This is the site you must visit to register for Team USA and you will be required to pay $300 to be on the team. This will include a variety of services including race registration, availability of a support staff at the race and a parade package
ok, let’s say registration for worlds is $100USD, that leaves $200 for the “availability” of support staff + parade package. If the parade package is $25, then that’s $175 for support staff.
Now what do they do for you for $175.
Thanks.
I believe the entry fee is $200, the rest is for travel for all the USAT people… The $200 I understand, it’s the entry fee, I never liked the other fee…
really, $200 for an olympic distance race?? the swim caps must be made of gold…nope it’s vancouver there probably made of heroin or marijuana.
I was a little dismayed at that too…not only do have to pay all my own travel, I MUST buy the team USA uniform, and MUST pay $300 too??? I also like how they mention massage therapy is available, but for another fee. Uhh, I thought like, you know, the better you get, the less you have to pay for stuff… I think I’ll skip out on the supposed “Team USA” events!
Let’s apply this theory to your job…the better you do, not only will we not pay you more, but we’ll actually pay you less! Huh?
From what I understand you also have to buy the official team uniform. They have a sponser but the last time i looked the Team uniform cost more than a custome team uniform from the same supplier. This was a few years ago, but essentially USAT was making a proft by selling you a uniform. Also, if you were on the team in a previous year, the uniform changes so you must buy a new on every year.
Styrrell
Uhh, I thought like, you know, the better you get, the less you have to pay for stuff…
That’s when you’re good enough for the olympics or similar, triathlon worlds isn’t very important to anyone except those participating and team usa is not exactly super elite (some members are but some definitely aren’t…)
If you want to use the job analogy you should turn pro…
Yeah, for Duathlon worlds in Richmond, Va it’s 300 and they assure you that covers bike support and medical support. Umm, why do I need that in the US? Like there aren’t bike shops in Virginia?
Pat
There have been a few threads lately regarding WTC versus ITU worlds. I was surprised nobody brought up this issue, as it seems to me to be a HUGE turnoff to ITU/Team USA worlds. For clarity the issue being that with ITU/Team USA you are forced to buy a uniform, that you will wear once, that is way overpriced, and you may not even get your size. (I qualified one year, paid the fee, and when the uniform arrived it had a note that stated that they (USAT) didn’t get the sizes requested. The note continued to explain that the sizes provided might differ substantially from your personal order, and athletes should try to find other Team USA athletes at the race venue with whom they could swap uniforms to get the correct sizes.)
That, and several other issues, convinced me to not even attend. It seemed to me that USAT pilfers off the age groupers to support the elites. I was not keen to that, so I have never even attended a Team USA qualifier since.
Paul
You would just think that worst case scenario, “I’ve done well but still have to pay my own travel and entry fee”.
Ideal scenario if USAT has a tight budget, “I’ve done well but still have to pay my own travel, but USAT will keep entry cost low and give me a free team suit”.
The real scenario is a little absurd! I about choked on my Wheaties when I read that I’m supposed to pay three times more since I qualified…
Man, 300 bucks is a drop in the bucket for what this stuff costs. As one post states, if you do not like it, go do something else.
Since I have met and talked with lots of USAT folks the last few months, I know first hand they are doing the best they can.
I fully support paying the 300 bucks. I am still wearing stuff from when I bought in 05, so it can be used more than once.
How about the person at the town hall meeting at nationals that stated the dues were too much at 39 bucks and what was
he getting for his money?
This sport never has been or will be “cheap”.
I just do not understand why some spend SO much time on looking at everything in the negative. For ME, it is an honor to have worked
my butt off, met the standards, and am going to an ITU event to represent my country. I feel this is a much better return on my money,
than what it costs to get a Mdot Tattoo. And, I have NOTHING against NAS, I think they do a great job, and should
raise their prices, if I were in their shoes. One of these days I still want to do a WTC race.
Dave
so besides just not doing any Team USA races, how can we change this stupid policy?? Skip Gilbert seems like a pretty sharp guy who could reform some of the BS from USAT…
Dave,
While I agree, in principle, that $300 is nothing to the average big-time spender in triathlon, I think the issue is percieved value. I think it also irks a lot of people that we–the age grouper–pay a lot of money to the US Olympic committee to fund elites. Frankly, I could not care less if we medal in the Olympics.
When you compare IM to ITU it should be fairly evident that one is a business that provides a service, for which they charge you a fee and intend to make a profit. USAT, on the other hand, is an organization that provides a service, for which they charge you a fee without the intent to make a profit. I followed all the permutations over the last few years in the dispute that involved the USOC, ITU, WTC and USAT and the thing that struck me as most odd is the very large reservoir of cash that USAT keeps “just in case” and the very large payout they make to the Olympic committee. I just renewed my membership recently and the cost went up by another $10. Why?
I think USAT makes a mistake when they charge you $300 and give you some dubious responses when one asks where it all goes. They should break it down and put everything out on the table. This is why it costs you $300.
And the new uniform every year is a crock. They could pick a sponsor and sign a multi-year contract that allows you to use the stuff over and over again at any ITU event be it long course, short course, tri or du. But they don’t, which leads people to wonder, hmmm, why is this?
Around here, the military bases put on great races, open to civilians, that cost $55 or less (free if you are military on that base) which are very well organized. I never end up ranked at USAT for tri because all my good races are non-USAT, but when I think of those races I see value, something that is not always the case with USAT-related silliness.
The larger hurdle, for me, to decide if I am going to race the Richmond long-course worlds duathlon is more about race execution. Is ITU going to run the race according to their rules or allow a lot of drafting on the bike. It is bad business to disqualify somebody who spent thousands of dollars to fly across the ocean from another country. ITU would rather allow drafting anyway, if they could get away with it, because that is their bread and butter. I’m thinking about going to American Zofigen instead now, because I know that course is going to be a butt-kicking, “take-no-prisoners” contest. After World’s Toughest Half, that type of race really appeals to me.
Chad
Chad, I agree with you, but, I guess I am just getting older. With the limited ticks I have left, which battles do I want to fight?
(Others older told me this would happen, yep, they were right.)
So, I am just happy there are options. No one makes anyone do anything in life. So, since this sport is a choice, and it does not put
food on my table, why would I waste a bunch of energy bitching about it, like some seem to do about anything in life?
Yes, it is easy to do, but, I have decided to try and spend the rest of my life being half full in life, I have already done
the half empty part of my life, I hope.
So, it is like the question when one comes on ST, and says they can not stand it anymore and will never be back. Most of them come back.
Why did they have to make a scene to start with?
Same thing about our sport. If you can not afford it, or do not like one race director or organization, man, life is too short, go find something you like.
My guess is these folks will bitch about the sun coming up in the morning. Most will never see it, or understand it. But, just like a non smoker,
I can hear and feal negativity a mile away.
I decided to do the new loop of the top part of Auburn a few weeks ago. I still can not stand going into that canyon! But, boy was it easy getting out just spinning my
34/27! It felt easier that direction, compared to going up the other.
Now, last weekend I decided to keep going up a mile or so past going over I80 and take the iowa hills road in Colfax down in to the american river canyon. Boy, was that fun.
It would sure be a better part to put onto the race. Much longer. 3 miles down, and then 3 miles back out. Problem is it would not be safe having bikers go both ways.
I sure feel sorry for folks who have to ride on flat boring roads all the time. I just love the hills, mountians, trees, granite, altitude.
So, when is Richmond? GO KICK BUTT, and I hope no drafting.
Dave
The actual $200 entry fee does pay for quite a bit. Last year instead of a crummy t-shirt, we got a nice backpack. The entry fee includes a pasta dinner/opening ceremonies/parade and closing ceremonies/awards dinner. You are paying to race in a fairly large city with the roads closed down all day since the waves start at 7 am or so an run to 4 pm. We got free entry to the Olympic museum which was near the race site (I can’t remember the normal price, but I’m thinking it was around $10-15 entry normally). We also had guided bike tours every day(some days had 2x per day) the week leading up to the race where we were able to ride the course with a group and motorcycle escort and not really worry about traffic. There was probably other stuff that I can’t remember.
If you were to do a big city race in the US with the roads closed down for half a day it would cost at least $125-$150. So, add on two meals and the cost of shutting down the roads for the rest of the day and you’re easily up to $200.
I’m not a fan of the extra $100 that USAT has tacked on. They didn’t have it on there when I went in 2004. In 2006, I didn’t use the mechanics or chiropractic services. If people want to use these, they should have to pay for them, just like they do for the massage therapist. I don’t think the team doctors get paid, but I think their trip might get paid for. The only USAT employees that actually seem to work when they are there are Tim Yount and Jeff Dryek. I don’t mind paying for their trip. But with almost 100,000 members and a gazillion $10, one day memberships, they can’t afford to send them with other USAT money? I don’t like paying for all the other USAT people to take a very expensive vacation. There was some fat guy who had never done a tri in his life who was now working for USAT that showed up in Switzerland last year and didn’t seem to have any functional purpose for being there.
Chad,
Your post is well put. It’s about perceived value. I’m willing to pay my way. Pay for the elites-not so much. The argument that I can choose not to do it is absolutely valid. I’m not fully committed right now and may back out. Ask any business though whether they would prefer to hear complaints and have the opportunity to address them or whether they would rather just lost customers and I think you know your answer.
And no I really don’t bitch about things just to bitch. I’m generally pretty happy with my experiences.
Pat