Rookie Spotlight: Courtney Wilde
July 17, 2018
Salesforce.com Account Executive Courtney Wilde, a former UCLA varsity swimmer, recently registered her team to compete in their first D10. She spoke to us about food, training strategies and what it’s like having an Olympic Gold Medalist as your babysitter.
What’s been the arc of your life as an athlete?
I did ballet and tennis as a child, but swimming is what stuck. It was in my family a little bit, because my Mom swam when she was young, and I have an aunt who does triathlons. My uncle played water polo in college.
Another big influence was [Olympic Gold Medalist and world champion] Kaitlin Sandeno, who actually babysat us a couple times when I was young. I always viewed her as an older sister figure, and a swimmer I wanted to be like. We still keep in touch.
At UCLA, I swam the sprint freestyles and the 100- and 200-meter backstroke. When I was done, I was pretty ready to be done. You’re pretty tired, by the end. I never wanted to give up the feeling of accomplishment and the social aspect of my sport. I loved the team aspect more than anything else: that feeling of everyone finishing a really hard set together, or when somebody hits their best time...all of that, and the greater meaning of competition, I NEVER wanted to give up.
After college, I was still working out and still going to the gym every day. I’m the kind of person who finds it very hard to take a couple days off. I was also ready to have some more time for myself. Instead of training for hours on end, I started coaching at my old club team, alongside the coach I grew up with. It was a way to stay involved, and a way to give back to my sport.
What attracted you to The D10?
First, being a part of a big group of wonderful people who are accomplished and who all work for great companies and have an athletic background - that’s enticing. The second part is giving back, taking your athleticism and using it to give back to other people.
One of the reasons I still look up to Kaitlin today is for her heavy involvement with an organization called NEGU (“Never Ever Give Up”). NEGU volunteers stuff “JoyJars” and deliver them to hospitals to uplift kids and families battling cancer. I think that The D10 similarly gives me the opportunity to have a big monetary impact on pediatric cancer research while also allowing me to have that connected experience.
Your teammates (and roommates) Kristina and Jessica are both former Division I athletes. Have you started mapping out your D10 training strategy?
We haven’t gotten to a super-serious point yet about our training strategy, but we have a good idea who’s going to focus on what. Jessica was also a swimmer at UCLA, but she’s six feet tall, and I’m 5’3”! Kristina did gymnastics at Cal. Our fourth teammate, Ellen, lived with us our first year in San Francisco. She was on the US national team for swimming and is a total badass. Ellen recently relocated to Nashville for a career opportunity with Cigna. She just bought her flight to SF for The D10, so it's pretty official!
How are you liking San Francisco, given your lifelong ties to Southern California?
It’s a hard place not to love. You can be so active here, and there’s so much to do. Yosemite, Tahoe...we just rented bikes and rode across the bridge to Sausalito. It’s so different than Southern California. People don’t have front yards!
I think San Francisco is also one of the best places in the world for restaurants and food and new innovative ideas in that area. I’m a huge foodie, so it’s a place I really enjoy.
Speaking of food, you’ve named your team “Team Trader Joe’s” - are you angling for a sponsorship?
We are motivated by food! We will work for food! Haha, no, we all love Trader Joe’s and go there all the time. We should definitely look into getting a formal sponsorship.
What are your goals and expectations for your very first D10?
Oh, we're in it. We're totally in it. We're all about trying to win and make the most money possible for a great cause.
I'm not the best runner ever, or pull-upper ever, but when it gets to Game Day, you turn the game face on. Being a swimmer means trying to get your hand on the wall first. You live for the race. The D10 events are a different form of competing than I’m used to, but when I see someone in the lane next to me, I get really into it.
I think that goes for the whole team. We’re going to be pretty determined.
The D10 San Francisco Bay Area takes place October 6, 2018. Register as a team or individual today, and take the field alongside Courtney and the members of Team Trader Joe's.