Triathlon Australia Annual Report 2014-2015 CONTENTS PATRON’S MESSAGE 5 PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 6 CEO’S MESSAGE 7 ASC’S MESSAGE 11 STRATEGIC OVERVIEW 13 ORGANISATIONAL EXCELLENCE 14 PARTICIPATION 21 MEMBERSHIP 28 EVENTS 34 HIGH PERFORMANCE 46 BRAND 54 AROUND THE NATION HIGHLIGHTS 61 GOVERNANCE 71 HONOUR BOARD 77 Australian Repesentatives 78 Hall of Fame 78 Elite World Champions 79 Award and Recognition 81 2014-2015 National Champions 82 2014 ITU AGE GROUP WORLD 87 CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS PARTNERS AND SPONSORS 94 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 95 FINANCIAL REPORT 96 TRIATHLON AUSTRALIA LIMITED ABN 67 007 356 907 PO Box 13, Alexandria, NSW 1435 Level 2, 66 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills, NSW 2010 Telephone +61 2 8488 6200 Email [email protected] Principal partner Website www.triathlon.org.au Photographs used in this report are courtesy of Delly Carr/ ITU Media, Janos M Schmidt/ITU Media, Keith Hedgeland and Megan Pickering. PATRON’S MESSAGE I have watched on with Stewart as her successor. I look forward to supporting interest as triathlon has Miles as he guides the organisation through the sport’s progressed in a number of next three year Strategic Plan. areas over the last year. It is encouraging to see PHIL COLES AM some of the younger athletes beginning to make their mark PATRON in the sport. Brittany Dutton dominated the female triathlon TRIATHLON AUSTRALIA race at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing in August 2014, spearheading the Australian team’s performance with a convincing Gold Medal. Young Jake Birtwhistle is certainly an athlete to watch in the future. Making the move from Tasmania to the National Performance Centre in Wollongong under coach Jamie Turner obviously paid off for him with a silver medal in the ITU Junior World Championships in Edmonton last September. He then stepped into the big league with a silver medal in the 2015 ITU Mooloolaba World Cup and a top 10 finish in the Yokohama stage of the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Series. Regular World Triathlon Series top 10 finishers, Aaron Royle and Ryan Bailie are also following an upward trajectory of success, which is very encouraging. I congratulate Aaron on securing an automatic Olympic team nomination as the best placed Australian in the Top 10 at the Rio test triathlon event earlier this year. From a participation perspective, the number of clubs taking up the TRYstars junior program bodes well for a strong pipeline of junior members entering the triathlon community. I am particularly pleased that TRYstars is unique amongst similar “first touch” programs offered by other National Sporting Organisations, in that it offers the opportunity for children to learn and practice all 13 fundamental movement skills outlined in the Australian primary school curriculum. It also offers triathlon clubs a ready-made program to deliver and attract local kids to their club. I’m sure the development of resources the TRYstars junior program for schools under the Australian Government’s Sporting Schools program will enable an even larger number of children to be exposed to the sport of triathlon in their school environment. I applaud Triathlon Australia for taking the lead on creating a much more unified approach to the governance and management of the sport by actively involving the State and Territory Triathlon Associations in key projects and whole of sport decision making. I heard that the attendance of national staff and Board members at a recent Sport NSW governance seminar for state sporting organisations provided an excellent example to other sports of the benefits of the national and state associations working closely together. In conclusion, I’ll take this opportunity to thank outgoing CEO, Anne Gripper for her leadership of Triathlon Australia over the last five years, and welcome Miles www.triathlon.org.au | 5 PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS I am extremely pleased to This brings me to look ahead to our Annual General address the triathlon community Meeting that will be held alongside the Jackie Fairweather via this Annual Report as Memorial Triathlon in Canberra in November 2015. For President of Triathlon Australia. the first time this year we have established a Nominations Committee to seek Expressions of Interest from the I was appointed in August 2015 broader community for Board Director Positions. This after residing President, David process has been established to fulfil a mandatory Ferrier stepped down from the sports governance principle of the ASC. We operate a position in order to focus his competency based Board and this process will ensure that efforts on the unification project we continue to recruit individuals with relevant skills and for the sport. I would like to expertise to the Board. thank David for the excellent leadership and dedication that he One behalf of the Board of Triathlon Australia, I thank Phil has shown to the sport during his Coles AM as Patron and Life Members Dr Jim Hazel, Brian term as President since October Hinton, Ken Bonham and Bill Walker for their ongoing 2012, and look forward to his ongoing contribution to support of triathlon in Australia, and internationally. the sport as an Independent Board Member and project I look forward to seeing you over the 2015-2016 season. leader. I was elected to the Board in 2012, and throughout the 2014-2015 membership season held the position of Vice President. During this time I have had the pleasure BEN HOUSTON of witnessing the association evolve and advance in PRESIDENT numerous ways. The strong foundations of our association TRIATHLON AUSTRALIA allow us to service the members and stakeholders of our sport, and capitalise on the organic growth in popularity and participation of the sport that we have seen in recent years. Anne Gripper has played an instrumental role in building a solid base for Triathlon Australia over her 5 years as CEO and I would like to thank her and wish her success in her future endeavours. One of Anne’s legacy’s to the sport is the new 2015-2018 Strategic Plan. Anne and her team of staff, along with our STTA’s, the Board and numerous stakeholders have all played a role in formulating the new plan which will guide our sport over the next 3 years. When I read the plan, I am inspired by the many ways that triathlon can assist Australians to lead an active, healthy and enjoyable life. Our new purpose is ‘to enrich the sporting landscape in Australia by issuing a unique challenge that anyone can accept’. This aligns with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) goals for NSO’s, but it also reminds us why triathlon plays such an important role in its unique ability to cater for all ages and abilities, shapes and sizes, backgrounds and diversities. I am thrilled to welcome Miles Stewart into the role of CEO. Miles has been a triathlon World Champion, Board Member, committee member and fan of the sport. Miles will bring a level of passion, enthusiasm and insight that I have no doubt will lead the sport into a successful future as we deliver on the objectives of the new strategic plan. Sadly, I must acknowledge the loss of Jackie Fairweather in November 2014. Jackie played an important role in the junior development pathway of our sport as the first U23 coach at the AIS and instigator of the U23 World Championship category and that is something that we can always be thankful for. I personally am honoured to be taking part in the inaugural Jackie Fairweather Memorial Triathlon in November this year to pay my respects to an outstanding athlete, administrator, coach, Board member and ambassador of triathlon. I have no doubt that the triathlon community will support this event and hope to see many of you there in Canberra. Triathlon Australia Annual Report 2014-2015 CEO’S MESSAGE Passion, performance and Paralympics in 2016. What an amazing “full circle” story participation. The three purpose it is that Sydney Olympic silver medal winning Michellie pillars of our new Strategic Plan Jones is now training and competing with visually impaired are what the sport of triathlon is triathlete Katie Kelly, as they prepare to win the first ever all about for me. I have had the Paralympic Gold medal in the PT5 class in Rio. pleasure and privilege of leading Triathlon Australia through the The gradual coming together of our sport over the last five last five years. We are a sport years is also a real highlight for me. We operate so much brimming with stories – personal on a “whole of sport” basis now, that it is almost hard to stories of triumph, challenge and remember a different way of doing things. The Executive disappointment, community stories Directors of our State and Territory Triathlon Associations of belonging, support and pride. And and their staff are embedded into our daily operational so many of our stories contain all life through every project and activity on which we are three elements of passion, performance and participation. working. The STTA Presidents meet together to discuss the governance aspects of a whole of sport approach. As As I write my fifth and final CEO report, the date of I write, we are just about to start a Unification Working 16 September 2015 draws near. I cast my mind back Group to progress three important aspects of the next to two previous 16 Septembers. 15 years ago, on 16 stage of becoming more unified – a new constitution September 2000, I was standing in Macquarie Street in and the consultation and communication that goes with Sydney watching Michellie Jones battle it out with Brigitte such a fundamental change in the governance of our McMahon from Switzerland for the first Gold and Silver sport.