Hi friends and followers,

Hope your holiday season is off to a great start…and it won’t be long until we’re in the full swing of the new year!  2014 might still seem far away, but we’ve been thinking about it here at Tri 4 Schools since June.  That’s right, we’ve been working hard on a strategic plan for the next three years, and we’ve solidified a lot of our goals for 2014 already.  As always, we are trying to improve our events as well, so I wanted to share a few exciting updates you can look for next year.  If you read these and have any feedback, we’d love to hear it!  Email katie@tri4schools.org with suggestions.

Goals

  • Pilot an after-school training program to help make a consistent impact on the health and fitness of Madison-area kids, improving not only physical health, but attendance, academic performance, and quality of life.
    • We will do this through our Exercise to Achievement Program at six MMSD schools: Glendale, Lake View, Lindbergh, Sherman, Whitehorse, and Van Hise
    • Goal of expanding to 4-6 additional schools pending success of the initial pilot in Spring 2014
  • Raise the funds necessary to hire an Events Director part-time in 2015, allowing the Executive Director to identify new communities for growth, develop relationships with similarly-focused organizations and foundations, and pursue opportunities that will make Tri 4 Schools sustainable for the future.
    • We believe this will help us make sure our events retain the highest quality that our customers have come to know and trust, while allowing us to reach more kids, more schools, and more communities
    • Right now our Board of Directors is working hard to ensure our future for the long-term, and financial sustainability is the biggest part of that success.
  • Increase relationships with parent-run organizations within Dane County schools
    • Parents are a critical piece of the puzzle in determining children’s health, but in making sure the schools continue to earn funds and participate in Tri 4 Schools events in the event a teacher leaves

Updates

All events:

  • We are working on either COLORED cotton t-shirts for all events next year, or technical tees (performance/wicking material)!  We know t-shirts are important to you, so it’s important to us!  Gotta have that t-shirt to show the world your amazing accomplishments.  Thanks to Trending Now Promotions for their continued support!
  • We’ve included money in our budget to hire additional photographers to capture photos of as many of our athletes as we can to supplement the images that Krakora Studios has generously donated for our use.  Look for personalized finisher and course shots at all our events!

Waunakee Triathlon:

  • Outdoor staging – parents wanted a way to stay with their kids longer before they have to stage, and we all know how crowded the pool can get.  Add in the desire to capture a photo of your child before they start, and we realized we needed to redesign our pre-race flow.  We’re allowing kids to stay with an adult and stage outdoors (weather permitting, if it’s pouring rain we’ll go back indoors), then bring kids indoors closer to the start of their waves.  This will free up space on the pool deck and will prevent kids from getting bored while sitting in the hallway.

Mud Runs:

  • Increase cap to 1,000 – We will now allow 1,000 athletes to participate in our events!  Hopefully this means that everyone who wants to get muddy will get a chance next year!
  • Fall Mud Run – moving earlier.  While the date is not yet set, we’re working with our friends at the Madison Mud Run to move our Fall event earlier, perhaps the last weekend in September or first weekend in October.  Stay tuned!

Middleton Triathlon:

  • We will remove our parking lot turnaround for our long course participants, and have all athletes turn right on Maywood Avenue to complete their second loop.  The parking lot congestion created some tight turns, so we’re hoping this will be easier on all athletes, volunteers, and spectators!