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 Triathletix is the official coaching company for the Los Angeles Tri Club! |
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Triathlon Keeps Inching Towards Mainstream by Ian Murray I read today that triathlete Cherie Gruenfeld will be bestowed with the honor of the Wheaties box. That is a stamp that any athlete can look upon and undeniably say "I've arrived". Our sport too, should look upon this as a huge step towards getting out of the dark and into the spotlight. As an American athlete, if you're not participating in one of the big four (baseball, football, basketball, or hockey) you are pretty much doomed to anonymity. When Alexi Lalas played soccer in Italy he was mobbed like a rock star everywhere he went, but back here in the states he gets about as much recognition as a 411 operator. Triathlon keeps inching towards the mainstream, but it's taking baby steps. I remember getting a thrill in a movie theatre when the film GI Jane gave Demi Moore's character the history of being a triathlete - to help justify that she might be tough enough to be considered a woman capable being a Navy Seal. But still some companies' marketing seems odd: Nike doesn't even have a triathlon line, yet in early December of 2001 they cast a triathlon commercial in Los Angeles. Is our sport good enough to be an image, but not good enough to rate its own product line for a major sportswear manufacturer? We see other miniscule sports in advertising - windsurfing is tied into ads for Kodak and Fuji. It would seem that you can't sell an SUV without attaching the image of a mountain bike somewhere. My guess is that duathlon and triathlon get about as much play in a Madison Avenue conference room as do Hurling or Curling. Thanks for letting me air that out…..Now, back to Cherie and the Wheaties box; Cherie Gruenfeld is magnificent! She has won her age group at Kona too many times, she has developed a program called Cypress Kids that brings triathlon to underprivileged children, and she is incredibly well spoken. There is no finer person to front our sport. To that end, step aside Tiger, and even… dare I say it…. Back off Lance, it's Cherie's turn to star on isle 7 across the land. Other articles in this series: » Triathlon, the Olympics, and the Evolution » Slowtwitch's Kona Survey » Olympics in Athens and how athletes try and make the grade » Another course change at the IM World Championships » Put your mind to work in your favor before and during the race with visualizations Back to the Multi-Resource |
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