In masters track, the two most common questions are: Where’s the meet? And: How do I compare to the competition? So when meets drop out of the deck, it’s a shame. Yesterday, my Ventura friend Andy Hecker wrote about the demise of a Los Angeles series of all-comers meets. (If these meets could be monetized, wouldn’t it be cool?) Anyway, here’s a note Andy sent to friends. It began: “Folks, the 800 Lb Gorilla in the room is apparently dead. As you might recall, last year’s budget shortfall caused the cancellation of the nearly 50-year tradition of Los Angeles All-Comers meets. I hope we all know of the hard work Scott King has put in over the decades to make that happen. The program was so successful, few other players chose to “compete” with what was at times a 4-day-a-week program rotating around the city with free admission to the public.”

Andy’s email continued:

The LAUSD funded the meets, but as they lay off teachers by the hundreds, they are certainly not in a position to fund such frivolity as track meets. Scott has tried to keep it going for the last two years, under different, fee-based schemes and under different auspices. Bottom line is, those efforts have failed. From what he told me, he’s given up.

The door is now open for other parties to step forward into the marketplace. I’m writing to the people on this list because you are some of the likely candidates to step forward. I write this in the fashion of a business because 1) I understand this will be a lot of work on your part, you have to weigh the cost/ benefit; 2) there is some money to be had from putting these things on; 3) a certain amount of benevolence is also needed to make these things happen.

As track coaches, you already know there is a benefit to keeping your kids competing and active over the summer. Hosting the meets puts your kids out there in front of you, as opposed to just telling them to go compete or practice or whatnot. Obviously other individuals will also be there. These things are geographically based so you will attract elements of your crowd based on who feels its worth driving to your facility. Hosting all comers meets puts your school and your facility at the forefront of your area, the familiarity certainly helps in future recruiting if that is your interest.

Charging $3, maybe $5 an athlete doesn’t add up to a huge amount of money, but it’s something. The higher you charge, the fewer athletes will show up — essentially that makes your meet more elite or discriminatory depending on how you look at it. This is not the European track circuit; this is the other end of the spectrum — the grass roots. A huge number of your participants could be little kids, depending on how kid-friendly you make your meets.

I realize I am suggesting a false economy — the costs of putting on a quality meet (to an outsider like me) are far more than the income you will make at these rates. Many school districts don’t fund their programs beyond the necessities.

As insiders, if you don’t need to rent or insure your own facilities and can use the voluntarism of your team plus their supporters, you are taking expenses off the books while showing a profit that you can use to supplement your team budget. Its money you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Does the end justify the effort? Probably not. Maybe you’ve got a good crop of donors and don’t need money. Or your team could be out doing car washes, selling candy bars or magazines for money too. What I am suggesting at least this is getting money from helping the sport. This concept has worked around the country for decades, its probably not news to the people I am writing to.

During January and February, we have meets like this happening all over the greater Southern California area, with as many as 5 going on simultaneously on Saturdays, each I assume happy with the incomes they are making. In the summer, few wanted to go up against a free, 4-day-a-week program. Without that program, we have a giant gaping hole you could step into. There is a possible population of 17 million people out there. Out of that, pulling a few hundred to run, jump or throw at your meet should be a realistic goal.

What’s my stake in all this? For those who don’t know me from any of my many connections to the sport, let’s just say I’m just an old guy who likes to run track. All comers meets have been the bulk of my season for 40 years.

I’d like everybody else to have the same opportunity. Southern California lost last season, there were almost no meets all summer. We are in danger of losing the tradition. I’ve been actively promoting this kind of meet nationwide on my website trackinfo.org for 15 years, so from that perspective, I’m kind of a self-named leader of this movement. There are many other masters runners who want to compete in things like this as well.

Those folks bring a great deal of experience to the table. Some of us are Certified Officials. As you know with all volunteers, some will just talk, take your efforts and disappear into the night, but others are there to offer what they can do to help these meets happen.

I’ve included some on this e-mail. From my website, I can try to put out an appeal for more of these people to step forward to help you, if needed. This is the last crowd I’d need to give operational advice about putting on track meets to, but if you need my help, let me know. I’ll also offer to help all of you coordinate your schedule plans so we minimize direct competition that would be detrimental to your income — we all want your efforts to be successful and fruitful. And certainly I can help publicize your meets to the usual crowd who checks my site for such information. Please let me know whenever you have any plans to put on any meet that welcomes members of the general public to participate.

Ironically, just as L.A. loses some meets, a new series is about to begin in San Diego, as I’ve reported.

This story talks about the new San Diego series.

My Union-Tribune colleague Don Norcross writes:

In an effort to increase interest in the sport, a group of local track fans have created the San Diego Summer Nights Track & Field Series, consisting of two meets in June and one in July.

High school, collegiate and recent post-collegiate athletes are expected to make up most of the field. But series director Paul Greer says the meets are open to all-comers.

“I’m tired of seeing our sport deteriorate and there being no opportunity (for athletes) after high school,” said Greer, the USA Track & Field San Diego long distance chair. “I’m tired of it. Somebody had to step up, and I stepped up and did it.”

To ensure the meets will last only about 90 minutes, a limited number of events will be offered. There will be 100- and 400-meter hurdles, the 100, 200 and 400 meters, the 800, 1,500 and 5,000. Running events will be electronically timed.

Field events will be limited to the long jump, high jump and shot put. Not all of the running events will be offered at each meet.

It will cost participants $10 to enter a meet with no limit to how many events they can enter.