Does anyone have any insight as to what it takes to start a club (Hanson, Team Monterray Bay, etc). Financially? I would imagine it would be very difficult but if you have the funds, what other factors would there be, or obstacles, challenges, etc.???
Meet a guy on a plane that doesn't really exist. Blow up your apartment, call said guy. Move in with him in a rundown house. Create a mob of mindless drones to carry out your sinister plan to destroy the network of credit debt throughout the first world. After you realize that you are Tyler Durden, shoot yourself in the face.
Oh, wait, that's been done.
I am trying to start a running club as well. I luckily have some financial backing, although minimal, and am trying to organize it as best I can. One thing is that you should try to get a shoe company on board, to at least offer team discounts on gear. Brooks does a great job in this department.
Housing and jobs is the most difficult part. Where do you find the money to house athletes and where do you find them jobs, if you dont have a brand new running store to staff? I wish USATF, Hansons or somebody, would post up how a running club could be formed and thrive. I know Mr. Latimer had some good advice in an earlier post, and I have contacted the Hansons for advice, but they are not good at getting back to me (since they have not replied at all).
Maybe the Hansons could get on here and explain how they started the team a little bit and made it flourish.
First of all, let me apologize for never getting back to you. I truly try to answer every email that I think is serious and sincere. Double check and make sure that you have the correct address (hansonsrun@aol.com). I am also more than willing to talk to you on the phone if you want to email me your phone number.
Truthfully the funding is the rough part for nearly all groups in attempting to get it started.
Team Minnesota does a much better job of hunting out potential sponsors than we ever do in this department although the one main sponsor that we have is a great one (Brooks).
It is nearly impossible to find any sponsorship based on an idea or concept. You must create it first.
First decide what things you see as mandatory in your program and then work from there. The following was our list.
1. Housing
2. Health insurance
3. equipment
4. coaching
5. Employment
6. travel
7. agent services
8. Performance bonus’s
9. Physical Therapy
10. deep tissue massage
11. Team Doctor
12. Health club membership
13. orthotics
When we started the program in 1999 it was with $200k a year and we could only afford numbers 1-7. As the program began to get noticed a few shoe companies stepped forward and offered to help us out by splitting that $200k number with us but we always declined. Keith and I had already decided that we were willing to spend the $200k each year so someone splitting that number did nothing to help the program because the budget remained the same and we were also not willing to share billing with someone if they weren't willing to invest the same $200k as we were. So in 2003 Brooks stepped forward big time and allowed us to start the womens program (for the record this was not something that Brooks insisted upon, but instead something that Keith and I always wanted but couldn't afford). It also was enough funding to allow us to handle numbers 7-13 from the above list.
That was really the short version and there were/are a thousand headaches along the way. Keith and I are proud of the fact that some of you are aware of the program. We are proud of our athletes, even those that it didn't work out for. We enjoy doing it everyday. We see our role as being able to provide an opportunity for athletes to continue there dream. We in no way think that we are here to try to convince others that the dream is worth having. That is the individual athletes responsibility.
If you have any other more specific questions, feel free to email me (I'll try to do a better job of answering). I also don't mind answering on this board as there are several topics that I find interesting and helpful. I will however try not to get baited into something from anonymous posters that may have an agenda, as I don't. The more groups like Zap, Farm Team, Team Minnesota, Oregon Project, Big Sur, Indiana Invaders, Team California, the better off the sport is.
Kevin Hanson
Hi Kevin,
What you are doing is simply WONDERFUL! I marvel how you and your brother have put this all together. Keep it going...distance running needs more people like you!
In Joy, Patti
I have always been impressed. Now lets hope that a few others with money in their pockets step forward. Say hello to Trent Briney.
Kevin Hanson wrote:
When we started the program in 1999 it was with $200k a year
Is this true? They spend $200k a year out of their own pockets? That means that they have spent $1.2 million so far and are continuing to spend at that same rate?
If Hansons spent that much money and this is all they have developed. Pretty pathetic in my opinion of what we see in American running.
God sakes back in the 1970s when clubs had no budgets runners ran a lot faster.
My thoughts change the work ethic of american post collegiate runners and you will see a big jump in improvement. Money is not as important as many would think. Bill Rodgers for example made it running with nothing.
Ask yourself what has happened to American Running. I ll tell you. Lack of patience, work ethic and runners are motivated by the wrong things these days. Money in some ways has hurt the sport. You can't coach desire.
I commend the Hansons and others for trying, but if you ask me its s wasted effort.
Want to help the sport. Get rid of USATF and put the money in investments.
How much is anything worth? The answer is of course. Whatever someone is willing to pay for it. If Kevin and Keith are happy with how they are spending there money and Brooks is happy with how they are spending there money, then it is worth it. What anyone else thinks is meaningless. I wouldn't spend over $250,000 for a home anywhere in the country. So for me it is not worth it to live on either coast. For others it is. You can only ask the spender whether or not it is worth it, no one else.
A couple of house cleaning steps would allow you guys to get by cheaper.
1. Get rid of the females
2. Get rid of all males that are slower than 28:45 or 2:15.
I think that I just cleared 90% of your spending.
1.Buy a large house in Boulder(200-300k) where 5-6 runners can live together.
2.Buy them enough food every month(~3k/month...they need quality food).
3.Pay their water and electricity bills(not much).
4.Don't pay them health insurance-when they get sick or injured you dont need them anymore just replace them by another running nerd.
5.Pay their flights to races(if your athletes are really good this will cost you about ~0$/month).
6.Give them pocket money-this depends on how much they earn on the racing circuit and through sponsorship, if they suck=0$ ->they are also gettin zero dollars->they should be training-eating-sleeping so they dont need extra-money anyway.
I say work a real job, run 100 plus mpw and live the spartan running life. God sakes a lot of us did this back in the 1970s and we ran a lot faster across the board then these guys today. Ask me all this money crap is b/s. Kids wake up Hansons are using you for their own benifit and promotion. Besides that if they are truly spending 200k a year. What a waste. By now you would think with that budget we would have a few world record holders.
Most African countries produce 1000 times better on a fraction of the money. That is my feelings.
Back in the olden days..
1. Housing....share an apartment or two
2. Health insurance...hahahahahahahahah, don't get sick or hurt
3. equipment...most local running stores will hook u up
4. coaching...no better coach then yourself
5. Employment...substitute teacher/work at a running store
6. travel...live near lots of races within a 10 hour drive or bus ride
The rest are not needed. Now, there's nothing wrong with the Hanson's or other similar programs but you have to make sure you don't become a diva about it. Remind yourself why you're here and keep telling yourself you don't belong nor do you deserve all the perks you're getting. Stay humble.
You want to start a club? Get a bunch of guys together and start meeting a few times a week to run fast. There's your club.
I agree with you on most things, but with one exception. You need a Coach at all levels. Coaching does more then just give athlete workouts. They give you motivation and unbiased opinion. If were talking events that are technical such a 400 IH or Field events. Then a coach is essential. All in all though most of what you have to say is correct.
Good post West Coast but please tell me the following:
What times did you run that were across the board faster than today? What real job did you work? Lets get specific.
Posts are useless unless backed up.
What ever dude. I was just making a point about today. If you don't beleave me. Just go look at times today at any weekend road race. Well were at it. With todays technology, shoes, nutrition, advancement in training ect.
Times were faster with few exceptions 20-30 years ago in almost every event.
Okay, if you want put your head in the sand not beleave it. Fine. Your only kidding yourself.
I was not having a go at you West Coast but I just do not think working full time is the answer. Anyone with talent can work and run 2.13. Hell, I worked and ran 2.12. Where does that put me today? Why should I work full time when most of the Africans I am racing do not? Should I also stand 100m behind the starting line to give them some more advantage? I stopped working and improved my 10km from 28.30 to close to 28.00. That should mean a faster marathon time but only with increased training/recovery, this also takes up more time. I just do not see where the job fits in. Athletics is an international sport, I have lost jobs because of my travel schedule. It is simply my opinion that every job I have had has some way negatively affected my running.
Hansons is one model for a club. It is good and necessary. The Greater Boston Track Club is different because is is a non-profit 501 c 3 corporation with open membership and a democratically elected board of directors. Members pay dues that are currently $50 a year plus the cost of rental of training facilities. They pay their own entry fees and expenses except for those to national championships of a few major races. All prize money earned by the teams goes back into the club. A few impoverished grad students have their fees waives, but most pay their own way. The coaches get a stipend.
We get some sponsorship but mostly in the form of stuff rather than cash.
There is no way we could afford to bring athletes to Boston and find them jobs and housing, insurance, medical care etc. This city is too expensive. So we are a club for people for whom competing is very important, but number three in their lives, after job/school, family. In that sense we are a DII club. No scholarships, no endowment.
This is a model that is unique to Boston so may not apply everywhere.
Tom
Meet up on a street corner and start running.
If you run it, they will come...
Honesty wrote:
Maybe the Hansons could get on here and explain how they started the team a little bit and made it flourish.
And we wonder why this board no longer has big names coming on here to answer questions. Someone ask an honest question and Mr. Hanson is gracious enough to come on here and share and that turns into blasting the Hansons Program. You guys are destroying this board one person at a time.