Challenge Funding Denied

[Rosemary1]

Good decision. It's a private, professional competitive event supported by many well meaning local volunteers. Challenge owes the City $300,000 or so and still wants contributions from surrounding municipalities?

Following Challenge's logic, I suppose we should contribute to the bar tenders competition, bikini competition etc. and every other private event as it brings people in who buy gas and spend money while in the area.....

Anyone know who pays for policing, road and traffic controls and highway prep.?

[Bunnyhop]

Completely agree. It's a private business. The communities governed by the RDOS don't benefit at all by Challenge. Kicking in some funding would be ridiculous.

[pentona]

Completely agree. It's a private business. The communities governed by the RDOS don't benefit at all by Challenge. Kicking in some funding would be ridiculous.

That's not entirely true at all. What about Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos, Okanagan Falls? I believe they are in the RDOS and the race goes through those towns. Penticton is also part of the RDOS. I believe that they have 4 votes or more on the board.

[twobits]

Slippery slope. Penticton got away with it for so many years with Irnonman by calling it "in kind services". All that really meant is we are not writing a cheque to the race but we will pay for all the vehicles, fuel and wages of city employee's working on the race.
Pot-A-toe Pot-ta-toe

Some of us were born at night, but it wasn't last night.

[Bunnyhop]

How dooliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos and OK Falls benefit from the race going through their towns? Athletes don't stay there, the highway is so clogged that travel to any of them on race day is near impossible. I don't see any benefit at all.

[pentona]

How dooliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos and OK Falls benefit from the race going through their towns? Athletes don't stay there, the highway is so clogged that travel to any of them on race day is near impossible. I don't see any benefit at all.

You are correct re traffic on race day, however it puts these small towns on the map and the volunteers spend money there, so will contestants when they return to visit. Penticton would stand to benefit the most of course.

Pretty certain that all four Penticton council members on the RDOS board would have voted in favor of the funding.

[Midnite]

You are correct re traffic on race day, however it puts these small towns on the map and the volunteers spend money there, so will contestants when they return to visit. Penticton would stand to benefit the most of course.

Pretty certain that all four Penticton council members on the RDOS board would have voted in favor of the funding.

Jakubeit declared a conflict and the decision to deny was unanimous . The triathlon really has a minimal economic effect outside of Penticton.
Giving Ironman the boot may have seemed like a popular decision at the time, but now maybe not such a good call. Seems to me "Ironman" was the draw not Penticton.

[Tony]

You are correct re traffic on race day, however it puts these small towns on the map and the volunteers spend money there, so will contestants when they return to visit. Penticton would stand to benefit the most of course.

Pretty certain that all four Penticton council members on the RDOS board would have voted in favor of the funding.

The volunteers live in those towns typically, and don't really spend money there. Any of the races, be it IronMan, Challenge or Grand Fondo don't benefit the towns they run through, they only congest and make people stop going to them on race day as it's a cluster to do anything in them. The only City that benefits is the host city, in this case Penticton.

[Tony]

Didn't Iron Man want a whack of cash as well? Wasn't that why they were shown the door? Challenge came in saying they'd be self sufficient. If they can't be, they can't be and they'll have to go away. Maybe somebody can come up with an event that can support itself, but I can attest that that is very difficult.

[twobits]

None of these races can call themselves "for profit businesses" until the revenue they raise from entrance fee's and sponsorship dollars alone exceeds the cost of putting on the race.
What gives me a bit of a chuckle is the race owner's attempt to put lipstick on a grant of taxpayer's dollars and call it sponsorship. True sponsors are the Gatorade's and bike manufacturers etc that want brand recognition. Those funds come from profitable private enterprise from their advertising budgets. Presumably they benefit from that exposure and advertising or they wouldn't do it either. The RDOS, and it's revenue stream.... the taxpayer, do not need brand recognition.
The race owner's request for RDOS sponsorship was just stupid. The more logical route would have been approaching each community's Chamber of Commerce to seek sponsorship. They could look to their own business membership for a collective sponsorship from businesses that actually feel they receive a benefit from the race be it restaurant, accommodation or otherwise. They they can put up their own group banner as a collective of local businesses and proud sponsors of......(event?).
Asking joe taxpayer to sponsor any more than he/she already have by putting up with the training and then staying home for race day because of gridlock is a bit over the top.

[twobits]

Here's a novel idea. How bout these for profit race owners pay some money to the City general coffers a percentage of revenues to compensate the citizens for their gratuitous acceptance of inconvenience in the interest of the greater good instead of looking for grants in lieu or sponsorship?
I say this with tongue firmly planted in cheek cuz I understand what the value of the coin is that gets pumped into the local economy and it's trickle down benefit. It is however a perfect debate topic of who the actual beneficiaries are of such events. It might be good for the chambermaids, the waitresses, the pump attendants and their employers, but I doubt the person who works at the foundry, structurlam, moduline, crappy tire or yada yada, and who happen to be the majority of the workforce, who don't receive one cent of benefit from these events, could care less about these events and would just wish they went away.
Like I said, good debate topic cuz there are two really valid sides here.

[Symbonite]

Its not too late...maybe Penticton should bid again for the Ironman....Whistler only has a 5 year contract with it.

But probably that ship has sailed and never again. thats too bad...been there for 30 years.

[twobits]

Its not too late...maybe Penticton should bid again for the Ironman....Whistler only has a 5 year contract with it.

But probably that ship has sailed and never again. thats too bad...been there for 30 years.

Ship ain't sailed but do we want it?
The Ironman in Penticton, 2012, 2500 participants.
This 2015 in Whistler, 1948 participants.

The numbers are open to interpretation. Is Whistler just not as good a race venue even with the Ironman brand, or has the world become over saturated with triathlon events? Personally I think it is the latter and would not be surprised to see these events slowly disappear everywhere over the next decade until it is just a niche event. Ten years ago ago it was a measure of esteem to have completed the Ironman. Came complete with the right to ink a tat on your body saying you did so. The reality today is that there are so many races of the same distance and so many people have done it, that it is really not that special anymore. I actually know 3 people who have got the tattoo in past years and have had it lasered off because it is really an ugly tat and is about as rare as a Toyota Camry.

[jamapple]

Its not too late...maybe Penticton should bid again for the Ironman....Whistler only has a 5 year contract with it.

But probably that ship has sailed and never again. thats too bad...been there for 30 years.

Ironman is a privately owned entity, too. Graham Fraser owned it for a number of years, and the city paid out a hefty amount to him.

[onestop67]

I saw this funding request from the new owners of Challenge a month ago.

My first thought was "didn't they say they would make Challenge a private venture" and it wouldn't affect the taxpayers?

Yet here we go, second year in, and they are asking for money.