Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6
Quote | Reply
Posted on USAT Pacific Northwest Region FB page: change from 10 to 6 regions in 2018. The attached file shows the new region layout.

"The Regional Chairs met in Miami last weekend to discuss implications of USAT moving from a 10 region structure to 6 regions...This change was made to align the regions with the regional structure of the board of directors...Funds will be allocated based on programs and not regions...Key areas of commitment are race directors, youth, short course racing, and women. The goal remains to promote multisport participation throughout the country."
Last edited by: christrish: Nov 14, 17 9:51
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
My concern is if this will impact the collegiate conferences. Some of those are huge, and travelling that far will make racing unsustainable.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [imswimmer328] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Collegiate conferences (at least in the past) have not lined up 100% with the USAT age group regions. For example, schools in the Rocky Mountain Region (UT/CO/NM/WY) were in a conference with AZ schools. I suspect the collegiate conferences will remain the same.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm a bit confused by what is happening and how it will play out for regional championships.

Here's the full post from the Pacific Northwest (PNW):

Quote:
The Regional Chairs met in Miami last weekend to discuss implications of USAT moving from a 10 region structure to 6 regions. This map shows the changes. What does this mean for PNW? We plan to keep our programs going and add more. Our regional championships will stay the same for 2018 as they were in 2017. This change was made to align the regions with the regional structure of the board of directors. PNW region remains intact other than MT. We add CA, NV, and AZ to become the West Region. Funds will be allocated based on programs and not regions. This is a great time to get involved. Key areas of commitment are race directors, youth, short course racing, and women. The goal remains to promote multisport participation throughout the country.

I can see the rational and will leave it to those more knowledgeable to explain the details, but I'm curious about how the Southwest(SW) and PNW are going to determine their championships down the line in the coming years. It seems from this that the PNW is keeping theirs and their programs, but I haven't seen anything from SW yet. If both regions keep their championships, then the new regions are simply bureaucratic changes.

Were they thinking of unifying the regional championships in 2019?
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [Desert Tortoise] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Desert Tortoise wrote:
I'm a bit confused by what is happening


Don't worry so is USAT.

Quote:
and how it will play out for regional championships.

Don't worry they don't know either.

I wish I were joking.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [Desert Tortoise] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
A lot of the details of the integration are still TBD. Regional championships, regional councils, etc. I'm on the Rocky Mountain Regional (RMR) council, and basically we've been told to express whether we're interested in continuing to contribute, and sit tight. It should all become more clear in the coming months.

That said, I think Utah would have been a better fit in the West. A lot of us travel to ID, AZ, NV, etc.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
O.K. That makes sense. It's just going to be messy for a bit, and I'm fine with that.

I do hope they can unify the championships for the West.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Why are Indiana and Michigan not in the Mideast?
Indiana in the same region as Montana? jjoke
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [Dominion] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
They should be just reducing from 10 regions to 9. Florida joining the rest of the southeast makes sense.
Utah should absolutely be in the West.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Were there regions without directors before? If not, is this just another move to give the elite directors more control?
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [Dominion] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Dominion wrote:
Florida joining the rest of the southeast makes sense.

Crap! This means I won't be able to win the Southeast region again. #backdoorbrag

Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
Blog-Twitter-Instagram-Race Reports - 2018 Races: IM Florida 70.3, IM Raleigh 70.3, IM 70.3 World Championships - South Africa, IM North Carolina 70.3
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [Runner Rick] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
My understanding is that each region was created to have approximately the same number of annual USAT members, so that each BOD member represents the same number of constituents. That would explain why certain states are grouped together, and why the North Central is so massive. Start including states like Wyoming, Montana, N/S Dakota, etc. and you have to put a lot of states together to match metro areas like Dallas, LA, NYC, etc.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I have never seen the impact of the regions. The news they put out is always about what the region board is doing but it seems to be unrelated to what is actually going on in the region. I have participated in a regional championship in order to qualify for nationals, just to be sure. While I enjoyed the race, I certainly wouldn't say it was any better or competitive due to being a regional championship. If anything it was less competitive than many local races as it was the only race in which I have won my age group. The fact that the only race I have won my age group was a regional championship speaks a lot more to the lack of competition than about my speed.

I would pay more attention to the change in regional structure if there was more relevance of the regions. In theory, I like the idea of regions. In practice, I find it easier to get in touch with the national USAT board members than regional board members and I see the national USAT doing more that impacts me than the regions.

2018 Races: IM Santa Rosa, Vineman Monte Rio, Lake Tahoe 70.3
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [Desert Tortoise] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Totally selfish view here....but warranted, I feel.

So, our hopes of having National Championship triathlon races in the PNW have taken another blow. We've expanded our region to add CA and AZ. The next time a tri championship comes out west, it'll be there and USAT can say to us PNWers that a race was held in our West region.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [AKCrafty] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Imagine how people in that middle region feel. You know that regional championship will be in Colorado, so some people will have to fly halfway across the country for that. The whole "same number of people per region" is great in theory, but when looking at that map is just stupid. A large number of states are going to just not participate in their region.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [imswimmer328] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Honest question- how big of an issue do you think this is for people? I'm in a pretty big tri market in NC and I couldnt tell you where our mid-atlantic regional championship has been, and I could probaly count on 1 hand the term "regional championship" in conversations with athletes in this area.

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I always thought NC should have been part of the Southeast. Never felt we were served being part of the Mid Atlantic. Wonder how TN will feel. Sometimes people just over think things.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [B_Doughtie] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I don't know exactly. I do know that it will dissuade people from going though, because some people do care. I'm worried about what they'll do for collegiate confetences, despite what an earlier poster said . Going to school in Montata, it was a 10+ hour drive to any conference race and 14+ to our conference championship. Not only is that super unsafe driving that far tired after a race, but basically it meant that our only conference participation was the championship race. Increasing that will definitely hurt collegiate tri
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [AKCrafty] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
AKCrafty wrote:
Totally selfish view here....but warranted, I feel.

So, our hopes of having National Championship triathlon races in the PNW have taken another blow. We've expanded our region to add CA and AZ. The next time a tri championship comes out west, it'll be there and USAT can say to us PNWers that a race was held in our West region.

I was thinking that too. Also thinking we'd compete at the regionals against all the fast people from Cali. Placing in the PNW was piece of cake. Now it just got a lot harder. I know I know train more....

Once Seattle's done with the viaduct and seawall projects, and the waterfront is a park, it'd make a great venue for a race, water quality permitting. Bike south to I90 express lanes. Run north along the Elliott bay trail. If the 90 express lanes aren't closed for trains by then????
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [B_Doughtie] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
B_Doughtie wrote:
Honest question- how big of an issue do you think this is for people? I'm in a pretty big tri market in NC and I couldnt tell you where our mid-atlantic regional championship has been, and I could probably count on 1 hand the term "regional championship" in conversations with athletes in this area.

^This. In Florida, I've seen "USAT Regional Championship" attached to a number of different races over the years. It's never been a pull for me or other athletes I know. I've argued in other threads that USAT doesn't do a lot for triathletes, but I have to admit that they do a LOT more than the regions. I'm not sure many people would notice, or care, if all 10 regions disappeared.
Quote Reply
Re: USAT Regions - change from 10 to 6 [christrish] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I must have missed this before... Guess I am now in the NorthEast region. A vote on January 1st solidified the reorganization by implementing regional competition and governance of the sport to these new regions (as expected).
Quote Reply