San Diego USATF: Top-secret masters meet is postponed
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The USATF San Diego Association Masters Championships scheduled for November 22 have been postponed. Say what? You didn’t know about no masters meet?  Join the club. OK, lissen up: San Diego USATF folks have been promising an association masters meet since July — piggybacking the San Diego Track Club’s Chuck McMahon memorial meet. But it was canceled. Then at the August board meeting (see the minutes), it was revived! Masters chair Graeme Shirley promised the meet for October. That fell through, for unknown reasons. Then two months later, at the same board meeting where my transfer request was rejected, Graeme said the association would have its masters meet on November 21 at Cal State San Marcos, where Steve Scott coaches. Supposedly the meet director would be Jennifer Nanista, who was laid off as a San Diego State track coach in July but found work in her old mortgage business.
Brilliant! Cancel a meet before you collect entry fees! No need to make refunds!
Then a week ago, I began getting private email about the meet being set for November 22. That’s because the association wanted to line up officials for the meet, and they had to be notified. (An official notified me.)
But days later (Friday the 13th) San Diego USATF President Jay Beltz sent out email saying: “The Masters Track and Field meet scheduled for November 22 has been postponed. Check back with us soon for new details! http://www.sdusatf.org/masters.html.”
Why the latest delay? Did they not have enough officials?
Well, yes they did.
Jim Skelly, the association’s top official, sent me a note yesterday saying: “We had a crew of officials lined up for (the meet). I have been out of the loop since 11/3 (while on vacation) so can not address issues involved with meet. Suggest to talk to Jay Beltz.”
Jay had his say, so I won’t pester him again.
Of course, the Elephant in Lane 1 is: Why even bother holding a meet this late in the year — after nationals, worlds and even two major Senior Olympics? Aren’t masters supposed to be resting their wounds, gearing up for 2010?
When I told one friend about Graeme’s plans for a late-November meet, he shot back this reply: “Is he mental?”
Another inside source wrote me (before the latest cancellation):
The most important link to a successful meet is to alert the athletes. I’m sure there is a lot of concern right now in their boardroom that Graeme is shooting a blank on this project.
Well, I guess grown-ups in the association prevailed and took away Graeme’s pop gun.
But what a mess. Still no USATF-sponsored masters track meets in San Diego for 2009.
San Diego USATF unanimously adopts do-or-die bylaw
Faced with the possible loss of all 15 of its delegate votes at the USATF national convention in Reno, the San Diego-Imperial USATF Association voted unanimously last night to adopt an amendment to its bylaws. The amendment sets up a grievance procedure that all 57 associations have to approve by October 15. About two dozen San Diego-area members showed up for the association’s annual elections meeting, held at Road Runner Sports. Unopposed for office were Jay Beltz, elected president after 14 months as acting president in the wake of Mike Rouse’s resignation; incumbent Vice President Arnie Robinson, the 1976 Olympic long jump champ; incumbent Treasurer Lolitia “Lish” Bache; and her son, Tom, as secretary.
One Response
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Deb Conley - September 18, 2008
Only time will tell, if the ‘new’ grievance procedures will make disputes easier to resolve in a fair and timely manner.
National must be willing to penalize ‘offenders’ whole heartedly and sufficiently, be willing to expose its flagrant flaws, and decide if they really want to adhere to the USATF’s mission statement.
I haven’t seen this yet.
5 Responses
Graeme sucks as a masters chair. How did he get the job anyway? did no one else run for the job? What a joke!! Way to go Graeme, way to kill track locally!!!
Any plans for a 2010 meet?
Great news! The meet is back on the schedule for next year…but it will be held in the SoCal association.
could it be they are trying to avoid multi-event scorer Ken, and his wife Chris, winning the team championship?
Fun Facts: The SDI-USATF Association, home to the the US Olympic Training Center, has a population slightly larger than the entire country of Jamaica.
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