USATF Masters allocates money for new Web site
Joy McDonald of Virginia has graciously sent me the 2008 budget for USATF Masters Track & Field, for which she’s treasurer. (I’ve also requested a copy of the USATF Masters minutes from the Hawaii meeting, but Chairman Gary Snyder says they haven’t been approved yet. So we’ll check back later on that.) The 2008 budget calls for spending $84,700 but expects revenues of $79,500 (a shortfall of $5,200). Whatever. But I’m happy to report that a separate USATF Masters Web site has been funded to the tune of $4,500. This will replace the anemic and out-of-date masters section of USATF.org. Meanwhile, National Masters News is getting its usual $5,000 annual subsidy. For old times’ sake, I guess.
USATF Masters awards revamped to calendar year
Dave Clingan, chairman of the USATF Masters T&F Awards Committee, met with some of his committee members at the Hawaii annual meeting of USATF. They made some changes in how awards will be decided. The main difference is that the calendar year will decide the hottest of hot. This modifies the previous system (in use only one year) where the previous outdoor season and later indoor season were taken as a whole for deciding the Male and Female (and other) Athletes of the Year. (This isn’t to be confused with the recent USATF Masters Athlete of the Year award, which went to the distance runner and not Phil Raschker. That’s a different award.)
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USATF masters agenda set for Hawaii: Party hearty!
Two weeks from now, masters track delegates from around America will gather as part of the USATF annual meeting. Well, maybe not from every USATF association. This year’s convention is in Honolulu, somewhere in the Pacific. Can’t hop in the Buick and motor on out. Oh well. For the few, brave and affluent, our meetings will be packed with agenda items — but not elections and not much debate over future masters nationals. (Sacramento is the only bidder for 2010 outdoors, and Boston either will or won’t be bidding for 2010 indoors.) The one event I wouldn’t miss is the Potomac Valley TC’s party Thursday night at the Sheraton. It’s for masters delegates only. Quite exclusive, since I doubt more than a couple dozen will attend.
2 Responses
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Mary Harada - November 17, 2007
I understand the desire to hold the USATF annual meeting in various regions of the country, to spread out the meeting sites and make the meetings accessable to a wider variety of members and representatives of the associations. I also understand that it is expensive for those living in Hawaii to come to the mainland for a meeting. It is also very expensive for those living in Alaska to fly to the mainland for a USATF annual meeting – when will we see the annual meeting scheduled for Alaska in December! That does not sound nearly as inviting for most folks does it. IF the New England Association would pay my way I would be happy to fly to Honolulu for a few days of warmth and attend a meeting or two. However the NE Association I am sure has sufficient problems funding its managing director’s trip and expenses and awarding a few dollars to the handful who are willing to mostly pay their own airfare – expensive from here, and the room charge of a pretty expensive beach hotel. Meanwhile I dare say the number of delegates will be considerably smaller than usual, and be even less representative of the associations and the members. This appears to be a beach party for those with disposable income and for those whose expenses are paid either by USATF or the associations – in the later case – out of fairly meager budgets. How many road races, track meets, and x-c meets could be run for the money spent sending delegates to Honolulu?
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Tim Edwards - November 18, 2007
How about the money to buy water, gatorade, and cool zone fans for those hot humid places they vote for National championship sites every year.
