After plowing thru 100 odd posts on TNT and Clydes something funny hit me. Reread those posts and substitute the words Age Grouper in for TNT or Clydesdale. Or if you want to be nonPC put in Physically Challenged Athletes. There you have a mirror image of yourself.
Before I get thrown out of the forum, The wheelchair, para, blind, and Special Olympic people are all great athletes. If you get a chance to hang with them, they can teach you a lot about humor and grit.
So why do we need five year age groups any way? Men reach their cardiovascular and strength max in their early to mid thirties and can hold it to almost 40. So have a Under 18 age group, a scratch or senior age group 18-40. A 40 to 55 age group and an old fart 55 plus . Should their be a differention from a perfectly healthy 30 year old and a 31 year old? If so why?
The only reason for age groups is to give some middle aged want to be’s an nice award. Or maybe we should have one year age groups so you can compete against people your own age. But wait, then some of those people would be eleven months younger than you too. So maybe half year age groups would be better.
I have won over all triathlons, age groups, clydesdale style races, and made a couple national teams. BFD I am old, fat and still like to suit up and give it a go sometimes. The best race I ever saw was the YMCA Fatman Futility run in 1985. I made huge trophys out of old leftover trophys (the winner was around 5 feet tall), served milk and cookies at the aid station, and had around 150 of the happiest runners I have ever seen in a race. The lightweight class was 180 lbs and the super sumo was 280lbs plus for a 2.46 mi random picked distance run.
As a race director with over 50 events I have directed, I have heard every whine there is like" Hey we had 3 guys in the 70 + age group and only two trophies. Like, how come?"
Where did the 5 year thing come from any way? Having been 165 lbs and 230lbs,I promise you that there is a lot bigger difference between big and small in speed than being 10 years older.
There is no finer feeling in the world at that time than coming to the finishline as an over all winner, the rest of us are just also rans. Hey lets go have some fun out there. And what about those foreigners? G
“The only reson to have age groups is to give some middle age wanna-be’s a nice award.”
How right you are, but, in that the sport offers something people don’t easily get somewhere else: Recognition. I don’t see the harm in that. So many people have stuck with the sport because they have had a good experience with age group competition. That’s important to the future of the sport. I think age groups are the foundation of triathlons.
I hear what you are saying.
I think that it is part of the everyone’s-a-winner mentality that started to take hold a few years ago. First there were age-groups. Then seperate Elite/pro. Then weight categories. Then . . sub in your sub-group. Nothing wrong with it really, but it can turn the awards ceremony at even the smallest race a seperate endurance event all it’s own!!
In reality there should only be a three divisions in a race - junior, open and masters in each sex, so six all together. That’s the way is was in distance running years ago and it’s the way that most other international sports governing bodies recognize age groups. When you are under 20 you are a junior. 21 - 39 you compete in the open category and when you are 40 + you are a master. Not sure on this but, perhaps the 5 year age-groups and all the other sub-groups are made up by national, state/province or individual races. It’s their discreation to do this so they do.
In reality there should only be a three divisions in a race - junior, open and masters in each sex, so six all together.<<
I did a 1/2 IM in New Zealand in December where there 12 people total on the podium: 1,2,3 m/f overall and 1,2,3 m/f Veterans (over 40). That was it. Of course, they did give a few spot prizes for funny things and the party after raged until the wee hours which was more important than everyone getting a prize.
In reality there should only be a three divisions in a race - junior, open and masters in each sex, so six all together.
I agree with you, Fleck, and made this same argument on a different forum. The only other thing I would like to see is the open division broken down into categories as in cycling. This provides a goal to aim for and the recognition that Tom speaks of as we move up in category.
dave judice
I just wish someone would start a “balding, almost big enough to be a clyde,middle-aged, non-athletic, reformed drunk named Tom division” so I could have a crack at a trophy. Race directors–are you listening?
Great post, G-Man.
I had a somewhat similar thought last night as I made my way through a trainer workout: to anyone who argued that clydes/athenas need to get smaller (via diet, drugs, whatever), I say “screw that, YOU need to get bigger.”
“There was no ‘little guy’ football or basketball division when I was in school!” Too friggin’ bad. You shoulda done 'roids and gone on a growth hormone. “I’m sooooooo small!” Sucks to be you, dude. Try bulking up via weight lifting or something. Maybe eat some food, too.
Now, I don’t believe a word of what I just wrote. They’re merely examples of how to reverse some of the lame-assed arguments made here over the past few days. No one should do drugs, and if you’re a 140-pounder, you’re a 140 pounder: you are who you are, and your body type is your body type. Granted, many clydes could lose some weight, but many others can’t! It’s just as hard for someone big to lose weight as it is for a little person to gain it. (Come on little guys, you know you’ve tried to gain healthy weight at times! Many of you just couldn’t, right?)
Now as far as the clyde class goes, even though I’m roughly 190 pounds of muscle (and therefore qualify as a clyde in some races) I race AG, and have taken home my share of hardware. I just don’t enjoy reading hypocritical posts from people whose own arguments can just as easily be turned around onto them.
Later.
Good one Tom!
At Wildflower Oly, I’m going for the win in the had major surgery less than 8 weeks ago category.
Why all this concern over racing groups? At the end of the day we are all racing our own limits anyway. If you get hardware, great, fine, hooray. Did you beat yourself today?
“There was no ‘little guy’ football or basketball division when I was in school!” Too friggin’ bad. You shoulda done 'roids and gone on a growth hormone. “I’m sooooooo small!” Sucks to be you, dude. Try bulking up via weight lifting or something. Maybe eat some food, too.
No, it is actually great to be me! I eat any and everything I want and my weight always stays between 150-160 pounds. I can wear any clothes I want off the rack. I can wear a speedo to the beach and look great! At 40-years-old, even if I am out of shape, I can beat most triathletes at any race. In business meetings I get to look at fat old men who have trouble running down an elevator door, and know I will never be like that.
Man it would suck being a Clydsedale.
For your info, most of us who were not tall enough to play basketball or heavy enough to play football, did not whine. We went and participated in a sport that suited our builds. Be it cross country or soccer or track or some other sport. Now however, since the big guys want to participate in a sport that they are not suited to, instead of sucking it up or participating in a sport better suited to tall, big, slow guys, they whine like little girls about “wanting their own division.” “It just isn’t fair that we are tall, big, slow, and hairy.”
Now I didn’t mean anything that I just wrote. No, wait I did. But I don’t really care if there is a clydes division or not. Won’t affect me at all. I just thought your post was a lame.
That’s exactly the reasoning. I’m a 140 pounder… if I want to win bodybuilding shows or become a good football player then I’m going to have to change my body type. If a clyde wants to be a competitive triathlete then he’s going to have to change his body type…
For me to get to 200lbs it’d be hard, but given some desire, knowledge I already have, 2 years, and a lot of gear and I could do it. Till then I won’t complain about not being competitive in bodybuilding.
GT- Sorry to read that you replied to my message’s spirit of open-mindedness, understanding and acceptance with vitriol and venom. (“It’d suck to be a clyde.” Wow.) Until now, I’ve always respected your posts and the thoughts expressed therein; however, you’ve just displayed to us all your mean spirit and divisive nature. Thank you.
Sorry to read that you replied to my message’s spirit of open-mindedness, understanding and acceptance with vitriol and venom.
I say “screw that, YOU need to get bigger.”
Too friggin’ bad. You shoulda done 'roids and gone on a growth hormone.
Sucks to be you, dude.
After lame disclaimer
(Come on little guys, you know you’ve tried to gain healthy weight at times! Many of you just couldn’t, right?)
I just don’t enjoy reading hypocritical posts from people whose own arguments can just as easily be turned around onto them.
Does “open-mindedness, understanding and acceptance” go hand-in-hand with “compassionate conservatism?”
That last post of yours was funny as hell! You were digging to make a lame point, admit it. Jeez.
Okay- I vote for “man who rides an expensive bike, is NOT very athletic, but has finger puppet on Fuel Belt (and wears the Fuel Belt even in a 5K run race) and does whimsical newsletters about it” age group award.
This should go along with “man/woman who wear cargo shorts and race day T-shirt with hiking boots and rides discount store mountain bike” awards, and the “man/woman who wears bum bag large enough to carry two days worth of food and rides a borrowed 20-year old discount store road bike” award.
We gotta include everyone, now.
I had to jump in here IF you ever liked , agreed, or thought about anything GT wrote then you are in great need of counseling! While I’m at it Andrew is a DORK!!! and the French suck : ]
This could get fun