USATF is exploiting its Certified Officials for financial gain

(Optional) · 2008-01-03T22:13:39-05:00

In case you haven't heard, we are going to be REQUIRED to join USATF for the next Olympiad in order to maintain certification. The issue is insurance which I believe is unnecessary. Now, the insurance that we are required to get costs $10 for $10,000 of coverage. However, in order to get this mandatory insurance, we must join USATF. In the past, it cost $25 to become an official. Now, it is going to cost the same $25 plus $10 for insurance and $30 for USATF membership -- $65 just to work meets where there is usually no pay and you are lucky to get a cold sandwich and a warm drink for 8-10 hours of work. This decision was made at the USATF Annual Family Vacation in Hawaii last month by the "old boys network" of ass-kissers. To me, it sounds like a simple ploy to make more money for USATF -- there are currently 8272 certified officials meaning USATF stands to make about a quarter million dollars in additional membership fees. I have chosen to never join USATF in the past because, like many people on this board, I feel the organization has numerous problems with the way it handles itself. My main problem is that we are being forced to get insurance whether we want it or not. Heck, you don't even have to have car insurance covering yourself; you only need to have enough to cover other drivers. There have been a few situations in recent years where either (1) an official was simply too old and immobile to be working certain events which resulted in catastrophic consequences or (2) the official was a complete idiot who probably deserved to be sued for having no control over safety during the event. I understand we live in a lawsuit-obsessed country right now and there is always potential for trouble but these situations are so rare that I feel we should be given the option of purchasing insurance. For $10, I would probably get it anyway. What really has me steamed is the USATF membership requirement -- there is no reason we should be forced to join such a pathetic organization. I have to decide whether I am going to continue working 25-30 meets per year for almost no money or just quit officiating completely. After all, those 8-year-old junior olympic kids don't need any adults volunteering their time all summer any more than colleges need officials to work their conference championship meets.

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18 years ago 01/04/2008 11:01pm EST

re: Disgruntled Ortho Tech...

I agree with the OP. Requiring officials to pass a test is reasonable. Requiring them to pay a fee in order to volunteer their time is not.

I've volunteered a lot of hours as a coach and as an official, and I enjoy it. I am also a USATF member because I sometimes want to race nationals, but I am pissed off by this policy.

Meets in my area (Montana) rely very heavily on volunteer hours, and requiring these people to pay in order to stay involved with helping to run meets is likely to generate a lot of frustration.

18 years ago 01/08/2008 9:06am EST

re: sc42

Does anyone know of a site that officials can discuss such issues that is not censored by the powers that be?

18 years ago 01/08/2008 1:12pm EST

re: ptboss

There is a forum on the USATF Officials website http://www.usatfofficials.com/ but I don't know if its a good place to post. It will be read by the people who choose officials for all USATF championships so I'm sure you'll end any hope of ever working a big meet. LetsRun is probably a much better place but I don't think too many people here are USATF officials. You can probably say anything you want here (as long as it doesn't cross the line of libel).

18 years ago 01/10/2008 8:45pm EST

re: (Optional)

OK, now I'm steaming! I was under the impression that the USATF dues would be a one-time per Olympiad fee for officials; now I have found out we will be charged every year. Forget about the extra quarter million dollars USATF was going to get; it will be more like $1 million.

In the past to be an official the fee was only $25 for four years. The new structure will be $25 to be an official plus $30 per year for each of the four years of the Olympiad. I was upset when I thought it would cost us $65 but it actually is going to cost us $145, nearly six times as much as it cost for the 2004-2008 Olympiad. So USATF is going to charge us $145 for the "opportunity" to help them by working their meets. Not to mention that USATF does not pay you a dime for any meets you work for them; the only meets I've ever gotten any payment for were college meets.

Could you imagine the NFL charging people to serve as game officials, making them pay their own travel expenses to and from games, and not paying them anything at all for their service?

Maybe it's time for USATF officials to get together and fight the "good old boys" the run the officials committee.

18 years ago 01/10/2008 9:46pm EST

re: (Optional)

The insurance issue is being pushed by a few committee people including an insurance agent (every agent I know thinks the answer to every problem is buy more insurance).

In this case, the added insurance is a joke. It is for non USATF meets only and only when HS or college does not have insurance. USATF pays for liability insurance for all of its meets (sanctioned meets, Jr Olympic meets, championships) - it is in force whether the office is a member or not.

Not sure why the committee types (probably just a few on the officiating committee) want this added insurance.

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