In 2006, two impassioned women triathletes wanted to find a way to help other females try team triathlon racing.
That line of thinking led Lynne Tapper and Janice Cohen to co-found Team Training New England. The business focuses on empowering women within the context of triathlons, but the life lessons stretch well beyond any specific competition.
“It can be daunting to women — the biking, swimming and running. Women can get overwhelmed and think ‘I have to be good at all of them or I can’t do the sport’,” said Tapper, noting the average age of a woman training is 40. “Our training allows women to recognize anything is manageable. With a group of like minded women, it becomes even that more achievable.”
One of Cohen’s joys as co-founder of the business has been hearing the feedback from women racers.
“Women sometimes find it difficult to imagine how they’re going to find the time to train in the midst of their already over-the-top busy lives. What they realize during the course of the training is that it actually increases the energy that they have for every day life and improves their overall attitude — it adds value to their lives,” said Cohen.
Before moving to Connecticut in 2003 “to live on a hidden gem of a lake” in West Hartford, Tapper spent several years in New York City working for The Women’s Sports Foundation. There, she realized she preferred working with amateur athletes over elite ones. She found inspiration in training women new to sports.
Tapper brought this passion with her to Connecticut and started her first informal group of women triathletes, the group that led her and Cohen to form Team Training New England three years later.
Among the 20 women who participated in the first group was Tapper’s late aunt.
“My aunt had been diagnosed with lung cancer, but she would bike and we’d get people to run and swim for her. She’s in my recruitment video. She’s my motivation. Her inspiration continues even though she passed away two years ago,” Tapper said.
Today, the business trains 60-70 women for a selected New England race. This year, Team Training New England was able to start a scholarship program that awarded over $2,000 worth of gear for a St. Joseph’s College female athlete to join the group.
The cost of training with Team New England ranges from $199 to $399 depending on the program, but that fee does not include equipment or race registration. The payment does cover coaching, injury prevention workshops, nutrition and bike tutorials aimed at “empowering” women to learn how to change their own chains or flat tires.
Recruitment continues to be Team Training New England’s most important focus throughout the year. Tapper partners with several businesses including bike shops and the JCC. Occasionally, she barters space with companies such as the Windsor Air Museum, where she recently held a Team Training New England reunion event. By holding the event there, Tapper, says she was able to expose team members and their families to a destination many had never visited, so the nonprofit benefited from her event.
“Even if they do one triathlon, it’s something they can check off their life list. It’s a jumping off point,” said Tapper. “Several of the women have had cancer in the past. Lots of women are battling divorce, family member illness, taking care of kids, older parents, lots of juggling. It’s pretty amazing.”
But the two women never lose sight of the fact that they are running a business.
“You never know what can happen. (Janice and I) are close friends and business partners. Do everything professionally is my advice, even if you’re friends you just should make sure you’re protected and everyone’s looked after. In the beginning, you’re all excited and energetic, but you just never know. Take it seriously, get things set up legally. Everything is 50/50 with us. We have a protocol to follow if one of us bought the other out. It makes me feel good knowing everything is on the up and up,” said Tapper.
Joanna Smiley, a Hartford area freelancer, writes the weekly Local Insight column for The Hartford Business Journal.
