i-tri’s leadership team of Theresa Roden, Sharon McCobb, and Samantha Rothberg recently attended the USA Triathlon Endurance Exchange at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. i-tri is an inclusive, community-based program that fosters self-respect, personal empowerment, self-confidence, positive body image, and healthy lifestyle choices for adolescent girls on the East End.
The Endurance Exchange connects athletes with coaches, race directors, clubs, and industry professionals who share a passion for the multi-sport. i-tri’s founder and chief visionary officer, Theresa Roden, was a featured speaker alongside best-selling fitness writer Selene Yeager, USA Triathlete Reggie Waller, and neuroscientist and athlete Dr. Scott H. Frey. Additionally, i-tri was selected as one of four contestants to pitch at the inaugural TriTank sponsored by TicketSocket.
Similar to “Shark Tank,” the TriTank contestants had to answer the question, “What are you doing to innovate in the sport of triathlon?” i-tri was selected as the overall winner and was awarded $1,000, and in addition, the event sponsor Ticket Socket pledged an extra $1,500. A woman in the audience raised her hand and pledged an additional $1,000 while the second and third-place winners donated their winnings to i-tri as well, totaling $4,750.
“It was an incredible weekend of learning and connecting with others in the multi-sport world. By its very existence, i-tri is innovating and changing the sport of triathlon. By exposing underserved middle school girls and non-binary youth to the sport of triathlon, we are enabling a whole new demographic to take part in a very specialized sport. Being awarded first place in TriTank was an incredible honor in itself. However, the subsequent pledges and donations that followed demonstrated the amazing generosity and camaraderie of the triathlon community as a whole, not to mention the effects of the USA Triathlon leadership to champion programs just like i-tri,” shared Roden.