USATF brass made aware of masters athlete advocacy group

Dexter McCloud, an M45 hurdler from Georgia, helped Stephanie Hightower  get elected president of USATF last winter in Reno. Now he’s helping Stephanie get up to speed on issues raised by Anselm LeBourne’s masters athlete advocacy group, launched in Lahti. In a note to the group, Dexter writes: “Part of the new Strategic Plan for the Board of Directors will help to
address our issues.  Part of my responsibility via Stephanie’s
direction is to work on the tactical steps to achieve the vision of the
Plan. I said all that to say this: I will certainly do what I can to
make sure the issues you raised remains on Stephanie’s radar (in fact,
I copied her on this reply).”  Dexter also says Robert Thomas will have the ear of USATF COO Mike McNees,  our official “masters advocate” in Indy.


Here’s the note Dexter sent today:

Everyone, I am just returning from a weekend at the Associations workshop. Robert Thomas was there as well. Robert spoke with Mike McNees, Chief Operating Officer for USATF.  As a Masters athlete, he is certainly an advocate for our interests.

I work closely with Stephanie Hightower and I’ve made her aware that Masters have several concerns that need to be addressed.  Part of the new Strategic Plan for the Board of Directors will help to address our issues.  Part of my responsibility via Stephanie’s direction is to work on the tactical steps to achieve the vision of the Plan. I said all that to say this: I will certainly do what I can to make sure the issues you raised remains on Stephanie’s radar (in fact, I copied her on this reply).

 In addition, Robert will be able to develop a working relationship with Mike McNees as they can arrange to see each other as often as they deem necessary.

Finally, I’m not certain that I am clear as to the purpose of #17.  Why are we selecting a name for a group?  What group is this and what’s its purpose?

My suggestion is to stay at the “50 thousand foot level” and focus on: A) developing a cohesive list of concerns – this is different than from just a list of “things” that we want for a Track meet B) use Mike, as our Masters Liaison, to coordinate all “team management” activities for World Meets in the same way that our Elite Athlete Team is managed for the Olympic Games. 

That would encompass uniforms, travel services and other related issues to athletic competition.  Bear in mind that this is ultimately a MONETARY issue and is, in large part, why these issues haven’t been addressed in the past. C) a stipend, in my mind, is a long shot.  And, here’s why: we are not professionals and don’t have sponsors. 

Our professional athletes don’t receive the stipend you speak of so, it’s highly doubtful that we could convince USATF to set a precedent that surely other groups like Youth and LDR would jump all over. 

Your best bet is to put together a proposal to the Masters Committee and make a motion for Gary and the Masters Executive Committee to find the money in the Masters Budget. I hope I didn’t dampen your enthusiasm as I want the same things for us. 

But, having worked within system (and having helped to create some of it), I feel that this will be a more efficient way for your voices to be heard.

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August 31, 2009

5 Responses

  1. Mary Harada - September 1, 2009

    Working within the system will result in the same old brushoff of the concerns expressed by the masters advocacy group.
    No doubt the stipend issue is DOA- but the other issues are very much alive and should be addressed as well as resolved. For some reason “working within the system” does not make me feel confident that there will be change.

  2. Don Drummond - September 1, 2009

    I am sure that Dexter McCloud and Stephanie Hightower will do everything in his/her power to assist.
    This movement will provide some positive change.

  3. Anonymous - September 1, 2009

    I think Dexter will do what he says he will do.

  4. Dave Clingan - September 1, 2009

    The fact is, there is no alternative to working “within the system”. Masters expenditures are determned by the Masters Track and Field Committee. Every year, a budget is developed by the Masters Executive Committee and approved by the general committee at the annual meeting. It’s a tedious process. The budget consists of more than 30 line items averaging about $2000 each. Various programs, services and constituencies compete for their modest share of the MTF budget. Unless the entire budget is increased, the masters committee can only trade off money from one area to another. In reality, the expense of team uniforms, medical support, stipends, and so forth, would require reallocating funds within a very tight budget. That’s not to say we shouldn’t do it– it just means there would be an impact on other budget items.
    Even if USATF significantly increased the MTF budget (which they are historically reluctant to do), I expect there would be intensive discussion about how any funding increase would most benefit the masters program. There would be no shortage of ideas about how we could effectively use more money. In fact, there are plenty of ideas already itemized in our strategic plan which are basically collecting dust due to chronic budget constraints.
    Certainly, nobody would object to free uniforms, but– just how important are they? What would we cut to make them possible? Should we increase the membership fees or the athletes surcharge to pay for them? What other wishful expenses are vying for the same money? Those are questions that require at least some involvement in the “system”, otherwise you have self-selected athletes in isolation advocating for their own interests without considering the broader needs of the masters program.
    In the ten years I’ve been attending the USATF annual meeting, I’ve gained a healthy respect for the process that determines masters priorities. The Masters Track and Field Committee consists of four elected officers, thirteen board members, seven regional coordinators, nearly 20 subcommittee chairs and over 50 association delegates– who work very hard, with many years of organizational experience among them, to put our limited resources to the best possible use. (At the same time, I’ve never been satisfied with the minimal financial support USATF provides the masters program!) But if our governing structure has become too clunky or inneffecient to tackle issues of pressing concern to athletes, then we should embrace and incorporate new ideas into the decision making process.
    I think it’s great that a group of concerned athletes cares enough to meet, raise questions and create proposals to improve the masters program. Perhaps this new group could be recognized as an ad hoc MTF subcommittee, responsible for exploring “critical issues” (under the purview of the MTF Chair and in concert with MTF’s elected Active Athletes Representative). They could make informed recommendations to the Masters Committee and would have a legitimate platform from which to promote change. Otherwise, I don’t see how they would have much leverage in influencing the decisions of the masters committee, or power to accomplish much of anything.

  5. Mary Harada - September 2, 2009

    IF there is a 40-50% discount for uniforms for WMA meets – then either money has been allocated for this discount – or USATF is taking much less profit for selling the official uniforms to WMA competitors. In either case – there is no need to shift money in the masters budget to provide this alleged discount.
    I say alleged as apparently this is news to many of us – I do not recall EVER seeing this discount – but I could be mistaken – I am at the age where it is sometimes difficult to remember what I ate for breakfast. Perhaps the masters committee can find out if the discount is real and find a way to make sure it is available to all who sign up for a WMA meet. This might go a long way to take care of the issue about the cost of the compulsory uniform.
    As for working with the existing masters committees- a nice idea – hope it works. Change is needed – new thinking is needed and perhaps new blood is needed too.

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