After reading the recent discussion about the fairness of Clydesdale categories, I wondering what everyone thinks constitutes a professional? Various people have been mentioned as receiving sponserships, there is one poster (sorry, I forget who), who lists his sponsers at the bottom of his posts. Are these people pros? How about someone who works in an industry related job, a coach, or, dare I say it, Slowman himself? Dan obviously makes a living from this and other realted activities. I, for one, don’t have the time to train all day long or travel the country/world to race (and even if I did, that’s no guarantee of success). Is this why we refer to the “elites” rather than pros?
Regarding the whole fairness issue: LIFE ISN’T FAIR!!! I think the whole issue is ridiculous. It is SPORT – it is supposed to be competitive.
Why don’t we start having separate categories for income level, genetic predisposition, overall life stress level, region (northerners are at a disadvantage, right?), # of children (more kids=more stress), time off for sickness/injury, etc., etc. Then everyone can be in their own individual category and always win. Wouldn’t that make it challenging!?
What a bunch of crybabies. I suppose the people complaining about all of this are the same ones picked last for gym class, who now want their kids not to be graded in school for results, but rather for effort. Good luck in the real world (at least in a capitalist one).
RANT MODE OFF I would define a pro triathlete as someone licensed to race professionally, whatever that procedure is.
My take on it is the pro’s are eligible for the prize money. I agree with AG’s being sponsored only b/c this sport is so damn expensive. Besides most of the sponsors only give you free products (whatever it is that they make) and maybe pay an entry fee or two.
I wouldn’t have thought this until it happened to me, but I have sponsorships and I’m not a pro. I’m nowhere NEAR a pro. I’m in a club and we have little sponsorships here and there that add up and take some of the edge off of the expenses. I used to think that sponsorships = pro, but I’ve learned that’s not the case.
on that note, I recommend that any group of triathletes in a given area band together and approach some of your local businesses and ask if you can get a 10-20% discount if you wear their logos while training and racing. it works.
One thing that can be rampant in Tri however is the “sandbagger”. If I was still just a bike racer I would not really have an option as to what Category I will race in. The USCF and ABR in the sake of “fairness” classify people by their proven abilities. You win to many races, you move up…maybe so others can win. There are many Tri folks out there that we know of…race AG, beat MANY pro’s…have sponsors, get paid…did I mention that they race AG? I know one “pro” who I met that raced a “key” race as AG so that he was assured of a Kona spot. What did this guy do? He took a Kona slot from a AG guy with a dream. I would think that there should be some additional control over some of the AG super steeds who race and win and win and win and win…I will never take from them that they are awesome…but when does USAT say “hey mister, you are now racing pro”?
Yeah, that needs to be fixed.
Cindy,
There are parts of your rant that are well-founded. However, the basic premise that “life isn’t fair” is, at best, spurious.
Sports are the one arena where we try to make things “fair” and “even.” That’s why we all race the same course. That’s why we have rules in sports. That’s why we have officials - referees and umpires - in sports, to ensure that the playing field is level.
All that aside, I have to admit I don’t care one way or the other on pros/AGs/Clydes etc. I’m not going to be near a podium unless I set up a 1-man race - and even then, there are no guarantees.
Just my thoughts.
Jay
First, USAT rules are clear that if you hold a current pro card, you can’t race as an age-grouper for the remainder of the calendar year (unless there’s no pro catagory in a race), and no pro card holder can take an Age-group IM slot.
If someone was a pro the year before, but didn’t re-new as a pro, they can take a AG IM slot, but they must race IM as an AG, and if they re-new their pro card before IM, they must requalify for IM as a pro.
Personally, I’m against the whole AG/pro thing, if your over 19 and under 40, shoot the gun, first ones across the line get the goodies (as I’ve stated publicly to the screams of many “big fish in a small pond” AG champs).
The case:
http://www.xtri.com/article.asp?id=511
-b
If I remember the rule correctly:
To race as a professional (for money), you must have placed in the top 10% of at least 3 races in a calendar year. And I believe you must have placed in the top 3 overall in at least 1 race.
That may not be completely accurate, but it is close…
----->Trent
Trent,
You’re almost correct. It takes 3 top 10% finishes (USAT sanctioned races) and you must have finished within 10% of the winner’s time.
“northerners are at a disadvantage, right?”
At first glance, this would seem obvious. However, Canada, where we get 4 - 6 month of real winter in most of the country is currently home to The Men’s Ironman World Champion, The Women’s Ironman World Champion, 3 of the top 5 Women from the Ironman World Chmapionships, The Olympic Triathlon Champion, The XTERRA Triathlon Women’s World Champion and the training ground for the ITU’s #1 ranked triathlete.
Where’s the disadvantage?
it’s not top 10%, it’s top 10 placing. a bit difficult. but it’s easy to cherry pick races if that’s your goal.
as for forcing good age groupers to race pro, what do you suggest for criteria? i was on the edge the last couple of years. every year i would get humbled in hawaii and decide i should wait another year. i still blew up in hawaii last year, but decided to make the jump this year anyway.
Hmmm, I wonder if all these champions live/train year round in the great white north? My guess is…no.
I agree.
I think triathlon has tried to borrow some elements of professional bike racing in setting up it’s Pro/Elite class. I am not sure what the rational is for this. I can go to a local or not so local running race, finish in the top 5 or 10 and win some money, but I can’t do this in a triathlon unless I have qualified for and registered as a pro.
It was not always so. Years ago anyone could win the money. I finished 10th overall at IMC in 1992 and won $1000 for my efforts. The top 10 got the money. You did not have to sign up beforehand as a pro. A few years later at IMC 1994, I finished 12th overall, but that year you had to pre-declare. I was lucky that two guys that finished ahead of me had not pre-declared as pros and they did not get any money( they did wine there age-groups) and I got the 10th place cheque again. I felt a bit bad for these guys and a bit guilty walking away with $1,000.
I never considered myself a professional triathlete. I had a full time job and I was not in triathlon to win/earn money. When I did from time to time, it was a nice bonus. I was definately in that netherworld between a good age-group triathlete and professional.
Great article…I completely agree with you, knowing full well I could never compete with the pro’s.
Most of them do spend most of their time in Canada. Yes they head south for warmer weather training stints from time to time but the only one of that group I mentioned who lives full time in the southern US would be Heather Fuhr.
Peter Reid, Simon Whitfield, Lori Bowden, Lisa Bentley, Greg Bennet and Melanie McQuaid all train for most of the year in Canada.
Bobo,
Thanks for posting this link up. I had missed this article. I agree. Things really should the way they are in running and many other sports - under 20 and you are a junior. If you are 20 to 39 you race Open or Senior. 40+ and you are a Master and that’s really when “age-group” racing makes sense.
Fleck
You CAN be an age grouper and win money … “been there, done that” + RD’s have the right to choose who the purse is for. PLUS … pros race with a different set of drafting rules & penalties.
Another difference is at a race with “Pro Prize Purse” or a race like Half VIneman, Ralph’s, Eagleman, etc. … AG’ers are racing for Kona Slots - Pro’s are racing for money.
The good thing is that there are plenty of races to choose from: Kona spots, money, prizes, elite, AG, Elite/Pro, etc. … we are pretty fortunate to have the variety.
Cheers … Dave
I agree with the idea of following the lead of the cycling federation. I have no delusions of ever winning a race, even in my age group, much less turning pro. But if I could have a chance to be the Cat IV winner, or maybe move up to Cat III, it would make it more of a competitive event. I don’t see why drawing group boundries around age or weight is any better, the fast guys seem to be fast from 20 years old all the way through whatever age Dave Scott is, clydesdales can race against other people who are similar in overall speed. Having the ability to earn some sort of status besides MOP seems like a nice incentive.
With cycling part of the reason for the graduated classes is for safty, so I am not sure how or why that applys to triathlon. Although, from what I have seen a large group of rank and file triathletes could use with a solid session of bike handling 101!