USATF’s Snyder seeks ‘middle ground’ on records set at NSG
Gary Snyder, national masters chairman of USATF, sent this note today: “I thought it would be helpful to provide an update on the NSG situation. I was informed that the meet was
not sanctioned last week by Sandy Pashkin, who began processing record forms and
was told by the USATF National Office that a sanction was not applied for. I contacted the co-meet directors for confirmation and both of the co-meet directors stated a sanction was not obtained. We all know that the rules state no sanction, no record. I plan to confer with key members of the Masters Track & Field National Committee and the National Office to find some middle ground to help the athletes.”
My take?
Middle ground seems like half-pregnant, but I’m hopeful Gary can insert some grownup maturity into this juvenile spat. I always have to wonder why the National Senior Games uses certified USATF officials and “follows USATF rules of competition” if it didn’t intend for records to count.
However, Gary ended his note with this little dig:
“Lastly I realize many of us enjoy
competing in various Senior Games around the country, but I view the National
Senior Games as direct competition to our USA Masters
Championships and in this instance you get what you pay for! More later.”
In fact, as comments point out in the previous entry on this issue, the NSG wasn’t cheap. Athletes paid a lot, and deserve high-quality organization.
7 Responses
USATF isn’t helping their case for retaining masters by being pigheaded about this issue.
And exactly how does NSG’s incompetence turn into USATF & Snyders fault???
I feel Mr. Snyder is completely rational and honest in stating that NSG is in competition with USATF. This is healthy. The premise of masters track and field is that we hone our skills in order to compete with one another. The point is not so much that we wish to defeat an individual, but that we want our skills to ascend to a level whose height honors our serious work.
If either NSG or USATF wished to compete with one another at the highest level possible, many of the problems discussed here would abate. The desire of either party to rise to a higher level is facilitated in two parts; meet and organization prestige and the ever present motivation of money collection and profitability.
If that point is accepted, it raises a secondary point seldom discussed in this blog’s comments. All of us as masters track and field athletes have a responsibility to fund, without expansive complaint, the honest efforts of each group. This is also known as philanthropic leadership.
For seasoned citizens of our movement to be constantly braying about the need for USATF to pay our way or refund our money is unseemly and beneath our mature leadership positions in life, at least it is so in my opinion. If in our lives, past forty, we can’t make practical decisions about travel and where to spend our money, then the proper place to lodge complaints is standing in front of a mirror. We are athletes way past our prime and the idea that the world cares about our efforts beyond a casual 15 seconds of “well how about that” is self delusion.
The way to place USATF and NSG in a competition that produces the professionalism we desire is to make them compete for OUR MONEY!
The reason they don’t compete with complete enthusiasm may be because we constantly whine in one giant chorus about why they are not giving us things for free or doing things perfectly.
Mr. Snyder has told us the truth. Good on him.
As a postscript to the above post, I very rarely attend local senior games because of the very poor effort given. Volunteers who know nothing about track, holding a stopwatch, and proceeding to record times that are a full 2 seconds wrong is not worth funding.
I was told NSG does a super job at the National Games, so I went this year. It was not as bad as some have said, but the schedule was so ridiculous for sprinters that I would not give them my money again if offered a second opportunity, which I believe comes up in two years.
Very simple. No brainer. No sanction, no records. Many thanks to Gary Snyder, Sandy Paskin and others who work hard to abide by USATF rules, including rules related to Masters.
Masters track athletes should focus on development of first class USATF sanctioned Club, Association, Regional and National Championships for men and women 30 and older in five year age brackets. This set of meets should be finalized and announced at least 12 months in advance of the meets.
Jack Karbens
I agree with the comments by Mr Riddle and Mr. Karbens. USATF masters meets are generally well run by competent meet directors and staffed with competent officials. They are sanctioned and athletes who set records are usually able to have them accepted without too much difficulty.
Senior Games track meets are too often run by well intended folks who are trying to serve a rather different population than those who go to USATF masters meets. Some that I have attended are well run by competent folks who do their best with limited resources to put on a good meed. Some are poorly run by well meaning folks who do not have too much of a clue.
I participated in the NSG in Louisville and that demonstrated clearly to me that the NSG track meet is about participation – not about excellence in athletic performance. Despite the so-called qualification standards there were participants who literally walked in my 1500m section. There were those who strolled around the track in the race walk and were not disqualified as far as I could tell. Scheduling was done without consideration for rest time for competitors. It was pretty much on a level with an all-comers meets – get folks out on the track , fire the gun, and good luck folks – have a good time. It is all about participation and a healthy life style
I go to a number of state senior games track meets as part of my training program. I am looking for an opportunity to run in a race where someone fires the gun and someone is recording the times. It is better than a time trial by myself at the local high school track. But I would never confuse it with a quality USATF masters meet.
As for looking for funding from USATF for for competitors to participate in WMA meets – that will happen only if and when some master competitor wins the megabucks and decides to start a trust fund dedicated to that purpose.
Meanwhile I think that those of us who care about enhancing the experience of masters competitors in international competition should focus on things that might be possible – discount on team uniforms that are real and not a myth, organizing a USA team massage therapist or physical therapist – funded by the athletes – as other countries do routinely, and perhaps finding a way for many of us to secure housing in the same place to foster better team spirit.
I do not see the NSG as a meaningful competitor to USATF masters meets – some states put on good senior games track meets – support those who do and encourage your senior games friends to try a USATF National Masters meet.
As for Gary Snyder’s comment about the NSG as competion for USATF – I do not know if I should laugh or just shake my head in amazement – really Gary – are you still jetlagged from the trip to Finland!
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Careful Mary!!
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