USA Masters Games in North Carolina: latest USATF challenger

Flier for USAMG track meet

Flier for USA Masters Games track meet

Hooboy. On top of the National Senior Games, the World Masters Games and other regional meets like the Americas Masters Games 2016 in Vancouver, add another upstart: the USA Masters Games. I wasn’t aware of this until Monday night. Saw it on the T&FN homepage. This 20-sport event (including track and field for age 21 and up) “is slated to be a biennial games with the inaugural edition July 21-31, 2016, in Greensboro, North Carolina,” the site says. “Our goal … is an enjoyable and rewarding Games experience that leaves everyone looking forward to the 2018 edition.” Here’s the track info. And here’s what’s really weird: “Participants must be active members of USA Track and Field or the comparable organization in their home country. Athletes who are not members of USA Track and Field should become a member before registering for the USA Masters Games.” Say what? It’s a USATF-sanctioned event competing with masters nationals a week earlier in Grand Rapids. (It’s on the USATF calendar.) The games were publicized last April, but I missed it. Anyone have an interest in this?

More details:

North Carolina A&T’s Irwin Belk Track has become one of the premiere track and field facilities in the country. The IAAF certified track is composed of Mondo Super X Olympic style surface. The 23,000 seat facility features eight 48″ running lanes, dual direction runways for long jump and triple jump as well as two dual direction pole vault pits. There are two-multi-directional high jump mats, two shot put venues, a discus/hammer cage and two javelin runways (one inside the stadium and one outside of the stadium.) Irwin Belk Track has been the host of the 2006, 2010 and 2013 NCAA East Regional as well as the International Friendship & Freedom Games, the MEAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Track and Field Championships, New Balance Outdoor Nationals since 2005 and the USATF Junior Olympics in 2009 and 2013.

Belk Track/White Field at the Jerry and Jeanne Robertson Track and Field Complex at Elon University (Hammer and Weight Throw)

Belk Track is an eight-lane, all-weather 400-meter track designed by Paige Design Group of Bahama, N.C., one of the nation’s premier designers of track and field facilities. Among Paige’s 140 projects are track complexes at Stanford University, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and Wake Forest University. The track recently underwent a complete surface replacement and additional lights were added.

Schedule (Tentative):

Day 1 – Thursday July 28, 2016
Session 1: Outdoor Pentathlon (Begins at 8am)
Event 1. Outdoor Pentathlon – Men
1500 Meter Run
Discus Throw
200 Meter Dash
Javelin Throw
Long Jump
Event 2. Outdoor Pentathlon – Women
80 Short Hurdles
High Jump
Shot Put
Long Jump
800 Meter Run

Session 2: Track Events (Begins at 8:30am)
Event 3. 800 Meter Run
Event 4. 400 Meter Dash (Prelims)
Event 5. 5000 Meter Run

Session 3: Field Events (Begins at 8am)
Event 6. Hammer Throw (held at Elon University)

Day 2 – Friday, July 29, 2016
Session 4: Field Events (Start time TBD)
Event 7. Weight Throw (held at Elon University)
Event 8. High Jump

Session 5: Track Events (Begins at 10:00am)
Event 9. 100 Meter Dash (Prelims)
Event 10. 100 Short Hurdles 33” (Prelims)
Event 11. 100 Short Hurdles 36” (Prelims)
Event 12. 80 Short Hurdles 30”
Event 13. 100 Short Hurdles 33”
Event 14. 100 Short Hurdles 36”
Event 15. 110 Short Hurdles 39”
Event 16. 400 Meter Dash
Event 17. 1500 Meter Run
Event 18. 5000 Meter Race Walk

Day 3 – Saturday, July 30, 2016
Session 6: Track Events (Begins at 7am)
Event 19. 10000 Meter Run
Event 20. 100 Meter Dash
Event 21. 200 Meter Dash (Prelims)
Event 22. Meter Shuttle Hurdle Non Club
Event 23. Meter Shuttle Hurdle Club
Event 24. 2000 Meter Steeplechase
Event 25. 3000 Meter Steeplechase

Session 7: Field Events (Begins at 8am)
Event 26. Discus Throw .75k
Event 27. Discus Throw
Event 28. Long Jump
Event 29. Pole Vault

Day 4 – Sunday, July 31, 2016
Session 8: Track Events (Begins at 7am)
Event 30. 10000 Meter Race Walk
Event 31. 200 Long Hurdles 30”
Event 32. 300 Long Hurdles 30”
Event 33. 400 Long Hurdles 30”
Event 34. 400 Long Hurdles 33”
Event 35. 400 Long Hurdles 36”
Event 36. 200 Meter Dash
Event 37. 4×100 Meter Relay Non Club
Event 38. 4×100 Meter Relay Club
Event 39. 4×800 Meter Relay Non Club
Event 40. 4×800 Meter Relay Club
Event 41. 4×400 Meter Relay Non Club
Event 42. 4×400 Meter Relay Club

Session 9: Field Events (Begins at 8am)
Event 43. Triple Jump
Event 44. Javelin Throw 400G Inside Stadium
Event 45. Javelin Throw 500G Inside Stadium
Event 46. Javelin Throw 600G Inside Stadium
Event 47. Javelin Throw 600G Outside Stadium
Event 48. Javelin Throw 700G Outside Stadium
Event 49. Javelin Throw 800G Outside Stadium
Event 50. Shot Put 2k
Event 51. Shot Put 3k
Event 52. Shot Put 4k
Event 53. Shot Put 5k
Event 54. Shot Put 6k
Event 55. Shot Put 7.26k

Age Groups:
Individual Events: 21-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74,75-79, 80-84, 85+
Relay Events: 21-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85+

Age Requirement:

Age is determined as of the first day of competition, Thursday, July 28, 2016.
Minimum age for competitors is 21 years.
Relay age division will be determined by the age of the youngest team member.

Participation Fees:

Games Fee: $60 per athlete before April 1; $80 per athlete between April 1-May 12; $99 per athlete between May 13-June 22

Track and Field Entry Fee is $10.00 per individual event and per relay team member.
Pentathlon Event Entry Fee is $50.00.

Please note: a $5 service fee is payable per person at the time of submitting your registration. Further details are available in the Games Entry Terms & Conditions.

Eligibility:

Participants must be active members of USA Track and Field or the comparable organization in their home country. Athletes who are not members of USA Track and Field should become a member before registering for the USA Masters Games. Membership information can be found on the USA Track and Field website.

For international athletes, appropriate documentation is required.

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January 26, 2016

9 Responses

  1. Tom Sputo - January 26, 2016

    I’ve been following this meet for several months and I will probably be attending because I have a business trip that conflicts with USATF the previous week. I wish I could go to Grand Rapids, but I do have to still work in order to finance my hammer addiction. The USA Masters Games group were nice enough to consider and implement my suggestion of a schedule change to put the hammer and weight on back-to-back days. Nationals in Jax last year put hammer on Day 1 and Weight on Day 4, not too smart.

  2. David E. Ortman (M62), Seattle, WA - January 26, 2016

    Great that they are having the Pentathlon on Day one (although they copy the USA Masters Outdoor schedule by also holding the 800m and 400m at the same time). Not so great that they don’t know the order of the Pent events:
    Event 1. Outdoor Pentathlon – Men
    1500 Meter Run
    Discus Throw
    200 Meter Dash
    Javelin Throw
    Long Jump
    http://usamastersgames.com/extra.asp?ID=6912

    Is it too much to ask that those who schedule these meets know something about the events? Sigh.

  3. Terry Parks - January 26, 2016

    I might go, as I am from Winston-Salem, NC and it is always fun to race as a Masters were I raced in my home state of North Carolina.

  4. MikeF - January 26, 2016

    I am actually already entered in the North Carolina meet partly because USATFs are a week or two early for my personal/professional calendar…and, they have had a calendar of events published for a couple months which really helps for planning…USATFs does not…or at least they did not a week or so ago when I last checked.

  5. A. Lorraine Tucker - January 26, 2016

    The idea of an inaugural is more exciting to me than the actual participation. I may attend.

    Unfortunately, many of these type events never get a second chance for various reasons, mainly poor attendance.

    Question to ask: Is the USA Masters Games offering the athlete something to justify paying substantially more than what is usually paid to enter major sport competitions.

  6. Mary Harada - January 27, 2016

    I am thinking about it and also considering the one in Vancouver. I am more interested in Vancouver because of the location. However the organizers seem to have no interest in publishing a schedule. Until they post the schedule of the track meet – days at least, I will not enter, They are crazy if they think people will sign up for a week in Vancouver not knowing when they will compete. I have emailed them and received no response. They need not post an hourly schedule but one needs to know – which day at a minimum.
    Good luck to them if they are deaf to this.

  7. Ken brown - January 29, 2016

    Ditto on your Vancouver observation.

  8. Warren Graff - March 9, 2016

    one thing that are NOT following USATF is with hurdles heights – says all 300M and 200M hurdles are 30″. M70 and over are supposed to be 27″

  9. mark williamson - August 2, 2016

    Its an option not a conflict. Having the attitude that its about money is when its time to love it or leave it. Big entry fees or annual fees for stuff that is not asked for by the membership is just an excuse the members do not want to hear. Keeping it simple keeps everyone happy except those who want something else. This is not Microsoft. Just simple stuff. USA Masters Games experience was better than most meets and similar to State or Senior Games but with all the sports in a tighter schedule. It was run by USATF Officials but not USATF Staff which made for a more relaxed meet.Take the hint!They all worked together putting their pride aside.

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