It seems to me that decertification would be the best thing to happen for age groupers. My interpretations from the article:
Less funding and concentration going to the elites, means more funding going to the rest of us, (where the bulk of the money comes from). Hopefully that will translate over to better advertising, insurance, officials, etc. Read back in old fora about how many people would like more refs to prevent drafting and dangerous situations in USAT races. Surely there must be other things they could do for members with an increase in surplus cash.
I can’t see how the loss of a USAT sponsored elite program or Olympic program can hurt “us” at all. Our country might have a harder job putting together a great Olympic team, and might not be able to provide adequate training facilities, but that seems to be more of a matter of national pride, which shouldn’t affect the average triathlete much, if at all.
I can’t see how the minimization of elites would prevent manufacturers from creating new products (which we probably don’t need anyway :-).) It seems that our purchases of newer high end equipment pay for the further research and development of top of the line products that benefit the few over the many. There will always be enough money in our sport, with or without USAT or an Olympic team, to continue to have all the new products we could hope for.
I really can’t see how anything that happens to USAT will affect me at all. As far as I am concerned (I am talking about me as an individual now, and not necessarily about triathletes as a whole.), my life would be the same with or without USAT in any of it’s various forms coming out of the recent actions, or without the USAT at all. There are plenty of races, USAT sanctioned an non-sanctioned alike. I don’t know which is which until I have to fill out the little USAT form. Some non-sanctioned races are better, some are worse, than similar USAT races. To me, the USAT runs very transparently. And the need for it is arguable, (and has been argued before).
So I say, let whatever happens to the USAT happen. One day it might be so effectively run and money so well dispersed that we would actually notice and appreciate its effects. It could make our sport a better sport to be involved in. But right now, it is not. And so I do not care if it stays or goes; is decertified or stripped of all its assets. One day, I’ll care. But that day is a long way off.