US Triathlon Community

       Responding to increasing insurance costs among other issues, the USA Triathlon Board of Directors voted Saturday to raise the costs of USAT annual and one-day memberships. The cost of an annual membership will go from $25 to $30 per year. The cost of a one-day membership will increase from $7 to $9. USA Triathlon has not changed the cost of an annual membership since 1993, when the price dropped from $32 to $25. Some membership costs will be staying the same. The cost of a silver membership will remain $100 and the cost of a gold membership stays at $200. A youth annual membership is still $15 and a youth one-day is still $3.

       The increased costs reflect a predicted 30-percent rise in USA Triathlon's insurance premiums for 2003. USA Triathlon provides its members with health insurance coverage over and above their own, should they be injured during a USA Triathlon-sanctioned race. Annual members are insured for the year. One-day members are insured for the day. USA Triathlon also provides liability insurance for events. Event liability insurance protects race directors, venue owners, athletes, sponsors, spectators and volunteers. It is comprehensive and is the principal tool that allows race directors to their events.

       The fee increase will also help fund new USA Triathlon initiatives, such as the hiring of a duathlon coordinator to help that discipline prosper. The organization will also be hiring a full-time risk manager to monitor race safety, which can help prevent future insurance and membership cost increases by decreasing the number of accidents and injuries.

       "I have made no secret of the fact that, as president, I want our federation to become more of a service organization rather than just a governing body," said Ray Plotecia, president of the USA Triathlon Board of Directors.

"With continuing growth comes an expanded requirement to provide service. The duathlon coordinator and risk manager were necessary to provide that support." Finally, the increase will bring USAT membership costs in line with those of other national governing bodies.

       Independent Seattle based video producers, Pro-Motion X5 announces the latest in a series of triathlon videos will debut at REI in Seattle on December 9th, 2002 at 7PM. The video, produced for the Seattle Triathlon Club, is titled "One Perfect Race", and follows two Ironman Hawaii lottery winning club members on their journey to Kailua-Kona for the Triathlon World Championships. In preparation for the big event, the Northwest's premiere races serve as preliminaries, including, The Victoria New Balance 1/2 IM, Pacific Crest, Troika, Dannon Duathlon, Kingfisher, Beaver Lake, Apple Capitol, IM Canada, USAT Nationals, and Carillion Point.

       With stunning action images and an all original soundtrack, Northwest Triathlon 2002: One Perfect Race, takes an accelerated and entertaining look at the people who race and the spectacular Northwest settings in which they compete. It dives deep beneath the surface to answer an all-important question as to why these athletes, elites and newbies alike, push themselves to physical and emotional extremes. It also asks if there is indeed such a thing as "A Perfect Race".

       Other PMX5 videos are now available on VHS and DVD. Northwest Triathlon 99, Northwest Triathlon 2000: The Curse of Pele, and The 2002 Armed Forces Triathlon Championships. Northwest Triathlon 2002: One Perfect will be available for retail on December 10th. A percentage of all video sales return to the Seattle Triathlon Club to assist and support youth scholarship. The Seattle premiere of Northwest Triathlon 2002: One Perfect Race, is open to the public and is sponsored by The Seattle Triathlon Club.

       USAT will be hosting a four-day conference for race directors, which is slate for January 16-19 at the USAT National Training Center in Claremont, Florida. Over 30 speakers will be making presentations to attendees of the conference on topics such as: sponsorship, marketing and course design. Among the long list of speakers is Bill Burke, RD of the Dannon Duathlon series, Todd Bellino of Sign Me Up Sports, and Steve Locke of USAT.

Break -out topics
- Timing/Scoring
- Race Directing 101
- putting on your first triathlon
- Course safety Basic Sponsorship Proposals
- Organizing a triathlon series
- Television for your event
- Working with charities
- Producing a long-distance triathlon
- Working with the Media
- Youth Events
- Off-road Multi-sports
- Budgeting
- Course Design
- Basic of a Safe Event
- Safety and Emergency Plans
- Economic value of your event to the community
- How to market your event On-line registration
- New Events
- Women's Events
- How to run an exposition Aid stations

Break Out Session Rooms:
#1 - Education Room
#2 - Aerobic Room
#3 - Special Olympics Room
#4 - USAT-NTC Conference Room
#5 - Skytop Room
#6 - Poolside Tent

Meals
The following meals will be provided at the conference:Thursday night reception, Friday, Saturday and Sunday continental breakfasts, Friday and Saturday lunches, Friday night dinner. Saturday night dinner and Sunday lunch will be on your own.

Sports Science Services
The USA Triathlon National Training Center's state-of-the-art Human Performance Lab offers a wide array of sports science and medical services including the following - Maximal Oxygen Uptake Analysis, Lactate Threshold Analysis, Motion Analysis, Strength Testing, Body Composition Analysis and Flexibility Testing.

       CFT Sommer Sports, producers of the Tri-America Triathlon Series, is proud to announce that Lake Stevens, Washington is one of eight cities selected from across the country to be part of the 2003 Tri-America Triathlon tour. The Tri-America Triathlon Series made its debut in 2002 with a total of six stops on the circuit. The featured event at each stop is the international distance triathlon which consists of a 1.5K swim (.93 miles), 40K bike (24.8 miles) and 10K run (6.2 miles). This is the same distance used at the Olympic Games and ITU World Championships. Tri-America Lake Stevens is scheduled for Sunday, September 7th.

       Each Tri-America venue is carefully chosen to ensure that athletes will compete in a first-class event with the charm and character of the local community complementing it. Scenic and safe courses are the number one concern with the luxury of walking from hotel rooms to the start of the race an added benefit. At each location the post-race party will take on the local flavor giving the athletes a chance to truly Tri-America.

       The Tri-America Lake Stevens event weekend will also include a Kids Triathlon on Saturday, September 6th and an interactive Festival of Sports & Fitness on Saturday and Sunday. The Festival of Sports & Fitness provides something for not only the athletes, but also something that the local community can come out and take part in.

       The Tri-America Triathlon Series is managed by CFT Sommer Sports, a nationally recognized event management team based in Clermont, Florida - the "World Triathlon Destination". With over nineteen years of event experience, the team will bring with them the expertise and knowledge of organizing first class events. CFT Sommer Sports has received numerous awards including #1 Sprint Triathlon Series and Largest Sprint Triathlon Series in the United States by USA Triathlon, one of the Top 10 Triathlons in the USA by Triathlete Magazine, and two events were featured recently in Inside Triathlons "World's Greatest Races" guide.