Swimming, Biking and Running at Girls Who Tri Camp

This year, YWCA Minneapolis launched the first-ever Girls Who Tri camp! This weeklong summer day camp was developed to introduce young girls in the community to triathlons – and help them grow their skills in the sport!The girls who attended the camp ranged from ages 9 to 14 and had different levels of experience, but all shared interests in sports, health and fitness. During the week, the girls practiced and learned about the three sports that make up triathlons (swimming, biking and running), and took part in nutrition seminars and self-development programming.

Goal-setting, Nutrition, Swim Lessons & Bike Maintenance

The week started with an introduction to triathlons including the individual sports involved, equipment needed and the importance of preparation and goal-setting. YWCA Registered Dietitian, Health Coach and Triathlon Counselor Alea Lester taught nutrition lessons about the basic food groups, how to fuel the body for sports and the importance of whole foods.Swim lessons were directed by Beth Nymeyer, a YWCA swim coach, where she helped the girls improve their swimming as well as learn important open water swimming skills. During the week, a representative from Velofix taught the girls about bike maintenance and to make sure their bikes were up and running properly.

“I enjoyed working with all the youth! Sharing my own knowledge and experience in both triathlons and nutrition to help promote strong and healthy girls was very rewarding.” – Alea Lester, YWCA Registered Dietitian and Strong Fast Fit Health Coach and Triathlon Counselor

Self-Esteem Programming & Lunch with Triathlete Mentors

Throughout the week, training sessions in swimming, biking, running and nutrition were mixed in with self-development programming, which included activities that promoted positive self-esteem, courage in the face of new experiences and promoting strength and confidence as growing girls. Each day of camp, lunch breaks were spent with women triathlon mentors from the community. The girls were able to learn from these strong and positive role models.The whole week culminated in a full mini-triathlon, which took place at Lake Nokomis. With the help of guides and the support of staff, all the girls competed in the triathlon with great success!

“Overall, I thought the program was a prodigious experience for me and the youth. I hope I can continue to be a part of this amazing program again in the future.” - Pa Xiong, Strong Fast Fit Youth Counselor

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