When Sean Penn's name was announced as the winner of the "Best Actor in a Leading Role" Oscar last February, nobody was happier than triathlete/tri-coach Dan Cohen (left). He--Cohen--sprang joyfully from his sofa. As he did, his right knee caught and lifted the edge of the coffee table, sending the styro carton containing the remaining four "Blazing" chicken wings--he'd ordered the 18-pack from a nearby Buffalo Wild Wings and did not plan to share--to the chronically un-vacuumed carpet.
Imposing the "5-Second Rule," Dan frantically scooped
up the befouled appendages, plucked away the visible debris, and resumed consumption.
This did not really happen.
But it could have, because there are few things that Dan Cohen loves more than Buffalo wings and Sean Penn movies.
You probably didn't know that, right?
Well, there's a lot of stuff that most people don't know about Dan. Sure, he's a tremendous multisport athlete and successful coach. We all know that. But he is also, according to his own resume, an "Adjunct Instructor."
What the heck is that, you ask?
We don't know either, but it sounds important.
We sent out a questionnaire to all 20 members of Team Minnesota '09 asking them to share some personal, non-tri-related information about themselves. What we learned is that these great athletes are also cool and occasionally down-to-earth people.
Here's some of what we learned about Dan Cohen:
* College: BA Psychology (St. Mary's University); M.Ed Kinesiology/Exercise Science (University of Minnesota)
* Favorite TV Shows: "House" and "Iron Chef"
* Favorite Movies: "Fletch", "Color of Money", "Lord of the Rings"
* Favorite Actors: Sean Penn, Robert Downey, Jr. & Jody Foster
* Music Preferences: Phish, Widespread Panic, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead
* Favorite Junk Food: Ice Cream & Apple Crisp
* Favorite Restaurants: Pei Wei, Spoon River, Sakura Sushi
* Favorite Adult Beverage: Any beer; the darker the better
* Non-Tri Hobbies: Movies & Traveling
* Dream Vacation Destination: Hmm...A lot of places in Europe
Coming next...Kortney Haag...Getting ripped on Caipirinha...
