Club Profile
GLOBAL CHALLENGE ATTRACTS TOP CLUBS
By Lindsay Wyskowski
he inaugural ITU World Triathlon San Diego was held on May 11-12 at Mission Beach in San Diego, a venue rich in triathlon history. While many of the 2,100-plus age group athletes were competing for individual glory, 42 clubs in six divisions were vying for the right to be called the best club in the world as part of the Global Club Challenge.
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Clubs traveled from near and far to participate in the event, which was part of an outstanding multisport weekend held at the site now known as the birthplace of triathlon.
“An early season West Coast Olympic- distance event was a great opportunity for athletes with A-races to get their feet wet, so to speak,” said Ben Bigglestone of Team Vo2Multisport, based in Redmond, Wash. “Plus, some of the athletes wanted to race on the same course as the elites competing in the World Triathlon Series event.” Team Vo2Multisport brought five athletes from its 90-member club and clinched the win in Division IV (5-10 members).
Other winners include the Triathlon Club of San Diego (Division I, 51-plus members), DC Triathlon Club (Division II, 21-50 members), Nova/Multisports Orange County (Division III, 11-20 members), Rocky Mountain Triathlon Club (Division V, 1-4 members) and UCSB Triathlon Club (Collegiate Division). Club divisions were determined by the number of athletes competing in the Olympic-distance and sprint-distance events.
Individual finish positions were crucial for club members to score necessary points for their teams. Athletes participating for their clubs earned points based on their finish positions if they were in the top 10 of their respective age groups, and athletes who finished outside the top 10 earned participation points toward the
70 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2012 club’s overall score.
“Our athletes definitely like to race for more than just themselves, “ said Michael Collins, a member of Nova-Multisports Orange County which won Division III. “Racing as part of a team motivated several of our club members to race at a higher level than they normally would. We also had some athletes compete who normally only compete in longer distance races like half and full Ironman distances.” Age-groupers enjoyed the top-level competition against each other as well as in the elite races, which helped to inspire those in attendance.
“The excitement of the ITU elite races and the impact it would have on the Olympic selection process was a draw for us,” said Fortius Racing Team coach Gerardo Barrios. “The challenge of going up against other clubs was also intriguing because we would compete with similar size clubs, unlike other club competitions.” Arizona-based club Curbside Cyclery Racing signed up for the event after a member suggested they give it a try. “We are a brand new club this year,” said club member Christine Badgley. “We have older members who are 45-plus, and two of our members have never been part of a team. It was an exciting challenge for us.” Six of the clubs participated in the Collegiate Club Challenge, less than one month after competing at USA Triathlon’s Collegiate National Championship. While five of the participating collegiate clubs were based in California, Michigan State University traveled from East Lansing, Mich., to take part in the competition, finishing second behind UC-Berkeley in the final standings. The World Triathlon San Diego Global Club Challenge also was considered a unique way for clubs to prepare for another national-level club competition — the USA Triathlon
Club National Nova-Multisports Orange County competed in San Diego.
Championship, set for September. “The Global Club Challenge provided
USA Triathlon clubs with the opportunity to compete against international squads and other USAT clubs early in the season,” said Wendy Peel, who works directly with registered clubs as the sport development coordinator for USA Triathlon. “The next chance most of these clubs will have to race against each other will be at Club Nationals in September, so this was a way for clubs to see where they stand heading into the summer race season.” Regardless of finish position, the 42 clubs in attendance enjoyed the team spirit and camaraderie at the event while taking advantage of all that San Diego had to offer. “It is always great to compete with the best,” said Dwight Lundrell, who represented TriScottsdale, based in Scottsdale, Ariz. TriScottsdale brought eight athletes and had four finish in the top 10, earning third place in Division IV. “Those of us who participated enjoyed the challenging course, a well-run event, and of course, the perfect weather.”
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