I'm posting this after reading the thread about the USATF CEO job posting, but I've already been thinking about it for the last month or so. My question is simple: What is the point of paying dues to a completely dysfunctional organization that does little or nothing for most of its members? It may even be an impediment to some of its members, especially the most accomplished. Yet, I am required to pay this organization a nominal fee, on an annual basis, for the "privilege" of being associated with it. Admittedly, I am not an elite athlete, but I'm right in the pack at most road races and, realistically speaking, 99.5% of us are not truly "elite" athletes in the sense that we don't run for a living. So it's on behalf of this group that I'm posing this question. Ironically, too, it would seem that this group is the type of athlete the USATF would be most successful in reaching out to. We train hard, race hard, and take the sport seriously. If the USATF could design and/or promote almost ANYTHING worthwhile to us, we would be first in line to take advantage of the program. I've been running for a competitive club for several years now, and it seems to me that representatives of all or most significant clubs could organize a more effective and helpful governing body than the USATF. Almost like a new Continental Congress. I can't be the only one on this forum who feels this way, and I'm interested to hear the thoughts of proponents and opponents of the USATF and its regional organizations as they are currently structured. Would it be worthwhile to organize a new governing body of track and running clubs? Maybe one with an emphasis on long distance running? What *does* the USATF do for the 14:30 to 17:30 5k guy, the 2:20 to 2:50 marathon guy, the 16:30 to 19 minute 5k girl? What else are these people looking for in an organization, and how might an organization be structured to really help these athletes?