Hello All,
USAT Rules
Italicized sections of these Competitive Rules shall apply to those athletes holding an Elite license at any event with a minimum cash prize purse of $5000.00. An event with a minimum $5000.00 prize purse must limit the Elite division to athletes holding a USAT Elite License or an Elite license from an ITU member federation. All prize
money is reserved for the Elite division.
** 2.4 Membership Categories. Annual membership in USA Triathlon will be available in the following categories and subject to the following requirements: a. (1)Elite. Elite annual membership will be available to certain qualified, highly competitive, and experienced athletes. An Elite annual member is eligible to receive prize money directly. Any person wishing to apply for an Elite annual membership should contact USA Triathlon (http://www.usatriathlon.org) for consideration… (2) Elite Collegiate: Athlete who qualifies according to the criteria listed above, and does not accept prize money. Foreign Elite athletes holding an Elite license from their National Federation or having raced as an Elite in international events are prohibited from competing within age group categories as an age group athlete or for age group awards in events where there is an Elite division or awards. Prior to entering any USAT event, foreign athletes must disclose their elite/pro status and that failure to disclose such is cause for Disqualification and up to a one year suspension from USAT sanctioned events. b. Age Group. The following divisions shall be available within the Age Group category of membership: (i)
regular membership; (ii) youth membership (7 to 17 years of age).
I see only slightly different USAT position rules for drafting by Elites compared to AG.
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Is an Elite Triathlon category necessary to preserve NCAA or other amateur status for some athletes?
Seems like everybody could enter a race with the same status and rules with those finishing first getting the prize regardless of their entry status.
Those athletes desiring to preserve amateur status could do so by just refusing to take a prize.
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But the NCAA rules have a lot of exceptions and an athlete could run afoul of them I suppose.
With the Olympics allowing professional athletes to compete it appears the camel has a nose in the college tent … ie… NCAA notes:
"Under the proposed definition, any participant’s actual and necessary expenses no longer would be considered professional. Further, sophisticated amateur competition can escape the current definition of a professional team even if the amateur team provides pay to its** … "**
Although NCAA rules also state:
AMATEURISM – COMPETITION WITH PROFESSIONALS
Intent: To specify that an individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics if the individual ever competed on a professional team, regardless of whether the individual knew (or has reason to know) that the team was a professional team.
A. Bylaws: Amend 12.1.1, page 70, as follows:
"12.1.1 Amateur Status. An individual loses amateur status and thus shall not be eligible for intercollegiate competition in a particular sport if the individual:
“(e)
Competes on any professional athletics team and knows (or had reason to know) that the team is a professional athletics team (per Bylaw 12.02.4), even if no pay or remuneration for expenses was received; or”
B. Bylaws: Amend 12.2.3.2, page 74, as follows:
“12.2.3.2 Competition with Professionals. An individual shall not be eligible for intercollegiate athletics in a sport if the individual ever participated competed on a team and knew (or had reason to know) that the team was a professional team (per Bylaw 12.02.4) in that sport. However, an individual may compete on a tennis, golf, two-person sand volleyball or two-person synchronized diving teams with persons who are competing for cash or a comparable prize, provided the individual does not receive payment of any kind for such participation.”****
Source: NCAA Division I Management Council .
Effective Date: August 1, 2002.
Rationale: This proposal will ensure that individuals do not gain a competitive advantage by competing with professionals at a professional level. An individual’s knowledge of NCAA rules or lack thereof does not impact competitive equity. Moreover, an individual’s knowledge of NCAA rules should be a factor considered in the reinstatement process when accessing culpability. There are no other rules in Bylaw 12 that account for an individual’s knowledge level when determining whether a violation occurred. Member institutions also have expressed support for this change so that institutions will not be able to avoid a violation by arguing that an individual did not “know” that the team on which he or she competed was professional. Some member institutions have expressed frustration that the current rule allows an institution to deny a violation instead of acknowledging that the student-athlete knew or reasonably should have known that the team was professional. Regarding the substitution of “participated” with “competed”, this clarification is consistent with other legislation that already permits individuals to practice with a professional team. Finally, although this rule may be deregulated as part of the amateurism package, the change is still needed, since the rule would still apply to enrolled student-athletes.
Estimated Budget Impact: None.
Impact on Student-Athlete’s Time: None.
IN PROGRESS
NO. 99-107
AMATEURISM – PROFESSIONAL DRAFT
Intent: To permit an individual prior to initial full-time collegiate enrollment to enter a professional league’s draft and/or be drafted without jeopardizing intercollegiate eligibility.
**** http://www.ncaa.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLN4j3NQDJgFjGpvqRqCKO6AI-YXARX4_83FSgeKQ5kG_k7akfoh_ppO-tH6BfkBsaGlFuaOHoqKgIAFCaKE0!/delta/base64xml/L3dJdyEvd0ZNQUFzQUMvNElVRS82XzBfTFU!?CONTENT_URL=http://www1.ncaa.org/membership/governance/division_I/docs/mgmt_council/mgmt_council_April_2002/Att_C_AMATEURISM.htm
What do you think?
Cheers,
Neal