Why TCMTriSquad is not pushing the 2024 USA Triathlon Club Nationals

You might be wondering why, as focussed on team events as the squad is, and now California State Club Champions, we don't push the USA Triathlon National Club Championships (to be held in Omaha June 5 to 9 this year). Although it's also possible you've never heard of them. The reason is because they have decided to do it at the "Multisport National Championships" which is basically a bunch of back-to-back events that are anything but a triathlon or a normal triathlon. Continuing USAT's obsession with creating more and more events for people that don't like, or for some reason can't, combine swimming, cycling and running.

The purist in me can't conceive how you can award points toward a National Triathlon Club Championship from anything but a triathlon. In fact, it would be possible, and not even that far fetched, that by sending a team of duathletes of 10 different ages and genders that you could be the National Triathlon Club Champion without having a single person in your team who knew how to swim. Or if you stacked the aquathlon, a single member who owned a bike. What a farce! Does any other national federation decide it's champion club in this way? Or even close? Also, do better than "bragging rights" if you're gonna drag us to Omaha. Triathlon Australia has a $9,000 prize pool. That will motivate club presidents to get a team together!

The scoring is also problematic. They score the Top 10 best placings and then give half a point to any participant. So it's heavily weighted to team size as there are several events you can participate in so each member could contribute quite a lot of points and make up for a poor performing Top 10 scores. Also, try being a club of 50 or less and being able to convince people to travel from California to Oklahoma (is that where Omaha is?) Who knows? My main point is, the club competition scoring appears to be more a marketing ploy to have people show up and enter as many events (including non triathlons) as possible than it is to find out who the champion club is.

The solution to this problem is simple. Score club members (however you want to do it) at the regular National Championships, held this year in New Jersey. Yes, you have to qualify individually, but that's OK. We're trying to find out the "champion" club of a "competition" called a triathlon.

Here are the details of the Multisport Nationals if you're interested. (I'm not). Unless you want a backdoor entry into worlds as quite a few of the events are qualifying for Team USA for some bonefide World Championships. See my explanation of that here.