Every time I write a bold faced opinion, deep down I am never quite sure of it. I predicted that tech suit money would leave the sport in droves and the anxiety about my prediction dissipated when Rowdy Gaines agreed with my opinion in the comments section.Now all this has happened over the last 6-months to further validate what I believe:
In January of 2010 TYR will be releasing a new wetsuit called the Hurricane primarily geared for the triathlete and open water swimmer.
Triathletes are showcased frequently on the TYR home page and the investment is obvious. Wait for "image three" to fade in.
The USAT is growing exponentially whereas USA Swimming and US Masters Swimming is simply up-trending.
Now, this article form The Water is Open with fact and figures. Here are just a few of them:
"... In fact, if we look at the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation data from the 2009 English Channel season, there were 62 successful crossings (including one two-way crossing) and 22 of those crossings were women (or 35% of the total which closely mirrors the overall percentage of women who participate in all forms of open water swimming). But, a number (to be confirmed) of these women are on the north side of 40.
While competitive pool swimming in the U.S. has consistently mirrored the general population growth in the U.S. for the last few decades, triathlons and open water swimming have both experienced explosive growth. The USAT data shows that triathlon participation in the U.S. is at an all-time high, following unprecedented growth over the past ten years. From membership numbers between 15,000 and 19,060 from 1993 to 1999, USAT membership surpassed 115,000 in 2009. Similarly, the anecdotal evidence in open water shows similar growth with the average number of participants in open water swims increasing from 156 in 1999 to over 280 in 2009.
Five open water swims are representative of this growth:
The Midmar Mile in South Africa has seen this growth:
1974 - 153 swimmers
1975 - 220 swimmers
1976 - 634 swimmers
1977 - 1,021 swimmers
1978 - 1,426 swimmers
[...]
1990 - 4,000 swimmers
1991 - 4,890 swimmers
1992 - 4,400 swimmers
1993 - 4,724 swimmers
1994 - 5,027 swimmers
1995 - 6,140 swimmers
[...]
2005 - 17,087 swimmers
2006 - 16,696 swimmers
2007 - 16,853 swimmers
2008 - 19,013 swimmers
2009 - 17,575 swimmers ..."
[Link]
3 comments:
I don't remember when or which publication I read this before but it seems triathletes are the new mid-life crisis. So instead of buying the little red sports car they are buying expensive Tri bikes, and cool workout gadgets, (GPS watches, Heart rate monitors, etc.) Traveling across the country to destination races and events.
I also think that one has a better sense of accomplishment finishing a tri or a cycling century then one does going to one or two USMS swim meets a year. I've gone to many a friends dwelling only to see marathon bibs posted on walls but I don't think I've ever seen any of my friends with medals or ribbons from swimming anywhere to be seen.
For me I just found a medal from some swim meet as it fell out of a storage box when I was looking for my Xmas Decorations.
I do Alcatraz, will do a tri next year and I do a lot of USMS meets.
I like swim meets for different reasons
This will also transfer endorsement money which will hurt the swimmers on the cusp of turning professional.
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