[NCNCA] Juniors Category Change

Tue Aug 1 06:16:58 PDT 2006

Hey Tom...   I certainly didn't mean to imply that Jr. Racing was
dying...   it is doing very well as you mention...(and I appreciate all
the work that everyone does to promote jr. cycling... especially all the
clubs and people involved in the jr pts series and championship events,
and velopromo with all of their help in various ways over the years..)

I certainly undertsand, as Lorrie pointed out and you have mentioned,
that a promoting club with a strong membership in any one category
certainly has the right to put their money where their mouths are.

I think my objection to leaving Jr.s out of the Giro was primarily due
to location (which I believe was Julian's point as well).  Jr.s are
often dependant on parents or coaches, etc to drive them... for most
juniors in the district, when you don't have your own transportation,
getting to anywhere in the bay area, especially SF, right off BART (even
if it was as early as 6 or 6:30am for a 7:30am race) is relatively easy
compared to say, um... Dinuba or Fresno or Merced...etc (no offense Bob,
I love those crits, and you know we get our Juniors out there regardless
of the location, but few others show up)  

A local location that not only makes it easier for juniors to get to but
draws crowds and media coverage and IMHO should showcase all aspects
(categories) of the sport (or at least as wide of a range as possible)
if we want to attract new riders.

Without Juniors at that race:
 - Non-racing Juniors and parents that come watch the race for something
to do will not even realize Junior racing exists
 - Non-racing Juniors and parents that SEE IT ON THE NEWS will not even
realize Junior racing exists

It's one of the few events that receives a bit widely based media
coverage, that's why I'm concerned.

Sure other events get articles in the local paper, almost no other
events (certainly non with junior fields) ever hit the 10 o'clock news
as the Giro usually does.... 2 or 3 years ago featuring specifically the
Junior races in the background AND mentioned them specifically.

That's what I really hate to see go... for the good of the sport...
I hope the Jr race returns to SF in 2007

 - Jason

-----Original Message-----
From: izoard at aol.com [mailto:izoard at aol.com] 
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 10:24 PM
To: jazlotlow at sbcglobal.net; jason.k at comcast.net; nitish.nag at gmail.com;
velopro1 at sonnet.com; ncnca at ncnca.org
Cc: oakland_racing at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [NCNCA] Juniors Category Change

Careful folks - numbers are coming your way. From the responses so far
generated by Velo Promo's decision at the Giro this year, you'd have to
think Junior racing was all but in the tank and the elimination of this
date ushers in the Apocalypse! However, according to the NCNCA results
website: (and you could look it up, too...)

*	To date, we've had 45 events since February. 

*	To date, we've had 33 of those events offer Junior categories 

*	To date, of those 33 events offering Junior racing - 24 had
multiple junior categories. 

And THIS is a group in crisis? Not in my book. 

Do Juniors require subsidies in order to compete? Why? They already are
subsidized - and they're subsidized by all the other competitors who pay
full price to compete so that overall operations costs are met. Those
porta potties and permit fees and officials and race staff and
numbers/pins and lunches and other big ticket items don't have their
expenses met by any 1 field of riders - it's their combined totals that
write the checks.  

Is this the way things are done in Europe? In Australia? In Zamboanga?
Who cares - every culture spends money on what they value most - I don't
think there is much interest from Belgians and Italians in high school
American football (not futbol) in their towns. Because they have a
different developmental structure in Europe doesn;'t mean it could
easily be duplicated here, if at all - c'est la vie. 

You are, after all, invited to try new things in Northern California and
are invited to promote as many Junior events as possible. We have an
important scheduling meeting in October and new promoters are cordially
invited to get their event placed on the calendar. The NCNCA believes in
new events so strongly they even offer seed money ($500 per event this
season) to new events. Tieni Duro and Valley Spokesmen put their money
where their mouths are with their events.  

Velo Promo has supported Junior cycling this season with 8 different
events that featured Junior cycling (including the Gold Nugget Stage
Race, exclusively for Juniors). Dropping 1 Junior event from this
season's record is destructive? What definition do you use for
"Destroy?"

If you guys REALLY want a group to recognize that's been overlooked all
year long - take a gander at Cat 4 & 5 Master 45's. There are over 500
of them in Northern California and they've had exclusive events only 8
times this season. Mostly they have to race in combined open 45 Masters
- you kn ow that's tough when you're a rookie. When I started racing in
the stone age, we had only Senior and Junior events and they had no
skill categories. Olympians lined up next to bermuda shorts and bobby
socks.  Unfair to both parties and without doubt we lost plenty of first
time/1 time competitors because of that enormous disparity. Things are
different today and I think vastly improved.  

I'm thrilled that Juniors can see Masters competing today well into
their 60's because Cycling is and should be a sport for life, not just a
brief interlude only for potential Olympians or potential Pro's that the
rest of us need to subsidize and/or support. This is their example for
that future in store for them. Each cycling group should be supporting
each other, not simply a one-way street of support.  

Juniors are an important aspect of bike racing culture, as important as
Elites and Masters but, please - if the absence of juniors in one event
indicates lack of overall support for Juniors across Northern
California/Nevada, then call me way "un-convinced".    

Tom Simpson
Pilarcitos Cyclesports
732 Fairfield Road
Burlingame, CA  94010
tom at pilarcitos.com
(650) 302-6310 cell

-----Original Message-----
From: jazlotlow at sbcglobal.net
To: jason.k at comcast.net; nitish.nag at gmail.com; velopro1 at sonnet.com;
ncnca at ncnca.org
Cc: oakland_racing at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 2:36 PM
Subject: Re: [NCNCA] Juniors Category Change

I was going to stay out of this one since I'm no longer officially a
NCNCA rider, but I can't keep my mouth shut on this occassion.

I think it's a terrible idea to drop the juniors race.  We need juniors
racing for the future of the sport.  If there's not going to be a
separate juniors category at a race, juniors should at least be able to
race for just the cost of insurance surcharges.  Juniors races should be
seen an investment in the future rather than as revenue generators.  

Is it all possible for the promoter to do a Women's 3/4 race (and
perhaps pick separately) and add the juniors race back in?  

----- Original Message ----
From: jason.k at comcast.net
To: Nitish Nag <nitish.nag at gmail.com>; velopro1 at sonnet.com;
ncnca at ncnca.org
Cc: NRL <oakland_racing at yahoogroups.com>; hockeypuck at astound.net
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 1:06:57 PM
Subject: Re: [NCNCA] Juniors Category Change

Nitish and Julian.... well said, I couldn't agree more...

The Giro di SF is a fun course, and I also wish it had a category for
Juniors in it this year....   Since it doesn't, most of our juniors wont
be there, and I likely wont be there... which also means I wont be
racing in the Elite catagories...    (i would imagine there will be
several juniors who might have gone and raced Jr.s and Elites that might
not bother going at all now)

That said, it's always a challenge to fit all of the categories in on
one day...   Something has to give, somewhere....    

We have seen the debates off and on over the past couple years, "need
more junior races" "need more womens races" "need more womens races for
individual categories"  .. we all know the wants are out there... and we
all know that those fields are sometimes left out because they are not
the most profitable... (un ugly fact of life)

ALthough promoters should keep in mind that Junior fields have been
getting bigger...   For more popular races, that aren't in the middle of
nowhere, it has been fairly common to see a turnout of 35+ for a 10-14
race and 50 (limit reached with people on the waiting list) for a 15-18
race...      I can't speak for all Juniors but I'd be willing to bet
that they might even be willing to pay a little more if it meant their
field would exist...

As it is, I'd like to thank Bob and Velo Promo for always doing a great
job in offering Junior fields at every event that they promote on their
own...  regardless of how much income it may or may not bring.....  It
was not Bob's idea/decision to leave Juniors out of this one.

Jason Kent
Director Sportif
Tieni Duro Junior Cycling Development

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Nitish Nag" <nitish.nag at gmail.com>
> To whom it may concern,
> 
> As the president of a Junior Cycling team, *and *a junior racer, I
think it
> is completely destructive for the promoters of the Giro di Sf to
remove the
> juniors race as a Category.
> 
> First and foremost, Junior development in cycling is the only way a
> traditional and exquisite sport such as road cycling will have a
chance to
> continue and grow as a community. While promoters may be thinking of
next
> quarter revenues and increased advertisements for a specific sector
for
> their product market, it is quite frankly a short sighted decision by
the
> promoters. In order to build the base of America's cycling potential,
junior
> racing is simply the ONLY way to ensure success of professional and
> recreational competition growth. For example, in Europe the support
for
> Junior cycling is immense, 10 fold of what the united states carries,
thus
> the abundance of successful European cyclists in ALL arenas of cycling
> (including mountain biking, which was founded in California itself,
where
> all international level champions are of European origin and
citizenship).
> From this example, American based promoters should take note as to how
long
> term investments in cycling can truly be beneficial for all. The
junior
> field evaporates quickly in to the Elite fields as usually a racer
starts
> when they are about 15, and graduating from this league by the time
racing
> age crosses 18. From this perspective, it is easily visible how
important
> attracting juniors is for a long term return at events.
> 
> The basic point is that juniors are the future. Deleting the future
from
> cycling equals no future for cycling, hence the fact for the extreme
stress
> on support for juniors.
> 
> I sincerely hope you will take this in to consideration for your
future
> endeavours in race promotion and sponsorship.
> 
> 
> All the best,
> -- 
> -Nitish Nag
> Team President
> NRL Racing
> nrlracing.org
> nitish.nag at gmail.com

From: "Nitish Nag" <nitish.nag at gmail.com>
To: velopro1 at sonnet.com, ncnca at ncnca.org
Cc: NRL <oakland_racing at yahoogroups.com>, jason.k at comcast.net
Subject: Juniors Category Change
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 18:52:55 +0000
Content-Type: Multipart/alternative;
    boundary="NextPart_Webmail_9m3u9jl4l_9072_1154376417_1"

To whom it may concern,

As the president of a Junior Cycling team, and a junior racer, I think
it is completely destructive for the promoters of the Giro di Sf to
remove the juniors race as a Category. 

First and foremost, Junior development in cycling is the only way a
traditional and exquisite sport such as road cycling will have a chance
to continue and grow as a community. While promoters may be thinking of
next quarter revenues and increased advertisements for a specific sector
for their product market, it is quite frankly a short sighted decision
by the promoters. In order to build the base of America's cycling
potential, junior racing is simply the ONLY way to ensure success of
professional and recreational competition growth. For example, in Europe
the support for Junior cycling is immense, 10 fold of what the united
states carries, thus the abundance of successful European cyclists in
ALL arenas of cycling (including mountain biking, which was founded in
California itself, where all international level champions are of
European origin and citizenship). From this example, American based
promoters should take note as to how long term investments in cycling
can truly be beneficial for all. The junior field evaporates quickly in
to the Elite fields as usually a racer starts when they are about 15,
and graduating from this league by the time racing age crosses 18. From
this perspective, it is easily visible how important attracting juniors
is for a long term return at events. 

The basic point is that juniors are the future. Deleting the future from
cycling equals no future for cycling, hence the fact for the extreme
stress on support for juniors.

I sincerely hope you will take this in to consideration for your future
endeavours in race promotion and sponsorship.

All the best,
-- 
-Nitish Nag
Team President
NRL Racing
 <http://nrlracing.org/> nrlracing.org
nitish.nag at gmail.com
<javascript:parent.ComposeTo('nitish.nag at gmail.com');>  

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