The next generation needs change

[Branko720]

The State of Track and Field in the US

USATF and the people who are some of our leaders in the pole vault world have little concern over building a program and system that can produce elite athletes. Alan Launder asked where our next generation of pole-vaulters are, and I believe we are looking for answers in all the wrong places. Everyone is trying to answer Launder’s question by saying what needs to be done for the emerging elites now, but from an organizational perspective and a more long-term vision anything done now will not benefit the athletes of today, it will benefit America’s future athletes, the Olympians of 2016 and 2020. And what should be done? What can be done? Well if you so choose you can actually look up USATF’s financial information from last year. They had funds in excess of $16,000,000. USATF should and needs to be using these funds to build regional youth, collegiate, and post collegiate training centers to train and develop the athletes of America and begin to find our next generation of world-class track and field athletes that will not only give us international success but heighten USA Track and Field’s popularity here at home.

I do understand that some may be shocked to know that USATF has $16,000,000 at their disposal and others may believe that that amount is not big enough to do what I propose. However, I do not believe USATF needs to buy and build every regional training center. There are many facilities that are not utilized to their full potential. There are college, high school, and other facilities that are available but remain underutilized. One such facility is the New York City Armory. This facility is open for training purposes from mid November through mid April, without the help of USATF. If USATF would form a closer relationship with the Armory youth, collegiate, and emerging elite athletes would have a place to train all year round. And yes USATF should begin building training centers in addition to working out deals with facilities that remain underutilized.

However we all know that a facility is only half the problem. Coaches with a proper foundation in teaching methodologies in their events are needed to help train the Olympians of the future. USATF must locate these individuals and find out from them, what is needed to improve our current training environments and get those qualified individuals working with our athletes. This must begin from the ground up. All too often we think it is the elite athletes that need this expert attention, but it is even more important for the beginner. Sergey Bubka is a perfect example. At what point in Bubka’s career was Petrov’s guidance most important? One need only to look at when Bubka stopped training with Bubka to find the answer. Bubka left Petrov in 1990, at that point he was already a world champion, Olympic champion, and world record holder. Bubka was able to continue his career with success, but if not for those early years spent with Petrov, where would Bubka be. Athletes need a strong foundation in proper technical models and athletic training at the beginning of their careers, or they will spend most of there elite careers trying to change their technique instead of improving it. That is a stark and important difference. When athletes have safe and effective technical models in their training improvement comes with increased strength and speed. When athletes perform using inferior technical models they often run into injury and inconsistent performances. They spend much time trying to break bad habits that are second nature.

What I propose is not easy or quick. However it is a model of what the US Lacrosse foundation has done. They have divided the country into 16 chapters (regions). They provide its members with insurance, help locate facilities, and even provide equipment grants for first year programs in financial need. They began a grassroots effort to build youth programs that has allowed its sport to grow in popularity. The US Lacrosse organization was created in 1998 and by 2008 their participation numbers doubled. Why? Their strong commitment to youth development spearheaded this burst in popularity. Why can’t USATF follow suit. If not for the strong base of high school teams where would track be? We cannot afford to allow other sports to take our next generation of athletes. If Track and Field’s participation numbers go down, then what? We must foster the growth of our sport by supporting our youth with facilities and coaches.

And now more than ever is a time for change. The 2008 Olympics were a disaster, but a disaster that we should have been aware of. I have been to the Penn Relays for the last six years and have seen first hand how the Jamaican youth has dominated an ill prepared American constituency. Can American Track and Field really be that far behind Jamaica? Well we have new leadership, namely Doug Logan. Well Mr. Logan was in charge of Major League Soccer from 1996 to 1999 and in that time the MLS lost $250 million. How is it that a man who ultimately failed a league was now given control over this sport? How does he expect to help this sport in a time of need? Does he have any answers? Well, when he has convincing arguments like “We will make this event [The Millrose Games]better” and “Not everyone is thrilled…but I am” who can argue. He speaks in vague terms and provides us with dreams and wishes of change, and I see nothing. He wants to save the sport by saving the Millrose Games. How will this help us win medals? Why would anyone want to watch a track meet with sub par local performances, as he suggests, or world-class performances by outsiders. When Micheal Johnson broke records in Atlanta that boosted popularity because he was an American. People who aren’t Track and Field fans know Jesse Owens, because he was American. Who is the next Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis?

Unfortunately we may never see the likes of those legendary athletes ever again. Our governing body is more concerned with saving an old sick man, the Millrose Games, than creating an environment that will help its youth grow. We want to know where our next generation is? It is dieing along with its old generation, and if we are not careful there may not be a generation to come afterwards. We can longer depend on men and women like Tim Mack to sacrifice their youth when our own leaders aren’t willing to sacrifice for them.

Branko Miric
Hoping we do what it takes.

[baggettpv]

Branko,
Here is my remedy.
Sell the Arco training center. $500 mil.
Use that money to build and staff a developmental Training center in every metropolitan center in the US. Follow the Business Plan for the running of the facility that the private sector has developed.
Or:
Provide Grants to existing facilities to train the emerging/Elite athletes in Amreica. Believe it or not, when I train one of those I loose money because they don't pay. A 7' sophomore girl is more valuable than a 18' 6" male in the business sense. Ask the guys that are in the busines of Pole Vaulting and they all will tell you that. And if we have to travel with the Elites we have to pay a coach to work with the kids we leave behind... in teaching it's Leave Without Pay...

Rick Baggett
WSTC LLC

[dj]

hye

you have hit the nail on the head...

don't know your age but i have been around since the Florida Track Club (under Jimmy Carnes) had to create an environment for the likes of Dave Roberts and Frank Shorter...

since that time i can't say i have seen much change... it seems it has been "every man for himself" especially if you are in the field events... to many ego’s, poor me’s and sprinters..

has USATF actually helped the pole vault in the last 25 years??? I was with Guy Kochel when he was made the Pole Vault Coordinator. I do remember having a pole vault coaches meeting in Colorado Springs and we did a vault “practice” in the coliseum prior to the trials. Not much money and very little “development” set up…

That’s when I did my “study” to find out where the “elite” vaulters were coming from..

I think I remember 5 USA areas, all “coach” driven.. Texas, California, Kansas, Oregon, Oklahoma, ??

I personally think the vault has helped itself and needs to continue to help it’s self. I think a circuit similar to what I tried to set up in the late 80, early 90’s with 6 vaults on the beach, or in a mall or in a casino … sponsors and prize money… is one way…

dj

[rainbowgirl28]

You should get involved with your local USATF Association. If you want to make change you have to get involved.

[Andy_C]

If anybody wants an excellent example of how to make track and field succeed in your country, take a look at the British. Their grassroots campaign for athletics is well funded and well coordinated. Kids are involved from a young age and are raised with the upmost care. Their success in the 2008 Olympics is really just the tip of the iceberg as they are getting their "first generation" of this new program though. Those guys are really on the right track (no pun intended).

There's always been a huge rivalry between Australia and the UK. Whereas before the Aussies would be quite strong compared to the Brits in T&F, that's changing very drastically. Sadly I feel that the Americans and the Aussies are kind of in the same boat - T&F has taken the backseat to other sports and support for T&F has been dwindling. I suspect that the Aussies will get slaughtered by the Brits in just about every event in London - the only exception will be the pole vault. And even that could change somewhat - the Brits have Steve Rippon who's pretty darn good. Case and point, grassroots campaigns for track and field is how you will get success. Unlike football or basketball in the US and soccer in Europe where there is just so much interest and competition you're bound to find success - T&F needs to be developed and nurtured by well supported, enthusiastic people who really know what they're doing. There needs to be money and there also needs to be an inherent desire within the population for success in the sport. Without a constant-coordinated effort of promoting the sport, that desire will fade because there are so many other sports that take up the limelight.

[dj]

hello

I have been involved with USATF, both locally and national, maybe before you were born and actually helped write the “first draft’ of the certification material… before it was USATF......

Has politics moved us forward in the last 30 years… Fraley in the streets, Steve/Lane with the Summit and you with PoleVaultPower have done more than I have seen coming from there. although i have seen Duffy trying very hard to "level the playing field" amongst the events.


dj

[rainbowgirl28]

I am so sick of some of you...

I have attended at least a dozen of my Association Board Meetings and I am the webmaster for my Association. I've attended at least 3 USATF Annual Meetings. I NEVER SEE ANY OF YOU THERE. Of all of the members of my website... I think Erica Bartolina has been very involved at the AAC level, Jeff Hartwig starting to be as well. I'm not even sure how involved Fraley/Hull/Yokoyama have been in recent years, and they're supposed to be our guys. I only saw them briefly at last year's meeting,and I think it had more to do with the fact that the meeting was in Reno and they needed to meet about the PV Summit. I'll give Rick Baggett credit for being involved heavily at the local level in the past. I know Eddie Seese is on the Association listserv, so he must still be involved in some way, or at least is following it. Anyone else?

I am tired of hearing people on here complain about USATF and spout off the things you think they could be doing better, when most of you do not have the faintest idea of how the organization works or how changes are made.

Without looking it up (or answering here, this is a rhetorical thing), how many of these questions do you know the answer to:

- Who is the CEO of USATF?
- Who is the President of USATF?
- How many people are there on the Board of Directors and how many can you name?
- When and where is this year's USATF Annual Meeting?
- What Association do you live in?
- Who is the President of your Association?
- When is your Association's next board meeting (or meeting of any kind)?
- How many delegates does your Association get to send to the Annual Meeting?
- How does your Association pick its delegates?

I've posted this a dozen times on this board, but I will make it even easier for you all. If you want to get involved with USATF, you have to start by getting involved with your local Association. You can find your local Association here: http://www.usatf.org/associations/ Go to their website. Find out when the meetings are. I know most of the Associations don't have an awesome website like mine does. If you can't find the info you need, email someone.


THIS APPLIES TO YOU ATHLETES TOO... If you do not know what AAC is, you're not trying hard enough. If you're not getting involved with AAC or your local Association, you must not really think that any changes need to be made.

Darren Niedermeyer, Mark Hollis, Mary Saxer, and anyone else in that area, you guys are relatively easy driving distance from this year's Annual Meeting, and I am sure that AAC would help you out with registration fee/hotel room or whatever they help with. Ask Erica Bartolina, she could tell you more.



I'm not planning on going to the meeting this year. I don't have any bones to pick with USATF at the moment, and I can't think of any strong enough reason for me to be there to justify the time and expense.

It's not helpful to the sport to spout off grandiose ideas without an implementation plan that is remotely realistic given the structure of USATF. Since most of you lack any clue about how USATF works, you lack any concept of how they could or could not implement your ideas.

[rainbowgirl28]

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying we should limit ourselves based on the limitations of USATF. I think that the pole vault community has done a fantastic job of organizing ourselves and making a lot of stuff happen with only minimal involvement from USATF (boy howdy do we need them for insurance!). I am not suggesting we stop doing those things, my rant is addressed at people who have problems with USATF.

Our community's lack of involvement at the Association and National level is a reason that we aren't getting as much from USATF as some of you might like. If you want to change that you have to start getting involved. A lot of you. It's not something I can do by myself.

[Branko720]

I believe Andy_C understands what I am trying to say. The only reason I have not mentioned other country’s programs was because too many people would point out the different social, economic, and political climates. The US Lacrosse Foundation is a group that has implemented the grassroots efforts that Andy_C and I have mentioned in America. That should prove to people that it can be done.

Rick I completely understand what you are saying. All athletic clubs are economically supported by its average athletes. The elite athletes are a financial risk. The elites as you said, Rick, don’t pay and a coach usually spends double, triple the time with them, as they should. However, an organization like USATF cannot continue to hope that people will continue producing results without some kind of support. Why hasn’t the USATF formed a relationship with you Rick? You have more than proved yourself as a coach and have a wonderful facility. You and people you trust could be coaching the youth of your region with USATF’s help. Imagine working with a young athlete and continuing to work with them through their professional career with USATF’s support. The US has people who can do the job.

However the assistance should not be top to bottom as DJ suggests.

I don’t think it is realistic to think that a coach with financial freedom, as DJ suggests, will take time away from his or her elite men jumping 19’ or women jumping 15’ to work with a 7’ beginner. We must build from the ground up.

As far as getting involved with my local association I don’t see much benefit. “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” Thoreau poses an interesting question. Should we just follow the rules? Should we work to change them, but follow them until they are? Or should we do as we please? Well as DJ has mentioned most of our country’s success has happened through people’s own efforts. Although I may not agree with Rick Suhr’s coaching philosophy he has done more on his own for USA Track and Field than what USATF has.

I am a coach. That is my job. Why should I now have to go and do someone else’s job, namely the administrators of USATF. My time is valuable and I also teach full time. I apologize if I refuse to add another duty on my list. Becca, you have been to the meetings. Can you point out even one thing that has been changed during your time that has had a positive influence on improving USA Track and Field? I was at the summit last year and when I mentioned some of the things we’ve been discussing, regionalization and pooling efforts the room became silent. There was no response. It was as if I wasn’t even there. I do not have the time or energy for my words to fall on deaf ears. It is USATF’s turn to listen to the cries of its members. Will they listen?

And Becca I want you to understand that I appreciate your efforts, but it is not your job to fix USATF’s problems either. You have done more than enough by creating this site. You have given all of us a voice. USATF should be listening to its community, but I don’t think they care to listen. They never ask me what I need. DJ expresses the same needs today as he did years ago. They must know about our problems but choose not to listen. And yet who is USATF suppose to be serving? Us.

I have emailed Doug Logan. I will let you know if I get a response.

[rainbowgirl28]

As far as getting involved with my local association I don’t see much benefit. “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” Thoreau poses an interesting question. Should we just follow the rules? Should we work to change them, but follow them until they are? Or should we do as we please? Well as DJ has mentioned most of our country’s success has happened through people’s own efforts. Although I may not agree with Rick Suhr’s coaching philosophy he has done more on his own for USA Track and Field than what USATF has.

I am a coach. That is my job. Why should I now have to go and do someone else’s job, namely the administrators of USATF. My time is valuable and I also teach full time. I apologize if I refuse to add another duty on my list. Becca, you have been to the meetings. Can you point out even one thing that has been changed during your time that has had a positive influence on improving USA Track and Field? I was at the summit last year and when I mentioned some of the things we’ve been discussing, regionalization and pooling efforts the room became silent. There was no response. It was as if I wasn’t even there. I do not have the time or energy for my words to fall on deaf ears. It is USATF’s turn to listen to the cries of its members. Will they listen?

And Becca I want you to understand that I appreciate your efforts, but it is not your job to fix USATF’s problems either. You have done more than enough by creating this site. You have given all of us a voice. USATF should be listening to its community, but I don’t think they care to listen. They never ask me what I need. DJ expresses the same needs today as he did years ago. They must know about our problems but choose not to listen. And yet who is USATF suppose to be serving? Us.

I have emailed Doug Logan. I will let you know if I get a response.

You have to understand how something works if you want to change it. USATF matters to the pole vault world in two big ways:
1. They select the teams for World and Olympic Championships, which is the thing that all elite athletes have to strive for because it is the only thing sponsors care about.
2. They offer affordable liability insurance to cover practices and competitions, which is extremely difficult for most of us to obtain elsewhere.

You still don't get how USATF works. If you want to make a change, most changes have to be voted on at the Annual Meeting. If you want the power to make a vote, you have to be a voting delegate of your Association. There are some things that the CEO has the power to change, and a lot of things he doesn't.

I am not saying that we should blindly follow the rules, I am saying most of you are blind when it comes to how to change them.

I agree that most of the pole vault success in the US has come independent of USATF. I don't think Rick Suhr is a good example, because I don't see how he will reproduce his success with Jenn with other athletes of an international elite caliber, someone like Earl Bell would be a better example. Believe it or not, this is true on other events as well.

There are very few paid staffers at USATF, and their job is largely to perform the things directed to them by the BOD and the membership. It's kind of like the electoral college here in the US, except that the Association doesn't ask all of it's members for a vote and then vote accordingly. It's not a system where each member gets a vote. That's not to say you don't have a voice. You do. But I bet Doug Logan gets emails like yours all the time, and I don't think he has the means or the power to please everyone.

You seem to have this impression that USATF is paying a large number of administrators to do certain things. That is not the case. There are a handful of people who work at the National Office, but the majority of the work is done by volunteers.

As far as positive changes that I have personally seen implemented:
- Background checks for youth coaches and anyone who has alone time with kids.
- Increase in membership fees (most wouldn't consider that positive, but it raised badly needed revenue, and is still less than most other NGBs)

At my Association Level I took on the task of creating an Association Open T&F Championships, something we had basically not had in several years (technically they had it, but it was just a title thrown at a college meet), giving local athletes another chance to hit qualifying marks before USAs.

[ADTF Academy]

What is the fundamental purpose of the USATF...... youth development and world based competitions where athletes represent our country. It is not to pay athletes to compete. Do I wish they would open more doors for athletes by helping put on more meets or working with colleges to offer more post collegiate meets and things like that. This is fundamentally what they are suppose to do. From a non profit standpoint they are not a business thats role is to pay their employees (athletes) to work.

Every other major sport has a professional organization outside the government backed program, but as track athletes not only in the US, but in the world we have nothing. Name a sport and there is a professional organization and a world team. The world team doesn't pay there salary the professional organization does. I would love it if the USATF gave my elites a fat check to survive but that won't happen anytime soon. I would love it if I got a check from the USATF for doing a great job, but that isn't going to happen.

The USATF is about youth grass roots development giving kids opportunities to run and getting our world teams ready for major competitions by paying for them to travel to those meets. Everything else in-between is on us and us alone.

Our sport is flawed it is the punishment for every other sport sadly in most parts of the country it is not taken serious except by track nerds. Except for maybe a few spots how may people would show up to lets say Detroit, Michigan to watch a world class track meet or to any other town out there for that matter. If we can't fill the stands we will never be able to survive. Face it we are the last true amateur based sport out there. How many other sports do some of your stars live in their car 3 months out of the year to survive. This is common for track. The true issue is we have no professional organization for track and field and this is not the USATF fault.

All the ideas of spreading money out are terrific in theory, but who gets it. What is the determining factor. I have ever certificate with coaches education in the USATF even working on my Level 3 now if I can find time to meet with them and go over it. 2 years ago I was a no body in the Midwest and would never have been given a shot or received any kind of help and still didn't. Last year after Mark Hollis went 18-10 I wasn't even asked to be apart of the National Pole Vault Staff. Honestly, I respect most of my colleagues but those organizations puzzle me. Last year at the summit I sat outside in the hallway and listen to you guys argue on this technique and that technique...... Honestly how is that going to even help us if our vaulters can't survive. In fact the coach from Brazil came out after and we were talking and he was like I don't even know why I was in there. Many of the elites I see around and talk to are lost cause their supposed coach doesn't have the time or money to actually help them so they do it on their own. How about we stop worrying about technique for a moment and help each other brainstorm ideas on how can we generate money first. With money comes time to work on things like pole vault technique. Why have we not taken the model from Gymnastics........ Can we sell our sport like they sell gymnastics?


I can't speak for these next people, but I see what they have done and it has shown me that its probably the only way.... Jan Johnson, Earl Bell, Rick Suhr....... they went outside the box and did it on their own. They didn't get any help or hand outs. They had a business plan and did it. I have no rich relatives to help me build a facility in fact I have no base income anymore (working with youth) I passed on it to give the couple of elites training with me the time they need. I took the easy approach and took a college job so i have a steady paycheck coming in. If they make it I might actually get paid if they don't I will sail off into the sunset and go back to work I guess (public accounting firms sound like so much fun don't they). Maybe than I will remember what it is like to have health, eye, and dental insurance (actually cracked a tooth 2 months ago and haven't been able to get it replaced).

Some of you people don't understand the time and energy it takes to make it post collegiately. You sit on here blast people and make suggestions. Unless you have ever really tried to work with a post collegiate athlete who has nothing and watched them fail in surviving you need to take a step back and listen for a moment. If your opinionated but have never really been in the line of fire before as a coach or an athlete you need to take a step back you can't relate. If you really cared maybe you should ask HOW CAN I HELP..... What some of those athletes shared is real..... they are good at what they do and they have a dream, but sadly they are put in a position to fail.

I was once told by an athletic training that.... "well if he can't afford to go see a doctor he should probably go get a real job and quit trying to be a pole vaulter." I told that lady that if I ever hear her talk like that to one of my athletes I will have her fired cause she should not be in athletics. I dare anyone out there who is working 40 hours a week to last a month under our training regiment. If you were working 40 hours a week could you find 3 hours to train and another 1.5 hours on average to rehab? Heck I have one trying to do that right now cause at his age he can't afford to not work his family would starve and the repo man would come. Some say well thats only 4.5 hours they can still work. Ask yourself this tomorrow when you get home from work how motivated are you to do anything. Secondly work life is usually stressful and a lot of standing around on your feet not good qualities for an athlete in training.

The reality of the fact is we need to look internally in our own community. We all need to understand we have no professional organization that backs our sport. It is not the USATF job to help us make money. You wanna know where I would love to see it all begin is at the summit this year. During the supposed National PV Coaches meeting they have there is not a single thing talked about in terms of technique or training. The entire conversation was in regards to how can we sell our event and how can we help give our pole vaulters a chance to survive. How can we set up more meets and circuits. How can we help local clubs fundraise. How can we show all ages and families that there is something to our event. Skateboarders did it. If we can't sell our sport or our own event and we can't fill stands all these posts are a mute point. Distance runners did it how much money do you think is made on 5k runs..... Honestly I have been asked this year to attend the National PV coaches meet. If anything technical is brought I will probably just get up and leave. Not because I think I am better but because deep down that will help nothing. I would rather go hang out with the elites and work with them on ways they can raise funds to survive cause if us as the top coaches are not going to do anything to help them who will?

Actually I brought up a great idea and I sent it to Brian as well. How about on the Pole vault Summit registration we put a donate money to the elite development fund. All money raised is spread out evenly to the elites who jump at the summit! If each person does lets say on average $20.00 and 1800 sign up thats $36,000 and if we have 16 US elites who compete each would go home with over $2,000 for going to he summit plus prize money. Thats like survival for 2+ months!

Do the math there is around 40+ events for men and women not counting cross country and all the indoor events the USATF is in charge of even if you say the top 8 in each get help of lets say 25,000 a year they would need to raise over $8,000,000.00. That doesn't even count travel to world based meets or youth development which would be thrown out the window. Is this a possible change they could make..... still doesn't answer the question we need a professional organization of our own. We have this vast network and yet we do nothing with it to help MAKE MONEY!!!!!!!

[rainbowgirl28]

The true issue is we have no professional organization for track and field and this is not the USATF fault.

I agree. USATF seemed to be extremely supportive of the efforts of the PAA a few years ago, yet it doesn't seem like anything ever came of it. I think that was just one of many efforts to create a union/professional organization for our elite athletes.

Actually I brought up a great idea and I sent it to Brian as well. How about on the Pole vault Summit registration we put a donate money to the elite development fund. All money raised is spread out evenly to the elites who jump at the summit! If each person does lets say on average $20.00 and 1800 sign up thats $36,000 and if we have 16 US elites who compete each would go home with over $2,000 for going to he summit plus prize money. Thats like survival for 2+ months!

I like this idea