Masters T&F nets $4,500 extra from USATF
Begging works! Suzy Hess of the Masters T&F Committee confirms that the 20-minute presentation by Masters Chair George Mathews this past Friday in Portland swayed the USATF budget appeals board. Masters T&F had asked for $13,500 for six specific items, but USATF granted $4,500 — which supplements the previously approved annual allocation of $32,000. So that represents a better than 25 percent increase in our USATF subsidy.
The original MT&F budget for 2005 — a world championships season — was just under $56,000. The added $4,500 brings the budget up to just under $60,500. The extra money presumably will be spent on the top two priorities as outlined by Mathews on Friday:
— $2,500 to unite Executive Committee folks for a Strategic Plan powwow.
— $2,000 to pay for extra team managers at the San Sebastian world meet.
Mathews deserves credit for making a concise and effective statement on behalf of the committee. But Mathews himself should thank a number of other people for insisting that he go before the budget appeals board. Mathews had been hesitant.
This just goes to show two things:
George Mathews can do the right thing if people speak up.
It doesn’t hurt to ask (for money).
