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70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go???
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I realize the double can be challenging, but I thought it was interesting that a not a single American male accepted a 70.3 Worlds slot, outside of a single roll-down Surely there is someone who thinks that training for 70.3 Worlds, then sticking around in Australia or heading straight to Kona for one last training block is a reasonable idea. Apparently not. Will be interesting to compare this list with next years in Chattanooga.


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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
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Hey!! I am on the list!!! well...the Age group list :-)

Kirk Noyes

Downtubes are for Dinosaurs

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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
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Everyone in the world knows that Americans don't like to leave America. And usually can't identify 10 other countries in the world outside of the USA.

Rhymenocerus wrote:
I think everyone should consult ST before they do anything.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [PJC] [ In reply to ]
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tie me kangaroo down sport, tie me kangaroo down
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [mdtrihard] [ In reply to ]
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Probably pissed that they can't bring their M16s..
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [PJC] [ In reply to ]
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
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reading that new race format, give me Duffy for the Win!

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [zedzded] [ In reply to ]
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zedzded wrote:
Probably pissed that they can't bring their M16s..

Oh, that is it. Brilliant!
Because Andy Potts always carries his??

Team Zoot So Cal
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
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The bright side is it allowed a bunch of other male pros to race.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
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Just remember to yell 'on your right' and not the other way around 😜
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [PJC] [ In reply to ]
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PJC wrote:
Everyone in the world knows that Americans don't like to leave America. And usually can't identify 10 other countries in the world outside of the USA.
Really? Everyone knows this? Yes, we "Americans" can be really closed-minded.

Actually I saw quite a few Canadians on the list.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Thomas Gerlach] [ In reply to ]
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Seems like a high risk, low return on investment for a lot of pros, with far less prestige than Kona. Looking at the list, what are the odds of a pro triathlete winning enough money just to break even on the cost of the trip? It's pretty much the same argument we use when pros put a lot of resources to take a financial loss in Hawaii and we give them crap for it.






Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Tri-Banter] [ In reply to ]
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There's two US male pros racing and I think it's lousy that there isn't more. I know it's a home race for us Aussies, but in years past Vegas and Mont Tremblant for instance, there would be at least a dozen Aussies racing abroad.

Not everything is about making money or a return on investment as a pro. At least this is not the Aussie way. It's a World Championship. You put yourself in the race because you want to test yourself against the best. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't. Everytime we race we take risks, financial or otherwise. Why should a trip to Australia be any different? You put yourself in the race because it's an experience. This amazing sport we do gives us an opportunity to travel, experience different countries and different cultures that we wouldn't experience otherwise. To forsake this because you might lose a couple K here and there is retarded.

When it's all said and done, I want two things out of triathlon; to know I did everything I could with my given talent to be the best I could be, and to have one heck of an experience that I couldn't have had in any other career.

http://www.josh-amberger.com/
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [hey_burgs] [ In reply to ]
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hey_burgs wrote:
There's two US male pros racing and I think it's lousy that there isn't more. I know it's a home race for us Aussies, but in years past Vegas and Mont Tremblant for instance, there would be at least a dozen Aussies racing abroad.

Not everything is about making money or a return on investment as a pro. At least this is not the Aussie way. It's a World Championship. You put yourself in the race because you want to test yourself against the best. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't. Everytime we race we take risks, financial or otherwise. Why should a trip to Australia be any different? You put yourself in the race because it's an experience. This amazing sport we do gives us an opportunity to travel, experience different countries and different cultures that we wouldn't experience otherwise. To forsake this because you might lose a couple K here and there is retarded.

When it's all said and done, I want two things out of triathlon; to know I did everything I could with my given talent to be the best I could be, and to have one heck of an experience that I couldn't have had in any other career.

Going back to 2014 and 2013. Looks like there were 10 and 11 Aussies that raced pro male, not quite at least a dozen. Yes it is more, but the big difference is that 70.3 worlds date coincides well with the American/Euro race season, lots of Aussies are already in the area. Whereas it is the off-season for races in Australia so no Americans are really in Australia racing at the time. There is a big difference flying around the world for a 70.3 versus already being on the continent and just flying to the race that week.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [hey_burgs] [ In reply to ]
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hey_burgs wrote:
There's two US male pros racing and I think it's lousy that there isn't more.

Did you count Appo as one of those Americans?
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [hey_burgs] [ In reply to ]
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hey_burgs wrote:
Not everything is about making money or a return on investment as a pro. At least this is not the Aussie way. It's a World Championship. You put yourself in the race because you want to test yourself against the best. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't. Everytime we race we take risks, financial or otherwise. Why should a trip to Australia be any different? You put yourself in the race because it's an experience. This amazing sport we do gives us an opportunity to travel, experience different countries and different cultures that we wouldn't experience otherwise. To forsake this because you might lose a couple K here and there is retarded.

Cute speech and all, but some athletes are trying to make ends meet as pros (and very often failing) and simply don't have "a couple K here and there" to throw around for the sake of a good experience.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Tri-Banter] [ In reply to ]
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Tri-Banter wrote:
Seems like a high risk, low return on investment for a lot of pros, with far less prestige than Kona. Looking at the list, what are the odds of a pro triathlete winning enough money just to break even on the cost of the trip? It's pretty much the same argument we use when pros put a lot of resources to take a financial loss in Hawaii and we give them crap for it.

Serious question. If you are a pro American and can't line up a homestay not just for the 70.3 but also a training block to do there after the race before Hawaii, then you're not that enterprising. Literally the only cost for the trip should be flight if they do this properly through their Aussie buddy network. I am sure a lot of Aussie age groupers would be glad to host an American pro for month long training block afterwards. Finally the entire debate of "I won't make money doing xyz" in pro triathlon is borderline silly. If a pro triathlete is doing this for money they are in the wrong profession outside of the top 5. For the rest, its more about the life experience they are getting before they go back to the rest of the world and have to do a conventional job. In that context, a trip to race in Aus is probably a good cost benefit from a lifetime experience perspective. They might make some connections that allow them to make a lot more money/opportunity than if they stay home too by expanding their professional network of business contacts at 70.3 WC. It's like going to a convention in other industries where you can access many decision makers.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [PubliusValerius] [ In reply to ]
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PubliusValerius wrote:
Cute speech and all, but some athletes are trying to make ends meet as pros (and very often failing) and simply don't have "a couple K here and there" to throw around for the sake of a good experience.
Did you check who you were responding to? (hint: signature)

if you can read this
YOU'RE DRAFTING!
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [PubliusValerius] [ In reply to ]
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Risk vs reward, plus the ITU long distance championship is in the US this year so the US pros have a better chance of making money doing two local races instead of making a long trip and not making any money unless they are in the top 5 (prize money minus the expenses).

There are several men that train in the US most of the time that are racing like Tim Don but he has a better chance of winning this year than the current US crop. Guys like Beals are working their way to the top but not quite there yet.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [flogazo] [ In reply to ]
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flogazo wrote:
PubliusValerius wrote:

Cute speech and all, but some athletes are trying to make ends meet as pros (and very often failing) and simply don't have "a couple K here and there" to throw around for the sake of a good experience.

Did you check who you were responding to? (hint: signature)

Yes, I know who he is and it doesn't make his opinion valid. He sounds like a child who doesn't understand adult financial realities.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [PubliusValerius] [ In reply to ]
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PubliusValerius wrote:
hey_burgs wrote:
Not everything is about making money or a return on investment as a pro. At least this is not the Aussie way. It's a World Championship. You put yourself in the race because you want to test yourself against the best. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't. Everytime we race we take risks, financial or otherwise. Why should a trip to Australia be any different? You put yourself in the race because it's an experience. This amazing sport we do gives us an opportunity to travel, experience different countries and different cultures that we wouldn't experience otherwise. To forsake this because you might lose a couple K here and there is retarded.


Cute speech and all, but some athletes are trying to make ends meet as pros (and very often failing) and simply don't have "a couple K here and there" to throw around for the sake of a good experience.

See Josh Amberger just confimed exactly what I was saying above. If you are a pro in this sport and you are doing it based on financial decisions, you picked the wrong profession. Most pro triathletes are reasonably smart and often decently educated and could make a lot more MONEY doing something else, but they are putting aside MAKING MONEY for the competition, the experience and the personal enrichment that comes with racing with and against people globally and the associated travel and cultural experiences.

Josh good to see you have your head on straight. Maybe you can drive that enlightenment into the heads of others. Also to Josh, I think you guys in Australian and New Zealand are used to having to get on a plane and go global across all sports to "compete"....swimming, track, cricket, rugby, tennis. That's just what Aussie and Kiwi athletes do. Here in North America, we have an isolated world view. If you play football, basketball, hockey, baseball, you don't have to leave this continent for the 'best competition", so this mentality generally filters down in the culture across sports. Maybe the Canadian athletes feel some greater commonwealth connection to going overseas, but we're still pretty "localized" in mindset.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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Serious question- do these pros have families? It's one thing for a single guy/ gal to spend their minuscule amounts of cash to travel 1/2 way around the world, get there 2-weeks before the race, stay an extra month, then spend more of their money they didn't make at the race to go to Hawaii a month later. When all is said and done, their 2-months removed from the ones they love. Potts has gone public saying that he's got his family in mind when he decides on races.

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Finally the entire debate of "I won't make money doing xyz" in pro triathlon is borderline silly. If a pro triathlete is doing this for money they are in the wrong profession outside of the top 5.
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I would agree with you on the average race but not in a World Championship. Perhaps I have a different mindset, but if I'm going to the WC, I plan on doing well. I want to win the cash, I want the points, I want to compete. If you're going for the experience, then there are a plethora of great races easily done and less the cost. I finished 17th at the WC probably means less than I'm the reigning Champion at IM 70.3 ______ (insert any other race name here) to the sponsors. I find the 'lifetime experience' argument more silly than the potential to make money. There are so many ways to gain life experience, even in the context of sport, that doesn't include needing to travel as far away from your home for a race as physically possible.






Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [devashish_paul] [ In reply to ]
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devashish_paul wrote:
See Josh Amberger just confimed exactly what I was saying above. If you are a pro in this sport and you are doing it based on financial decisions, you picked the wrong profession. Most pro triathletes are reasonably smart and often decently educated and could make a lot more MONEY doing something else, but they are putting aside MAKING MONEY for the competition, the experience and the personal enrichment that comes with racing with and against people globally and the associated travel and cultural experiences.

I don't think you understand the point. If you are a pro in this sport and want to continue being a pro in this sport, you need to stay solvent. You need to make ends meet. Unless you have some sort of exogenous resources -- parents, significant other, spouse, savings from like as investment banker, etc. -- you have to be very very good and/or extremely smart with your spendingjust to stay afloat. Look how good Cody Beals is, and how scrupulous, and he still lives under his parents roof. It would be insanely dumb for an athlete who has no money and has next to no chance to make any money at 70.3 worlds, to shell out "a few K" for a lovely experience and personal enrichment across the world. That is groceries for six months. If you can swing it, then by all means...but most can't, especially if they are already trying to swing that kind of experience and personal enrichment in October on the big island.

I think you have too much money for this conversation, Dev, or at least don't remember what it's like to be dirt poor.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [Tri-Banter] [ In reply to ]
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Tri-Banter wrote:
Serious question- do these pros have families? It's one thing for a single guy/ gal to spend their minuscule amounts of cash to travel 1/2 way around the world, get there 2-weeks before the race, stay an extra month, then spend more of their money they didn't make at the race to go to Hawaii a month later. When all is said and done, their 2-months removed from the ones they love. Potts has gone public saying that he's got his family in mind when he decides on races.

---
Finally the entire debate of "I won't make money doing xyz" in pro triathlon is borderline silly. If a pro triathlete is doing this for money they are in the wrong profession outside of the top 5.
---
I would agree with you on the average race but not in a World Championship. Perhaps I have a different mindset, but if I'm going to the WC, I plan on doing well. I want to win the cash, I want the points, I want to compete. If you're going for the experience, then there are a plethora of great races easily done and less the cost. I finished 17th at the WC probably means less than I'm the reigning Champion at IM 70.3 ______ (insert any other race name here) to the sponsors. I find the 'lifetime experience' argument more silly than the potential to make money. There are so many ways to gain life experience, even in the context of sport, that doesn't include needing to travel as far away from your home for a race as physically possible.

Having seen what goes on at both Kona at 70.3 WC, I think the lifetime experience angle for a young person (in that I mean any pro from 20-34) is worthwhile. These guys are not making much off this sport, and there is more to life than money. Working in an industry where we can make decent coin, pretty well the only thing I remember through my career is what we achieved, the the life changing experiences....how much was on a paycheque, or what the EPS was this quarter or now much market share we got from the competition well all that stuff just blends in.

Most of these pros when they are done racing, they won't remember the size of any given 2nd tier paycheque. They will remember the racing experience, the comraderie with fellow pros and age groupers and the cultural experiences. Pretty well all my friends in my age group (50-54) who raced pro in triathlon, what they remember is what Josh is pointing out. They have all moved on to different careers doing the regular everyman grind. No need to do the everyman grind while you are your own boss as a pro long course triathlete. Once they are working in the everyman world and have maybe 2 weeks of vacation they won't be able to do stuff like this.
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Re: 70.3 Worlds Start List - No Pro Americans Want To Go??? [PubliusValerius] [ In reply to ]
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PubliusValerius wrote:
devashish_paul wrote:
See Josh Amberger just confimed exactly what I was saying above. If you are a pro in this sport and you are doing it based on financial decisions, you picked the wrong profession. Most pro triathletes are reasonably smart and often decently educated and could make a lot more MONEY doing something else, but they are putting aside MAKING MONEY for the competition, the experience and the personal enrichment that comes with racing with and against people globally and the associated travel and cultural experiences.


I don't think you understand the point. If you are a pro in this sport and want to continue being a pro in this sport, you need to stay solvent. You need to make ends meet. Unless you have some sort of exogenous resources -- parents, significant other, spouse, savings from like as investment banker, etc. -- you have to be very very good and/or extremely smart with your spendingjust to stay afloat. Look how good Cody Beals is, and how scrupulous, and he still lives under his parents roof. It would be insanely dumb for an athlete who has no money and has next to no chance to make any money at 70.3 worlds, to shell out "a few K" for a lovely experience and personal enrichment across the world. That is groceries for six months. If you can swing it, then by all means...but most can't, especially if they are already trying to swing that kind of experience and personal enrichment in October on the big island.

I think you have too much money for this conversation, Dev, or at least don't remember what it's like to be dirt poor.

I know exactly what it is like to be dirt poor even though I am not like that now. I also know that you can do a lot while poor out of close to nothing. When i was 18 I spent 3 weeks bike touring in Europe on my bike off $335 (yes it was the 80's so call it $1000 now). I just lived on baguettes, jam, espressos, lived in a tent that I packed up every day, and ate cold food out of cans and the odd fruit. I realize that this is not how to live as a pro athlete, but just using an example that you don't need a lot to live. I saved all year for my $600 airfare for this

If pro want to get to the Worlds, I am certain an enterprising one would be able to get local age grouper buddies to free up some air miles and local aussie age groupers to host. Then all you have to do is come up with your grocery money....and you don't have to be dirt poor because your earnings suck from triathlon. You can get some revenue coaching age groupers, running some camps for them, working at Home Depot part time....whatever it takes to generate revenue to eat because you really can't train 60 hours per week. Even if you train 30 hours per week you have 30 hours to work at local bike store or wait tables at restaurants etc etc. There is no excuse to having no revenue (in a developed country) other than lacking initiative and just wanting to train and do nothing else.
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