D2 Poll Coordinators...... DO YOUR JOB!!!

...okay, I'm just stupid...sorry!

For toughs of you that are not fortunate to know Gerry Towne I could assure you that he is doing his very best. His hard work and dedication to distance running is directly reflected in the achievements of his program. I have never run or worked with Towne but do know him in some capacity. He did say in one of his posts that if you had a problem with the rankings contact him and he will take it under consideration, and I know he will. That is the type of person he is. Keep up the good work Gerry and take it easy on my team.

How does our ranking system compare to those used in D1 & D3?

Are we using the same? I rarely see posts about D1 or D3 rankings being as upscrewed as D2. Looking at the Regionals polls I would throw the blame on uneducated regional coordinators. But we're not pointing fingers.

Consider this schools have the option to pay:

1. Head Coach of Men’s & Women’s XC&TF $300

2. Head Coach of 3 XC/TF programs $250

3. Head Coach of 2 programs $200

4.Head Coach of 1 program $100

**Please add $50.00 late fee for forms mailed after Janurary 1, 2005

http://www.lhup.edu/track_and_field/USTCA/membershipform.htm

Say each school in Mens D2 XC paid $100. There are 225 schools that sponsor men's XC in D2 this year. 225 x 100 = $22,500. What is this money used for.What benefit do the majority of D2 programs see from it? Athlete of the year awards?

Well, schools get to be included on the rankings if they pay dues. Why doesnt the coaches association dedicate some of this cash to a software solution to HELP rank? Instead of having coaches use the old chicken scrath method.

If theses ranking aren't valid or "don't mean much", maybe I'll tell my coach to stop dishing out $300 a year of our already miniscule budget to be included on them. Based on conversation, rankings is the only reason our team pays the dues anyways.

chicken scrath

Chicken scratches

I think the major problem with the rankings in D2 and D3 is because sometimes regional coordinators don't even know where some teams went for their meet on the weekend, whereas, the major D1 teams get a lot of publicity, everyone sees their results and who ran for them.

As the Division II Membership Director, I hear my share of complaining when I must collect dues. I assure you, however, that the funds are utilized in many ways to your benefit. If a coach feels the only benefit his athlete is getting from the dues is the chance at being ranked, then they really need to better inform themselves. What the Association does:

*Any All-America certificates an athlete earns in cross country or track and field are paid for by the assosciation (We pay for yours, if coaches want extra they are charged $5 each)

*Plaques for the top 15 individuals and top 2 teams for each gender in each of the eight regions will be awarded this year (New in '04).

*Scholar Athlete of the Year Scholarship Program, in which $1000 (to each athlete) is awarded to a male and female winner for each season (XC, IT, OT) as well as an overall Winner for the three seasons combined. (NEW in '04)

*The Hall of Fame banquet for cross country (awards, housing/travel stipend to inductees, a portion of the food costs)...this is not paid for by the NCAA, but the coaches feel it is something extra that we can do to make the experience better for our athletes

*Expenses for inductees into the Outdoor Track & Field Hall of Fame at Outdoor nationals

*Academic All-America Teams and Individuals in Cross Country and Track & Field receive awards paid for by the Coaches Association

*Subscription to our coaches magazine "Coaches Review"

The coaches association also pays stipends for each regional representative to put toward their expenses to our national convention, held in conjunction with the USATF Convention. This has been vital in the development of our sport, especially at the Division II level. It is a great stage for us to get together and get things done in our sport that help provide better situations, circumstances and opportunities for YOU the athletes. Each year we try to find ways to put those funds to use to give athletes a better experience (this year's example is scholar athlete honors as well as xc regional award plaques).

The Division II Track and Field and Cross Country Association consists of coaches with the best interest of our athletes and our sports as the foundation of our efforts. We're often recognized for our pro-active approach to issues. Whether or not all that we've done is visible to the average person, I would hope that the athletes and coaches at least respect the job that we do for them.

Please also recognize that the majority of coaches pay their dues out of their own pockets. Most schools do not allow their budgets to be utilized for dues.

G Towne is the man. Much love from the midwest. keep up the quality work.

I'm a running nerd ha ha...

please, no more speeches at the hall of fame banquet!