USA
Pentathlon, Inc.
Strategic Plan Overview
Colorado Springs, Colorado
December 5, 2007
The Future of Modern Pentathlon in the USA
Executive Summary
USA Pentathlon, Inc. is an organization formed to foster and promote
the sport of Modern Pentathlon in the United States. USA Pentathlon,
Inc. is made up of leaders from around the country who are interested
in seeing Modern Pentathlon flourish at the Olympic, Junior and Youth
levels. We seek to work with the United States Olympic Committee to
secure the NGB charter for the sport of Modern Pentathlon.
To be a successful NGB, USA Pentathlon Inc. will seek to accomplish
several tasks successfully.
• Increase awareness about Modern Pentathlon among the existing
pool of potential world-class athletes at the youth, junior and senior
levels who are involved in swimming and running.
• Provide entry level training and competition opportunities for
these athletes.
• Provide mid and high level training and competition opportunities
for athletes around the country.
• Increase funding for all elements of organizational support.
We have spent significant time establishing partnerships with organizations
such as USA Swimming, USA Shooting, USA Fencing, Pony Club, Boys and
Girls Clubs of America, The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of America, The
Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, The Peak Foundation and the Dekalb
International Training Center. These partnerships will broaden the base
of our fundraising efforts, will increase our recruitment efforts and
recruitment base, and will enable more athletes to train in several
regions with elite coaching staffs and facilities.
We have created an ambitious vision statement that inspires us to
grow our sport. At the same time, our mission will keep us grounded
and allow us to create an athlete pipeline that will sustain us through
the 2012 games and well into the future.
We invite your questions and support. In the end, we hope you will
see that we are the group that can provide the leadership necessary
to take the sport from where we are today to becoming a model NGB that
enjoys successes both organizationally and on the field of play.
Short History of the Sport
The Modern Pentathlon, was introduced at the 5th Olympiad in Stockholm
(SWE) in 1912. It was comprised of the contemporary sports of pistol
shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running. Baron Pierre
de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics believed it would be
the event, above all others, that tested a man’s moral qualities
as much as his physical resources and skills, producing thereby the
ideal, complete athlete. This event was designed as the “grand
finale” of the Olympic Games.
The choice of the five diverse and unrelated sports that make up the
Modern pentathlon arose out of the romantic, tough adventures of a liaison
officer whose horse is brought down in enemy territory. Having defended
himself with his pistol and sword, he swims across a raging river and
delivers the message on foot. Not surprisingly, it was the military
that most enthusiastically adopted this new sport with its inherent
demands of courage, co-ordination, physical fitness, self-discipline
and flexibility in ever changing circumstances. A young American Lieutenant,
later to be the famous World War II General George S. Patton, finished
fifth in the first ever Olympic Modern Pentathlon competition and for
many years, the Modern Pentathlon was used as part of the final examination
at a number of European Military Academies. The mixture of physical
and mental skills demanded in the Pentathlon has also meant that athletes
have been able to compete in as many as three or four Olympic Games.
This is because while running and swimming times can be expected to
decline with age, experience and skill in the technical disciplines
often increase.
Today, both men and women complete all five events of the Modern Pentathlon
in one day. A point system for each event is based on a standard performance
earning 1,000 points. The winner is the Pentathlete who has accumulated
the most points after the five events.
USA Pentathlon, Inc.
Vision: Introduce every child in America to the sport of Pentathlon
Mission: From grassroots to the Olympic medal stand USA Pentathlon
identifies, inspires and trains athletes to achieve personal and competitive
excellence.
Organization Structure: In keeping with the spirit of the Ted Stevens
Amateur Sports Act and the current best practices governance model,
we have adopted the bylaws and governance structure recommended by the
USOC. The USOC recognized the need for a streamlined governance structure
and has made great strides in establishing an NGB model. We have based
our own structure on this.
Fiscal Consideration: USA Pentathlon is fortunate to have a very strong
base of support both in the national and international pentathlon community.
We have assembled an impressive list of supporters and advisors who
are poised and ready to help us with an ambitious fundraising plan.
Through our contacts within the sport and the contacts that we have
cultivated in the business community we are ready to undertake an intensive
program of soliciting private donations, holding fundraising events,
applying for grants and working with foundations.
Strategic Partnerships: We have already established relationships and
strategic alliances with some critical partners.
NGB’s- USA Swimming, USA Fencing, USA Shooting, USA Track and
Field
Community based organizations-Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts and
Girl Scouts
Youth sport organizations- Pony Club
Other sports organizations- Dekalb International Training Center, The
Colorado Springs Sports Corporation, The Peak Foundation
Athlete Development: We have begun a talent identification program
that is club based. We have had initial discussions with our potential
partners about their collaboration. We believe through cooperating with
other NGB’s we will be able to mutually benefit each other. We
have discussed ways that will aid in retention is all related sports
and grow our sport at the same time.
Centers of Excellence: We are identifying and assembling centers of
excellence in different areas of the United States. The goal of these
centers is to provide athletes with training and services necessary
to succeed at the national and international level. Our hope is that
by setting up more than one elite training facility, we will increase
the visibility of the sport of pentathlon, and be able to identify and
train a larger group of promising athletes. These centers are tentatively
in Ft. Collins through the Peak Foundation, in Atlanta through the Dekalb
International Training Center, in Chicago through the Menomonee Club
of Chicago and we are working to identify a potential center in the
Northwestern United States and the North Eastern United States. Once
up and running these sites will be host to several high level competitions
on the national and international level.
If approved as the NGB, we are considering requesting the identification
or designation as one of the Community Olympic Development Programs.
We believe this important recognition will allow us to reach out to
athletes who may never otherwise get the exposure to our sport and disciplines.
USA Pentathlon Inc. Board of Directors
Chairman – Elaine Cheris, three-time Olympian. Chair of organizing
committee for two Fencing World Championships held in Denver in 1989
and 1993. First woman to receive the Gold Medal of Honor from the Fencing
International Federation (FIE). Experienced organizer of pentathlon
national and international competition and camps. Based in Denver.
John Holland - President of NORCECA; UIPM board member. Non voting
board member.
Giorgio Medici - President of Medici Consulting and Investment. Philanthropist
and commercial and residential real estate developer. Based in Atlanta.
James Gregory – Lt Col United States Army; Team Leader Modern
Pentathlon for 2000 Olympic Games; Alternate for two Olympic pentathlon
teams. Based in Los Angeles.
Barry Matchett – Legislative Director, ELPC; Modern Pentathlon
Olympic Trials Finalist 2000; Founder of Windy City Fencing (subsequently
sold). Based in Chicago.
Pat Duffy - National Tetrathlon Committee for United States Pony Club.
Involved for thirty years in many youth organizations. President of
West Coast Pentathlon, regional pentathlon coordinator (west coast),
recruits tetrathletes to pentathlon. Professional: worked in juvenile
justice. Independent contractor; Based in Northern California.
Kathleen Ferrara - Georgia Division Secretary, US Fencing; experienced
administrator and non-profit fundraising expert; business woman and
small business owner. Based in Atlanta.
Fred Hower – Senior Director of Internal Audits, IHS, Inc. specializing
in audit and federal tax compliance. Based in Denver.
Atif Siddiqi – National Partner, Advisory Services at KPMG, LLC
(5 largest accounting firm in the world) specializing in risk analysis
and audit planning. Based in Denver.
Honorary Founding Board
Ben Nighthorse Campbell - Former United States Senator
Bill Hanslik – Former Denver Nuggets head coach and player; co-founder
and CEO, The Gold Crown Foundation.
Peter Lahdenpera – Three-time Olympian
Wayne Quarles – Director of Activities, Pony Club
Giorgio Medici - President of Medici Consulting and Investment. Philanthropist.
Commercial and residential real estate developer. Based in Atlanta.
Advisory Board and Allied Organizations
We have an advisory board filled with people that have expertise in
particular fields that we can call on at anytime to assist us with particular
needs. This board includes:
Tom Osborne – Director, State Games of America. Based in Colorado
Springs
Wayne Quarles – Activities Services Director of United States
Pony Club. Based in Lexington, KY
Genadijus Sokolovas – United States Swimming. Based in Colorado
Springs
Dr. Bryan Baer – Surgeon; clinic owner. Based in Denver
Dr. Anthony Ferrara – Emergency medicine; clinic owner. Based
in Atlanta
Silvio Lyra – Former national shooting coach. Based in Alabama
Tracy Mattes – Pentathlete; journalist; Philanthropist. Based
in Monaco
Bob Foth – National shooting coach, USA Shooting. Based in Colorado
Springs
We have a strong supporter in the United States Pony Club. The Pony
Club has approximately 12,000 members. A discipline in Pony Club is
Tetrathlon (run, swim, shoot, ride). In 2007 there were 76 competitors
at the tetrathlon national championships. Immediately following the
tetrathlon national championship a camp for Modern Pentathlon was held
and 75 new athletes participated, in Lexington, KY. Conducted by Pat
Duffy, Mike Duffy, Elaine Cheris and Janusz Peciak The Pony Club with
its large membership base of athletes who are already being exposed
to four of the five sports is a prime recruiting ground for youth and
junior pentathletes.
We are closely associated with United States Fencing. Fencing allows
our pentathletes automatic entry into Nationals and circuit events for
individual and team events. We are at this time encouraging and assisting
fencing clubs to become pentathlon clubs by connecting them with pony
clubs, swim clubs, running clubs, shooting clubs and riding stables
in their area. We will continue to educate and market through US Fencing
magazine as we have done in the past with great success.
We are closely aligned with the United States Swimming Association.
Genadijus Sokolovas, physiologist for USA Swimming, has worked closely
with us to help design our training program. Dr. Sokolovas is writing
the pentathlon education and testing program for athletes, coaches,
parents and clubs. Furthermore, USA Swimming has indicated a willingness
to establish a coordinated plan to disseminate information about Pentathlon
to their member clubs, a wonderful recruiting opportunity for Pentathlon.
We send recruiting personel to swimming nationals to recruit coaches
and athletes.
We are closely aligned with United States Shooting. Working with top
coaches from United States Shooting has been helpful for elite pentathletes
training at the Olympic Training Center and we have commitments from
USA Shooting to work with young pentathletes to establish good training
habits. Over time, there may be opportunities for cross recruitment
between the two sports.
We have had conversations with the Dekalb International Training Center
in Atlanta about working with them to recruit and train runners. DITC
is focused exclusively on track and field training and competition.
Traditionally pentathlon has not done a very good job of recruiting
runners to pentathlon but the athletes who have come from running have
had little difficulty becoming competent swimmers and successful pentathletes.
Next Steps
We look forward to working closely with the USOC. If USA Pentathlon,
Inc. is awarded the NGB charter, we would like the existing High Performance
Director to serve also as our Interim Executive Director during a transition
period. At this time, we are prepared to take charge of the youth and
junior training, recruiting, development, competitions and education
of coaches, athletes, and referees, and with a goal of taking over the
elite and senior program in the near future. We are ready to integrate
with the USOC in every way. Our desire it to develop a network system
across the United States that incorporates all five of the Modern Pentathlon
individual sports’ organizations, individuals, and clubs at the
local, regional and national level. As the Modern Pentathlon network
expands, we will be able to connect potential athletes with pentathlon
training facilities, training programs, and competitions. We will seriously
focus on expanding the base of athletes who are aware of, training for,
and competing in Modern Pentathlon.
We will invite the coaches and their athletes from around the country
to education/training/testing camps. By incorporating both athletes
and coaches into our organization early and often, all parties learn
from the experts. They learn not only sport specific training methodology
but it offers the NGB an opportunity to develop a culture of performance
and standards that will serve the organization and the USOC well when
these athletes represent the United States internationally.
Appendix A - National Youth Development Program
The development of a strong youth pentathlon program in the United
States is essential to establish a pipeline for athlete identification
and recruitment. It is also one of the primary vehicles for educating
the general public about the sport of pentathlon. Finally through the
establishment of a strong youth base, there will be increased membership
and increased participation in regional and national competitions. The
creation of the Youth Olympics will further increase excitement and
advance the cause of youth enthusiasm for pentathlon.
There are five component sports in pentathlon: Running, swimming,
fencing, shooting and horseback riding. Each of these sports has an
established structure and member base in place in the United States.
USA Pentathlon, Inc. will use these established organizations as a foundation
for athlete and coach recruitment, and as an additional foundation for
our member base. In the foreseeable future, there should be pentathlon
clubs in major cities of the US.
Pentathlon coaches and former pentathletes from all over the world
are moving to the U.S. fencing clubs as fencing coaches in great numbers.
USA Pentathlon, Inc. can use the valuable information these coaches
and athletes have to our advantage - to advance the sport. In combination
with the Pony Clubs of the U.S. we can establish the U.S. as a strong
power in pentathlon
Why target youth?
Athletes are captured by other sports at a much younger age than American
pentathletes. Most athletes in other sports spend a great deal of time
training these sports in their formative years. Our goal is have the
athlete and parents choose pentathlon at a young age before the great
athletic children are captured by other sports.
In general American athletes come to pentathlon at age18 or 25. Pentathlon
is not their original chosen sport. We wish to alter this.
Parents, schools and clubs support with all their heart and money the
young under 17 year old athlete. It is obvious these children have absolutely
no means of being involved in a sport without the assistance of many
adults, emotionally and financially. The parent is still heavily involved
in the molding of their child and feel and enjoy this responsibility.
By the time the child is 18 the parents, schools and clubs are trying
to make the child self sufficient and make her/his on way in the world,
so support is harder to secure.
It usually takes 6 to 8 years of regular training to produce a mature
pentathlete, so an athlete beginning at age 12 is well on the way to
becoming a mature pentathlete by the age of 20.
A viable sport needs thousands of children training nation wide, for
recreation, for fun and for serious competition. Along with the masses
we will get those that start for fun and stay for pleasure and become
Olympic Champions. A viable youth program needs to be continuous and
ongoing. We must make the program continuous from 8 years to Olympic
Medal. We must have summer programs and winter camps as well as programs
that are all year and full time.
Purpose:
To introduce the sport of Modern Pentathlon to children across the
U.S. in order to expand their horizon and enhance their development
and capture their imagination at an early age.
To expand the base of Modern Pentathlon.
To increase the possibility of consistently winning World and Olympic
Medals we must have a large number of athletes training the sport across
the US on purpose, not by accident.
Children will be given an alternative to the traditional sports and
an avenue to greatness.
Children will learn through modern pentathlon: Goal setting, achieving
short and long term objectives, time management, emotional intelligence,
how to win by learning from losing, self-reliance, focus, respect and
discipline for her/himself and respect for coaches, parents, spectators,
athletes and referees.
Age Targeted:
The age targeted is 10 to 18 years old.
Program Overview:
USA Pentathlon will seek to establish a direct funding mechanism to
those pentathlon clubs which are effective at training athletes. USA
Pentathlon funds would be distributed to clubs to assist with start
up costs associated with Pentathlon (examples include guns, targets,
fencing equipment, etc) and possibly over time with proven excellent
coaches.
General Training Structure:
Each athlete’s training program should be developed by the coach
according to the age, experience and training capacity of the child
and proposed to the coordinator of the National Youth Development Program
of USA Pentathlon.
Fencing: 8 to 16 sessions /month, 2 hours each session
Shooting: 4 to 20 sessions/month, 30 minutes
Swimming 8 to 24 sessions/month, 1 hour each session
Running: 12 to 20 sessions/month, 30 minutes each session
Riding: 1 to 8 sessions/month, 1 hour each session
Program Leaders:
The youth develop program needs excited individuals to coordinate the
program in each area. In order to locate these people we will invite
and inform all MP members, fencing coaches and clubs, swim clubs and
coaches, running clubs and coaches and riding coaches and pony clubs.
Recreational centers, school athletic and recreation coordinators and
Athletic clubs, YMCA, YWCA, Boys Club, Girls Club, Scouts, sport foundations
and Governor Councils on Physical Fitness will also be contacted to
locate interested community service groups and individuals.
Benchmarks
Benchmarks as measuring tools of performance should be established to
provide an indication as to the success or failure of the program. Examples
of benchmarks would include:
number of new competitors at local, regional or national youth competitions
number of returning competitors at local, regional and national competitions
performance of the athlete in national and international competition
community awareness
financial stability of the clubs participating in the program
press
It should be noted that while the life of an active athlete is long,
so does it take years to develop a mature athlete. Turn-over is slow
in our sport, therefore recognition should be encouraged and provided
at the age group level for goal attainment.
Summary of Youth Development Program
We have provided an over view of some of the steps USA Pentathlon would
take in terms of grass roots development for Modern Pentathlon. The
development of a youth program is critical to the long term success
of any sport but especially for a sport like Pentathlon where athletes
peak in their late 20’s and early 30’s. Long term development
is key to long term success.
Appendix B - Training Camps
The role of camps in identifying and training the youth athlete:
Pentathlon is comprised of five sports. Athletes who excel in one
or more of these sports are excellent prospects for a pentathlon camp.
Through the camp process, USA Pentathlon will identify each athlete’s
strengths and weaknesses and evaluate their suitability to train at
an accelerated rate in the remaining sports. We also identify athletes
to attend future progressive levels of camps.
Demonstrating what the athletes learn from the camps is very simple:
Compare scores from each camp and competition and give each a certificate
documenting their progress. Track their progress in competitions at
home--before and after camps. Athletes will be required to send scores
for their competitions in various sports (swimming, shooting, running,
etc.) to our national youth coordinator. This person creates a national
database where we can chart scores for all pentathletes. This database
enables us to know which athletes are continuing their suggested training
at home
Our training will largely focus on motor learning drills. Our coaches
will break down activities for the various disciplines into small motions
that the pentathletes can practice on their own.
As an example, a camp might focus on the following elements for the
participating athletes:
Running: Focus on various aspect of the run such as proper breathing
techniques, optimum stride for various terrains, etc.
Swimming: Drills focusing on different parts of the swim, such as stroke,
breathing, dives, turns, glides, etc.
Shooting: Drills which break the technique down into learnable steps:
stance, natural body angle, aim, firing, breathing.
Fencing: We will have drills practicing blade work, footwork, technique
and tactics.
Riding: The most important element is the balanced seat. Then we’ll
work on developing a steady pace, determining proper distances, balanced
turns, etc.
We know that the athletes retain the knowledge they gain because we
will reinforce that knowledge every step of the way; expert coaching
will give them the fundamentals of the sport that they can readily incorporate
into their daily training at home.
We will provide handouts on each discipline that reinforce what they
learned in the clinics and that they can refer to later. Meetings every
evening to recap the day’s events, answer questions, prepare for
the next day. We will videotape kids throughout day and go over the
tapes at night to discuss techniques and performance. Special speakers
each night on tips on competing in pentathlon, nutrition, sports psychology,
sport injury prevention and treatment, cross training.
Progress can easily be tracked during the camp itself. By evaluating
each athlete at beginning of camp coaches can help them set realistic
goals – both for end of camp and for the next six months. Each
athlete will be given a notebook to track his or her own progress and
take notes and to keep handouts. The athlete will maintain this notebook
throughout the year and bring it to camps for evaluation.
Coaches will strive to develop a good rapport with each athlete on
an individual basis. This camp will be individualized, not one size
fits all. The coach for each discipline will evaluate each athlete and
complete a written evaluation at the beginning and end of the camp,
outlining strengths and weaknesses.
When possible, we will group athletes by ability so beginners don’t
hold the advanced group back. The coach will help the athlete set attainable
goals – both for the camp and for the training at home. Each coach
will be available for private lessons throughout the day for kids who
need or want additional help. The coach will send the athlete home with
a written training plan. The coach will give the athlete his email address
for questions or consultation while the athlete is training at home.
Training camps offer tremendous value for children training in pentathlon.
Pentathlon is unlike other sports in that athletes have to train in
five different sports, which is problematic logistically and financially.
Because it is a little-known sport, kids cannot effectively train and
compete in the sport at home. The camps remedy that problem by:
Offering expert training in all five disciplines in one place.
Providing a venue where athletes can compete in their sport.
Camaraderie of being around other teens who are in the same sport.
Offering a sense of community in the sport.
Helping athletes set goals and training regimens.
Motivating the athlete to continue to train and achieve.
We have a system of accountability to ensure that all athletes are maximizing
the experience. Two different sets of camps should be run: ones for
serious contenders and ones for those who being introduced to the sport.
How does this fit into a grass roots proposal?
1. Camps inspire both athletes and parents/organizers to go home and
promote the sport.
2. Show grassroots organizers how to hold their own clinics
3. Athletes are nurtured at the camps, then go home to do the training.
4. Athletes keep in contact with camp organizers throughout the year.
5. Camps provide environment where kids, organizers and parents from
across the country can get together, share ideas, and eventually set
up regional competitions.
Appendix C - Membership Growth
The future of pentathlon as a sport in the US is dependent on the creation
of a broad based, grass roots support system. The most logical method
of doing this is to facilitate and encourage the creation of member
clubs throughout the United States. The target is to have at least one
member club in each major city of the US.
Method:
There exist many riding, swimming and fencing clubs throughout the country.
We hope to approach as many of these as possible and convince them to
add the other sports of pentathlon and thereby become pentathlon clubs.
This must be done through existing contacts among our board members
and interested partners. It is most effectively done at major national
tournaments where large numbers of club owners and coaches are together
at one time. Often the identification of one or two athletes interested
in training pentathlon can help to convince the owners and coaches of
their existing clubs to offer training in the other sports. This in
turn will result in more interest in training pentathlon.
Structure:
The member clubs and individual members need to be broken down into
smaller parts for the organization of regional competitions, and to
allow for regional communication and interaction of athletes and coaches.
We propose using a similar model to that used by US Fencing, scaled
appropriately to Pentathlon’s needs, where regions of the country
are divided into ‘sections’, and each section is in turn
divided into ‘divisions’. Below is a list showing USA Fencing’s
section and divisional structure:
GREAT LAKES SECTION
COLUMBUS OHIO
INDIANA
KENTUCKY
MICHIGAN
NORTHERN OHIO
SOUTHWEST OHIO
MID/ATLANTIC SECTION
CAPITOL
CENTRAL PA
HARRISBURG PA
MARYLAND
NEW JERSEY
PHILADELPHIA
SOUTH JERSEY
WESTERN PA
NORTHEAST PA
NORTH ATLANTIC SECTION
CONNECTICUT
HUDSON-BERKSHIRE
LONG ISLAND, NY
NEW ENGLAND
WESTCHESTER-ROCKLAND
WESTERN NY
MIDWEST SECTION
ILLINOIS
IOWA
MINNESOTA
ST LOUIS, MO
WISCONSIN
PACIFIC COAST SECTION
CENTRAL CA
HAWAII
NEVADA
NORTH COAST, CALIF
NORTHERN CALIF.
ORANGE COAST, CALIF
SOUTHERN CALIF.
SAN BERNADINO
SAN DIEGO
MT VALLEY, CAL
SOUTHEAST SECTION
ALABAMA
CENTRAL FL
GATEWAY FL
GOLD COAST FL
GEORGIA
NORTH CAROLINA ROCKY MOUNTAIN SECTION
ARIZONA
COLORADO
KANSAS
PLAINS, TX
NEBRASKA
NEW MEXICO
WYOMING
SOUTHWEST SECTION
ARK-LA-MISS
GULF COAST, TX
LOUISIANA
NORTH TEXAS
OKLAHOMA
SOUTH TEXAS
BORDER TX
PACIFIC NORTHWEST SECTION
ALASKA
INLAND EMPIRE
OREGON
UTAH-S. IDAHO
WESTERN WASHINGTON
USA Pentathlon financial support for developing clubs:
The development of a Pentathlon club entails many expenses. It is
likely that most Pentathlon clubs will not initially have a large group
of Pentathlon-only members which will make offering Pentathlon coaching
a difficult proposition for some potential owners/coaches. In order
to assist the club owners, USA Pentathlon proposes ramping up an incentive
based funding program. As an example, clubs might be required to meet
some or all of the following criteria to qualify for funding:
1. Organize a regional competition every 2 months (unless athletes
compete in national competition during that time), to receive monthly
funding.
2. Send results of competitions to USA Pentathlon for verification.
A revision of the Club’s monthly payment would be made after every
competition.
3. Invite a designated national observer/national coach to attend each
regional competition.
The following is an example of how a direct incentive program for clubs
could be set up.
Level I
Club will receive $50 monthly for the remainder of that Pentathlon season
for each athlete entering Regional Competitions or Youth World Team
Selection Competition. Athlete must compete in swim, run, fence, shoot.
Level II
Club will receive $75 monthly for each athlete entering Regional Competitions
or Youth World Team Selection Competition and score over 2500 points
in their category. Athlete must compete in swim, run, fence, shoot.
Level III
Club will receive $125 monthly for each athlete entering Regional Pentathlon
Competition, Youth World Team Selection Competition and scoring 3000
or more. Athlete must compete in run, swim, fence and shoot.
Level IV
Clubs will receive $500 bonus for each athlete that scores above 4000
in National Youth World Team Selection competition.
Again, the above are merely examples of how an incentive program could
be set up to stimulate more participation in the sport by fencers, runners,
swimmers, shooters or riders. Any organizer would be welcome to begin
a pentathlon club program.
A club might also be required to meet the following requirements to
receive pentathlon funding:
A club must have at least 6 active pentathletes, of any age, training
regularly to receive pentathlon funding.
Club must be member of USA Pentathlon
Each athlete must be member of the USA Pentathlon
The club will need to provide the name, address and phone of all the
coaches involved in the pentathlon program.
The club will need to provide biography of each coach.
The club will need to provide the dues structure for the program
The club will need to provide the salary of each of the coaches, number
of sessions and number of athletes training.
This information would be used for analysis of the club program and
to assist in development of other programs. The NGB would not attempt
to force a dues or payment structure on any club.
Appendix D
Marketing and Education
We want pentathlon to be seen by athletes as accessible and obtainable,
but yet unique and exciting. We can do this:
By introducing it in the schools, clubs, and recreation centers, and
through the organization of all five sports, joining and partnering
with boys clubs, YMCA, recreation centers, schools, especially private
schools.
We will work with colleges and universities to facilitate Pentathlon
scholarship programs at higher institutions of learning.
We will work with local and regional pentathlon clubs to keep expenses
and fees in a reasonable range so that as many athletes has possible
can compete. The athlete must provide their own equipment. This can
be expensive in fencing, shooting and horse riding. We will attempt
to help athletes and clubs defer these expenses in coming years.
Our sources of revenue consist of grants from The Pentathlon Foundation
and the US Olympic Committee, as well as private donations and sponsorship.
We will develop detailed budget requests for our grantor partners. We
will have a national club membership fee $300.00, as well as a membership
fee $50.00 for all athletes/$30 for associates. We will conduct training
camps/seminars for athletes, coaches and officials and charge a fee
to cover expenses including administrative costs. We will also sponsors
competitions and require entry fees to cover our expenses including
administrative costs.
We will establish local clubs through recruiting athletes and coaches
from other existing organizations that have a standard organization
that we can partner with; health organizations, hospitals, athletic
clubs, high school and college athletic association
Some athletes will not be able to manage the cost and time.
For the cost we can offer specific scholarships and work/ availability
for athletes and parents. Some athletes will find it difficult to achieve
a standard of excellence in five sports therefore we will need to work
with them in conjunction with their coaches and others so that they
may understand the scoring system in pentathlon which requires a different
set of standards of excellence in all five sports.
Get other sports to support the goals of the pentathlon organization,
by helping with recruitment of athletes, supporting staff and coaches
and funding for our organization.
Product and service plan
How can we make this into a reality? We will be successful by working
with USA Pentathlon Foundation and the US Olympic Committee in terms
of funding to support local clubs and competitions. We also need to
work with the International Pentathlon Federation. We need recognition
by the general public of the sport of Modern Pentathlon. This can be
done through media contacts, web sites, and publication of competitions.
This can also be done through the development of local clubs, training
seminars for coaches and administrators. Scheduling and managing local,
regional and national competitions. Training camps/seminars will be
conducted in regional areas to cut the costs in transportation etc for
athletes/coaches.
Delivery plan
We will get the information to the athletes, supporters and sponsors
through e-mail, word of mouth, web sites, and newsletters.
We will contact former pentathletes and identify coaches through them
and other sport disciplines and organizations.
We will write articles for USOC Pressbox, and get our newsletters into
magazines and periodicals of all five pentathlon sports. We will also
use Newspapers, radio, yellow pages and all school districts newsletters
to get our message out to the public.
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