Austin Triathlon Club Year-End Report

Dear Austin Triathlon Club Members,

First of all, thank you. Thank you for making the last few months of 2017 such a fun time. Thank you for taking a chance on Austin Triathlon Club and for your enthusiasm to help build this community triathlon club.  In less than two months, we are 52 members strong.  Club members are signed up for all kinds of triathlons in 2018, everything from Sprints to Olympics to Ironmans to Ultramans.  Nearly a dozen of you are training for your first triathlon.  Almost half of you are mentoring new triathletes or have signed up to be a mentor. 

Your kindness, friendliness, motivation, and community-minded attitude are making this club so much fun.  It's been such a joy to see Austin Tri Club members meet each other, make new friends, and support each other. You have inspired me to be a better person and triathlete.  Thank you!

Behind the Scenes at Austin Tri Club in 2017

As a community nonprofit, Austin Tri Club values transparency and stewardship, so I’d like to take a few words to share some of the “behind-the-scenes” work here at Austin Tri Club. 

The Club officially launched in June 2017, when four local athletes—Josh Rabinowitz, Laura Gilmour, Meghann Jones, and I—finalized the incorporation paperwork to register Austin Triathlon Club as an official nonprofit organization with the State of Texas.  Together, we committed to serving as the Club's founding officers and volunteering our time to build this nonprofit.

Between June and October, we voted on and approved bylaws, a website, a logo, and a strategic plan laying out the vision for an all-volunteer, member-run community triathlon club. We also gained a fifth board member, our Director of Training, Larry Norris. After months of spending our evenings and weekends putting the pieces together, we launched Austin Triathlon Club to the public on October 8, 2017. Four weeks later, Austin Tri Club opened membership. The Club gained its first member, and then another, and then another. As of this morning, Austin Triathlon Club has 52 members. This means that in the 8 weeks since we launched membership, the Club has gained on average one new member every day.

When you joined, each one of you paid $40 in membership dues. These dues have gone to the club’s administrative and overhead costs. To date, approximately 1/2 of each members’ dues have gone toward insurance, while the other half have covered costs such as domain name registration, website hosting, logo design, USAT membership, registration with the Secretary of State, PO Box rental, and basic club gear, like water bottles and swim caps. No financial compensation goes to any of the club officers (indeed per our bylaws, officers and directors are restricted from having any financial interest in the sport of triathlon). This is truly an all-volunteer effort.  The Club is led by recreational athletes who share a common desire to support one another and our community.

Now that 2017 has come to an end, what is on tap for 2018? 

• Board Expansion - First off, we are expanding the board of directors. In the next few weeks, we will be posting several new board positions.  So many of you have expressed an interest in volunteering and getting more involved in the club.  Serving on the board is a terrific way to do this.  Each board position will require on average 2-3 hours per week, and will offer the opportunity to give back to the Austin triathlon community.  Each of the new board seats will last through the fall of 2018, when the Club will hold its first annual year-end member meeting.

 

• More Club Workouts, Clinics, and Social Activities - With race season on the horizon, Austin Tri Club will be adding more club workouts, more clinics, and more social activities, like our first Club "Bricknic." We are busy working on a Club calendar to post on the website, so look out for these events soon!  

 

• Austin Tri Club Race Season - 2018 will bring Austin Tri Club’s inaugural race season.  This means race weekends, race support, a club tent, coffee (we will have coffee!), and yes, race kits.  The Austin Tri Club Board has been busy talking with several kit designers, and we will be sharing more details soon on how to order Austin Tri Club uniforms and other club swag.  

 

• Community Outreach - In 2018, the Club will be working hard to bring more Austinites into the sport of triathlon. So far, the Club has matched 10 aspiring triathletes with mentors through our new triathlete mentoring program.  We hope to double, if not triple, that number in upcoming months.  As part of this effort, we will be increasing community outreach, with the hope that we can accomplish our goal of making triathlon accessible and affordable for everyone. 

 

• Race Volunteering - In the same community spirit, Austin Tri Club will be working with each of the local races to provide volunteers and race support.  Volunteering is at the heart of what we do, and we’re excited for the opportunity to give back at each of the local races in 2018!

 

• Partnerships - In 2018, Austin Tri Club will continue developing partnerships to support you and your training goals.  During the last 3 months, Austin Tri Club has developed partnerships with the following vendors and services providers to provide you with member discounts:  Austin Massage Company, Chapter Fitness, Dynamic Sports Medicine, Infinit Nutrition, Power Meter City, RoadID, Rudy Project, Running Warehouse, TrainingPeaks, TriBike Transport, XTerra Wetsuits, and XX2I Optics. We will continue to work hard in 2018 to grow these partnerships and to develop new ones.

Finally, over the last 8 weeks, it has been inspiring to meet so many warm, friendly, and fun people.  I can say without a doubt that Austin Triathlon Club has the coolest, nicest members anywhere. I’m so excited and thankful to have played a part in launching this club. I cannot wait to start 2018, so we can make it the best year ever.

Daniel
​Austin Triathlon Club President