This is a volunteer organization. If Max stabs the volunteers he will be cutting his own throat. This is not about Houston or LA. This is not about who will do a better job. It is not even about what will be better for the sport. IT IS 100% ABOUT THE PROCESS. Ignore the volunteers and watch what happens.
inside out wrote:
You still don't know what you're talking about. I'll leave it at that.
Good post. You have definitely made a strong case for your opinions. ????
Volunteer my azz. Free perks is what you guys get. I recall seeing Mary Wittenberg at numerous non-NYRR meets and races over the years holding a clipboard on the infield, doing some cermonial 'voluteer job' she got quid-pro-quo in exchage. We're tired of seeing that sort of corruption from the 'volunteers'. Max should dump you guys. Go away.
You also don't know what you're talking about. USATF is indeed made up largely of volunteers, but the budgets, whether the local Associations or the committees at the National level are set up to help cover some but not necessarily all expenses (ex. attending National meeting, acting as a liaison/official at Championship events).
The volunteers come from all different expertise backgrounds, and most have been involved with the process for a very long time. If they were in it for an ulterior motive, they likely wouldn't be involved for long. Some may have served through the decision making of past Olympic Trials, and then the Olympic Trials themself (good or bad). Where was Max during past Olympic Marathon Trials? Was he getting ground feedback from the athletes? Does he understand conditions, courses, and timing of an event and how that impacts the ultimate outcome (performance)? Does he understand relationships and experience of a race? If he's just looking at from a business background, that's being highly shortsighted and ignoring a ton of other variables, which is where the committee members come into play.
By the way, were YOU at the National meeting? The biggest people with egos were Max and Stephanie. Max intentionally put people up to speak about how great he is.
LA wants the 2016 OMT, 2020 OT, and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Max has no choice but to support the USOC and IOC who want the Summer Games back in L.A. in 2024.
Since I wasn't born yet, I had to google for facts. The 1984 Summer Games are credited mainly to Mayor Tom Bradley who orchestrated the first profitable Olys in history by enlisting vast amounts of corprate contributions. Something which was unheard of until then but is now commonplace in sports. LA 84 was also the 1st sporting event marketed and sold apriori to national TV companies in respective countries for live broadcast to a world-wide audience.
We should be happy that someone has finally stepped up to support track and field in the United States and put our sport 1st, top priority, numero uno. We've been treated for 150 years as a stepchild, as an orphan, and now finally we are getting the attention our sport deserves from the LA community.
Maybe Max should have stepped in before the final decision was made??? As of now, if you look at this, his ceasless self promoting, and his opening session at the annual meeting, he comes off looking like a pompous a$$hole who doesn't care about teh future of our sport. He cares more about the future of Max.
So if you are correct in your analysis then Max is a lousy leader. If LA is that important to the sport, then the first thing that Max should have done is explain this to the committee so that the vote came out that way and it looked like it was the committee's idea. He needs these volunteers for their work. USATF does not have enough cash to survive without volunteers so make them part of the process. You don't wait until after the vote and then try to explain things. Whether he is right or wrong, he handled it poorly.
If Mr. Max doesn't keep the athletes happy, Mr. Max will be here shorter than Mr. Logan.
Well, I wouldn't be so sure that putting the Trials in LA in March would make the athletes happy
Keeping Stephanie happy is a far greater job requirement than keeping the athletes happy.
Hate to tell you, but no athletes = no Stephanie
You cry babies are lucky that Max Siegel at least let you know beforehand that Hollywood has taken over USATF. Max didn't have to tell you. Hollywood TV owns the IOC, NFL, NBA, FIFA, MLB, NCAA, and Power Fivers, and now USATF. No warning signs are the norm. You won't get a Lannana/Knight sales talk from Hollywood.
It's good to see that Max finally is being exposed as the self-promoting empty suit that he is. He knows nothing about T&F, couldn't care in the least about its success and is only concerned about himself and lining his pockets. The day he and SH get booted out of the sport will be the first day the sport has a shot at succeeding.
We want to get paid. Keep up the good work professionalizing our sport. We love you Max!
Go Max, GO! wrote:
We want to get paid. Keep up the good work professionalizing our sport. We love you Max!
Thanks Steph!!
Give me a little more time and I'll have another 50 posters come on here and tell me how great I am. It'll take me about an hour to put out some calls and get teh cash together.
Max the great wrote:
Give me a little more time and I'll have another 50 posters come on here and tell me how great I am. It'll take me about an hour to put out some calls and get teh cash together.
Fact of the matter is 99%+ of the people on letsrun.com don't matter in the decision process for USATF, NCAA or any other organization. Talk is cheap when you don't pay your USATF dues and get involved beyond your desktop keyboard. People here want to complain but they don't want to do any work to become informed and take action. Decisions are made by those in power and message board posters are treated just like little girls in a high school hallway... just chatter you ignore.
Maximum Exposure wrote:
Max the great wrote:Give me a little more time and I'll have another 50 posters come on here and tell me how great I am. It'll take me about an hour to put out some calls and get teh cash together.
Fact of the matter is 99%+ of the people on letsrun.com don't matter in the decision process for USATF, NCAA or any other organization. Talk is cheap when you don't pay your USATF dues and get involved beyond your desktop keyboard. People here want to complain but they don't want to do any work to become informed and take action. Decisions are made by those in power and message board posters are treated just like little girls in a high school hallway... just chatter you ignore.
Stupid azz response. The problem is that Max is ignoring all of the people who are USATF sues paying volunteers. Why would someone want to get involved to be ignored? It is not the decision that is the problem. It is the process.
T&F/Running in the United States has been in a rut since 1984. Now we are coming out of the rut. We are being crushed and showered with admiration, praise and offers by promoters from Los Angeles for the Marathon Trials, T&F Trials, USA Outdoor Champs, IAAF World Outdoors, and 2024 Olympic Games. Let's not blow this opportunity for USA T&F to enter the big time.
What is a "promoter"? Do you mean people like Don King? How's that Visa sponsorship looking in 2014?
Comparing Marathon Coaches wrote:
Stupid azz response. The problem is that Max is ignoring all of the people who are USATF sues paying volunteers. Why would someone want to get involved to be ignored? It is not the decision that is the problem. It is the process.
There are a lot of younger people with good ideas that could come into our sports administration and make us better down the road. However, few young people are willing to come into the organization and pay their dues. They expect to walk in and be listened to just because they are there. If you want to be listened to then earn some experience and respect first. You have to come in find a mentor, listen first, work from the bottom and you'll get to have a voice from a position of power later.