While I hope to see triathlon hit the critical mass to become a widespread varsity sport, I also hope that USAT sees value in supporting non-varsity college triathlon clubs. The biggest event in our area is the "Tri-The-Illini" Sprint which is put on by the University of Illinois Triathlon club. It draws a good mix of local age group triathletes and club-level teams from numerous other colleges and universities in the region. While the vast majority of the club athletes are far, far removed from ever being Olympic trials qualifiers or ITU professioanals, they're potential USAT local/regional/national event participants for decades to come, as well as potential "influencers" in their peer groups now and in the future. The most hope I've ever had for the future sustainability of local, short-course triathlon was after attending that event.

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"They're made of latex, not nitroglycerin"