This post is dedicated to Jessi's dad and my friend Tim Seppa!
The first time I met Tim I knew he was a special person. I am pretty intuitive at first meeting whether someone is a good fit for me and it was very clear to me that Tim and I connected that day!
Over the last 3 years we have enjoyed an amazing fellowship through the world of Triathlon! First cheering for Roger, we both are very inspired by the environment and the amazing fitness, determination and discipline of these athletes.
Tim is a great cheer person and an amazing photographer, capturing the perfect pictures of athletes in action. Like me, Tim is at "JOY" in the race environment, you can see it all over his face! Always smiling, always excited and soaking up as much energy as he can!!
Then Roger did Ironman Coeur d' Alene 2004! Tim got inspired and let us all know that he wanted to make a movie of the Ironman Race! We organized a big cheer squad, full of cheerleaders, camera's and video camera's. Kevin got to be an integral part of Tim's camera crew and it was so fun to see the two of them get excited about getting the "perfect shot"!
A few weeks after Ironman we set a "Ironman Movie Night"! We all came with excitement to watch Tim's movie of Rogers race.
OH MY GOSH! We had no idea that Tim's vision of an "Ironman Movie" was actually a giant production. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room. Everyone was entranced and glued to the screen! This was a movie, with a story line, perfect background music to fit the perfect emotion at the perfect time! WoW we were all speecless at the production!
Then Roger and Jessi got the amazing opportunity to be a host family for a Pro Trialthlete! His name was Tomppa Soderdahl, he was from Finland and was coming to compete in Ironman Coeur d' Alene 2005. Who would have known that we would all fall in love with Tomppa and have such a memorable expereince.
Roger and Jessi were "over the top" hosts, literally dedicating 2 weeks of their lives, making everything perfect for Tomppa, and making sure all his needs were met.
Once again organizing the most amazing cheer squad, I know Tomppa had never had cheering like he received at this race.
And you knew it, by the way it spurred him on, Tomppa had the best race of his Pro Triathlete career, finishing 2nd overall!
And yes of course Tim was there every second of the journey collecting valuable and memorable pictures for his Tomppa Ironman movie! And what a celebration that movie debut was, WoW!
Then in 2006 Jessi got an amazing opportunity to do her 1st Ironman only 6 weeks before the race. Again Tim tells us he will make a movie he had a vision for the story line, Tim goes into Director/Producer mode and he and Kevin take on the day with mission driven passion!
Once again we have an "Ironman Movie" night and this time for sure there was not a dry eye. Tim's gift for bringing out the emotion and essence of the story is truely amazing!
Ironman 2007 would be my 1st Ironman and I remember thinking when I signed up, I hope that Kevin would make a movie for me. Although I knew we did not have any of the equipment or knowledge of the technology that it required.
I was so HONORED and EXCITED and very GRATEFUL when Tim told me that he was going to make a movie os this 2007 Ironman and he wanted to include me in it.
Watching Tim and Kevin at work from the side of an athlete was a gift and a lift to my race. Every time I saw them I knew they were strategizing for the perfect picture for some part of the movie. I knew they were exerting alot of energy into finding the perfect location, the perfect timing, the perfect picture to capture the essence of the story Tim was trying to tell. I felt amazing love and support from their attentivness!
I was on pins and needles waiting for the big Movie Debut! I literally had not idea what the story line was but I felt so honored to be in it!
We had our big "Ironman Movie" night with Jessi's Family and our close mutual friends and there was literally not a dry eye in the room. Everyone was crying! Tim did an amazing job of telling 4 totally different stories of 4 very different athletes, with 4 very different journeys, but somehow capturing the synergy of all of our love for the sport!
Wow what a production! The perfect pictures, video footage, the perfect music, captivating stories, gut wrenching emotion, euphoric victories! It was all there!
This was an Academy Award production for Tim Seppa. And a major labor of love. The movie was 1 hour long, and it takes Tim 1 hour for every 1 minute of movie footage. And that does not include the countless hours of his time taking pictures, or video footage! This is a major labor of love and one I feel so honored to have been apart of.
This Ironman Race is a giant undertaking for any individual, there is a giant piece of your self and your time and your life that you invest in preparing. What a blessing to have such an amazing movie that tells the story of your journey. This is a gift that keeps on giving. I have watched the movie several times already!
And I am having another "IRONMAN MOVIE" night for my "Kathi's Best Cheer Squad" on Sunday August 19th at 4pm. This will be an appreciation BBQ! Please let me know if you would like to join us, we would love to share the movie with you.
Tim Seppa thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for a lasting memory of an event that was transforming and life changing for me! This is a gift to my life that almost overwhelms me when I think of it, but I am choosing to concentrate on being grateful and honored that you included me! Thank you!
Finally to give you an idea of how inspiring the sport of Triathlon is, Tim finally lost his Triathlon Virginity this past weekend!
He did his 1st Sprint Triathlon with Jessi!
It was a thrill to finally be able to return the gift and be the one cheering and picture taking for Tim. I was so excited for him, becasue he was excited!
He looked fabulous and ready to take it on!
Tim made it look fun and kept his infectious smile through out the race.
Tim Seppa, you are a "Devoted Husband" to Kris, a "Loving Father" to Jessi, Amy & Anna, you are a "Treasured Friend" to many, you are an "Inspiration to All" and you are now a "Triathlete"!!
Congratulations on a successful 1st Race Tim, it was an honor and inspiration to cheer you on!
I love you.............Gratefully............Kathi Best
6 comments:
And once again, not a dry eye.
What a fantastic post. Tim deserves every wonderful word you said about him. The only thing that even compares to the inspiration of watching an Ironman is watching one of Tim's Ironman movies. I love that he not only films the race, but he goes a step further and takes the time to join you guys during your training so that he can truly document your journeys from start to finish. I've watched the movie at least 4 times now and I still cry. It even has people who don't even know the 4 of you crying! I couldn't agree more that Tim is one incredible person and triathlete! Congrats on your first race Tim! You are a true inspiration!!!
Hey Kathi,
Thanks for the incredible tribute. You're right! He is awesome. I am blessed, no doubt about it.
I checked your blog to see about your Troika race and got this treasure instead. Still waiting for your news though. THANKS. Tim's Mom needs to see this!
You Rock!
Kris
Kathi,
Thanks for your very kind and grateful comments. I love you too,and am so appreciative of all the contributions you and Kevin (and so many others) made to produce this movie and get together quality shots to pull into a story. It's often amazing to me to hear about the number of times the movies get viewed and the amount of emotion they seem to evoke. That's obviously the point, but it's quite gratifying to hear that the goal is being accomplished in many households.
Thanks for all the DVD's to burn the story on, girl!!!
Thanks also to my special honey, Kris, who puts up with my hobby and tolerates the hours of time involved to cull together the sequence and tunes.
We have fun, together, don't we?
Let the good times keep on a rolling!
Tim
I love you even more for really getting what an incredible man my Dad is and how much I love him.
Kathi,
This is a great post. I have only known Tim a short time, however, I feel like I have known him longer. He is a very genuine person, easy to talk to and makes one hell of movie. It is an honor to have some of my pictures in his movie. It was very exciting watching him in his first triathlon, made me wish I had done it as well.
Thanks for letting me horn in on your lives and making me feel a treasured friend.
Jeff
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