USATF Board of Directors votes 12-1 NOT to rescind their vote for IAAF Council Nominee

It is really disappointing that so few letsrun folks seem to care about this. Other far less important, often trivial threads generate huge numbers of responses. This one, which should upset anyone with a sense of justice and a hatred for injustice, seems to elicit mostly yawns from letsrunners.

A little while ago I sent this email to one of the board members, whom I have known in the Florida coaching scene, for many years.

Fred,

I have not been a member of USATF for many years, but as a virtually lifelong athlete/coach/fan of Track and Field, I have great interest - and concern - where the sports wellbeing is involved. I have read all the coverage on letsrun - especially the official statements by the Board and Bob Hersh's response. From what I have read, I am greatly distressed by the Board's decision to override the overwhelming vote of the members and replace Hersh with Hightower. It is especially distressing because the Board's own justification for its decision seemed so feeble, bordering on dishonest. As you know, I have great personal respect - and liking - for you. Thus I hope you can clarify this situation for me.

Geoff

It's new letsrun folks care about this. It's that they realize how completely broke and beyond fixing it is. Abolish USATF now. Do it now.

The only way to get the attention would be with some national TV.The athletes if they could band together and boycott the USATF meet, (this not for Hersh but for the good of the sport), and let the other supporting sponsors get a look of what they are are aidingAs for as young LetsRun posters, most are prepubescent future frat boys who have found a sport that gives them temporary standing. There is no future thought for survival.

Benevolent dictators rule!

Letsrun has the numbers to take Stephanie down. Its a matter of Wejo and Rojo pushing it for the prolonged cycle it will take. The USATF has inertia and momentum and ultimately a grass roots movement that is persistent can win.

Grass Roots wrote:

Letsrun has the numbers to take Stephanie down. Its a matter of Wejo and Rojo pushing it for the prolonged cycle it will take. The USATF has inertia and momentum and ultimately a grass roots movement that is persistent can win.

A matter of Wejo & Rojo pushing it??? What more do you want them to do without being accussed of having a personal vendetta? They've done more than their share. Most of the guys on here (yes, I know there are some women who post on here also) couldn't care less. BTW, when do we hear from the Board regarding their latest vote??? A 12 - 1 vote is such a clear consensus that it should be very easy for them to explain their decision.

As a USATF Level II club & youth coach, club member, and athlete, I vote no confidence in the national governing body. I still support my regional organization but something needs to change at the national level.

The twelve members of the USATF Board who support SH would do well to keep in mind that being African-American and female are qualities, not qualifications. Only time will tell, but I think it is likely, if not inevitable, that SH will be a disaster as USATF's international representative, and will be an embarrassment to all Americans who care about Track & Field.

Good article with a lot of direct quotes.

Qualities not Qualifications wrote:

The twelve members of the USATF Board who support SH would do well to keep in mind that being African-American and female are qualities, not qualifications. Only time will tell, but I think it is likely, if not inevitable, that SH will be a disaster as USATF's international representative, and will be an embarrassment to all Americans who care about Track & Field.

This appears to be the main issue to me...a race and gender based vote...purely.

and age. It's actually funny to me see so many liberals pulling together to keep an old white guy in power. I guarantee most of the membership who voted for him, only voted for him because he was the incumbent...not because they had any idea of the issues or even gave a crap.

Our sport is being left in the dust by social media whilst X-Games, Cross-Fit, etc. explode in popularity. If alls USATF can do is argue over a senior citizen (Hersch) and a middle-aged citizen (Hightower) then we are finished. We need young leadership to move USATF offices to NY and LA in order to advance USATF into new open technologies. Twitter, and Instgram are the rage now. FREE Viewing Broadcast Streaming Video can be done for $100/month per HD camera. Yet, where is USATF today? USATF has only a very limited, and scant prescence on social media, and NO PRESCENCE on FREE broadcast streaming video. USATF is hopeless.

Brooks Johnson wrote a blog post the day before the Board Meeting with lots of good quotes. He accuses the Board of MEGALOMANIA, for whatever reason, he has totally turned on Stephanie. But I just love this quote:

I was moved to think back to our shared time and history on the board of USATF. Stephanie Hightower and John Chaplin, as women’s and men’s Sports Committee chairs, along with Lionel Leach as chair of the Youth Committee, John Drummond as chair of Athletes’ Advisory Committee, and me as chair of the High Performance Committee, were considered the ‘dissidents” because of how often we successfully challenged individual and board activity that we thought was unconstitutional or otherwise inappropriate.

Ah, the good old days of USATF when Stephanie, Brooks and John Chaplin were raising hell everywhere...

Ok, let's back up a bit. I think I speak for the majority on Letsrun who are voting on this subject by....not getting involved at all. Why? Well, I'd suggest they just don't care and this is because you haven't explained WHY it's a bad thing. Sure - they shouldn't have overruled the members vote, blah blah, but what bad things are going to happen as a result? Be specific. I'd suggest that as far as most recreational runners are concerned, this is a silly political squabble about some vague job that links two athletics bodies about which we know nothing. Why would anyone care?

Again, if this as dire as you keep saying, then say explicitly WHY. What's going to happen?

It's easy for most of us to get outraged by the crap that USATF pulls periodically. The 2014 indoor nationals were sort of a travesty as is this vote. But if you ask how many of us this stuff affects and in in what way the answers are almost always "hardly any" and "not at all." People usually only get out the pitchforks and torches for situations that affect them so USATF is not going to be facing a grass roots reform movement lead by Letsrun posters.

If there is going to be change the movement will have to be driven by those

whose lives or livelihoods are actually affected by what USATF does. If Nike were to try to bail on their contract with USATF because they claim the organization is corrupt, you'd see something change. If nearly all of our athletes who have qualified for national championships or next year's Trials announced a boycott until USATF cleans up its ac,t you'd see something change. If most of us who are angry at but largely unaffected by USATF joined and voted in new leaders something might change. But none of these things are going to happen, the top USATF people know that, and aren't going to be affected by grass roots complaints.

I agree with the poster above. It hasn't been explained why Hightower's nomination to IAAF is of any consequence at all. Hersch suggested she would be marginalized, and I am pretty sure he is right based on the composition of the council. But so what?? Explain to us what the IAAF council does or could be made to do for the sport in the USA. It also has been suggested that Hightower is Nike's lap dog, and I am fairly convinced of that too. But how is this related to her presence in the IAAF?

Please dig a little deeper and explain the consequences to us.

Speak for the majority wrote:

Ok, let's back up a bit. I think I speak for the majority on Letsrun who are voting on this subject by....not getting involved at all. Why? Well, I'd suggest they just don't care and this is because you haven't explained WHY it's a bad thing. Sure - they shouldn't have overruled the members vote, blah blah, but what bad things are going to happen as a result? Be specific. I'd suggest that as far as most recreational runners are concerned, this is a silly political squabble about some vague job that links two athletics bodies about which we know nothing. Why would anyone care?

Again, if this as dire as you keep saying, then say explicitly WHY. What's going to happen?

Agreed. (emphasis added)

I was a clueless 4:30 HS guy, then a mid pack D1 runner, and now I'm several years out of college with a full time job outside of the sport. I come here primarily for entertainment, a bit of elite running news, and training/injury discussion as a distant third. I've been reading about the controversy, but only because controversy is interesting.

Being honest, here is why I'm not outraged and moved to action:

- I have never been involved in USATF on the youth or elite side.

- Track was always just about me and my team. I have never felt I was affected by decisions USATF makes, so felt no reason to take the time to follow it.

- I don't know how USATF (or IAAF) is structured as an organization let alone the ins and outs of the rules and political processes.

- I don't know anything about Hersh, Hightower or anyone else involved.

One can only be involved in and stay informed on a limited number of things. Since I am only a casual fan, it makes sense to put my time and energy in things more connected with my daily life. Even my wife, a high school coach, has no need to be involved.

The only reason I should care is because I like track and would like to see it become more popular. But I am ignorant of most things USATF and do not feel the right to have an opinion. If I were to join and vote, I would just be picking a side and joining the mob without any real knowledge as to why (much like people do with national politics).

The reality is, it's just not important enough to me to become informed and act to maybe possibly affect the "direction" of USATF so that I can have more track meets to watch on TV.

noce wrote:

I agree with the poster above. It hasn't been explained why Hightower's nomination to IAAF is of any consequence at all. Hersch suggested she would be marginalized, and I am pretty sure he is right based on the composition of the council. But so what?? Explain to us what the IAAF council does or could be made to do for the sport in the USA. It also has been suggested that Hightower is Nike's lap dog, and I am fairly convinced of that too. But how is this related to her presence in the IAAF?

Please dig a little deeper and explain the consequences to us.

It's pretty simple. Most nations involved in the IAAF leadership are very sexist...and possibly racist. They aren't as democratic and progressive as USA...so moving an African American Woman (who has a clear agenda) is a risky move that could potentially cost the USA some influence in IAAF decisions. That's what Hersch has been trying to imply...but most of the board has the "well, eff them" attitude, we'll be pioneers. It's a nice thought, but they pushing the wrong person and sacrificing a lot, potentially, to advance something that probably has only a symbolic benefit than anything tangible for the USA.

noce wrote:

Please dig a little deeper and explain the consequences to us.

I can do that.

There are two major consequences here.

First, while many within the IAAF are sexist and that may be more challenging, her far greater challenges will be the fact that she is new and the fact that she pissed off a lot of Bob's friends. But who cares? The issue is that we had the #2 person in the entire IAAF. The old President was leaving, sure, but the two men vying to replace him have been on the IAAF about the same amount of time as Bob, they have all been Vice-Presidents together for some time, and are quite close.

We've never had more power within the IAAF than we do right now. And that person wants to remain for four more years and guide us through this transition. The delegates votes STRONGLY that they agree this is the best course. I doubt that 85% of those delegates _like_ Bob better than Stephanie. I think that most of the delegates who voted for Bob recognize that when you have the #2 person in the IAAF, you don't throw that away unless there is some serious malfeasance going on.

While Stephanie will likely be elected to the 27-person IAAF Council (they have a quota for women), she is very unlikely to be elected to the Executive Council and become a vice president. That is where the real action is. And it's not because she is a female, it is because she is NEW. NEW members don't get elected to the executive council, and especially not new members who have pissed off a lot of people.

Second, Stephanie is currently President and Chair of the Board for one more year. She was scheduled to be off the Board in a little less than 2 years and would have to try to get back on via one of the other positions.

The IAAF Council member is guaranteed to be on the Board as long as they are on the Council. Who were our previous Council members? Bob Hersh and Ollan Cassell. Both were on the Council for a very long time. If Stephanie actually does OK at this IAAF stuff, she may end up being there for a long time, which means she is on our Board a long time.

Why does that matter? Well no matter what position she technically has, Stephanie has a strong personality and will hold a lot of power. But she (allegedly at the behest of the USOC) just pushed through a bylaw change that will allow the President and the Chair of the Board to be held by separate people. This would allow her to be on the Board indefinitely and be the Chair of the Board most of that time.