US Triathlon Community

       What does it cost to be an annual member of USA Triathlon, the National Governing Body for the sports of Triathlon, Winter Triathlon, Aquathlon and Duathlon? For 2002 the price is twenty-five dollars, and three dollars less if you are a member of a USAT registered Team or Club. The same price it was ten years ago. We at USA Triathlon are often asked the question: “What do we get for our membership fee?” Well, the answer seems to be changing all the time due to the rapid and continuing growth in benefits and services being developed by both the organization and a host of partners and sponsors. Please see the list of these valuable services, sponsors and programs below.

Fly with yor Bike for free! You get two one-way bike vouchers courtesy of United Airlines valued at $150!
$25 merchandise certificate from Sports Basement redeemable online and you get free USPS shipping when you make your order on merchandise marked down 30-60%.
10% discount on all future purchases from Sports Basement and Sportsbasement.com
Six Issues of the official USA Triathlon magazine- USA Triathlon Times.
Member Decals in your membership mailing.
10% discount on Sports Science Testing and Services at the USAT National Training Center, located in Clermont Florida. Including VO2max testing, Swim force and stroke testing, body composition testing.
Exclusive member discounts on Polar Heart rate Monitors, Tri-All-3 Sports bike cases, PC Coach, Ironman Wetsuits, and more!
Inclusion in the National and Regional Ranking Systems after completing three sanctioned Triathlons or Duathlons, ranked individually by sport.
Full use of the USAT Travel Desk. Fly your bike for free on select airlines when booking your travel through the travel desk.
Excess sports accident insurance while participating in USAT-sanctioned events.

IS TRIATHLON GROWING AS A PARTICIPANT SPORT?

       The inclusion of Triathlon into the Olympic Program has focused an incredible amount of attention onto the sport and the new breed of fast and talented athletes. The opportunity to race for the gold has brought new talent into the sport and forced veterans to adapt to the incredibly competitive World Cup style of racing. It is not at all uncommon in todays World Cup events to see exciting sprint finishes in both the men’s and women’s races. Today’s World Cup events are fast and furious with a whole new element of strategy and at times team work which results in close sprints for podium finishes, often with the top ten athletes less than 60 seconds apart. In years past, specators took it for granted that they would have to wait for minutes as each competitor came across the finish line, often due to the lack of depth in the elite ranks of the sport. For more than a decade just four men, all of them Americans, dominated the sport of triathlon on the men’s side and even fewer could be found on the women’s side!
       That has changed very quickly as the Europeans, Kiwi’s, and Australians with their “can do” attitudes shifted the focus of the sport to their continents by winning every major championship since 1995. Led by the aging veterans, the Americans resisted the changes and it was a number of years before the “new breed” of talented young athletes would enter the USA Triathlon elite development programs. These programs sought out youngsters as well as former Olympians like Shelia Taormina who could swim, bike and run as fast as top conditioned single sport athletes. By the end of the four year Olympic Quad USA Triathlon had invested over a million dollars in the US Elite Development Program. It was a success as American athletes again dominated the top 100 ranked athletes in the world with 21 ranked women and 14 ranked men, the most by far of any country.
       The incredible success of the American athletes did not happen by chance alone. Under the leadership of Dr. George Dallum, a High Performance Plan was developed in 1996 to guide the program. The plan was further refined by a committee of the top coaches in the country and is now recognised by the US Olympic Committee as the best of any NGB. This plan is now referred to as the Athlete Development pipeline. One of the main objectives was to educate and train coaches specifically for the sport of Triathlon and Duathlon. Over 350 coaches have taken the certification programs developed by the National Coaching Commission. The coaches provide the grassroots leadership needed to bring Triathlon and Duathlon into the mainstream of American sport.
       USA Triathlon is now starting the second Olympic Quad of its’ High Performance Plan developed specifically for supporting the huge base of young talent found in pools, on cycling teams and on running tracks around the nation. Although funded mainly by the USOC Olympic Foundation, the administration and oversite comes from the staff at the National Office headquarters in Colorado Springs. A staff of eighteen hard working employees are involved in all aspects of the sport including coaching education, administration, event sanctioning, membership, the Age Group TEAM USA, and developing regional, state, and local programs to service the grassroots age-group as well as the Elite segments of the sports of Triathlon and Duathlon.
       National Team members are supported with monthly stipends, paid travel expenses to events all over the globe, health insurance, free coaching and sport science testing services, training camps, sports medicine, and for those who want it, room and board at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The US team is made up of Gold, Silver, Bronze, Resident and Collegiate levels. For more information see the national website at www.usatriathlon.org

THE USAT NATIONAL TRAINING CENTER, Clermont, Florida
       The USA triathlon National Training Center, part of South Lake Hospital, is designed to meet the training needs and goals of athletes of all ages and fitness levels. Unique not only in Florida but throughout the world, this 37,000 square-foot training center combines sports, health, education and wellness programs in one convenient location. Several pricing and package plans are available and USA Triathlon members receive a 10 percent discount

THE THREE LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP IN USA TRIATHLON:

- Bronze Membership (Basic)
For $25, members will receive:
A subscription to USA Triathlon Times - a bimonthly magazine with all the race information and tips you'll need to train and compete successfully
Excess accident insurance while participating in USA Triathlon-sanctioned events
The official USA Triathlon Rule Book (upon request)
Full use of the USA Triathlon Travel Desk, with hotel and rental car discounts, as well as free flights for your bike when we book your trip on selected airlines
Exclusive merchandise offers on PC Coach, Polar Heart Monitor and TRI ALL 3 SPORTS bicycle and wheel travel cases
Coupon for one issue of Triathlete Magazine
USA Triathlon bumper sticker
Eligibility to be a Team USA duathlon/triathlon member and compete in USAT's National Championship and the ITU's World Championship
The opportunity to include your own biography on www.USATriathlon.org
Inclusion in the USA Triathlon national ranking system after competing in three or more USAT-sanctioned events

- Silver Membership
For $100, members will receive the above, plus the official USA Triathlon Speedo backpack

- Gold Membership
For $200, members will receive all the perks of the silver membership, plus a permanent place in our new Walkway of Fame - Your name will be engraved on a brick to be placed in the new USAT National Training Center, under construction in Clermont, Fla.