User:BottledEnergy/sandbox

Natasha Van der Merwe (born June 5, 1981 in Kimberley, South Africa) is a professional triathlete and coach.

Biography
Born: Kimberley, South Africa

Lives: Austin, TX

DOB: June 5, 1981

Team: Tri4Him

Early life and career
Natasha Van der Merwe comes from a family of athletes and sports lovers. Her father, the late Allen van der Merwe, was a national cricket, field hockey and table tennis player. Her mother Dot van der Merwe is a nationally ranked Masters tennis player and all around sports woman. Through their own participation, they exposed Natasha to a variety of sports at a young age. At one point, at around age 10, she played 13 different sports.

As a junior, Natasha competed at her highest levels in swimming, cross country, field hockey, biathlon, and tennis. Of those, tennis became her focus. Natasha Van der Merwe was the top-ranked junior tennis player in South Africa and ranked as high as top 50 in the world before becoming a professional tennis player. Emily_Hewson

Triathlete
In 2008, Natasha entered her first Triathlon (Sprint distance) and won. In 2009, determined to become a triathlete, Natasha cut her tennis coaching time in half and focused on training and racing. By the end of 2009, she was the top-ranked woman in USA Triathlon’s South Midwest Region. Ironman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Elizabeth

Personal
Natasha lives and trains in Austin, TX with her husband Steve White, a native Texan, is a part-time filmmaker, full-time co-owner of their bike and gear transport business.