Well deserved. I really like the innovative stuff Premier is doing.

Well deserved, indeed! Congrats Dan!

Congrats to Dan! Also kudos for pushing the previous norms and showing another way. I love his attitude, and would absolutely love to be riding a Premier. Hopefully some day....

Keep up the great work Dan and Premier.

Way to go Dan! Well deserved indeed.

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Matt

Just a minor point of order:

Dan won the award. The bike was secondary to it. It's the complete business that Dan's created with Premier that let him earn that honor.

Also, it was pretty damn dusty in that room when he won.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Yeah I'll update thread title. I figured most people would identify Dan by Premier Tactical so I used the company in the title.

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

Understandable, for sure.

No mention of the Ron Smith Award winner? :P

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

is it possible that the 2017 edition of an award named for a big, strappin', ex navy seal, could be a testament to the power of a woman?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Perhaps.

Also, thanks for the hug post-Owen announcement. I was about to have a full breakdown.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter

Thank you - it was very unexpected and emotional for me.

With Anne HED and her kids there, knowing the back story behind Steve and having Slownan - Dan and Slowtwitch members there; it got the best if me and was hard to fight back tears.

I’ll do my best to live up to the honor.

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Dan Kennison

facebook: @triPremierBike
http://www.PremierBike.com
http://www.PositionOneSports.com

So deserved Dan. Congrats!

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Gary Geiger
http://www.geigerphoto.com Professional photographer

TEAM KiWAMi NORTH AMERICA http://www.kiwamitri.com, Rudy Project http://www.rudyprojectusa.com, GU https://guenergy.com/shop/ ; Salming World Ambassador; https://www.shopsalming.com

to those who don't know: rrhyeisler's lovely and talented wife, kelly burns gallagher, won the ron smith award. this is a very special award according to the old farts in triathlon, because ron smith was such a galvanizing influence on the futures of so many pro and AG triathletes in their formative years.

in all transparency we middle aged white men who conceived of the ron smith award at the time probably didn't consciously envision a woman winning the award. but, like all of society, our worlds got bigger as our narrow viewports were exposed to us. and it seemed to us the most important, impactful, the strongest, the most quietly forceful, the most earth moving personality in triathlon in 2017 was - and this was pretty well unanimous - kelly.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

My apologies but I didn't know anything about Ron Smith or this award. Congrats on your wife winning it!

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

Thanks Dan. Being an old fart, I wasn't familiar with him, or her. Perhaps a story in the making? You write so well.......

Congrats to rrhyeisler and his wife on the prestigious award. Thanks so much to those who give willingly back to this great sport.

here's some inside baseball. the conference ended at 1pm or so on sunday. we were all beat. but by 4pm ryan, kelly and i were still there strategizing in the empty ballroom, figuring out the in-the-cloud google docs and facebook groups as platforms to enable the action folks will want to take following the conference. that's ryan and kelly for you. that's some indication why kelly won this award, and she does this not just for TBI but for several other groups.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Wow! Sounds like you've got a great core of people so willing to take the next step. Hopefully I can help out as well. Thanks so much for this Slowman and all......

Congratulations, Dan. Well deserved.

Best wishes for continued success.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

The conference was really a fantastic step forward in cooperation and collaboration to grow the sport and enhance the overall focus. If you have not been to a TBI conference I hope you will join us next year. Good things are happening and everyone in the sport can have a seat at the table.


We have a new USAT leader "Rocky" that has the right background, skills and leadership qualities to do what needs to be done - to get our sport growing and expanding again. This is not another suit filling a seat. He asked for help in formulating and then working a plan and he got commitments from conference attendees and industry groups to work together for the first time.

I have been attending for many years and this was the first time it felt like a working conference - business is getting done at the conference on a small and large scale. People are talking out-loud in public about difficult topics - really good stuff.

Maybe its the relaxed format that Dan Empfield (new President TBI) brings to the three days or maybe its the deeper member inclusion - a delegation of content and perspective so others can bring fresh views. All I know is that its a meeting of the minds that will shape Triathlon's future and everyone should consider attending and helping shape our sport.

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Dan Kennison

facebook: @triPremierBike
http://www.PremierBike.com
http://www.PositionOneSports.com

Thanks Dan. I completely agree that it seems like a long overdue mix. I am really excited that Rocky can bring some new vision and share his expertise. He was a the "Big Leagues" and maybe some real changes will finally happen. Obviously Slowman is also such a great mover and shaker. I also agree that it seems for perhaps the first time I feel really efforts are being made to include all, instead of the fragmented tiers that overshadowed in the past. I'm signed up for the Time to Tri Initiative and hope to contribute in some way. I think this is a real chance to shake things up a bit and at least try to invigorate the sport. I'd love to be a more integral part next year! Thanks to you also for your breathe of fresh air into the sport.

I want to echo Dan (Kennison)'s comments.

This was the third year I have attended and presented at the TBI Conference (2015, 2016 and 2018) and this year was different. Dan (Slowman) and Karen and Jan and the entire staff at TBI did a fantastic job pulling together a conference made up of people with diverse interests and backgrounds. The group that assembled in Tempe was as reflective of the entire industry of triathlon as I have ever seen. For the first time in years it feels like things are moving in the right direction and that everyone left the conference energized. We are making progress and we will continue to make progress over the course of the next year.

I cannot recommend highly enough that if you have an interest in seeing triathlon succeed in the long term that you make your way to Tempe in January of 2019.

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@kburnsgallagher
http://www.somerandomthursday.com

I want to reiterate what Kelly said and in addition... Slowman also add a coach & club element to TBI and it was hit as well. The information that was delivered during the conference, the connections made, the buzz that followed - all super high quality. If you're a coach or at a leadership level of a club (or want to be in those positions), maker off 3 days in January next year. Well worth the trip.

Ian

PS and more to the OP: Dan Kennison is brilliant, congratulations

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

Watching Dan accept his award from the Hed family was pretty amazing to watch.


The TBI conference was top notch. Kiley and I have been strategizing our role nonstop these past several days, on the phone and on text today. Thanks Slowman for including us and we look forward to doing our part.

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram