Changes at USAT

USA Triathlon Lets Cliff English Go as National Teams Coach

USAT eliminates the position on eve of Beijing Olympics

By Timothy Carlson - IT senior correspondent
Posted May. 14, 2008

Cliff English
Photo: Timothy Carlson

USA Triathlon Sport Performance Director Scott Schnitzspahn announced that widely acclaimed National Team Coach Cliff English was let go April 30, as his position was being eliminated in a surprise shakeup three months before the Beijing Olympics.

In a circumspect statement, Schnitzspahn paid tribute to English’s rapport with many of the elite athletes under his supervision, his great tactical advice and his success in shepherding many young athletes to the limelight. “We see no fault of the coach,” said Schnitzspahn. “It was a difficult role to coach athletes personally and also coach a national team and Cliff did a great job at it. Unfortunately other circumstances made us make a decision now rather than after the Olympics.”

Schnitzspahn said English had a big impact on the program. “Definitely many of our athletes are going to miss Cliff’s daily contact with them,” said Schnitzspahn. “He has had a very positive emotional impact and he is a great tactician. Cliff brought a constant voice to lead the program and facilitate very diverse athletes to work together. Obviously, the quality of coaching he brought to the program was humongous. And many athletes will continue to work with Cliff as a personal coach and we encourage that.”

Read more at Inside Triathlon

I've worked with Cliff for a numbers of years and know him to be a world class coach. This change is a significant loss for USAT's elite programs.