What do you expect from USAT? It will take them 6 months to figure out what races will be in each series and by then most athletes will have decided what races they will enter.

Back when the USTS was going strong in the last 1980's, CAT sports would announce the schedule for the next year around December 1st. Everyone in the sport would then set their schedule around those races.

Take a look at the organizations that have their races scheduled for next year and you will see a group of first-class, well run events. Tri-California, Chicago, Ironman, Columbia, Memphis in May, Lifetime Fitness, New York, Honolulu, Ironman, etc. Each of these events has a history and will continue to prosper because of good production, logistics and marketing.

USAT should be sending out a press release on the Age-Group National Championship for 2007 by now! The 2006 AG-NC race annoucement should have been made six months ago.

E-mail the USAT BOD in your region and tell him or her what you think. Z

I think all or most of the races that are going to be part of the series, are existing races. Rather than making people go to the regional championships to qualify for nationals, now you can do it by doing the races you (maybe) do anyway.

It would be nice if they'd at least give us an idea as to when they'll be anouncing which races will be part of this "Grand Prix". If they are existing races I don't know what the hold up would be.

If I wasn't so affected by all the really bad decisions USAT has been making lately, I would just laugh. It has been one bonehead move after another. WHo is running the show there? I had some faith that Skip Gilbert would get in there and shake things up, but it appears that like the Borg, he has been assimilated by the collective hive there. No nationals for next year yet, but more urgent is when and where is the qualifying race for this years worlds that we leave for at the end of August? They announce a long distance duathlon championship that conflicts with one of the bigger duathlon races in the country, and then announce a series that has no races yet. Like someone said, it they are existing races, then which ones? Is there some series points, prizes, or continuity to the races. What makes them different than the races they already were? Are the rankings going to be higher for these races, and after eliminating all WTC races from rankings, do we really care about the rankings? Do they reflect anything that is actually going on anymore? If your system can't even rank Joe Boness anymore, don't they see that it is a joke?

I know that certain board members have not been consulted in a lot of these latest disasters, maybe none of them have. It may be time to get out the pink slips here and do a severe house cleaning, because it seems that a few of our employees have gone nutter.. I've talked to my board member, and he is not happy with the crap going on, I suggest that you all do the same with your members. These are the folks that do the hiring and firing there, and if they won't get their house in order, then it will be time to vote them out. In the meantime, I'm just going to send in my entry for the worlds in Switzerland, and I suggest you all do the same. We all know the ITU doesn't mind the extra money that our extra large team gives them, and the qualifying process is either a joke, or nonexistant. Besides, it will be a $100 cheaper for us all to cut out the middle man, and I'm sure we could come up with a better uniform than the one they are schilling to us now.....

Here's their response to similar questions about the AG Championships, on their own forum:

"We certainly do not like dragging things "out, and out, and out." Our goal is to be able to announce locations and dates far in advance. But finding a safe and quality site for our members to swim, bike and run can be a long process with a lot of different variables."

They have "goals", but, hey, it's hard work to do their jobs, you know.

---

----------------------------------
"Go yell at an M&M"

we are at a board meeting right now, today and tomorrow and just today a lot of the details were approved for 2006 so look for an official announcement (7/8/06) as to when Nationals will be and where (KC) it will be.

The details of which races will be on the various Grand Prix's should also be follong very shortly, we are still waiting on a couple of signatures from the race directors involved.

---

Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org