Pity the person that does appreciate the circus of clowns that is led by Hightower, Farmer-drug-cheat-Patrick, and Brooks-of-you-cross-me-you-must-be-a-racist-Johnson. If Herman needs a job, I understand why he wants the USATF gig.....but, who wants to deal with the ass clowns that make up the board>
Can someone tell me what Stephanie Hightower does?
Is Sandra Farmer on the payroll?
Stephanie Hightower:
http://www.usatf.org/events/2004/OlympicGames/staff/Hightower_Stephanie.asp
http://www.dispatch.com/live/contentbe/dispatch/2006/01/04/20060104-E1-02.html
http://bigten.cstv.com/genrel/022307aae.html
Chair of the USATF women's track & field committee & board member of USATF; probably one of the most powerful board members. Expected to run for president of USATF when Bill Roe's term expires at the end of this year. Not known for being diplomatic. Perceived to have the strong support of the athletes advisory committee if she makes a run at the presidency.
Too early to tell, but she would be the favorite to be the next president.
Don't think the LDR community would want her as president.
Interview with the outgoing CEO:
The election for the next USATF president looks to be between current VP Dee Jensen and Stephanie Hightower. It looks to be a competitive race. Jensen is a retired junior college coach and official who lives in North Dakota. She won the top USATF service award last year. The election will take place at the next USATF convention which is in Reno after next Thanksgiving.
Who is running for VP? How does the house of cards fall out?
V.P. Glenn Latimer
MLDR Chair ????
By the way, Steve Miller took the job with the Andre Agassi Foundation, so he's out...
http://sev.prnewswire.com/sports/20080114/LAM01814012008-1.html
Teddy Mitchell will take over the MLDR position.
charles in master charge wrote:
V.P. Glenn Latimer
MLDR Chair ????
Glenn is in trouble when it comes to a general election. He has strong armed his way through MLDR and pissed off a lot of people in the process.
The race for veep looks to be Latimer, former veep Darlene Hickman, Alan Roth who is stepping down as Chair of the Associations Committee, and possibly David Katz who is the USA member on the IAAF Technical Committee.
She would be a terrible choice for president. She would kill anything for distance running. Remember last trials when they added a women's semi in the steeple after they said they were not going to have one...she talked how sprinters always had to run trails..and said distance runenrs were just a bunch of complainers. Also, I heard they changed a meeting just for her and at her request moved it to Father's and then she didn't show.
WE need to find someone better than her to be the next USATF president!!!!
Which candidates (president and VP) would be best for all LDR?
Latimer has been horrible for LDR. We are better off with a sprnter that hates LDR than we are with a wolf in sheeps clothing. A vote against Latimer is a vote for LDR.
What about Herman Frazier?
Do you remember this thread? Read this and see if still you think Stephanie Hightower would make a good USATF President. I don’t think she would be good for the sport!!
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=918240&thread=917250
So...we read the USATF rule book as we are preparing for the USA Championships. In the rule book, it states that, in the 3000mSC, there will be two rounds if 19 or more report to the event. Coming into the meet, there are 17 (the final two entries have not even run the "B" standard for the championships and they allowed them into the meet anyway) women declared. So, no rounds according to the rules.
When we arrive we find out they are running two rounds to eliminate three people (two of which should not have been in the meet in the first place). So, EVERY steepler and EVERY coach of those steeplers is up in arms. So, I head to Stephanie Hightower (HMFIC) for her to explain to me why.
As I approach her, she immediately tells me that she is not going to change her mind and that I can pay my $175 in appeals fees but the appeals go to her and John Chaplin and that they are not budging. (My way or the highway!)
She then proceeds to tell me that, "I don't care if six women show up for the semi-finals, we'll run two heats of three."
She tells me that the games committee (not a single distance person on the staff) has decided that we need to prepare the women to run rounds at the World Championships. So, I ask, why not rounds of the 5000m or why not qualifying rounds in the jumps and throws? Her answer, "...because the field sizes dictated only a final."
I then had to stand and listen to the schpiel about how she was a World Class athlete and she had to run multiple rounds and, "...why do the distance runners complain when they have to run rounds and the sprinters have to run three or four rounds."
She then tells me..."If you don't like it, take it up at the USATF Meeting in December..."
She tells me the Games Committee feels as though there are extenuating circumstances that make the need for two rounds. I said, "what are the unique circumstances?" Her reply is that we are sending people to the World Championships and that is the extenuating circumstances.
What?
Three out of every four USA Championships qualify people to either the WC or the OG. I would say the extenuating circumstances are the one out of every four years that we don't qualify someone and why even have rules if the only rule she wants to follow is the rule that allegedly gives the Games Committee the ability to change the rules? Why even have a rule book?
She tried to justify the stance by showing me a rule which gives the Games Committee the ability to change the date of a final if the semi-final was eliminated. Completely irrelevent!
She kept talking in circles. How does she even have her job?
How does running a 10:20 to qualify to the finals of the USA's prepare anyone for running a 9:30 at the World Championships for a shot at the final? I said, "...these women only basically need to jog to make the final, it doesn't make sense." Her response was, "...why would you tell your athlete to jog? Sprinters have to run all-out efforts three or four times..."
She is brilliant! So open minded and amazingly rational! Her reasoning skills are on par with lawyers and judges! I especially love the whole, "I was a World Class athlete" bit because that really convinced me that she really knows what she is talking about!
Amazing!
Just a side note...I am also impressed with their decision to run three heats of five in the women's 400IH to get a semi-final of 12 to a final of 8...on a 9 lane track!
Who are these people?
I've heard nothing but bad things about Stephanie Hightower, but it's all secondhand. But I've seen firsthand how terrible Latimer is. The guy actually astonishes me.
So how else we got?
I don't know if there will be a huge anti Hightower contingent in Reno. I know for a fact that a group of athletes will be in Reno for the purpose of not allowing Latimer to push people around.
Does it really matter? Have you ever met any of these people?
Latimer is the guy that got his books knocked out of his hands in high school.
Estes is the kind of guy that thought it was cool to be a boy scout at 16 years old.
Finke is the kid that followed the football coach around with a clipboard.
Bill Roe is the kid that helped the trainer tape ankles.
They have all simply taken their volunteerism to the next level. But it doesn't matter. When they step aside we will just be graced with more of the same. Ask the Olympians or the top coaches what they think of these guys and they just laugh.