kaburns1214 Mentor Group 2012 Part 2 - CLOSED (Page 156)

Very tired.  I'm hoping to start feeling better this week.

Really concerned that flights are going to get cancelled and get backed up.  Im booked on Southwest with a connection through Baltimore.  Could be a not do great scenario.

The weather for race day looks good.  No wind and a little on the warm side (high in the low 80s).  The adventure will be getting there.

You come to NYC and Shaun and I will head down and give you a tour of our favorite places in the city.

I lived in NYC for a couple years.  If you decide to do the city, let me know, as I have lots and lots of great vegetarian dining options (assuming the places still exist...LOL).  I was a militant vegetarian back then.  Colorado is beautiful, too.  Asthma-inducing mountain climbs  

Fantastic race day weather!!  I hope you have no problems getting there.  I'm hopeful WTC will give you a positive response to your note if your flight is rescheduled.  

Did anyone else find the 2 hour Kona broadcast to be disappointing?  It didn't feel that it was put together well at all.  I appreciate getting to watch triathlon on tv, but I wanted a bit more.  

My husband said that from an outsiders perspective, he missed the AG stories.  He can identify a handful of pros.  He said he grew up watching this broadcast, and this year's was a turn off the tv moment for the non-triathlete.  He watched the entire thing for me (his words).  LOL 

From FB I believe Larkin finished in 3:59.

Congrats on the mary times guys. 

Best way to make disposable arm warmers?  Have a feeling when I come out of the water next Sunday I'm going to need something.

Congratulations on a fantastic job!!!  

See, I like to watch the normal folk race!  I don't need the maudlin stories, but I do like to see how fast AGers pull it off. 

Karen is right -- tube socks and cut the feet off.

CONGRATS!

Here's my thought.  If triathlon is going to be viewed as a real second tier type sport (along with things like swimming, track and field, etc.) the broadcast needs to focus on the pros.  I know people find AGers either inspiring or want to see the AG race BUT you never see coverage of masters swim meets along with the olympics or high school track meets along side diamond league covergage.  If we want the sport to mature and the pros to get paid what they deserve, there needs to be good coverage focusing on the pro race.  Its sad but the winner of the world cross fit games wins $600K.   The winner of IM Hawaii wins $125K (and that's with this years increase). 

So much truth here.  If triathlon is ever going to push more mainstream they have to play up the pros, make them have fan bases and then play up any rivalries.  The American public loves them a good rivalry.  Oh and Jen seeing how fast AGers do it would be cool, but if they show AGers it's a sob story not how Joe Blow with a 50 hour a week job still can go sub 10 at the World Champs.

I think you're both right, but I don't think it will ever be a mainstream sport (or second tier).  Crossfit has reached the masses.  My brother-in-law does it and is all into it.  This country is too obsessed with football for any second tier sport to get any serious consideration.  LOL  It will never really reach people like my husband or his friends.  I mean, he said he watched it growing up because of the stories and cool visual look of the broadcast.  It was inspiring and awesome for him to watch.  Now he watches it with growing interest because of me, but he still wants some of the sob stories.  I much prefer to watch Joe Blow with the 50 hour a week job going sub 10 at World Champs  

That aside, I do think they did an OK job following the pros.  Why in the world was there so much footage of Macca though?  How in the world was he relevant in this race after passing on it last year?  I understand following Crowie, but Maccca?  We saw none of the other pros interviewed at all.  The race was aired 2 weeks ago (right?).  Plenty of time to put that together.  

They all looked like they had Zoom bleaching 2 days before the race with that lighting, too.  Ha ha.     

They show Macca because he runs his mouth and the viewing public loves smack talk.

Lots of people follow sports that they don't participate in.  The key is, as Scott said, getting people to know the pros, understand the rivalries and get invested.  Unfortunately the NBC broadcast failed at that.  Also remember the reason the broadcast was 2 hours and aired 2 weeks after the race was because of Lance Armstrong.  NBC struck a new deal with WTC in the early spring when Armstrong was attempting to KQ as a pro.  The TV deal was part of the Armstrong package.  So the original plan was for a Lance love fest.  I don't think a new game plan was ever solidly in place after Lance was placed under investigation.