Maine works for masters: It’s friendly to corporate track
USATF Masters and the Senior Olympic circuit aren’t the only games in town. I’m reminded by W50 sprinter Kim Williams in Portland, Maine, that her state has an active corporate track presence. Called the Maine Corporate Track Association, or MECTA, it gives employees a chance to bond with their fellow worker bees and stay in shape via a form of age-group competition. They don’t refer to M40, W50, M65, etc. They employ five divisions: Open (18-29), Submaster (30-39), Master (40-49), Senior (50-59) and Veteran (60 and above). On the national level, the U.S. Corporate Athletic Association held its national championships a few weeks ago north of San Diego.
Kim writes:
I think we have the strongest, if not only, state-wide corporate track and field competitions in the US. We are a part of US Corporate Athletics Association.
We have been hosting corporate track meets for 22 years (since 1985). This year, an average of eleven teams participated in the one indoor and five outdoor meets we hold every season. The competition covers all age groups, but is particularly strong in the masters age groups. For many masters athletes it is the only venue they have for T&F competition.
Individual athletes who work for a company that doesn’t have a team can join the association and get assigned to a team as a “draftee”. This allows for anyone to be able to participate.
Check out this link for some of the results, the competition is quite good.
I compete at USATF masters meets and I get more, often stronger, competition at MECTA meets.
3 Responses
What, no corporate throwers?
Yes, we have shot put, discus and recently added Turbo Jav. As well as high jump and long jump. No pole vaulting!
You can check the links fo results.
I would only ask that the Corporate board consult with the USATF Masters board in regard to the date they hold their USCAA Nationals. For the past several years they hold their meet two weeks before our National meet which is always the date for the West region meet–which takes away and dulutes both meets. I myself had raced in the Corporate Nationals for 10 years in a row–then speratically after The Principal Financial Group turned from a Mutual Insurance Company to a Stock Company and did away with their Corporate Track Team. I know that the Corporate Nationals has been struggling with numbers for several years now–one way to improve the numbers is not to hold your competition on the same weekend as the 2nd or 3rd largest USATF Track meet in the Country.I myself would love to compete at the Corporate Nationals especially since I live in California–which seems to be the host more times than not–I even made the trip a few years back when it was in Portland Maine–so communication between the two organizations would be key–I had told Kevin( not sure if he is still your USCAA president) that I would be happy to be the liason between the two groups since I am on the USATF National board–but there was never any follow up on his part–Mark Cleary
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