I can't turn left

I swear I'm not trying to be mean, but if you're having difficulty making a left turn , you shouldn't be competing in an event where 1/3 of it is a bike race.  I know we all have goals, but if you're uncomfortable doing a left hand turn, why are you entering races?  Aside from hurting yourself, you could take out other riders as well.

Skills drills:  go early to a MUP that has grass on either side and preferably has gentle and 90 degree left turns.  Ride unclipped.  "Sight" your turns as stated before and don't freak out if you fall, just relax and hit the grass.  Really work on staying loose and not looking down or at your wheel, look where you want to turn and you and your bike will follow.

exactly what I thought

Go to your nearest velodrome

Magnum

Figure 8s in parking lot.

What position are your feet/pedals when you turn left?

Left foot should be up and right foot down and weighted.

What feels off turning left vs right?

If you try grass, why not use your bike shoes and just not clip in.  Are your pedals adjusted to as loose as possible?

You could also go to a parking lot with painted lines.  Decide that you're going to turn into a spot without touching the line.  If you go over, no big deal, no need for cones or grass.    (Or, approach your driveway at home from the left)    This is essentially what you do when you learn to ride a motorcycle and the test includes being able to turn both ways without going over the line.  In fact, you might try a motorcycle safety class - it's great for bike handling skills!   You also learn that you turn by shifting your weight and not actually turning the handlebars.

So, when approaching a left turn:

• Pull up your left foot
• Reduce speed
• Lean a bit towards your left shoulder
• Look where you want to go (ahead to the left, not on the ground in front of you)
• Only when you are going the right way do you begin to increase speed again.

As you get better, you can pedal more and for longer, but I think you might be best served to slow down until you get the feel for it. 

KathyG's tips, plus:

Go to the Veloway.  There are lots of turns there, both right and left. Practice following the line in the middle of the road and get used to turning.  Good place to work on bike handling skills--just watch out for other cyclists and rollerbladers.

He was talking about a U-turn which is understandable.  You don't normally do slow speed turns like that on a tight radius.

I don't think anyone mentioned this yet, but start as far outside as you can get, then begin making the turn, coming toward the cone, then back to the outside as you hit the straightaway again.  Maximize your turn radius.  Think like an Indy 500 race.

Yeah it's really just the tight left U-turn that is the problem.  Riding at high speed in a pack or cornering with other riders is no sweat.  It's just the damn left U-turn.  I like the outside in idea, and figure 8's wouldn't be bad either. 

I'll also try and pick my sight up a little further down the road when coming into a left U.  The veloway would be a good idea....if I could ride it backwards.  If I tried to watch Nascar I'd probably fall asleep.

In four years of doing Tri's this was the first race that I have ever crashed at.  Most races don't have tight U-turns like that but when they come up I want to be ready for them again.  Thanks to most for the help so far.  I'll report on my progress.

Well, that makes more sense (it being a U-Turn).  I honestly wasn't trying to be snarky....