“We have the top athletes coming out of the schools where they swam and going straight onto the Olympic Team. Adding triathlon at the NCAA level would make it an easier pathway for development.”
While triathlon is not an officially recognized NCAA sport, more than 150 schools currently have club programs. More than 400 women competed in the 2013 USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Tempe, Ariz. Almost one-third of all USA Triathlon annual members (more than 40,000) are under the age of 20, giving it a promising future among college athletes.
Becoming an NCAA varsity sport would open doors for the women competing as part of club programs like the one USA Triathlon Level III Certified Coach Mike Ricci oversees at the University of Colorado.
“Being recognized as a varsity sport will give women access to the same facilities as all the other varsity sports, which in turn, means being able to see a specialist right away for an injury and having access to recovery facilities.”
150
UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED TRIATHLON CLUBS
40,000
USAT MEMBERS UNDER THE AGE OF 20
400
WOMEN WHO COMPETED AT 2013 NATIONALS
40
SCHOOLS NEEDED TO EARN FULL NCAA STATUS
While Dabney and other incoming college freshmen might miss out on their chance to compete in NCAA triathlon during their careers, there is no shortage of young girls who could take advantage of the opportunity in future years. Of the 11,255 registered USA Triathlon annual members between the ages of 9 and 12, more than 5,500 (48.9 percent) are girls, according to the 2012 USA Triathlon Demographics Report.
Kim Landrum, who founded the Athens, Georgia-based Dream Team Youth Triathlon team in March 2012, has seen that growth up close. In the past year, Landrum said the number of 9-and 10-year-old girls joining her 50-member team has doubled to about 20. Under the current system, many of those same girls, who begin the sport as enthusiast participants, will drop out of triathlon competition by the time they reach their high school years.
“They just don’t see a future in college or beyond,” Landrum said. “Now there would be something for young girls to look forward to. Not only is this a sport they can pursue through high school, but they can set their sights on it at the college level. It’s a gateway.”
Many high school-aged girls, like Dabney, are forced to choose between swimming, cross country or track when they reach college if they have any hope of receiving a financial scholarship. Dabney received a partial scholarship to swim at LSU.
“I love swimming and I’m excited to be going to LSU, but it was unfortunate that the opportunity for triathlon wasn’t there,” she said. “The girls under me are so incredibly lucky to possibly continue their career out of high school. I really wanted to. It was kind of hard to accept at first. I wish there had been more opportunities.”
With proper financial support and coaching at the NCAA level, the sport could better develop triathletes to compete on the international stage, 2012 U.S. Olympian Gwen Jorgensen said.
“Having triathlon as an emerging sport may encourage talented athletes to start triathlon at an earlier age,” Jorgensen, a Milwaukee, Wis., native, said.
Jorgensen, who became the first U.S. woman to win a World Triathlon Series event when she captured the International Triathlon Union’s San Diego race in April, is the most prominent example of USA Triathlon’s current Collegiate Recruitment Program, which consists of pursuing talented runners with swimming backgrounds (or swimmers with running backgrounds), and offering them a chance to try the sport. Jorgensen left a tax accounting job with Ernst & Young in Milwaukee when USA Triathlon recruited her after a successful collegiate cross country and swimming career at the University of Wisconsin.
“The current system is good, however, being able to capture more women at a prime age in college will be beneficial,” Jorgensen said. “Other countries, such as Australia, start triathlon at an early age, allowing athletes to develop, mature and improve over time. The more people exposed to triathlon at an earlier age, the more successful the USA will be in the sport.”
And, in turn, young triathletes like Dabney will no longer have put their triathlon careers on hold while pursuing swimming or running in college.
“Since it was put in the Olympics, triathlon has gotten a lot of respect,” Dabney said. “But if it was to become a college sport, it would give so many people more opportunities.”
More than 400 women competed at the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in 2013. PHOTO BY MARIO CANTU
36 USA TRIATHLON SUMMER 2013
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108