“It might be an interesting class-action law suit if the USOC were to try to take over our assets. Whatcha’ think, Lew?”
Lew: There would certainly be a lawsuit if that were attempted - but, IMO, it won’t. First of all, I don’t think they have that power - but even more importanty, it would be a public relations and legislative (as in Congressional) disaster for them to even try.
Steve is obviously campaigning for the future presidency of another national governing body. He must figure that if he spews forth enough praise toward the USOC they will look favorably upon him when future vacancies arise in presidential roles. If there is a better illustration of kissing up to the USOC powers I have not seen it.
Kiss up number 1: Steve: “We have been hugely successful in the delivery of Olympic heroes.”
-Compared to what? The Equitorial Guinea swim program sending Eric the Eel to Sydney? We have produced some top athletes in World Cup competition, but one Olympic bronze medal from someone who was a surprise to even be on the team hardly constitues a roster of Olympic heroes. Even if you take his statement as completely true, what relevance does this have to Andy/Alice Age Grouper?
Kiss up number 2: Steve: “USOC has provided the majority of the resources for us to support our heroes”
-The majority? What about all membership dues from age groupers who hardly have a clue triathlon is an Olympic sport and only buy the membership as a license to race? Anyway most of our “heroes” wouldn’t dare associate themselves with the clowns in charge of the resident program in CO Springs.
Kiss up number 3: Steve: “As our involvement with the USOC deepened a number of years ago, the USOC counseled us to develop and than enhance a program for coaches. We have done that. Our coaching certification program as devised by our coaching committee has struck gold. Without USA Triathlon’s USOC partnership, the triathlon coaching initiative would likely never have taken place (especially since the USOC underwrote the initial costs involved to get it up and running).”
-The coaching program has been good for the sport, no doubt. However, market forces, the growth in online communication, the desire of the masses to receive coaching, and the business acumen of many coaches have far more to do with the growth of the coaching industry than USOC’s contribution. USOC money may have facilitated the movement, but there was room in the market for coaching services and many bright and enterprising coaches have filled this niche.
Kiss up number 4: Steve: If one takes a look at the USA Triathlon membership growth, it is very evident that the major growth spurt started during the Sydney Olympic time frame (our first participation in an Olympic Games), and still continues today.
-Others have covered this one. Just because growth started during the Sydney time frame does not mean the Olympics had anything to do with the growth. Ironman-mania, fitness trends, the Internet, and the positive momentum generated by these factors are primarily responsible for the growth.
Kiss up number 5: Steve: “If a sport’s governance is “purebred” within the sport, it tends to weaken as little fresh thought is introduced from the outside, and the business side frequently does not flourish. This has been evidenced time and again within NGB governance. The model is just wrong for these times of a needed higher grade of business sophistication.”
-Translation: I (Steve Locke) should be named president of another NGB because I am an outsider for that sport and modern NGB governance requires leadership from outsiders.
bump.
Contrary to Mr. Locke’s remarks, to paraphrase an old saying, all triathlon is local. In my experience, no one is getting off the couch unless there is some multisport event in their immediate area. It was the Lew Kidders, the Charlie Hoolihans of Crawfishman, the Memphis in May organizes, the Bud Light Series that got this sport started and sustained it over the long haul.
When I started in the early '80’s, it was the running community looking for new horizons that made triathlon take off. The running rd’s saw a new thing and became triathlon rd’s. The second surge came when the USAT prices came down. It had very little to do with the Olympic movement.
Unless you were involved in the sport, I don’t think anyone saw or taped the 2004 races. You could probably count on one hand the number of non-triathletes that committed to the sport because of the last Olympics.
That being said, I agree USAT should go the way of USMS and be the voice and support of the age group multisporters.
Bob Sigerson
#3 - triathlon is an adult, lifestyle sport - it in no way compares to swimming, track or gymnastics. The Olympic sport development and management mold does not fit.
I agree with Sig: triathlon (and running, and masters swimming, and 3 on 3 b-ball) is primarily local. But there is one non-local thing the early birds all had in common. Charlie H, Jim Curl, Dave McGillivray, Jeff Sheard, Jon Noll, and many others (including me) did IM first - and were so enthused by the experience that we decided it needed to be shared with others back home. In the beginning, many produced full ironman distance races (there were early ones in Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and Texas) - but others of us wimped out with half-ironmans (Karen and I produced our first in 1983) and even - gasp!! - quartermans.
So, even then, though races were mostly local, they were initially inspired by events on a much larger stage. You need both for the sport to reach its full potential - you need the inspiration and you need the opportuniity.
I gained a great deal of respect for Steve Locke on how he stood for what he believed in and even stepped down as the head of USAT. But I disagree a great deal with his articled posted on ST.
I do not think the recent growth of triathlon in the US has anything to do with the so called “Stars” of USA Triathlon. I think if you were to ask the first time triathlete if they ever heard of Hunter Kemper, Sheila Tormea, or any of the US Olympic Triathlon participants, the majority of the folks would say not. I believe the majority of new triathletes are brought into the sport by a desire to get fit and happen to know another AG triathlete who encourages them to give a tri (pun intended). Or as is commonly the case the person saw Kona on TV and said some day I am going to try one of those.
I may be off base but when I started triathlons I had no idea who the current headline triathletes were. Heck Lori Bowden was at the first tri I did, other then thinking she was a drop dead hottie and was a wonderfully nice person as well, I had no idea who she was.
Secondly, I missed the association of how the Olympic movement has spearheaded the coaching craze and all the classes being sold out. I can appreciate the USOC helping to fund the program, but I believe the overwhelming popularity of the coaching classes comes down to economics. Basically, there is a demand for coaches that exceeds supply and coaches see it as way to make some money with coaching fees. I do not think there is anything wrong with this. However, I do not think the demand or popularity of the coaching program has anything to do with the USOC.
Just my two cents.
Peace
RF
“missed the association of how the Olympic movement has spearheaded the coaching craze and all the classes being sold out.”
that’s because there is no association. it was freak luck that what the USOC wanted us to do (build a coaching program) turned out to be a good thing for us. the coaching program we DID build had NOTHING to do with youth development, as opposed to swimming’s coaching program. the USOC apparently STILL DOESN’T GET that we don’t build champion triathletes from youth up. we get development triathletes after they reach adulthood, from other sports, chiefly swimming.
we’ve said this 15 times if we’ve said it to them once, but they… just… are… too… stubborn… to understand, i guess. all those coaches we train coach ADULTS! they don’t coach children, youth, teenagers, at least not in any meaningful numbers.
.
I agree with Crenshaw, and was about to make the same point. One has to wonder what agenda, if any, a current USAT Board member might have in opining on this subject. If you are a NGB Board Member of any organization, wouldn’t it be “board member nirvana” to eventually be on the USOC board?
I personally got into triathlon right before the Olympics because I saw the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon on NBC. Most non-triathletes only know of the Ironman, hence the age old question when you tell them that you are a triathlete, “Do you do the full ones?” Suggesting that the Olympics have fueled the growth of triathlon in any meaningful way is a huge stretch. While I have the utmost respect for Mr. Locke’s contributions to the sport, I think that he and perhaps others at “the organization” might be a little out of touch with the grassroots of the sport.
I am genuinely impressed with the populist movement that seems to be afoot … the idea that USAT should cater to the age groupers who pay for it, the shift in perspective at Inside Triathlon, … these are great developments. From the histories that I have read, triathlon (and better, still, duathlon) were thriving in the 80’s, when it was not an Olympic sport. I have to believe that the success then was attributable to (1) the Ironman, particularly as a human interest story, and (2) the local racing scene. Maybe if they allowed a handful of age-groupers with intriguing stories of overcoming morbid obesity or drug addiction to race in the Olympics, more people would say, “hey, if that guy can do it, so can I.” That seems to have started more triathlon careers than most care to admit.
Lastly, with all of this great Olympic exposure, why did I have to set my alarm to wake up in the middle of the night to even see most of the action from Athens? Let’s face it, the sport was not given the billing in Athens that it got in Sydney.
If I want to support the Olympic movement, I’ll send my money to the Hanson running project … that seems like a worthwhile cause. As for USAT and the USOC, I don’t really care whether the relationship continues, because I don’t think anyone can make a compelling argument that the effect trickles down to the local level. Dollars talk, and we (the age groupers) have the dollars. We are the best ambassadors of the sport, we get more press locally than any elite will ever get, and we are the market for triathlon-related manufacturing.
All I know is that everytime I tell a non-triathletic person that I do triathlons, he or she ALWAYS comes back and says “You mean that one out in Hawaii, on NBC every year?”
Like I said, it’s a spurious conclusion backed by no discernible hard data that I can see (has USAT ever commissioned a study to find out from first-time members how they came to the sport?) that allows one to draw that same conclusion that the Olympics propelled the increase in membership.
Erin Baker used to say that triathlon is such a hard sport, and that it takes such a long time to get good at it. If we draw from the adult swimmer/runner/biker talent pool, as we’ve done in our model, I think we get much better results much quicker than from the hybrid, based off the old Soviet and East German-style, model that USOC appears to want to shove down our throats.
Maybe the Aussies do it that way, but the 2000 female Olympic winner was 30 or 31, I believe, and isn’t Hamish Carter older, too?
Tony
Steve Locke wrote:
“Our job is to create the heroes of the sport; to develop role models; to get those heroes onto the front pages of the mainstream press; to have a presence with the great unacquainted; and to impact young people and others with a desire to do what Susan Williams, Barbara Lindquist, Shelia Taormina and Hunter Kemper have done. We have been hugely successful in the delivery of Olympic heroes”
Hunter Kemper Olympic hero? Come on, the winner of the Olympic triathlon event is the answer to a trivia question (and a tough one at that) to most triathletes. Non triathletes don’t know and don’t care. Ironman drives the image of and interest in the sport. Cut the USOC loose!
" . . . but the 2000 female Olympic winner was 30 or 31, I believe, and isn’t Hamish Carter older, too?"
Lew: Brigette McMahon and Hammish Carter were each 33 years old when they won their gold medals.
Yup. And Susan Williams is, like, 35, right? I think the 25-35 age range is probably the decade at which the greatest successes in the Olympic distance, at least, seem to occur. There’s a ton of science on aerobic efficiency and strength in triathlon, and the objective data on the age of IM distance finishers and winners seems to support the proposition that the late 20’s to mid-30’s are prime IM racing age ranges, also.
That’s not to say that you can’t take a so-called “phenom” at age 12-15 and “grow” him or her to the point where they win an IM race at 22 or 23. Just that I haven’t seen it done yet.
T.
Ditto and amen. Steve Locke needs to find another key. This one didn’t open a damn thing.
-Robert
As a newcomer to the sport, my perspective may or may not be helpful, but I’ll offer it for your consideration. I came to tris after my BIL asked me if I’d be interested in doing a sprint length tri that he had planned to train for and enter. I came to tris from a mediocre 5K running background.
My initial response was no, followed by thinking that I was too hasty in my answer. I knew how to swim, bike and run, so I decided to go for it. Because I said “yes,” this led to another SIL and three nephews to go for it. We have zero delusions of grandeur.
We also have no idea who the pros (or good people) are. We just know that we have to join the USAT so we do. All of this talk about growing pros means nothing to us. We just train and race to better our own lives.
I’m sure growing pros means something to those who care. We don’t. We’re sprint/Oly distance athletes who wouldn’t recognize a pro if s/he crashed their bike right in front of us.
So, USAT, just keep trying to grow “STARS,” I can guarantee that most of us don’t give a shit one way or the other. For us, regardless of race distance, it is all about showing up and doing something we never would have dreamed of five years ago. That really is the magic. Harness THAT and you’ll win.
" . . . That’s not to say that you can’t take a so-called “phenom” at age 12-15 and “grow” him or her to the point where they win an IM race at 22 or 23. Just that I haven’t seen it done yet."
Yes, and it’s theoretically possible a giant ape will actually climb the Empire State Building some day.
The problem with this “theory” in the U.S. is that anyone with anything resembling an olympic quality engine is going to be recruited by multiple Div. I programs - so, the only teens were are going to get in a traditional youth development program are going to be the ones who didn’t get recruited by the big guys. The team coaching staff seems to think that, given enough time and some really genius direction, they can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. Sorry to tell you this . . . but you need to START with silk. Still might not create the purse, but you have NO chance otherwise.
I think what they should do is take D-I athletes currently in school and let them spend the summer in Colo Springs training with the Elites. I don’t think they would be able to get a Larsen Jensen, but maybe swimmers that are 15:30-15:50 in the mile SCY. My swim coach would’ve loved it if there was something like that when I was in school. A lot of top-25 schools have athletes with nothing to do in the summers. A summer at Colo-springs seems like something a lot of athletes would go for, and it wouldn’t be too costly for USAT.
That would give the USAT coaches a good idea of whether someone could compete at an Elite level after a few months out there at altitude. And, they would be returned to their college at the top of their game fitness-wise.
I know USAT has had a few summer teams before, but it seems like they draw a lot of random people from nowhere schools. Why not send a letter to college coaches and check for interest? I mean, you will never get a good athlete in high school to train full time triathlon. It is impossible financially, and it won’t pay for their college. Why not take the athlete once they are nearing the end of their single-sport career?
I just looked it up, there are 50 D-1 swimmers in the time range 15:30 to 15:50. Im sure some of them ran in high-school. That’s a pretty big group of talented athletes, that basically have nowhere to go in swimming, but could really excel in triathlon IF they are equally good runners.
Actually, I did some addtional (but hardly exhaustive) research on such a segment from the 2002-03 season (though I’ve updated some of the times). Here are some of the prospects. Note: Sara McLarty is already with the resident team.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Tyler Storie. Corvallis, OR. DOB: 3/11/84. Class of 2006. Distance freestyle specialist, current pr of 15:36 for 1500 free. Captain of U.S. Junior Swim Team in 2002. Olympic Trials in 1500 free, 2004. 5’8”. Three years XC in HS. Parents are Jeff and Judy Storie; both are swim coaches and Jeff is top age group triathlete. Tyler did a few tris in early years of HS and did extremely well, but decided to concentrate on swim to get university scholarship.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Nicolas Douville. Dayton, OH. DOB: 8/25/83. Class of 2005. Distance free. PR: 15:35 for 1500 free as freshman. XC as freshman and sophomore in HS. Excellent all-round athlete, could be very good runner.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Crystal McAdam. Decatur, IL. DOB: 12/28/81. Class of 2004. PR’s: 1:49:.83, 16:36. HS did not have a swim program, but she ran track and medaled at Illinois State Championships.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Josh Hill. Bedford, TX. DOB: 12/1/81. Class of 2004. Primarily a backstroker, but did 1:39:41 for 200 free. All-district in soccer in first two years of HS, 4x All-State XC.
Kate Ripple. Baton Rouge, LA. Younger daughter of Jan Ripple. DOB: 1/22/84. Class of 2006. 5’5”. Collegiate soccer player, qualified for Jr. Nationals in swimming in 2000 and 2001. Track star in HS.
NORTHWESTERN UNIVESITY
Erica Rose. Cleveland, OH. DOB: 7/6/82. Class of 2004. PR: 16:26 in 1650 free. 5’4”. 1998 World Champion, 5K open water swim. Letter winner in XC in HS.
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Nathan Stibrich. Home town in Louisiana. DOB: 10/1/83. Class of 2006. 3 x LA State Champ in 200 free. Member HS track & field team as freshman.
Kim Black. Home town is Liverpool, NY, now in divinity school in Lancaster, PA. Gold medal, 4 x 200 free relay in Sydney. Class of 2001. 5’6”, 135. Did the Skylands Triathlon in NJ in Sept of 2003; finished 4th o/a with only two weeks of training, and came within 15 seconds of having the fastest run among the women. Loved the experience, but will need some recruiting. Has been accepted into med school, so we’ll need to get to her soon.
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
Nicole Carlton. Camden, SC. DOB: 4/8/84. Class of 2006. 5’9”. State record in 500 free, State champ in 3200 meters on track, state champ in XC
AUBURN UNIVESITY
Becky Short. Germantown, TN. DOB: 5/7/82. Class of 2004. PR: 1:48 for 200 yard free. XC record-holder in HS.
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
Brianna Loecher. Wheat Ridge, CO. DOB: 4/15/83. Class of 2005. 5’9”. PR’s: 4:52 for 500 free, 16:41 for 1650 free, 4:18 for 400 meter free. Varsity letters in track and XC in HS.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
Sara McLarty. Deland, FL. DOB: 2/25/83. Class of 2004. 4th 2004 Olympic Trials in 400 free (4:11). Track & XC in HS. Represented U.S. as junior in world triathlon championship. Mother is top age group triathlete.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
Shelly Ripple Johnston. Baton Rouge, LA. Older daughter of Jan Ripple. DOB: 10/8/80. Class of 2003, now living and swimming in southern California. 5’9”. PR’s: 2:00:26 in 200 meter free, Olympic swimmer in 2000. All-City in HS in XC, won a couple of triathlons outright while in HS.
LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Hannah Martin. Class of 2006. State runnerup in HS in 500 free. Four year letter winner in track and XC.
Jenna Molinski. Class of 2006. Member, USS Southeastern Swimming Hall of Fame. Lettered in track and XC in HS.
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO
Sara Gorton Slattery. Class of 2005. 5’8”. Eighth place in 2000 NCAA Div. I XC Championship. Member, U.S. Junior National XC Team which competed in Belfast. PR’s in HS: 2:11 for 800 meter run, 10:23 for two-mile run, 4:51 for mile run. Letter winner in swimming as freshman in HS. Update on PR’s, 2004: 2:10 for 800, 4:40 for mile, 4:21 for 1500, 9:07 for 3000, 15:24 for 5000.