Uniform rules seeping into masters? Prepare to toe line on logos
Becca Peter
Becca, who is still about 10 years short of entering masters competition, continues:
You can see these restrictive uniform guidelines here. They are worse than the high school rules. You have to be worried about logo
size and placement on EVERYTHING, even your socks. Many of your club logos are too large and would not be allowed under these rules.I know many of you will be in St. Louis for the Annual Meeting. Please support the open athletes in this issue. Help us push back against this, otherwise the momentum is rolling in the wrong direction and you could be next.
Hope to see you in Seattle in a few weeks for Club Nationals and this summer for the Masters Combined Event Championships!
Of course, few masters tracksters are paid by sponsors to sport their company logos. So it’s not as big an issue as it with with the elites (as noted elsewhere on this blog). But an effort to tell masters what they can and can’t wear is a further blow to our freedom.
Remember: Why do they call us masters? Because we’re no slaves anymore!
23 Responses
Just a soon as USATF provides my club with free uniforms – we will be “happy” to wear only USATF approved uniforms at USATF events. Meanwhile- we need to support the open athletes who are being subjected to this nonsense. And I will be more than happy to put a USATF logo on my car the minute USAT buys me a car.
BTW – how about providing the open women with uniforms that cover a bit more of the body. Frankly I am fed up with watching open and elite women competing in bikini bottoms and tops. And enough already of the crotch shots of women jumping and vaulting. This is beginning to look like pornography. Bun huggers riding up butt cheeks is bad enough but bikini bottoms leave absolutely nothing to the imagination.
shurrrr when we can run for any club we want in any state,with no sayso from any persons with a title,at usatf,does it realy matter there are no masters clubs in the mid wt,so east is all i have.will i be told not to wear a east uni couse i live in the midwt food for thought.
Nick Symonds has been all over this topic on FaceBook
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/162889787132224/
I’m at a loss for words. Those uniform guidelines are beyond belief. Are uniforms a big source of income for USATF? Has USATF published any sort of rationale for this stuff. I know it doesn’t apply to masters yet, but give us break.
Uniform guidelines are a sop to Nike, which dictates not only what athletes wear but also where they compete (Olympic Trials at Eugene). Until someone with thicker wallets comes along, Nike owns the sport.
I want to salute Becca for always being on top of these issues and also watching out for masters! She is the glue that holds the pole vault world together.
Becca called me a couple of days ago and we spoke at length about this issue. The Athletes Advisory Committee(AAC) as well as the Track & Field Athletes Association (TFAA) have been well aware of this situation. This has been an ongoing issue dating back to early 2010, I believe.
I would like to point out a couple of facts:
1) This is not a rule that was arbitrarily implemented by USATF. USATF functions as a federation that is subject to the rules of IAAF.
2) Masters competitions are subject to the rules ofthe WMA, not IAAF.
As I told Becca, AAC is already seeking remedies with USATF but, the fact remains, USATF is not the culprit in this issue. AAC and the TFAA have been, and continue to be, in spirited discussions with The IAAF through Bob Hersh (IAAF Vice-President and USATF liason to IAAF).
If you would like further details, feel free to stop any of the AAC Officers, including myself, at the Annual Meeting. The officers are:
– Jon Drummond, Chair
– Allen Johnson, Vice-Chair
– Dexter McCloud, Secretary
– Lesley Higgins, Treasurer
– Gary Morgan, USOC AAC Rep
– Joanna Hayes, USOC AAC Rep
Note that two of the AAC Officers are masters competitors – Gary Morgan and myself. So, while I don’t believe that masters will be materially affected, your interests can certainly be represented if necessary.
Have to give my 3 cents, can’t come up with 5…
since I – literally – just came back from an Asia trip and am still trying to find out, where I am..
and what time it is:
I had to laugh out loud reading Mary’s comments,
it made my morning!
Comments on uniforms will come later, I bought enough stuff to “please” any and everybody. Remember, when we were at the convention in Indianapolis and they let us fill up a huge bag with
all kinds of Nike goodies for $ 50.- I bought enough
itmes to share with a lot of myt friends.” They” did not make any money of me (Pedro, what’s correct English?) NOW, if that will not suffice, I am back into my old
“Corona Del Mar club” outfits.
Oh, I forgot, I am NOT and elite athlete, too bad.
This was Christel’s comment.
Did not see, that Jerry had made a previous comment and did not change the e-mail address.
Sorry Dexter, I’m not buying the argument that the IAAF cares one bit what uniforms we wear at our non-televised Club Championships. I can’t even figure out why Nike would care, other than wanting to be controlling.
Masters may be under the WMA and not IAAF, but the fact remains that USATF had every intention of enforcing these rules for them as well, and that is what the meet website stated until just a few days ago.
Becca,
We can go round and round with this forever. But, as I said earlier, AAC and TFAA are working on this. But, the bottom line is – we know the answer before the question is asked. It IS an IAAF rule. Because we think USATF “arbitrarily” chose to enforce the rule is immaterial. What we need to do is determine out how we (the athletes AND USATF) can get IAAF to rescind the rule.
So, while AAC & TFAA is working internally to address this issue, I will put the ball in your court – what do you propose that we do?
The IAAF does not need to rescind the rule. Show me proof that the IAAF wants USATF to enforce this rule at _Club_ Nationals or that the IAAF even has jurisdiction. I just looked at the IAAF Rule Book, and this meet does not meet the criteria for an international competition.
If it was an IAAF issue then it never would have been considered to be applied to the masters athletes. Instead, the website said that it WOULD be applied to the masters up until a few days ago.
I know what they’re telling you Dexter, I just don’t think they are telling you the truth. Not as it applies to _this_ meet.
I propose that you make them quit hiding behind the IAAF. It’s the IAAF’s rule. This is not a meet subject to IAAF rules, it’s a domestic meet subject to USATF Rules, and this is NOT in the USATF Rule Book or bylaws and was NOT approved by the appropriate committees to be applied to this meet. The burden should be on them to prove that the IAAF has jurisdiction here that supercedes everything within USATF. I wouldn’t be surprised if they violated the Amateur Sports Act as it relates to 20% athlete participation as well.
Ken: “Until someone with thicker wallets comes along, Nike owns the sport.”
Nike may own the USATF, but it does not own “the sport”.
I will run against anybody, anywhere, at any time if they challenge me, or if I can run at the moment.
THAT is sport–and Nike doesn’t own it, and never will.
Similarly, Nike doesn’t own this site…or does it?
This goes in effect…when?????
USATF dues are due…..when??
I see two ways to deal with this matter. First, I checked the “Uniform Guidlines” linked (http://www.usatf.org/About/Privacy—Other-Policies/Uniform-Guidelines.aspx)
in the article and it reads as follows:
Athlete attire worn at all USATF Championship Events (“Events”), as defined below, must be in accordance with policies established through the IAAF. This policy can be found, in its entirety here….
USATF Championship Events:
USA Indoor Track & Field Championships
USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
USA Championship Divisions of host road races
Millrose Games
Boston Indoor Games
Penn Relays, USA vs. The World
Adidas Grand Prix
Prefontaine Classic
USA Cross Country Championships
All Olympic Trials
So, following the letter of the “Uniform Guidelines” there are no Masters Championships to which this policy applies. The use of the word “Championships” in the above listed events refers to specific individual events, not plural. For example the “USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships” is one discrete event as defined by USATF.
A second way of dealing with this matter is to follow the letter of the USATF “Uniform Guidelines” when it states (in every regard applying to any logo, name, and advertising)that it (name or logo) “may be displayed”, and if displayed must conform. The “Uniform Guidelines” DO NOT require any name or logo to be displayed!!! Find yourself appropriate colored permanent markers and blank out all manufacturer’s names and logos. Corporations are not people.
Amendment to the final sentence:
Corporations are not people and their rights do not supersede the rights of people.
Everyone,
Let me say this – I work on the elite side of track & field. This issue is ONLY applicable to the elite aspect of USATF. Becca has unnecessarily alarmed you. Masters track is governed by WMA rules and policy. As it relates to USATF, there have been no uniform restrictions similar to what has been defined by IAAF.
In short, relax……
Dexter,
I know this doesn’t apply to Masters athletes (not for this particular club championships) – but there is no guarantee that it won’t apply next year.
Also, the vast majority of the people competing at the USATF Club XC Nationals (the event to which Becca refers) are NOT ELITE and yet the rule IS being applied to them.
While there are a couple of teams like Hansons, which can be considered “elite”, the overwhelming majority of the open competitors cannot be classified as such. There is no reason to apply the rule to them – they are open runners, but not elite ones.
Becca is alarmed and brings this to the masters attention because many of us compete in clubs which have both Masters and Open runners – and we wear the same uniforms.
Kelly,
When you say, “there’s no guarantee that it won’t apply next year”, that would mean that WMA decided to impose a uniform policy. Regardless of all the hyperbole thats been flying around on the internet in general, and this web site in particular – USATF did follow a guideline mandated by the IAAF. Now, whether it should have been applied to this meet is a totaly different argument. The point is, this issue is a IAAF/USATF issue; it’s a elite athlete issue. IAAF and USATF has no interest in masters. And, if this issue DID arise with regard to masters, it would be because of the WMA.
Jon Drummond, Chair of the Athletes Advisory Committee spoke with Stephanie Hightower yesterday and the uniform restriction will be held in abeyance until AAC can meet with all the parties to work out a solution thats acceptalble to the athletes. A press release is supposed to be issued tomorrow by USATF
I look forward to reading the press release. Hopefully, they will decide that the rule doesn’t apply to this competition or the club track championship.
Bill Quinslik, who is the masters xc chair, could only assure me that it didn’t apply to masters this year. He couldn’t guarantee the issue wouldn’t come up later – and he’s the one I’d trust. I don’t think WMA is in any way involved with *any* of the US masters xc championships (the 5k, 8k, or 6/10k) – only the xc event that is in the World Masters Athletics event.
I understand why the rule would be enforced at the USA Cross Country Championships (in February) as it usually picks the USA world xc team, and to the USA Track Championships for the same reason, but the event in question is a “USATF Club Championship” (there is also a club one in track), which has no relation to elite athletes, or USA teams.
By MY reading of the rule, it shouldn’t apply to this club xc championship as its not the “USA Cross Country Championship”, but someone (not the race organizers) added to the meet’s website the language that the IAAF uniform restriction would apply — hence the uproar. The local organizing committee was caught totally by surprise.
I realize that you are a track person and are not familiar with the club xc championships, but it is a HUGE event – and also truly an event for the masses, not the elites. It has the biggest and most competitive event for US masters xc runners (typically over 500 men 40+ and about 100-150 women 40+) and the one that means the most of us who do xc. And as you can tell, we are VERY protective of the event! 😉
The core issue to why the club xc championships were involved is because it is designated to select competitors in the International Cross Country Challenge in Scotland
Yes, I understand that. This is the first year (since the 80s) that the results of this competition have any bearing on a “world” team, but selection to that team is NOT the primary goal of the event. In fact, I think that the decision to use this as a selection event was basically an afterthought, tacked onto this domestic meet so they wouldn’t have to hold a different event.
Given that the repercussions on many, many athletes and clubs that have no interest in (or in fact, knowledge of) that competition, there should be an exception to the logo rule made for this competition. OR the USATF could use a different means by which to select a team for an event, that frankly, isn’t all that important to the vast majority of us.
None of our USATF National Championships are IAAF permit meets per IAAF rule 1.1. I have confirmed this with multiple people. Are the meets officiated under IAAF rules? No, they are officiated under USATF rules. Likewise, the IAAF uniform rules do not apply. The USATF uniform rules do. The ones that appear in the RULE BOOK and went through the proper legislative process.
Also, note that the USATF “uniform guidelines” are not an exact replica of the IAAF rules. USATF allows exemptions for school uniforms. IAAF does not. If the IAAF rules truly needed to be enforced, all of those college athletes would need to tape over their logos.
The IAAF may have told USATF they want their uniform rules enforced at their National Champs, that I can’t say, but if that truly happened, USATF should have told them to shove it since the IAAF does NOT have jurisdiction over our National Championships.
USATF is lying when they say they _have_ to enforce this rule at the meet because of IAAF rules. You can read the IAAF rules for yourself, they are online.
I am not alarming people unnecessarily. This rule was going to be enforced for masters THIS YEAR! It was on the website and everything. Mike Scott had to negotiate them out of that.
Stephanie may have made promises it wouldn’t be enforced, but it is now several says later and there is still no press release, no change to the website, and no answers from the National Office when asked repeatedly by the LOC what is going on.
Don’t drink the kool-aid Dexter 🙁 They’re lying to you.
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