Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Triathlon Team Rejection
Quote | Reply
I feel like there is a strong disconnect between what a triathlon "team" SAYS they want from an athlete and what they ACTUALLY want from said prospective athlete. I have two cases in point for my argument:

A little about me first: I raced as a BOP pro from 2012-2014. A few top 15s at Rev3 races (hoorayyyy...not) and a few sub 4:10 non wetsuit half ironman races. Lots of local/regional wins, but could never really hack my way into the top 8% in a $5000+ purse race so failed to requalify for my elite card. One could make the argument that I didn't deserve to race pro if I couldn't hit the requal standard, and I'd agree with you. I competed in XTERRA for a couple of years primarily after that, winning top 3 AG awards and qualifying for Maui, where my only distinction was being the fastest M30-34 swimmer in the field in 2016. This year I raced Santa Rosa 70.3, Deuceman Half, and Choo WC 70.3. None of the performances were standout, with the possible exception being 3rd AG at Santa Rosa after getting myself into casually good fitness over the winter.

I am active on ST (obviously), I have a relatively active social media presence, and a blog.

I was rejected from the EMJ team a couple of weeks ago. This time last year I was also rejected from the TriSports Elite team.

Am I butthurt about that? Well, yes and no. I make fun of EMJ guys all the time (not to their faces, but in a good natured way) and TriSports has had the ugliest uniforms known to man (with the exception of the USPRO Tri team's kits...woof), so I'm not sad to have to not make fun of myself for 2018. But it feels like a slight. I am pretty fast when I want to be. I have a social media presence. I'm active on ST (as much as it may annoy some of you). There are people on both of those teams that I could handily beat in sprints/oly's/half and out-social media (whatever the F that means) and yet...they do lots of IM branded events. No XTERRAs, very few local races.

So effectively, these teams are only contributing to the demise of local and regional racing at <70.3 distances because they clearly bias their membership towards Ironman focused athletes.

So my question to EMJ is: what do you actually WANT in your team members? You apparently mostly want people who awkwardly post about your various male products when they don't really post anything else, so it looks funny and out of place. You clearly want people who basically only do Ironman races (which I get, because that gives you the most exposure), but this is to the detriment of each athlete's local community.

Anyway, I should probably have posted this in the cry like a biatch thread. Let's commiserate on our rejection.
Last edited by: jkhayc: Dec 6, 17 11:05
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply


Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [BryanD] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
BryanD wrote:

Care to share some of that?
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Haycraft, I'm not sure if I'm more upset that you applied for EMJ or got rejected........

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [B_Doughtie] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
B_Doughtie wrote:
Haycraft, I'm not sure if I'm more upset that you applied for EMJ or got rejected........


Believe me, the internal conflict was raging.
Last edited by: jkhayc: Dec 6, 17 11:27
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
We reject 2 out of 5 teams that apply for our SwimRun NC event. But we would likely let you and a suitable partner in, as long as you do not act like a jerk. :-)
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [TulkasTri] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Plenty to go around

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Honestly, do you really want to be a part of a team that shills shit products? It doesn't seem like such a loss.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
jkhayc wrote:
I feel like there is a strong disconnect between what a triathlon "team" SAYS they want from an athlete and what they ACTUALLY want from said prospective athlete. I have two cases in point for my argument:

A little about me first: I raced as a BOP pro from 2012-2014. A few top 15s at Rev3 races (hoorayyyy...not) and a few sub 4:10 non wetsuit half ironman races. Lots of local/regional wins, but could never really hack my way into the top 8% in a $5000+ purse race so failed to requalify for my elite card. One could make the argument that I didn't deserve to race pro if I couldn't hit the requal standard, and I'd agree with you. I competed in XTERRA for a couple of years primarily after that, winning top 3 AG awards and qualifying for Maui, where my only distinction was being the fastest M30-34 swimmer in the field in 2016. This year I raced Santa Rosa 70.3, Deuceman Half, and Choo WC 70.3. None of the performances were standout, with the possible exception being 3rd AG at Santa Rosa after getting myself into casually good fitness over the winter.

I am active on ST (obviously), I have a relatively active social media presence, and a blog.

I was rejected from the EMJ team a couple of weeks ago. This time last year I was also rejected from the TriSports Elite team.

Am I butthurt about that? Well, yes and no. I make fun of EMJ guys all the time (not to their faces, but in a good natured way) and TriSports has had the ugliest uniforms known to man (with the exception of the USPRO Tri team's kits...woof), so I'm not sad to have to not make fun of myself for 2018. But it feels like a slight. I am pretty fast when I want to be. I have a social media presence. I'm active on ST (as much as it may annoy some of you). There are people on both of those teams that I could handily beat in sprints/oly's/half and out-social media (whatever the F that means) and yet...they do lots of IM branded events. No XTERRAs, very few local races.

So effectively, these teams are only contributing to the demise of local and regional racing at <70.3 distances because they clearly bias their membership towards Ironman focused athletes.

So my question to EMJ is: what do you actually WANT in your team members? You apparently mostly want people who awkwardly post about your various male products when they don't really post anything else, so it looks funny and out of place. You clearly want people who basically only do Ironman races (which I get, because that gives you the most exposure), but this is to the detriment of each athlete's local community.

Anyway, I should probably have posted this in the cry like a biatch thread. Let's commiserate on our rejection.

Also, we must quote this to have a written record of the whining.

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [B_Doughtie] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Why did you apply for a team that you make fun of? What reason did they give you for rejection? Perhaps it has something to do with crank length on your velotron.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [turdburgler] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
To be honest, I wasn't really sure WHY I applied. I think, in the end, it was mostly about wanting to feel important.

Now, the fact that I consider making the EMJ team to be a factor in "self importance" was probably the first signal that something was massively, massively wrong.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [Mike Alexander] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
They must have done a risk analysis on him and realized he may not buy enough shaving cream.

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [BryanD] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Haha oh man Bryan...you crack me up dude. You are one to talk.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
jkhayc wrote:
Haha oh man Bryan...you crack me up dude. You are one to talk.

I don't join teams. So let's talk about that?

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [BryanD] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm cracking up at the popcorn jokes!

To the OP: What do YOU want from a team? You know that many of these 'teams' consist largely of shills for the companies they represent.

Bottomline: You are clearly an elite triathlete. No need to be butt hurt about an IM-focused, marketing-oriented pseudo team. If you want to race local, then join a local club and don't look back.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [Mike Alexander] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Mike Alexander wrote:
Why did you apply for a team that you make fun of? What reason did they give you for rejection? Perhaps it has something to do with crank length on your velotron.

That's a good question. I think, as I alluded to in a post above, that I have somehow equated (mentally) being on a "team" like EMJ to being fast. Like, they've melded together. I am not fast if I am not on EMJ (or TriSports, or Snapple, or whatever). I have no rational explanation for why that is.

No reason, just a bunch of applications (I think close to 200) for a small (20ish maybe?) number of spots.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [HuffNPuff] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I think the sense of community and shared experience is what ultimately motivates me with regard to training and racing. I got into triathlon because running friends I had met were into tris. And so forth and so on, to the point that group workouts are really the only types of workouts I do at this point (hence me being in 'casually good' fitness back in May/June of this year) because the experience of the group workout matters more to me than the outcome. I wasn't like this when I first started taking tris seriously. I was all about the workout outcome, above all else.

So in a sense, being rejected from a team (in my mind) is like being rejected from a community.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
You know, it used to be a lot of fun racing against you locally. I enjoyed talking to you for gear knowledge and trying to become as fast as Haycraft.

Somewhere along the way it became more fun to troll people it seems and you moved away.

What will cause the demise of triathlon is egotistical athletes who think they are better than the average age grouper and who contribute nothing to help people in the sport.

Quit worrying about joining a team and just go crush races like you used too.

Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Should give yourself a slap for wanting to join a team called every man jack.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Here's another thought:

Where are the women's elite amateur teams? Am I just not aware of them or do they not exist?
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [Ian in Oz] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Funniest part in all of this, it wasn't til like 2 months ago talking to Bryan that I even knew what EMJ products were. I had no clue it was shaving products (had never heard of it as shaving product either). I just thought it was a play on words for a team name (kinda the john doe type of reference), as it's been an team for what last 2-3 years? Steve Mantell was 1st guy I knew/recognized from the team. I think you have to stay as an AG'er also (I know Mantell earned his elite card and took it at some point while either with EMJ or left after)?

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
Last edited by: B_Doughtie: Dec 6, 17 11:56
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [B_Doughtie] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
They're actually pretty solid products. Or at least, the shaving cream is. A little pricey, but noticeably better than Barbasol. So that's something.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [BryanD] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
BryanD wrote:
Quit worrying about joining a team and just go crush races like you used too.

And ultimately, that is the best advice and what EVERYone should be doing. Not worrying about "acceptance" or lack there of, and just go out and run shit.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Just trying to hit you with some brutal honesty here. You are what I would describe as an outspoken personality. Some people love it, some people hate it (they most likely take you the wrong way IMO). I'd take a guess that Team EMJ is going for the super nice guy image ("every man").

Personally, it looks like a fun group that I would like to be a part of (camps etc). I thought about applying but I doubted that I race enough to make it on the team, and I'd always kinda feel like a sellout for not racing for my local club.
Quote Reply
Re: Triathlon Team Rejection [jkhayc] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
jkhayc wrote:
I think, in the end, it was mostly about wanting to feel important.

Now, the fact that I consider making the EMJ team to be a factor in "self importance" was probably the first signal that something was massively, massively wrong.

Respect. It's very cool that you are able to see this in yourself.....most people can't/won't.
Quote Reply

Prev Next