How about Competition Age being how old you are on Dec 31 instead of just, you know, you're actual age

Also, got yelled at for my jersey being fully unzipped, which seems a bit asinine in 90+ degree weather

Rule: Uniforms with a front zipper may be unzipped to any length, provided, that (i) the zipper should be connected at the bottom of the uniform at all times.

In middle/long distance races, it gets even weirder:


I'm pretty sure this one's about sponsorship money, and making sure the logos that sponsors pay for, are visible in the finisher photos :)

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darrylh, vancouver, bc.
it's not about being really good at one sport, it's about being just a little better than average in three. oh, and it's about gadgets. buying lots and lots of expensive gadgets.

That’s not a weird rule that’s in the event an DQ was for mistaken identity. If it was mistaken but you still quit you have no way of rectifying the result. But if you finish you get that spot back. Yes it’s happened in races before. Always finish a race and/or serve your penalty. Then you can protest and get it right.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

The age rule really screwed me when I was racing BMX in my younger years. I raced at UCI worlds when I was 7 but had to ride in the age 8 expert class. Felt like everyone was a foot taller than me.

Here's a weird rule - you're allowed to wear 5mm of neoprene on your entire body in 83.9 degree water for a 2.4 mile swimming leg

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Strava

I hate the rule that says you have to stand of the national anthem. What if you are not from this country or you want to sit and not partake in the national pride. According to the USAT, I cannot sit or kneel for the national anthem. That is an unconstitutional rule and I should have the right to not participate in the anthem. Btw, I served in the Military too, so save me violins playing.

To be fair, that's a USAT thing to allow it in that "optional" range, and even then it amounts to a DQ (they don't say it outright, but that's what it is). I am with you in that I would prefer the wetsuit be used for its intended purpose (to keep you warm) and lower that cutoff to something around 73 degrees, however in the interest of keeping this sport alive I will concede that if people want to try to kill themselves by swimming in hot water in 5mm of neoprene, so be it.

flyinryan wrote:

The age rule really screwed me when I was racing BMX in my younger years. I raced at UCI worlds when I was 7 but had to ride in the age 8 expert class. Felt like everyone was a foot taller than me.

Out of all NHL players drafted bewtween 1980 and 2007:

• 36% were born in January, February, or March
• 14.5% were born in October, November, December

At a young age, the kids like you who had to compete with the older kids had less opportunity to shine because older kids tend to be taller and stronger. Those taller and stronger kids then get sent to the better camps with better coaches and excel while the younger kids fall behind.


Because of this, if you had to bet your life on what month and NHL player was born on, always guess January.

Sauce: https://www.nhl.com/...in-the-year/c-657724

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"If it costs you 30 minutes at Maryland so what" -dwreal

A couple of weeks ago some of my ex-military friends got together to re-hash old times. This came up with a few people getting all bent out of shape about disrespecting the flag that we fought for. I looked at them and asked "Isn't the right to do that what we actual fought for, the ideas, and not the flag itself?" Dead silence.

People don't understand that the thing that makes this country great is fact that people can do things like that and not be hauled off to a secret prison.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

I didn't know that was a rule, but I feel ya. I hate the anthem being played for EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I continue to get ready and then stare at all the people as its going on wondering if they are tired of this shit as much as I am.

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Use this link to save $5 off your USAT membership renewal:
https://membership.usatriathlon.org/...A2-BAD7-6137B629D9B7

I think the whole national anthem thing is over done and even borderline Facist.

Today's farce illustrates what a miserable fun-sponge bunch of c××xs run the ITU. No wonder all the the reports of the sport in decline.

Next they'll have rules to DQ someone for something as utterly farsical as having a zip undone by half an inch.
Oh hang on... they already have that rule.

Meanwhile they're happy to brush doping offences under the carpet.

Not doing the image of the sport ANY good at all. In fact making it look bleedin' petty and stupid.

That rule makes perfect sense. It would suck to qualify for your age group championship on August 1st at age 39 and then not be able to compete in the actual championship on September 1st at age 40.

Dec. 31 is great because that date is stone cold offseason. It lets you complete at one age for an entire season.

I am a former USAT Cat 1 Official - can you please show me in the rules of competition where this is, as I have never read or seen this written? Thanks

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Graham Wilson
USAT Level III Elite Coach
http://www.thewilsongroup.biz

Except for that fact that it greatly disadvantages people with late birthdays (mainly at younger ages where a year gap makes up a substantially larger portion of their life). Gladwell does an interested write up on the same situation with hockey players and how the majority of NHL players have Jan/Feb/Mar birthdays for this precise reason.

And to your point, you can qualify for a national/world championship in sep/oct/nov/dec and be racing it the next year anyway. So I don’t buy that argument

There are NHL age-groupers? I don't understand....




Maybe in triathlon? I've never seen that before. (not a triathlete). My experience is running, rowing and cycling, mostly.

I still think in the predominant world of masters/age-groupers the notion of a Competition Age on a year boundary greatly simplifies things, and makes great sense.

Edit: And even in your presumably triathlon case where you can race an age-group championship the year after you qualified it would take rules language that's at least equally confusing. E.g. something like "Your Competition Age for the championship event is the age you qualified at, rather than, you know, your actual age." Is that better somehow?

I qualified for USAT AG Nationals in October 2012 racing in M35-39. In Aug 2013 when the race took place, I was racing M40-44.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Easy example... you are 39 years old. You race a late season IM like IMMD, IMAZ or IMFL and you KQ. You go to Kona in September the next year in the M40-44 age group.

Yeah, OK, triathlon is nutty.

USAT specifically told me this applies:

3.3 General Conduct. At or during an event, or while at the event site, all participants must:

a. Act in compliance with these Competitive Rules;
b. Conduct themselves in a manner that is not offensive in any way to fellow participants, spectators, officials or volunteers and is considered reasonable and acceptable in the community;

Why is this nutty? It seems perfectly logical to me. But I also fully agree with the rule that says your age is as of 12/31 that year. Maybe because that gives me a slight advantage as my birthday is in December so I always race one year up. Consequently I get to race in M40-44 next year as a 39 year old. Admittedly that sounds weird on the surface but it makes sense when you think it through. I would also be fine if it was switched to Jan 1 even though that takes away that ever so slight advantage I might have.