January 4, 2022
When Julian Barre (’25) competed in his first triathlon in 2010, he never expected that about ten years later he would be competing in Olympic-track triathlons and finding a close-knit community within the sport.
As a first-grader, Barre and his younger sister, Siena Barre (‘27), joined a local triathlon as a part of Team Ellie. The team was formed in support of Ellie Kavalieros, who attended JCDS with Barre and his sister. She was undergoing treatment for DIPG, an inoperable type of brain cancer, and Team Ellie raised awareness and funds for DIPG research. Besides being a JCDS family, Ellie’s sisters Mila Kavalieros (‘21) and Penelope Kavalieros (‘25) are also part of the Bolles family.
Prior to this race, Barre and his sister knew nothing about triathlons and did not own the right gear, but they were excited for the experience. “My sister had to learn how to ride a bike the weekend before the race,” recalls Barre while describing how they prepared the weekend before their first triathlon.
Barre had always been involved in athletics, but his passion for triathlons clearly emerged as the sport that would stick with him. He started becoming competitive in third grade, and competed nationally for the first time in fourth. This year, he won the Florida High School Championships as an incoming freshman.
“It’s a sport that I really enjoy. I’ve met many people along the way, including Olympians, and it’s just a lot of fun.” said Barre.
Through his many years of experience, Barre shares how he gets in the right frame of mind for competing.
“For cross country, my coach tells me, ‘don’t think, just race’, but it’s really hard not to think before a race,” said Barre. So I guess I think as little as possible about what’s going to happen in the future and just think about the present,” said Barre.
Despite the stress that comes with competition, the sport is very rewarding for Barre. He recalls his favorite race event from this year, an elite race in Mapleton Utah.
“It was a lot of fun, more than anything … I ran really hard and beat one of my best friends from a very young age,” said Barre.
Though the world of triathlon may be competitive, Barre describes the triathlon community as a very welcoming and open group.
“It’s a very friendly community … guys that I’ve never even talked to just come up and congratulate me after the race. And yeah, it just goes both ways,” described Barre.
Barre describes how he measures his success as growing and changing for the better. “Just trying to best yourself from the past, and trying to get better. Both race, academics, all of that,” said Barre.
