masterstrack.com

Hi All,

With regrets, the discus and hammer throws at next weeks NE Masters Championships Meet on 7/27 in Springfield,MA have been cancelled due to construction at each site. Circumstances beyond our control necessitate this cancellation. Both should return next year.

Mike Travers

USATF New England Masters T & F Chair

Disappointing & Confusing.......USATF New England site says decision to be made on 7/21. Why has it not been announced there yet?

I mailed my entry fee in on Thursday for 4 events (Jav, Discus, Shot & Hammer). Yesterday, I received a call from a friend who was told this was happening due to construction at Springfield College. This should have been announced prior to this.

It is too bad that this was not announced sooner. There is alot of track construction taking place this summer (MIT, Bay State Games had to move to UMass Lowell).

There will be a number of disappointed Masters throwers.

Jim Burgoyne
Twilight Throwers - www.twilightthrowers.110mb.com

I am not a thrower so what do I know - but when the MA Senior Games were held (June) the fields were under construction and some throws were not held there - but at another venue. So - this was known at least in early June. Perhaps Springfield College did not make clear to USATFNE just what would be available for use. I do not have a clue about that. How would folks know if they do not read this forum or have friends who are in the know - tell them. The online form has times listed for the Discus, Hammer, Javelin, and Shot Put. Not everyone has email or reads their email if they have it, especially some of the older competitors. And putting it online at the USATFNE website will not necessarily reach everyone who needs to be notified. There maybe a number of folks next Sunday walking around carrying some heavy duty stuff and feeling pretty unhappy.

Mr. Travers must have known about the "construction" at the discus and hammer circles weeks ago. I passed on the Nutmeg games to go to the New England Championships. It is now too late to register for the Nutmeg games. The New England Championships are a great meet and well run, normally. I am just very disappointed.

The PAUSATF Master's throws got moved around a couple of times.
Rick Milan did a good job of having all the throws finally at College of San Mateo. Wasn't easy. took a lot of work, but it got done.

I reached out to Mike Travers last night as the USATF NE website did not list the cancelled events as yet. Mike confirmed this was the case.

Springfield College is making the old Hammer/Discus area a parking lot and moving the events somewhere else. Due to Summer Vacations, the communications between the two groups was limited and USATF NE did not have this info til last week.

Yes, the MA Senior Games did reveal this info, but not sure if Springfield thought the new area would be ready by now.

A lot of people will be disappointed but no alternate site was available.

We can be frustrated but these meets take a great deal of time to plan and the locations, most often colleges, use the summer months to fix the tracks and fields for their own use.

Maybe a few meets will pop-up that will have Hammer & Discus? Anything is possible!

Jim Burgoyne
Twilight Throwers
www.twilightthrowers.110mb.com

Wow,
This is very dissapointing! I know a lot of work goes into organizing an event on this scale, but someone really dropped the ball on this one!
It's hard to beleive that there are no alternatives...

Tom Reed