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For a sport that makes so many competitive sacrifices in the name of 'spectator friendly' events, there certainly was not much thought about the spectators in scheduling and placement of the Olympic Trials. The two most important qualifiers are off the mainland and the third is relatively unimportant. The winner is not guaranteed a spot.
I don't know what to think of this logic? Great places to travel to, I suppose. Once again, the USAT seems to be operating outside of what is best for its members.
http://www.usatriathlon.org/fs_newsPC.asp?File=16-07-2003_1.txt
"Once again, the USAT seems to be operating outside of what is best for its members."
USAT is sometimes guilty of what you just suggested. but not in this case, i don't think. i believe that three things are paramount in this selection decision: that the pro athletes themselves be a large part of the process, that the races chosen are those which are likely to produce medal contenders, and that they occur at the right time frame.
in this case, i think all three races (including worlds) fit these parameters. last time around, dallas was chosen, and i believe money was part of that decision (like a sanction or site fee). this time around, money was not part of the equation, except that in each of these three races the athletes will be racing for some sort of reasonable prize purse.
USAT would tell you that i asked them some very pointed, very hard questions about this selection process. i was ready to write a very nasty article. but the more i discovered about the selection process the more i defanged myself.
the only remaining question for me is, how does bill burke get all these deals? basically, every meaningful deal that comes USAT's way that involved race direction (AARP, NYC, and these two races to name four) end up with bill burke directing them. it appears that he's just the right guy with the right kind of organization at the right price, but i'd be interested if other RDs see it that way.
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
I do not know anything about Bill Burke... or the race director selection politics. I am not part of the'industry'.
What I do know is that as a USAT member and a fan of triathlon, I do not have much of a chance of seeing the top contendors in the trails as I did last time around. Without of course a trip to Hawaii which is nearly always affordable...
Hey, maybe OLN or ESPN2 will pick it up and broadcast it three months later...
Dan, I have know Bill Burke since 1979 when he first got involved with the Cresent City Classic. I have also done 8 of his triathlons in the New Orleans area. Besides probably having the best price, Bill has probably the most mobile and efficient organization I have seen in triathlon or duathlon. He can put on a different multisport event in a different geographical setting every weekend from April to August and do eoch one in the most organized, fair, accurate and on-time way of any event I have ever attended. I am sure those who have done a Dannon event will say the same thing. I think Tim Yount knows this also. I also think there were only two other bids besides Bill's to be considered.
Bob Sigerson