COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced a restructuring of its Regions — reducing the number of Regions from 10 to six — to increase efficiency, collaboration and communication with the USA Triathlon National Office. The six Regions moving forward will be: Northeast, Mideast, Southeast, North Central, South Central and West.
Commissions, previously called Regional Councils, are responsible for aiding the development and growth of multisport within the designated states of each Region while acting as a liaison between the USA Triathlon National Office and USA Triathlon race directors, certified coaches, clubs and members.
The new structure will enable Regions to work more closely with USA Triathlon staff at the organization’s Colorado Springs headquarters, and will place a greater emphasis on regional programming that directly supports the 2018 USA Triathlon Strategic Plan.
Regional Representatives, formerly Regional Chairs, will no longer be elected officers. Instead, they will be appointed by USA Triathlon at the recommendation of senior volunteers within each Region.
“USA Triathlon’s Regional Representatives and volunteers are some of our greatest advocates — volunteer leaders advancing our mission at the grassroots level,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “This restructuring demonstrates our eagerness to work more closely with the regional network, share ideas and best practices, and make the entire multisport community stronger as a result.”
In addition, USA Triathlon is currently hiring three Regional Facilitators, each of which is a newly created, full-time staff position based in Colorado Springs. Each facilitator will serve as a liaison to two USA Triathlon Regions. Each one will also serve as a specialist in one of three key areas for multisport development: youth participation, women’s participation and short-course racing.
The number of USA Triathlon Regional Championship events will be reduced from 10 to six to align with the new regional structure, and six Regional Special Qualifiers will also be added to the calendar. At Regional Championships and Special Qualifiers, the top 33 percent or top-five competitors in each age group — whichever is greater — qualify for the USA Triathlon Olympic-Distance Age Group National Championships. The total number of qualifying athletes at those events will remain consistent with previous years. Regional Championship and Special Qualifier events will be added to each Region’s webpage at usatriathlon.org/regions as event dates are finalized.
Athletes may also continue to qualify for the Olympic-Distance Age Group National Championships by finishing in the top 10 percent of their age group at any USA Triathlon Sanctioned age-group triathlon. Additional qualification criteria can be found by clicking here.
USA Triathlon is seeking volunteers to help execute and support regional programming. Potential volunteers should enter their contact information in this form, and USA Triathlon will connect each individual with their appropriate region based on state of residence.
Additional details about USA Triathlon Regions — including leadership updates, race calendars and program information — will be added to each Region’s webpage at usatriathlon.org/regions as they become available.
About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).