Your USATF $$ at work!

Some Associations are completely useless like Lake Erie!

The USATF Convention was changed to coincide with the National Championship game in Honolulu this Friday, Hawaii vs Boise State 7:00 p.m. 11/23. I think USATF should concentrate only on track and field and waste our dues flying to places to watch epic sporting events.

In Boston we're lucky to have Steve Vaitones as our USATF chairman. This guy is a worker. He puts on meets, helps others to put on meets, consistently provides help and assistance for many track and cross country and walking events. I guess it's largely a matter of having the right person in the right job.

If it bothers you so much, get off your lazy ass and do the stuff yourself. Why do you expect others to do things when you just sit at home behind a computer and bitch? Have you put on any association events? Any meets? Anything? Get to it, chop chop.

Many people have tried to become involved with USATF on a local level, but they get "shut out" from elections and those little local presidents who run their Associations like little fiefdoms,,,,,,,,,,,

MBTA wizard wrote:

In Boston we're lucky to have Steve Vaitones as our USATF chairman. This guy is a worker. He puts on meets, helps others to put on meets, consistently provides help and assistance for many track and cross country and walking events. I guess it's largely a matter of having the right person in the right job.

Agreed about Steve. I'm sure he puts up with his fair share of crap, but he puts great effort into our sport. He knows local ahtletes well and is a familiar face even at the "big races" in Boston. Plus look at all the high profile races in Boston, especially in fall and winter. While he might not put on all of those (ex, Reebok Indoor Games), he certainly helps facilitate them and is basically a one-man show in his office. Great job, Steve!

They have to. No-body is getting paid for anything. The only thing you *might* get is a few perks, like a chicken burrito and a t-shirt. At the NCAA D-I XC yesterday, CSTV said they had to produce the race, per NCAA contract. They lose money on XC, but had to have the show to keep NCAA Football and Basketball. USATF and the NCAA XC are squeezed for money. How do you expect your local guys to get any compensation.

those at the top speeding our money on themselves is clearly not right. If they feel the need to make a vaction out of it - they can simply pick up the tab themselves.

I think the best form of protest would be to not renew your association membership + tell them why you aren't renewing in a simple letter (with you old card so they can keep a tally on how much money this decision just cost them)...if enough members do this, they will respond.

Agreed about Steve. I'm sure he puts up with his fair share of crap, but he puts great effort into our sport. He knows local ahletes well and is a familiar face even at the "big races" in Boston. Plus look at all the high profile races in Boston, especially in fall and winter. While he might not put on all of those (ex, Reebok Indoor Games), he certainly helps facilitate them and is basically a one-man show in his office. Great job, Steve!

I have to second this one about Steve V., and I do realize that this is all "volunteer", but if you are going to be a Local USATF Association President, then you should want to PROMOTE the sport! Not just sit on your tail like many of them and WAIT for things to happen! The only way some things get done is when people complain! Look at some of the local web sites, pretty bad! No calendar, no results, etc!

I wanna go to go to Hawaii! how do I get a job with USATF???

I don't think you know all the details about USATF. I have been to several conventions attended all the Men's and Women's LDR meetings and I can't tell you what it is they really do. But I do know that USATF isn't paying most of the association people a whole lot of money to go. Actually I don't think they are paying anything. I know a woman in LDR and she only gets $500 towards her trip.

Again I don't know all the details and I am sure they are shelling out a lot of money for people in higher positions to go to the meeting as well as all the athletes on the athlete council but before you bitch about it I think you need to do a little more research.

been to USATF wrote:

but before you bitch about it I think you need to do a little more research.

do research? you mean, like, know what you're talking about? have a grasp of facts? wrong website, buddy.

Look, guys, there are NO affordable hotel rooms in Indianapolis this time of year, and really no hotel rooms at ALL. We HAD to have this conference somewhere else. In addition, Indy is not a centrally located city, meaning that people would have to travel THAT MUCH FURTHER to get there. By seeking out a cheap and centrally located area like Hawaii, we are SAVING you money!

Yeah, I'm here all expense paid by my Association membership's dues. I learned years ago that all you have to do is sidle up to the old timer Association guys, figure out an angle (get a title), and you get your way paid to these Conventions...then it is party on down. Once you get on the gravy train, you can stay on it forever. It's a joke....the pompous old bastard officials and etc. will never admit it (watch them blather about how it is important business that they are doing for the sport). What do we accomplish here? Really next to nothing except listen to the BS'ers and the all-important pork bellies who make the pilgrimage once a year to pony up to the bar with all their old buddies. What the hey...as long as the membership of USATF are in the dark, and keep allowing increases in their dues because of increased costs (to fly to and stay at these Conventions....err, excuse me...Annual Meetings) this gravy train will never end.

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This approach did not work with me- perhaps I pissed off too many people when I called them on that cronyism back in the early 1990's! Heck, I could not even vote in my Association because I was an athlete! Clubs could vote once as could committee chairpersons. Guess who kept getting re-elected all of the time and going to the vacations- oops, I meant conventions! A lot of hand shaking, back slapping folks with "important" titles! Remember back in Running Times Magazine when Craig Masback said, "This is a new day for U.S.A. Track and Field"? Yea, new day ok, because he got on the gravey train that he could never get on when he was an athlete because he was just piss, and now he is the CEO in a beautiful state that I can only dream to get to......In the meanwhile, we can not even get an open/master cross country meet put on.....Yep, I know all about Steve Viatones, he is probably one of the few that should be out there! If you get elected to a position, then do something besides taking a vacation on my USATF dues money!

Thom Trimble of the Pacific Association in San Francisco has busted his ass for USATF, before him I think it was Mark Winitz. They have a strong network of recruitment-oriented club teams of various flavors and a wealth of talented local indivdual runners, also hosting a highly regarded and well-run (for the most part) road race and cross country slate in northern California. There is not as much emphasis on track races as certain people would like, but there is no shortage of meets: Stanford and its major meets nearby, plus Los Gatos, Cal and Davis offering an assortment of all-comers meets.

Point being, some of these USATF reps earn their trip (or whatever portion is comped).

Yep, I am not saying that there are not some folks in Hawaii that are not deserving and do actually do something for the sport, but I am sure that they are far outnumbered by the "hangerons" that have been a part of AAU, TAC, and now USATF! I'd really hate to name names, but pick an

Association and I am sure that you can find at least 3 to 4 committee persons that do very little to contribute to the sport....

In fact, I will pick on one......Here is a quote from an Association annual meeting:

" The Treasurer report was given by>>>>>>>>>> was approved unanimously. We are down about 100 in membership. >>> feels because of the raise in dues and the AAU Junior Olympic meet held in Knoxville TN." See the excuses?? Heck yea, memberships are down because this Association DOES NOTHING!!!!

Call it what it is! A vacation!!

I agree with you--there are a lot of "dogs" in USATF and sprinkled throughout the top ranks of USATF for that matter. USATF is a bloated, diseased entity which carries a lot of dead weight and dirty laundry. I just wanted to recognize one of the exceptions.

Wonder how many from NYC and NJ associations go...so far the indoor season looks pretty empty..maybe they can secure more $$ for meets

The Three Rivers Association if they even had an Association open/masters Cross Country Meet!