Thanks for the heads up, Cultus was in the tentative plans depending on how the season goes.

Hope Joe can get his $@!& together.

What is really sad is the replies to the newspaper story.....volunteer groups have also got ripped off, in some cases for 3 events

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>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>X
If you run long enough....something is bound to happen

This situation has been going on for a long time and it is no surprise to many.There has been talk of a Penticton group taking over the Oliver races but those conversations are ongoing, behind closed doors.


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Wonder if Sylvan Lake will be a casualty as well.

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___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

I think this has gone on for about long enough. Of course there is Joe's side of the story but it currently seems like one of those cases where someone gets their foot in the door early, reaps the rewards and shows little or no concern about those that pay their entry fee. My experience dealing with Outback events has, unfortunately, also been completely one sided.

The fact that the vast majority of the entry money is paid extremely early (many signed up by Jan). The fact that all of it is paid up front. These both indicate that there is little issue in the businesses cash flow for that event. But .... business is business ..... if he wants to play hardball with Oliver Parks then that's their lookout ..... and ours unfortunately.

The charities are a whole different issue. From the replies to that article it would seem that they are not only getting stiffed but that some of them rely heavily on this as a fundraising enterprise. Not to mention the fact that you can pretty much imagine what they say to people who volunteer for athletic events. This not only reflects on us but puts events we attend at risk too.

I hope the rumoured Penticton interest takes hold. Or that Joe sorts his shit out now, and for the future. If anyone requires assistance from the Kelowna Tri Club contingent in ensuring things move forward let us know.

I hope 2013 goes ahead, even for purely selfish reasons. I want to race. If someone could PM me the Penticton Contact's info that would be great.

Wondering the same thing, just when I thought I'd figured out my sched.

I signed up for GWN so I am ok but 70.3 may see a bump if Sylvan gets canceled

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___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

yeah, I was going to climb the ladder, sprint, oly, 1/2 then full.

Thanks for the info will be following closely since I've already signed up. Hoping the decision is made soon so hopefully we can at least get our money back and I can sign up for a new race.

Just a heads up.. According to the Outback Events website, "There will be no refunds regardless of the reason or time of year and as always you will not be able to sell or transfer your entry to another competitor. "
I would hope that their refund policy doesn't apply to situations such as this one, as it is completely out of the competitors hands as to whether the event will happen or not.

I'm surprised that registration is still open even though the Oliver Parks and Recreation Board stated that they will not allow any events in 2013 until an upfront payment is made by Outback. So, hopefully all parties involved get everything sorted out as it would be a shame to lose the Oliver races.

That's a bummer, I really enjoyed their events in 2010 & 2011 and thought the idea of paying an honorarium to the volunteer groups was a great one. Hope they all get paid and Outback Events gets back on track.

 

Ya I read that too.. I'm hoping that the no refund policy applies to this situation.. But unfortunately there's nothing we can do about it.

It's a shame to read that report. If I recall correctly, Joe had some issues to deal with last year, I believe with his wife's health, so I wonder if him dropping the ball to his creditors was the result. As far as Sylvan goes, I'd bet it would be the first to get axed from the series. I raced it both times since its post-construction "comeback" and found it quite small in terms of the number of entrants, making it tough to sustain. It is sandwiched right between two much larger HIM events, and too close to both time-wise to race to the best of your potential unless you're juicing. I too have registered for the 2013 GWN and Calgary 70.3 already, and was only thinking of Sylvan as a tune-up filler triple-brick training session if my schedule allowed and I was feeling fit, but I wasn't planning on registering until the last minute. Sylvan Lake is a great venue, there's no question about that, but I think the impact on the sport in Alberta would be minimal if it went away.

Dave

actually Joe and Sarah went separated i think about 18 months ago and were going through a divorce...i dont know nor do i want to know the details however it may have had an impact on the race management as well the way i hear it Sarah did the majority of the admin side of things

If it goes then an independant 140.6 would fit nicely

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___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Is it just me or has the Oliver Daily News website been pulled? I accessed it yesterday but keep getting the 403 Permission Denied page on both that story and the homepage.

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https://www.pbandjcoaching.com
https://www.thisbigroadtrip.com

http://oliverdailynews.com/

main page seems ok

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___________________________________________
http://en.wikipedia.org/...eoesophageal_fistula
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy
2020 National Masters Champion - M40-44 - 400m IM
Canadian Record Holder 35-39M & 40-44M - 200 m Butterfly (LCM)

Joe is a great guy. He has been very supportive of me throughout my career.
Joe is doing everything in his power to get back on his feet and put on quality races. Every single person on ST has hit though times before. Sometimes people just need some help and support of the people around them.

Hang in there Joe!

As a proud sponsor of the Outback Events races, we remain committed to supporting the races in any way we can. Joe and Sarah are going through a very tough time in their lives which unfortunately is spilling over into the business side of the race.

Having been race directors ourselves, we understand the hard work and effort it takes to put on a race. In the best of times it takes 110% effort and we can only imagine what it takes during the toughest of times. We, like you, set the bar high for races we support and this will not change. To this end we firmly stand behind the race and its organizers and have reached out to offer our support to ensure the triathlon community concerns are addressed and this race continues to meet the standards we all expect.

While being supportive we understand there are only 17 weeks left until race day. We are working hard to ensure any current concerns are addressed in a timely manner so the triathlon community and the running of the races is not negatively affected.

Tanya & Dave
Tri Geeks Multisport
www.trigeeks.ca

Jaymz wrote:

Is it just me or has the Oliver Daily News website been pulled? I accessed it yesterday but keep getting the 403 Permission Denied page on both that story and the homepage.

Probably the most traffic the site has ever seen just from people from the slowtwitch checking the site out. Going over its regular Bandwidth...

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http://www.nathanveldhoen.com
http://twitter.com/NateVeldhoen

Returning to Roots for Athlete Focused Season

When I started Outback Events it was with the goal of being an athlete focused organization. This is still my goal, to produce safe, fun, and successful events that create a fantastic experience for all athletes and spectators involved. We pride ourselves on operating as a highly interactive team who maintain close communication with athletes and volunteers to pro-actively manage all concerns and feedback. I will openly admit that throughout the past year, I have failed to communicate to the standards that athletes, community partners, and sponsors deserve and are accustomed to, and I would like to offer my sincerest apologies both as a company and an individual.

The past two years have been filled with challenges both personal and professional including my impending divorce with Sarah, the subsequent challenges of reorganizing a family business, the unexpected death of my father, and dealing with the most severe bout of depression that I have ever had these past six months. Admitting and accepting the diagnosis has been one of the toughest things I have ever faced. Learning to deal with the daily ups and downs and sometimes crippling bouts that occur has been tough. Coping with depression has been incredibly difficult as has realizing that with the changes for Sarah and myself, that I cannot move forward without the help that I’m currently receiving and support of friends. Despite concerted efforts, these personal difficulties negatively impacted the day-to-day functionality of operations and affected your race experience.

Funds were couriered out on Friday to clear and update our account with Oliver Parks & Recreation and I look forward to finalizing our 2013 bookings of facilities in the coming week.

Moving forward as I close up and clear the 2012 season, I am committed this year to re-establishing relationships my athletes, community groups, sponsors, suppliers and host communities to produce successful races and return to form.

I am looking forward to presenting another season of fun and successful athlete focused events.

Joe Dixon
joe@outbackevents.ca

God damn I love ya Joe!

I have also done the Oliver and Osoyoos Outback events and enjoyed them very much. Would I sign up again after reading the financial concerns? ONLY if Outback provides the volunteer groups with an honourarium and an apology. It is my understanding that Outback Events is a business and if so should be run as such. As a former volunteer race organizer I know how hard it is to get help. Please take care of these non-profit groups and let us all know when you do. Tough times or not, it is the right thing to do.