The problem is how do you define that? Clubs like BSR & Wattie have a very big local presence in one or two places, but have gone "virtual" for all intents & purposes to spread their brand. Personally, I would classify them as virtual clubs despite having strong local presences in some areas because they depend on the virtual numbers to classify themselves as a Level I club and garner so many points. Take out the virtual members and they are no different than a decent Level II or Level III club.

"There is no camaraderie. There are no tents. There are no dinners. I'm not saying that is bad if you just want a big name on your kit and swag, but for me, I want a club with a lot of local members that I can actually see, meet, and do things with on a regular basis."

i'm very interested in hearing what readers think about this. what i've asked about so far is just these club-teams, whether coach, pro, brand or sponsor-based. i haven't asked about the traditional clubs, that are geographically-defined.

i am interested in knowing whether these are mutually exclusive. if you're in atlanta and you're a member of BSR does divorce you from the atlanta tri club? is it always either/or? how does that work for you all?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Actually, there have been very few events here in ATX. Chris moved over a year ago and hasn't been back since. We don't have more than a half dozen teammates here so it's not really the center of the team/club. Louisiana is probably the hub and there are loads of events at most of the races where the team is there in force. I will admit the team camaraderie and support for team events has diminished as the team has gotten bigger, and it was one of the more disappointing things for those of us in Kona this year.

All in all, great team, but like other big nationwide teams, it struggles with the local connections more and more.

I love that team EMJ does a training camp, that likely is huge for the team connection and bonding.

Jack

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"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Elliot | Cycle2Tri.com
Sponsors: SciCon | | Every Man Jack

Look at the USAT winter challenge rankings and you will see what being located in the same place can do for a club. There are clubs like San Diego, Salt Lake City, Brentwood (TN), and Atlanta that top this list because they get together & push each other in real team based events. Whether it is a a 100x100 challenge where they reserve a pool for a day during swim months, having regular spin classes or group rides during bike months, or having long group runs during run month. It's not just the drive of working side by side with your teammates, but also watching other clubs move up the leaderboard and wanting to push harder to represent your club and your city.

The line between club and team can be hazy, with a lot of overlap. As a member of both the Wattie Ink Triathlon Team and the Orange County Triathlon Club, I can see many differences and similarities. The OC Tri Club is a regional club with mostly a beginner and intermediate level membership. Within Orange County, there's probably half a dozen smaller teams. There is some overlap of membership where people are involved with both. The club is more about building the local triathlon community with meetings, events, training, etc.. Whereas the team is more competition focused.

One team that hasn't been mentioned, is Braveheart. This team is based around Lesley Paterson and her group of coaches and athletes. I've participated in her training camp the past couple years, and it's a solid group of athletes, especially in Xterra.

Oh, and regarding the 'recovery beverage' drinking competitions mentioned above, I'm pretty confident the Wattie Ink team is up to that challenge. Let's get the Triathlon Team Beer Mile Championships underway

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TEAM F3 Undurance

I see the national tri teams not being mutually exclusive to the local tri clubs. I belong to large national team (BSR) and also a local tri club, Gulf Winds Triathletes, with over 200 members. All of my close friends and training partners are in the local club, but I also get the benefit of a large national team that gives me a lot of distant friends that live all over the country. It's not unusual to go to a large race and see 20 to 30 BSR members also racing. You get the best of both worlds.

"i see the national tri teams not being mutually exclusive to the local tri clubs."

thanks for your insight on this. i'd like to throw a wrench in, if i can, because i might be seeing this from a perspective not obvious to a club member. and i have no agenda here, i'm agnostic, i'm just asking, trying to get the lie of the land.

if you're a member of a team that has sponsor ties, and i think big sexy might be an example tho i'm not sure how these clubs make their money, it might be that you'd buy product from these clubs instead of buying product from a shop.

the local team, however, probably has a close tie to local retail.

do you ever find that this creates conflict?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

A conflict i see is when you sign yourself to a sponsored club, they require you to push their products on your social media site. This brings in another item where you have to silence yourself from personal opinions (such as 2016 election, etc).

TN Multisports- Seattle, WA.

175 members
Established 2007
Great sponsorship program
Two-three workouts per week with 1-2 coaches present
Great social activities
All ranges of athletes
Great kits

I find this thread very interesting. I have never been apart of a triathlon club but have always been interested in joining one. I am getting good information about clubs and how they run in the triathlon community.

You are correct in thinking there might be some conflict with the local club having different sponsors than the national team. What's nice is nothing is mandatory (except for the racing kit) with regards to the sponsors. For both the local club and national team there are some sponsors that I love and support, while some other sponsor's products that do not work for me. On some instances there is some overlap. I could buy local or via the national team. Like most people, I'm going to buy from where I get my best value.

As far as social media goes, I'm not going to promote products I do not use nor will I promote something that is conflict with my national team's sponsors.

Where there is direct conflict - when racing an Ironman event, what club team name do you put down when you register for the tri club competition? I think most people pick their national team.

In my situation, this absolutely creates a conflict. My club is small and local (about 30 members) and tied to a multisport retail shop. I've thought about applying for one of the national teams, but that wouldn't go over well here in the home town. The local guy expects me to wear his kit and buy products (discounted) from him. I expect any national team is going to expect the same; wear their kit and buy from their sponsors. I can't do both at the same time.

Yes it can create conflicts when a national Team Zoot sponsor offers discounts to members on items that can be purchased locally. What I try and encourage my local Southwest Team members to do is to refer anyone who has an interest in a Zoot or other sponsor product to the local retailer.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

I am interested in why clubs/teams are so big in triathlon compared to other amateur sports e.g. running. You go to a big running race and people just wear an off-the-rack, plain singlet. Yet it seems like nearly every AGer at a big triathlon has a tri suit with "sponsors" etc. It is even more pronounced with the FOPers. Personally I find it a bit odd.

I'm surprised they haven't trademarked "tri team" at this point.

I will chime in here with my personal experience. My triathlon team (see sig below) is a sponsored team. I consider all of us (6) on the team to be FOP triathletes. The logos on our kits ARE sponsor companies. I am very grateful for their support, as I would not be able to race as much, and as well, without their support. Semi-back door brag complete :)

Corporate sponsor: EGO Power Plus - Great company who believes in us and gives us much needed support
Equipment sponsor: Sammy's Bikes, St Charles IL - Helps us out with equipment (I was lucky enough to receive one of the first Giant Trinity's arriving in the US this past winter)
Equipment sponsor: Wattie Ink - Team issue speedsuits
Equipment sponsor: Catlike helmets - Free speed with the Chrono WT helmet this season
Equipment sponsor: ICE Friction chains - Ultra fast race day chains

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Alex Arman

Strava

perhaps they'll read this and do so.. "anything is possible"

That is one of the (mildly) annoying things about these teams....how wonderful the training ride was on xxx wheels or the best ever swim thanks to my wetsuit from yyy....blah blah. Compulsory race report, training day recap etc with mention a shout out to the best sponsors in the world, it gets old and predicable after a while. It is understandable from a sponsors point of view, as they want something in return.

It's one of those "I get it.. I don't like it, but I get it" type of things.

That said, I'm just #thankful for my brand new (Insert company willing to sponsor me) wheels that I was able to save 3 minutes on my ride today and come to Slowtwitch to make this comment :D

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Alex Arman

Strava

sorry if this has been discussed already somewhere else, but can anyone speak to the AP Racing team that was "new" this year? Price point to join seemed a bit high to me (even at the lower level)....and I'm wondering if anyone is in it feels it was worth it or not?

I'm not sure where I stand with teams anymore. This is something I've contemplated and researched for 4+ years now. As a service provider in the industry, I thought about starting some sort of Vector Cycle Works team as a marketing opportunity, but really couldn't come to a conclusion as to what was most effective for my brand. I couldn't define what I want without it being a personal conflict; the bike fitter Travis wants elite fast folks winning races in his kit. The cycling/triathlon/healthy living evangelist Travis says this is a sport for all of the people, no matter what their level. I'm kind of a dichotomy, in that regard. I also don't think triathlon is the best cycling sport in which to market what I do. The cycling and MTB crowds are bigger and more social. They are also less interested in bike fitting than triathletes.

I also talked with different friends and customers about what they wanted from a team, and heard things from "to have training partners" to "discounts on gear" to "I like how their kit looks." I know folks that are on 3-4 teams/clubs at the same time. Frankly, as a potential sponsor of a team, I don't really see a lot of value in sponsoring a team beyond some networking within the team. Word-of-mouth is the best advertising for what I do. I don't get the impression people will do that, though - I get the impression folks just want free stuff/everything at cost, and if lucky, they might mention Vector Cycle Works on Facebook, which I don't see as all that effective. If anything, it's annoying and overdone, and potentially distracts from my mission.

I also get the impression that keeping a team going is a lot of work. I just don't have the time. Like any other business, I gotta pick my battles.

I ended up just deciding to offer my kits if people really want to wear them, and work with existing teams in the area. At this point, what I do with teams is for the love of the sport - not for the marketing ROI.

Anyway, I'm not sure exactly what I just added to the conversation...

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador