"we'll put this issue to bed and get on to tri bikes and wetsuit materials and stuff like that."

Please do. Hash this out amongst yourselves somewhere else. You guys sound like a bunch of bickering old hens.

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RunFAR Racing Services
http://www.Run-far.com
Team Cambridge
Hilltop Bicycle Repair

"Hash this out amongst yourselves somewhere else."

when i built this forum i decided to attach a feature particular to those forums i deemed most successful. it is called the "thread title."

what this allows you, as a reader, to peruse those threads which may be of interest to you, omitting reading those which appear less in parallel with your personal interests.

it would be disheartening to find out that i went to all this extra work and expense in vain.

when i ponder your suggestion to "hash this out somewhere else," i think to myself, "self, where is it that things like this are hashed out," or, eschewing the ending of a sentence with a preposition, "...out which are hashed?"

"i know," myself says, "i'll hash these sort of things out on an internet forum."

"in fact," thought myself, "i'll build my own god damn forum, where i can establish threads that are of interest to myself, and allow others to establish threads that are of interest to them."

seems to me that system works pretty well.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Typical of any response I've seen from you---one that has been thought out waaaay to long. Or is it you just like to hear your head rattle???

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RunFAR Racing Services
http://www.Run-far.com
Team Cambridge
Hilltop Bicycle Repair

"this caused a shit storm"

Dan, many of us are totally bewildered what this is all about, especially those of us living outside the US and don't know anything about USAT.

IMO, your biggest sin is your unwillingness to admit that some people can ride well and then run well riding shallow angle non 650c wheel bikes. Shame on you.

"IMO, your biggest sin is your unwillingness to admit that some people can ride well and then run well riding shallow angle non 650c wheel bikes."

i'm out the door right now to ride my shallow-angle, non-650c bike.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

"i'm out the door right now to ride my shallow-angle, non-650c bike"

yes but, how will your run be afterwards?

Dude read other threads. If you don't like it don't read it. Like the other day I kept licking a live light socket and shoking the hell out myself and started giving the socket attitude. Then wife pointed out if I stopped licking the light socket and waked away I'd stop getting zapped.

So walk away and wait for my thread on which which female sport has the best bodies. That will be fun!

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

"yes but, how will your run be afterwards?"

nonexistent. which i guess means that my shallow angle won't have hurt it.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

"i guess means that my shallow angle won't have hurt it."

See. Now isn't this more fun discussing seat angles than duking it out with lawyers over USAT.

I like all this court room drama. It's like the court room with out the drama. Just as boring though. Keep it up Slowguy I need some sleep!

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

That's an easy one. Women's pro beach volleyball.

Mr. Tibbs,

It's the apathy you just expressed and many like you express that is contibuting to this problem. You want a clean sport but will not put forth the interest or effort to insure it.

Jack Weiss

   

"So walk away and wait for my thread on which which female sport has the best bodies."

Is mud wrestling a sport? If so, I think it would tie with beach volleyball.

Joe Moya

BTW, Slowman... sometimes defining your version of the truth can be a real bit*h. What were you thinking? Wait... that's the answer... you were thinking.... stop it, stop it right now - your a triathlete for god's sake. (and, yes... you CAN accuse me of being sarcastic :-)

Jack, maybe I'm slow, but I'm not sure I understand what "the interest or effort to insure it" that we as individual members of USAT can put forth to resolve "the problem". Could you elaborate and provide some suggestions?

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___________________________________



http://irondad06.blogspot.com/

http://irondad.blogspot.com/

Robert,

Thanks for responding. Here's the thing, Dan and I hardly ever agree on anything but we both share a real love and concern for triathlon, which I am sure you do as well. All of these threads and folks are generally "blowing off" what Dan and others are saying and that IS the problem.

We have an election that may have gone sour. As a Board member I may well be involved in the discussion. But more important how did it go sour. For years, USAT elections despite the best efforts of the Federation to publicize it have been a failure becuse the particpation rate is less then 10 percent. This despite the fact the the Federation literally puts the ballot in the athlete's hand. But the athletes complain and when asked to vote always say, "I don't know the candidate or the issues". Point is it's your $30.00 and as members we all need to get involved and be informed. I don't agree with the tactics several of the candidates took to get votes but I certainly as an office holder understand what drove them to do it. Each election USAT mails a ballot inside Triathlon Times to every USAT member. But unless you literally "badger" most folks, they don't vote. Makes it hard to win an election when you can get your friends and associates off their duff to simply fill out a ballot and mail it and the postage is free!

Now we have 3 elections: East, West and at-Large results in contest with an appeal/protest at USAT. This was allowed to happen because of apathy. A few have seen that the membership essentially does not care and thus may have overstepped their authority by attempting to "bend" the rules. Power in a vacuum is a dangerous condition. I won't go into that, that topic is going on elsewhere. But what is amazing is that very few reading this forum could care and some are literally "bored" by it all. Yet they complain about race prices, lack of support to the age group athlete, etc. and the apathy is further evidenced by the other topics that draw more responses.

What's needed: Everyone's personal awareness if not active involvement. At least learn who your reps are, what the hot topics are and how they affect you. Demand accountability from your USAT representatives. Vote when you are asked to and the opportunity presents itself. I know many out there have real jobs, families and other interests and that triathlon is suppose to be fun, but you can't keep taking from the sport and expect a certain level of satisfaction without giving something back. In this case following the politics if only as an observer and then being active by voting are 2 very important ways we can all give back. USAT replicates our society, a democracy. For such to work well, it needs responsible citizens

Sorry about the "Soap Box" but I really think we need a more active membership to forestall this election problem in the future.

Thanks,

Jack

You miss this. My mistake.

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I coudn't agree more.



USAT it's run like a company, for their own benefit, but seems like don't remember that they should benefit their triathlets.

Most of the triathlets don't care about politics, like you Mr. runningmanrick , your argumets are from a 5 years old kid.

I remember asking Mr Girard about entry fees and refounds, an issue in Northern California (for all the people outside US, we have to register 6 months to 1 year in advance, but if you don't race you don't get your money back, plus USAT has not policy about this). Of course Mr Girard has no answer for this. He was concern not to piss off Terry Davis (He puts 6000 triathlets at Wildflower, 6000 x 9 = $54.000 in 2 days!) or Team In Training than to give me ( a triathlete ) a convincing response.

Slowman keep up your work. You don't have to be polite. Things have to be told.

Okay, what did I miss here.

Thanks,

Jack

"Okay, what did I miss here."

i think teambam's post didn't "take." he meant to reply to what you said, and the only thing that came up was the part of your post he was quoting, not his reply. that sometimes happens on the forum. perhaps he'll post again with his intended reply, maybe telling you what an asshole your are, or what an asshole i am, and of course he'd be right on both counts :-)

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I edit my messagge, please check.

teambam

"...maybe telling you what an asshole your are, or what an asshole i am, and of course he'd be right on both counts :-) "

Maybe or Maybe not... but at least he didn't call you sneaky... now, THAT would be a fightn' word :-)

Joe Moya

Great response Jack, you hit the mail on the head as far as I am concerned.

I voted this year, as I have every year since USAT started having elections. I can't remember though if I did or did not vote for Jim G. I know I did last year but I don't think I did this year. Outside of all of the issues that Dan and Jack have pointed out, another thing that really bothers me about this is that Jim is the one person that could answer whether or not I voted for him since he has kept track of all of the votes that have cycled through "his" people. I know that he had a person, and appeared himself at a couple of our tri club meetings in San Diego, collecting ballots. I do know that I did not vote in this manner, and instead mailed mine in, so maybe my name doesn't appear on Jim's spreadsheet if I did or didn't vote for him. Does this not bother anyone else????

Not that Jim would do this, but I could see this particular scenerio happening down the road if this kind of thing is allowed to go on.

I, as a concerned triathlete hound my regional rep for some action on a particular matter relating to USAT. Mr./Ms. regional rep then pulls out their handy voter spreadsheet and thinks to him/herself, "well Mr. Plumb didn't vote for me according to my records, so I'll put his request at the bottom of the pile and get to it sometime in the next decade." I can see this kind of thing happening very easily, and once an official is elected, they become an official for their whole electorate, regardless if that particular person did or didn't vote for them. Again, not to say that Jim is or would do this, but if the way things were handled this time around and previously, we are not very far from this and maybe even worse types of misuse going on in the very near future.

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Mike Plumb, TriPower MultiSports
Professional Running, Cycling and Multisport Coaching, F.I.S.T. Certified
http://www.tripower.org

Yep Dan! Price of having an opinion.

Jack

"Most of the triathlets don't care about politics, like you Mr. runningmanrick , your argumets are from a 5 years old kid."

Teambam, you make me laugh. Let's get something straight. I did vote, and the person and region representing me is not in question here. I admit it---I'm guilty of political unknowingness, but I will bexome more invovlved with what goes on w/ USAT in the future. And I simply stated I could care less for politics on this site. Any thoughts on 650 vs. 700? Have a good day.

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RunFAR Racing Services
http://www.Run-far.com
Team Cambridge
Hilltop Bicycle Repair

Jack,

You mentioned that only about 10% of the members turn out to vote at USAT elections. I would also say that less than 10% of USAT members have ever posted on Slowtwitch or not much more than that have even heard of Slowtwitch. Sorry Dan.

That leaves 90%. I would guess that a huge portion of those members could really care less about USAT, its board members or the election. The only reason they are members in the first place is because they are required to be a member to do a USAT race or three.

"For years, USAT elections despite the best efforts of the Federation to publicize it have been a failure becuse the particpation rate is less then 10 percent."

So although 10% is a small percentage you cannot call it a failure because the other 90% could care less and really have no idea what USAT does other than to collect thier money each year. I would guess that at least the 10% who voted were up on some issues or knew the candidate they voted for. Having and educated 10% vote is better than having 100% turnout with 90% just checking any box for any candidate. If that were the case you might as well just flip a coin.

Willy in Pacifica

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Willy in Pacifica