Empowering and Expanding SCTA through Women for Tri grant

Hello SCTA!

I’m sure you know but, just in case, I want to tell you about a grant we received from the Ironman Foundation. The club is a recipient of a 2018 Women For Tri grant from the foundation. There are a lot of things we’re trying to accomplish with it. But the ultimate goal of this funding is to increase female participation in the sport of triathlon.

We sent out a survey to club members at the end of last year to ask for member feedback about how SCTA can improve. One of the major takeaways was that many women feel intimidated by the competitiveness in the club. That they feel left behind. While we don’t want to lose the competitive spirit in the club, it is a reality check that we need to do a better job at engaging members who participate for the fun of it or are not as confident in their abilities.

So with the grant in hand, we have two major goals:

—Build up skills for all athletes, through clinics and additional coaching support

—Encourage participation amongst all skill levels

We are lining up a bunch of great women-only clinics and events with the grant money. So far we’ve hosted four bicycle clinics with Spokesman Bicycles (one of our sponsors!) and a hands-on clinic for self-defense.

And we’ve got more on the way. Events like a nutrition workshop focused on women’s wellness, open-water swim clinics, cycling skills, mental training and more.

We’re a great club and community as it stands. But we’re always striving for the next standard and the next level, sometimes with the help of organizations like the Ironman Foundation.

Lauren A. Cooney,

Nu2Tri Co-Director, Santa Cruz Triathlon Association

P..S. We encourage any SCTA women to join the Women For Tri Facebook group

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenForTri/