One week before we are suppose to leave for the first race of the season, our lovely school decides to tell us they are changing the way they are distributing funds to club sports. They decided that the would no longer fund transportation to and from races as well as cutting our funding for our race fees and housing costs by over half. This all comes from over the summer (a bunch of us have been on campus, so there is no reason for us not to know) talks with insurance companies regarding students driving their own vehicles to and from races. They will not reimburse us for this, but they do not care if we drive ourselves, as long as they are not paying for it. Now they want us to pay hundreds of more dollars that they are not giving us so they can drive us in their ill equipped vehicles. Of course this causes big problems a week before the opening of the season.
Long story short, Is anyone interested sponsoring a promising young collegiate triathlon team eager to bark their product for a bit of a kick back that would otherwise fold?
Or any ideas on what to do with 1/3 of the needed budget?
I had this happen to me also, with the outdoor adventure club (OAC) that I ran in college. Had a big rafting trip planned , and the day I had to pay the bus company, my school decided not to give us the check anymore.
As for your sponsorship… I’ll sponsor you if you sponsor me?
Having been an academic advisor to a university triathlon club, I’m wondering where your sense of entitlement comes from here? Receiving any $$ should be perceived as pennies from heaven. Yes it sucks the school pulled your funding but that’s the economic reality of the world right now. Dollars are tight. Funding club sports is low on the priority list. So, you can ask for some cheddar with your whine or you can start AGGRESSIVELY fund raising. Talk wth the other club leader to look for joint opportunities. Partner with the local community tri club. Do car washes, swim-a-thons, sell magazine subscriptions,contact local businesse & so forth.
Rent a van. Have faculty sponsor drive (or someone’s big brother who is older than 25, if that matters in your area. Also consider grad student help (>25 y/o if you are in a big university.)
…
If it is a public school in California, I agree with the school. The economy in this state is in deep trouble and my tax dollar doesn’t need to go to a triathlon club. Well, unless it is UCLA were my daughter went, then I can see sponoring their team
Welcome to the real world. A better learning experience than you will get in college.
Actually I do feel for you, but not enough to throw money at your problem. Good luck.
Having been the president and captain of an elite level collegiate rugby club, I understand where you are coming from. The best advice is to buck up and deal with it. Have your members pay dues or get fundraising. Ask local businesses like bars to sponsor you. You’d be surprised how many will toss you a few hundred bucks if you agree to hold socials at their establishment. And if you are not having socials with the other sports clubs, your priorities are way out of whack.
Having been an academic advisor to a university triathlon club, I’m wondering where your sense of entitlement comes from here? Receiving any $$ should be perceived as pennies from heaven. Yes it sucks the school pulled your funding but that’s the economic reality of the world right now. Dollars are tight. Funding club sports is low on the priority list. So, you can ask for some cheddar with your whine or you can start AGGRESSIVELY fund raising. Talk wth the other club leader to look for joint opportunities. Partner with the local community tri club. Do car washes, swim-a-thons, sell magazine subscriptions,contact local businesse & so forth.
Self-funding is the nature of the beast.
NCAA sports get bajillions of dollars from the schools but club sports are left in the dark to get shit? I can understand football and basketball because of the revenue generators, but what about non $ making sports like golf, track, swimming, etc? make triathlon (and cycling) NCAA!!!
At the UofA all the clubs band together and put on a huge Spring Fling fundraiser. It’s basically a big carnival with rides, etc that the city turns out for. My understanding from talking to some of the kids is that really covers most of their costs.
At the universities my sister and I attended, the schools provided $0 for funding for club sports. Although the clubs could use the facilities without other students bothering them.
I rowed for 4 years in college. Rowing was a club sport here. It didn’t exist when I got here. We started from basically scratch. We got NO sponsorships, NO handouts from the university, NOTHING. However, we worked our asses off, raised money, and went from a NOTHING club, to a club that could compete with local (and regional) universities that had stomped us repeatedly my first two years . With rowing, the equipment costs alone are staggering. Traveling required (me) pulling a 45’ trailer around the country in my dad’s diesel truck and car pooling the rest of the team. Gas was split amongst the team, same with hotels. Uniforms-purchased out of pocket, subsidized by fund-raising.
Just get out there, bust some ass, do some fund-raising, and go kick some ass. Simple as that.
And what does NCAA membership have to do with a school’s club program? Schools choose to be a part of the NCAA system. This has absolutely nothing to do with club sports, which typically are housed in the intramurals department. Revenue sports are far from that. Only a few major universities make money from their so-called revenue sports. Even fewer are completely independent from student fees.
Triathlon is not an NCAA sport (doubtful it ever will be). Therefore, clubs must fund raise & be thankful for any $$$ a college or a university applies. Hell, all NCAA sports at schools must fund raise.
The NCAA does not get “bajillions of dollars from the schools.” The NCAA provides its member schools with millions of $$$ because of TV contracts (especially the CBS multi-BILLION $$ contract for the DI men’s b-ball tourney).
Schools have triathlon clubs? In the fall? Beats racing for a cycling club in the Midwest in February, I guess.
/didn’t attend a school with a cycling club.
//several abortive attempts to start one
///not enough interest in student body.
////wallowing in self-pity
/////likes using slashies
As the former president of a collegiate tri club I have a few responses:
get out there and raise money yourselves
I do feel your pain in regards to poor communication. Everyone has email access and assuming people know things were heading this direction a simple heads up email a month before the season would make a world of difference. Too often people are scared to be bearers of bad news which wouldn’t be so bad if there was more time. I see it all the time.
OK, ok!
Before I get excommunicated from ST, does anyone have any other good ideas for fundraising? We are in a small city next to NYC. We do have enough room to run a 5k possibly enough for a 10k and a pool. Definantially not enough room for any type of ride.
We have a lot of bars and restaurants and banks. No good bike shops.
Any ideas that 15 or so college students could do?
This is really pathetic with the degree of entitlement you think you have coming. Some lessons in life are coming your way … learning from them could be very helpful to you in the future.
I don’t think the guy sounds “entitled.” He’s close to an event and just got the rug pulled out from under him.
Fundraising in college? Take a cue from Van Wilder, dood. Throw parties. If you and your buddies aren’t fun enough to have a big party, find someone to help you out (a la van wilder.)
Other sources for revenue: LBS, local businesses in exchange for advertising on uniforms, local tri club (a local tri club gave our university club team thousands of dollars each season, based on what we asked for.)
Anyone else have bright ideas?
I will say that it’s hard to get money from people who are already doing sponsorships. But use your connections and shake the trees until you get something. Working with other clubs is a good idea.
OK, ok!
Before I get excommunicated from ST, does anyone have any other good ideas for fundraising? We are in a small city next to NYC. We do have enough room to run a 5k possibly enough for a 10k and a pool. Definantially not enough room for any type of ride.
We have a lot of bars and restaurants and banks. No good bike shops.
Any ideas that 15 or so college students could do?
Sell candy bars, have car washes, sell apparel. The NCAA sport I coach has to fund raise, so we sell apparel with our logo to our athletes, families and friends for prices that are way cheaper then the bookstore. We sell candy bars that cost $1 and have a Subway coupon on them, each student-athlete sold two boxes and we made $900 pure profit. Search the internet for ideas, be creative. It’s really easy if you try.
