending less time worrying about laundry.

Q: Maytag’s tagline for the Pan Am games is #PerformanceCounts.  In a few words, what does #PerformanceCounts mean to you?

For Kyle, #PerformanceCounts means that what matters is the hard work that he puts in every day. His dad taught him the value of hard work ethic and didn’t believe in “luck”. His dad never said “Good-luck” before a competition. Instead he said “All the best” or “go hard” because it would be sad to think that the hours you put in every day, week, month and years leading up to major games comes down to “luck”. Kyle believes that the same is true with regards to Maytag appliances. The company spends a lot of time and focus on engineering into making the best machines possible as it’s not by chance that when you put in dirty laundry, it comes out so clean.

Kyle is excited to be participating in this year’s Pan Am games and he’s happy that they will be held in Toronto (and his home Country).  You can be sure that his wife and his son will be there cheering him on with the rest of the country.

Here are some useful laundry tips from Maytag for busy parents: