Fw: RE: For Your Consideration

[Andrew F Rizzo]

Below is an e-mail from a member of the collegiate Board of Trustees addressing concerns with the new TT equipment rule. Mark is not trying to explain why they approved the rule but instead explains what they considered and how they got feedback before making a decision.

--- On Wed, 11/4/09, Mark Abramson <ma...@forwardthought.com> wrote:

> From: Mark Abramson <ma...@forwardthought.com>
> Subject: RE: For Your Consideration
> To: "Spencer Powlison" <spow...@saintmikesalum.com>, "collegiat...@usacycling.org" <collegiat...@usacycling.org>, "nccaboard...@usacycling.org" <nccaboard...@usacycling.org>
> Cc: "Jeffrey Hansen" <jha...@usacycling.org>
> Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2009, 1:46 PM
> Spencer (and other CDs),
>
> Yes, the Collegiate Board of Trustees and Jeffrey are
> getting quite a volume of e-mail on both sides of the
> issue.  We knew that this would be controversial, as
> all substantive changes to the rules have been over the
> years.  The "mass start equipment" rule change has been
> made and is on the books for 2010.  It is important to
> note that this decision was not made in a vacuum -- the
> Trustees held numerous open and well-attended forums on this
> and other issues for the past 18 months at the national
> championships, solicited feedback from Conference Directors,
> team leadership, coaches and USA Cycling staff.  The
> Trustees had discussions with programs small and large, well
> funded and unfunded.  The issue is larger than any one
> of (in no particular order):
>
>   A) Sporting considerations
>   B) Cost of travel to conference events and national
> championships
>   C) Cost of equipment
>   D) Safety of transporting additional gear to
> conference events and national championships
>   E) Athletic development; i.e. preparing our scholar
> athletes for the next level
>   F) Significantly increase in bicycle travel cost
> ($175 each way, $350RT)
>   G) Acknowledging the role of technology in our
> sport; engaging with the bicycle industry
>
> Ultimately, the Trustees considered all of the above,
> discussed it with many constituents across the wide spectrum
> of Collegiate Cycling and had a very favorably received (by
> riders, coaches and the CDs) conference aero restriction
> roll-out in the ECCC in 2009.  We then took all of the
> above, deliberated -- at length -- and reviewed it against
> the Collegiate Cycling Mission Statement:
>
> Collegiate Cycling is team-oriented bicycle racing for
> women and men of all abilities. It focuses on:
>   (a) Providing new riders with a welcoming
> introduction to the Collegiate Cycling family;
>   (b) Enabling elite riders to pursue an education
> while benefiting from development opportunities that
> integrate with amateur and professional teams and national
> development programs;
>   (c) Creating personal growth and leadership
> development opportunities for scholar athletes both on and
> off the bike;
>   (d) Ensuring that the sport we love is low cost and
> accessible to any student who wants to race a bike.
>
> In the end, the Trustees knew this would be a controversial
> change that materially impacts our riders and the
> competition.  Again, the rule change has been made and
> is on the books for 2010.  Based on the due
> consideration noted above, we are actively soliciting
> feedback -- especially once the conference seasons begin --
> and the Trustees are looking forward to everyone's active
> participation at the Trustee Annual Meeting at the 2010 Road
> Nationals.
>
> Thank you everyone for your time and consideration. 
> Please keep the feedback coming and encourage anyone who has
> additional comments or questions to direct them to the
> Trustees and Jeffrey.
>
> Kind regards,
> Mark Abramson
> Former ECCC Conference Director (1999-2008)
> Trustee, Collegiate Cycling Board of Trustees
> President, USA Cycling Board of Directors
>
>