Former Oregon Ducks Ashton Eaton, Brianne Theisen-Eaton Launch New Website
By Alex Drude
Former Oregon Ducks Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton recently launched a new website, WeAreEaton.com, to let people know what they’re up to as both try to win gold at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.
More from Oregon Ducks
- 8 Pac-12 teams represented in Associated Press Top 25 after Week 2
- Pac-12 Conference Loses Oregon, Washington To Big Ten
- Former Duck Spencer Steer making the most of his time with Cincinnati Reds
- Oregon Ducks land big time commitment from 4-star 2024 safety
- LeGarrette Blount part of altercation at youth football game, offers apology
The site is trying to increase the fanbase for Brianne and Ashton by drawing people together who follow one or the other, but not both. Outside of Eugene and the University of Oregon “circle,” Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton are generally followed separately by their particular fanbase niche- decathlon, heptathlon, and top Canadian track and field athletes (Brianne is from Saskatchewan and still competes internationally for her home country).
Visitors will see the world of both athletes on and off the track as they try for 2016. As the reigning Olympic gold medal decathlon champion, AshtonEaton will chronicle his attempt to repeat (it’s only been done twice in the modern Olympics).
Though that is an intriguing story, Brianne’s tale promises to be much more interesting. That’s the story of a very good athlete trying to become one of the world’s best. Despite destroying NCAA competitors at Oregon and making the 2012 Canadian Olympic team, she finished 11th in the heptathlon during the London Olympics. Brianne says that disappointing finish (for her) made her refocus her training to doing everything that she possibly can to make the podium next summer. She appears on her way, setting a new Canadian national heptathlon mark at a meet in late May.
In many ways, I see her current story as similar to Ashton’s in 2012. He was a great American decathlete, but could he come through and win on an international stage? The world record-breaking decathlon performance at the 2012 Hayward Field Olympic Trials answered that question, and he cruised to gold in London. If Brianne does nothing but follow Ashton’s blueprint to the letter, the chances seem pretty good for double gold in Rio.
Thanks to the new website, we’ll all be able to see how Brianne is progressing and if she’ll make that same leap to the top. It’s a behind-the-scenes look that Oregon track and field fans would have liked to see with Ashton Eaton at that time, and now we’ll be able to see both of them go for it.
Since it launched about a week ago (as of this writing) the website is reasonably sparse, but has a few articles with pictures and embedded video. The first is a music video montage of their spring training in Santa Barbara. The second video is the more “insider” video, as it shows the Eatons at home. Other articles include explaining what they eat, and a recipe for their homemade energy bars.
It’s a great concept, but I just wonder how much they’ll be able to update the site as it gets closer to big competition time. The 2015 World Championships are in Beijing in about a month, and both Eatons will be there. As much as Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton want to build the Eaton brand online, their minds should be focused on bringing home the gold- not pageviews.