Discussion: A true World Champs - from Nathan Fa'aeve

AR Worlds - A Race Against Countries
Written by Nathan Fa'avae

News - Opinion ::: Tuesday, 03 September 2013 10:30

To the World Series Race Directors,

Thank you for your time, passion and energy that you are investing and giving to the sport of adventure racing. As most of you know, I have been taking part in the sport for 15-years now, completed over 50-major races and seen the sport through a number of 'generations'.

Within New Zealand, I was what we term the 2nd generation of athletes, with the first generation being the John Howard era. We are now in our 4th generation. On a global scale, some of the first generation athletes, the pioneers, are still involved in the sport today Petri, Antonio, Guri, Pascal to name a few, and some are still racing.

I've seen the top level of the sport of Adventure Racing hit a peak then suffer a decline. The 'golden years' for a professional athlete were undoubtably around the Eco Challenge period, 1998-2002. Sponsorship was easier to get and there was the highest number of fully sponsored teams racing. The prize money was high, competitive racing and exciting destinations to compete in and visit.

In 2005 I decided to retire from Adventure Racing and one of the reasons was the decline in the sport.

It's 2013 and I'm back racing, I believe the sport is in excellent shape and growing extremely positively and that is a huge credit to all those involved in the AR World Series.

Before I retire again! - which could be 2013, or 2014, or maybe 2015 - the one thing I would love to be part of and see evolve is the AR World Championship become a competition between Nations involving National Teams.

Countries racing Countries: Emphasis on Nations

Currently the AR World Championships is a competition between corporate syndicate teams. Seagate versus Thule versus Silva. It could be New Zealand versus France versus Sweden. This is not a new concept. In 2001 UK TV Producer Mark Burnett, the visionary Director of Eco Challenge, set a goal of having Adventure Racing at the 2012 London Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) instructed him the first thing he'd need to do was adopt the drug testing rules and change the structure of the race from Corporate Teams to National Teams, so he did. At the time there was some small protesting from some teams but everyone knew back then that Mark set his rules for sound reasons and trusted his decision. At the time there were a lot of pro teams, Nokia, Ertips, Intersport, Eco Internet (GoLite, Nike) Montrail, Seagate, Earthlink, Mazda, Red Bull Playstation, Buff, to name a few. While most of these teams were single / same nationality, many of these teams were multi- national and that normally meant they contained either New Zealand or Australian athletes, often in US based squads.

When Eco Challenge changed their rules to only accept same nationality teams it was soon discovered that it opened more possibility and opportunity. A number of excellent athletes were discovered as a result who may not have been and teams found it easier to find sponsorship, contributed by the fact the international media grasped the Nationality angle of the racing, which ultimately meant the public could understand the sport more, cheering for their country folk versus a commercial company. People don’t leap out of the seats cheering for a corporate like they do for their country.

When Eco Challenge was held in NZ in 2001, our team was funded by the NZ Government because it was a major televised event that had a true international flavor because all the teams were representing their nations. The NZ Government has not funded an adventure racing team since, despite the fact NZ teams have won the AR World Championships numerous time. With the AR World Championships changing to National Teams, I firmly believe the sport will take another big step forward.

One Race Each Year: For Your Country

WORLD CHAMPS RESULTS (A)

1st Technu
2nd Adidas
3rd Buff

You have to admit, it does not look right. The international media have been saying for over a decade covering adventure racing is very difficult for the reason highlighted above.

WORLD CHAMPS RESULTS (B)

1st USA
2nd Brazil
3rd Finland

This is what they have been asking for. In reality, because most countries and especially the host Nation field more than one team, the Corporate Sponsor does get some exposure, as they are the method of identifying the teams, but the Nation is the focus.

WORLD CHAMPS RESULTS (C)

1st France (Thule)
2nd Costa Rica (Toyota)
3rd NZ (Seagate)

Change

From what I can see, the majority of the teams racing in the AR World Series are same Nationality, from the same place. For this reason I believe the period right now is and has been the easiest time to change the entry criteria. It’s for the good of the sport, it’s a positive step forward. I can appreciate that event promoters will ask the question “Will this change mean we get less teams capable of entering?” My answer would be “maybe in the short term, but unlikely, certainly in the long term it will only raise the amount of teams wishing to participate in the World Championship Event.”
Is the sport of adventure racing big enough to demand teams race as their Nation at the World Championships once every year?

We can Learn from Mountain Biking and Cycling: The World Champs are Focused on Nationality

Mountain Biking is perhaps the best model to take lead from. The International Cycling Union (UCI) have 6-cross country races in the World Cup. These races are where the athletes fly their trade team brands and logos, much the same as road cycling. At the World Champs however, the trade team signage takes a back seat and the forefront is National Teams, Colors and a chance for the athletes to represent their country rather than their Corporate Sponsor. There is almost sacred protection in cycling not to allow the World Titles to be diminished by commercial entities. It’s all about country.

Do it for Your Country

The images here highlight the issue. These are AR World Championships pictures, one National Team, one Corporate multi-national team and one team with three Nationalities. Some may think this is a good thing but I personally don’t. I know from history that when people are forced to look within their country to find great team mates they will. As multiple winner of the AR World Champs, my honest view on it is that the race has little significance other than it’s called the World Champs. But having raced Mountain Bikes at World Cup and World Champs level, The AR World Champs is purely just another race on the calendar, against the same teams we always race, it’s no different.

I’m happy to grab the title and exploit it for sponsorship reasons, but it has no greater meaning for me because I do not believe it is an authentic World Championship event. I know at Eco Challenge NZ in 2001, when I pulled on the black race bib, I whole heartedly felt and knew I had the weight of a Nation in that bib, I’ve never had that feeling again even in the 5-AR World Championships I have since done.

I highly encourage the AR World Series and World Championship Race to adopt a National Team policy as soon as practically possible. I’d love to race in what I’d consider to be a bona- fide World Champs before I retire ... again.

Kind regards,

Nathan Fa’avae

Love it. He is so right. It so much easier to stand up and cheer for a nation rather than a brand. Nations are our most important brand.

I also agree. Teams like Tecnu get 'hurt', and racers from countries like Canada get hurt (no pucks = no money) but long term it's best for the sport.

I agree FB, Tecnu & Canada in general came to mind as teams/regions that could get hurt, but I love the concept & the idea of getting to the Olympics.

Growing pains for AR, but perhaps a needed step for growth. Top athletes in bigger, more established sports move seamlessly between the pro/club team model and the national team model depending on the event, but the bigger public support and passion seems to come from nation vs nation. It's harder with a limited number of events, athletes and a sport so dependent on team dynamics. The other thing about national teams competing in those sports is they only do it every 2/4 years. Maybe the AR World Champs is a national team event every 4 years?

Another sport I love is basketball and it's interesting as many feel Canada is entering a golden era, with a generation of talent now coming onto the world stage. Unfortunately, that comes after a long time without much success internationally. I like Nathan's idea, but it's easier when he and Team NZ would step onto that stage close to the top of the podium.

Just a quick two cents but I'm not sure that the Olympics is an appropriate end game for a dynamic sport like AR. Trail Running is going through the same thing right now and I've heard that many are concerned that it will mirror what's gone on with XC mountain biking and snowboarding if it went the route of IAAF and Olympics.

At this point I don't think there are enough competitive racers to have national teams-only races. It would also discourage or render impossible the participation of many "weekend warrior" teams who are the foundation of the sport. Don't get me wrong: I love the concept and think we should try to make this happen, but it will require some thought and planning and compromises.

Maybe introduce a new division into the series of ARWC qualifying races? Call it the World Championship division, in which teams must be composed of one nationality. These would be the teams eligible for the free and guaranteed spots at the ARWC, but the races would still be open to any and all "regular" teams, who would race in the traditional Mixed and Open divisions.

As for how the actual ARWC would be set up...well, I haven't got there yet. Does there actually need to be an ARWC race? Would it be feasible to run it like the Formula 1 series, where the points leader at the end is declared champion? Just tossing ideas around for now...

If this movement gathers enough momentum then there would need to be a few big-ass Skype conferences with Race Directors, media, sponsors, government reps, and racers to iron out the details. We can see the checkpoint, but finding the best route there is the real challenge.

Although the team formation is important, I don't think there has ever been enough discussion around the structure of the series. For example, 1) do you set it up like golf or tennis, and have 4 major races throughout different regions in the world, 2) Football world cup, with 1 major event every 4 years 3) North American professional sports which are largely based on 2 divisions playing down, and then 1 "Super Bowl" each year. 4) world series and world championship like MTB. 5) etc. Arguably all of the above depends on having some sort of centralized structure, but that's another topic!

I'm not suggesting one versus the other, as it really depends on what the priority of the sport is. Do we care about finding out the best team in the world on annual basis? Or do we just want to competitive races throughout the year? Do wants a structure thats better for spectating? Better for sponsors?

Interesting point of view on the matter by Travis Macy http://followtravismacy.blogspot.ca/2013/09/kiwi-n...

And it's going to happen.
http://www.arworldseries.com/news/news_2013_19.htm

Male seeking Canadian female

I thought you'd be seeking an American male who can navigate really, really well!

I think it would be easier to become a Canadian.

Ah, got it. Getawaystix *is* hard to replace.

^ This exchange is incredibly sweet. (:

As soon as they first started pitching this idea to ARWS events I thought first of you all at Tecnu. There are many teams this impacts, but your team most dramatically in North America.

I support the ARWS idea in the abstract, and can see how it might benefit the sport as a whole, but it sucks for the teams that it directly impacts. In a sport that struggles to get teams to starting lines sometimes, it's strange to find them raising the barrier to entry for teams to compete at the highest level. The gamble, however, is that by raising the bar the sport becomes easier to market and catch the attention of sponsors etc.

Kyle - since Adidas Terrex (British AR team) currently have an American girl, perhaps you should consider her for ARWC 2015.

Here's the Sleepmonsters take on it, written by longtime AR reporter Rob Howard.
http://www.sleepmonsters.com/v2_features.php?artic...

Davies, Karen is Americana. I know Jari. It's Bob that is the issue. Tecnu will need an Americana Nav or I will need to shift my focus back to Nav skills and hope to be 80% of Bob's skills.

I just don't see how this will help the sport in the USA at all.

When they say "nationality" I guess they mean actual citizenship, not just residency. If a person is living long-term in a country of which they are not a citizen (and have no hope of becoming one in a reasonable time frame), and presumably they are developing in their sport in that country with local teammates, would they find themselves in a no-man's land, unable to race at all? I know individual international athletes often train in their sports elsewhere and then compete under their birth nation's flag, but they don't need to bring teammates back with them.

Here's why I look at the the nation-based competition model (for any sport) with some skepticism:
I used to think it was kind of cheap to develop yourself elsewhere, but "go home" during competition. But then again, many countries don't offer the resources or peers/teammates, facilities, or natural features to develop a top athlete at home in that sport. The world is not a level playing field for all athletes from all countries, and if you're talented but have no resources, you might have to go abroad. Conversely (and here's where I get really cynical), some countries parachute in foreign athletes and fast track their citizenship to fill their ranks. Nation-based competition is not always very national under the hood.

Sorry, these last musings aren't AR-specific (at all), but I've been trying to wrap my head around people's attachment to their national athletes/teams in this very very international mixed-up modern world. :) It seems a little silly sometimes.

I think it's a mix of national pride and marketability. The percentage of each varies considerably by the individual/team.

No longer much of an issue for me as a racer, but as a spectator I see a huge upside.