USATF hasn’t reported squat about Team USA at Lahti worlds
This is outrageous. Americans are winning dozens of medals in Lahti, some setting world or American records, and usatf.org has yet to report ANYTHING about Team USA at the WMA World Masters Athletics Championships. And the meet is about half over! I wrote to folks in the press office at Indy, pleading with them to simply check out the Lahti results site. and list our medalists. We are not chopped liver, dammit! Rita Hanscom breaks a Phil Raschker record (in the W55 hep), and that’s not news! C’mon! This blog can’t do justice to all the American stars, since I’m busy having fun and taking photos. So If you want decent coverage of the Yanks, please write to CEO Doug Logan, COO Mike McNees and USATF press honcho Ivan Cropper. We need to flood their inbox, folks!
9 Responses
while I am online at the TIC and in comment mode – why the surprise Ken. A leopard does not change is spots. USATF cars only about collecting dues from masters. We are not the future for them – the youth are the pipeline for the elites and Doug Logan is focused on the medal count for the next Olympics.
Ken – USATF has been receiving the WMA results and it has been our intention to put out a release today recapping the first weekend of competition. I can assure you this approach reflects no lack of respect for Masters athletes, in fact as some already know I am one myself.
I haven’t seen any correspondence on this, and I know Ivan Cropper was on vacation last week. Next time you have a question or concern, feel free to call me directly. I’ll say the same thing to anyone interested in Masters T & F.
I would have loved to have gone to Lahti to represent USA Track and Field, ultimately I decided my utility there didn’t justify the expense. As an alternative I spent a piece of my weekend training for Kamloops – I hope it pays off!
Best Regards to all – Mike McNees, COO, USA Track and Field
http://annettesseite.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/cimg9605.jpg
Dear Ken,
here, Merlina Arnaudova of Bulgaria demonstrates, on the medal stand,no less that masters athletes are not chopped liver, dammit.
Where are your photos and stories? Having too much fun?
Stefan
Well let’s see what else might have been happening in the past week.
– Pan American Juniors taking place out of the country, US dominating performances. This on the heels of the World Youth Championships in Italy.
– Junior Olympics, 6000 kids over 6 full days in NC.
– USA team preparing for World Championships
Some masters may disagree, but as a fan and local administrator, the above seem to rank as the higher priorities. How many press staff do people think are in Indy? (Ivan is more marketing and not directly press; he’s not covering events)
Instead of just referencing a website, Ken, how come you didn’t just submit a summary and review each day. Would have eased their job, would have provided them with what was needed. No, too much like work.
(Sarcasm alert)
With a limited staff in Indy, heaven forbid that if they did a quick review/summary and some performance or possible pending record be missed in the 20+ age groups of results. Then Ken would lay into whoever is doing the reporting for inaccurate coverage.
(end sarcasm)
Steve Vaitones
Steve,
Before worlds, I wrote to Indy, asking the press office if they’d be willing to pay me for sending them daily summaries of American results, records, etc. Indy politely declined.
Turns out I’ve been having too much fun shmoozing with friends, sightseeing, hiking back to my frathouse and entering my own events. (My high jump is in 11 hours.)
So I take thousands of pictures and do a little blogging. No time for deeply detailed reports on Team USA. I don’t even have time tonight to write about today’s 90-minute WMA candidates forum. Turns out Tom Jordan, the acting prez who set up the forum, didn’t allow me to ask questions. Only delegates were allowed to address the candidates. They asked mostly dumb questions. So it goes.
USATF has posted a release on Lahti, focusing on Rita and other American record-setters.
http://www.usatf.org/news/view.aspx?duid=USATF_2009_08_03_13_44_44
Masters competition is pretty low on the totem pole of concern for USATF even if they get free daily communications from Ken Stone or any other competitor. Most of us pay all of our own expenses and train to compete, not to provide free press releases for USATF. Ken is not exception to that. As much as I may disagree with Ken at times, he is spending a great deal of time and energy keeping the masters community informed about the meet as well as taking countless photos and competing in his events. That the mother ship in Indianapolis is focused upon other events is no surprise, the youth competitors are the future, the elite are the potential Olympic athletes, and the masters are the over the hill gang on the downward slide towards the giant track in the sky. However USATF might take into account that paying a small amount of attention now and then to masters accomplishemnts “might” gain them a few dollars in donations either in our lifetime or after we finish chasing our coffins down the street to the graveyard.
There is no free lunch anywhere even in masters trackland- not even coleslaw made from potato salad.
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