2011 USATF Masters nationals up for grabs! Get bids in
Here we go again. Another year, another dearth of candidates. A source inside USATF tells me that the Masters T&F Committee has received no bids to host the summer 2011 USATF masters national outdoor championships. Apparently, some cities or USATF associations have expressed an interest in 2011. But nobody has submitted bid documents. Sacramento will host the 2010 masters nationals and the 2011 WMA worlds (probably July 7-17, 2011.) A vote on the 2011 meet site will be made at the Reno annual meeting in a couple weeks. Get moving!
11 Responses
What a surprise. Hopefully the USATF Masters board can pull another rabbit out of their hat like they did this year.
2011 National Senior games are set for Houston, as well as the 2013 games in Cleveland. Why doesn’t the USATF go to a even year championship format so there will be a USATF meet in 2010-Sacramento; 2011-NSGA in Houston; USATF 2012-TBD, NSGA 2013-Cleveland.
Maybe more venues will be in the mix if the championships were held every two years.
Ken, the known bidders for 2011 are Cleveland and Spokane
In the modern era (1992-2008) only 11 states have held our national outdoors: Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, Illinois, Michigan, Maine, North Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana.
What’s wrong with the other 39 states? Don’t they want us? The bigger question is why we get so few bids. Are we locked forever into a process that attracts so few suitors?
Reminds me of a guy I ran into a few years ago who told me he always stopped about 70% of the way through a marathon and didn’t know why (he never finished). I told him to run a shorter race. Do we (masters) have to keep banging our collective heads against the wall?
great comment Peter – have to remember that. Nothing about USATF makes much sense to me these days.
The National Masters track meets are at the mercy of whomever wants to spend a lot of time and effort to try to raise money from folks who do not care a fig about older tracksters. Lets face it – track and field is not America’s sweetheart sport, never mind a bunch of older folks running around in colored underwear.
We are the folks with the disposable income – or use to be before the current market downward spiral towards hell – yet marketers are deaf, dumb, and blind to that fact.
Until that changes – I do not see a lot of places falling all over themselves to host masters track and field meets.
Fortunately, we will soon make that 12 states with the addition of Wisconsin.
Spokane would be great again in 2011 but would Cleveland. With 2010 in Sacramento, I’m guessing Cleveland has the edge.
I’m surprised that Orono hasn’t bid for 2011.
ORONO:
only things I liked about this site were the daily temperatures and the indoor warm-up area…
Gary Snyder writes:
I anticipate two bids for the 2011 USA Outdoor (masters) Championships:
Cleveland
Spokane
Bummer to not see Eugene on there but it’s no surprise with the US Outdoors being held at Hayward again that year.
I’m guessing no outdoor nats meets at Hayward until at least 2013…
bummer – Eugene may be the one venue about which NO One complains. I would love to compete there again before I hit 80!
Personally I would prefer Cleveland for 2011 – only because Spokane in 2011 would mean two expensive trips from the east coast with the WMA being in Sacramento that year. And Sac is the site of the Nat Masters in 2010.
But – can not please all the people all the time.
Yes, Mellow Johnny, Wisconsin makes it 12. And what a nice state it is. I predict another Charlotte (2006) but without the heat. In other words, good turnout, great competition.
As many will recall, in the 8 years after Eugene set the record for turnout (the 2000 meet at Eugene drew 1503), we had only one meet that drew more than 1300, and that was Charlotte.
As a high school teacher, Mellow Johnny, you know that the Midwest has many populous states, which should help us a great deal with the Oshkosh turnout. In fact, five states that rank in the top 20 (2007 estimates) are within driving distance of Oshkosh: Illinois (no. 5), Ohio (7), Michigan (8), Indiana (15), and Wisconsin (20).
Another meet of interest will be held March 20-22 in Landover, Maryland; that will be our indoors. Already we have 29 entrants, and the deadline for discounted entry is this coming Sunday (Nov 30). Then we go to regular entry and finally to late entry.
I’m still hoping that we can break 900 for the first time in an indoors, and I hope that Oshkosh will be the second meet in recent years to break 1300.
Oshkosh is a great central location no doubt. Can pull people from not only all around Wisconsin, but the Twin Cities area, Michigan, Chicago, and others.
I think you’re right, PT, that 1300+ entrants in Oshkosh is a very reasonable goal and attainable.
Eugene would be great but I’m not holding my breath to have outdoor nats there anytime soon. At least we still have the Hayward Classic. I recommend anyone who hasn’t run at Hayward to make the trip for that meet if you can.
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