Why would you apply to be on a brand ambassador triathlon team?

At about this time every year (and it seems to get earlier and earlier) you will be solicited by brands (mostly apparel) to be on their triathlon teams. These brand ambassador programs promise community and team spirit but essentially they have two aims:

1. Sell you their stuff. Yes, you get a discount on the retail price of a tri suit but I can assure you that you're paying more than they paid the factory on in the Philippines to make it for them. It's for this reason your "application" was likely accepted. Did you feel special when you were selected?

2. Free marketing and branding when you ride and run around in their stuff. They care much less about your performance or results than how many Instagram followers you have.

At TCMTriSquad our goals are different. We want to see you improve and we want to celebrate YOU, not what you're wearing. We also want you to know each other a bit more personally than a Facebook group because we know how motivating connection can be. And we want you to improve. We can't win team competitions by numbers alone (most are scored heavily favoring participation) so we care that you're making progress and being encouraged. Coaches run the club so we care that the athletes on our team are enjoying themselves and getting better.

We also care about the future of the sport and its development. Many of these teams are restricted to age 18+. How does that support community or encourage participation for youth athletes?

Many of these brand teams will encourage you to stay on your local teams or coach to train because a) they don't want a barrier to goals 1. and 2., and b) they don't want to be relied upon for any coaching or motivation. Our apparel supplier does not run triathlon club. We're too competitive to fund an opposing team and also that just doesn't make sense. But as the great philosopher Tay Tay once said, "Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make."