You got fucked...No good deed goes unpunished.

Now, If I was in second I would have given you the money that you lost (that I would have gained). There should have been some honor in that at least (I would not be shocked if he offered).

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

And before folks flame me for my usual "rules are rules" stance...a penalty for racking a bike where it "should" be is stupid in this instance as he was on the proper rack.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

When you say "one the end of the rack", do you mean it was leaning up against the end of the rack, and not hanging from the bar? If so, tough luck, poor decision on your part. You say you arrived late, but only about half the rack was being used. Why didn't you go down the part of the rack not being used?

Stupid penalty, unless there is some time advantage for not having your bike "racked". If it were me, and I knew a penalty could be assessed, find someone before and clear it.

Man, that sucks. But I don't understand the quote above. If only half the rack was being used, why was there no room?

Just remember, regardless of the $500 (which absolutely sucks), you still won the race, and the other competitors know it (which matters in my mind).

-C

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------------------------------------------------------------
Any run that doesn't include pooping in someone's front yard is a win.

Wow, regardless - GREAT job. Tough competition at Muncie!

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____________________________________
Fatigue is biochemical, not biomechanical.
- Andrew Coggan, PhD

I still don't understand where you bike was. Were there individually marked spots for each athelete, and you didn't have your bike in your spot? Did you move to another age group rack that had an open spot on the end? You say that you didn't want to move everyone's stuff out of your way, so it sounds like the prime spots on the end of the rack were taken, what does your racked on the end mean? I believe "properly racked" means between the legs of the rack if there are any, and not leaning up against the end, or barely hanging onto the little stub that extends beyond the legs.

The other athletes got there before you, the best spots were taken, you decided that you were so important that you were entitled to a great rack spot and racked your bike improperly (according to the rules and the officials), you got busted. Too bad. Get there on time next time. Or find the athletes that got to the race before them and explain to them how important you are and how they need to move to give you a great rack spot because you are in the running for the win.

Sounds like a "mind-f*ck" technicality to me.

Glad you whooped some butts anyway. You should feel proud of your race results.

tough break after all that.

however.

in the interest of interpretation; "...I just "racked it" on the end...." says you leaned it against the end of the rack. and you've done how many USAT events not to know better?

and there were no USAT folks, or race admin types around for you to ask assistance from to find a proper spot?

"The worst part was the referee was fat"

that is so lame and just wrong. Muncie has better ambassadors of the sport regardless of finishing time.

---

Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Was the Ref Fat? I be he was...lard ass was just upset that his wife was cheering for you all day...he is problaby at home now yelling at her that he showed you who the real man was, and throwing his empty beer cant at her demanding more mayo in his egg salad.



(there, now he can come after me in races! - if he is reading ST - and I doubt he is ;-)



now you can delete the other fat posts!

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

I got busted at my first duathlon due to a similar situation. I was late getting into transition (a whole other story), and there were no spots open on the rack I was supposed to use. I leaned my bike against a fence at the end of the rack I was supposed to be using and set everything up there. After I left the transition area, a ref spotted my violation. Rather than wait until the race was over and penalize me, they paged me back to the transition area (about 10 minutes before the race started). The ref met my at my bike and explained that it had to be on the rack, and actually listened when I told him there was no space. He then pointed out another rack (different age group) and told me I could rack my bike there. It was a little hectic setting up my transition spot in the last few minutes before the race, but I got it done and had a good race (unfortunately I didn't come close to winning...)

I don't see why they couldn't have done the same for you. It seems like some people get off on busting you, rather than preventing a violation.

Hum....I have 4-5 photos of IM champs parking their bikes are the end of the rack. Ole Simon at IMLP comes to mind at the moment.

Stupid penalty, very stupid.

I give 33.3% of the blame for you. Perhaps should have spoke up

33.3% goes to the officials in the transition, who "99.9%" of the time FIX most penalties and bike violations they see. (I've witnessed officials taping bar ends on bike while the pros are racing)

33.4% of the blame goes to the enforcement. Bad decision. It's not a violation that would have altered the race results.

With that attitude, you got what you deserved. What goes around comes around and it appears you had it coming. Tough shit! Run faster next time so the penalty won't matter.

---

----------------------------------
Justin in Austin, get it? :)

Cool races:
- Redman
- Desoto American Triple T

Zach, how did I know this would be one here.....Long day for everyone, long week for me. Quick thanks to everyone involved, we had a great day, great competition and very hot weather! Thanks again.

As others have said, what does end of the rack mean? What did you get the penalty for? It was either on the rack, or it was not. I always try to put my back at the "end" of the rack, but its on the rack. No way you could have gotten a penalty if it was "on" the rack. Unless, are you a pro or something and you had to be on a certain rack.



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

In the end, no, it didn't affect the results, BUT... his actions were IMPROVING his position. He had a choice, he could rack his bike properly farther down the rack and maybe lose 3 - 6 seconds (which wouldn't have affected the results either), or to rack his bike improperly "on the end of the rack", which was a better position.

In the case above, the athlete didn't improve his position, and wasn't rude to the other athletes who got there ahead of him, so the officials gave him the courtesy of informing him of the violation before the race and allowed him to correct it.

So what was the violation for? Why didn't the officials think it was racked properly? I still don't understand where you bike was racked.

So if it was racked properly, what was the penalty for?

In what way did the official determine that it was improperly racked.

I think we need pictures as so one seems to understand the situation.

I know for a fact, USAT reads this. One has to assume EVERYONE reads ST, include this ref.



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Still makes no sense. If you racked it, why would you have to ask an official if its racked properly?



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

"...So I decide to put my bike ont the end of the rack b/c only about half of the rack is being used. This will be important later..."

"So what was I supposed to do...rack my bike on top of everyone else and kick their stuff outta the way???"

no more splitting hairs. it was either properly positioned inside the rack support legs, or outside. can't be that tough to figure out.

---

Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Ok, now things are getting clearer, and I am starting to have some sympathy.

OK, it all makes sense now. And I agree it was a BS penalty. I guess you should have OK'd not racking your bike in your designated spot prior to the race starting. Who in the heck even noticed that your bike was not in the correct spot?

Congratulations on your "win" it sounds like you kicked butt and overcame some stinky hot conditions. :-)

So are you saying you were a numbered racer, and did not put your bike correctly at your number?

I know when I see racers show up "late" to a race and then push bikes out of the way on the best rack, I get real upset!!! I have been at a number of races where I am the very first bike on the race, so yep, I try to find what I think is the best spot.

No matter what the reason is, if one gets to a race late, I always figure it must not be that important.

But, rules are rules. I wonder if you would be upset if the other guys beat you, you saw them break a rule, any rule.

No way they gave you a penalty unless it clearly broke the rules is where I would be my money. Maybe we can ask the ref to give us the other side of the story? :o)

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

gotcha. it was "properly" racked....but not in the space assigned.

you didn't have time to ask for help or get a variance up front? sounds like you knew there was an issue from the get go.

and the slam on the official is still lame.

---

Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Wow 9:10 at your last IM. Thats a killer time!! Congrads.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I am always at the rack 90 minutes before race start. But, yep, lots get there late.

So, if the racks were numbered, and you were there 35 minutes before race start, seems like it was plenty of time to move bikes out of the way so you got your space. I know when I do wildflower, all the spots are marked, and there are some folks who try to take more space then they get. So yep, there stuff gets moved.

I am just trying to learn what happened to you so I can try and make sure I dont get caught in the same situation like you did.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

This reminds me of the time KJGrog got 4 minutes for cutting his race number.

---

----------------------------------------------------
Striving to have sex more than 66 times per year

Article VII

Transition Area Conduct

Section 7.3

"Bicycle Placement. All participants must return their bicycles to an upright position in the properly designated bicycle corral .......Any violation of this section shall result in a variable time penalty."

I could not find anything about what happens if the spots are numbered per person, and one puts their bike in a different spot.



Article III

General ruls of conduct and penalties

3.8 Acts Warranting Suspension

b). Gross or continued unsportsmanlike conduct



Be careful.





Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

So again, why did you get a penalty? I still dont understand. I also see nothing in the rule book other than the word corral even though I have always been told you have to put your bike back from where it started.

Again, I am very very interested to understand what happened. To take away a first place with such a killer performance is something I want to understand. Since I have started to be the ref in TA areas, am trying to learn what happened in case I see the same type of situation, what ever it is that I cant see.

Thanks for the help trying to have use see what happened.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Did you get a written rule section that you broke? If not, or made no sense, did you protest as article X says you can do?

(Have you ordered your free rule book from USAT?)

I thought if anyone gets a penalty, you can request a written reason why and be shown in the rule book what you broke. So far I can only find the word corral in the rule book I am looking at. Did he give you a section you broke?

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I agree. Start a new thead and title and put down why you were told you got a penalty. Again, I got the rule book right here in my hands, and wait, I just read it again.

Section VII

7.2 Placement of Equipment

All participants shall place equipment only in the properly designated and individually assigned bicycle corral .... Any violation... is time penalty.

So, right or wrong, there it is. So, if this was a USAT event, and you were first, have to say, they did the right thing. Sorry



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I see your point: you were penalized for a rule which did not have a bearing on the outcome of the race.

The idea that rules are immutable and finite is silly, especially in triathlon. Some rules are laid out as a way of organizing, others as a guideline for the enforcement of method, and still others as an issuance of warning for potential punishment.

The "rack your bike properly" rule is clearly levied to prevent rack hogs and keep everyone organized in transition. If someone can explain to me how Zach's bike being out of place threatened the integrity of the organization system in T1, then please do, because I'm not seeing it thus far.

I'm certain this is a circumstance where a rule was meant to bend and is not steadfast like the no drafting rule.

Once you bend one rule, you might as well throw the book out!!

Remember that gal who was swimming in the Oly trials, and I thought was the world record holder in the event. Well, she missed toughing the wall or something by a little, and was DQed. Tough call, but rules are rules. I know if I get caught making a mistake, the first thing I do is say yep, I screwed up and will learn from it. Never to I try to justify breaking a rule since we are responsible for knowing them all. We all see top folks make mistakes once in a while. But, none of this stuff is life or death. How one handles adversity shows ones true character!!! (And I know I am far from perfect!!)



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

Maybe I can shed some light on this a little. We (The Muncie Endurathon) assign each athlete a spot on a bike rack. Each spot is designated with a label. We have seven bikes per rack, four on one side, three on the other. We generally have two of these racks side-by-side. We lay out transition and allow a couple extra rack spaces for the elites who register late. We had one bike on the "second" rack that was next to the rack Zach was on. He put his bike to the far outside of that "empty" rack, away from the other bikes, because in his opinion he didnt have enough space and other people's things were in his way. (Zach, correct me if I am wrong). So he did break rule 7.2 in my opinion, and I agree with decision USAT made. Was I happy about it? Absolutely not. I told the head official I did not like it at all. It had no bearing on the outcome of the race, and I do not feel Zach received any advantage from his switch. But we pay the officials to enforce the rules....

It sucks. I hated telling Zach that he had a penalty for this violation after such an awesome race. Blake Becker moved into first after the penalty, and was tough for him to deal with as well. No athlete wants to win that way. So bottom line in my mind, Zach broke rule 7.2, was caught, and penalized. Its difficult to swallow because the win was taken from him for something that did not give him an advantage. But I do support USAT's ruling and agree that it was an infraction.

Thanks for posting, Your post is what it sounded like. Even the person who "won" feels bad so everyone loses. But, either the rules at a USAT race are followed, or they are not. Just like the person who got DQ'ed not wearing their bike helmet going back to their car.

Again, thanks for posting. Isnt being an RD fun? :o) Thanks for putting up with us. Without folks like yourself, we would have no races to complain about. :o)



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

So then would not putting individual slots alleviate this problem? Is this done due to high number of athletes, and wanting to make sure everyone is on a rack? I don't know how big an event you run, but I've done two and seen a third inside the transition area, and other than a length of rack being for a specific age group I have never seen individual spaces. Just curious as to the rationale behind it.

Thanks for posting the recap. Not saying Zach was lying, or ever misrepresenting things, it's just nice to hear from the RD on things like this.

---

"I can endure more pain than anyone you've ever met. That's why I can beat anyone I've ever met." Steve Prefontaine, Without Limits

Its fun sometimes. Lot of work but when the race goes off like it did today it makes it worth it. I thought today went incredibly smooth. The only downer was the penalty, but that's racing I suppose. Yeah, we had two DQ's for no helmets before the race started. Those are tough too, athletes hate them! Clean race, thanks to all who participated.

Wow, USAT really did follow the rules. DQing before the race for helmet is something a lot of folks on ST did not realize, even though a lot dont like that rule either.

How was the issue with head sets? I really see the races I do struggling to get it under control.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

It's not a question of distance from your sticker. All of the stickers, taken together, VERY clearly define each rack spot, it's a lot like the lines in the parking lot. You can't park in a handicap spot, and claim that you were in the spot 2 down from the handicap slot and say that that slot extended to where you parked. Get a clue, and quit whining.

I keep trying to see if I am missing something. It seems so clear he made a mistake, was caught, and welcome to rules. But, he is fighting so hard that I must be missing something. No one would fight this hard on such a black and white rule that looks like was broken.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

He is desperately grasping as straws and is working hard to rationalize away his mistake.

Wish I were that good to have the issue he is dealing with. I am just happy at my age to be racing at all and finishing the race.



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

What is there to pick apart. The USAT rule has to be vague to cover all the possible types of racks and transition areas. The RD made it very clear where you bike had to be racked by placing individual race number stickers on the racks. The stickers clearly define your individual bike corral. You have to follow the USAT Competitive rules and the directions of the RD, you did not. Sorry.

Bump for the Late Night posse..

So in other words, at a race like an IM where there are rows of racks for a certain range of numbers and each race number is assigned by sticker to a certain spot on the rack, if mine happens to be in the middle and/or is too crowded, you think I should be able to rack anywhere else on that rack that is open?

So you agree that he was on the proper rack...but in the wrong space on the proper rack? Seems to me that maybe next year you can space the labels more, or possibly do what Tommy Z did at Orlando and just put 501-515 or what ever numbers at the end of the rack and solve this possible issue.

I know that this is not at all on the RD, but I have been at a number of races where folks like to think that the bike rack is a walk in closet and want to have about 5 feet of space for their gear, towels, shoes, bottles, and on and on and on....that can (and has in races I have done) taken the proper space of others who are polite and just move their bike a bit.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

thanks for a great race, it was a great day in Muncie - will definitely return

---

_________
kangaroo -- please do not read or respond to any of my posts

So, if rules are rules. Techically, shouldn't the guy that was covering up Bigzachs spot have been penalized as well?

Yes, the other athlete(s) could get penalized for not keeping "their equipment confined to such properly designated areas." But more likely, as people have mentioned, if Zach had bothered to ask an official, the official would have moved the other athlete's gear out of Zach's space.

No one was in Zach's space, so no one else to penalize. Everyone has the same size space, and we feel it is adequate. We have never had a complaint on the size of our rack spaces....

[reply]This reminds me of the time KJGrog got 4 minutes for cutting his race number.[/reply]

what do you mean? I always cut my bike race number and tape it to the frame. is that a problem?

Keep the assigned spots, it allows for a predictable, less hassled, pre-race routine. Compared to the free for all of unassigned rack spaces, I'll take your method every time.

In Zack's case if it were old school rules he wins. The sport outgrew those rules some time ago, in some cases this is often good, in this one, not so good. Yet Zack has to bear some responsibility. He seemed to know even in the moment that he was marginal in his decision. We've all made those kind of decisions n our lives, rarely is a race win at stake.

On officating, if given the opportunity and only the head ref would know on this one, do you act like Barney or Andy? If you had time to get this corrected, you blew it. No you would not owe it to an athlete to inform them of a rules violaton but its the right thing to do if given the chance. If you did not have the time to get this corrected...I don't know ~ did Zacks racking decision give him an advantage?

If he were in an open space, one could say he gained an advantage because he wasn't dealing with getting his stuff from in between bikes in T1. If he had a wide open area it makes life easier. I know that for a fact. Of course, it was cause pretty much everyone was gone by the time I got out of the water...:-(

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"I can endure more pain than anyone you've ever met. That's why I can beat anyone I've ever met." Steve Prefontaine, Without Limits

1. you shoulda asked the official. dumb of you not to.
2. that said, the official probably shouldn't have given you a penalty.
3. the official will probably get a talking to about this, because usat has gotten a bad rap about giving out penalties that drive people from the sport. this new thinking has largely been driven by the GTG "moment". as a result officials almost never call the dismount line infraction any longer, neither do they call handlebar plug other non-impactful penalties nearly as often as they used to.
4. usat should, as part of its sanctioning process, recommend a specific width given each competitor in the transition area. along with not enough porta-potties, this is one my pet peeves of RDs, not enough room to rack your stuff.

---

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Thanks for your opinion Slowman.

---

Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
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But Dan, until rules changes, one can decide if they want to do a USAT race. Rules are very clear.

How can you say the official should not have given a penalty? He was in the wrong spot. 7.2 is very clear as to the penalty. If you say this, then I say my opinion is I should be able to draft. We either have rules that are enforced, or end up with an event thats a joke, and folks get hurt.

I still cant believe how folks wine some much about the rules. I wonder how many ST's have the USAT rule book? I am looking at it right now and have read lots of it. So, if you dont like USAT rules, dont do the race. If you dont like WTC rules or costs, dont do the races. Again, why do so many folks wine? No one puts a gun to their heads and say do the race.

There has to be responsibilty put back into our society for folks actions.

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

7.2 is not clear enough to cost someone a race victory over.

---

Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
Florida Triathlon Camps Train in North Americas winter training destination
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No one was in Zach's space,

I think this quote by the rd puts it all on Zach. If there was room for his bike, but he just wanted more space than the other racers, that's not up to him to just do.

Well, let us know if you can convince USAT, and the RD since , oh well, why waste the energy.



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

I know of a few triathletes who've been penalized, for doing that with their bike numbers. It's pretty rare though.

I don't feel I deserve more space than anyone.....I don't feel better than anyone to do that.....It was cluttered when I got there in the morning...I was trying to be considerate and not move others things....there was a ton of space on the other part of the rack, so I just went out there....

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Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
Florida Triathlon Camps Train in North Americas winter training destination
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I love it. An 80-plus post thread and now the original post, as well as the other posts by the OP, have been deleted. Classic.

You are the poorest example of a "pro" I have seen to date. Follow the rules tool.

OK Dan...let's take it a little further then.

USAT, as part of its sanctioning process, should require every event to have a minimum of one USAT official on site.

you santion....you have a USAT representative there to make sure things get done according to the book. no official...no sanctioning. you don't like the book...don't sanction.

and when a penalized participant publicly rants about the official on site being fat...the resulting next penalty should be substantially more than a couple minutes.

---

Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Jim, I really like your comment and idea. I am just getting tired of RD's using USAT as a marketing tool for their race, and then when I do them, no where do you see the USAT rules being enforced!!! I want honesty in advertising. Use USAT, pay to have at least one official, and let them decide how to enforce the rules. I did ask if they had one at Donner and all I got was blank stares. If an RD does not want to use USAT rules, like J&A, great, then get your insurance somewhere else, and give the racers in writing what ever rules this race is going to use. Seems to me that USAT has allowed sanctioning to become a marketing game, rather than having this mean soemthing, in some cases.

USAT folks, any comments? Just thinking out loud and collecting data. :o)

Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

hahahaa you are ridiculous...you make it seem like I am in the NBA and I got caught with cocaine or something......settle down big fella....I just moved my bike over a little

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Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
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Zach, just wondering how old you are. I know it has taken me LOTS of years to try and be a little mellow and learn some tact.

(Still learning) :o)



Dave

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Dave Campbell | Facebook | @DaveECampbell | h2ofun@h2ofun.net

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Lions don't lose sleep worrying about the sheep

ohhh so now H2O fun is giving BIGZACH a compliment.....hahaa...I turned 24 earlier this month....

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Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
Florida Triathlon Camps Train in North Americas winter training destination
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Ruble Timing Midwest Event Timing

Jim & h20fun,

An RD can sanction a race but does not have to have an USAT Official unless he request one or several. Only Championship races are required to have Officials at the race. I am pretty sure on this.

Now, remember.........if an RD does not want to pay for the Officials to come in, we don't usually come in. Remember, this is not my full time job Officiating I do it volunatarily. I have a full plate and more and squeezing in a weekend job of Officiating takes away
from my family, 3 kids, house work, training, racing and oh, IM MOO.

Yep that race is going to put me in the hurt box.

And, we do not make a ton of $$$ Officiating, we do it for the love of the sport.

BamaIM

Zach,



Maybe you were being sarcastic, but I don't see any compliment there. As a matter of fact, he's kinda slammin' ya--calling you immature. You are coming off looking very bad here, childish. You deleted your posts, but still come back replying over and over. If you want my advice (and you may not), you should just let this whole thing go--the penalty and all these posts. Stop replying; hell, even stop reading them.

Spiridon,

I think he was complimenting me on not blowing up on JDAV for calling me a tool...instead I was tactful and mellow....right?? I have been getting hammered on this post, and really haven't went off on anyone (mellow)

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Ruble Triathlon Coaching Average of 30 coached PR's per year
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Ruble Timing Midwest Event Timing

in my best valleygirl voice, "uh, ok, like whatever"

exactly my point. sanctioning RD's are allowed in the majority of events, to decide if they want USAT on site. i think this sets up everyone for a mishmash of enforcement policies and generally muddies the water about what should be happening and why.

set a time frame. all sanctioned events as of Jan 1, 2008 must have at least one official on site, potentially more, based on the event size and complexity. the official's fees are included in the sanctioning fee. this gives plenty of time for everyone to begin recruiting officials to fill the admittedly huge vacum and get them to training sessions, and/or to develop a mentoring program with the more experienced officials like you.

you don't think if it was an absolute set in stone requirement that it would not happen?

when i had Seahorse and it was in the MGPS...i lobbied for all events in the series to have an official on site or leave the series. it was required for all events to be sanctioned...why not do it properly and set the tone? this was late 90's. never happened. i think that was a big mistake.

i believe its time to make the move across the board. within another year, it may be the only way to distinguish USAT events from those moving outside the sanctioning umbrella.

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Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Having the Officials cost included in sanctioning would be nice......but I am willing to bet it will never happen,
but I have faith that USAT & staff are looking into a smoother process.

Also, this region is in need for more Officials, amny more Officials. With what we have now, the amounts of
sanctioned races, races that are requesting Officials, availability of Officials to work..........we, us 20 +/- are
all over the place. I, like the rest of you athletes make my schedule for the next year of racing in the fall on
where I want to race, then put my kids activiities and sports in that schedule and then any vacations. I would love
to know where I am going in December but that will not happen. I get emails from my Region Coordinator sometimes
a week out to Officiate, not his fault, he got his request in late because an RD got it in late. Well by that time
my weekend is booked with family etc. So the RD gets no Official and we get bashed for not being there.
That is where the hint comes in............we need more Officials.

What would very nice and a dream come true is, more Officials in the program. Then we have more to go around,
and you get your thoughts here put in place. Now we have more Officials to be at more races. We and the
Regional Coordinator for us, hate it whenwe have a request for Officials froman RD, but none are available.
Now, we look bad as if not wanting to help or be there for the RD and the athletes.

I got in the program for the our sport, and not to be a bulldog Official. I call it.........the love of the sport. I myself
been racing 15 years and love this sport and maybe too much. Ask the wife and anyone that knows me. I am
in deep, but I LOVE this sport and the athletes involved. So by Officiating and doing my other stuff for the sport,
I am trying everything I can to give back. As long as I am having fun, I am in the game.

Wait until IM MOO is over and if I make it.............I will be shocked. I have lost alot of weekends of training to
keep giving back to this sport we love to race, triathlon/duathlons.

Last thing here, man if we would get more people to become an Official it only makes it better for everyone &
raises the bar for our sport and hopefully this region............Mideast Region. So yes,I am asking and always
begging for athletes and individuals in this region and other regions...........we could use your help. No, I do not make
millions doing this, but I truely enjoy Officiating as much as racing.

BamaIM

i earlier messaged you at your "normal" email...and Richard to get the ball rolling.

hard to preach about it if i don't do it.

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Train hard...race well.
www.jimmishler.com
"Jim, I happen to agree with you" DougStern

Wanted to let everyone know that I thought the officials did a good job at our race this weekend. The penalty with Zach was tough. I consider both him and Blake friends...

I told our head official that I did not like the penalty at all, but I also told all four officials that I support their decisions. Officiating is a thankless job for the most part, but we need them out there. Thanks for your support. I would encourage anyone with issues regarding officials to become one yourself. I am willing to bet your outlook may change.

Thanks to the athletes as well, the officials said it was a pretty good day.

You were in a really tough position. Your friend broke a rule and got a penalty and it cost him a position and some prize money. The officials were just doing their job, I am sure that the penalty was given before the race (or during the swim), and the official had no way of knowing that it was going to affect the outcome of the race, he was just doing his job and applying the rules.

Now, should the penalty have been ignored? Why? Because it's a "silly" rule. No. People complain about MOP or BOP athletes getting penalties where isn't doesn't affect the results much if at all, so if any slack should be given, it should be there, not at the front. Zach is an experienced athlete who knows better. As far as I can tell, he moved his bike to a better spot, intentionally trying to gain an advantage over his competitors (aka CHEATING). Did he win (cross the line first) because of the advantage he gained? No. Would he have lost if he had made the effort to put his bike in the proper position? Again, no. So he cheated, got caught, received a penalty, and it cost a position and prize money, sounds like the rules working the way there are supposed to, penalizing those athletes who intentionally choose to cheat.