According to the USAT site nationals has now been moved to August 13th. Give us a break!!
What the hell are they doing over there?? How can you announce a date for a race after many weeks of delays, and then less than a week later change that date again??? Absolutely unbelieveable! I can’t say I am surprised though as I sort of called it on an earlier thread. It was definitely suspicious when they removed any mention of a specific date from their website the other day.
In 20 years of putting on triathlons, I have had to change the bike course the morning of the race, cancel the race, change the race from a triathlon to a duathlon and change the date of the race with just one weeks notice.
Things happen that you do not have power over and you make changes. USAT has now announced a site and a date. Athletes have the choice of going or staying home. I know the amount of work that will go into producing this event and I wish the RD luck.
You can get by with a few minor gliches if your putting on the East Cup Cake Iowa/ Boys and Girls Club Sprint Triathlon, but the age-group athletes at the USAT Nationals are a tough bunch to please.
That sucks. That puts it the week after Steelhead. I would like to do both.
Whether rightly or wrongly, we hold the National championship to higher standards than other races. Perhaps idealistically, we expect USAT to conduct itself as a responsbile steward for the crowning race in the USA age-group triathlon world. The date change is just the latest act in the comedy of errors that we know as USA Triathlon 2004-05. USAT seems to exude this attitude of “If you (the athletes) don’t like the way we are running the event, then you can stay home.” Many of us get the impression that because there are no substitute goods for the National Championship that we as triathlon consumers may purchase, USAT uses this fact justify its sloppy handling of the event management. I’m not saying that USAT intentionally shirks its stewardship role, only that all the problems in organizing this race send this message.
And if you qualify for worlds in Oct? Not a lot of time to fine tune racing fitness or make travel plans for that matter.
I’m upset as well, it puts it a week before Timberman…The July date was perfect for all of those wanting to do both…
And it looks like they took their own advice about triathletes not minding paying 40 bucks more to race. Early entry is $95.00. And what do we get for that, the race and a t shirt. Post race awards meal is 15.00 bucks.
Contrast this with the Sylvania OH oly race. $67 to enter and meal included. I’ve done this race and have no doubt that the race is every bit as professionally run and that the meal will be better. Couple this in with the fact that USAT wanted $20K up front to put on the race (Don’t know if they got it) and they are looking to make a killing. What i don’t understand is why this race isn’t done on a no profit basis. Basically, USAT shaould want the best teampossible for worlds, so shouldn’t the championships be as user friendly as possible? Why can this race be 20 bucks? I can afford it and I suspect most triathletes can, but coupled with how much worlds would cost and the fact that it would be a last minute decision, no way would I go if I qualified.
Styrrell
Tom, I understand what you are saying and I’m very sure problems come up and it did. That is why it took so long to get its site. With the problems they had this year and the already delayed announcement of the race, you would think they would have there shit together before it is announced. The USAT looks like a bunch of rookies, and they should be embarrassed. Between this, the election and their by-law B.S. I want to just puke.
You can get by with a few minor gliches if your putting on the East Cup Cake Iowa/ Boys and Girls Club Sprint Triathlon, but the age-group athletes at the USAT Nationals are a tough bunch to please.
Tough bunch to please?
We were just looking for the goddamned race to happen this year, get a few months notice at least, then these jackoffs announce it, then change the date…
This committee is just pathetic.
forgive my stupidity but here goes…if i’m in the mid-atlantic region, can i qualify for nationals at st ant’s even though it’s not my “region champ.” and how high in my age group will i have to place. go easy on me, i’m new to this whole system. thanks
You can qualify at any triathlon. Go to the USAT website, they have details. I beleive you just have to come in the top 10% of your age group in any tri or top 30% in the regionals.
Styrrell
If the end of July rolls around and only 274 athletes have entered, might we expect a very “inclusive” audit process?
While your point is well taken (things happen…), it is MY opinion that it was poorly planned and not planned well enough in advance. There is a duty to properly prepare and have contingency plans in place. Not to go overboard, but to be “appropriate” (and that is subjective). I consider “things happen” an excuse if proper contingencies were not put in place or preparation wasn’t thorough or early enough.
Example. I bring a spare tube and inflator when I race. Prudent and appropriate (for me). I do not bring 5 spares. Wasteful and unnecessary (for me).
Bottom line. It wasn’t planned well enough in advance, and the tough decisions weren’t made well enough in advance. If the race site and date was announced 6 months ago, and then something came up, people would understand. Since it wasn’t, people, like me, would say “you reap what you sow.”
One more thing - the attitude of “take it or leave it” is not very customer oriented and comes across a bit obnoxious in the context of this specific scenario. Sometimes it’s OK to say…in this case, perhaps not.
I agree - a race of this caliber should have been announced 18 months out - But the board decided to look over the selection process and then other things got in the way. Who’s fault is it? The buck stops at the top.
Will the new selection procedure work better then the old? Time will tell.
My hope is that USAT is looking right now for a site in 2006-07 and they will select and announce the site before Nationals this summer. That would make everyone happy - the athletes can schedule their season, the host venue can market thier area and USAT can work on making the course safe, secure and challenging. Z
Contrast this with the Sylvania OH oly race. $67 to enter and meal included. I’ve done this race and have no doubt that the race is every bit as professionally run and that the meal will be better.
The field at Sylvania is almost to the same level as the Nationals. Plus Tom D may pop his head in!! Can’t beat that all for $67
average temperature 87F, RH 85%…nice
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That is crap. A National Championship could be set a year or two in advance. I have had to change my venues on occasion as well. But Nationals should be dictated with a date in mind well over a year in advance, then the rest of the races can choose to work around or against it. G
…USAT seems to exude this attitude of “If you (the athletes) don’t like the way we are running the event, then you can stay home.” Many of us get the impression that because there are no substitute goods…
We didn’t stay home – we went to Kona.
What a bunch of dumbasses. I hope they choke on their Olympic creditials while they’re staging a fake race on the wrong island the week before the real deal.
-Mike
<< I hope they choke on their Olympic creditials while they’re staging a fake race on the wrong island the week before the real deal.
first of all, USAT doesn’t put on the World Championships, not even when they are here in the US. The individual race director bids on hosting the Worlds and the ITU awards the bid to the race director.
As far as Nationals goes, I have to wonder how much of an impact changing the board every year has on this. Decisions were made and then a new board comes in and doesn’t like those decisions and goes about undoing them, hoping to have an even bigger, better National Championships. nothing wrong with that, but when it falls apart 8 months before the event is supposed to take place and then the board and staff have to start working on contigency plans it turns into a mess. Maybe Kansas City was a contigency plan that was already in place, I don’t know and neither do 99% of the people here. But to have a race and a date back in place within about 45 days of the original plan falling through is good enough for me. It’s never a winning situation with the general masses. Everyone screams for information yesterday and when a place and a date is put out that was done about 3 days premature, then everyone screams when the date is changed. It’s no wonder people don’t want to run for board positons, who would want to put up with all this whining, screaming and general bullshit from people who in general are very uninformed. There is a saying that goes something like “don’t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes”. I think each and everyone of you need to take that to heart.
And while I am on my soapbox, its a friggin National Championship, not a sightseeing tour. The race is about the competition, not about the side attractions or whether you are going to have pretty trees to look at during the bike ride. You’ve got a date, you’re got a location, the race is 6.5 months away, get ready and bring the goods on race day.