TI Regional Meeting Update

An important update on what was discussed at the Triathlon Ireland regional meeting that Gav Duffy and Diana Stafford attended on Tuesday 3rd September.

Please feel free to provide any feedback you feel is relevant to training@piranhatri.com

Insurance – general discussion around insurance and noted by all attendees that the situation was VERY unclear in terms of training and coverage for coaches and non-qualified members taking out sessions. TI have agreed to look into the situation and provide concrete information to clubs on the situation.

• Sign in sheets – One thing that TI were certain about was that insurance (albeit 3rd party) was linked to sign in sheets at all sessions. Piranha currently ONLY operates a sign in sheet for UCD swim. Piranha are seeking clarification on this & a number of other insurance items from TI. Once we receive communication from them we will post this information via the website. 
• Greater insurance coverage –The question of whether 3rd party insurance was adequate was raised and the majority of those present felt it was not. TI asked if clubs felt that members would be ok with increasing membership fees to fund any increase in coverage and most parties present agreed they would IF:
           – The level of current coverage was made more known – it was felt that most members were NOT aware that it was 3rd party only and that they were not personally covered.
          – The full details of what exactly would be provided for the extra money was made clear to all.

Regional Development officers

• There is currently Budget in place for 1 NI regional Development and coaching officer. The plan would be to also have at least 1 fulltime or part time officer in the south. The role would involve working with clubs to develop their governance and their internal coaching development amongst other things.
• Increase membership fee to fund? TI asked if clubs felt that members would be willing to pay increased membership fees to support this. Only one club felt this was a good idea, the majority stated clearly that they would prefer to see any increase in fee go toward providing greater insurance coverage.

Coaching assistance – there was a general discussion about how clubs provides coaches and it was noted that there is no consistency across clubs and it would be helpful to have a more standardised approach even in terms of coaching levels/titles, for instance pulse use mentors which is comparable to Piranha’s assistant coaches.

• Mentor/Assistant coach qualification. I set out our Assistant Coach/Coach system and questioned if it would be possible to have a basic qualification in place for assistant coaches – it was suggested that this could be an online course. TI said that they would look into this.
• Level 1 courses – there was a call for more courses and at a reduced rate. TI pointed out that the rate was high to include location rental. It was suggested that if we could provide our own location could TI offer the courses at a reduced rate as we ask our assistant coaches/coaches to fund this course themselves and the price is a barrier for some. There was an inter club discussion about joining up clubs to organise a session – there can be up to 20 per session. We are currently looking into this.

Governance – there was a general discussion around how clubs are set up and run. There does not seem to be common methods of practice. TI confirmed that they would like to provide some assistance in terms of club constitutions etc. The matter of contracts for coaching staff was raised and all clubs agreed that this is an area where there is a lot of confusion. TI confirmed that they would work toward developing a system of templates and would welcome any advice or samples that clubs may have.

Races

• Road closure problems – TI asked that clubs communication any issues they are having/had relating to road closure including cost issues.
• Points system for National series – TI asked that clubs communicate any issues they are having/had relating to the national series point system.
• Drafting issues – Piranha highlighted some particular instances of blatant disregard for drafting rules. TI confirmed that drafting is an issue and they hope to set up a technical committee to review. It was suggested that motor bikes should have cameras on them so that any infringement could be recorded and communicated – this would reduce debate/appeals. TI said that they would review the possibility of this. It was noted that some race courses simply can’t avoid drafting given the size of the roads. It was questioned how these races were sanctioned if not suitable – TI responded that the proposed technical committee would look into this. Suggestion of increasing the amount of waves would reduce the numbers of competitors on the road at the same time.
• Gender waves – TI sought feedback on moving to female and male waves – not mixing. The majority of clubs supported this as it would result in the current NS points system being more accurate and its likely to increase female participation.
• Potential Draft legal Races next year – TI said that they would like to have 1 draft legal races next season to attract pro’s plus top 10-20 NS guys, with a view to a series the year after and asked any clubs interested in running them to get in touch. (something for DCT?)
• One day licences – TI suggested removing ODLs. It was pointed out that ODLs are a good source of revenue and allow competitors to try out triathlon without fully committing. There was a suggestion that pricing be changed so that the more you buy the higher the price goes but if you chose to move to full membership what is paid to date can count toward that.
• TI talked about developing a regional championship where races would be on the same day in different provinces and a grand final.

Long distance triathlon

• Greater support for athletes competing in longer distances was sought. TI confirmed that since it was not part of ITU it did not factor in the budgets/funding. It was noted that there were some longer distance races within ITU but they were not well known and could TI advertise these more.
• TI agreed to nominate an long distance national championship race in Ireland.
• TI agreed to look into other ways of supporting longer distance such as seminars etc.