Congratulations to the Alaska Tri Club Red Biting Bunnies, the first team to hit the Swim Session benchmark of 750 miles. The Bunnies edged out their intra-club rivals the White Wabid Wabbits and perennial nemesis the Tri Club of San Diego to take the prize in the first session, and on Christmas Day no less. Santa was definitely good to the Bunnies this year!
There are still prizes up for grabs, though, so nobody gets to phone it in now just because the Bunnies broke the tape first. There are still prizes for the most swim mileage for the session and for 2nd and 3rd spots, so don't hang up the goggles just yet, folks. It should be a wild final week!
December 26, 2008
December 20, 2008
"4th Event" Not Eligible for NCC
Just a quick note to all NCC participants in the northeast - shoveling snow does not count as a 4th event for the National Challenge Competition, so please take it easy this weekend and let's not have any snow-related back injuries that might affect your performance for the rest of the competition.
December 15, 2008
Gorillas, Bunnies and Buffalo
At the halfway mark of the Swim session, some of the usual suspects are once again in the thick of things at the top of the standings. Perennial 800 pound gorilla the Tri Club of San Diego is in the lead as of tonight with 356 swim miles, the Ford Athletic Swim & Tri Club is next with 323 miles, and the Alaska Tri Club Wabid Wabbits are in 3rd place with 295 miles.
Newcomers the Buffalo Triathlon Club have cracked the top ten, sitting just behind another returning favourite, the DC Tri Club, so the northern teams are proving that you don't need nice weather to put in the miles.
Other top tenners include the other Alaska teams (Biting Bunnies and Hammering Hares), the Hammerhead Tri Club from Jacksonville FL , the Memphis Thunder, and another new crew, the North West YMCA Tri Club from Irmo SC.
The Swim Session benchmark mileage was raised this year to 750 miles, since previous years' benchmarks were proving too easy for many clubs to reach. It's going to be close, though, unless some of the leaders can really pour on the mileage. No doubt the Alaskan crew has some crazy mass swim event planned. Let's hope it's in a pool and not out on the lake or the open ocean. A wet suit will only get you so far...
Newcomers the Buffalo Triathlon Club have cracked the top ten, sitting just behind another returning favourite, the DC Tri Club, so the northern teams are proving that you don't need nice weather to put in the miles.
Other top tenners include the other Alaska teams (Biting Bunnies and Hammering Hares), the Hammerhead Tri Club from Jacksonville FL , the Memphis Thunder, and another new crew, the North West YMCA Tri Club from Irmo SC.
The Swim Session benchmark mileage was raised this year to 750 miles, since previous years' benchmarks were proving too easy for many clubs to reach. It's going to be close, though, unless some of the leaders can really pour on the mileage. No doubt the Alaskan crew has some crazy mass swim event planned. Let's hope it's in a pool and not out on the lake or the open ocean. A wet suit will only get you so far...
December 8, 2008
Greetings From... Iraq
And you thought Guam was exotic. Have a look at the following email we received this week:
Sir/Ma'am,
I saw the homepage for the NCC today...Unwilling to be undone by the Air Force, I am writing to say that I am competing in the NCC from a combat zone. :-) To be more specific, I am competing in the National Challenge as an individual from just outside of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq. Can anyone beat that one?
Respectfully,
Erica L. Chabalko
CPT, MS
FOB Loyalty, Iraq
How's that for dedication? Not only is Erica stationed in what is essentially a desert, as of this writing she's winning the non-club athlete swim session! Way to go, Erica! Did we mention she's in the desert?
So now we have athletes from Alaska, Guam and Iraq. As Erica says, can anyone beat that?
Sir/Ma'am,
I saw the homepage for the NCC today...Unwilling to be undone by the Air Force, I am writing to say that I am competing in the NCC from a combat zone. :-) To be more specific, I am competing in the National Challenge as an individual from just outside of Sadr City in Baghdad, Iraq. Can anyone beat that one?
Respectfully,
Erica L. Chabalko
CPT, MS
FOB Loyalty, Iraq
How's that for dedication? Not only is Erica stationed in what is essentially a desert, as of this writing she's winning the non-club athlete swim session! Way to go, Erica! Did we mention she's in the desert?
So now we have athletes from Alaska, Guam and Iraq. As Erica says, can anyone beat that?
December 7, 2008
What is a Widget, Anyway?
Visitors to the NCC site will by now have seen the mileage roundup thingy on the home page. It tracks mileage for each discipline (that would be your swim, your bike, and your run) plus total mileage for everyone. It also tracks the number of clubs in the competition as well as the total number of athletes, both club and non-club. Sort of (ok, exactly) like this:
If you or your club have a website, you can get this 'widget' and others for your site. What other widgets do we have? How about these:
and
and
Just go to the widgets page on the NCC site and the code is all right there for you to copy into your website or blog.
Q. Are these the same as the Widgets from Apple?
A. No. Those have a capital 'W'
Q. Kind of looks like the same thing you might see on YouTube. Is it?
A. Exactly.
Q. What about a widget that tracks mileage only for my club?
A. Great idea. One is on the way.
If you or your club have a website, you can get this 'widget' and others for your site. What other widgets do we have? How about these:
and
and
Just go to the widgets page on the NCC site and the code is all right there for you to copy into your website or blog.
Q. Are these the same as the Widgets from Apple?
A. No. Those have a capital 'W'
Q. Kind of looks like the same thing you might see on YouTube. Is it?
A. Exactly.
Q. What about a widget that tracks mileage only for my club?
A. Great idea. One is on the way.
Greetings From Guam
USA Triathlon, Race-Tracker and the rest of the National Challenge Competition athletes would like to welcome the Tri-Andersen team from Andersen Air Force base in Guam. The Tri-Anderson club now holds the record for the team located farthest from the Lower 48, ousting previous record-holders the Alaska Tri Club. To see just how far away they really are, check the Teams page and click the Tr-Andersen link in the map. Then wait for the map to scroll... way... to... the... left. Good luck to the team, and a warning to anyone considering trash-talking them on this blog - they also hold the record for most heavily armed squad(ron) in NCC history.
December 2, 2008
A Note About Mileage
Just a quick note about entering miles for your athletes (this applies to Club Reps, who are doing all the heavy lifting for their clubmates).
If you make a mistake in your mileage entry, please correct it by entering a negative mileage amount to balance out the incorrect one. This way we have a full 'paper trail' for all entries. Each mileage entry is date & time-stamped.
Mistakes happen, and sometimes BIG numbers get entered by accident. This usually does not go unnoticed by competitors! So thanks to everyone who wrote in pointing out the latest mileage error. I'm looking at you, Tri-Fury. To everyone else, settle down, it's only Day 2 and we can expect at least a couple more of these little mistakes.
On a positive note the miles are definitely piling up. On a personal note, the NCC has inspired your host to actually get into the pool for the first time since, um, September? And I can still swim, so that's a positive.
Keep the miles coming, everyone!
Jeff M
If you make a mistake in your mileage entry, please correct it by entering a negative mileage amount to balance out the incorrect one. This way we have a full 'paper trail' for all entries. Each mileage entry is date & time-stamped.
Mistakes happen, and sometimes BIG numbers get entered by accident. This usually does not go unnoticed by competitors! So thanks to everyone who wrote in pointing out the latest mileage error. I'm looking at you, Tri-Fury. To everyone else, settle down, it's only Day 2 and we can expect at least a couple more of these little mistakes.
On a positive note the miles are definitely piling up. On a personal note, the NCC has inspired your host to actually get into the pool for the first time since, um, September? And I can still swim, so that's a positive.
Keep the miles coming, everyone!
Jeff M
November 22, 2008
NCC Hits the 30 Club Mark
The USAT National Challenge Competition is now over the 30 club mark for 2008-2009. Included in that list are perennial contenders the Alaska Tri Club (Wabbits, Bunnies and Hares divisions), DC Tri Club, and the Tri Club of San Diego.
This year we have some new clubs from Buffalo, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Jose (among others) so it's looking like another heated contest. Welcome aboard to all the new clubs.
Don't forget to check out the map on the Teams page - we have a real cluster of clubs in the northeast again this year, so some of you can probably just holler out the window to get your trash talk on. I'm talking to you, Elmhurst TC and Chicago Athletics TC. And you too, Midwest Xtreme and U of Iowa!
Individual signups are also coming in, for all of you (us) poor souls not part of a tri club. Ah the lonely life of the triathlete.
Just a few more days to go now until the swim session starts!
This year we have some new clubs from Buffalo, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Jose (among others) so it's looking like another heated contest. Welcome aboard to all the new clubs.
Don't forget to check out the map on the Teams page - we have a real cluster of clubs in the northeast again this year, so some of you can probably just holler out the window to get your trash talk on. I'm talking to you, Elmhurst TC and Chicago Athletics TC. And you too, Midwest Xtreme and U of Iowa!
Individual signups are also coming in, for all of you (us) poor souls not part of a tri club. Ah the lonely life of the triathlete.
Just a few more days to go now until the swim session starts!
November 5, 2008
NCC Login is Open - Add Your Athletes Now!
Although the competition does not get under way until December 1, club reps can login and start adding athletes to their rosters now.
Results cannot yet be added, of course, but adding athletes in advance will save club reps some time.
Don't forget, this year all participating athletes must be USAT members in good standing, so have those membership numbers ready when you are adding athletes to your roster.
Also, a reminder that each team has a 75 athlete limit. For many clubs this won't matter but if you are a member of the Super Huge Mega Triathlon Club you may have to field more than one team. If you think you will have more than 75 athletes this year, please contact USAT so we can create additional teams for you. Email them at clubs at usatriathlon dot org.
Results cannot yet be added, of course, but adding athletes in advance will save club reps some time.
Don't forget, this year all participating athletes must be USAT members in good standing, so have those membership numbers ready when you are adding athletes to your roster.
Also, a reminder that each team has a 75 athlete limit. For many clubs this won't matter but if you are a member of the Super Huge Mega Triathlon Club you may have to field more than one team. If you think you will have more than 75 athletes this year, please contact USAT so we can create additional teams for you. Email them at clubs at usatriathlon dot org.
November 1, 2008
USAT National Challenge Competition Registration Now Open
The 2008-2009 edition of USA Triathlon's National Challenge Competition is officially underway. Registration is now open (as of November 1) for clubs who want to take part in this year's event.
Last year saw over 2,000 athletes chalk up more than 1 million miles (yes) over the 3 months of the NCC, and this year we are expecting even higher numbers. Traffic on the NCC website has been high in October, an indicator that interest in the competition is also high.
To register your club - it must be an officially recognized USA Triathlon club - go to www.race-tracker.net/USAT and follow the Register link. There is no charge to enter the competition.
Individual athletes may also compete, as long as they are also members in good standing of USAT.
The competition begins on December 1 and runs to the end of February. Could there be a better way to get through winter than this?
Let's rock!
Last year saw over 2,000 athletes chalk up more than 1 million miles (yes) over the 3 months of the NCC, and this year we are expecting even higher numbers. Traffic on the NCC website has been high in October, an indicator that interest in the competition is also high.
To register your club - it must be an officially recognized USA Triathlon club - go to www.race-tracker.net/USAT and follow the Register link. There is no charge to enter the competition.
Individual athletes may also compete, as long as they are also members in good standing of USAT.
The competition begins on December 1 and runs to the end of February. Could there be a better way to get through winter than this?
Let's rock!
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