Kimberle Levin terms herself a “big kid” and she certainly has an infectious, child-like enthusiasm when discussing her latest endeavor. She speaks in rapid-fire sentences that blend passion, excitement, informed intelligence and, most importantly, a tone that confirms she truly cares about the spirit and goodwill of our youth.
By the conversation’s conclusion, one feels energetic enough to go out and compete in a triathlon.
Which is exactly what Levin hopes to inspire from the younger residents of Robbinsville and surrounding areas.
An award-winning entrepreneur, the South Jersey native and Pennsylvania resident is Founder and CEO of KidzTri3, a company that produces races and triathlon camps and clubs for children ages 5 to 17. Sanctioned by USA Triathlon, KidzTri3 will launch a Central Jersey chapter this spring, to go along with chapters in South Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.
KidzTri3 is a premier youth multi-sport organization whose goal is to inspire and motivate youth, through triathlons, to develop self-confidence, physical fitness and to lead an active, positive and healthy lifestyle. It trains kids to utilize the triathlon components of swimming, biking and running and, through their triathlon club, enters them in four coach-supervised races over the three summer months.
The training sessions are varied throughout the year, and are ramped up during the warm weather. USAT-certified coaches hold structured sessions that teach the athletes how to transition from swimming to biking, and biking to running. Depending on a participant’s physical fitness level, drills may vary from one person to the next.
The racing season is June through August, with some scattered events in April, May and September. There will also be a 5-day camp held in West Windsor Aug. 8-12.
The first chapter was created in 2010, after Levin had a brainstorm.
“When I was a kid, the whole club sports thing wasn’t around,” she said. “Nowadays, if you’ve got a kid that is really athletically gifted and their parent cannot afford to put them in a club sport, what happens to them? They are left out. And a lot of kids aren’t team-sport kids. Triathlon is an individual sport. I thought ‘I’m an entrepreneur, I can fix this, why don’t I create a company where we will have kids become triathletes regardless of physical ability.’”
As her track record shows, Levin is good at filling needs. Over the past 30 years she has founded or co-founded companies that have gone on to huge success, including JVC Technologies, Telcom Assistance Center and Teknuko. She started her first company at age 24, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and been a guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Her honors are impressive and too numerous to mention.
She also has an athletic background that comes from her mom, Mary “Wally” Levin, who was department head of physical education at Levin’s alma mater, Pennsauken High School.
Wally, who passed away in 2009, helped write the landmark Title IX, which brought gender equity to college athletics. Kimberle Levin played softball for the Indians.
Prior to founding KidzTri3, she became a head referee for Ironman competitions and a CAT1 Elite Rules Head Official for USAT. She still does both, and is also a technical official for the International Triathlon Union.
Levin was “discovered” by Robbinsville resident Luz Brown and her husband Jonathan, whose daughter Ana began participating in kids’ triathlons two years ago at age 7. Unfortunately, the Browns were forced to travel all over the place, since there was never anything in the area. In January, Brown saw a USAT Facebook post talking about opportunities for kids to compete as a regional or high school club.
“I immediately thought it would be a great fit for Robbinsville and Central New Jersey,” Brown said.
She sent the link to Robbinsville Mayor Dave Fried, saying “my pitch was simple—youth triathlon would be a great fit for our community.”
Fried forwarded the email to Robbinsville schools superintendent Steve Mayer, who Brown said had “great” questions she wasn’t yet able to answer.
“I knew exactly where to go to get the answers—Kimberle Levin,” Brown said. “My husband and I had been traveling across Pennsylvania and New Jersey for two years supporting our daughter in many different kid tri races. KidzTri3 is by far one of the best-produced races for kids.”
It was serendipity at its finest. Brown contacted Levin, who had been looking to expand into Central Jersey. Levin and Mayer met on Feb. 4 and within a month discussions were underway with both the Robbinsville and West Windsor-Plainsboro districts. Meetings evolved into action as KidzTri3 Central Jersey has spent March providing informational sessions.
Ana Brown is the perfect example of a child who embraced triathlons at an early age and is now growing up with the sport.
“She was blown away to think there was something out there that brought together her three favorite activities,” said Brown, who ran track and cross country at Steinert and has a triathlon on her bucket list. “What young kid doesn’t love swimming, biking and running in the summer? For our daughter, who swims on a team and loves to be outside running and biking, this was a no-brainer. We registered for a couple races the summer of 2014.We were all hooked.”
So hooked, in fact, that she wanted to introduce it to Mercer County and beyond. Levin said the Central Jersey chapter will consist of kids from Mercer, Monmouth and Middlesex counties. The Browns couldn’t be happier.
“As parents, we feel this is a great lifelong sport,” Brown said. “It has a great sense of camaraderie across the parents, kids and organizers who participate, that is hard to really describe. We have met so many amazing parents and kids the last two years. But even more importantly is this sense of fun and accomplishment every time Ana comes across the finish line with the biggest smile. The kids aren’t comparing times, bikes or sneakers. Instead they are all jumpy with anticipation to get started with this sense that they are all in this together having fun and finishing.”
And therein lies to the true essence of KidzTri3. It’s not about bragging rights or feeling lousy when you’re on the losing team—or you don’t make a team at all. It’s about feeling good about yourself.
It starts with just wearing the KidzTri3 apparel.
“When we were kids and put on a uniform, we all got a little giddy up in our step,” Levin said. “That’s the experience I want all kids to have when they go through our programs. Whether it’s our races, camps or clubs, I want them to get a little giddy up in their step and feel a sense of accomplishment. You’re only competing against yourself and nobody else. It’s a great club for kids who don’t make the school sports team. And that’s what, 80 percent of the kids in the school? That’s why I did it. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids. I’m probably a big kid, so I want a great experience and professionally produced events.”
According to Brown, that is exactly what they will be getting.
“The professionalism this organization brings to its kids’ triathlons is amazing,” she said. “ Every race begins with Kim gathering the kids to talk to them about safety, sportsmanship and having fun. Kim and her team bring such a great energy to every race. This is why having KidzTri3 in our area is such a great opportunity for youth in our community.”
Brown also praised Mayer’s part in getting the word out in the schools, saying, “I cannot say enough about the enthusiasm and commitment from Mr. Mayer. I feel he truly sees this as a great opportunity for the kids in our community and has been supportive every step of the way.”
The KidzTri3 Central Jersey Youth Triathlon Club will feature a regional high school team for ages 13-17, from either public, private or home schools. There is also a junior team for ages 6-15 that is more of a recreational club.
“Kids on the high school team don’t have to be an athlete,” Levin said. “It can be a kid who plays chess and maybe he wants to do something physical. You don’t have to come with any team sports experience at all.”
You do, however, need to know how to swim, as the club does not give swimming lessons but focuses on how to use those abilities. Training wheel bikes are welcomed for those still using them.
Levin said for the high school club, triathletes will participate in sprint-distance triathlons and swim 400 to 700 meters, bike anywhere from 10 to 17 miles and usually run a 5K in their races.
The Juniors are broken up by age group and participate in youth-distance triathlons. Ages 6-8 do a 50-meter swim, 2-mile bike ride and half-mile run. Ages 9-12 swim 150 meters, bike four miles and run a mile, while ages 13-15 do a 300-meter swim, bike eight miles and run two miles.
Levin is not just providing lip service when it comes to creating a fun environment. One thing she will not tolerate is bullying, and expects her triathletes to report any sign of it when they see it.
The two biggest things she preaches is sportsmanship and nutrition or, in her words, fueling. Levin and her staff provide information on the right food and drink to fuel a competitor’s maximum performance level on the course. As for sportsmanship, that’s a must.
“When the kids who listen to us have a good dinner and a good breakfast, they’ll run the whole way,” Levin said. “Some of them won’t listen, and they’re going to be walking. I tell them, ‘When you’re running, you have to be supportive of your fellow triathletes. If they’re walking, you need to encourage them because that could be you one day. You need to stand by that finish line as they’re coming through and cheer them on. Some of them might be struggling to finish and you’ve got to support them.’”
Levin assured that in the world of triathletes, finishing is winning. And if anyone knows about winning, it’s Levin.
For more information, visit KidzTri3.com or e-mail TriClub@KidzTri3.com.
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