Sampling of thank-you notes to Charlotte meet director
Despite our reputation for being harsh critics, we masters often show our courteous side. Charlotte nationals meet director Gordon Edwards has shared some notes of praise he received from athletes. Some of these notes also includes minor gripes and questions (Example: “When I was reviewing the results today I noticed that we were 3rd. Was one of the teams that finished ahead of us Ad-Hoc? I couldn’t find them anywhere in the results. We picked up the 4th place ribbons on Sunday not knowing that we were actually 3rd. Was this a mistake in the results? If not, is there anyway you could ship the medals out. I would even be willing to pay the shipping for them.”) But the excerpts below show how classy we can be in even the toughest conditions.
Athletes wrote Gordon Edwards:
I just want to express my appreciation and congratulations to you and all those who assisted you in making the meet such overwhelming success. I heard nothing but praise from the participants I spoke to about how well everything was organized. I know I have never seen as many officials at a hammer throw as were present for this meet. The officials did a great job, also. Enjoy your well deserved time away from track and field. I look forward to attending future meets in Charlotte.
———–
What a great event! (The weather can never be controlled but you and the meet coordinators adapted well.) Thank you for putting on a great National Championship.
… Thanks again for what I know was a great logistical challenge that resulted in a fantastic experience.
———–
I just want to express my appreciation and congratulations to you and all those who assisted you in making the meet such overwhelming success. I heard nothing but praise from the participants I spoke to about how well everything was organized.
I know I have never seen as many officials at a hammer throw as were present for this meet. The officials did a great job, also. Enjoy your well deserved time away from track and field. I look forward to attending future meets in Charlotte.
———–
What a great event! (The weather can never be controlled but you and the meet coordinators adapted well.) Thank you for putting on a great National Championship.
Thanks again for what I know was a great logistical challenge that resulted in a fantastic experience. Hope to see you at future events.
———–
By the way, my teammates and I enjoyed our stay in your fine city. You all had a lot of adversity but were able to overcome it and still put on a great event. Thanks for a fun filled, exciting weekend!
———–
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! The 2006 Outdoor Masters Nationals in Charlotte, NC turned out great! With all the natural weather events that stood in the way of letting the Meet run according to it’s original schedule, you all pulled it off and did a wonderful job. I commend and thank you and the Officials for taking a stand and tolerating some of the most difficult situations and athletes that came your way. You all handled things really well. So thank you and I hope that this experience was good enough to want to bring the Masters Nationals back to the Carolinas ( we may have to change the dates and times a little next time around). . . . There were compliments from how well the Meet was run, and how thorough the Officials were, to how soon trashed areas were picked up and how clean the facilities were kept throughout the entire Meet.
———–
This Championship attracted many of the “Best of the Best” athletes in the nation and competition was at a very high level. For me, the Nationals were a great experience, and the key word is “experience”. We have heard it said “There’s no substitute for experience”. How true! After competing in my first National Championship, I know better next time which events make the most sense for me to enter ( long jump, triple jump, penthalon, relays) and which ones to leave to more talented athletes (100, 200, 400). I also learned so much simply watching great athletes perform. From watching Bill Collins in the 55-59 200m, I see how important it is to drive the arms; from watching Doc Searles in the 4×100 relay (all I saw was his back in the 100 and 200m!) I can see how the high knee lift and straight body maximizes the foot drive and helps maintain top speed. It was a thrill just being in the same races as many of these gifted athletes! On Charlotte and the Nationals…. We did good! However, be prepared for the “mixed” review we may see in National Masters News. With 1400 athletes there will be many who thought this was perhaps the best Nationals ever, even with the heat and lightning delays. The officials were excellent, the facilities excellent, the competition outstanding. But there will be the few athletes who will complain about the lack of a warm-up track, the changing schedule due to weather, delays getting medals, checking into rooms, food, or this and that. But considering the enormous task of hosting a National Championship, we should have no regrets. Gordon, Parks and Rec, and the many other people and organziations that made the Championships possible, gave their best and they deserve all the kudoes for a job well done! I am inspired by the “older, but not old!” athletes I met during the meet. The way I look at it, if I’m still running and jumping at age 85-95 as I intend to be, then I may have a shot at a National Campionship medal. But just being on the track is what it’s all about. Congratulations to everyone who helped make the National Championships a success.
———–
A big thank you to you and your club for putting on an outstanding meet under tough conditions. I don’t think I’ve ever competed in a track meet that had such adverse weather. You guys rolled with it and held it together. Kudos to all of you.
———–
Considering all the obstacles the meet officials had to overcome (i.e. weather-heat and lighting) I thought they did a great job. The meet was organized and the individuals that I came in contact with were friendly and helpful. Thanks for all your efforts to make the meet a success. You guys did a great job!
———–
Again, thanks for a great meet. I think it was the best masters nationals I have been to. I could have done with the hot humid weather but it was still a great event.
———–
Congratulations on putting together a great meet. You can’t control the weather; and everything else seemed to go well. Thanks.
———–
We are very proud of your success in putting on the Masters Championship Meet last weekend. Your efforts brought glory to our Club and the sports of track and field.
———–
I want to complement you on the fine job you did putting on the Masters National Championships. The weather certainly complicated things, but you and your team worked it out well.
———–
What a ride! The US Nationals should have had Carowinds as a main sponsor. Overall, I did not hear many critical voices besides the ever standing group of athletes who want to make it an annual thing in Eugene. Naturally, those guys are from the West Coast.
Whatever, you personally deserve the highest praise there is from all of us. If we count success in life as having made a difference in the life of other people, you are a true success story. Wherever your life’s travels take you from here, Godspeed from me and, hopefully, also from all members of the Carolinas Track & Field Club and the American track & field community. You’re the man!
———–
Thank you for a great meet. We had a great time and enjoyed the challenge of competition, the testing of goals, visiting with new and old friends and your beautiful facility. The officials were professional, yet patient and helpful, always trying to help athletes cope with the change in schedule. I am sorry that the weather made things difficult for them and for you. However, I never heard a single athlete or official complain. You, the officials and volunteers are the real heros. Hope you are enjoying a quieter day and can soon rest and relax.
———–
By the way, my teammates and I enjoyed our stay in your fine city. You all had a lot of adversity but were able to overcome it and still put on a great event. Thanks for a fun filled, exciting weekend!
———–
A big thank you to you and your club for putting on an outstanding meet under tough conditions. I don’t think I’ve ever competed in a track meet that had such adverse weather. You guys rolled with it and held it together. Kudos to all of you.
4 Responses
I agree, it was a great meet. Yes, it was hot but it is the summer. The officials did a good job communicating the changes. I would go back to charlotte any year.
I’d like to thank Gordon Edwards for the superb event in Charlotte. In my event, the M’s 50-54 pentathlon, the results were delayed, and the presenters had already left for the evening. We were originally told we’d get our awards the next morning, which wouldn’t work for me since I had to leave Charlotte on a 7:30am flight. I explained my dilema to Dr. Edwards and he made sure we would receive the awards that night (at close to 11pm).
Overall the meet was very well run, the weather was uncomfortable but to be expected that time of year in NC. The officials did an outstanding job in very adverse conditions.
While waiting for our awards Dr. Edwards told me that he and the local organizers originally proposed a slpit session because of the anticipated heat, but that proposal was rejected by the games commitee. Thank goodness the local authorities had the wisdom to shut the meet down during the adverse conditions on Thursday and Friday.
The venue was outstanding, and the meet was by far the best outdoor nationals that I have attended.
If as Mr Effler suggests the weather in Charlotte was to be expected, then the decision by the Games Committee to not allow a split schedule (if true) is beyond comprehension. It is not that oppressively hot and humid in Charlotte in August, it was a heatwave. However this does not let the decision to run the events through the hottest part of the day off the hook. It was so dangerously hot that the meet was shut down on Thursday and Friday. Events that scheduled for the afternoon were rescheduled, some missed their events because they had assumed they would be finished and arranged to leave. That should not have happened. If the fault is with the games committee – shame on it. I hope they learned a lesson – when the LOC says it is too hot to have events in the afternoon – it is too hot. Fortunately no one was seriously stricken – “only 5” taken to the hospital -that is not funny.
I congratulate Gordon Edwards and the LOC on doing a great job. They rolled with the punches and the meet went on, no one died, but not all of us were thrilled with our performances because of the weather. The facilities were great, lots of officials doing their best in beastly conditions, Pete Taylor survived despite the lack of adequate a/c, and did his usual masterful job announcing. Putting the officials at the banquet into another room apart from the athletes was not nice – nor was the island time shuttle service which left on-campus athletes without cars to wander around in the excessive heat. Not everything was perfect but I did not hear any tales of horror about the dorms – unlike Honolulu – give the on-campus housing a gold star (except for the two days with out a/c) in one dorm.
All in all it was a well run meet, no one controls the weather, the LOC did a great job of dealing with the forced postponements and letting folks know when events were rescheduled. And did I mention – great track to run on – when one could get on it. I would be happy to go back to run at that facility – but never again in the summer.
Mary, as I recall it was the Masters executive committee that was pushing for a split schedule–which we believed was agreed to by the meet director–but then was not the case–a lot of things got re nogociated by the meet director after the bid and before the meet–I think all and all it was a good meet–but it should have been a split schedule going in to the meet–that’s for sure–Mark Cleary
Leave a Reply