From the CEO
LOVE THY SPONSORS
By Rob Urbach
Throughout its 40-year history the sport of triathlon has survived — and thrived — due to the support of sponsors. Though some big names have come and gone (I’m sure many of you fondly recall the old Bud Light Series), more and more have entered the sport to connect with the passionate and dedicated athletes who comprise our membership.
Don’t underestimate the importance of sponsors — they keep your local races going and touch every single person involved in the sport.
USA Triathlon’s partners are among those who help make your training and racing possible. Our robust sponsor discount program is designed to save you, our members, hundreds of dollars each year. In fact, the average triathlete could generate more than $400 worth of savings annually simply by taking advantage of USA Triathlon’s exclusive membership benefits. These include: a $20 voucher for
TriSports.com every time you renew, savings on TYR and Rudy Project gear, United Airlines flights, Hilton hotels, Avis/Budget car rentals and rebates on Quintana Roo and Litespeed bikes.
It’s as easy as looking at the back of your membership card or visiting
www.usatriathlon.org/discounts for the current codes. Want to calculate exactly how much you save by being a member of USA Triathlon? Crunch the numbers at
www.usatriathlon.org/savingscalculator.
There are plenty of other reasons to support sponsors. Pay attention to all those logos you see at the start line of your next race. These sponsors make it possible for hard-working local race directors to deliver an unparalleled multisport experience. In order for them to be successful, it helps if you show some love to the sponsors of your local races.
SPONSOR DISCOUNTS
Flip to page 77 of this issue for a sampling of USA Triathlon’s discounts for members then log in at
www.usatriathlon.org/discounts to see the full list.
This creates a virtuous cycle — one designed to ultimately benefit you, the athlete. The more success that sponsors realize while investing in triathlon, the more they will continue to do so, enabling our race directors to provide a better experience for all participants.
• • •
At times, the sponsorship market may not fully understand the true passion of triathlon. This is a lifelong sport that adds so much purpose and meaning to our lives. Help us educate sponsors on the ethos and makeup of our community. Triathlon is among the most popular adult participatory sports in the world. The issue is that, compared to mainstream sports, we simply don’t have the same amount of media coverage and TV exposure. USA Triathlon is working to change that by broadcasting races, showcasing a made-for-television Super Sprint Series and exploring the opportunity for a magazine-style television series.
We are fortunate in this country to have over 4,300 sanctioned events from which members can choose. One of our goals at USA Triathlon is to make our sport more convenient. By convenience we mean the ability to choose when/where you want to race in various disciplines and distances.
Nagging running injuries? Try aquabike. Don’t want to get your hair wet? Try duathlon. Not a fan of logging miles on a bike seat? More aquathlons are popping up near you.
The vision is that every member in this country could race within a drivable distance every weekend of the season. Can you imagine how great that would be? It will only be possible with increased sponsorship.
We know that our sponsors at USA Triathlon have enjoyed great success and understand the value of investing in our sport. We want to help extend that to the rest of the industry, in particular local races and race directors. Sponsors align with sports that have a reputation for delivering. And that’s up to you — the consumer.
If you love this sport, please support the companies who support you.
16 USA TRIATHLON SPRING 2014
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