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USATF launches Elite Development Club Program
10-28-2004


Contact:
Jill M. Geer
USATF Director of Communications
USA Track & Field
508-695-0595


INDIANAPOLIS -USA Track & Field on Thursday announced that 19 clubs have been designated as charter Elite Development Clubs for the upcoming 2008 Olympiad. The new designation system is intended to increase the visibility and enhance the number of year-round training environments available to post-scholastic and post-collegiate U.S. athletes.


The "Elite Development Club" designation identifies clubs with the commitment, resources, and record of providing significant assistance to nationally and internationally competitive athletes. That support enables athletes to continue high-level, competitive involvement in track & field, race waking and long-distance running.


"We are happy to announce this new initiative which, when combined with our national club championship events and the creation of a new Club Council, shows that USATF is committed to moving our club revitalization efforts forward," said USATF President Bill Roe. "By giving our top clubs this designation, it gives them the credit they deserve while also providing them a calling card of sorts as they pursue additional local support and sponsorships."


The nineteen clubs that have been designated as "Elite Development Clubs" for the 2008 Olympiad are (with the club's USATF Association affiliation in parenthesis): Asics Aggies Running Club (Pacific), Atlanta Track Club (Georgia), Boston Athletic Association (New England), Bryn Mawr Running Club (Mid-Atlantic), Club Northwest (Pacific Northwest), Farm Team (Pacific), Genesee Valley Harriers (Niagara), Greater Boston Track Club (New England), Hansons-Brooks (Michigan), Indiana Invaders (Indiana), Kansas City Smoke (Missouri Valley), Lords of the Rings (Wisconsin), Santa Monica Track Club (Southern California), Syracuse Chargers Track Club (Niagara), Team USA Minnesota (Minnesota), Team Eugene (Oregon), Track West (Southern California), Transport adidas (Pacific), and Wisconsin Runner Racing Team (Wisconsin).


"The selection of these nineteen clubs as charter Elite Development Clubs is a credit to their past success and their commitment to open athlete development," said USATF Club Council Chair David Oja. "We look forward to increasing the number and geographic coverage of such outstanding USATF clubs throughout the next four years."


More information on the program, including a 2008 Olympiad Elite Development Club application, can be found at http://www.usatf.org/clubs/programs/Eli ... pmentClubs

rainbowgirl28 wrote:The "Elite Development Club" designation identifies clubs with the commitment, resources, and record of providing significant assistance to nationally and internationally competitive athletes. That support enables athletes to continue high-level, competitive involvement in track & field, race waking and long-distance running.

And by track and field they mean distance runners

Most of those clubs are primarily distance running clubs. The only one I know that really has athletes in all areas of track and field is Indiana Invaders. Club Northwest has sponsored some pole vaulters in the past, but the club does not have a vault coach or anything.

I don't know all of the clubs that well, so I am probably missing one or two more that have sponsored a vaulter.

But c'mon... if you are going to admit clubs that only have distance runners, maybe you could have a token pole vault and a token throwing club in there. Bell Athletics sent half of the US's vaulters to the Olympics. Sky Athletics has also had a lot of international success. It's not like there aren't any elite pole vaulting clubs out there.

Furthermore, I would argue that a field event athlete needs more support after college than a distance runner. Obviously to be an elite distance runner, it helps tremendously to have a group and a coach to train with, and a club or sponsor to help pay for shoes and whatnot.

But if a talented athlete graduated from college and wanted to continue running, with enough determination you can do it. A distance runner can run almost anywhere. They also have races readily available year round between road races and indoor and outdoor track.

just a thought, but it seems as though the US is sick of getting pummeled in the distance events ( sorry if we are doing well, but i havent seen much success in the 800m + races) so iIt appears as though they are going to put more effort into "creating" better distance runners....

the USATF probably isnt setting up any real vault clubs because we're doing fine with the awesome clubs we do have. ( I.E.- Bell athletics) HOWEVER- think of how many more elite vaulters we could have if we tried harder in all the clubs, and make each club have a mandatory amount of athletes in each event for a club to be "official".....

once again- no offense to any distance runners as they are very hard workign athletes, i just dont see any international success.....

any thoughts..?

I agree with you that they are probably trying to improve our showing internationally in the distance events. It's also true that there are a LOT more distance runners in the US than there are pole vaulters.

Maybe they should have just called it Elite Development Distance Clubs or something. Spend the money how you will, but don't try and pretend to be covering track and FIELD when very little of that money will benefit any field event athletes.

true dat, true dat

I agree