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2005 USAT Nationals

terryshiels

Dec 29, 04 12:52

Post #1 of 22 (1042 views)

2005 USAT Nationals	Can't Post

Have the city and date been announced for 2005 USAT Olympic Distance National Championships? Rochester? Birmingham?

Terry Shiels

LarryP

Dec 29, 04 13:07

Post #2 of 22 (1024 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [terryshiels] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Someone posted this a couple of days ago (from the Columbia Tri site). As far as anyone can tell, it is the only "official" information we have at this point.

-----------------------------------------------

2005 National Age Group Championships June 26, 2005 - Rochester, New York

The 2005 Columbia Triathlon has been selected to be the USAT-MA Region Special National Championship Qualifier event and thus will qualify the Top 33% or Top 10 per five year age group for this event.

Every athlete at the 2005 National Age Group Championships must qualify at a USAT Sanctioned Event to race. This event is the only Intermediate distance event in the United States for which athletes have to meet a strict qualification.

How do you qualify?

Regional Championships and Regional �Special Designated� International Distance races will qualify the top 33% or top 5 finishers (whichever is easiest to fill) in each age group.
Any non-championship USAT Sanctioned event will qualify the top 10% or top finisher (whichever is easiest to fill) in each age-group.
Any athlete to have ever competed as a member of Team USA (triathlon or duathlon) will automatically qualify.
All-American and Honorable Mention All-Americans from the 2004 USAT National Rankings automatically qualify.
The top ten finishers in each age group from the 2004 USAT National Age Group Championship automatically qualify.

Athletes can meet qualification at any event between June 19, 2004 and June 19, 2005 for the 2005 National Age Group Championship. If an athlete qualifies for the 2005 National Age Group Championship, and cannot attend, their qualification does not carry over to the following year.

Once qualification is met, athletes do not need to do anything special except indicate where they met qualification on the National Age Group Championship race application. There will be no other steps required. The audit of who has met qualification will be done shortly after the receipt of the race application. If an athlete does not get a written request for more information within two weeks of submission of the race application, the athlete can rest assured that their entry has been accepted. From there the athletes name will appear on the Participant List.

For more information please contact:
Jeff Dyrek - Race Coordinator
Jeff@usatriathlon.org
(719) 597-9090 x115

(This post was edited by LarryP on Dec 29, 04 13:09)

big kahuna

Dec 29, 04 17:32

Post #3 of 22 (913 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [LarryP] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Columbia's hard, man. Hard (as Dubya'd say :-)

Tony

neil

Dec 29, 04 19:20

Post #4 of 22 (878 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [big kahuna] [In reply to]	Can't Post

if i live in north carolina, thus putting me in the ma region, but i can't travel to that qualifier and then to nationals if i were to make it ($$ issues and work), could i qualify at the se region race (assuming it's closer...anyone know) and be able to race at nationals?? thanks

http://dshinholser.blogspot.com/

gc

Dec 29, 04 19:44

Post #5 of 22 (868 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [ncrunner23] [In reply to]	Can't Post

"Any non-championship USAT Sanctioned event will qualify the top 10% or top finisher (whichever is easiest to fill) in each age-group."

Just go to any USAT sanctioned race and put in a strong performance. There are enough races in NC/SC that you should be able to qualify easily with your running speed.

neil

Dec 29, 04 20:06

Post #6 of 22 (854 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [gc] [In reply to]	Can't Post

cool deal...and thanks for the compliment

http://dshinholser.blogspot.com/

smtyrrell99

Dec 30, 04 8:20

Post #7 of 22 (777 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [LarryP] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Anyone have any confirmation? One race announcement mentioning that they are the qualifier for nationals doesn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling that this is set in stone.

Sometimes I can be picky about planning a season, but having the nationals announced six months ahead of time is to me a bare minimum.

Styrrell

EJOTT

Dec 30, 04 10:01

Post #8 of 22 (724 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [smtyrrell99] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I have heard the same about the race....
-------------------------------------------------

http://www.runningcompany.com

http://www.trainingbiblemw.com

http://www.thebikeshopge.com

ironotter

Dec 30, 04 10:34

Post #9 of 22 (702 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [smtyrrell99] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Due to the late announcment every region has been asked to identify a second Olympic distance qualifier that occurs in the spring as a National Qualifier. Plus any regional championship (any distance) between June 19th 2004 and June 19th 2005. Should be plenty of opportunities and you may have already qualified :-)

LarryP

Dec 30, 04 11:34

Post #10 of 22 (673 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [smtyrrell99] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Sometimes I can be picky about planning a season, but having the nationals announced six months ahead of time is to me a bare minimum.

You are not alone. I am sure there are plenty of folks getting a bit restless, as it is not every year that you have ten qualifying slots in each age group for the opportunity to compete in Worlds on USA soil (Hawaii).

mj

Dec 30, 04 11:55

Post #11 of 22 (663 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [LarryP] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I am very frustrated about this late announcement (and the fact that USAT still hasn't announced it). It's the beginning of the year I am trying to plan a training schedule and I don't know for sure when my A race is. And USAT claims to be interested in their national championship?

trigeek2008

Dec 31, 04 7:51

Post #12 of 22 (585 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [terryshiels] [In reply to]	Can't Post

This is ridiculous. There is less than six months until nationals and there is still no final word from USAT. We should have had this information several months ago. It would be nice if at least they could give us clue and let us know if they are having trouble securing a site. USAT's silence gives us the message they don't care.

Peanut

Dec 31, 04 9:41

Post #13 of 22 (543 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [trigeek2008] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm not trying to pick sides, or talk about what USAT woulda/coulda/shoulda done by now, but has anyone that is concerned about this gone to the source, and called/sent an email to USAT, or to your Board of Directors? If you have, what response have you gotten? If not, make your feelings known directly. (I'm not going, so it's not an issue for me)

trigeek2008

Dec 31, 04 10:06

Post #14 of 22 (534 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [Peanut] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I called USAT in early November and inquired about AG Nationals. I was told, "Probably NY in late July but that might change". There was some type of problem with securing the race site. I was also told as a site was solidified information would be posted on USAT's web site. Anyway, it should not be up to all the athletes to call the national federation and try to pry the information out of them and a national championship should not be finalized at such a late juncture. We should not be kept guessing about the status of our NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

smtyrrell99

Dec 31, 04 10:22

Post #15 of 22 (522 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [Peanut] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Sent email no reply yet. They also haven't posted the last meeting minutes, where this presumably would have been discussed, as they are required to do.

Styrrell

musselman

Dec 31, 04 11:07

Post #16 of 22 (496 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [terryshiels] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I can help out with the little information I know.

Rochester fell through - apparently the City Council didn't approve the race. USAT is therefore looking for a new venue, and scrambling to get something in place for late June or July so it can be a Worlds Qualifier.

Latest rumor has it in the Midwest, though they are "undergoing negotiations." I put in a lot of time (and driving) this fall scouting out northeast venues like Cooperstown, Lake George, and Burlington, VT, to no avail.

USAT knows they're behind, are now doing everything possible to catch up, but they're in quite a pickle - as a "USAT-owned event," RDs are understandably hesitant to jump in and organize a race that will disappear from their hands in one or two years.

Jeff

Boz

Dec 31, 04 11:57

Post #17 of 22 (473 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [jeffreyh] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I'm curious as to why nationals must be a "usat-owned" event. It seems sensible to me that current and successful oly distance races could act as nationals or as worlds qualifier. Toss the silly qualifying rules and then these venues can simply become designated by USAT via some sort of bid process or round robin system based on location. Should USAT even be in the event business?

smtyrrell99

Dec 31, 04 12:24

Post #18 of 22 (464 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [Boz] [In reply to]	Can't Post

Some of the justification for worlds being a USAT race is so they can control the race and have it be better organized than most races.

Off to a great start.

Styrrell

trigeek2008

Dec 31, 04 12:40

Post #19 of 22 (452 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [smtyrrell99] [In reply to]	Can't Post

I don't understand why USAT does not hire a race company to produce nationals. USAT outsources Junior, Under 23, Collegiate and Duathlon Nationals. There is precedent to have nationals be a non USAT hosted event. The responsibility of putting on the event and finding a venue would be out of their hands. On the other hand they would still have ownership and control over the race. It just doesn't seem like USAT has the resources to produce a quality National Championship. For this year USAT could just degisnate a quality evnt in June or July as the National Championship. One that comes to mind is Tri-America Louisville.

BJaeger

Dec 31, 04 13:49

Post #20 of 22 (413 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [trigeek2008] [In reply to]	Can't Post

As for difficulty in getting courses.

State parks sent me a letter today stating that they will no longer approve events at state parks that will require the closing of parks to the general public regardless of the event or the amount of time involved. In other words, no more triat hlons, duathlons or any large events will be given permits to hold races, company picnics, etc.

Seems that church groups and family reunion people complained that they could not reserve pavilions 3 months in advance.

LarryP

Jan 3, 05 6:28

Post #21 of 22 (320 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [BJaeger] [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I guess we can't blame USAT for uncooperative local governments, but it would have been nice to have some communication from them. More than 100 slots are still up for grabs on the 2005 Worlds team and we still don't know where the qualifying will be held.

The permit issue is becoming a nationwide dilemma, not just a Mid-Atlantic or New England problem. Check out this recent email from the Pacific Coast Triathlon race director:

The Pacific Coast Triathlon welcomes you to the eighth annual edition
(Registration is now open and available at www.pacificcoasttriathlon.com). We
are again proud to host for the third year in a row the USAT Regional Sprint
Championship. Our race date for 2005 is September 11. This departure from our
usual July time frame was not a choice of our making. It was dictated by a
policy decision made a few years ago by the California State Park and Recreation
Department. This new policy mandated that no large-scale organized events would
be permitted at Southern California State owned beaches during the summer
season.

Being that our entire racecourse is set out in the spectacular Crystal Cove
State Park, we are subject to the state bureaucracy. We have tried in vain over
the past two years to find a way to keep our race to July. We enlisted the help
of our state representatives to no avail. Last year we were held hostage by
state park authorities until the eleventh hour. They actually withheld our race
permit until we agreed in writing to stop fighting them about future summer race
dates and to only request a race date held after Labor Day.

Allowing for scheduling conflicts with the city of Newport Beach and the
uniquely significant effect that the tides have on our race (a high tide in the
morning interferes with the beach portion of the run course), the only viable
race date open to us is the weekend of 9/11.

BJaeger

Jan 3, 05 7:28

Post #22 of 22 (274 views)

Re: 2005 USAT Nationals [LarryP] [In reply to]	Can't Post

A portion of the copy of the letter I sent back to our state park system:

"While I am greatly disturbed by your decision, I fully understand the need of the park system to rent the pavilion for $150 that afternoon."

I would just like to point out that last year Triathlantic either paid in permit fees or gave as a direct donation to the Department of Natural Resources $95,130. This does not include the $3 per carload of athletes and spectators on race day or the $18 per evening for campsites rented by our participants.

I am sure the state of Maryland has developed ways to make up the minimum $100,000 per year that was created for the parks system by Triathlantic last year alone."

One of the reasons I got out of race directing.