Tim Hagan: The D10 Has Come To Philly, This Is My Hometown
July 12, 2019
The D10 Athlete Profile explores what brings competitors to The D10 playing field... and what they bring away from it. Tim Hagan
Sales Executive / Vanguard
The D10 Philly
Fundraising goal: Team Valley Forged ($5K)
Marquee Event: Bench Press (Goal: 20 Reps)
What is your primary motivator for competing in The D10 events?
It is a fantastic way to make a huge contribution to one of the most worthy causes out there while filling the void of competitive sports that many of us have not had since college.
How much of your motivation for participating in The D10 stems from its charitable mission?
All of my motivation for participating in the event stems from the mission The D10 supports. Cancer has affected my family on multiple levels over the years. I have friends who have dealt with the unfortunate circumstance of pediatric cancer. Now that I have a young daughter of my own, I am more passionate about the mission than ever.
How did you first learn about or get involved in The D10?
I first learned of The D10 after seeing it on TV (NBC Special on The D10). Mark Rubin, a former PSU football player who attended Penn State the same years I did, won the event in NY. I first participated in The D10 in Boston in 2016. My teammates and I drove up from Philadelphia in a minivan. It was 105 degrees on the turf field that Saturday. It was a fantastic event and an unbelievable experience.
We participated in The Chicago D10 in 2017. Even though some injuries held us back that year, it was another amazing day and a great weekend altogether. Now that the event is in our hometown of Philadelphia, it will be great to get to participate and compete at Franklin Field. That is hallowed ground. My granddad took my dad to watch the Eagles there in the '50’s and '60’s. So I think he would love to see us do this in the same building. Pretty cool.
This is Tim's third D10, but the first in his Philly home town -- extra motivation to #Bringit.
How do you see The D10 been different from your collegiate or high school sports experiences in terms of training and motivation?
The motivation is more palpable to me than when I played competitive sports. Without a doubt it is still fun, but knowing that more reps, faster times, higher jumps, longer throws can lead to more dollars benefiting kids with cancer -- I have never had more motivation to train. I wish I had this much motivation when I was playing competitive sports!
In what ways do you expect your participation in The D10 to affect or enhance your performance at work?
The event has definitely brought me and my colleagues closer by holding each other accountable to our goals and metrics. It also helps add balance and perspective to work. There is a lot more to our lives than our work. Our families and participating in something bigger than ourselves is something that I feel brings confidence and perspective to our regular day jobs in a healthy way.
Have you made or do you expect to make new lasting friendships or a strengthened professional network as a result of your D10 experience?
Absolutely. Our team is made up of both management and individual contributors. We're from three different divisions within our organization. Outside of our company, it has been great to meet and train with some of the other competitors in the group sessions organized by the great Philly D10 crew.
Tim Hagan sweats hard for this amazing cause. Help Tim and team Valley Forged raise money for pediatric cancer in this year's brand new D10 Philly. Every dollar helps immensely.